"Chameleon", "Thick and Thin". The meaning of the story titles. A.P. Chekhov. Stories "Thick and Thin", "Chameleon". In the mirror of human characters
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At Nikolaevskaya station railway two friends met: one fat, the other thin. The fat man had just had lunch at the station, and his lips, coated with oil, were shiny like ripe cherries. He smelled of sherry and orange blossom. The thin one had just left the carriage and was laden with suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes. He smelled of ham and coffee grounds. Peeking out from behind him was a thin woman with a long chin - his wife, and a tall high school student with a squinted eye - his son.
Porfiry! - the fat one exclaimed when he saw the thin one. - Is that you? My darling! How many winters, how many years!
Fathers! - the thin one was amazed. - Misha! Childhood friend! Where did you come from?
The friends kissed each other three times and looked at each other with eyes full of tears. Both were pleasantly stunned.
My dear! - the thin one began after kissing. - I didn’t expect it! What a surprise! Well, take a good look at me! Just as handsome as he was! Such a soul and a dandy! Oh, my God! Well, what are you doing? Rich? Married? I’m already married, as you can see... This is my wife, Louise, nee Vanzenbach... Lutheran... And this is my son, Nathanael, a third-grade student. This is Nafanya, my childhood friend! We studied together at the gymnasium!
Nathanael thought for a moment and took off his hat.
We studied together at the gymnasium! - continued the thin one. - Do you remember how they teased you? They teased you as Herostratus because you burned a government book with a cigarette, and they teased me as Ephialtes because I loved to tell lies. Ho-ho... We were children! Don't be afraid, Nafanya! Come closer to him... And this is my wife, née Vanzenbach... a Lutheran.
Nathanael thought for a moment and hid behind his father.
Well, how are you doing, friend? - asked the fat man, looking at his friend enthusiastically. - Where do you serve? Have you achieved the rank?
I serve, my dear! I have been a collegiate assessor for the second year now and I have Stanislav. The salary is bad... well, God bless him! My wife gives music lessons, I privately make cigarette cases out of wood. Great cigarette cases! I sell them for a ruble apiece. If someone takes ten grand or more, then, you know, there is a concession. Let's make some money. I served, you know, in the department, and now I’ve been transferred here as the head of the same department... I’ll serve here. Well, how are you? Probably already a civilian? A?
No, my dear, lift it higher,” said the fat one. - I have already reached the rank of secret... I have two stars.
The thin one suddenly turned pale and petrified, but soon his face twisted in all directions with a broad smile; it seemed as if sparks were falling from his face and eyes. He himself shrank, hunched over, narrowed... His suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes shrank, wrinkled... His wife's long chin became even longer; Nathanael stood tall and fastened all the buttons of his uniform...
I, Your Excellency... It’s a pleasure, sir! A friend, one might say, from childhood, and suddenly they became such nobles, sir! Hee hee sir.
Well, that's enough! - the fat man winced. - What is this tone for? You and I are childhood friends - and why this respect for rank?
For mercy's sake... What are you... - the thin one giggled, shrinking even more. - The gracious attention of your Excellency... seems to be life-giving moisture... This, Your Excellency, is my son Nathanael... wife Louise, a Lutheran, in some way...
The fat one wanted to object something, but the thin one had so much reverence, sweetness and respectful acid written on his face that Privy Councilor vomited. He turned away from the thin one and offered him his hand in farewell.
The thin one shook three fingers, bowed with his whole body and chuckled like a Chinese: “Hee-hee-hee.” The wife smiled. Nathanael shuffled his foot and dropped his cap. All three were pleasantly stunned.
At the Nikolaevskaya railway station, two friends met: one fat, the other thin. The fat man had just had lunch at the station, and his lips, coated with oil, were shiny like ripe cherries. He smelled of sherry and fleur-d'orange. The thin one had just left the carriage and was laden with suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes. He smelled of ham and coffee grounds. Peeking out from behind him was a thin woman with a long chin - his wife, and a tall high school student with a squinted eye - his son.
Porfiry! - the fat one exclaimed when he saw the thin one. - Is that you? My darling! How many winters, how many years!
Fathers! - the thin one was amazed. - Misha! Childhood friend! Where did you come from?
The friends kissed each other three times and looked at each other with eyes full of tears. Both were pleasantly stunned.
