Speech characteristics of Biryuk. Analysis of the story “Biryuk” by Turgenev

The main character of the work, included in the collection of stories “Notes of a Hunter,” is the serf forester Foma Kuzmich, popularly nicknamed Biryuk.

The writer presents Biryuk in the image of a tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, bushy eyebrows and small Brown eyes, reminiscent of a Russian fairy-tale hero living in a poor forest lodge with two children left to be raised by their father by their unlucky mother.

By nature, Foma Kuzmich is distinguished by strength, honesty, dexterity, severity, justice, but has a tough and unsociable character, for which he received among local residents nickname Biryuk.

Biryuk sacredly observes his own principles of good and evil, which are subordinated to clear service job responsibilities, careful attitude towards other people's property, although in his own family he has complete poverty, lack of basic household furniture and utensils, poor food and children left without maternal affection and care.

Indicative of this is the example of a man caught in the forest by Biryuk, who decided on a stormy night to cut firewood without proper permission in order to feed his large family. A sense of duty prevails among the forester, he is very strict about theft, not allowing himself to commit unseemly acts even out of despair, but at the same time, compassion, pity and generosity towards a beggar, a wretched little peasant who decided to do a bad deed because of hungry children, wins In Biryuk’s soul there is a need to correctly carry out official duties.

Narrating an episode that happened on a rainy night with Biryuk, the writer reveals the character of Foma Kuzmich as an integral and strong nature, adhering to firm principles in life, but forced to deviate from them in order to demonstrate true human qualities.

The entire cycle of stories “Notes of a Hunter,” including the work in question, is dedicated by the writer to a description of the difficult life of Russian serfs, each of whom is a strong, powerful characteristic image, bearing the manifestation of true human qualities, such as love, patriotism, justice, mutual assistance, kindness and sincerity.

Essay about Biryuk

Turgenev is one of those poets for whom love for Russia comes almost first. This can be seen throughout his entire work. The work “Biryuk” is very prominent among Turgenev’s works. This work was not a manifestation of love for the native land and not political issues, but exclusively moral values.

The main character is Biryuk, who is also a forester. Turgenev in the story tries to show that his life is not sweet and there are enough problems for his soul. The main character broke up with his wife, or rather she left him, and the two children remained to live with their father. If you imagine Biryuk, you get the impression of an eternally sad, gloomy person. But how can you rejoice when family life ended. In addition, the place of residence was an old hut. When the author describes the state of the home, it becomes gloomy, poverty is all around. Even when he had a guest at night, he didn’t really want to be in such a terrible hut.

The people who met Thomas were afraid of him, and this is understandable. He is a tall and strong man, his face is stern, even angry. A beard grew on his face. But, as you know external signs This is only the first impression of a person, because, in essence, he is a kind and sympathetic person. Fellow villagers said about Biryuk that he was an honest man and did not like deception. He was an incorruptible forester, he did not need profit, he simply minded his own business and lived honestly.

One day Thomas caught a thief at night and he was faced with the question of what to do with him? The first thing on the forester's mind was punishment for the thief. Biryuk took the ropes and tied up the criminal, then led him into the hut. The thief was a little dumbfounded by the living conditions of the forester. But you can’t deceive your soul and heart. Although Thomas looked stern, kindness won in this situation. The forester decides that the criminal needs to be released, although he has doubts about this. It was difficult for Biryuk to understand that theft is not such a terrible crime. In his concepts, every crime must be punished.

Throughout the story, Turgenev tries to present Foma as a simple man from Russia. He is honest and just lives and does what he is supposed to do. He is not looking for illegal ways to make money. Turgenev describes Thomas in such a way that you really understand that life can throw you into trouble. He is burdened by his existence in poverty and no joy. Nevertheless, the hero accepts what is and continues to live proudly and fight problems.

Several interesting essays

• Essay on the proverb Don't bite off more than you can chew

  This is why proverbs were invented, because in everyday life people encounter similar situations. Wise sayings have been passed on from mouth to mouth for as long as we have been alive since the advent of speech.

