Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov is a complex writer, but at the same time, he clearly and simply sets out the highest philosophical questions in his works. His novel The White Guard tells about the dramatic events unfolding in Kyiv in the winter of 1918-1919. The novel opens with an image of 1918, a symbolic starry reminder of love (Venus) and war (Mars).
The reader enters the house of the Turbins, where there is a high culture of life, traditions, human relations. In the center of the work is the Turbin family, left without a mother, the keeper of the hearth. But she passed this tradition on to her daughter, Elena Talberg. Young Turbins, stunned by the death of their mother, nevertheless managed not to get lost in this terrible world, were able to remain true to themselves, preserve patriotism, officer honor, comradeship and brotherhood.
The inhabitants of this house are deprived of arrogance, stiffness, hypocrisy, vulgarity. They are hospitable, condescending to the weaknesses of people, but irreconcilable to violations of decency, honor, justice.
The House of the Turbins, in which kind, intelligent people live - Alexei, Elena, Nikolka - is a symbol of a highly spiritual harmonious life based on the best cultural traditions of previous generations. This house is "included" in the national life, it is a stronghold of faith, reliability, life stability. Elena, sister of the Turbins, is the keeper of the traditions of the house, where they will always be accepted and helped, warmed up and seated at the table. And this house is not only hospitable, but also very cozy.
Revolution and civil war invade the lives of the heroes of the novel, putting everyone before the problem of moral choice - with whom to be? Frozen, half-dead Myshlaevsky tells about the horrors of "trench life" and the betrayal of the headquarters. Elena's husband, Talberg, having forgotten about the duty of a Russian officer, secretly and cowardly runs to Denikin. Petliura surrounds the city. It is difficult to navigate in this difficult situation, but Bulgakov's heroes - Turbina, Myshlaevsky, Karas, Shervinsky - make their choice: they go to the Alexander School to prepare for a meeting with Petlyura. The concept of honor determines their behavior.
The heroes of the novel are the Turbin family, their friends and acquaintances - the circle of people who preserve the original traditions of the Russian intelligentsia. Officers Alexei Turbin and his brother Junker Nikolka, Myshlaevsky, Shervinsky, Colonel Malyshev and Nai-Tours were thrown out of history as unnecessary. They are still trying to resist Petlyura, doing their duty, but the General Staff betrayed them, leaving Ukraine, led by the hetman, handing over its inhabitants to Petlyura, and then to the Germans.
Fulfilling their duty, the officers are trying to protect the junkers from senseless death. Malyshev is the first to learn about the betrayal of the headquarters. He disbands the regiments created from the junkers, so as not to shed senseless blood. The writer very dramatically showed the situation of people called to defend ideals, the city, the fatherland, but betrayed and abandoned to the mercy of fate. Each of them experiences this tragedy in their own way. Aleksey Turbin almost dies from a bullet from a Petliurist, and only a resident of the Reis suburb helps him protect himself from the reprisals of bandits, helps him hide.
Nikolka is rescued by Nai-Tours. Nikolka will never forget this man, a true hero, not broken by the betrayal of the staff. Nai-Tours leads his own battle, in which he dies, but does not give up.
It seems that the Turbins and their circle will die in this whirlwind of revolution, civil war, gang pogroms ... But no, they will survive, because there is something in these people that can protect them from senseless death.
They think, dream about the future, try to find their place in this new world that has so cruelly rejected them. They understand that Motherland, family, love, friendship are enduring values that a person cannot part with so easily.
The central image of the work becomes the symbol of the House, the native hearth. Having gathered the heroes into it on the eve of Christmas, the author thinks about the possible fate of not only the characters, but the whole of Russia. The components of the space of the House are cream curtains, a snow-white tablecloth, on which there are “cups with delicate flowers on the outside and gold inside, special, in the form of curly columns”, a green lampshade over the table, a stove with tiles, historical records and drawings: “Furniture of the old and red velvet, and beds with shiny bumps, worn carpets, colorful and crimson ... the best bookcases in the world - all seven magnificent rooms that brought up the young Turbins ... "
The small space of the House is contrasted with the space of the City, where “the blizzard howls and howls”, “the disturbed womb of the earth grumbles”. In early Soviet prose, the images of wind, snowstorms, storms were perceived as symbols of breaking the familiar world, social cataclysms, and revolution.
