Tolstoy's characters and their characteristics after the ball. Characteristics of the main characters of the work After the Ball, Tolstoy. Their images and descriptions. Brief description of the characters “After the Ball”

The story “After the Ball” is based on a real event that Tolstoy learned about when he lived as a student with his brothers in Kazan. His brother Sergei Nikolaevich fell in love with the daughter of the local military commander L.P. Koreysha was going to marry her. But after...

1. Contrast of color palette. 2. Contrasting feelings and things. 3. Connecting contrasting passages. In L. N. Tolstoy’s story “After the Ball,” contrast plays a structure-forming role in the creation of the work. Two sides of the same coin become...

The story by L.N. Tolstoy describes the events that took place in Russia during the reign of Nicholas the First. It was a harsh time of the reign of the Tsar, who was frightened by the Decembrist uprising and intensified the reaction of public life. Compositionally the story consists...

Varenka’s father was a very handsome, stately, tall, fresh old man, he was beautifully built. The colonel at first refused to dance with his daughter, but then he still agreed... Varenka’s grandiose figure floated next to him, it was clear that her father had once...

The story “After the Ball” is one of the last works of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy. It tells about a dramatic event - the punishment of a soldier with spitzrutens. Using the well-known “story within a story” technique, the writer achieves the utmost authenticity of the narrative....

On this morning of Forgiveness Sunday, I came from the ball at five o’clock, inspired by tender feelings for Varya. My soul was so light that it was impossible to sit at home. My brother was sleeping, and I decided to take a walk on the last morning before Lent. It was the most Maslenitsa...

A distinctive feature of the life and work of the great Russian writer and thinker Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy is his constant moral quest. What is the true purpose of a person, how to relate to other people and generally accepted “truths” - all these questions are touched upon to one degree or another in his works. The writer speaks about them especially sharply and uncompromisingly in the novels, novellas and short stories he created after the spiritual crisis experienced in the late 70s of the 19th century. The story “After the Ball” is one of these.

History of creation

At the beginning of April 1903, a major Jewish pogrom took place in the city of Chisinau, Bessarabia province of the Russian Empire. L.N. Tolstoy sharply condemned the pogromists and the inactive authorities. The Committee to Help Victims of the Pogrom organized a fundraiser. At the end of April, the famous Jewish writer Sholom Aleichem asked Leo Tolstoy to “give something” for a literary collection he was preparing for the same purpose. In his response letter, Lev Nikolaevich promised to fulfill his request.

On June 9, Tolstoy decided to write a story about an incident in the life of his brother Sergei Nikolaevich, which evokes certain associations with the Chisinau pogrom. 75-year-old Lev Nikolaevich remembered this story from his student days spent with his brothers in Kazan.

The plan for the future story was sketched out in a diary entry dated June 18, 1903. The first version of the story, entitled “Daughter and Father,” was written on August 5-6. Then Tolstoy changed the title to “And you say.” The final edition of the story, entitled “After the Ball,” was completed on August 20, 1903. The work was published after the writer’s death in “Posthumous Works of L. N. Tolstoy” in 1911.

Description of the work

The narration is told on behalf of the main character - Ivan Vasilyevich. In familiar surroundings, he told two incidents from his life when he was a student at a provincial university. They were supposed to illustrate his statement that what determines a person’s fate is not the environment, but chance.

Most of the story is occupied by the experiences of the hero, who attended the provincial leader’s ball on the last day of Maslenitsa. All the “cream” of provincial society gathered there, including Varenka B., with whom the student was madly in love. She became the queen of the ball, and was admired not only by men, but also by women whom she pushed into the background. So, at least, it seemed to the student Vanya. The beautiful girl favored him and gave him most of the dances with her.

Varenka was the daughter of Colonel Pyotr Vladislavovich, who was also at the ball with his wife. At the end, those present persuaded the colonel to dance with his daughter. The couple found themselves in the spotlight. Pyotr Vladislavovich remembered his former prowess and danced dashingly like a young man. Vanya watched the couple with increased attention. The old-fashioned colonel's boots especially touched his soul. They were seen to be saving on themselves so as not to deny their beloved daughter anything.