• Alexander 1 in the novel War and Peace characterization image

  At the beginning of the novel, Alexander is 28 years old. He is still young, but he is no longer young and immature. The appearance of the sovereign is described by his pleasant appearance, bursting with youth and imperial grandeur. By character he is a noble knight

• Essay Internal conflict of feeling versus reason

  There are so many people around us. Some we know, others we know slightly, and most are strangers to us. At first glance, all these people are so calm and balanced. You might think that they have no thoughts or problems.

All seasons are good in their own way. But winter, in my opinion, is the most amazing, magical time of the year. In winter, nature falls asleep and at the same time transforms.

• The image and characteristics of Annushka in the novel The Master and Margarita Bulgakova

  We learn about Annushka for the first time in the first and fourth chapters of the novel. A mysterious foreign guest named Woland mentions the name of Annushka as a kind of fatal prototype of a woman who has the power to change the current time of events.

The story “Biryuk,” which we will analyze, begins with a description of a thunderstorm that caught the hunter in the forest in the evening. Details specifying the place and time of action create an alarming atmosphere. So far it is only barely felt. But the gloomy colors (“lilac cloud”, “gray clouds”) and the movement that began in nature (“a thunderstorm was approaching”, “the trees were raging”, “drops... knocked”, “lightning flashed”) enhance it.

A man appears “at the flash of lightning.” His “figure seemed to grow out of the ground.” And this is not just a common expression - it speaks of unity this person with nature.

When a person appears, anxiety does not go away. Moreover, it is also fueled, but not by nature, but by man himself. We perceive people, events and nature through the eyes of a hunter-storyteller, that is, detachedly.

The image of Biryuk in the story

The hunter from Turgenev’s “Biryuk” saw both the forester himself and his house. This is a “small hut” in which “a light shone dimly.” In the “smoky” hut there was not a single bright spot - a “torn sheepskin coat”, “a pile of rags” and a splinter that could not dispel the darkness. It seems that only traces remain here past life, and she herself went somewhere. Even the presence of children does not relieve this feeling.

The appearance of the owner in the hut brightens the atmosphere for a while. The narrator saw a man of “tall stature,” who had “mighty muscles,” “a courageous face,” and “small brown eyes that looked boldly.” Quite a recognizable image. Where is he from? In the story “Biryuk” by Turgenev there is a hint: “Rarely have I seen such a fine fellow.” “Well done” is an epic fairy-tale hero. But then why is he here, in this wretched hut with the unfortunate children? There is a clear discrepancy between the hero’s appearance and his lifestyle. It caused the narrator not only surprise, but also interest: “I... asked his name.”

We gradually learn information about the forester. People talk about him first. Their opinion is known from the forester himself: “My name is Foma... and my nickname is Biryuk.” The narrator also heard something about Biryuk from people. They “feared him like fire,” considered him incorruptible, and more than once “they were going to put him out of the world.”

Is this characterization of Biryuk fair? The narrator has to test her. And what? From a terse conversation, he realized that he saw a correct person, honestly fulfilling his duty. “I’m doing my job,” Biryuk says about himself. And he is also lonely - his wife “ran away with a passing tradesman,” leaving the children with him. In the characterization of the hero, his loneliness is a very significant component. Lonely means deprived of the support of family and friends and, most likely, an unhappy person. An ordinary story, but Biryuk himself is not entirely ordinary, which will soon be confirmed.

Biryuk and the man

Late in the evening a thief appeared in the forest. The forester’s direct duty is to catch him, which he does.

The man is wet, “in rags”, he has “a worn-out, wrinkled face... restless eyes.” His portrait is straight - the opposite of Biryuk's portrait. The forester evokes admiration, you want to admire him, but the man is just a pity.

In the images of Biryuk and the peasant, not only physical strength and weakness collided, but also two opposing life positions. Biryuk “does his duty”, honors the law, but the man, by stealing, breaks the law. And that’s not all - he also justifies his actions - “from hunger”, “ruined”, “children...” Both his clerk and Biryuk, who is a “beast”, a “bloodsucker”, are to blame. Only he himself is not to blame for anything. And the fact that he drinks is like, “Isn’t it your money, murderer...”

