Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

"Poor people"

Makar Alekseevich Devushkin is a titular councilor forty-seven years old, copying papers for a small salary in one of the St. Petersburg departments. He just moved to new apartment in a “main” house near Fontanka. Along the long corridor are the doors of rooms for residents; the hero himself huddles behind a partition in the common kitchen. His previous housing was “incomparably better,” but now the main thing for Devushkin is cheapness, because in the same courtyard he rents a more comfortable and expensive apartment for his distant relative Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova.

A poor official takes under his protection a seventeen-year-old orphan, for whom there is no one but him to intercede. Living nearby, they rarely see each other, since Makar Alekseevich is afraid of gossip. However, both need warmth and sympathy, which they draw from almost daily correspondence with each other. The history of the relationship between Makar and Varenka is revealed in thirty-one - his and twenty-four - her letters, written from April 8 to September 30, 184... Makar’s first letter is permeated with the happiness of finding heartfelt affection: “... it’s spring, and thoughts are still pleasant , sharp, intricate, and tender dreams come..." Denying himself food and clothes, he saves money for flowers and sweets for his "angel."

Varenka is angry with the patron for excessive expenses, and cools his ardor with irony: “only poems are missing.” “Fatherly affection animated me, the only pure fatherly affection...” Makar is embarrassed.

Varya persuades her friend to come to her more often: “Who cares?” She takes home work - sewing.

In subsequent letters, Devushkin describes in detail his home - "Noah's Ark" due to the abundance of a motley audience - with a "rotten, pungently sweet smell" in which "siskins are dying." He draws portraits of his neighbors: the card player midshipman, the petty writer Ratazyaev, the poor official without a job, Gorshkov and his family. The hostess is “a real witch.” He is ashamed that he is bad, he writes stupidly - “there is no syllable”: after all, he studied “not even with copper money.”

Varenka shares her anxiety: Anna Fedorovna, a distant relative, is “finding out” about her. Previously, Varya and her mother lived in her house, and then, supposedly to cover their expenses, the “benefactor” offered the girl, who was orphaned by that time, to the rich landowner Bykov, who dishonored her. Only Makar’s help saves the defenseless from final “death.” If only the pimp and Bykov didn’t find out her address! The poor thing falls ill from fear and lies unconscious for almost a month. Makar is nearby all this time. To get his little one back on his feet, he is selling a new uniform. By June, Varenka recovers and sends notes to her caring friend with the story of her life.

Her happy childhood was spent in her family in the lap of rural nature. When my father lost his position as manager of the estate of Prince P-go, they came to St. Petersburg - “rotten,” “angry,” “sad.” Constant failures drove my father to his grave. The house was sold for debts. Fourteen-year-old Varya and her mother were left homeless and homeless. It was then that Anna Fedorovna took them in, and soon began to reproach the widow. She worked beyond her strength, ruining her poor health for the sake of a piece of bread. Whole year Varya studied with a former student, Pyotr Pokrovsky, who lived in the same house. She was surprised by the strange disrespect for the old father, who often visited his adored son, in “the kindest, most worthy man, the best of all.” He was a bitter drunkard, once a petty official. Peter's mother, a young beauty, was married to him with a rich dowry by the landowner Bykov. Soon she died. The widower remarried. Peter grew up separately, under the patronage of Bykov, who placed the young man, who left the university for health reasons, “to live on bread” with his “short acquaintance” Anna Fedorovna.

Joint vigils at the bedside of Varya’s sick mother brought the young people closer together. An educated friend taught the girl to read and developed her taste. However, Pokrovsky soon fell ill and died of consumption. The hostess took all the deceased's belongings to pay for the funeral. The old father took as many books as he could from her and stuffed them into her pockets, hat, etc. It started to rain. The old man ran, crying, behind the cart with the coffin, and books fell from his pockets into the mud. He picked them up and ran after them again... Varya, in anguish, returned home to her mother, who was also soon taken away by death...

Devushkin responds with a story about his own life. He has been serving for thirty years. “Smirnenky”, “quiet” and “kind”, he became the subject of constant ridicule: “Makar Alekseevich was introduced into the proverb in our entire department”, “...they got to the boots, to the uniform, to the hair, to my figure: everything is not according to them , everything needs to be redone!” The hero is indignant: “Well, what’s wrong with this?<…>such that I am rewriting! Is it a sin to rewrite, or what?” The only joy is Varenka: “It’s as if the Lord has blessed me with a house and a family!”

On June 10, Devushkin takes his ward for a walk to the islands. She's happy. Naive Makar is delighted with Ratazyaev’s writings. Varenka notes the bad taste and pomposity of “Italian Passions”, “Ermak and Zuleika”, etc.