After the dance, the colonel said that he had to get up early tomorrow and did not stay for dinner. And Ivan danced with Varenka for a long time. An unearthly feeling of happiness and absolute harmony of existence gripped the main character. He loved not only Varenka, her father, but also the whole world, in which, as it seemed to him at those moments, there was nothing bad.

Finally, the ball was over. Returning home in the morning, Ivan realized that he would not be able to sleep from the excess of feelings. He went out into the street and his feet carried him to Varenka’s house, located on the outskirts of the city. As we approached the field adjacent to the house, drumming and unpleasant, shrill sounds of a flute began to sound, drowning out the dance melodies that were still sounding in Ivan’s soul. There they passed a fugitive Tatar soldier through the line. Other soldiers from both sides hit the unfortunate man on his bare back, and he only muttered exhaustedly: “Brothers, have mercy.” His back had long since turned into a bloody mess.

And Varenka’s father led the execution, and he did it as diligently as he had danced with his daughter the day before. When one short soldier did not hit the Tatar hard enough, the colonel, his face twisted with anger, began to hit him in the face for this. Ivan was shocked to the point of nausea by what he saw. His love for Varenka began to wane. The bloody back of the soldier tortured by her father stood between them.

Main characters

The hero of the story, Ivan Vasilyevich, is endowed with a sense of compassion and the ability to put himself in the place of another person. Human misfortunes did not become simple life decorations for him, as they were for the vast majority of representatives of the privileged classes. Ivan Vasilyevich’s conscience is not drowned out by false life expediency. These qualities were inherent to the highest degree in Tolstoy himself.

Colonel Pyotr Vladislavovich is a caring father and a good family man. Most likely, he considers himself a true Christian, serving God, the sovereign and the fatherland. But he, like most people at all times, is absolutely deaf to the main thing in Christianity - the great moral law of Christ. According to this law, you must treat people the way you would like them to treat you. Regardless of class and property barriers.

It is difficult to create a psychological portrait of the beautiful Varenka. Most likely, it is unlikely that her external attractiveness was combined with the same soul. After all, she was raised by her father, who turned out to be a real fanatic in the public service.

Story Analysis

The compositional dominant of the story is the opposition of its two parts, which describe the events at the ball and after it. First, the ball sparkling with light colors is a celebration of youth, love and beauty. It takes place on the last day of Maslenitsa - Forgiveness Sunday, when believers must forgive each other mutual sins. Then - dark colors, “bad music” hitting the nerves, and cruel reprisals against the unfortunate soldiers, among whom the main victim is a non-religious (like the Chisinau Jews).

There are several main ideas in the story. First of all, it is an absolute rejection of any violence, including that justified by state necessity. Secondly, the division of people into those worthy of respect and those likened to cattle is contrary to the will of God.

Other motives are less obvious. In torturing a non-believer on Forgiveness Sunday, Tolstoy allegorically continues to reproach the official church for justifying state violence, from which he was excommunicated two years earlier.

The image of the loving and carefree Ivan Vasilyevich reminds Tolstoy of his own youth, which the writer was critical of. Oddly enough, young Tolstoy had similarities in common with the colonel. In another of his works (“Youth”), the writer writes about his own division of people into worthy and despised.

The central character in L.N. Tolstoy’s story is Ivan Vasilyevich. In the work “After the Ball” (a summary of the story), he tells a story that left an indelible mark on his life.

Ivan Vasilyevich was a handsome young man, and he had money too. He studied at a provincial university, was cheerful and lively, and loved to party with his friends. There were no clubs at the university; the main pastimes were evenings and balls. He loved to dance and was good at it.

At that time, Ivan Vasilyevich was in love with a beautiful girl, Varvara. His love knew no bounds, the young man never ceased to admire and admire this girl.