Biryuk’s situation is no better: he is “also a forced man”, he also has children, and there is nothing to eat “besides bread...”, he doesn’t even drink tea, but he doesn’t steal either.

So, the conflict revealed the inner essence of two men. While socially equal, they are morally absolute antipodes. Consequently, one should not count on the objectivity of the assessment that Biryuk received from the thief’s fellow villagers.

The situation unfolds unexpectedly - Biryuk, contrary to his own convictions and professional duty, releases the thief, once again confirming the ambiguity of his personality. But is the conflict settled by his decision to let the thief go? Of course not. This guy isn't the only one breaking the law. “I know you... a thief among a thief,” says Biryuk. Therefore, his clashes with them are inevitable: “Wait, we’ll get to you,” the thief threatens.

Bad weather of human relations

The whole story takes place against the backdrop of rain. It begins with him, even with a thunderstorm, and ends with him. “You can’t wait out the rain...,” Biryuk says to the hunter and sees him off on the road.

The rain, which intensifies and then subsides, creates in the story a mood of some inexplicable sadness that permeates the entire story of Biryuk. But the words “rain” and “thunderstorm” are used in the story not only in a literal, but also in a symbolic sense. Continuous rain is bad weather in human relationships. The sun disappeared from them for a long time, if not forever.

The story is called by the nickname of the main character. It accurately indicates his character and place among people. But it turns out that Biryuk doesn’t have a place. He's alone everywhere. “Their” men call him a “beast” and promise to deal with him. The master has him in bondage. Biryuk's loneliness is emphasized by details: his hut is alone in the middle of the forest, and in the hut he is alone (without his wife) with his children. Biryuk's drama is that, being strong and handsome, courageous and honest, being correct, he should live well, as he deserves, but he lives poorly. And no brightness is expected in his life.

Main features of the story “Biryuk”:

• genre - story;
• narration from the narrator's point of view;
• main character: serf forester;
• plot: one episode from the life of the hero;
• image of nature;
• a reflection of the life of a Russian forced person.

​ ​

This story is included in the cycle of works by Turgenev “Notes of a Hunter”. To better reveal the theme of “Characteristics of the Biryuk”, you need to know the plot well, and it revolves around the fact that a hunter, lost in the forest, is suddenly overtaken by a thunderstorm. To wait out the bad weather, he hid under a large bush. But then local forester Foma Kuzmich picked him up and took him to his home. There the hunter saw the wretched shelter of his savior, and at the same time he had two children: a 12-year-old girl and a baby in a cradle. His wife was not in the house; she ran away from him with someone else, leaving him with children.

Turgenev, “Biryuk”: characteristics of Biryuk

People called this gloomy forester the Biryuk. He had a broad figure and a face that betrayed no emotion. When the rain stopped, they went to the yard. And then the sound of an ax was heard, the forester immediately realized where it was coming from, and soon dragged in a wet man who begged for mercy. The hunter immediately took pity on the poor peasant and was ready to pay for him, but the stern Biryuk himself let him go.

As you can see, the characterization of Biryuk is not simple; Turgenev shows a hero, although a beggar, who knows his duty well, and whom “neither wine nor money” can’t be taken away. He understands a peasant thief who is trying to somehow get out of hunger. And here the hero’s conflict is shown between a sense of duty and compassion for a poor man, and yet he decided in favor of compassion. Foma Kuzmich is an integral and strong personality, but tragic, because he has his own views on life, but sometimes he, a principled person, has to sacrifice them.

Characteristics of Biryuk

The author points out that in the middle of the 19th century, the majority of peasant people regarded theft as something natural and commonplace. Of course, serious social problems led to this phenomenon: lack of education, poverty and immorality.

But it is Biryuk who is unlike most of these people, although he is just as poor as everyone else. His hut consisted of one room, low and empty. But still he doesn’t steal, although if he did, he could afford a better house.

Duty and Compassion

Biryuk’s characteristics indicate that he neither steals nor gives to others, since he understands perfectly well that if everyone does this, it will only get worse.

He is sure of this and therefore is firm in his decision. But, as the essay describes, his principles sometimes compete with feelings of pity and compassion, and he will have this hesitation all his life. After all, he understands someone who, out of desperation, goes to steal.