Realizing that Devushkin’s material worries about himself are too much for him (he behaved so much that he arouses contempt even among servants and watchmen), the sick Varenka wants to get a job as a governess. Makar is against: its “usefulness” lies in its “beneficial” influence on his life. He stands up for Ratazyaev, but after reading Pushkin’s “Station Warden” sent by Varya, he is shocked: “I feel the same thing, just like in the book.” Vyrina tries on fate for herself and asks her “native” not to leave, not to “ruin” him. July 6 Varenka sends Gogol’s “The Overcoat” to Makar; that same evening they visit the theater.

If Pushkin’s story elevated Devushkin in his own eyes, then Gogol’s story offended him. Identifying himself with Bashmachkin, he believes that the author spied on all the little details of his life and unceremoniously made them public. The hero’s dignity is hurt: “after this you have to complain...”

By the beginning of July, Makar had spent everything. The only thing worse than lack of money is the ridicule of the tenants at him and Varenka. But the worst thing is that a “seeker” officer, one of her former neighbors, comes to her with an “undignified offer.” In despair, the poor man started drinking and disappeared for four days, missing service. He went to shame the offender, but was thrown down the stairs.

Varya consoles her protector and asks, despite the gossip, to come to her for dinner.

Since the beginning of August, Devushkin has been trying in vain to borrow money at interest, especially necessary in view of a new misfortune: the other day another “seeker” came to Varenka, directed by Anna Fedorovna, who herself will soon visit the girl. We need to move urgently. Makar starts drinking again out of helplessness. “For my sake, my darling, don’t ruin yourself and don’t ruin me,” the unfortunate woman begs him, sending her last “thirty kopecks in silver.” The encouraged poor man explains his “fall”: “how he lost respect for himself, how he indulged in denying his good qualities and his dignity, so here you are all lost!” Varya gives Makar self-respect: people “abhorred” him, “and I began to loathe myself.”<…>You<…>They illuminated my whole dark life,<…>and I<…>I learned that<…>no worse than others; that's just<…>I don’t shine with anything, there’s no shine, I’m not drowning, but still I’m a man, that in my heart and thoughts I’m a man.”

Varenka’s health is deteriorating, she is no longer able to sew. Anxious, Makar goes out on a September evening to the Fontanka embankment. Dirt, disorder, drunks - “boring”! And on neighboring Gorokhovaya there are rich shops, luxurious carriages, elegant ladies. The walker falls into “freethinking”: if work is the basis of human dignity, then why are so many slackers well-fed? Happiness is not given by merit - so the rich should not be deaf to the complaints of the poor. Makar is a little proud of his reasoning and notes that “his syllable has been forming recently.” On September 9, luck smiled on Devushkin: summoned for a “scolding” to the general for a mistake in a paper, the humble and pitiful official received the sympathy of “His Excellency” and received one hundred rubles from him personally. This is a real salvation: we paid for the apartment, the table, the clothes. Devushkin is depressed by his boss’s generosity and reproaches himself for his recent “liberal” thoughts. Reading "Northern Bee". Full of hope for the future.

Meanwhile, Bykov finds out about Varenka and on September 20 comes to woo her. His goal is to have legitimate children in order to disinherit his “worthless nephew.” If Varya is against it, he will marry a Moscow merchant's wife. Despite the unceremoniousness and rudeness of the offer, the girl agrees: “If anyone can<…>restore my good name, avert poverty from me<…>so it’s only him.” Makar dissuades: “Your heart will be cold!” Having fallen ill from grief, he still last day shares her efforts in getting ready for the trip.

September 30 - wedding. On the same day, on the eve of leaving for Bykov’s estate, Varenka writes a farewell letter to an old friend: “Who will you stay with here, kind, priceless, the only one!”

The answer is full of despair: “I worked, and wrote papers, and walked, and walked,<…>all because you<…>here, on the contrary, they lived nearby.” Who now needs his formed “syllable”, his letters, himself? “By what right” do they destroy “human life”?

Forty-seven-year-old Makar Alekseevich Devushkin works in the St. Petersburg department. For a small fee he rewrites papers. He recently celebrated a housewarming party in a “major” house on Fontanka. He lived behind a partition in the kitchen. The previous habitat was incomparably better, but these sacrifices are aimed at improving the conditions of their relative Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova, who lives in the same yard.

The guardian of a seventeen-year-old orphan, he rarely sees her in order to avoid gossip. They share their warmth in correspondence. Varya does not approve of her relative’s unnecessary spending on her. She sews at home and asks Makar to visit her more often. She is worried about Anna Feodorovna's excessive attention to her person.

Some time ago, supposedly for financial assistance to Varya and her mother, who lived with her, she offered the girl to the landowner Bykov. He took advantage of and dishonored the girl. Afraid of being found, Varya falls ill and lies unconscious for a month. Devushkin takes care of her all the time. She tells him her life story.

The girl's happy childhood ended when her father lost his position at court. After the family moved from the village to St. Petersburg, the father died. Their house was taken away for debts, the mother and daughter were sheltered by Anna Fedorovna, who later reproached them for this. The girl studied with Pyotr Pokrovsky, who lived in the same house. Varya became close to Pokrovsky, but the relationship did not last long; he died of consumption. She returned to her mother, but she too soon died.

