The story “The Enchanted Wanderer” presents its reader with the image of a person who cannot be compared with any of the characters in Russian literature. This is the image of a hero who easily merges with any troubles of life. Flyagin Ivan Severyanych or the “enchanted wanderer,” as the author of the story called him, is “charmed” by his own life, in particular, and by the whole world, in general. He accepts life as a gift, a great miracle that has no limits or boundaries. Wherever the hero’s fate takes him, he discovers something new and surprising and, perhaps because of this, is absolutely not afraid of change.
The image of Flyagin absorbed everything Russian. This is a man similar to the hero of ancient epics - huge in stature, open-faced, and his hair is curly and has a noble gray cast. He looks about fifty years old, he is kind, simple-minded and open-hearted to everyone he meets. The fact that Ivan Severyanych cannot get along in one place does not mean that he is fickle or frivolous; this way of life rather suggests that the hero strives to drink the whole world to the dregs. At least as much as he will manage in the years God has given him.
The life of Ivan Severyanych Flyagin
At birth, Flyagin took the life of his mother (he was born with a very large head, for which he received the nickname “Golovan”), but at the same time, he himself seemed invulnerable to death, which he was ready to accept at any moment. The hero holds his horses at the edge of a cliff, almost commits suicide, wins a dangerous fight, escapes from captivity, and avoids bullets during military operations. All his life he walks on the edge of death, but the earth is in no hurry to accept him.
Since childhood, Ivan loved horses and knew how to handle them. But his fate was such that he had to flee and steal horses. Wandering, Flyagin ends up among the Tatars and spends 10 years of his life in captivity (he is captured at the age of 23). After some time, Flyagin entered the army and served in the Caucasus for 15 years. Here he accomplishes a feat, for which he is promoted to officer and given a reward (St. George's Cross). As a result, Flyagin becomes a nobleman. Finally, at the age of about 50, Flyagin entered a monastery (on one of the islands in Lake Ladoga). In the monastery, Flyagin receives a church name - Father Ishmael. Having become a monk, Flyagin also serves as a coachman in the monastery. But Flyagin does not find peace even in the monastery: he is overcome by demons, and the gift of prophecy is revealed to him. The monks are trying in every possible way to drive out the “evil spirit” from him, but to no avail. Finally, Flyagin is released from the monastery, and he goes to wander through holy places.
Flyagin observes the canons of his own morality, remaining honest in life to others and to himself. On his account, the lives of a monk, a Tatar and a young gypsy were cut short. But not a single one of the wanderer’s misdeeds was born out of hatred or lies, nor was it committed with a thirst for profit or out of fear for one’s own life. The monk died as a result of an accident, the Tatar was killed in battle on equal terms, and the gypsy herself begged to end her unbearable existence. In the story of this unfortunate woman, Ivan took the sin upon himself, thereby freeing the girl from the need to commit suicide.
Ivan Severyanych talks about his life to random fellow travelers during a boat trip. The hero does not hide anything, since his soul is an open book. In the fight for justice, he is cruel, as in the case when he cut off the tail of the master's cat because she got into the habit of strangling his pigeons. But in another situation, Flyagin went to war for a boy whom his loving parents were afraid of losing. The only reason for Ivan’s actions is the natural force that overflows from him. All this power and prowess of a Russian hero is quite difficult to manage. That’s why Ivan Severyanych could not always calculate it correctly. And therefore the hero of the story cannot be called impeccable; he is multifaceted - merciless and kind, smart and naive, daring and romantic.
He wrote the story “The Enchanted Wanderer” in the second half of the 19th century. The image of the main character, who became Ivan Flyagin, describes a simple Russian peasant. His character contains the main features of the mentality and temperament of the people.
History of creation
The work of Nikolai Leskov was underestimated by his contemporaries. Critics often criticized his writings. The writer did not please adherents of the traditions of Russian literature and radical readers. Leskov's language is surprisingly eloquent. The stories he creates are not inferior in depth to the drama of the novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. The story “The Enchanted Wanderer” demonstrates a multifaceted personality with a difficult fate.
The work was written in 1873. The writer was inspired to create it by traveling through Ladoga, Karelia and Valaam. The writer visited the monastery and reflected on the life of the righteous. At that moment, he was struck by the idea of writing a work about a truth-seeking hero. The first name was “Black Earth Telemak”. The publishing house where the author was counting on publication refused to accept the story. The Russkiy Mir magazine agreed, but the name had to be changed to “The Enchanted Wanderer.”
