Fat and thin heroes. A.P
The main characters of the story "Thick and thin" Anton Chekhov are completely different in status, behavior, lifestyle.
"Thick and thin" protagonists
- Michael is fat
- Porphyry - thin
Minor characters
- Nathanael - son of Porfiry
- Louise - Porfiry's wife
« Thick"- a rich man: he smelled of expensive perfume and he could afford an expensive dinner.
Thin appears as a tired passenger, loaded with all kinds of boxes and bundles. He had to carry them himself, as there was no money left for a porter.
The "thick" and "thin" start a conversation. From it we learn the names: Michael and Porfiry.
Thin Porfiry, not being modest, boasts of himself, his wife and son. He launched into reminiscences, then began to spread news about himself, about what had happened in his life since leaving school. The son of Porfiry, who was introduced to Mikhail, did not immediately take off his cap to greet his father's friend, but only after a little thought (estimating whether the rank of his father's fat rank was not lower).
Mikhail was really interested in Porfiry's life, he questioned him, and rejoiced at the meeting. Porfiry himself behaves uninhibitedly and at ease. But when the subtle learns that Mikhail is a privy councilor and has two stars, then this ease disappears. He cringes and begins to act obsequiously, calling an old friend "Your Excellency". Such behavior is disgusting and incomprehensible to Michael. After all, he spoke to Porfiry as to an old friend, but as soon as he said his rank, he immediately humiliated himself in front of him. The fat one is trying to object to the thin one: “What is this veneration for?” But the thin one only giggled disgustingly. Then Michael turned away from Porfiry and shook his hand in farewell.
The idea of the story is this: do not rush to show off to those who have achieved more, but you should not humiliate yourself in front of him. When talking to an old friend in high rank, you should talk to him like a friend, not like a boss.
In 1883, a short story "Thick and thin" by A. Chekhov appeared in the "Shards" magazine. Short and concise in content, it is filled with deep meaning. The author addresses in it the problem of servility and servility, which has more than once become an object of criticism in Russian literature.
Composition and content (brief)
Fat and thin, former classmates at the gymnasium, met by chance at the station. The mention of Nikolaevskaya railway in the first sentence (this is a compressed exposition) suggests that the heroes of the story are officials. A. Chekhov does not give a detailed description of them, but the exact ones immediately clarify what is happening. For example, the mention that the fat one smelled of “sherry and fleur-d’orange” is a sign of wealth, while the thin one smelled of “ham and coffee grounds” helps to determine at what step of the social ladder each of the characters was. In addition, the latter was hung with boxes and suitcases - probably did not have extra funds or spared money for a porter.
The first to notice a former friend was fat. His joyful exclamation addressed to Porfiry becomes the plot of the action. They have not seen each other since childhood, and it is quite natural that a conversation is struck up between them. Short, but sufficient for the reader to get a complete picture of life position each of the friends.
The climax is the moment when the thin one finds out what heights his friend has reached in life. Misha immediately turns into "Your Excellency", and Porfiry himself unnecessarily becomes an obsequious and fawning little man, which further analysis will show.
Thick and thin during dialogue
Porfiry, seeing a childhood friend, was simply stunned. Former friends hugged and “kissed” three times - the author deliberately uses lofty vocabulary here to give the whole scene a mocking character.
Thin was extremely talkative and began boastfully talking about his life. He introduced his wife and son, while Nathanael first thought and only then took off his hat. He said that over the years of service in the office he had reached the rank of collegiate assessor. And he also makes and sells cigars - an additional profit to his salary. However, his joy and delight from the meeting disappeared at the same moment when he found out that his friend was “probably already a civilian?” - rose to the rank of Privy Councillor. Thin at first turned pale and as if petrified, after which he put on the widest smile on his face, probably best suited for a conversation with an important face. He immediately seemed to shrink, trying not to attract too much attention to himself. The same thing happened to his family and numerous bundles and cartons: they all suddenly shrank and wrinkled. Reverence, in any situation and in front of everyone who was even a little more significant, became the norm for a petty official - this is the conclusion of Porfiry's behavior and his analysis.
