The novel "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin still arouses admiration of readers and controversy among literary critics. This classic work, which has become a reflection of the foundations of the nobility of the XIX century, is relevant today. The essay on literature “Eugene Onegin - the image of a hero in the novel by A. S. Pushkin” is given to schoolchildren in the 9th grade.
The image of Eugene Onegin in the novel by Pushkin
To write the composition “Eugene Onegin: the image of a hero”, you need to get acquainted with the characters of the novel. Due to the brightness, integrity and "character" of the images of both the main and secondary heroes of this work, it is difficult to believe that this is a description of the life of not living people, but of fictional characters created by the author’s imagination. The young nobleman Eugene Onegin is the main character of the work. The beginning of the novel is a description of his superficial upbringing by the French tutor, typical of the nobility of that time.
Eugene leads a lifestyle familiar to the “golden youth” of the 19th century: attends balls, theaters and simultaneously breaks women's hearts. But such entertainments quickly disappoint him and begin to catch up with longing. Pushkin shows that his hero knows how to pretend to be well-read and educated, possessing only fragmentary knowledge in various subjects, although this is enough to shine in high society.
Onegin as a hero of his time
In Pushkin’s novel, there are many hints that are understandable only to people familiar with the era in which the poet lived. For example, it is known that at the end of the 19th century young people at the age of 18 became completely independent, therefore, Eugene began to live separately at this age, and then he got a “secluded office”. A similar fact is worth mentioning if you asked the composition "Eugene Onegin - the image of a hero." This type is characteristic of young people of that time.
The protagonist is also sophisticated in the science of seduction: he is especially attractive to married ladies. But he avoids serious relationships and does not feel any feelings. Eugene cares except that he himself - and his own appearance. Onegin pays special attention to clothing, and also does not forget "about the beauty of nails." Soon he was forced to go to the village with his uncle, who left him his fortune.
The plot of the work
The image of Eugene Onegin in Pushkin’s novel is a fairly complete description of a person in a state of depression, trying to get rid of its manifestations (longing, irritability, loss of pleasure from classes, bringing joy earlier), but not knowing how to do it. The main character tries himself in a new affair - he tries to write a book, but due to the lack of a habit of painstaking work, he throws this activity. Then he tries to carry out peasant reforms, but is disappointed in this.
In the village, Eugene only feels a certain rise for several days, enjoys the beauties of nature, but soon the spleen returns to him. When Onegin meets the poet Vladimir Lensky, they have friendly relations, despite the difference in characters. He calls him to the family of his bride - Olga Larina. Here the reader first meets the main character of the novel - Tatyana Larina, Olga’s sister.
Love line in the work
The author outlines the calm (and a little boring) life of the 19th century village landowners. Eugene for the sake of entertainment hits Olga, as a result of which Lensky challenges him to a duel, which ends with the death of the poet. In parallel, a love line develops: Tatyana falls in love with Onegin and writes him a letter of recognition, but he rejects it.
After the assassination of Lensky, Eugene leaves the estate, and the girl, visiting him out of curiosity, finds books with notes that her lover read. She is beginning to see clearly, realizing that that Eugene Onegin, whose image has taken shape in her head, is far from real. Tatiana finds the right word that characterizes this man: a parody. The main character travels for about three years, and when he returns to St. Petersburg, he meets again with already married Tatyana and falls in love with her, realizing that he has nothing to hope for.
Chronology of "Eugene Onegin"
Often, schoolchildren who were asked to write an essay based on the novel Eugene Onegin have a question about the age of the main characters. Therefore, we must separately mention the exact chronology of the work - this is indicated by Yuri Lotman in his work on "Eugene Onegin." Pushkin arranges events in strict sequence, pointing to this in one of the forewords. Thus, you can find out the exact date of the birth of the main character - 1795, as well as the time of the beginning of events in the novel - the end of 1819, that is, Onegin was then 24 years old.
Lensky’s murder takes place in January 1821, his age can be guessed from the text - 18 years. Tatyana's age is about 17 years. All these dates are not accidental, many of them coincide with important events in the country and in the life of Alexander Sergeyevich himself. One more moment can be added to the composition: Eugene Onegin, whose image largely echoes the author himself, is not the only protagonist of this work. The author himself is constantly invisibly present nearby, commenting on the actions of Eugene and comparing himself with him.
Composition based on the novel "Eugene Onegin"
If the school asked the essay “Eugene Onegin: the image of a hero”, it is important to choose a subtopic that will be revealed in the work. This may be the opposition of Onegin and Lensky, a description of the love line or a comparison of the main character and the author of the work. Choosing a direction, you can begin to draw up a plan. He will help write a structured coherent text and pre-identify questions that need to be answered. The plan of the essay on "Eugene Onegin", as in any other work, should include a brief introduction, the main part and a logical conclusion.
It’s worth starting with a brief description of the novel, from its place in the history of Russian literature. Then describe the main characters, the main features of their character, focusing on the fact that Eugene Onegin is a collective character and characterizes the features typical of the nobility of that time. In conclusion, we can write about the impact that Pushkin's work had on his contemporary society, as well as why the novel is relevant today.