The novel ends on an optimistic note. The heroes are on the threshold of a new life, they are sure that the most difficult trials are left behind. They are alive, in the circle of family and friends they will find their happiness, inseparable from a new, not yet entirely clear future perspective.
M.A. Bulgakov optimistically and philosophically solemnly ends his novel: “Everything will pass, suffering, torment, blood, hunger and pestilence. The sword will disappear. But the stars will remain when the shadow of our bodies and deeds does not remain on earth. There is not a single person who does not know this. So why don't we want to turn our eyes to them? why?"
1. Introduction. M. A. Bulgakov was one of those few writers who, during the years of all-powerful Soviet censorship, continued to defend their rights to authorial independence.
Despite the furious persecution and the ban on publishing, Bulgakov never followed the lead of the authorities and created sharp independent works. One of them is the novel "The White Guard".
2. History of creation. Bulgakov was a direct witness to all the horrors of the Civil War. The events of 1918-1919 made a great impression on him. in Kyiv, when power passed several times to different political forces.
In 1922, the writer decided to write a novel, the main characters of which would be the people closest to him - white officers and intellectuals. Bulgakov worked on The White Guard during 1923-1924.
He read individual chapters in friendly companies. The listeners noted the undoubted merits of the novel, but agreed that it would be unrealistic to print it in Soviet Russia. The first two parts of The White Guard were nevertheless published in 1925 in two issues of the Rossiya magazine.
3. The meaning of the name. The name "White Guard" carries a partly tragic, partly ironic meaning. The Turbin family is a staunch monarchist. They firmly believe that only the monarchy can save Russia. At the same time, the Turbins see that there is no longer any hope for restoration. The abdication of the tsar was an irrevocable step in the history of Russia.
The problem lies not only in the strength of opponents, but also in the fact that there are practically no real people devoted to the idea of the monarchy. The "White Guard" is a dead symbol, a mirage, a dream that will never come true.
The irony of Bulgakov is most clearly manifested in the scene of a night of drinking in the Turbins' house with enthusiastic talk about the revival of the monarchy. Only in this remains the strength of the "white guard". Sobering up and a hangover exactly resemble the state of the noble intelligentsia a year after the revolution.
4. Genre Novel
5. Theme. The main theme of the novel is the horror and helplessness of the townsfolk in the face of huge political and social upheavals.
6. Issues. The main problem of the novel is the feeling of uselessness and uselessness among white officers and noble intelligentsia. There is no one to continue the fight, and it does not make any sense. There are no such people as Turbins left. Betrayal and deceit reign among the white movement. Another problem is the sharp division of the country into many political opponents.
The choice has to be made not only between monarchists and Bolsheviks. Hetman, Petliura, bandits of all stripes - these are just the most significant forces that are tearing apart Ukraine and, in particular, Kyiv. Ordinary inhabitants, who do not want to join any camp, become defenseless victims of the next owners of the city. An important problem is the huge number of victims of the fratricidal war. Human life has depreciated so much that murder has become an everyday thing.
7. Heroes. Turbin Alexey, Turbin Nikolai, Elena Vasilievna Talberg, Vladimir Robertovich Talberg, Myshlaevsky, Shervinsky, Vasily Lisovich, Lariosik.
8. Plot and composition. The action of the novel takes place in late 1918 - early 1919. In the center of the story is the Turbin family - Elena Vasilyevna with two brothers. Alexei Turbin recently returned from the front, where he worked as a military doctor. He dreamed of a simple and quiet life, of a private medical practice. Dreams are not destined to come true. Kyiv is becoming the scene of a fierce struggle, which in some ways is even worse than the situation on the front line.
Nikolai Turbin is still very young. The romantically minded young man endures the power of the Hetman with pain. He sincerely and ardently believes in the monarchical idea, he dreams of taking up arms to defend it. Reality roughly destroys all his idealistic ideas. The first combat clash, the betrayal of the high command, the death of Nai-Turs hit Nikolai. He realizes that he has harbored disembodied illusions so far, but he cannot believe it.
