Ionic heroes. The main characters of the story "Ionych

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  In May 1898, after undergoing medical treatment in the south of France, Chekhov returned to Melikhovo. The story "Ionych" was written in the pauses between construction worries, the opening of a new school and the reception of guests.

  In his notebook, Chekhov outlined the outline of the plot, in the center of which, according to preliminary ideas, was the Filimonov family (in the final version, the surname was changed to the Turkins):

  Plot

  In the provincial town of S., the Turkin family was considered the same attraction as a library, theater or club. The head of the family, Ivan Petrovich, staged amateur performances. His wife Vera Iosifovna wrote novels and short stories. Daughter Ekaterina Ivanovna, who had a home nickname Kotik, played the piano. Even the footman Pavlusha had acting talent.

  Reviews and reviews

  One of the first to respond to the story "Ionych" was the literary critic Dmitry Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky, who, having paid tribute to "the originality and power of Chekhov's talent", at the same time noted the "riskyness of the methods" with which the author shows why the main character is a person with initially exalted and noble intentions - does not protest against the oppressive environment, does not enter into a fight with it, but, on the contrary, gradually grows into it.

  The theme of “everyday life”, which sucks the best people, turning them into “real provincial inhabitants”, was developed in his book “Essays on Chekhov” (1903) by the literary critic Alexander Sergeevich Glinka: in his opinion, that “life case” into which Dr. Startsev left no chance for the hero to choose:

  A fairly harsh assessment of the “suffering aching intellectuals of Mr. Chekhov” was given by critic Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Lyatsky, who, in a review of the journal “Bulletin of Europe”, called them “genuine offspring of the“ Tolstoy-Katkovskaya “false-classical system”, having neither faith nor ideals. The story itself seemed stretched and boring to critics; the finale raised questions: should I be glad that Ionych remained alive, or should we grieve over his fate? In addition, the critic noted the insufficient elaboration of the images of Ivan Petrovich, Vera Iosifovna and their daughter, whose “personality” is “outlined by the most general strokes”.

  Notes by Alexander Solzhenitsyn stand out from later reviews; according to the writer, the story "Ionych" is very vital, with dense dynamics. Describing Dr. Startsev as a person “with spiritual obesity”, and Kotik as a “self-confident provincial girl”, Solzhenitsyn asks the question: did the author really not see active, intelligent people in Russia, or did this perception of life arise in Chekhov under the influence of “leaders of society and previous writers? The episode in which Dr. Startsev goes to the cemetery stands out in particular:

  The same scene made a great impression on the writer Ruslan Kireev: in his opinion, the episode of the failed meeting between Ionych and Kotik reflected the experiences of the author himself, who knew about his illness, was internally preparing for departure and shortly before that he visited the Russian cemetery in Nice; The poetic nature of the descriptions is not an end in itself - they contain "one of the most important revelations of Chekhov, explaining - probably with the most completeness possible for him - his purely Chekhovian attitude towards death".

  Artistic features

  Composition

  Developing the plot, Chekhov maintains an even, restrained tone; none of the characters receives any ratings from the author. At the same time, due to the repetition of the same details, the writer achieves a “deliberate exaggeration”: this applies to Ivan Petrovich’s jokes; novels read to the guests by Vera Iosifovna; playing music Kotik; replicas of the footman Pava, who, seeing off the visitors, invariably “becomes a pose” and says: “Die, unfortunate!”

  The same narrative principle (emphasis on a certain detail) is used in the development of the image of Dr. Startsev. The evolution of the hero is shown through subtleties: at first he walks, later he has a pair of horses, then a troika with bells and a coachman Panteleimon; finally, in the finale, Chekhov paints an "impressive picture" when "it seems that it is not a man who is riding, but a pagan god."

  Heroes

  Ionych visits the Turkins for the first time on a festive spring day. The mood of the young, benevolent, naive zemstvo doctor is upbeat, and this conviviality comes from within, is felt in himself: the hero revels in youth, spring, comfort in the Turkins' house and the joy that, after a long work, he finally had hours of rest.

  The time for the young doctor to fall in love again falls on a holiday. In the soul of the hero, “languor, a desire to retire with Ekaterina Ivanovna, a quivering expectation of a date, shimmer and play.” At the same time, light, barely perceptible notes of withering sound in the atmosphere of the holiday: Chekhov reminds of the approach of autumn, of early twilight. At night, wandering alone in the cemetery, Dmitry Ionovich begins to be tormented by doubts: Where will this novel lead? What will the comrades say when they find out? This "cautious looking back" in Belikov's way is unexpectedly suppressed by mercenary considerations ( “And they will give a dowry, it must be a lot”) .

