In the magazine "New World", in the September issue of 1989, Astafyev (Lyudochka) published his story. An analysis of this work is the topic of this article. A photo of the author is presented below.
The problems of the story
This story is about youth, but there is no youth in the heroes created by Astafyev. All of them are lonely people suffering somewhere deep in themselves and staggering around the world. These worn shadows cast their gloomy senses on the souls of readers. Particularly in the heroes of Astafiev striking loneliness, which in the work is unchanging and terrible. The protagonist of the story "Lyudochka" (Astafiev) is trying to break out of this circle. The problematic of the work lies in the clash between the inner and outer world. You may notice that the very first lines of the story, in which the heroine of the work is compared with roadside sluggish grass, suggest that she, like this grass, is not capable of life.
The attitude of parents to Lyudochka
The attitude of parents to Lyudochka is an important point on which to stop when conducting an analysis. Astafyev ("Lyudochka") depicts the relationship of the main character with her parents is far from ideal. Lyudochka leaves the house in which her childhood passed. In it, too, lonely, alien people remain. The girl’s mother has long been used to the device of her own life. And the stepfather was indifferent to the main character. Astafyev notes that they just lived in the same house, and that’s all. The girl felt like a stranger among people.
The problem of mental loneliness
Our society is in pain, it is clear today to everyone. But in order to choose the right treatment, you need to make the right diagnosis. The best minds of the country are struggling with this, trying to conduct their own analysis. Astafyev (Lyudochka) made a very accurate diagnosis for one terrible disease that hit the country. The writer saw the main character of the story in solitude. The pain of many of our compatriots was reflected in her image. The story "Lyudochka" (Astafiev) is very relevant today. Its problems are close and familiar to many people living in our days.
The story created by Astafiev easily fits into the modern literary process. One of the main features of the author’s talent is the ability to capture the problems that concern many writers: the collapse of the village, the decline of morality, mismanagement, and the growth of crime. Viktor Petrovich shows us a gray, everyday, ordinary life. In the circle "home-work-home" live Gavrilovna, a woman who has lost her health at the hairdresser and her goods, taking for granted all the blows of fate. And the main character should be in this circle, as our analysis shows. Astafyev ("Lyudochka") portrays her by no means an exceptional heroine, capable of changing this world. She is forced to exist in difficult conditions and to understand that there is no way out.
The confused fate of Lyudochka
When the main character of the work graduated from 9th grade and became a girl, her mother told her that Lyudochka should go to the city to settle down, because she had nothing to do in the village. The main idea of ​​the story is to depict the confused fate of the girl, who is squeezed by the economic framework (in order to somehow survive in the city, it was necessary to agree to any work), as well as the cruel customs of the city unacceptable to the village. The writer masterfully revealed the character of Lyudochka, as well as the moral problems of his current generation, and analyzed them. Astafyev ("Lyudochka") was able to tell about many serious things, cause compassion and sympathy for the unfair fate of the main character.
Why did Lyuda commit suicide?
Arriving at home, Lyuda did not even find her mother proper support, as she was preoccupied with her own problems. The main character was capable of a desperate act, decisive in herself, like all closed people. She was always the first in childhood to rush into the river. And now, with a noose around her neck, Lyudochka, as in childhood, pushed off her feet and clasped her hands with her hands, as if she had thrown herself into a bottomless and boundless pool from a highly washed shore. On the one hand, the girl decided in this way to solve all her problems without disturbing anyone, but on the other, her determination can be envied. Characteristics of Lyudochka Astafiev is very remarkable. The determination of the main character is not characteristic of many young people of our time.