On June 10, Makar took Varya to the islands. The girl is happy. She is only worried about her friend’s financial situation; Makar has worn out his things so much that even the servants looked at him with disgust. She wants to work to ease Makar's material waste. But Devushkin is against it.

By early July the money had run out. One of Varya’s former neighbors came to see her with an “undignified proposal.” Makar wanted to intercede, but he was thrown down the stairs. In August he tries to borrow money at interest, but to no avail.

Varya is found by another seeker sent by Anna Fedorovna. We need to look for new housing. Makar is on a drinking binge. Varya gets sick and stops sewing. Makar was lucky; the official, who took pity on him, handed him a hundred rubles. You can pay for rent, food and clothes. In September, Bykov showed up to Varya to woo her. Despite everything she has experienced, Varya agrees to improve her financial situation. Makar suffers, but helps to get ready for the journey.

The wedding will take place on September 30th. Varya wrote Farewell letter to an old friend. Makar’s answer is filled with despair: he created, inspired by Varya, who will need all this now?

Essays

Makar Alekseevich Devushkin- a titular councilor forty-seven years old, copying papers for a small salary in one of the St. Petersburg departments. He had just moved to a new apartment in a “main” building near Fontanka. Along the long corridor are the doors of rooms for residents; the hero himself huddles behind a partition in the common kitchen. His previous housing was “incomparably better.” However, now the main thing for Devushkin is cheapness, because in the same courtyard he rents a more comfortable and expensive apartment for his distant relative Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova. A poor official takes under his protection a seventeen-year-old orphan, for whom there is no one but him to intercede. Living nearby, they rarely see each other, since Makar Alekseevich is afraid of gossip. However, both need warmth and sympathy, which they draw from almost daily correspondence with each other. The history of the relationship between Makar and Varenka is revealed in thirty-one - his and twenty-four - her letters, written from April 8 to September 30, 184... Makar’s first letter is permeated with the happiness of finding heartfelt affection: “... it’s spring, and thoughts are still pleasant , sharp, intricate, and tender dreams come..." Denying himself food and clothes, he saves money for flowers and sweets for his "angel."

Varenka is angry with the patron for excessive expenses, and cools his ardor with irony: “...only poems are missing...”

“Fatherly affection animated me, the only pure fatherly affection...” - Makar is embarrassed.

Varya persuades her friend to come to her more often: “Who cares?” She takes home work - sewing.

In subsequent letters, Devushkin describes in detail his home - “Noah’s Ark” due to the abundance of a motley audience - with a “rotten, pungently sweet smell”, in which “the little siskins are dying.” He draws portraits of his neighbors: the card player midshipman, the petty writer Ratazyaev, the poor official without a job, Gorshkov and his family. The hostess is a “real witch.” He is ashamed that he is bad, he writes stupidly - “there is no syllable”: after all, he studied “not even with copper money.”

Varenka shares her anxiety: Anna Fedorovna, a distant relative, is “finding out” about her. Previously, Varya and her mother lived in her house, and then, supposedly to cover their expenses, the “benefactor” offered the girl, who was orphaned by that time, to the rich landowner Bykov, who dishonored her. Only Makar’s help saves the defenseless from final “death.” If only the pimp and Bykov didn’t find out her address! The poor thing falls ill from fear and lies unconscious for almost a month. Makar is nearby all this time. To get his little one back on his feet, he is selling a new uniform. By June, Varenka recovers and sends notes to her caring friend with the story of her life.

Her happy childhood was spent in her family in the lap of rural nature. When my father lost his position as manager of the estate of Prince P-go, they came to St. Petersburg - “rotten,” “angry,” “sad.” Constant failures drove my father to his grave. The house was sold for debts. Fourteen-year-old Varya and her mother were left homeless and homeless. It was then that Anna Fedorovna took them in, and soon began to reproach the widow. She worked beyond her strength, ruining her poor health for the sake of a piece of bread. For a whole year, Varya studied with a former student, Pyotr Pokrovsky, who lived in the same house. She was surprised by the strange disrespect for the old father, who often visited his adored son, in “the kindest, most worthy man, the best of all.” He was a bitter drunkard, once a petty official. Peter's mother, a young beauty, was married to him with a rich dowry by the landowner Bykov. Soon she died. The widower remarried. Peter grew up separately, under the patronage of Bykov, who placed the young man, who left the university for health reasons, “to live on bread” with his “short acquaintance” Anna Fedorovna.

Joint vigils at the bedside of Varya’s sick mother brought the young people closer together. An educated friend taught the girl to read and developed her taste. However, Pokrovsky soon fell ill and died of consumption. The owner took all the deceased's belongings to pay for the funeral. The old father took as many books from her as he could and stuffed them into her pockets, hat, etc. It started to rain. The old man ran, crying, behind the cart with the coffin, and books fell from his pockets into the mud. He picked them up and ran after them again... Varya, in anguish, returned home to her mother, who was also soon taken away by death...