My dear! - the thin one began after kissing. - I didn’t expect it! What a surprise! Well, take a good look at me! Just as handsome as he was! Such a soul and a dandy! Oh, my God! Well, what are you doing? Rich? Married? I’m already married, as you can see... This is my wife, Louise, nee Vanzenbach... Lutheran... And this is my son, Nathanael, a third grade student. This is Nafanya, my childhood friend! We studied together at the gymnasium!
Nathanael thought for a moment and took off his hat.
We studied together at the gymnasium! - continued the thin one. - Do you remember how they teased you? They teased you as Herostratus because you burned a government book with a cigarette, and they teased me as Ephialtes because I loved to tell lies. Ho-ho... We were children! Don't be afraid, Nafanya! Come closer to him... And this is my wife, née Vanzenbach... a Lutheran.
Nathanael thought for a moment and hid behind his father.
Well, how are you doing, friend? - asked the fat man, looking at his friend enthusiastically. - Where do you serve? Have you achieved the rank?
I serve, my dear! I have been a collegiate assessor for the second year now and I have Stanislav. The salary is bad... well, God bless him! My wife gives music lessons, I privately make cigarette cases out of wood. Great cigarette cases! I sell them for a ruble apiece. If someone takes ten pieces or more, then, you know, there is a concession. Let's make some money. I served, you know, in the department, and now I’ve been transferred here as the head of the same department... I’ll serve here. Well, how are you? Probably already a civilian? A?
No, my dear, lift it higher,” said the fat one. - I have already reached the rank of secret... I have two stars.
The thin one suddenly turned pale and petrified, but soon his face twisted in all directions with a broad smile; it seemed as if sparks were falling from his face and eyes. He himself shrank, hunched over, narrowed... His suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes shrank, wrinkled... His wife’s long chin became even longer; Nathanael stood tall and fastened all the buttons of his uniform...
I, Your Excellency... It’s a pleasure, sir! A friend, one might say, from childhood and suddenly became such a nobleman, sir! Hee hee sir.
Well, that's enough! - the fat man winced. - What is this tone for? You and I are childhood friends - and why this respect for rank?
For mercy's sake... What are you... - the thin one giggled, shrinking even more. - Your Excellency’s gracious attention... seems like life-giving moisture... This, Your Excellency, is my son Nathanael... wife Louise, a Lutheran, in some way...
The fat one wanted to object something, but the thin one had so much reverence, sweetness and respectful acid written on his face that the Privy Councilor vomited. He turned away from the thin one and offered him his hand in farewell.
The thin one shook three fingers, bowed with his whole body and chuckled like a Chinese: “hee-hee-hee.” The wife smiled. Nathanael shuffled his foot and dropped his cap. All three were pleasantly stunned.
In 1883, the journal Oskolki appeared. short story“Thick and Thin” by A. Chekhov. Short and succinct in content, it is filled deep meaning. The author addresses in it the problem of servility and veneration of rank, which has more than once become an object of criticism in Russian literature.
Composition and content (brief)
Fat and thin, former classmates at the gymnasium, met by chance at the station. The mention of the Nikolaev railway in the first sentence (this is a condensed exposition) suggests that the heroes of the story are officials. A. Chekhov does not give a detailed description of them, but accurate ones immediately bring clarity to what is happening. For example, the mention that the fat man smelled of “sherry and fleur-d’orange” is a sign of wealth, and the thin man smelled of “ham and coffee grounds,” helps to determine at what level of the social ladder each of the heroes was. In addition, the latter was hung with boxes and suitcases - he probably did not have extra funds or was sparing money on a porter.
The fat one noticed his former friend first. His joyful cry addressed to Porfiry becomes the beginning of the action. They have not seen each other since childhood, and it is quite natural that a conversation begins between them. Short, but sufficient for the reader to get a complete picture of life position each of the friends.
The culmination is the moment when the thin one learns what heights his comrade has reached in life. Misha immediately turns into “Your Excellency,” and Porfiry himself unnecessarily becomes an obsequious and fawning little man, as further analysis will show.
Thick and thin during dialogue
Porfiry, seeing his childhood friend, was simply stunned. The former friends hugged and “kissed” three times - the author deliberately uses sublime language here to give the whole scene a mocking character.