Thick and thin parted completely different from how they met. The Privy Councilor, laconic and self-confident, but showing cordiality, was about to object to something, and then simply turned away, shaking his hand in parting. He was sick of such a change in his comrade.
And the whole family froze in a “pleasant stun”.
In childhood
The characters of the heroes and the memories of Porfiry will allow us to evaluate the analysis. Fat and Thin spent several years together at the gymnasium. Even then, the superiority of the first, nicknamed Herostratus, was obvious - in ancient times, a Greek with that name destroyed one of the wonders of the world with fire. Misha, on the other hand, burned the state book with a cigarette - he obviously wanted to win authority over his classmates.
The thin one was called Ephialtes, as he often taunted. And this name - a traitor to the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae - has been preserved in history. Years passed, and one remained handsome, "little soul" and dandy, lived sedately and in abundance. Another - "thanks" to the ability to please and many years of work, managed to rise to a low rank, which nevertheless gave a noble title. And now this difference between the former friends was exposed even more, and the constant fear of the authorities made Porfiry tremble in front of the one who a few minutes ago was only a “childhood friend”.
and part role
The main technique that Chekhov uses in the story "Thick and Thin" is the antithesis. The opposition of the characters is found in everything, including the title: from the mention of what everyone ate for lunch, to the manner of behavior and speech. Thin is indicative in this regard. If at the beginning of the meeting we hear from him: “you”, “my dear”, “childhood friend”, then later his tone changes to reverent and respectful. To the meaningful "your excellency", "such nobles, sir", "have mercy, sir", "hee-hee-hee", etc. pauses are added, as if it suddenly became difficult for him to speak.
In the second part of the story important role to reveal the image of a collegiate assessor, metaphor (“petrified”), comparison (“it seemed ... sparks rained from his face and eyes”), personification (boxes, knots “shrank, grimaced”). So in the story "Thick and Thin" Chekhov ridicules the hero's servility, cowardice, opportunism. Moreover, Thin does this unconsciously, out of habit, in words former comrade: "Well, that's enough ... And why this tone?".
The moral value of the work
The content of the story and its analysis cause sad thoughts in the reader. “Thick and thin” is an example of how self-deprecating a person can be in an effort to curry favor and please. BUT great writer and connoisseur human soul, A.P. Chekhov, for a century and a half now, he has been urging us to look at ourselves and those around us so that society can finally get rid of the vices that hinder the establishment of healthy and sincere relations between people.
- a great writer who, with the help of his works, could subtly point out the shortcomings of society, including how easy it is to lose friendship. This is evidenced by one of his stories, Thick and Thin, whose summary for reader's diary we offer below. Summary The story Thick and thin will help readers get to know its main characters and the main idea.
Chekhov: Thick and thin summary
The action takes place at the station. It was there that old friends and true friends met, who had known each other since their student days. One of them was thick and the other was thin. The thin one, whose name was Porfiry, had a family, a wife and a child. He just got off the train, loaded with packages and suitcases. Here he ran into his fat friend Mikhail. The joy was sincere, friends even shed tears. The thinner one was praised by his wife and son. He also told about his position and a small salary, about the fact that he had to earn extra money by making cigarette cases. He told his friend about how his wife gives private lessons, how his son is in the third grade. The conversation was sincere and friendly until Misha started talking about himself. As it turned out, he managed to rise to the rank of Privy Councilor. This is where it all starts. His friend Porfiry, like his wife, changed his expression, a certain envy appeared, and his tone immediately changed. He stops communicating with Misha as with a friend, and begins to talk to him as to a person whose rank is higher than him. This was disgusting to Misha, and even sickening from the servility of his friend, although the fat man himself kept himself simple and did not betray his rank in any way, did not put himself above his friend, but was simply glad to meet him. The fat one hurries to say goodbye to the thin one. He shook his fingers, bowed, his wife smiled, the son of Porfiry dropped his headdress. They remained standing at the station, stunned that a childhood friend could achieve such success.