Devushkin responds with a story about his own life. He has been serving for thirty years. “Smirnenky”, “quiet” and “kind”, he became the subject of constant ridicule: “Makar Alekseevich was introduced into the proverb in our entire department”, “...they got to the boots, to the uniform, to the hair, to my figure: everything is not according to them , everything needs to be redone!” The hero is indignant: “Well, what is there [...] that I’m rewriting! What, it’s a sin to rewrite, or what? "The only joy is Varenka: “It’s as if the Lord blessed me with a house and a family!”

On June 10, Devushkin takes his ward for a walk to the islands. She's happy. Naive Makar is delighted with Ratazyaev’s writings. Varenka notes the bad taste and pomposity of “Italian Passions”, “Ermak and Zuleika”, etc.

Realizing that Devushkin’s material worries about himself are too much for him (he was so self-absorbed that he arouses contempt even among the servants and watchmen), the sick Varenka wants to get a job as a governess. Makar is against: its “usefulness” lies in its “beneficial” influence on his life. He stands up for Ratazyaev, but after reading Pushkin’s “Station Warden” sent by Varya, he is shocked: “I feel the same thing, just like in the book.” Vyrina tries on fate for herself and asks her “native” not to leave, not to “ruin” him. July 6 Varenka sends Gogol’s “The Overcoat” to Makar; that same evening they visit the theater.

If Pushkin's story elevated Devushkin in his own eyes, then Gogol's story offended him. Identifying himself with Bashmachkin, he believes that the author spied on all the little details of his life and unceremoniously made them public. The hero’s dignity is hurt: “after this you have to complain...”

By the beginning of July, Makar had spent everything. The only thing worse than lack of money is the ridicule of the tenants at him and Varenka. But the worst thing is that a “seeker” officer, one of her former neighbors, comes to her with an “undignified offer.” In despair, the poor man started drinking and disappeared for four days, missing service. I went to shame the offender, but was thrown down the stairs.

Varya consoles her protector and asks, despite the gossip, to come to her for dinner.

Since the beginning of August, Devushkin has been trying in vain to borrow money at interest, especially necessary in view of a new misfortune: the other day another “seeker” came to Varenka, directed by Anna Fedorovna, who herself will soon visit the girl. We need to move urgently. Makar starts drinking again out of helplessness. “For my sake, my darling, don’t ruin yourself and don’t ruin me,” the unfortunate woman begs him, sending her last “thirty kopecks in silver.” The encouraged poor man explains his “fall”: “how he lost respect for himself, how he indulged in the denial of his good qualities and his dignity, so here you are all lost!” Varya gives Makar self-respect: people “disgusted” him, “and I began to disdain myself., and […] you […] illuminated my whole dark life, […] and I […] learned that […] no worse than others ; that only […] I don’t shine with anything, there’s no gloss, I’m not drowning, but still I’m a man, that in my heart and thoughts I’m a man.”

Varenka’s health is deteriorating, she is no longer able to sew. Anxious, Makar goes out on a September evening to the Fontanka embankment. Dirt, disorder, drunks - “boring”! And on neighboring Gorokhovaya there are rich shops, luxurious carriages, elegant ladies. The walker falls into “freethinking”: if work is the basis of human dignity, then why are so many slackers well-fed? Happiness is not given by merit - therefore the rich should not be deaf to the complaints of the poor. Makar is a little proud of his reasoning and notes that “his syllable has been forming recently.” On September 9, luck smiled on Devushkin: summoned for a “scolding” to the general for a mistake in a paper, the humble and pitiful official received the sympathy of “His Excellency” and received one hundred rubles from him personally. This is a real salvation: we paid for the apartment, the table, the clothes. Devushkin is depressed by his boss’s generosity and reproaches himself for his recent “liberal” thoughts. Reading "Northern Bee". Full of hope for the future.

Meanwhile, Bykov finds out about Varenka and on September 20 comes to woo her. His goal is to have legitimate children in order to disinherit his “worthless nephew.” If Varya is against it, he will marry a Moscow merchant's wife. Despite the unceremoniousness and rudeness of the offer, the girl agrees: “If anyone can […] restore my good name, turn poverty away from me […] it’s only him.” Makar dissuades: “Your heart will be cold!” Having fallen ill from grief, he still shares her efforts of getting ready for the trip until the last day.

September 30 - wedding. On the same day, on the eve of leaving for Bykov’s estate, Varenka writes a farewell letter to an old friend: “Who will you stay with here, kind, priceless, the only one!”

The answer is full of despair: “I worked, and wrote papers, and walked, and walked, […] all because you […] here, on the contrary, lived nearby.” Who now needs his formed “syllable”, his letters, himself? “By what right” do they destroy “human life”?

