The story of Alexander Kuprin “The Duel” was published in 1905 in the collection “Knowledge”. It is dedicated to Maxim Gorky. This work did not go unnoticed and in a very short period became very popular in society. Flaunting the military life of soldiers and officers of the early twentieth century - that’s why Kuprin wrote The Duel. The summary of the story allows the reader to take a close look at the insignificant existence of the army, which rested only on the rudeness and cruelty of the officers and the humiliation of the soldiers.
The “duel”, the brief content of which acquaints the reader with the barracks life of ordinary soldiers, the officer environment and the personal relations of the heroes, became a revealing story about the rotten army system. The main character is Lieutenant Romashov - this is a kind, honest and correct person, but his environment leaves much to be desired. He has no one to communicate with, because there are only cruel and vulgar people around. Only a decent, educated, intelligent and pretty Shurochka, the wife of Lieutenant Nikolaev, stands out against their background. Her image is very well characterized by Kuprin.
“The Duel”, the brief content of which shows the opposition of the officers' rudeness to the kindness and gentleness of Romashov, tells of the main character who was secretly in love with Alexandra Petrovna. This woman is not as innocent as she seems. A woman is ready to lie, if it is profitable for her, she does not love her husband, but for the sake of him she abandoned her lover only because she wanted a better life. She likes Romashov, but Shurochka realizes that he is a disadvantageous party for her.
After the second lieutenant threw his mistress, they began to pour on them with Alexandra Petrovna discrediting anonymous letters. Nikolaev forbade Romashov to come to visit them so as not to compromise Shurochka. Very accurately and penetratingly described the feelings of the main character Kuprin. The “duel”, the brief content of which shows how bad and lonely the second lieutenant was, at the same time describes the life of ordinary soldiers. Looking at the suffering of the humiliated and battered Khlebnikov, Romashov realizes that his personal problems are insignificant.
The second lieutenant treats his soldiers well, but there is nothing he can do about the cruelty of the other officers, and Kuprin clearly conveys his feelings. The “duel”, the brief content of which shows the inhumanity of people, characterizes Romashov as a romantic and a dreamer. But this is a passive person, because he does not seek to change something, but lets everything go by itself, flees from reality. He is not able to re-educate the officers, protect the unfortunate soldiers.
The final chord was a duel between Nikolaev and Romashov. As a second lieutenant, it is very difficult to live on this earth - that is what Kuprin wanted to say. The “duel”, the brief content of which shows the sincerity and honesty of the protagonist, points to a new stage in Romashov’s life, which goes into a duel with the injustice and cruelty of this world. In reality, he is too weak and lonely. The second lieutenant believed his Shurochka and did not load the gun, believing that Nikolaev would not shoot at him, but her lover turned out to be an egoist, ready for anything for her own benefit. Romashov dies, without proving anything to this cruel and unjust world.