  Startsev, according to Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky, causes an ambiguous impression: on the one hand, he is a “man of routine”, on the other hand, he has an “enlightened mind”:

  Ekaterina Ivanovna, according to the literary critic V. A. Mikhelson, belongs to the bright images of the story. With her passionate desire to escape from the city of S., with her freedom-loving quest, she resembles the Prozorov sisters. If we consider her music-making in the context of the time, then we can find that she probably gravitated towards the work of the early Medtner, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff - composers who were incomprehensible to either Dr. Startsev or the girl's parents.

  Returning home after the collapse of her artistic career, Ekaterina Ivanovna warmly recalls Startsev, a man whom she once neglected because of youthful egoism:

  The story of failed love is built, according to the remark of the Chekhov scholar Vladimir Kataev, in the same way as in "Eugene Onegin": around two confessions. The difference is that "first He confesses his love to her and does not meet reciprocity, and after a few years she, realizing that there was no better person in her life, she tells him about her love - and with the same negative result. Another comparison - with the comedy "Woe from Wit" - the literary critic gives when he explains that Dmitry Ionovich, like Chatsky, fell in love with a girl from another circle; at the same time, they are separated not by a spiritual, but by a “material barrier”. Having received a refusal, Startsev did not go, like Chatsky, around the world, but by inertia remained to live in Dyalizh.

  City

  Many pages in the research are devoted to the image of the city of S. Thus, the literary critic V.P. Rynkevich directly connects Dr. Startsev’s drama with “total provincialism, which filled the life of county and provincial Russia to the brim.” This theme is a cross-cutting one in Chekhov's work: it can be traced both in letters dedicated to his native Taganrog, and in such works as "Lights", "My life", "Man in a case", "Bride". At the same time, the literary critic emphasizes, Chekhov is talking not only about geographical, but also about spiritual provincialism - one that “you can’t run away from by train”:

  However, it is wrong to blame the environment alone for contributing to the rebirth of the personality, Vladimir Kataev is convinced. The spiritual decay of Dr. Startsev is associated with many factors: it is the power of time, and self-absorption, and the inability of a person to guess the moment that "decides his entire future fate."

  The protagonist of Chekhov's story is a symbol of the spiritual degradation of man and people in general. We see the life of the city through his eyes, his thoughts, simple and reasonable, characterize the customs and life of society. But time passes, and the main character Ionych realizes that, having achieved a lot, he has lost something very important. His ardent feelings for Ekaterina Ivanovna subsided as quickly as they appeared. Startsev traded his dream and desire for development for stability and comfort. The description of Ionych's life at the end of the work is dull and gray: a fat, uncultured old doctor, always screaming at his patients.

  Characteristics of the heroes of "Ionych"

  Main characters

  Startsev Dmitry Ionovich	At the beginning of the work - a young zemstvo doctor, purposeful and ambitious. It is opposed to the city, in which apathy, idleness, gambling reigns. Dreams of a career, in love with the daughter of the Turkins. After the refusal of his beloved, Startsev slowly turns into Ionych: he works a lot, does not go anywhere, degrades. Every year it becomes fuller, aging. Meeting Kotik proves his point that she is too capricious, that life with her would be difficult. At the end of the story, the image of the protagonist changes globally, he becomes the one whom he himself once despised.
  Turkin Ivan Petrovich	The head of a family that is considered the most educated and talented in the city. Full brunette, always in a good mood: tells jokes, puns. Arranges performances of plays in an amateur theater, plays himself. On his list of credits is a "very theatrical" cough as a general. It's hard to tell from his face when he's serious and when he's joking. Sentimental, loves his daughter and wife. This character is static, does not change throughout the entire story, even jokes and anecdotes remain the same after years.
  Turkina Vera Iosifovna	The wife of Ivan Petrovich, a beautiful thin woman. Writes novels and reads them to guests. Conservative, afraid of change, apathetic because of a well-fed measured life. Jokingly flirts with every guest, telling him that she is secretly in love, but her husband is terribly jealous. Her image is as static as her husband. The only thing that changes in the life of Vera Iosifovna is that with age she develops a migraine.
  Turkina Ekaterina Ivanovna, Kotik	Daughter of the Turkins, considered a talented pianist. A beautiful young girl, her family name is Kotik. With admission to the conservatory, Ekaterina Ivanovna did not work out. At the beginning of the work, she, a young, capricious, playful person of 18 years old, believes in some kind of extraordinary future prepared for her. After returning to her parents' house, she becomes somewhat wiser, calmer and no longer dreams of anything. He admires Dr. Startsev, considers him an example.

