Today in the article we will talk about the problems of the Bronze Horseman. Consider the main characters, analyze the storylines, and also try to understand the main idea of the author.
History of Creation
To begin with, this story was written in the autumn of 1833. Alexander Pushkin planned to get big money for three of his works, which he wanted to publish in the well-known 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 tsar crossed out some words calling the monument to Peter "an idol" and "an idol".
Editing and printing
Probably, such severity was due to the fact that at that time the main work on the opening of the Alexandrian Pillar was just being completed. Back in the summer of 1832, there was already a huge rock on Palace Square, which was brought specially from Finland. In the summer of 1834, a monument to the emperor, the tallest building in the world, was unveiled. This event had not only cultural, but also ideological significance. ForPushkin's new monument was just another monument, he did not want to hide it. By the way, after a while, the Alexander Column began to be ridiculed by many.
The literary elite still believed that the symbol of the city is the monument to Peter. Pushkin, unwilling to make changes, published an introduction to The Bronze Horseman in 1834. However, this short publication did not arouse any interest among the public, but rumors quickly spread that there was some unpublished poem about Petersburg.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 he had previously refused to make any amendments, and in 1836 he unexpectedly agreed to this. However, this poem was published in 1837, that is, only after Pushkin's death.
Problematics of the Bronze Horseman
Now let's talk about the main topic of our article. The problems of the Bronze Horseman were considered in great detail by Belinsky, who offered the most common and understandable version. He said that history tells about the collision of a historical moment with the fate of an individual. We see that Peter is doing a significant thing, but absolutely innocent people are suffering from this. After some time, other versions appeared, which we will also talk about below.
Considering the problems of the Bronze Horseman in more detail, we note that Alexander Sergeevich knew well that the monument to Peter was not made of copper. Some parts were bronze and iron. That is why the author calls his ridercopper, thus drawing attention not only to its physical characteristics, but also to the very 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, a bright event took place, which caused a new wave of interest in symbolism in the works of the poet. The Commission for the Repair of Monuments 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. In total, 125 buckets of water were spent. This seemingly ordinary information caused a huge number of different interpretations. It was believed that Peter had mastered the wild element, and now the water takes revenge on him and mystically penetrates inside the monument. This showed that the fight was not really over yet.
There was also a version that Pushkin's poem has a strong subtext in the sense that it actually tells 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 person in his loneliness against the effective forces of history.
Ambiguity
Thus, we understand that the problems of Pushkin's "The Bronze Horseman" can be considered from completely different angles. Each person interprets this story in his own way and finds some peculiarities in it. However, to say for sure what he wantedconvey the author, it is very difficult. 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. S. Pushkin are very multifaceted and ambiguous. Recall that the author wrote this story in rather difficult times, when one could pay for free-thinking with life. That is why he uses allegory and figurativeness.
Theme
We have partially considered the themes and problems of The Bronze Horseman, but it is almost impossible to do this in full without considering the characters and the subtext of the work, which is why we will talk a little about the theme of the work. So, the author proposes two main themes. The first is Petersburg, which Pushkin imagines as a mystical city filled with madmen.
The second topic that the author considers is Peter. In his person, he connects the fate of all citizens and Russia itself after the reforms of Peter the Great, 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 helpful, since by the time Pushkin’s work was created in Russian literature, the time had just come when it was necessary to talk about an ordinary and modern person: the superman and the exotic faded into the background. Describing Evgeny, Pushkin says that he is the most ordinary person who, like everyone else, thinks a lot about money and wears a tailcoat. He behaves simply and loosely, he has few funds and friends.
Poetics
To better understand the historical and philosophical issues 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 a "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 gravitates most of all towards small tragedies that tell about the rebellion 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 just a figment of Eugene's imagination. But at the same time, this is not senseless nonsense, but a kind of subtext. Symbolism appears when we learn that the monument was filled with water. Of course, the author actually does not mean this, but that some 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 all subsequent history. Such ex altation of the figure of the king is opposed by the wild ruthless nature. At the same time, the image of the king is viewed against a very bleak background. He sees a huge spreading river, which is surrounded by forests. Despite the fact that he looks at what is happening under his nose, the ruler sees the future. He understands that the country needs to establish itself on the shores of the B altic in order to continue to prosper.
Contradictions of the author
Considering the problems of the poem "The Bronze Horseman", it is impossible not to touch upon the attitude of Pushkin himself to his creation. In the book, he speaks very enthusiastically about the new creation of Peter and literally confesses his love to him, saying that even Moscow has faded thanks to his actions. But at the same time, we see that the author still treats him in two ways. This can be seen in other works as well. First, he recognizes the king as the highest example of state power, and then speaks of the cruelty and tyranny of the ruler. Such a contradiction in Pushkin's worldview was preserved during his writing of the poem "The Bronze Horseman".
In order for the censorship to approve this work, the author had to resort to symbolism. However, upon careful reading, you can see that even when Pushkin praises Peter, a certain anxiety can be heard in his voice.
Images
We have already considered the problems and heroes of the poem "The Bronze Horseman", but we will dwell on individual images in more detail. First, let's notice how much the image of the city changes. At the beginning of the poem, we observe a lively and joyful city, but towards the end it becomes dark and destroyed, as it is swallowed up by elements beyond the control of man. The author says that water blows away everything in its path, washing away traces of the past. But what did Pushkin mean? The indomitable element for him was a symbol of 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 elements, many people die, and forwhat?
Anonymity
Looking at the characters and issues of The Bronze Horseman, you can see that there are no names, no age, no mention of appearance, character traits or past. All we know about Eugene is that he is an ordinary ordinary person. The author refuses to reveal any individual traits.
Despite this, in a critical situation, Evgeny manages to wake up from his sleep and stop being a small, insignificant person, the destructive element literally drives him crazy, and he cannot stand the questions that increasingly appear 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 on 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 the historical chariot.
Note that dualism is very clearly manifested in this poem. Firstly, there are two Peters (a frozen statue and a living ruler), two Eugenes (a misguided petty official and an enlightened person), 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 assassins).
Actually, this is the main philosophical idea that Pushkin wanted to convey to readers: everything in the world is dual, and nothing is permanent. This is a wonderful work that should be familiar to everyone whowants not only to learn the work of A. S. Pushkin, but also to understand the symbolism of his works. This is truly an author who, through images, could convey his true thoughts and deep ideas.