Poor people
Summary of the novel
Makar Alekseevich Devushkin is a titular councilor forty-seven years old, copying papers for a small salary in one of the St. Petersburg departments. He had just moved to a new apartment in a “main” building near Fontanka. Along the long corridor are the doors of rooms for residents; the hero himself huddles behind a partition in the common kitchen. His previous housing was “incomparably better.” However, now the main thing for Devushkin is cheapness, because in the same courtyard he rents a more comfortable and expensive apartment for his distant relative Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova. A poor official takes under his protection a seventeen-year-old orphan, for whom there is no one but him to intercede. Living nearby, they rarely see each other, since Makar Alekseevich is afraid of gossip. However, both need warmth and sympathy, which they draw from almost daily correspondence with each other. The history of the relationship between Makar and Varenka is revealed in thirty-one – his and twenty-four – her letters, written from April 8 to September 30, 184... Makar’s first letter is permeated with the happiness of finding heartfelt affection: “... it’s spring, and thoughts are still pleasant , sharp, intricate, and tender dreams come..." Denying himself food and clothes, he saves money for flowers and sweets for his “angel.”
Varenka is angry with the patron for excessive expenses, cools his ardor with irony: “... only poems are missing...”
“Fatherly affection animated me, the only pure fatherly affection...” - Makar is embarrassed.
Varya persuades her friend to come to her more often: “Who cares?” She takes work home - sewing.
In subsequent letters, Devushkin describes in detail his home - “Noah’s Ark” due to the abundance of a motley audience - with a “rotten, pungently sweet smell”, in which “the little siskins are dying.” He draws portraits of his neighbors: the card player midshipman, the petty writer Ratazyaev, the poor official without a job, Gorshkov and his family. The hostess is “a real witch.” He is ashamed that he is bad, he writes stupidly - “there is no syllable”: after all, he studied “not even with copper money.”
Varenka shares her anxiety: Anna Fedorovna, a distant relative, is “finding out” about her. Previously, Varya and her mother lived in her house, and then, supposedly to cover their expenses, the “benefactor” offered the girl, who was orphaned by that time, to the rich landowner Bykov, who dishonored her. Only Makar’s help saves the defenseless from final “death.” If only the pimp and Bykov didn’t find out her address! The poor thing falls ill from fear and lies unconscious for almost a month. Makar is nearby all this time. To get his little one back on his feet, he is selling a new uniform. By June, Varenka recovers and sends notes to her caring friend with the story of her life.
Her happy childhood was spent in her family in the lap of rural nature. When my father lost his position as manager of the estate of Prince P-go, they came to St. Petersburg - “rotten,” “angry,” “sad.” Constant failures drove my father to his grave. The house was sold for debts. Fourteen-year-old Varya and her mother were left homeless and homeless. It was then that Anna Fedorovna took them in, and soon began to reproach the widow. She worked beyond her strength, ruining her poor health for the sake of a piece of bread. For a whole year, Varya studied with a former student, Pyotr Pokrovsky, who lived in the same house. She was surprised in “the kindest, most worthy man, the best of all,” by the strange disrespect for the old father, who often visited his adored son. He was a bitter drunkard, once a petty official. Peter's mother, a young beauty, was married to him with a rich dowry by the landowner Bykov. Soon she died. The widower remarried. Peter grew up separately, under the patronage of Bykov, who placed the young man, who left the university for health reasons, “to live” with his “short acquaintance” Anna Fedorovna.
Joint vigils at the bedside of Varya’s sick mother brought the young people closer together. An educated friend taught the girl to read and developed her taste. However, Pokrovsky soon fell ill and died of consumption. The hostess took all the belongings of the deceased to pay for the funeral. The old father took as many books from her as he could and stuffed them into her pockets, hat, etc. It started to rain. The old man ran, crying, behind the cart with the coffin, and books fell from his pockets into the mud. He picked them up and ran after them again... Varya, in anguish, returned home to her mother, who was also soon taken away by death...
Devushkin responds with a story about his own life. He has been serving for thirty years. “Humble”, “quiet” and “kind”, he became the subject of constant ridicule: “Makar Alekseevich was introduced into the proverb in our entire department”, “... they got to the boots, to the uniform, to the hair, to my figure: everything is not according to them , everything needs to be redone!” The hero is indignant: “Well, what’s wrong with rewriting it! What, it’s a sin to rewrite, or what? “The only joy is Varenka: “It’s as if the Lord blessed me with a house and a family!”
On June 10, Devushkin takes his ward for a walk to the islands. She's happy. Naive Makar is delighted with Ratazyaev’s writings. Varenka notes the bad taste and pomposity of “Italian Passions”, “Ermak and Zuleika”, etc.
Realizing that Devushkin’s material worries about himself are too much for him (he was so self-absorbed that he arouses contempt even among the servants and watchmen), the sick Varenka wants to get a job as a governess. Makar is against: its “usefulness” lies in its “beneficial” influence on his life. He stands up for Ratazyaev, but after reading Pushkin’s “Station Warden” sent by Varya, he is shocked: “I feel the same thing, just like in the book.” Vyrina tries on fate for herself and asks her “native” not to leave, not to “ruin” him. July 6 Varenka sends Gogol’s “The Overcoat” to Makar; that same evening they visit the theater.
If Pushkin’s story elevated Devushkin in his own eyes, then Gogol’s story offended him. Identifying himself with Bashmachkin, he believes that the author spied on all the little details of his life and unceremoniously made it public. The hero’s dignity is hurt: “after this you have to complain...”
By the beginning of July, Makar had spent everything. The only thing worse than lack of money is the ridicule of the tenants at him and Varenka. But the worst thing is that a “seeker” officer, one of her former neighbors, comes to her with an “undignified offer.” In despair, the poor man started drinking and disappeared for four days, missing service. I went to shame the offender, but was thrown down the stairs.
Varya consoles her protector and asks, despite the gossip, to come to her for dinner.
Since the beginning of August, Devushkin has been trying in vain to borrow money at interest, especially necessary in view of a new misfortune: the other day another “seeker” came to Varenka, directed by Anna Fedorovna, who herself will soon visit the girl. We need to move urgently. Makar starts drinking again out of helplessness. “For my sake, my darling, don’t ruin yourself and don’t ruin me,” the unfortunate woman begs him, sending her last “thirty kopecks in silver.” The encouraged poor man explains his “fall”: “how he lost respect for himself, how he indulged in denying his good qualities and his dignity, so here you are all lost!..” Varya gives Makar self-respect: people “disdained” him, “and I I began to loathe myself, but you illuminated my entire dark life, and I learned that I was no worse than others; that's just<.>I don’t shine with anything, there’s no shine, I’m not drowning, but still I’m a man, that in my heart and thoughts I’m a man.”
Varenka’s health is deteriorating, she is no longer able to sew. Anxious, Makar goes out on a September evening to the Fontanka embankment. Dirt, disorder, drunks - “boring”! And on neighboring Gorokhovaya there are rich shops, luxurious carriages, elegant ladies. The walker falls into “freethinking”: if work is the basis of human dignity, then why are so many slackers well-fed? Happiness is not given by merit - so the rich should not be deaf to the complaints of the poor. Makar is a little proud of his reasoning and notes that “his syllable has been forming recently.” On September 9, luck smiled on Devushkin: summoned for a “scolding” to the general for a mistake in a paper, the humble and pitiful official received the sympathy of “His Excellency” and received one hundred rubles from him personally. This is a real salvation: we paid for the apartment, the table, the clothes. Devushkin is depressed by his boss’s generosity and reproaches himself for his recent “liberal” thoughts. Reading “Northern Bee”. Full of hope for the future.
Meanwhile, Bykov finds out about Varenka and on September 20 comes to woo her. His goal is to have legitimate children in order to disinherit his “worthless nephew.” If Varya is against it, he will marry a Moscow merchant's wife. Despite the unceremoniousness and rudeness of the offer, the girl agrees: “If anyone can restore my good name, turn poverty away from me, it’s only him.” Makar dissuades: “Your heart will be cold!” Having fallen ill from grief, he still shares her efforts of getting ready for the trip until the last day.
September 30 – wedding. On the same day, on the eve of leaving for Bykov’s estate, Varenka writes a farewell letter to an old friend: “To whom will you stay here, kind, priceless, the only one!..”
The answer is full of despair: “I worked, and wrote papers, and walked, and walked, all because you, on the contrary, lived nearby.” Who now needs his formed “syllable”, his letters, himself? “By what right” do they destroy “human life”?