  Minor characters

  In the story "Ionych" the characters live a calm, settled life, Chekhov masterfully depicts the absurdity and monotony of their existence. Only the main character changes, and for the worse. The author shows that only a person who fulfills his calling develops and lives a full life. Everything else is a gray and dull existence, wasting life in vain. In the table of characteristics of the heroes, the image of Startsev is the only one that undergoes changes, the rest of the heroes seem to freeze in development, which enhances the effect of their degradation.

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  Artwork test

  "Ionych". A doctor from the provincial town of S. makes acquaintance with the Turkin family and falls in love with their daughter Ekaterina. However, the novel has no development, and over time the characters are absorbed by the quagmire of provincial existence.

  History of creation

  Chekhov wrote the story "Ionych" in 1898, and at the same time the text was first published in the ninth issue of the literary supplement to the popular magazine "Niva". Chekhov began his story after returning from France in the spring of 1898. The writer's notebooks have been preserved, where he outlines the plot. Initially, the focus of the author was the Turkin family, who in the first edition had a different surname.

  The head of the family was supposed to be a witty official who plays on stage and sings, the wife of the hero was supposed to write liberal novels and flirt with others for the sake of fun with her husband. Chekhov was going to focus on this family in order to debunk them and portray them as empty people, but in the final version, Dr. Startsev is also under attack.

  
  

  In 1966, a black-and-white film “In the city of S.” was released at the Lenfilm studio. - adaptation of the story "Ionych", filmed by director Iosif Kheifits. An actor starred in the role of Dmitry Startsev. The director portrays the sad life path of Dr. Startsev, ending in the complete degradation of his personality, and the image of the provincial city of S. is filled with cemetery symbols.

  "Ionych"

  The young doctor Startsev arrives in the village of Dyalizh near the provincial town of S. and meets the well-known Turkin family in the city. The head of the family puts on amateur performances, the wife writes stories and novels that she reads to her friends, and her daughter Ekaterina plays the piano. Startsev, by invitation, comes to visit and spends an evening in the company of the Turkins. The heroes spend their time mentally - they drink tea, the hostess Vera reads her novel aloud, and Ekaterina plays music. Startsev likes the Turkins, and the hero leaves them in a good mood.

  
  

  A few months later, the young doctor again finds himself in the Turkins' house, where he was invited to the mistress of the house, suffering from migraines. The hero is fond of Ekaterina Turkina and begins to visit often to spend time with the girl and talk. It soon becomes difficult for the doctor to do without Catherine's company for even a week.

  One day the girl decided to make a joke by making an appointment with Startsev at night in the cemetery. The doctor understands that this is nothing more than a joke, and yet he arrives at the cemetery at midnight, where he wanders alone between the graves for a long time. The next day, the doctor proposes to Ekaterina Turkina, but the girl does not want to get married. The heroine is going to leave the boring provincial town of S. and become an artist. A few days later, Ekaterina really leaves to enter the Moscow Conservatory, and the doctor stops worrying about her.

  
  Dr. Startsev and Turkina

  Time goes by, Startsev gets richer and expands his practice. And a few years later he again ends up in the Turkins' house, where he meets Ekaterina. She could not become a famous pianist, as she intended, and returned to her parents' house, where things are still the same. Everyone drinks tea the same way, mother writes novels. After this visit, Startsev no longer communicates with the Turkins. The hero drowns in boredom, greed and dissatisfaction with life and gradually degrades. In the Turkins' house, too, everything remains the same, the characters only grow old and do not develop at all.

  Dr. Dmitry Ionovich Startsev began his career as a zemstvo doctor in the village of Dyalizh in the vicinity of the provincial city of S. The hero grew up among ordinary and unsecured people, in the family of a sexton - a petty church minister. By nature, Dmitry Ionovich is a kind and intelligent person, Ekaterina Turkina calls the hero "the best of people." In the eyes of the public, Dmitry Ionovich appears as an intelligent person, he works hard at work. The hero is so busy in the hospital that he cannot find free time for personal matters.