Thin was extremely talkative and began to talk boastfully about his life. He introduced his wife and son, while Nathanael thought first and only then took off his hat. He said that over the years of service in the office he reached the rank of collegiate assessor. He also makes and sells cigars - additional income to his salary. However, his joy and delight from the meeting disappeared the very moment he learned that his friend was “probably already a civilian?” - rose to the rank of Privy Councilor. The thin one at first turned pale and seemed petrified, after which he put on a wide smile on his face, probably best suited for a conversation with an important person. He immediately seemed to shrink, trying not to attract too much attention to himself. The same thing happened with his family and numerous bundles and cardboard boxes: they all suddenly shrank and wrinkled. Reverence for rank, in any situation and before everyone who was at least a little more significant, became the norm of life for a minor official - Porfiry’s behavior and his analysis lead to this conclusion.
The fat and thin parted in a completely different way from how they met. The Privy Councilor, taciturn and self-confident, but showing cordiality, wanted to object something, and then simply turned away, offering his hand in farewell. He was sickened by such a change in his comrade.
And the whole family froze in “pleasant stupor.”
During childhood
The characters and memories of Porfiry will be assessed by analysis. Tolsty and Thin spent several years together at the gymnasium. Even then, the superiority of the first, nicknamed Herostratus, was obvious - in ancient times, a Greek with that name destroyed one of the wonders of the world with fire. Misha burned through his government book with a cigarette - he clearly wanted to gain authority among his classmates.
The thin one was called Ephialtes, since he often told lies. And this name - a traitor to the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae - has been preserved in history. Years passed, and one remained handsome, “darling” and a dandy, living sedately and in abundance. Another, “thanks to” his ability to please and many years of work, managed to rise to a low rank, which still gave him the title of nobility. And now this difference between former friends was exposed even more, and the constant fear of his superiors made Porfiry tremble in front of someone who a few minutes ago was only a “childhood friend.”
and the role of the detail
The main technique that Chekhov uses in the story “The Thick and the Thin” is antithesis. The contrast between the characters is found in everything, including the title: from the mention of what each had for lunch, to the manner of behavior and speech. Subtle is indicative in this regard. If at the beginning of the meeting we hear from him: “you”, “my dear”, “childhood friend”, then subsequently his tone changes to reverent and respectful. To the meaningful “your excellency”, “such nobles”, “have mercy”, “hee-hee-hee”, etc. pauses are added, as if it suddenly became difficult for him to speak.
In the second part of the story, an important role in revealing the image of the collegiate assessor is played by metaphor (“he was petrified”), comparison (“it seemed... sparks were falling from his face and eyes”), and personification (the boxes, the nodes “shrank, winced”). Thus, in the story “The Thick and the Thin,” Chekhov ridicules the hero’s servility, cowardice, and opportunism. Moreover, Thin does this unconsciously, out of habit, in response to the words of his former comrade: “Well, that’s enough... And why this tone?”
Moral meaning of the work
The content of the story and its analysis evokes sad thoughts in the reader. “Thick and Thin” is an example of the lengths to which a person can go to self-abasement in an effort to curry favor and please. A great writer and expert on the human soul, A.P. Chekhov, for a century and a half now, has been urging us to look at ourselves and those around us so that society can finally get rid of the vices that interfere with the establishment of healthy and sincere relationships between people.
Stories by A.P. Chekhov's works are distinguished by their realism and brevity. The writer manages to reflect all the nuances of human life briefly, gracefully and witty; so that readers remember these stories for a long time. Some of the stories are devoted to how a person behaves in the company of other people (depending on which ones).
Chameleon's story
For example, a story "Chameleon", which shows how easily a person is ready to change his opinion if he understands that there is a benefit for him. Or, conversely, fear of punishment. Police warden Ochumelov discovers a dog in the square that has bitten a man and orders it to be destroyed.
However, when a rumor spreads through the crowd that this dog is not a yard dog, but belongs to a general, Ochumelov abruptly changes his point of view and treats the dog with tenderness.
So he rushes from side to side several times as soon as the correct answer is suggested to him. Ochumelov no longer cares what the dog has done; he is worried that a high-ranking general may be dissatisfied with the treatment of his pet.
Thick and thin
The dependence of people on social status and the prejudices associated with it is shown in the story "Thick and thin": two old friends accidentally meet at a railway station and start asking each other about life.
It turns out that one of them stands much higher than the other according to the “Table of Ranks” (a document that determined Russian Empire class).
Having realized this, the inferior (the so-called “subtle”) begins to ingratiate himself in every possible way with his old friend. It no longer matters to him that they knew each other many years ago; now only civil rank matters. In this story, Chekhov shows with bitter regret how dependent people can be on stereotypes.