The main characters are representatives of the poor class of St. Petersburg, who are haunted by troubles and unsuccessful attempts to escape from lack of money. They live in the same house.

1. Makar Alekseevich Devushkin- a low-ranking official who rents a cheap apartment on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. He has no chance of making a career and therefore he lives quietly and unnoticed by others.
2. Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova- a young girl who also lives on the outskirts of the city and earns her living by sewing.

Beginning of the End

April 8. Makar has been daydreaming since the morning, thinking about Varya, which he writes to her in a letter in the morning. Devushkin moved to a new apartment that was several times worse than the previous one. But when describing it, Varya says that he is much more comfortable here, since the window of the closet near the kitchen in which he now lives faces the girl’s windows. In the same “rooms” next to him, many people live, but they are all good and educated. Besides everything, housing is cheaper. With the letter he sends her geraniums and sweets.

But the girl replies: if you don’t spend money on gifts, you can rent a better place. In addition to worrying about Makar’s well-being, Varvara is very worried about the future, since she doesn’t want to remember the past, overshadowed by troubles and betrayals. To which the man tells her that she is under his protection. He is distant to her, but still a relative.

12th of April. The man asks Varvara Alekseevna to take care of her health and dress warmer, and he himself describes in detail how dirty, stuffy and smelly the apartments are. He especially feels sorry for the large family of a former minor official living here.