In the story, the author presents the Russian character of a character who cannot be called an ideal for the reader. A contradictory nature that goes to extremes is the true description of a selfless hero. The man demonstrates kindness and severity, simplicity and cunning, poetic spirit and audacity. Ivan Flyagin is capable of crazy things, but in difficult moments he comes to the aid of those in need. Such is the broad Russian soul, which knows no boundaries or limits.
It is not without reason that the title includes the epithet “enchanted”. It adds poetry to the character. The author entrusted the hero with thoughts, dreams and fantasies, broadcasting through him the thoughts and desires of his native people.
The story "The Enchanted Wanderer"
The specificity of Ivan Severyanich is that he is fascinated by the magic of life. Flyagin perceives everything that happens to him as divine providence and a miracle. He has no specific purpose for existence, so he derives life from enjoying its manifestations. The hero's biography is not simple, but each time he appears in a new place, he perceives this as a way of understanding the world, and not a banal change of activity.
The characterization of the character's appearance suggests that Ivan Flyagin and Ilya Muromets have similar features. The man appears to be no more than fifty years old. His great stature, dark face, long gray hair make him look noble and powerful, reminiscent of the images of epic heroes. Flyagin wears a cassock and a black cap.
Simple and sincere, the hero easily took root everywhere, but did not stay for long. His eternal search for shelter does not speak of frivolity and dissipation. The man repeatedly showed the best sides of his character, saving the family of Count K. Ivan demonstrated devotion and fidelity in his relations with the prince and Grusha. He showed these same qualities while serving as a nanny to the master's daughter. The hero is in a hurry to try life, to see as much as possible and experience it to the maximum. Therefore, he surrendered to the flow of life and obediently follows the direction that it sets.
Flyagin should not be considered weak and passive. A man accepts his fate unquestioningly. Often he does not realize why he makes this or that decision, but acts based on intuition and feelings. Ivan accepts God, so death often bypasses the man. The hero is not afraid of death, and this is the secret of invulnerability. Holding the horses over the abyss, he remains unharmed. A gypsy saves him from the noose. Having been captured by the Tatars, the man flees to the steppe. It’s as if Flagina is protected by a higher power, and in war bullets pass by the hero.
Ivan Severyanych explains the game with death by a large number of sins. Realizing his fall from grace during his life, he waited for death, but it did not come. Flyagin is sure that death does not want to accept him. Gypsy Grusha, Tatar, monk, killed by a man, do not allow forgiveness of sins. He avoids responsibility, leaving behind his own children, who were born in captivity.
It seems that Flyagin is a criminal, but he did terrible things not out of revenge or profit. The begged son died due to an accident, and the Tatar gave his soul to God in a fair fight with the hero. The death of Grusha was on Severyanich’s conscience for a reason. One way or another, the girl was destined to die. Flyagin became her guide to another world, taking on the heavy burden of guilt on her soul and saving her from suicide. He failed the test of love offered from above.
He asks God for forgiveness for his life's path. The hero is the creator of his own religion and life values. Honesty remains his prerogative. The man talks about fate without concealment. Communicating with fellow travelers, he appears as a naive simpleton who, if necessary, recalls ferocity and determination. In the fight against evil, Ivan Severyanych does not tolerate injustice. Therefore, for a tortured bird, he easily chops off the cat’s tail.
Illustration for the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" The hero went to recruit instead of a young man whose parents did not want to let him go, so strong was his desire to atone for his sins by dying for his native people. For fifteen years he served in the army in the Caucasus under an assumed name. Over the years, sins weighed on the man with an increasingly heavy burden. Most of them occurred due to the extreme energy and strength of the hero. Physical advantages turn into disadvantages for Ivan. At the same time, he is brave and patriotic.
Flyagin is endowed with spiritual power. The hero is described as an optimistic character, capable of doing as circumstances require. He is ready to speak out against the personification of evil at any moment. There are no barriers for a man, except for the principles that he has built for himself.
Film adaptations
The story “The Enchanted Wanderer” is not the most famous work. Readers know the plot of "Lefty" better. Nevertheless, the work inspired directors for film adaptations.
In 1963, director Ivan Ermakov made a film of the same name. The main role in the film was played by the popular Soviet artist, actor of the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Alexander Simonov. The film also starred.