Elena Vasilievna is an example of the resilience of a Russian woman who will protect and take care of her loved ones with all her might. Turbin's friends admire her and, thanks to Elena's support, find the strength to live on. In this regard, Elena's husband, staff captain Talberg, makes a sharp contrast.
Thalberg is the main negative character in the novel. This is a man who has no convictions at all. He easily adapts to any authority for the sake of his career. Talberg's flight before Petlyura's offensive was due only to his sharp statements against the latter. In addition, Talberg learned that a new major political force was being formed on the Don, promising power and influence.
In the image of the captain, Bulgakov showed the worst qualities of the white officers, which led to the defeat of the white movement. Careerism and lack of a sense of homeland are deeply disgusting to the Turbin brothers. Thalberg betrays not only the defenders of the city, but also his wife. Elena Vasilievna loves her husband, but even she is amazed by his act and in the end is forced to admit that he is a bastard.
Vasilisa (Vasily Lisovich) personifies the worst type of layman. He does not evoke pity, since he himself is ready to betray and inform, if he had the courage. Vasilisa's main concern is to better hide the accumulated wealth. Before the love of money, the fear of death even recedes in him. A bandit search in the apartment is the best punishment for Vasilisa, especially since he still saved his miserable life.
Bulgakov's inclusion in the novel of the original character, Lariosik, looks a bit strange. This is a clumsy young man who, by some miracle, survived, having made his way to Kyiv. Critics believe that the author deliberately introduced Lariosik to soften the tragedy of the novel.
As you know, Soviet criticism subjected the novel to merciless persecution, declaring the writer a defender of white officers and "philistine". However, the novel does not defend the white movement in the least. On the contrary, Bulgakov paints a picture of incredible decline and decay in this environment. The main supporters of the Turbina monarchy, in fact, no longer want to fight with anyone. They are ready to become townsfolk, shutting themselves off from the surrounding hostile world in their warm and comfortable apartment. The news reported by their friends is depressing. The white movement no longer exists.
The most honest and noble order, paradoxical as it may seem, is the order for the junkers to drop their weapons, tear off their shoulder straps and go home. Bulgakov himself subjects the "White Guard" to sharp criticism. At the same time, the main thing for him is the tragedy of the Turbin family, who are unlikely to find their place in a new life.
9. What does the author teach. Bulgakov refrains from any authorial assessments in the novel. The reader's attitude to what is happening arises only through the dialogues of the main characters. Of course, this is pity for the Turbin family, pain for the bloody events shaking Kyiv. The "White Guard" is the writer's protest against any political upheavals that always bring death and humiliation to ordinary people.
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (1891–1940) is a writer with a difficult, tragic fate that influenced his work. Coming from an intelligent family, he did not accept the revolutionary changes and the reaction that followed them. The ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity imposed by an authoritarian state did not inspire him, because for him, a man with an education and a high level of intelligence, the contrast between the demagogy in the squares and the wave of red terror that swept over Russia was obvious. He deeply experienced the tragedy of the people and dedicated the novel "The White Guard" to it.
From the winter of 1923, Bulgakov began work on the novel The White Guard, which describes the events of the Ukrainian Civil War at the end of 1918, when Kyiv was occupied by the troops of the Directory, who overthrew the power of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky. In December 1918, the power of the hetman was tried to be defended by officer squads, where he was either signed up as a volunteer, or, according to other sources, Bulgakov was mobilized. Thus, the novel contains autobiographical features - even the number of the house in which the Bulgakov family lived during the years of the capture of Kyiv by Petliura is preserved - 13. In the novel, this figure acquires a symbolic meaning. Andreevsky Spusk, where the house is located, is called Alekseevsky in the novel, and Kyiv is simply the City. The prototypes of the characters are the relatives, friends and acquaintances of the writer:
However, it should be noted that The White Guard is not a completely autobiographical novel. Something fictional - for example, the fact that the mother of the Turbins died. In fact, at that time, Bulgakov's mother, who is the prototype of the heroine, lived in another house with her second husband. And there are fewer family members in the novel than Bulgakov actually had. The novel was first published in its entirety in 1927-1929. in France.