From the story we can conclude that by nature he was a good-natured person. He was kind to the girl he was in love with. Ivan Vasilyevich loved life and people. He saw only good traits in people.

When he told his story, during the description of the ball, his soul was filled with love, dreams and dreams.

However, the picture he saw the next morning made him rethink his life and look at it with different eyes.

The young man accidentally witnessed how the father of his beloved Varya, for whom the night before he had developed the best feelings and impressions, carried out reprisals against a fugitive soldier.

Ivan Vasilyevich saw the pain and horror in the soldier’s eyes, saw the red bloody marks left on his back after the beating. The young man was struck by the indifference and cruelty with which the colonel, the father of his beloved Varya, punished the soldier.

Ivan Vasilyevich couldn’t wrap his head around how a person could change so much. How can a sweet person with an open, affectionate smile turn into a cruel boss who doesn’t have an ounce of mercy?

After this incident, Ivan Vasilyevich’s love for the beautiful Varvara began to fade, because when he saw her, he remembered her father. Being a sensitive person, he could not be with her, lie to her and pretend.

This story completely changed his worldview and forced him to change his plans for the future. He abandoned the military career he had previously dreamed of. His life changed, and his attitude towards the people around him also changed.

In the story, Ivan Vasilyevich is presented in the image of an honest, sensual, fair and impressionable person. He loses a lot, gives up his desired love and career, but at the same time he retains honor and dignity.

Option 2

The story of Leo Tolstoy demonstrates the essence of the life paths of noble people of those years. The character and character of Ivan Vasilyevich in the story “After the Ball” will be able to fully assess the quality of the protagonist’s soul. In the face of a great injustice committed against another person, Ivan had to instantly change the path of his life, which he later did not regret, at least once.

When Ivan was a young man, he was a good match for any girl. He was very handsome and slender. He was dressed very well. The student suit was perfect. He wore gloves. It was clear that the young man took care of his appearance. He never forgot to get his hair cut on time. Was rich. Not every person in those days could afford a horse. Strangely enough, Ivan Vasilyevich could. Expensive horse requiring cash.

At that time, Ivan was a university student. Like everyone else his age, he was a lover of carousing and dancing at balls with attractive girls.

The young man never experienced a lack of attention from girls. Any girl would want him to pay attention to her. Dancing was his hobby. He danced excellently and with great pleasure. He could dance all the polka, tango or waltz dances. When he danced he felt like a fish in water.

By nature he was a good-natured, romantic guy. But very impressionable and amorous.

His very first love was Varenka. He met her at a ball. The girl seemed to him an unearthly creature that was impossible to reach. After dancing with Varenka all night, he realized that he had sincerely fallen in love with her. He felt very happy. He was ready to love the whole world because she gave him love and to be loved. The end of this story is as quick as the beginning. The young people were not together.

He returned home. He had insomnia. Wanting to walk around the city, he approached the house of his love. There he witnessed how Varenka’s father, an employee, brought an ordinary soldier to a pulp.

He couldn’t even think how a person could pretend like that at a dance, pretending to be a good-natured, polite old man. The authorities turned him into an animal, leaving not a drop of kindness in his heart. This event left a mark on the guy that he decided never to work with the service. Along with disappointment in the colonel, feelings for his daughter began to go away. They finally stopped dating.

Essay about Ivan Vasilyevich

When reading the works of the famous Russian writer Tolstoy, you are surprised at what talent and colossal sense of words was hidden in this man. His works constitute a number of brilliant works of Russian literature. One of these creations is the story “After the Ball,” based on events occurring in reality at that time. After all, all this happened to the writer’s brother.

The main character is Ivan Vasilyevich, who denies that in order to improve, completely different living conditions are necessary. And he tells his life story, which completely changed his destiny. The action takes place in the 40s of the 19th century. He was studying at the university at that time and spent all his free time having fun. And since our hero had a pleasant appearance, he attended celebrations and balls with great pleasure. It is precisely one of these evenings that Ivan Vasilyevich, who at that time was in love with Varenka, tells about. The girl was pretty, and that's why he couldn't stop looking at her. He didn’t even look in the direction of the other young ladies, and all the time he danced only with Varenka.