  At first, Dmitry Startsev has no money, and the hero lives rather poorly. Nine miles that separate the village of Dyalizh from the city of S., the hero has to overcome on foot, because Dmitry Ionovich has no money for horses. The young doctor is interested not only in medicine, but also in literature and art. He can talk for hours about these subjects. Startsev also likes to talk about his work in the hospital, being passionate about what he does.

  
  

  In his youth, Dr. Startsev "ardently" falls in love with Ekaterina Turkina, who refuses to become the hero's wife, despite the common interests and tenderness that Startsev shows to her. Meanwhile, the doctor's career is slowly going up, and in a year Startsev can afford to get a pair of horses and hire a coachman.

  Four years after the hero broke off relations with Catherine, the reader sees a different picture. Startsev has grown fat and has developed shortness of breath, has fallen out of love with walking and is driving around the city on a troika of horses. The hero's time is occupied for the most part by work. Startsev has extensive practice. In the morning, the hero hurriedly receives patients in the village, then takes a troika and goes to the city, where patients are also waiting for him. The hero returns home late at night.

  
  Illustration for Chekhov's "Ionych"

  Startsev has no friends. The hero has to see a lot of people on duty and visit different houses, but patients and other townsfolk cause Startsev one deaf irritation. Their views on life, appearance and conversations are unpleasant for the hero, so Startsev does not get close to anyone. The life of the hero is dull and monotonous, Startsev lacks impressions. According to my own feeling, the hero only "gets old" and "falls". Work turns for Startsev into a means of profit, and he does not see anything good in such a life.

  Four years later, when Startsev meets Catherine again, he does not have any tender feelings for the woman, and the doctor is only glad that he did not marry before. Catherine herself regrets that she refused Startsev then, and wants to get closer again, but the hero no longer wants any close relationship. Ekaterina seems too pale to Startsev, the heroine's expression, smile, voice, and even the dress and chair now cause Startsev to be rejected. As a result, the doctor stops visiting the Turkins altogether.

  
  

  A few more years pass, and Dr. Startsev turns into an unpleasant type, whom those around him call exclusively "Ionych". The doctor grew fat even more, became unhealthy red in the face, began to breathe heavily and can now walk only with his head thrown back. The hero got so rich that he bought himself an estate and two houses in the city, and is going to buy a third one. There was even more work, and Startsev "has no time to breathe."

  The hero has a kind of "entertainment" - in the evenings, to pull out of all pockets the money received from patients during the day, and lovingly count them. When a sufficiently large amount is collected, the hero deposits the money into an account with the Mutual Credit Society.

  Startsev's character deteriorates completely, and life is completely meaningless and monotonous. The doctor is easily irritated with patients, gets angry and raises his voice at patients, impatiently knocks on the floor with a stick. The hero lives alone, he has no interests left. Life is boring for Startsev. In the evenings, the hero goes to the club, where he plays vint, and then dine alone at a large table. Youthful love for Ekaterina Turkina turns out to be the only bright episode in the life of the hero.

  The further biography of the hero is unknown.

  Quotes

  “While you play cards with the layman or have a snack with him, then he is a peaceful, complacent and even intelligent person, but as soon as you talk to him about something inedible, for example, about politics or science, he gets into a dead end or starts such a philosophy , stupid and angry, that it remains only to wave your hand and move away.

  “It is not the one who cannot write stories that is incompetent, but the one who writes them and does not know how to hide it.”

  "If the most talented people in the whole city are so mediocre, then what should the city be like?"

  The ideological meaning of the work

  The story "Ionych", written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, belongs to the late period of the author's work. Most of the works of this period are characterized by a dramatic, and even tragic orientation. The story is saturated with sadness and loneliness and vividly reflects the contrast between dreams and reality. The author masterfully was able to reveal this topic on the example of a young doctor Dmitry Ionovichi Startsev. Just by telling the story of a person, Chekhov showed the enormous injustice of life: the harmony that every person strives for is unusually easy to destroy, the cause of this is not some global catastrophes, not illness, not fate, but the person himself. The main characters of the story "Ionych" by Chekhov each strive for their dream. Each of the characters strives to achieve their goal. Startsev dreams of finding stability and family happiness. Ekaterina Turkina dreams of freedom, a career as an artist, personal development. Her parents dream of the happiness and well-being of their daughter. But not all dreams are destined to come true.