25th of April. Varya says that she met her cousin Alexandra, whose situation is no different from hers. There are rumors that Anna Fedorovna, a distant relative who supported her and her mother for 2.5 years, is asking about Vara. And he concludes that this woman is not to blame for the fact that someone Bykov did not marry her. This was the reason for her shame. After visiting her mother’s grave, the girl fell ill.

May 20. Devushkin's visits to Varvara Alekseevna should be limited, since he often visited her during her illness, and gossip is already circulating about them. So he just sends her some grapes.

Diary of Varvara Alekseevna

She was happy as a child. They lived well - her father managed a large estate. But when she was 12 years old, the owner of the house died and her father was fired, so they moved to St. Petersburg.

She was sent to a boarding school, where she did not like it at all, but she tried to study well to please her father. He spent his last money to educate her. But his business was going badly, there was no money and a lot of debts formed. From grief and frustration, Varya’s mother first fell ill, and her father suddenly died. The girl was 14 years old at that time.

Creditors took everything that was left, and her mother even sold the house. At this time, Anna Fedorovna showed up, identified herself as their relative and invited them to live with her. Since they had no time to go, Varya and her mother went to stay with her.

Anna Fedorovna owned her own house, consisting of 5 rooms. In 3 of them she lived together with Sasha, an orphan related to Varya. cousin. One room was occupied by Varya and her mother, and the last was occupied by student Pokrovsky, who taught the girls languages ​​in exchange for accommodation.

No one knew what Anna Fedorovna did, but many people came to her, and she lived richly. Soon she showed her true colors - constantly swearing at them and watching them. The mother was getting worse from all the experiences.

Student Pokrovsky was poor and weak, so he rarely attended lectures. Soon, he became Varya's friend. Sometimes the student’s father came, a poorly dressed, strange old man. He was married a second time, after the death of his first wife, the stepmother did not need the boy, so a certain Mr. Bykov helped arrange the training of young Pokrovsky.

In the student’s room there were many books that Varya secretly wanted to read. But when the girl’s mother gets sick, the young man helps her in every possible way. Soon, he has a birthday, which is very fun. After some time, Pokrovsky falls ill and dies, and in the memory of Varvara Alekseevna the tragic scene of the funeral is permanently imprinted, when the old father runs after the coffin of his son.

Poor people

June 11. Varya thanks Devushkin for the walk he organized, but she got her feet wet and is not feeling well.

12 June. In the letter, Makar tells the girl about his service for 30 years, as well as about his ill-wishers there. Soon, he intends to visit her and bring her books.

June 20. Anna Fedorovna calls Varvara to her place and promises that Bykov, who became the cause of her shame, intends to atone for her guilt.

June 25 and 26. Varya and Makar correspond about the books they exchange. The man tells her about Ratazyaev, who is his neighbor and who seems to have literary talent.

27th of June. Varenka has the opportunity to work as a governess, but she has doubts, and besides, she feels very bad. Soon she will receive money for the carpet she embroidered, thanks to which she will pay Fedora, and also sew clothes for herself and Makar.

June 28 and July 1. In correspondence, Devushkin assures the girl not to become a governess, but Varya is ashamed that she is not useful.

July 6 and 7. They discuss the theater, and Varya talks about rumors that Makar has spent a lot of money and is in debt.

July 8. The man talks for a long time about Gogol’s “The Overcoat” and fundamentally disagrees with the author on many issues.

July 27. Varvara Alekseevna learns about Makar’s desperate situation and that he has ended up in the police custody. He has many debts, and she suffers from the expense and unhappiness she has brought upon him.

July 28th. The girl helps him with money, for which he is very grateful. He says that he loves her and talks about the story with the officer who insulted Varenka. He went to him to sort it out, but he pulled him down the stairs.

July 29 and August 1. Varya invites him to have dinner with them, and Makar talks about poverty and calls everyone living in apartments “Poor People.”

September 3 and 5. Varya writes that she loves autumn, but she is scared because she has a premonition of imminent death. To which Devushkin talks about his evening spent in a wealthy quarter.

9th of September. A “strange incident” occurs in Devushkin’s life, in which his boss, seeing his pitiful appearance, gives him 100 rubles and even shakes his hand. He gives some of the money to the girl.

Departure

September 10 and 11. Varvara Alekseevna announces her intention to move. Makar tries to dissuade her and is sure that everything will get better soon.

September 15 and 18. Bykov came to Varya’s house in her absence, which embarrassed the girl very much. In Devushkin's apartments, the father of a large family was acquitted, after which he immediately died.

September 20. Varvara Alekseevna announces her intention to marry Bykov, who promised to take her to the village and thank Devushkin in the amount of 500 rubles.

September 30th. The girl sends him last letter, and the man is sick. He feels very sorry for the girl and thinks that she will die there. But there is nowhere to send his letter.

Test on the novel Poor People

The plot of the work

Petty official Makar Alekseevich Girls takes care of his distant relative Vara Dobroselova. The titular councilor, having no means of subsistence, nevertheless tries to help the unfortunate orphan by renting housing for her. Despite the fact that Varya and Makar live nearby, they see each other extremely rarely: Devushkin fears for Varya’s reputation. Relatives are forced to content themselves with letters to each other.