Russia is shown simply, poetically and lovingly in “Notes of a Hunter” by I. S. Turgenev. The author admires simple folk characters, fields, forests, meadows of Russia. No matter how one views the stories, this is first and foremost poetry, not politics. Written with great love and observation short story cycle "Biryuk". The depth of the content is combined with the perfection of the form, which speaks of the writer’s ability to subordinate all the components of the work, all his artistic techniques to a single creative task.

Biryuk in the Oryol province was called a gloomy and lonely person. Forester Foma lived alone in a smoky, low hut with two young children; his wife left him; family grief and hard life made him even more gloomy and unsociable.

The main and only event of the story is the forester’s capture of a poor peasant who cut down a tree in the master’s forest. The conflict of the work consists of a clash between a forester and a peasant.

The image of Biryuk is complex and contradictory, and in order to understand it, let’s pay attention to the artistic means that the author used.

The description of the situation shows how poor the hero is. This dwelling was a sad sight: “I looked around - my heart ached: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.”

The psychological portrait of a forester testifies to exceptional power Biryuk, it becomes clear why all the surrounding men were afraid of him. “He was tall, broad-shouldered and beautifully built. ...A black curly beard covered half of his stern and courageous face; from under the fused wide eyebrows small brown eyes looked boldly.” In appearance this man is rude and formidable, but in reality he is good and kind. And the narrator clearly admires his hero.

The key to understanding the character of Thomas is the nickname that the peasants give him. From them we receive an indirect description of the forester: “a master of his craft”; “the fagots will not be allowed to be dragged away”; “strong... and as dexterous as a devil... And nothing can take him: neither wine, nor money; doesn’t take any bait.”

The plot, consisting of two episodes (the forester met the hunter during a thunderstorm and helped him; he caught the peasant at the scene of the crime, and then set him free), reveals best features character of the hero. It is difficult for Foma to make a choice: to act according to the dictates of duty or to take pity on the man. The despair of the captured peasant awakens the best feelings in the forester.

Nature in the story serves not just as a background, it is an integral part of the content, helping to reveal Biryuk’s character. Combinations of words depicting the rapid onset of bad weather, sad pictures of nature emphasize the drama of the situation of the peasants: “a thunderstorm was approaching,” “a cloud was slowly rising,” “clouds were rushing.”

Turgenev helped not only to see the life of the peasants, to sympathize with their troubles and needs, he turned us to the spiritual world of the Russian peasant, noticed many unique, interesting individuals. “Still, my Rus' is dearer to me than anything else in the world...” I. S. Turgenev would later write. “Notes of a Hunter” is a writer’s tribute to Russia, a kind of monument to the Russian peasantry.

Characteristics of the hero

Biryuk is a solid, but tragic personality. His tragedy is that he has his own views on life, but sometimes he has to sacrifice them. The work shows that most peasants of the mid-19th century treated theft as something ordinary: “You won’t let a bundle of brushwood be stolen from the forest,” the man said, as if he had every right to steal brushwood from the forest. Of course, some social problems played a major role in the development of such a worldview: the insecurity of the peasants, lack of education and immorality. Biryuk is not like them. He himself lives in deep poverty: “Biryuk’s hut consisted of one room, smoky, low and empty, without floors or partitions,” but he does not steal (if he had stolen timber, he could have afforded a white hut) and is trying to wean him from this from others: “But don’t go stealing anyway.” He clearly understands that if everyone steals, it will only get worse. Confident that he is right, he firmly steps towards his own goal.

However, his confidence is sometimes undermined. For example, in the case described in the essay, when human feelings of pity and compassion compete with life principles. After all, if a person is truly in need and has no other way, he often resorts to stealing out of hopelessness. Foma Kuzmich (the forester) had the hardest fate of vacillating between feelings and principles all his life.

The essay “Biryuk” has many artistic merits. These include picturesque pictures of nature, an inimitable narration style, the originality of the characters, and much, much more. Ivan Sergeevich's contribution to Russian literature is priceless. His collection “Notes of a Hunter” ranks among the masterpieces of Russian literature. And the problems raised in the work are relevant to this day.