The work of Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov "Oblomov" was written many years ago, but the problems raised in it remain relevant today. The main character of the novel has always aroused great interest among the reader. What is the meaning of Oblomovās life, who is he and was he really a lazy person?
The absurdity of the life of the protagonist of the work
From the very beginning of the work, Ilya Ilyich appears before the reader in a completely absurd situation. He spends every day in his room. Deprived of any impressions. Nothing new is happening in his life, there is nothing that would fill her with any meaning. One day is like another. Absolutely not getting carried away and not interested, this person can be said to resemble a plant.
The only occupation of Ilya Ilyich is a comfortable and serene lying on the couch. From childhood, he was used to the fact that he was constantly taken care of. He never thought about how to ensure his own existence. Always lived on everything ready. There was no case that would violate his serene state. Living is just convenient for him.
Inaction does not make a person happy
And this constant lying on the couch is not caused by any incurable disease or psychological disorder. No! The terrible thing is that this is the natural state of the main character of the novel. The meaning of Oblomovās life lies in the soft upholstery of the sofa and a comfortable Persian dressing gown. Every person from time to time tends to think about the purpose of their own existence. The time comes, and many, looking back, begin to reason: "And what have I done useful, why do I even live?"
Of course, not everyone is given the opportunity to turn mountains, to make some kind of heroic act, but anyone can make their own life interesting and full of impressions. Inaction has never made anyone happy. Perhaps only up to a certain point. But this does not apply to Ilya Ilyich. Oblomov, whose life story is described in the novel of the same name by Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov, is not burdened by his inaction. Everything suits him.
Main character's home
The character of Ilya Ilyich can already be judged from some lines in which the author describes the room where Oblomov lived. Of course, the decoration of the room did not look poor. It was elegantly furnished. Nevertheless, there was neither coziness nor comfort in it. The paintings that hung on the walls of the room were framed by web designs. Mirrors designed to see their reflection in them could be used instead of writing paper.
The whole room was covered in dust and dirt. Somewhere lay a randomly abandoned thing, which will lie until it is needed again. On the table are uncleaned dishes, crumbs and leftovers from yesterday's meal. All this does not cause a feeling of comfort. But Ilya Ilyich does not notice this. Web, dust, dirt and uncleaned dishes are natural companions of his daily reclining on the couch.
Daydreaming in the character of Elijah, or How to change life in the village
Often Ilya Ilyich accuses his own servant, whose name is Zakhar, of sloppiness. But he seemed to adjust to the character of the owner, and perhaps he was originally not far from him, quite calmly reacts to the untidiness of his home. According to his reasoning, it makes no sense to clean the room from dust, since it still accumulates there again. So what is the meaning of Oblomovās life? A man who cannot even get his own servant to put things in order. He cannot even control his life, and the existence of those around him is generally beyond his control.
Of course, sometimes he wants to do something for his village. He is trying to come up with some plans, again - lying on the couch, in order to rebuild the village life. But this man is already so divorced from reality that all the dreams he has built remain them. Plans are such that their implementation is almost impossible. They all have some kind of monstrous scope that has nothing to do with reality. But the meaning of life in the work of "Oblomov" is not disclosed only in the description of one character.
The hero opposite to Oblomov
In the work there is another hero who is trying to awaken Ilya Ilyich from his lethal state. Andrey Shtolts is a person filled with boiling energy and liveliness of mind. Whatever Andrei undertakes, he succeeds, and he enjoys everything. He does not even wonder why he is doing this or that thing. According to the character himself, he works for work.
What is the difference between the meaning of life Oblomov and Stolz? Andrei never lies, like Ilya Ilyich, idle. He is always busy with something, he has a huge circle of communication with interesting people. Stolz never sits in one place. He is constantly on the move, getting to know new places and people. Nevertheless, he does not forget about Ilya Ilyich.
Andrey's influence on the main character
Oblomovās monologue about the meaning of life, his judgments about it, are completely opposite to the opinion of Stolz, who becomes the only one who was able to lift Ilya from a soft sofa. Moreover, Andrei even tried to return his friend to an active life. To do this, he resorts to a certain trick. Introduces him to Olga Ilyinskaya. Understanding that a pleasant conversation with a beautiful woman will probably arouse in Ilya Ilyich a taste for life more diverse than the existence in his room.
How does it change under the influence of Stolz Oblomov? The story of his life is now connected with the beautiful Olga. Tender feelings for this woman are even awakened in him. He is trying to change, to adapt to the world in which Ilyinskaya and Stolz live. But his long lying on the couch, his degradation of personality do not pass without a trace. The meaning of Oblomovās life, connected with his uncomfortable room, is deeply rooted in him. Some time passes, and he begins to be burdened by relations with Olga. And, of course, their gap became inevitable.
The meaning of life and death Oblomov
The only dream of Ilya Ilyich is the desire to find peace. He does not need the boiling energy of everyday life. The world in which it is closed, with its small space, seems to him much more pleasant and comfortable. And the life that his friend Stolz leads does not appeal to him. It requires fuss and movement, and this is unusual for Oblomovās character. Finally, all of Andreiās seething energy, which constantly runs into Elijahās indifference, has dried up.
Ilya Ilyich finds solace in the widow's house, whose last name is Pshenitsyna. Having married her, Oblomov completely stopped worrying about life and gradually fell into mental hibernation. Now he is again dressed in his favorite bathrobe. Again lies on the couch. Oblomov's family life leads him to a slow fading. The last time Andrei visits his friend already under the vigilant eye of Pshenitsyna. He sees his friend descend and makes his last attempt to pull him out of the pool. But this makes no sense.
Positive traits in the character of the protagonist
Revealing the meaning of Oblomovās life and death, it is necessary to mention that Ilya Ilyich is still not a negative hero in this work. There are quite bright positive features in his image. He is an infinitely hospitable and welcoming host. Despite the constant lying on the couch, Ilya Ilyich is a very educated person, he appreciates art.
In relations with Olga, he does not show rudeness or intolerance, gallant and courteous. His inner world is very rich, but destroyed by excessive care from childhood. At first you might think that Ilya Ilyich is infinitely happy, but this is just an illusion. A dream that replaced the real state.
Oblomov, whose problem of the meaning of life turned into a tragedy, seems to be pleased with his position. Nevertheless, he understands the worthlessness of his existence. Moments of realization of oneās own inaction come to him. After all, Ilya Stoltsa forbade Olga to come to him, did not want her to see the process of his decomposition. An educated person cannot not understand how empty and monotonous his life is. Only laziness does not allow changing it and making it bright and varied.