From the stories of Varvara Dobroselova herself, one can judge that her childhood was quite happy. The family lived in a village where the father served as manager of the estate of a certain Prince P-go. The move to St. Petersburg was forced: Alexey Dobroselov lost his position as manager. The difficult life in the capital and numerous failures destroyed Varya’s father. Dobroselov’s widow was taken into her house by a distant relative, Anna Fedorovna, who immediately began to “reproach” the new tenants with a piece.

In order to compensate for the material “losses” caused by Varya and her mother, Anna Fedorovna decided to marry the orphan to the rich landowner Bykov. By that time, Dobroselov’s widow had already died, and there was no one to intercede for Varya except Devushkin, who took the orphan from Anna Fedorovna’s house. It was necessary to hide Varvara’s new address from her insidious relative.

Despite all the efforts of Makar, Vara Dobroselova had to marry the rude and cynical Bykov. Devushkin spent all his meager savings and could no longer help his ward.

Composition of the novel

The novel “Poor People” is presented in epistolary form, that is, in the form of correspondence between the characters. The author's choice cannot be called random. Letters are direct speech of characters, completely excluding Subjective opinion author.

The role of the reader

The reader is entrusted with a difficult task: having “overheard” someone else’s personal conversation, he himself can figure out what is happening and draw a certain conclusion. We can learn the biography of the main characters from them themselves. You will have to draw your own conclusions about the character of the characters.

To help the reader, the author draws parallels, mentioning the well-known stories “The Overcoat” and “The Station Agent.” In Devushkin it is not difficult to recognize the powerless Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. The choice of the story “The Station Agent” is also not accidental. Samson Vyrin was the same powerless petty official as Bashmachkin. And if Akaky Akakievich’s new overcoat was stolen, Vyrin was deprived of his daughter. By analogy with the two previous literary characters, Makar Devushkin had to lose the only joy of his life - Varya.

Characteristics

The reader focuses on 2 main characters: Varya Dobroselova and Makar Devushkin. Of course, these are positive characters, but for the full disclosure of the images, negative characters are also needed, represented by Anna Fedorovna and the landowner Bykov.

Makar Devushkin

Image " little man"existed before the appearance of the novel "Poor People". And the author himself does not deny this, drawing a parallel between his work, Gogol’s “The Overcoat” and Pushkin’s “The Station Agent”. It is enough for Dostoevsky to mention these two stories, to point out that Makar recognized himself in the main characters, and the reader already understands what the titular adviser Devushkin is like. According to Makar himself, he was unable to move up the career ladder only because he was “meek” and “kind.” To obtain titles you must have an iron grip.

One should not ignore the surname of the main character, which can rightfully be considered telling. Makar is sensitive and vulnerable, like a girl. He completely lacks the brutality characteristic of a man. In Makar’s speech one can often find nouns and adjectives with diminutive suffixes: little mother, boots, dress, quiet. Everything in Devushkin’s appearance testifies to the weakness of his character.

Varya Dobroselova

Like Makar Devushkin, Varya Dobroselova is the bearer of a speaking surname, the characterizing element of which is the word “good”. The main characters of the “positive camp” have the same middle names, and this is not a coincidence. The sameness indicates the similarity of the characters of Varya and Makar, to a kind of common parent of the main characters, despite the fact that they were not the children of the same person named Alexey.

Makar and Varya are kindred spirits. It’s very difficult for both of them to live in this harsh world. for the most part due to the excessive softness of their character. Devushkin and Dobroselova were united by the lack of spiritual warmth, which they need, but which they do not receive from others. Two people completely different in age and education find moral support in each other.

There are, however, some differences in the characters of Varya and Makar. Varya, despite her young age, is more practical than her relative. She tries to earn money by sewing on her own, without relying on her patron. Dobroselova agreed to marry an unpleasant but rich man who could save her from poverty. Unlike Makar, who cannot sacrifice his principles for the sake of more comfortable life Varya is sure that living in poverty is much worse than living with an unloved husband. The author shows hidden strength in his heroine. This strength will certainly help you survive and perhaps even succeed.

Bykov

By the name of the main character it is easy to judge his character: rude, stubborn, daring and strong. Bykov is the “master of life.” He is used to getting what he wants and does not like being denied. From Varya’s letters we can conclude that Bykov does not need a family, as such. The landowner dreams of the birth of a legal heir. After all, if he dies childless, his entire fortune will go to his hated nephew. Varya Dobroselova means nothing to Bykov. Her only mission is to give birth to an heir to the “master of life.” If a girl does not agree to get married, the landowner will quickly find a replacement for her in the person of a rich Moscow merchant's wife.

We bring to your attention. This is a novel in which Dostoevsky, for the first time, with true passion, vividly and fully embodied the image of the positive hero that he imagined.