the main idea
A.P. Chekhov, in the story Fat and Thin, raises such a problem as hypocrisy and servility, and does not covertly show the awe of a small person in rank before a senior in rank. In the work Thick and Thin is revealed the main idea that lies in the changes taking place in a person. We see how destructive hypocrisy can be, which can instantly destroy a strong and long-standing friendship. As they say, be able to distinguish between friendship and business ties, do not be hypocrites, and maybe there will also be a holiday on your street. So, for example, Tolstoy himself could help his friend in the future, but from the latter’s servility he became disgusted, and therefore the desire to help such people disappears. They just want to run away.
The satirical story "Thick and Thin" was created in 1883, refers to the early work of Chekhov. His first publication took place in the humorous magazine "Shards" on October 1 of the same year. At first, the plot of the story was based on an anecdotal incident, and the conflict between "thick" and "thin" arises inadvertently due to the latter's mistake. In 1886, the story was edited; in general, the text was close to the original version of 1883, but some changes made quite significantly changed the meaning of the story. The author removed the motive of subordination in the service. The “thin” now fawned over the “thick” without any practical background, purely out of habit and a developed reflex. Thanks to the changes made, the story became more generalized and satirically sharp.
The ideological content of the story lies in ridiculing servitude and the way of thinking associated with it. The author shows how ridiculous and pathetic a person is for whom a position and social status beyond mere human relationships. Main character small man, which makes itself so, servile even when there is no need for it. In the story, we see the world of the "thin", the world of slave psychology, which the writer mercilessly and truthfully exposes. A world in which man voluntarily loses his dignity and his personality.
Story analysis
Plot
The action takes place at the railway station, where two old school friends meet, one of them is "fat", the other is "thin". “Thin” gets out of the arriving car, accompanied by his thin wife and his equally teenage son in a gymnasium uniform, while “fat” leaves the station buffet, where he apparently had a rather hearty lunch. Friends happily meet and begin to ask each other about life, who has achieved what. To the question of thin Porfiry, who he has now become, fat Misha, without any ulterior motive, replies that he is now an important official, a secret adviser.
This is where a striking metamorphosis takes place with Porfiry and his entire family, which leads Misha into some confusion. The son of a high school student instantly fastens with all the buttons and stretches out. The long chin of Porfiry's wife becomes even longer, and he himself begins to behave like at a reception with an important official with a petition. He begins to fawn, switches to “you”, giggles humiliatedly. Misha tries to reason with him: "stop it, we're old friends." However, Porfiry does not let up and continues to behave in the same spirit. This becomes so unpleasant for Fat Misha that he tries to quickly say goodbye to Porfiry and leave.
Main characters
Speaking of the Porfiry family, one can speak of all three as one person, since the head of the family, judging by their behavior, was able to mold his exact likeness from his wife and son. If at the beginning of the story they all behave like normal people rejoicing at the meeting with an old friend, then, after the news of Tolstoy's position, the same metamorphosis takes place with them, as with Thin. It is safe to say that the position of a person is above all for them. All this family lives by the principle "I am a worm in comparison with him, in comparison with him, with such a face ...". Crouching before a person of higher position, they will apparently treat with contempt those who are below them in the social level.
In comparison with them, Misha evokes more sympathy, who, despite the high position that he achieved, nevertheless managed to maintain simple human qualities. Remember friendship, rejoice at meeting an old friend, regardless of his social status. It can be assumed that he is a good-natured and sociable person, arrogance and arrogance are alien to him. That is why, when Porfiry began to express his servility and subservience to him so zealously, it became so unpleasant for him that he tried to leave as soon as possible. From this we can conclude that these qualities are alien and unusual to him.
With his stories, Chekhov urges people to stop being slaves, to remember their human dignity and self-respect.