In 1990, director Irina Poplavskaya turned to the plot of the story, making a feature film. The protagonist's intrapersonal conflict became the main theme of the story. The actor played the role of Ivan Flyagin. The project involved Olga Ostroumova, Lidiya Velezhaeva, and.
Quotes
The story “The Enchanted Wanderer” contains the wisdom inherent in the Russian people, heroes with an immense soul. The author puts it into the mouth of the main character:
“Do you know, dear friend: never neglect anyone, because no one can know why someone is tormented and suffers with what passion.”
Over time, Ivan Flyagin begins to appreciate more and more what life gives him. He does not scatter people and tries to provide everyone with all possible help.
In the story, the love line is more reminiscent of a painful relationship. The main character appreciates women and the feelings they can give:
“A woman is worth everything in the world, because she inflicts such an ulcer that no one has been cured of it in the entire kingdom, but she can cure it in one minute.”
It seems that behind the physical strength of the hero there is an iron spirit. He takes on a unique appearance in the eyes of others. In fact, Flyagin is not insensitive. With each new event described by the author, this becomes more and more obvious:
“I’m not made of stone at all, but just like everyone else, bone and vein.”
In the story “The Enchanted Wanderer,” Leskov creates a completely special image of a person, incomparable with any of the heroes of Russian literature, who is so organically fused with the changing elements of life that he is not afraid to get lost in it. This is Ivan Severyanich Flyagin, the “enchanted wanderer”; he is “fascinated” by the fairy tale of life, its magic, so for him there are no boundaries in it. This world, which the hero perceives as a miracle, is endless, just as his journey in it is endless. He has no specific goal for the journey, because life is inexhaustible.
Each new refuge of Flyagin is another discovery of life, and not just a change in one activity or another. The broad soul of the wanderer gets along. with absolutely everyone - be it wild Kyrgyz or strict Orthodox monks; he is so flexible that he agrees to live according to the laws of those who accepted him: according to Tatar custom, he fights to the death with Savarikei, according to Muslim custom, has several wives, takes for granted the cruel “operation” that the Tatars performed on him ; In the monastery, he not only does not complain about the fact that, as punishment, he was locked up in a dark cellar for the whole summer, but he even knows how to find joy in it: “Here you can hear the church bells, and your comrades have visited.”
But despite such an accommodating nature, he does not stay anywhere for long. It may seem that Ivan is frivolous, fickle, unfaithful to himself and others, so he wanders around the world and cannot find refuge for himself. But that's not true.
He proved his devotion and fidelity more than once - both when he saved the family of Count K. from imminent death, and in his relations with the prince and Grusha - and such a frequent change of habitat and the constant motive for Flyagin’s flight are explained not by dissatisfaction with life, but by , on the contrary, with thirst to drink it to the last drop. He is so open to life that it carries him, and he follows its flow with wise humility. But this is not a consequence of mental weakness and passivity, but a complete acceptance of one’s fate. Often Flyagin is not aware of his actions, intuitively relying on the wisdom of life, trusting it in everything. And the higher power, before which he is open and honest, rewards him for this and protects him.
Leskov's story “The Enchanted Wanderer” has a number of its own characteristics. A wide system of themes and problems, a dynamic plot, devoid of details, makes this work difficult to perceive - sometimes the idea of the work is lost behind numerous events.
History of creation
Plans to create a story about the life of monks visited Leskov during his trip to Lake Ladoga. During the trip, Leskov had to visit the islands of Valaam and Korelu - at that time this was a place of settlement for monks. The landscapes I saw contributed to the idea of writing a work about the life of these people. By the end of 1872 (almost six months after the trip), the story was written, but its publication was not so quick.
Leskov sent the story to the editors of the Russian Bulletin magazine, whose editor at that time was M. Katkov. Unfortunately, the editorial commission thought this story was unfinished and they did not publish it.
In August 1873, readers still saw the story, but in the newspaper Russkiy Mir. Its title changed and was presented in expanded form: “The Enchanted Wanderer, His Life, Experiences, Opinions and Adventures.” A dedication was also added to the story - to Sergei Kushelev - it was in his house that the story was first presented to the general public.
