Essays on literary works - 2023

The idea of ​​the story H. Balzac “Gobsek”
Honore de Balzac

In world and Ukrainian literature, we know many examples when writers comprehensively depicted their contemporary society, with all its shortcomings and positive features. Writing has always sharply reacted to the events that happened to its people, depicting them in their novels, short stories, short stories and poems. Honoré de Balzac - 19th century French writer. Throughout his life, he tried to realize a truly fundamental and ingenious creative idea - to write a cycle of novels under the general title "Human Comedy", in which he sought to depict French society, creating vivid and original images-types characteristic of the era. "Gobsek" - a story, united with the "Human Comedy" by a common plan.

In the 19th century, significant changes and transformations took place in the political and social life of France. As a result of the revolutionary events, chaos reigned in society, and not the images-types that everyone expected indirectly began to rule society. Gobsek is a realistic image, one of the characteristic types of that era. Gobsek is a usurer who has earned millions in his business. This is a solitary person who, however, consciously does not seek society. Gobsek makes money on his clients, taking advantage of their plight, in fact ruining them. He does not believe in human honesty, decency, love and friendship. This does not so much characterize Gobsek as a callous and heartless person, but characterizes the social situation. It was an era of disbelief in the best human qualities, in normal human relations, built on trust and respect. The world and society were presented to many Frenchmen of that time as a big mechanism, in which there was only money and power.

Interestingly, the images of the story "Gobsek" are not one-dimensional. Balzac's contemporaries were also not unambiguous: many of them had an extraordinary analytical mind, were able to think independently, and were extraordinary personalities. However, the big mechanism, the machine run by gold, was launched, and they often grinded the fate of people or the fate of entire families in their millstones. In his story, Balzac protests against this state of society and the state. The writer rightly considers it erroneous, unnatural, unhealthy. Depicting people greedy for money, soulless people, Balzac emphasizes that on such foundations it is impossible to build either relations with people, or society, or the state. Creating realistic images, Honore de Balzac affirms the idea of denying the abnormal structure of society, which gives rise to people like Gobsek, and the idea of the secondary nature of money and power, which, of course, must recede before the eternal values of mankind - love, decency, nobility, disinterested mutual support. They must retreat ... but, unfortunately, they do not always retreat.

Of course, the situation in our country is not at all similar to the situation in France during the time of Honore de Balzac. However, I believe that the ideas expressed in the works of the great writer are eternal and relevant for our society. Reading about France in the 19th century, we should think about our own fate and the fate of our native state.

I really liked the images drawn by Honore de Balzac in his story "Gobsek". No, of course, I do not like the moneylender Gobsek, who ruins his clients, taking advantage of their financial insolvency ... I was fascinated by the manner in which the brilliant French prose writer Balzac draws his characters. I think that Balzac achieves this effect of realism with the help of many techniques, the main of which, in my opinion, is the versatility of his characters. They do not have one dominant feature, which predetermines all their behavior, actions, thoughts (as it was in the literature of classicism). Complex psychological processes take place in the souls of the characters, they are carriers of different, often contradictory qualities.

The main character of the story is the usurer Gobsek, who takes frantic interest from his clients, he is a lonely and self-contained person, does not love anyone and, it seems, has no need for this. However, this image is not at all unambiguous, especially not unambiguously negative. The lawyer Derville, on whose behalf the story is being told, speaks of Gobsek as follows: “Two creatures live in him: a miser and a philosopher, a vile creature and a majestic one. It seems to me that such a characterization of Gobsek is apt and very appropriate. Gobseck is a typical representative of his era (in fact, according to Balzac’s plan, it was to create the most realistic picture of his contemporary society. Therefore, one should not forget that in many respects, as a representative of the era, Gobsek’s features are due to this era, shaped by it and, one might say, generated No one will probably argue that Gobsek is a very dry, callous man. But every day he sees all the immorality and depravity of the so-called "high society", all the disgusting and inhuman character traits of persons who should be the best, the elite, the soul and intellect of society. I ask myself the question: would Gobsek survive if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. But every day he sees all the immorality and depravity of the so-called "high society", all the disgusting and inhuman character traits of persons who should be the best, the elite, the soul and intellect of society. I ask myself the question: would Gobsek survive if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. But every day he sees all the immorality and depravity of the so-called "high society", all the disgusting and inhuman character traits of persons who should be the best, the elite, the soul and intellect of society. I ask myself the question: would Gobsek survive if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. all the disgusting and inhuman character traits of persons who should be the best, the elite, the soul and intellect of society. I ask myself the question: would Gobsek survive if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. all the disgusting and inhuman character traits of persons who should be the best, the elite, the soul and intellect of society. I ask myself the question: would Gobsek survive if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. if he had a sensitive, innocent heart? I think no. But I had to survive! For every person, whether he wants it or not, is attached to those who surround him. Gobsek does not believe in sincere human relations, in honesty and disinterestedness. Can he believe in this, faced daily with such actions that do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. which do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration. which do not give any grounds for believing not only in people, but in life in general? I think no. In addition, Gobsek's analytical mind, his ability to assess the situation, to philosophical considerations are worthy of respect, if not admiration.

In no way do I justify Gobsek in his predation and cruelty, but I think that a person is largely shaped by the society in which he lives. A person must have his own point of view, not sinking to the general level, not degrading just because everyone is like that. So, a strong personality can file a protest. Was Gobseck's estrangement from society his protest? He is not able to be a full member of that society in which they have fun, weaving intrigues, where everyone is against everyone, drowning in luxury, depravity, immorality. Probably, this was a kind of protest by Gobsek ...

As for me, the image of Gobsek requires a lot of aspects, deep reflection. This is not the image that was specially created as the personification of a certain trait. For me, Gobsek is a living person, so multifaceted and complex that any categorical judgments about his "positivity" or "negativity" seem to me inappropriate and unfounded. Gobsek is an extremely realistic image, he is a full-fledged person, albeit not very attractive. I'm not sure that you can fully understand Gobsek, but it's worth a try ...