The novel "The White Guard" is about the tragic fate of the intelligentsia in the difficult times of the revolution, after the assassination of Emperor Nicholas II. The book also tells about the difficult situation of the officers, who are ready to fulfill their duty to the fatherland in the conditions of a shaky, unstable political situation in the country. The White Guard officers were ready to defend the hetman's power, but the author raises the question - is there any point in this if the hetman fled, leaving the country and its defenders to their fate?
Aleksey and Nikolka Turbins are officers who are ready to defend their homeland and the former government, but they (and people like them) are powerless before the cruel mechanism of the political system. Alexei is seriously wounded, and he is forced to fight not for his homeland and not for the occupied city, but for his life, in which he is helped by a woman who saved him from death. And Nikolka runs at the last moment, saved by Nai-Turs, who is killed. With all the desire to defend the fatherland, the heroes do not forget about the family and home, about the sister left by her husband. The antagonist image in the novel is Captain Talberg, who, unlike the Turbin brothers, leaves his homeland and wife in difficult times and leaves for Germany.
In addition, The White Guard is a novel about the horrors, lawlessness and devastation that are happening in the city occupied by Petlyura. Bandits break into the house of engineer Lisovich with forged documents and rob him, there is shooting in the streets, and the pan kurenny with his assistants - "lads", committed a cruel, bloody reprisal against a Jew, suspecting him of espionage.
In the finale, the city, captured by the Petliurists, is recaptured by the Bolsheviks. The "White Guard" clearly expresses a negative, negative attitude towards Bolshevism - as a destructive force that will eventually wipe out everything holy and human from the face of the earth, and a terrible time will come. With this thought, the novel ends.
The problematic of the novel "The White Guard" is in the hopeless, plight of the intelligentsia, as a class alien to the winners. Their tragedy is the drama of the whole country, because without the intellectual and cultural elite, Russia will not be able to develop harmoniously.
In general, the meaning of the novel "The White Guard" is a struggle. The struggle between courage and cowardice, honor and dishonor, good and evil, god and devil. Courage and honor are the Turbins and their friends, Nai-Tours, Colonel Malyshev, who dismissed the junkers and did not allow them to die. Cowardice and dishonor, opposed to them, is the hetman, Talberg, staff captain Studzinsky, who, fearing to violate the order, was about to arrest Colonel Malyshev because he wants to dissolve the junkers.
Ordinary citizens who do not participate in hostilities are also evaluated according to the same criteria in the novel: honor, courage - cowardice, dishonor. For example, female images - Elena, waiting for her husband who left her, Irina Nai-Tours, who was not afraid to go with Nikolka to the anatomical theater for the body of her murdered brother, Yulia Alexandrovna Reiss - is the personification of honor, courage, determination - and Wanda, the wife of engineer Lisovich, mean, greedy for things - personifies cowardice, baseness. Yes, and the engineer Lisovich himself is petty, cowardly and stingy. Lariosik, despite all his clumsiness and absurdity, is humane and gentle, this is a character who personifies, if not courage and determination, then simply good-naturedness and kindness - qualities that are so lacking in people at that cruel time described in the novel.
Another meaning of the novel "The White Guard" is that not those who officially serve him are close to God - not churchmen, but those who, even in a bloody and merciless time, when evil descended on earth, retained the grains of humanity in themselves, and even if they are Red Army soldiers. This is told by the dream of Alexei Turbin - the parable of the novel "The White Guard", in which God explains that the White Guards will go to their paradise, with church floors, and the Red Army soldiers will go to their own, with red stars, because both of them believed in the offensive good for the fatherland, albeit in different ways. But the essence of both is the same, despite the fact that they are on different sides. But churchmen, “servants of God”, according to this parable, will not go to heaven, since many of them deviated from the truth. Thus, the essence of the novel "The White Guard" is that humanity (goodness, honor, god, courage) and inhumanity (evil, devil, dishonor, cowardice) will always fight for power over this world. And it does not matter under what banner this struggle will take place - white or red, but on the side of evil there will always be violence, cruelty and base qualities that goodness, mercy, honesty must resist. In this eternal struggle, it is important to choose not the convenient, but the right side.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!The main character, Aleksey Turbin, is faithful to his duty, tries to join his unit (not knowing that it has been disbanded), enters into battle with the Petliurists, gets wounded and, by chance, finds love in the face of a woman who saves him from the persecution of enemies.