Symbolism of the name
Leskov’s story was originally planned to be called “Black Earth Telemacus.” It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of why such a specific name was chosen. With the first word - “chernozem” everything is quite logical - Leskov planned to emphasize the territorial affiliation of the protagonist and limited his range of action to the area of distribution of chernozem as a typical type of soil. With Telomak, things are somewhat more complicated - in ancient mythology, Telemacus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope. He begins to search for his father and helps him get rid of his mother's suitors. It is difficult to imagine the similarities between Telemakos and Ivan. However, it is still present and lies in the search. Telemachus is looking for his father, and Ivan is looking for his place in the world, which allows him to exist harmoniously, “the charm of life itself.”
It was the last concept - “charm with life” that became the key concept in the second version of the title of the story. Ivan Flyagin spends his entire life wandering - fate and chance do not provide him with the opportunity to finally settle down.
However, at the same time, Flyagin does not experience extreme dissatisfaction with his fate; he perceives every new turn on the path of life as the will of fate, predestination in life. The actions of the protagonist, which entailed significant changes in his life, always occur as if unconsciously, the hero does not think about them or plan them, they occur spontaneously, as if by the will of witchcraft, a kind of “charm”.
According to researchers, there is one more episode in the story that allows us to talk about the “charm” of the main character - Ivan’s mother, even before birth, “promised God her son,” which predetermined his fate.
Heroes
All chapter-stories of “The Enchanted Wanderer” are united by the personality of Ivan Severyanych Flyagin (Golovin), who tells the unusual story of his life.
The second most important image in the story is the image of the gypsy Grusha. The girl became the subject of Flyagin's unrequited love. Grusha’s unrequited love for the prince did not allow the girl to consider Flyagin’s feelings towards her and contributed to her death - Grusha asks Flyagin to kill her.
All other characters have generalized character traits - they are represented by typical heroes in their social stratum.
- Count and Countess from Oryol Province- landowners, to whose estates Flyagin belonged from birth.
- Barin from Nikolaev- a man for whom Flyagin served as a nanny - looked after his little daughter.
- Girl's mother- the natural mother of the girl entrusted to Flyagin, who ran away with a certain officer from her husband.
- Officer- a young man in love with a girl’s mother. He offers Flyagin money to give them the child. Helps Flyagin financially after his escape from the master.
- A person with magnetism- a casual acquaintance of Flyagin, who hypnotized him about alcohol intoxication and addiction.
- Prince- a landowner for whom Flyagin serves as a coneser.
- Evgenia Semenovna- the prince's mistress.
- Gypsies– a generalized image of the gypsy community.
- Tatars– a generalized image.
- Natasha- Flyagin’s two wives, who appeared to him while living with the Tatars.
Plot
Ivan was a late child - his mother could not get pregnant for a long time, but fate was unfair to her - she never managed to experience the happiness of motherhood - the woman died during childbirth. The born child had an unusually large head, for which he was named Golovan. One day, due to carelessness, Ivan caused the death of a monk and from that moment he learned about a certain prophecy of his life - the deceased monk said in a dream that Ivan would always be saved from death, but at a critical moment he would enter a monastery and become a monk.
Dear readers! We invite you to read what Nikolai Leskov wrote.
The prediction begins to come true: first, Ivan miraculously remains alive after the carriage he was driving fell from a cliff, then a gypsy saves him from committing suicide by hanging.
Flyagin decides to join the gypsies - at the request of a new acquaintance, he steals horses from his master. Together with the gypsy, Ivan sells horses at the market, but does not receive the proper monetary reward for this. Ivan says goodbye to the gypsy and goes to Nikolaev.
Here Ivan begins to serve the master - he takes care of his daughter. After some time, the girl’s mother appears and asks to give the child to her. At first, Ivan resists, but at the last moment he changes his mind and runs away with the girl’s mother and her new husband. Then Ivan ends up with the Tatars - Flyagin takes part in a duel with the Tatar and defeats his opponent, unfortunately, the Tatar dies, and Ivan was forced to join the Tatars in order to avoid punishment. To prevent Flyagin from running away from them, the Tatars sew chopped horsehair into his heels - after this, Ivan could not walk normally - his hair was severely pricked. Ivan was in Tatar captivity twice - both the first and second time he was given two wives. From the wives of Flyagin’s second “marriage” children are born, but this did not bring any changes to Flyagin’s life - Ivan is indifferent to them. After escaping from the Tatars, Ivan serves the prince. Falling in love with the gypsy Grusha became tragic in Ivan’s life - Flyagin experienced the pangs of unrequited love.
