In general, the contrast between human nature in Gogol’s Ukrainian tales and human nature in his Petersburg tales is striking. Whereas in his Ukrainian tales Gogol is genuinely fulsome in his praise of the ways of ordinary Ukrainian people, in his Petersburg tales Gogol is unsparing in his criticism of high social stations. This, however, should not be interpreted that Gogol praised all Ukrainians and ridiculed all Russians. Instead, he lauded the ways of common people and criticized the coxcombry of the bureaucrats and
Tolstoy’s ability to interweave the environment with themes of materialism and death makes The Death of Ivan Ilych stand out as a piece that criticizes societal values. In his article “Tolstoy and the Moran Instructions of Death,” Dennis Sansom focuses on the influence of fighting chaos in Ivan’s eventual acceptance of his own death. Socrates wrote, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and Ivan’s life mirrored this until the end (qtd. in Sansom 417) .
Raskolnikov is a man who believes that he is above morality, and that he can justify committing murder based on his own moral beliefs. He believes that the ends justify the means, and that the murder of the pawnbroker will ultimately lead to a greater good. However, as the novel progresses, Raskolnikov's guilt and conscience begin to catch up with him, leading him to become increasingly morally corrupt. He becomes paranoid and isolated, consumed by his own guilt and fear of being caught. The novel illustrates the destructive effects of moral corruption, as Raskolnikov's actions lead to his downfall.
For instance, this shows how Shukhov learns the new ways of consuming his food to survive longer at the gulag. "You had to eat with all your mind on the food-like now, nibbling the bread bit by bit, working the crumbs up into a paste with your tongue and sucking it into your cheeks." (40) It refers to those zeks who do not make it in the gulag, because they scavenge for food instead of earning it by working. " The ones that don't make it are those who lick other men's leftovers..." (4) The hunger will always come back no matter how well you eat at the gulag. "
Sharks have played a key role in the ocean, and have lived with little problems. Until a hit movie that scared and terrorized people out of their seats called jaws was in theaters. Sharks have been around longer than humans have, and they are on top of their food chain. They have few predators, but there worst predator is man himself. Do these so called killing machines who are looking for revenge trying to eat anyone who steps foot in their home.
Despite this, both authors use the characters, theme, and irony in their works to tackle the idea of self-improvement, and how people will continue to have flaws despite their self-improvement. The characters in the two works show how people are imperfect, and how despite their attempts to improve their self, flaws will remain. In Tolstoy’s “How Much Land Does a Man Need”, the main character is Pahom, a peasant in the Russian countryside. In the beginning of the story, he was perfectly content with his life, emphasizing how he has “no time to let any nonsense settle in our heads” (Tolstoy, 753). However, he got more land, and despite his improvements in life, he became greedier, which became the primary flaw in his personality.
I say Gurov’s constant dishonesty about his true feelings toward his wife is a prime example of a selfish lie. I believe Gurov is fully aware of how morally wrong his actions are, but nonetheless, it is apparent he does not care. I assert that the reason he continues to lie to his wife is because he feels that he is a “superior being” in comparison to women, and as a result of this belief, it has allowed him to view his wife as weak and inferior, and dismissing feelings of attachment to her. When one regards another person as being physically or intellectually weaker and inferior, I feel it is easy for a the liar to take advantage of the weaker person because the latter is viewed as not worthy of the same dignity or respect as “superior” people;
The two novellas “The Metamorphosis,” and “The Death of Ivan Llych” both describe the stories of two men suffering from dramatic events in their lives. The two men both suffer from the feeling of alienation from their families. The two stories can be compared in many ways, and give insight into the way these two characters found peace in their deaths. In the novella “The Death of Ivan Llych” Tolstoy shares a story of a man named Ivan Llych, who gave all his time and attention to his career, that drew a wedge between his marriage and personal life. When decorating the new home for his family, he slipped and hit his side on the window knob, which caused the decline of Ivan Llychs life and health to begin.
‘“Let him come, if he wants to so much, “But we have our own circle, we’re friends,”. . . Maybe we don’t want you at all”’ (Dostoevsky 65). The Underground Man invites himself to an expensive dinner with his peers who do not want him present, rather than anticipating a nice evening, he torments himself about it. “I dreamed of getting the best of them, winning them over, carrying them away, making them love me” (Dostoevsky 70).
The concept of freedom constantly rings throughout the texts of Alexander Pushkin’s The Bronze Horseman and Nikolai Gogol’s The Overcoat. These stories are both key elements of Russian literature and Russian history. During 19th century Russia, there was a prominent distinction that many peasants and people of lower class didn’t have the rights that the bourgeoisie potentially possessed. There are also freedoms that do reign on the main characters of these pieces as they go along in their respective plots. Points of freedom resonate with the protagonists as well as a dissolution of freedom that is constantly referenced throughout the stories, respectively.
He strikingly uncovers his convictions about governmental issues through the primary character's activities. The message of the story spins around the wide thought of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an idea in light of helping out more joy as opposed to individual or restricted bliss. Raskolnikov carrying out his killings mirrors this view by him trusting that his wrongdoing would be better for the world, “A hundred thousand good deeds could be done and helped, on that old women’s money…Kill her, take her money and with the help of it devote oneself to the service of humanity and the good
The overcrowded apartments and rooms foster poverty. Eviction from his greedy landlord is an ever-looming fear for Raskolnikov. He becomes trapped within the vicious cycle of poverty and place. For example, he pawns a watch to his landlady who offers him a meager amount for the watch. Raskolnikov, Raskolnikov cannot accept anything lower due to his debt to her.
This novella is an allegory to the Soviet Union. Each individual character represents an important group of people in history. All of which contributed to how we run our government today. In this book man takes from the animals without producing anything in return, the
Succumbing to professional and personal dilemmas, it is clear why Andrei would be dissatisfied with life. Andrei’s plight is used to show how educated nobility suffered from serious pressure and struggles, which could lead to a somber
It portrays the 1917 Russian Revolution atmosphere with the replacement of Russia into Animal Farm. The characters also did not fail to resemble the real people involved in the revolution. Power leads to greed, used to take advantage and manipulate. A person with absolute power tends to choose greediness after a certain time period, despite having followed a wise person’s vision and mission.