  Characteristics of the main characters

  The main characters of the work "Ionych" are not specific images, but only collective characters. Zemsky doctor Dmitry Ionovich Stratsev- a young, enthusiastic, educated, but not striving for high goals person. However, he knows exactly what he wants and certainly achieves it. This image is the key in the work, it is his middle name that the story is named. Startsev is a rather simple and open person, he has no hidden thoughts and desires. He was not used to prevaricate and go against his feelings. If he is in love, then he directly says that he wants to get married. If he is disappointed, he does not want to say otherwise.

  Another key image of this story is Ekaterina Ivanovna Turkina, in the first chapters called by the forest name Kotik. A young dreamer, a little naive, but self-confident. She is stubborn and goes against her parents. The girl dreams of a great future. She certainly wants to leave the city for the capital. Any moralizing mother perceives frivolously. Her personality also changes. In the last chapters, she is no longer that selfish person. Life and creative failures that happened to her in Moscow left their mark on her character: self-confidence disappears, enthusiasm disappears.

  Parents Ekaterina Ivanovna respected people in the city. The most educated and educated. They constantly gather at home a large circle of guests, are famous for their hospitality, wit and talents.

  Ivan Petrovich Turkin masterfully owns the word and can decorate any evening with conversations, jokes and funny stories. His distinguishing feature is the ability to smile with his eyes. It seems that he sees people through and is able to read their minds. After all, he can find a common language with almost every person. Turkin is devoted to the family.

  Vera Iosifovna- Ivan Petrovich's wife writes stories and has a tendency to read them after every tea party. She is rather modest and believes that it is not necessary to publish her works at all. They are for the soul, not for material gain. She loves both her husband and daughter. The woman worries about the latter. She wants Katya's fate to be successful.

  Character relationships

  In the story "Ionych" the main characters are in close relationship with each other. Chekhov shows readers how to destroy their lives with their own hands. The main characters Startsev and Katya feel sympathy for each other. Katya strives to leave the city, to give up the love of Dmitry Ionovich, not realizing what is thereby repelling him. He will no longer be able to forgive her and will forever lose interest in her. Perhaps their couple would be happy if Katya was down to earth, and Dmitry was more persistent. But their personalities did not match. As a result, they were both alone.

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  Characteristics of the hero

  When you read the later stories of A.P. Chekhov, you involuntarily pay attention to the fact that they are imbued with some kind of sadness, but they have a dream of unattainable harmony, which contrasts sharply with a miserable and awkward life. This motive sounds with particular force in the wonderful story "Ionych".

  The plot of this little masterpiece is a sad story of a young zemstvo doctor who has turned into a disgusting, malicious and greedy creature. How and why does such a metamorphosis happen to the hero? The writer helps to find the answer to this question, as if placing milestones in Startsev's life path: "more than a year has passed", "four years have passed", "several more years have passed". Each period of time is perceived as a kind of milestone, showing the changes that occur in the inner world of the hero. Of great importance in the spiritual degradation of Dmitry Startsev is the environment in which this young doctor finds himself.

  The beginning of Chekhov's story introduces the reader into the boring and monotonous atmosphere of the provincial city of S., which, however, was brightened up by its attraction - the Turkin family, which all city dwellers unanimously considered the most educated and cultured. Indeed, each member of this family has some kind of talent. Ivan Petrovich Turkin tirelessly entertains guests with his jokes and charades. His wife, Vera Iosifovna, writes novels that she reads to guests, finding grateful listeners in them. The Turkins' daughter Katerina Ivanovna, according to others, is a talented pianist, so she firmly decides to study at the conservatory in order to achieve fame and fame. The list of talents of this gifted family is certainly impressive, but let us remember how Chekhov describes the Turkin family, showing it in the perception of a new person - Dmitry Ionych Startsev. Somewhat alarming is the phrase that by long exercises in wit Ivan Petrovich worked out his unusual language. In my opinion, wit is an innate quality of a person - it cannot be developed. This natural conclusion is immediately confirmed by typical examples of Turkic wit ("I humbled you, thank you," "Hello, please," etc.), which, moreover, are repeated a year later, and a few years later, like the phrase from Shakespeare's "Othello" , which is uttered first by a boy-servant, and then by a grown-up hefty fellow. Everything convinces us that the Turkins, alas, are mediocre. Vera Iosifovna's soporific novel and Kotik's playing, which hit the keys with such force, as if it wanted to drive them deep into the piano, speak of this. In any case, this is the impression her play made on Dr. Startsev. But he, along with everyone, admires Kotik's talent, speaks approvingly of the novel of the mistress of the house, laughs at Ivan Petrovich's jokes. The internal state of a "fresh" person clearly contrasts with the unnatural, poseur "intelligence" of this very cultured family. If the most talented people in the city are so mediocre, then what are the rest of them! Thus, depicting the Turkin family in close-up, the author thereby characterizes the low educational and cultural level of the urban intelligentsia. It becomes clear what kind of environment the young active doctor found himself in, who at first favorably differs from the city dwellers in his honesty, diligence, purposefulness, desire to engage in useful, noble work.