Here we see how happy a person is, and this happiness was real. Ivan Vasilyevich embraced the world with love and was afraid that everything could collapse in one moment. At the ball, he couldn’t even think about the existence of evil and cruelty. When he went to Varenka’s house, filled with a bright feeling, he suddenly saw how the soldiers were punishing the fugitive Tatar. He was shocked by the force and cruelty with which the blows rained down on this man’s back.

But most of all he was surprised and could not believe that these soldiers were led by the father of his beloved girl, whom he boasted about. Ivan Vasilyevich was ashamed that this man actually turned out to be so heartless. Soon after the incident, our hero changed his plans to enter military service. He has changed morally. Ivan Vasilyevich began to look at the world and the people around him completely differently. After that, all his high feelings disappeared. Thus, the author, using the image of this hero, showed how conscience and a sense of responsibility for one’s neighbor can awaken in a person.

In the modern world it is very difficult to be without society. This is why we are forced to look for new acquaintances and make friends. Even if a person is completely alone, he is still in society

The heroine of the story, daughter of Colonel B., beloved of Ivan Vasilyevich. The narrator lovingly describes Varenka, since in her youth she was his ideal. She was so beautiful that even at fifty she was considered a “remarkable beauty.”

The main character of the story, the narrator. This is a person who rejects the theory that for personal improvement you need to change conditions, and firmly believes in the power of chance. He talks about one event that changed his life.

Pyotr Vladislavich, an elderly colonel, father of Varenka B. He was a handsome, stately and fresh old man with a ruddy face, white sideburns and a curled mustache. A gentle smile, the same as Varenka’s, never left his face.

Tatar

A guilty soldier who was taken around the city and beaten with sticks. He escaped and for this he was given such a punishment. The procession was headed by a colonel, Varenka's father, who made sure that the soldiers hit him hard and accurately on his back, which was already in a very terrible state.

Soldier

One of the soldiers who beat the Tatar with sticks. One of his blows seemed blurred to the colonel, and he quickly walked up to the soldier and hit him in the face.

Provincial leader

A good-natured rich old man, chamberlain. It was he who had a ball, the morning after which changed the life of Ivan Vasilyevich.

Wife of the provincial leader

The hostess of the ball, where Ivan Vasilyevich, Varenka and her father were. Good-natured, pleasant woman.

Blacksmith

An accidental witness to the unpleasant picture of the beating of a Tatar. Together with Ivan Vasilyevich, he met soldiers led by a colonel, who led the Tatar and beat him with sticks for his escape.

Anisimov

The engineer who danced the mazurka with Varenka at the ball, and Ivan Vasilyevich cannot forgive him for this action to this day.

German girl

An episodic character, it was with her that Ivan Vasilyevich danced the mazurka, because he was late, and one engineer had already taken this dance with his love Varenka. He once courted this German girl.

The specificity of the work of the Russian classic L. N. Tolstoy is the constant search for morality. He wondered about the purpose of man. In Tolstoy's stories, the theme of relationships between people runs like a red thread. The philosophical orientation of his works touches on these issues and reveals their essence. This is felt most acutely in works created after a spiritual crisis. The story “After the Ball” deserves special attention. The plan for the future story was created as a draft of a diary entry. The final version was approved by the writer at the end of August 1903.

Brief description of the characters “After the Ball”

Main characters

Minor characters

The portraits of the characters collectively reflect the author’s own view of things. Illustrate his uncompromising position regarding human cruelty. The colonel controls the execution and vigilantly monitors the execution of the punishment. His whole appearance demonstrates cruelty in his relationship with his subordinates. He takes out his anger not only on the offender, but also on the soldiers who stand in the ranks and carry out the punishment.
The author describes the events on behalf of the main character, who tells two incidents from his own life that happened with his participation during his student years. The main idea here is that the decisive moment in the fate of any person is not the environment, but the circumstances.