Pear, in turn, was unrequitedly in love with the prince, the news of whose wedding caused the girl's emotional breakdown. Grusha is afraid that her actions could cause irreparable harm to the prince and his wife and therefore asks Flyagin to kill her. After the murder of Grunya, Ivan goes into the army - having escaped from the prince, Flyagin met old men whose only son was taken into the army, out of pity for the old men, Ivan pretends to be another person and goes to serve instead of their son. The next point in Flyagin’s life was the monastery - Ivan ends up there after retirement. An officer's rank, not supported by proper knowledge, did not allow Ivan to realize his potential.
The strange behavior of Flyagin became the reason that the monks sent him to travel to holy places. The story ends here. During the trip, Flyagin himself expresses hope of returning to the front.
Structure
The story by Nikolai Leskov is part of a cycle of stories united by the theme of monasticism and religiosity. The structure of the work is as follows: the story consists of 20 chapters. Compositionally, they are divided into exposition and development of action. Traditionally, the first chapter is an exposition. According to the canons of literary criticism, it should be followed by a plot, but in Leskov’s story this does not happen - this is due to the structure of the story itself - subsequent chapters are fragments from the life of the main character, which in their essence are completely independent and, moreover, are placed in violation of the chronological framework . In essence, these fragments in the structure of the composition are the development of the action.
It is also impossible to single out a culmination from these elements - each memory is special, and is associated with a certain turning point in the hero’s life - it is unrealistic to determine which event was more significant. Some researchers are inclined to believe that the climax can be attributed to a fragment of the text telling about Flyagin’s meeting with Grusha - it is at this moment in his life that Flyagin experiences the most severe devastation - he drinks a lot and binge, and is actually depressed. The story also lacks a denouement - the hero's journey across Lake Ladoga is another fragment that will most likely lead to new changes in the character's life. All chapters are designed in the form of small, logically designed stories, each of which actually has a meaningful ending.
Features of character images
Leskov's story is marked by a number of features in the depiction of the acting characters.
First of all, this concerns the main character. Ivan Flyagin does not look like a typical monk - his appearance resembles a hero. Ivan is a tall, broad-shouldered, physically developed man, it seems that he stepped out of the pages of epic stories. Ivan has wisdom and the ability to make logical conclusions, but at the same time he tends to act extremely stupidly and recklessly, which often turns fatal for other characters, and also brings irreparable, negative consequences into his life.
The image of Grusha is also not without contradictions and its own characteristics - both a typical gypsy - passionate and impulsive - and an angel coexist in her. Pear realizes that because of her emotionality, she will not be able to come to terms with unrequited love and will become the cause of tragedy in the life of her lover or his future wife. Classically, she should have followed her emotions, but here her other side of her personality is revealed - Grusha is a virtuous person - she prefers to die herself rather than bring misfortune.
The life of any serf is not without interference from representatives of the aristocracy. Leskov's story was no exception. The author actively introduces some features into the description of characters of this type. Leskov deliberately creates a negative image of representatives of high society - in the story, all landowners are presented as selfish tyrants who mistreat their serfs.
Ivan Flyagin served in the army for 15 years, but the story says very little about this period.
The only image of a military man that can be seen in the story is the colonel. In general, the image of this man is typical of a military man: “he was brave and loved to pretend to be Suvorov,” however, he coexists with another personality that resembles the image of his father. The colonel listens carefully to Flyagin’s life story, but not only does not take everything said into account, but also convinces Ivan that it all happened only in his fantasies. On the one hand, this seems like an unreasonable action on the part of the colonel, but at the same time it saves Flyagin from punishment instead of an officer rank.
The next category of images relates to foreigners - in the story, in addition to Russian people, three nationalities are also depicted - Gypsies, Tatars and Poles. All representatives of these nationalities are endowed with exaggerated negative qualities - the life of foreigners is presented as immoral, illogical and therefore artificial, devoid of the colors of real, sincere feelings and emotions. Foreigners (with the exception of Grusha) do not have positive character traits - they are always hypocrites and dishonest people.
The story also contains representatives of monasticism. The image of these people contains canonicity. They are strict and stern people, but at the same time sincere and humane. Ivan's atypicality causes them bewilderment and concern, but at the same time they empathize with him and express concern for his fate.
Story idea
The idea of the story lies in the deep connection of man with his homeland and religion. With the help of these attributes, Leskov tries to reveal the characteristics of the Russian soul and its mental qualities of character. The life of a simple Russian person is closely connected with disappointments and injustice, however, no matter how often and to what extent these troubles occur in a person’s life, the Russian person never loses hope for a miracle - according to Leskov, it is in this optimistic ability that the mystery of the Russian lies. souls.