  The townsfolk irritated him for a long time with their conversations, views on life, and even their appearance. He pretty soon came to the conclusion that with such people you can only play cards, have a snack and talk about the most ordinary everyday things, without touching the spheres of politics or science. The emerging conflict of an intelligent, educated, hardworking person with a miserable philistine environment, however, does not find further development in the story. Perhaps this comes from the fact that Startsev, for the first time in his life, passionately and passionately falls in love with Katerina Ivanovna Turkina. This feeling overshadows all other problems, forcing the young man to idealize this pretty, intelligent girl, to fulfill all her whims and whims. Although common sense tells Startsev that Kotik will not be a good assistant and girlfriend to him, it is she who the hero wants to see as his wife. He has little doubt that his proposal will be accepted, reflecting on how his life will turn out after marriage. And here, in his dreams and thoughts, somewhat alarming thoughts clearly appear that a dowry must be given a lot, that he will have to move from Dyalizh to the city and engage in private practice.

  This means that Dr. Startsev, who is carried away by work in the zemstvo hospital, receives patients there on Sundays and holidays, in the event of marriage, is ready without any doubts and regrets to part with the work of his life. This dangerous symptom suggests that the popular ideas, under the influence of which the young intellectual goes to serve the people, never became his convictions. Therefore, it cannot be said that Startsev changed his views: he simply did not have them. It is noteworthy that the hero very easily makes compromises, deals with conscience. He is incapable of experiencing even real suffering. After all, after Kotik's refusal, Startsev suffered and suffered for exactly three days, and then his life returned to its former track. Even memories of a beloved girl are limited to a lazy phrase: "How much trouble, however."

  Thus, Chekhov already here debunks his hero, revealing the amazing indifference and callousness of his soul, in which there is a clear tendency to complete mortification. Therefore, in my opinion, there is nothing surprising and unexpected in the subsequent transformation of the hero. Having said goodbye to his only love and dream of noble service to people, Startsev himself narrows the circle of his interests. The real pleasure is given to him only by playing vint and counting the daily fee. During a meeting with Kotik four years later, under the influence of her tenderness, care, love, a spark still lit up in the soul of Dmitry Ionych, he felt the need to tell about himself. Sincere bitterness is heard in his words addressed to Katerina Ivanovna: “How are we doing here? No way. We are getting old, we are getting fat, we are sinking. in the evening a club, a society of gamblers, alcoholics, wheezing, whom I can not stand. What's good? This means that Startsev is well aware that he is sinking, degrading, but he has neither the desire nor the strength to fight the vulgar philistine environment. He passively submits to her, and a few years later, at the end of the story, we already see a plump, red, shortness of breath man who unceremoniously throws open the doors and inspects the house that is for sale, although he already has two houses in the city and an estate in Dyalizh. He is completely alone, nothing interests him. The life of the hero is over. His soul has completely deadened, everything has disappeared from it, except for the progressive proprietary interest.

  A person, initially opposed to the vulgar philistine environment, becomes its terrible symbol. With this story, the author wanted to say a lot: about the wretched, soulless atmosphere that kills high noble impulses in young people, and about those intellectuals who are devoid of will, perseverance, purposefulness, incapable of fighting and defending their life positions. But the main thing, in my opinion, is that Chekhov makes the reader think about what prevents people from living a full, rich life, from creative work, from sincere and strong love. After all, the writer dreamed of just such a life, of a perfect, harmonious person, in whom "everything should be beautiful." Therefore, Chekhov's wonderful story retains its relevance even today, helping us to notice the features of Ionych in ourselves and those around us and fight them.