Interconnectedness of fate
The writer seeks to give such an image in the story so that the reader has the opportunity not only to see, but also to feel in the picture that confronts him, the living current of life. Conducting an analysis of Astafyev’s short story “Lyudochka”, another important point should be noted. The plot is not only a simple and not only visible eventual connection, but also something more - a hidden subtext, which holds the movement of the author’s thought together. In our case, these are thoughts about the interconnectedness of fates living in a split, disconnected, but still in the same world, on the same earth. Ludochka took over many sins: mothers, Strekocha, Gavrilovna, the school, the youth of the town, the Soviet police. This is something else Dostoevsky could not agree with - the atonement for the misunderstanding and innocence of someone’s sins. A short life, monotonous, hopeless, indifferent, gray, without love and affection is a girl’s tragedy. Her death is her take-off. Only after her death did Ludochka suddenly become necessary for her mother, Gavrilovna. She was finally noticed. Astafyev’s story is very touching, because the reader can feel how the author is kind-hearted and caring towards this girl.
The tragedy of the "little man"
The tragedy of the "little man" is revealed in this work. Astafyev continues in it one of the most favorite topics in Russian literature of the 19th century. The work describes the fate of one unfortunate village girl who arrived in search of happiness in the city, but stumbled upon the cruelty and indifference of people. Lyudochka was abused, but the worst thing was not this: people she loved did not want to understand her. Therefore, the girl committed suicide, not finding moral support in any of them.
The image of Lyudochka Astafiev was created by the following: this is an ordinary Russian girl, of which there are many. The main character from childhood did not differ either in intelligence or in beauty, but she retained in her soul respect for people, mercy, decency and kindness. This girl was weak-minded. That is why Gavrilovna, who sheltered her in the city, dumped all the housework on Lyudochka. The girl did it with pleasure and did not take offense at her.
Language features in the story
We carry out an ideological and artistic analysis of Astafyev’s short story “Lyudochka”. We described the ideological basis of the work, now we turn to the artistic features of this story.
The writer put a large number of steady turns and aphorisms into the mouth of Gavrilovna (“killer whale”, “swallow”, “blue-gray darling”, “my gold”). With the help of these expressions, the author characterizes the hostess, her individual qualities receive an emotional assessment. The spirit and style of his time are inherited by the heroes of Astafiev. Their speech is not just a talk. She is the exponent of all moral and mental powers. You can only applaud the writer for his excellent knowledge of jargon ("homies", "tearing claws", "godfather", "fuck off"). Russian sayings, proverbs and other stable expressions and phrases occupy a significant place among the graphic means used by the writer. And this is no coincidence - they have enormous expressive possibilities: expressiveness, emotionality, a high degree of generalization. The author conveys his worldview to the reader in a plastic, capacious, artistically expressive language. Reading Astafyev’s Lyudochka, one can notice that the speech’s sharpness and vividness give the characters a steady turn (“worked like a horse,” “bending your back,” “got into your head”). Colorful, rich, unique in the melodic sounding language of the author. In addition to simple personifications (for example, "the village suffocated in the wild"), he uses many complex, filled with metaphors and epithets, creating a separate picture. Therefore, the story turned out so bright, rich and unforgettable.
Receive contrast
Victor Astafyev (Lyudochka) does not focus his attention exclusively on the shadow sides of life. An analysis of the work shows that it also has a bright beginning, brightening up many adversities. It comes from the hearts of numerous workers who are not translated into Russia. I remember a scene of haymaking, an episode when the main character and her mother threw a stack, and then Lyudochka washed off dust and hay dust in her native river with joy, known only to people who had worked hard. The reception of contrast, which Astafyev successfully applied here, emphasizes the spiritual closeness with the nature of man, which in a city mired in poverty, the darkness of ignorance and complete backwardness, cannot be felt.
What is attractive about the story "Lyudochka" by Astafyev?
This story is attractive because the author in such a small volume of work was able to pose a number of major problems to the reader. The writer depicted in a vivid artistic form the pictures of the real life of many people. However, the main task of Astafyev was probably to show us all what abyss we are moving into. And if you do not stop in time, humanity is threatened with complete degeneration. It is precisely this idea that the story "Lyudochka" leads to. Astafyev encourages us to think about the world around us and about our own soul, try to change ourselves, learn to sympathize with our neighbor and love people, see the beauty of this world and try to preserve it. After all, beauty, as you know, will save the world.