The author leads readers to the conclusion that without a homeland and religion, a person cannot fully exist. No matter how many sins there are in a person’s life, sincere repentance allows you to start your life with a clean slate.
Theme of the story
Leskov's story is filled with a wide system of themes. The questions raised in the work have a diverse expression and are able to comprehensively outline the features and complexities of the life of an ordinary person.
Religion and its influence on human life
Of course, the influence of religion in Flyagin’s time on human life was much stronger - at the present time, other social institutions have taken on some of the responsibilities of the social sphere. At that time, the church was the bearer of morality, taught the interaction of people in society, and developed positive character traits in people. Religion at that time also helped people find answers to their questions in the field of science. Some of the information perceived by society at that time could well be perceived as the action of an otherworldly mystical force, which added even more significance to the church in the eyes of people.
Thus, religion helped a person find the right path on his life's path, outline the ideal of a real person and stimulate people's interest in achieving this ideal.
Love and its truth
It seems that Leskov's story was created in order to trace the importance and essentiality of love (in every sense of the word). This is love for the homeland, and love for life, and love for God, and love for representatives of the opposite sex. The diversity of Ivan Flyagin's life allowed him to experience love in all its manifestations. Of particular interest to the reader are Flyagin’s relationships with representatives of the opposite sex.
While Flyagin’s feelings towards his Tatar wives are natural - since they arose as a “necessity”, his feelings for the gypsy Grusha are regrettable - like any other manifestation of unrequited love.
Ivan is captivated by the girl, but the hope of finding happiness for Flyagin and Grusha is fading just as quickly as Grusha’s love for the prince is inflamed.
Fatherly feelings
During his stay with the Tatars, Ivan is “given” wives - these are women with whom Ivan did not experience feelings of kinship. In the “family” children are born with these women, but the man does not feel a kinship with them and, as a result, he does not develop parental feelings towards them. Ivan explains this by the fact that his children were not of the Christian faith. At that time, the influence of religion on a person was more significant than today, so this could cause alienation. Similar motives appear repeatedly in the literature. So, for example, in the poem by the Ukrainian literary figure T.G. Shevchenko “Haydamaky” the main character does not prevent the death of his children because they were of a “different” faith, while the man does not experience remorse or regret. Based on such motives, Ivan Flyagin’s attitude towards his children looks quite humane.
Understanding the Motherland and its significance for humans
Fate decreed that Ivan Flyagin had the opportunity to learn about the peculiarities of life of different peoples. First of all, of course, these were the peculiarities of the life of the Russian people - from childhood, Ivan knew about the complexities of relationships between the social elements of the Russian people, mental characteristics that also cause certain difficulties. However, not only this is an integral part of the Russian person - the peculiarities of nature and the relationship of man with it, folklore’s focus on the perception of the beauty of life, became the reason for Flyagin’s special attachment to his people.
Faced with a community of gypsies, Flyagin clearly understands that “such a life is not for him” - the traditions of these people and their moral principles are too different from those that Flyagin is used to being guided by.
Life among the Tatars also did not attract Ivan - undoubtedly, the life of these people was not absolutely immoral or unattractive, but Flyagin did not manage to feel “at home” - the image of his native land was constantly in his thoughts. Perhaps this is due to the fact that his stay with other nationalities was forced - Ivan ended up in this society not because he experienced a spiritual kinship, but because the circumstances turned out that way.
Issues
Deviating from the traditions of the genre, Leskov places increased emphasis on the problems of his work. Like the theme, the problems of the story also have a developed structure. The key concepts still remain patriotism and the place of man in society, but these concepts are acquiring new symbolic elements.
Social inequality
No matter how sad it may sound, the problem of social inequality has always been relevant and has been repeatedly understood by artists. Aristocratic origin has always been highly valued in society and in fact opened any doors, bypassing intellectual and moral criteria. At the same time, an intellectually developed person with high morality, but of simple origin (peasant) always remained on the sidelines of fate.
The unspoken law of “social equality” often became the cause of the unhappy lives of not only serfs, but also aristocrats, who could be happy in a marriage with a person of simple origin, but were unable to step over the demands of society.
In most cases, representatives of aristocratic origin did not consider peasants to be people - they could sell them, force them to do backbreaking work that led to injury, beat them, and generally worry more about their animals than about the serfs.