The social cataclysm exposes the characters - someone runs, someone prefers death in battle. The people as a whole accept the new government (Petlyura) and, after her arrival, demonstrate hostility towards the officers.
Bulgakov began writing the novel The White Guard after the death of his mother (February 1, 1922) and continued writing until 1924.
The typist I. S. Raaben, who retyped the novel, argued that this work was conceived by Bulgakov as a trilogy. The second part of the novel was supposed to cover the events of 1919, and the third - 1920, including the war with the Poles. In the third part, Myshlaevsky went over to the side of the Bolsheviks and served in the Red Army.
The novel could have had other titles - for example, Bulgakov chose between "Midnight Cross" and "White Cross". One of the excerpts from the early edition of the novel was published in December 1922 in the Berlin newspaper "On the Eve" under the title "On the Night of the 3rd" with the subtitle "From the novel Scarlet Mach". The working title of the first part of the novel at the time of writing was The Yellow Ensign.
In 1923, Bulgakov wrote about his work: “And I will finish the novel, and, I can assure you, it will be such a novel, from which the sky will become hot ...” In his autobiography of 1924, Bulgakov wrote: “I wrote the novel The White Guard for a year. I love this novel more than all my other works.
It is generally accepted that Bulgakov worked on the novel The White Guard in 1923-1924, but this is probably not entirely accurate. In any case, it is known for sure that in 1922 Bulgakov wrote some stories, which then entered the novel in a modified form. In March 1923, in the seventh issue of the Rossiya magazine, a message appeared: “Mikhail Bulgakov is finishing the novel The White Guard, covering the era of the struggle against whites in the south (1919-1920).”
T. N. Lappa told M. O. Chudakova: “... He wrote The White Guard at night and liked me to sit around and sew. His hands and feet were getting cold, he would say to me: “Hurry, hurry hot water”; I heated the water on a kerosene stove, he put his hands into a basin of hot water ... "
In the spring of 1923, Bulgakov wrote in a letter to his sister Nadezhda: “... I am urgently finishing the 1st part of the novel; It's called "Yellow Ensign". The novel begins with the entry into Kyiv of the Petliura troops. The second and subsequent parts, apparently, were supposed to tell about the arrival of the Bolsheviks in the City, then about their retreat under the blows of Denikin, and, finally, about the fighting in the Caucasus. That was the original intention of the writer. But after thinking about the possibility of publishing such a novel in Soviet Russia, Bulgakov decided to shift the time of the action to an earlier period and exclude the events associated with the Bolsheviks.
The image of the house in the novel "The White Guard" is central. It unites the heroes of the work, protects them from danger. The turning point events in the country instill anxiety and fear in the souls of people. And only home comfort and warmth can create the illusion of peace and security.
The year nineteen hundred and eighteen is great. But he's also scary. Kyiv, on the one hand, was occupied by German troops, on the other - by the hetman's army. And rumors about the arrival of Petlyura instill more and more anxiety in the townspeople, who are already frightened. Visitors and all sorts of dubious personalities scurry about in the street. Anxiety is even in the air. Such Bulgakov portrayed the situation in Kyiv in the last year of the war. And he used the image of the house in the novel "The White Guard" so that his characters could hide, at least for a while, from the impending danger. The characters of the main characters are revealed precisely within the walls of the Turbins' apartment. Everything outside of it is like another world, scary, wild and incomprehensible.