Death of an official
The story also deals with the problem of status "Death of an Official", main character who dies due to pathological admiration for people of higher rank. The tragedy of this story is that a certain minor official accidentally splashed the cloak of his superior, and from that moment on his whole life is subordinated to the single goal of apologizing for his “outrageous” act.
However, a significant person does not understand this noble impulse and rudely shouts at the official. A man who trembled before those in power could not bear such a shock. He had a serious nervous breakdown, came home and died.
Horse surname
Story "Horse surname" also shows how stereotypical human thinking. However, what is already touched upon here are not social class stereotypes, but ordinary, everyday ones. Several people can’t remember the doctor’s last name; they only remember that it’s some kind of “horse” name.
Everyone at home immediately begins to sort through suitable options Kobylin, Zherebtsov, Konyukhov... but no one thinks to remember what horses eat: the name of Dr. Ovsov.
On our website you can read a summary of the story “Thick and Thin”. Links to texts and summary other works by A.P. Chekhov - see below in the block “More on the topic...”
At the Nikolaevskaya railway station, two friends met: one fat, the other thin. The fat man had just had lunch at the station, and his lips, coated with oil, were shiny like ripe cherries. He smelled of sherry and orange blossom. The thin one had just left the carriage and was laden with suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes. He smelled of ham and coffee grounds. Peeking out from behind him was a thin woman with a long chin - his wife, and a tall high school student with a squinted eye - his son.
- Porfiry! - the fat one exclaimed when he saw the thin one. - Is that you? My darling! How many winters, how many years!
- Fathers! – the thin one was amazed. - Misha! Childhood friend! Where did you come from?
The friends kissed each other three times and looked at each other with eyes full of tears. Both were pleasantly stunned.
A.P. Chekhov. "Thick and thin". Audiobook
- My dear! – the thin one began after kissing. - I didn’t expect it! What a surprise! Well, take a good look at me! Just as handsome as he was! Such a soul and a dandy! Oh, my God! Well, what are you doing? Rich? Married? I’m already married, as you can see... This is my wife, Louise, nee Vanzenbach... Lutheran... And this is my son, Nathanael, a third-grade student. This is Nafanya, my childhood friend! We studied together at the gymnasium!
Nathanael thought for a moment and took off his hat.
– We studied together at the gymnasium! – the thin one continued. – Do you remember how they teased you? They teased you as Herostratus because you burned a government book with a cigarette, and they teased me as Ephialtes because I loved to tell lies. Ho-ho... We were children! Don't be afraid, Nafanya! Come closer to him... And this is my wife, nee Vanzenbach... a Lutheran.
Nathanael thought for a moment and hid behind his father.
- Well, how are you doing, friend? – asked the fat man, looking at his friend enthusiastically. - Where do you serve? Have you achieved the rank?
- I serve, my dear! I have been a collegiate assessor for the second year now and I have Stanislav. The salary is bad... well, God bless him! My wife gives music lessons, I privately make cigarette cases out of wood. Great cigarette cases! I sell them for a ruble apiece. If someone takes ten grand or more, then, you know, there is a concession. Let's make some money. I served, you know, in the department, and now I’ve been transferred here as the head of the same department... I’ll serve here. Well, how are you? Probably already a civilian? A?
“No, my dear, lift it higher,” said the fat man. - I have already reached the rank of secret... I have two stars.
The thin one suddenly turned pale and petrified, but soon his face twisted in all directions with a broad smile; it seemed as if sparks were falling from his face and eyes. He himself shrank, hunched over, narrowed... His suitcases, bundles and cardboard boxes shrank, wrinkled... His wife’s long chin became even longer; Nathanael stood tall and fastened all the buttons of his uniform...
– I, Your Excellency... It’s a pleasure, sir! A friend, one might say, from childhood and suddenly became such a nobleman, sir! Hee hee sir.
- Well, that's enough! – the fat man winced. -What is this tone for? You and I are childhood friends - and why this respect for rank?
“For mercy’s sake...What are you...?” the thin one giggled, shrinking even more. – Your Excellency’s gracious attention... seems like life-giving moisture... This, Your Excellency, is my son Nathanael... wife Louise, a Lutheran, in some way...
The fat one wanted to object something, but the thin one had so much reverence, sweetness and respectful acid written on his face that the Privy Councilor vomited. He turned away from the thin one and offered him his hand in farewell.
The thin one shook three fingers, bowed with his whole body and chuckled like a Chinese: “Hee-hee-hee.” The wife smiled. Nathanael shuffled his foot and dropped his cap. All three were pleasantly stunned.