Nostalgia for the Motherland
In a modern multicultural society, the problem of nostalgia for the Motherland is not so relevant - modern means of scientific and technological progress make it possible to minimize this feeling. However, in the world contemporary to Leskov, awareness of oneself as a unit of a nationality and a bearer of its mental qualities occurs more thoroughly - a close and dear image of the Native Land, national symbols and traditions is deposited in a person’s mind. The denial of these attributes makes a person unhappy.
Patriotism
The problem of patriotism is closely related to the problem of nostalgia for the Motherland. In the story, Leskov reflects on whether it is important to recognize oneself as a representative of a certain nationality and how important this is. The author raises the question of why people are ready to perform feats in the name of their Motherland and why they do not stop loving their Fatherland, despite the existing problems in the system of their state.
This problem is revealed not only with the help of the image of Ivan Flyagin, but also with the help of representatives of other nationalities who, while coming into contact with other cultures, remain faithful to their people.
Missionary
In fact, every religion faces the problem of missionary work, especially at the stage of its formation - adherents of the faith often went to preach the foundations of their religious vision among other believers. Despite the peaceful method of enlightenment and conversion to their religion, many nationalities were hostile towards such people - using the example of Christian missionaries and their attitude towards the Tatars, Leskov summarizes: some peoples can only be converted to their faith by force, acting through fear and cruelty.
Comparison of secular and monastic life
The destiny of Ivan Flyagin’s life created a favorable environment for comparing secular and monastic life. While the life of the laity goes on as usual, in fact guided only by civil and moral laws. The life of a monk is full of hardships. Ivan’s fate developed in such a way that he was able to experience both secular and monastic life. However, neither the first nor the second allowed him to find peace. Ivan always experiences some kind of internal dissatisfaction, his life has always been full of suffering, and he has become so accustomed to this state of affairs that he no longer recognizes himself outside of these feelings. Suffering has become a necessary condition for his life; the calm and everydayness of monastic life drives him crazy and “populates his consciousness with demons.”
Predestination of human destiny
The problem of predetermination of human destiny in the story is considered in a broad and narrow manner. A narrow expression is represented by the life situation of Ivan Flyagin - his mother, even before birth, promised the child to God, but Ivan’s lack of education prevented the implementation of this postulate.
In a broad sense, the predestination of life is shown in the tragic position of serfs in society - peasants at that time could become free people by receiving the appropriate document, but even such a seemingly positive event did not bring them happiness - without education and the ability to behave in society at the level For the aristocracy, such a will was just Filka’s letter, since the former serfs had no opportunity to settle down in the world of “free people.”
Education problem
Among the peasants, the problem of education was one of the most significant. The point here was not only the acquisition of general knowledge and basic knowledge of grammar and arithmetic. In fact, all the serfs did not understand the basics of ethics, did not know how to logically structure their speech within the framework of rhetoric, and therefore were absolute ignoramuses in every sense, which significantly aggravated their situation.
Justice
Life is often devoid of fairness. Bias in most cases becomes an integral part of the common man. From time to time a person interacts with injustice and gains his own life experience. In addition, Leskov raises the question of the existence of justice in general - no matter how difficult Flyagin’s life was and no matter how many dishonest people he met, Ivan still subconsciously believes that there is justice in the world.
The relationship between “The Enchanted Wanderer” and “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”
Leskov's story is essentially an allusion to the parable of the prodigal son. Ivan was originally promised to God - and the house of God was supposed to become his home, but Flyagin moves away from this destiny, this is accompanied by a series of events that defy logic and common sense, Ivan goes further and further into the labyrinths of worldly life. However, the same confluence of circumstances brings Ivan back to his home - after receiving the officer rank, Flyagin’s life became significantly more difficult - they did not want to hire him for simple work, and he could not do the work that his rank required due to his lack of education. Disillusioned with the acting craft, Flyagin ends up in a monastery.
Thus, Leskov’s story “The Enchanted Wanderer” in many points departs from the classic story - the variety of problems and themes allows us to consider life in all its complexities and surprises. The author avoids typicality in the work - all elements of the story are endowed with individual, atypical qualities. However, it should be noted that Leskov artificially, with the help of grotesque and hyperbole, containing a negative message, depicts the images of foreigners and aristocrats. In this way, a beneficial accentuation of the idea of the work is achieved.
