Today in the article we will talk about the problems of the Bronze Horseman. Consider the main characters, analyze the plot lines, and also try to understand the main idea of the author.
History of creation
To begin with, this story was written in the fall of 1833. Alexander Pushkin planned to get a lot of money for three of his works, which he wanted to publish in the famous magazine "Library for Reading." That is why in the winter of 1833 he sent his story to Nicholas II. The king made several notes, but the author did not want to take them into account, but he was also afraid to print without permission from above. The fact is that the king crossed out some words that call the monument to Peter “idol” and “idol”.
Edits and Printing
Perhaps this severity was due to the fact that at that time the main work on the opening of the pillar of Alexandria was just finishing . Back in the summer of 1832, there was already a huge rock on Palace Square, which was specially delivered from Finland. In the summer of 1834, the monument to the emperor was unveiled - the tallest building in the world. This event was not only cultural, but also ideological. For Pushkin, the new monument was just another monument, he did not want to hide it. By the way, over time, the Alexander Column began to make fun of many.
The literary elite still believed that the monument to Peter was the symbol of the city. Pushkin, not wanting to make changes, in 1834 published an introduction to The Bronze Horseman. However, this short publication did not arouse any interest among the public, but rumors quickly circulated that there was some unpublished poem about Petersburg. In the summer of 1836, the author decides to publish The Bronze Horseman and makes the necessary corrections. It is not known exactly why before that he refused to make any amendments, and in 1836 he unexpectedly agreed to this. However, this poem was published in 1837, that is, only after the death of Pushkin.
The issues of the Bronze Horseman
Now let's talk about the main topic of our article. The problems of the Bronze Horseman were examined in great detail by Belinsky, who proposed the most widespread and understandable version. He said that the story tells of a clash of a historical moment with the fate of an individual. We see that Peter is doing a significant thing, but absolutely innocent people suffer from this. After some time, other versions appeared, which we will also talk about below.
Considering the issues of the Bronze Horseman in more detail, we note that Alexander Sergeyevich knew well that the monument to Peter was not copper. Some parts were bronze and iron. That is why the author calls his rider copper, thus paying attention not only to his physical characteristics, but also to the essence.
Monument Repair Protocol
Note that at the beginning of the last century, more and more people began to think not about the actual, but about the symbolic content of Pushkin's works. Already in 1909 there was a striking event that caused a new wave of interest in symbolism in the works of the poet. The Monument Repair Commission published a protocol stating that there was a large forged frame on the hind legs of the horse, thanks to which water could not penetrate lower and remained in the belly. A total of 125 buckets of water were spent. This seemingly ordinary information evoked a huge number of different interpretations. It was believed that Peter had mastered the wild, and now the water takes revenge on him and mystically penetrates the monument. This indicated that, in fact, the struggle was not over yet.
There was also a version that Pushkin’s poem has a strong implication in that it tells in fact about two horsemen - copper and pale. The latter personified precisely water. Another interpretation, which is quite common, concerns the fact that A. Pushkin wanted to show a weak but proud rebellion of a man in his loneliness against the effective forces of history.
Ambiguity
Thus, we understand that the problems of the “Bronze Horseman” of Pushkin can be examined from completely different angles. Each person in his own way interprets this story and finds in it some features. However, it is very difficult to say what the author wanted to convey. Perhaps his opinion is the quintessence of all existing versions. This once again proves that the problems of the poem The Bronze Horseman by A. Pushkin are very multifaceted and ambiguous. Recall that the author wrote this story in rather difficult times, when freethinking could be paid for with life. That is why he uses allegory and imagery.
Theme
We partially examined the themes and problems of The Bronze Horseman, but it is almost impossible to do it in full without considering the characters and the subtext of the work, which is why we will talk a little about the subject of the work. So, the author offers two main topics. The first is Petersburg, which Pushkin represents a mystical city filled with madmen.
The second topic that the author is considering is Peter. In his person, he combines the fate of all citizens and Russia itself after the Petrine reforms, and also considers the consequences of Europeanization. The hero of the poem is an ordinary little man, on whom little depends. Note that the appearance of just such a hero was very useful, since by the time of the creation of Pushkin’s work in Russian literature, the time had come when it was necessary to talk about an ordinary and modern person: superman and exotic faded into the background. Describing Eugene, Pushkin says that he is the most ordinary person who, like everyone else, thinks a lot about money and walks in a tailcoat. He behaves simply and loosely, he has few means and friends.