The theme of the house in the novel "The White Guard" plays an important role. The Turbins' apartment is cozy and warm. But here, too, the characters of the novel argue, conduct political discussions. Aleksey Turbin, the oldest occupant of this apartment, scolds the Ukrainian hetman, whose most innocuous offense is that he forced the Russian population to speak a "vile language." Then he spews curses at the representatives of the hetman's army. However, the obsceneness of his words does not detract from the truth that lurks in them.
Myshlaevsky, Stepanov and Shervinsky, Nikolka's younger brother, are all excitedly discussing what is happening in the city. And also here is Elena - the sister of Alexei and Nikolka.
But the image of the house in the novel "The White Guard" is not the embodiment of a family hearth and not a refuge for dissident personalities. This is a symbol of what is still bright and real in a dilapidated country. A political turning point always gives rise to unrest and robbery. And people, in peacetime, it would seem, are quite decent and honest, in difficult situations they show their true face. Turbines and their friends are few who have not been made worse by the changes in the country.
At the beginning of the novel, Elena's husband leaves the house. He runs away into the unknown with a "rat run". Listening to her husband's assurances of an imminent return with Denikin's army, Elena, "aged and grown ugly", understands that he will not return. And so it happened. Thalberg had connections, he took advantage of them and was able to escape. And already at the end of the work, Elena learns about his upcoming marriage.
The image of the house in the novel "The White Guard" is a kind of fortress. But for cowardly and selfish people, she is like a sinking ship for rats. Thalberg flees, and only those who can trust each other remain. Those who are not capable of betrayal.
Based on his own life experience, Bulgakov created this novel. "The White Guard" is a work in which the characters express the thoughts of the author himself. The book is not nationwide, as it is dedicated only to a certain social stratum close to the writer.
Bulgakov's heroes turn to God more than once in the most difficult moments. There is complete harmony and mutual understanding in the family. This is how Bulgakov imagined the ideal house. But, perhaps, the theme of the house in the novel "The White Guard" was inspired by the author's youthful memories.
In 1918, anger prevailed in the cities. It had an impressive scale, as it was generated by the centuries-old hatred of the peasants towards the nobles and officers. And to this it is also worth adding the anger of the local population towards the invaders and Petliurists, whose appearance is awaited with horror. All this the author depicted on the example of the Kyiv events. And only the parental home in the novel "The White Guard" is a bright, kind image, inspiring hope. And here, not only Aleksey, Elena and Nikolka can hide from external life storms.
The house of the Turbins in the novel "The White Guard" becomes a haven for people who are close in spirit to their inhabitants. Myshlaevsky, Karas and Shervinsky became relatives to Elena and her brothers. They know about everything that happens in this family - about all the sorrows and hopes. And they are always welcome here.
Turbina Sr., who died shortly before the events described in the work, bequeathed to her children to live together. Elena, Alexey and Nikolka keep their promise, and only this saves them. Love, understanding and support do not allow them to perish - the components of the true Home. And even when Alexei is dying, and the doctors call him "hopeless", Elena continues to believe and finds support in prayers. And, to the surprise of the doctors, Alexei is recovering.
The author paid much attention to the elements of the interior in the Turbins' house. Small details create a striking contrast between this apartment and the one below. The atmosphere in Lisovich's house is cold and uncomfortable. And after the robbery, Vasilisa goes to the Turbins for spiritual support. Even this seemingly unpleasant character feels safe in the house of Elena and Alexei.
The world outside of this house is mired in confusion. But here they still sing songs, sincerely smile at each other and boldly look danger in the eye. This atmosphere also attracts another character - Lariosik. Talberg's relative almost immediately became his own here, which Elena's husband failed to do. The thing is that a guest from Zhitomir has such qualities as kindness, decency and sincerity. And they are obligatory for a long stay in the house, the image of which was depicted so vividly and colorfully by Bulgakov.
The White Guard is a novel that was published over 90 years ago. When a play based on this work was staged in one of the Moscow theaters, the audience, whose fates were so similar to the lives of the heroes, wept and fainted. This work has become extremely close to those who survived the events of 1917-1918. But the novel did not lose its relevance later. And some fragments in it are unusually reminiscent of the present. And this once again confirms that a real literary work is always, at any time, relevant.