Poetics
To better understand the historical and philosophical problems of the poem "The Bronze Horseman", let's talk a little about poetics. It is known that the author himself defined the genre of his work as the "St. Petersburg story". In this case, we can say that the “Bronze Horseman” began a new and very popular genre, which was later represented by a number of works by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
As for the genre, the “Bronze Horseman” is most attracted to small tragedies, which describe the revolt of one person against the whole story. Also, do not forget that the poem contains symbolic imagery and fantasy. The latter is manifested in the fact that many events are simply a figment of Eugene’s imagination. But at the same time this is not meaningless nonsense, but some kind of subtext. Symbolism manifests itself when we learn that the monument was filled with water. Of course, the author does not really mean this, but the fact that a certain element was raging.
Structural analysis
The problems of the work The Bronze Horseman are very multi-layered, as we have already seen for ourselves. We see how the king makes a serious decision that will affect the whole subsequent history. Such an exaltation of the king’s figure is opposed by wild ruthless nature. At the same time, the image of the king is viewed against a very bleak background. He sees a huge sprawling river surrounded by forests. Despite the fact that he looks at what is happening under his nose, the ruler looks to the future. He understands that the country needs to establish itself on the shores of the Baltic Sea in order to prosper in the future.
Contradictions of the author
Considering the problems of the poem “The Bronze Horseman”, one cannot but touch upon the attitude of Pushkin himself to his creation. In the book, he speaks very enthusiastically about Peter's new creation and literally declares his love to him, saying that thanks to his actions even Moscow has faded. But at the same time, we see that the author still treats him in two ways. This is evident in other works. First, he recognizes the king as the highest example of state power, and then talks about the cruelty and tyranny of the ruler. Such a contradiction in the worldview of Pushkin persisted during his writing of the poem The Bronze Horseman.
To censorship approved this work, the author had to resort to symbolism. However, with a careful reading, you can see that even when Pushkin praises Peter, some anxiety is heard in his voice.
The images
We have already examined the problems and heroes of the poem “The Bronze Horseman”, but we will dwell in more detail on individual images. First, notice how much the image of the city is changing. At the beginning of the poem, we observe a lively and joyful city, but already towards the end it becomes dark and destroyed, since it is absorbed by the elements that are not subject to man. The author says that water blows everything in its path, washing away traces of the past. However, what did Pushkin mean? The indomitable element for him was a symbol of the popular rebellion, but at the same time he emphasized that the rebellion, although it was merciless, did not make much sense. As a result of the disaster, many people die, but for what?
Impersonality
Considering the heroes and the problems of The Bronze Horseman, one can notice that there are no surnames, no age, no mention of appearance, traits or past. All we know about Eugene is that he is an ordinary ordinary person. The author refuses to communicate any individual traits.
Despite this, in a critical situation, Eugene manages to wake up from sleep and cease to be a small, insignificant person, the destructive element literally drives him crazy, and he does not stand the questions that are increasingly appearing in his head. As a result, he, disheveled and indifferent, wanders around the city, trying to find answers to his questions. Finally, he understands the truth for himself, and his anger falls upon the “idol”.
Summing up the article on the problems of The Bronze Horseman, it is worth noting that this heroic story tells about the creation of Peter I and the tragedy of an ordinary official who fell victim to a historic chariot.
Note that in this poem dualism is very clearly manifested. Firstly, there are two Peters (a frozen statue and a living ruler), two Eugene (a misguided petty official and an enlightened man), two Neva (the main decoration of the city and a huge threat to life), two Petersburgs (a beautiful city and a gloomy place full of poor and killers).
Actually, this is the main philosophical thought that Pushkin wanted to convey to readers: everything in the world is twofold, and nothing is permanent. This is a wonderful work, which should be met by everyone who wants to not only learn the work of A.S. Pushkin, but also understand the symbolism of his works. This is truly an author who, thanks to the images, could convey his true thoughts and deep ideas.