The story “The Enchanted Place” is one of the stories by N.V. Gogol from the cycle “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”. It intertwines two main motives: the hooliganism of devils and the extraction of treasure. This article provides a summary of it. Gogol, "The Enchanted Place" is a book that was first published in 1832. But the time of its creation is not known for certain. It is believed that this is one of the earliest works of the great master. Let's refresh our memory of all its main points.
N.V. Gogol, “Enchanted Place.” The main characters of the work
Chumaks (traders).
Grandfather's grandchildren.
Grandfather's daughter-in-law.
Summary: Gogol, “The Enchanted Place” (introduction)
This story happened a long time ago, when the narrator was still a child. His father, taking one of his four sons, left to trade tobacco in the Crimea. Three children, their mother and grandfather remained on the farm, guarding the bashtan (a vegetable garden sown with watermelons and melons) from uninvited guests. One evening a cart full of merchants drove past them. Among them were many of my grandfather’s acquaintances. Having met, they rushed to kiss and remember the past. Then the guests lit their pipes and the refreshments began. It became fun, let's go dancing. Grandfather also decided to shake the old days and show the Chumaks that he still has no equal in dancing. Then something unusual began to happen to the old man. But the next chapter (its summary) will talk about this.
Gogol, "The Enchanted Place". Developments
The grandfather went wild, but as soon as he reached the cucumber patch, his legs suddenly stopped obeying him. He scolded, but there was no point. Laughter was heard from behind. He looked around, but there was no one behind him. And the place around is unfamiliar. In front of him lies a bare field, and to the side is a forest, from which some kind of long pole sticks out. For a moment it seemed to him that there was a clerk, and that the pole visible from behind the trees was a dovecote in the garden of a local priest. There is darkness around him, the sky is black, there is no month. The grandfather walked across the field and soon came across a small path. Suddenly a light lit up on one of the graves ahead, then went out. Then a light flashed elsewhere. Our hero was delighted, deciding that it was a treasure. His only regret was that he didn’t have a shovel now. “But that’s not a problem either,” thought the grandfather. “After all, you can notice this place somehow.” He found a large branch and threw it on the grave, on which a light was burning. Having done this, he returned to his tower. Only it was already late, the children were asleep. The next day, without saying a word to anyone and taking a spade with him, the restless old man went to the priest’s garden. But the problem was that now he didn’t recognize these places. There is a dovecote, but there is no threshing floor. The grandfather turns around: the field is there, but the dovecote is gone. He returned home with nothing. And the next day, when the old man, having decided to dig up a new ridge on the tower, hit the place where he didn’t want to dance with a shovel, suddenly the pictures in front of him changed, and he found himself in the very field where he saw the lights. Our hero was delighted and ran up to the grave he had noticed earlier. There was a large stone lying on it. Having thrown it away, the grandfather decided to sniff the tobacco. Suddenly someone sneezed loudly above him. The old man looked around, but no one was there. He began to dig the ground at the grave and dug out a cauldron. He was delighted and exclaimed: “Ah, that’s where you are, my dear!” The same words were squealed by a bird's head from a branch. And behind her a ram's head bleated from the tree. A bear looked out of the forest and roared the same phrase. Before the grandfather had time to say new words, the same faces began to echo him. The old man got scared, grabbed the cauldron and ran away. The next chapter below (its summary) will tell you what happened to the unlucky hero next.
Gogol, "The Enchanted Place". Ending
And my grandfather’s houses are already missed. We sat down for dinner, but he still wasn’t there. After the meal, the hostess went into the garden to pour out the slops. Suddenly she saw a barrel climbing towards her. She decided it was someone's joke and poured the slop right on her. But it turned out that it was the grandfather. The cauldron he brought with him contained only squabbles and rubbish. From then on, the old man swore not to believe in devils anymore, and surrounded the cursed place in his garden with a fence. They said that when the local Chumaks hired this field for melons, God knows what grew on this piece of land, it was impossible to even make out.
More than a century and a half ago, N.V. Gogol wrote “The Enchanted Place.” A brief summary of it is presented in this article. Now it is no less popular than many years ago.
To the question the heroes of the story Enchanted Place! urgently needed asked by the author Lisa Hovhannisyan the best answer is Retelling of the story “The Enchanted Place” by N. V. Gogol.
Retelling plan
1. Rudy Panko recalls a story from his childhood.
2. Grandfather goes to the bashtan (melon tree) with his grandchildren to chase sparrows and magpies.
3. Arrival of the Chumaks (peasants who traded salt and fish).
4. The guys and the old grandfather are dancing.
5. The hero finds himself in an enchanted place where he thinks there is a treasure.
6. Search for the enchanted place the next day.
7. An old man’s meeting with evil spirits.
8. The treasure turned out to be a hoax.
9. Grandfather decided never to trust the devil again.
Retelling
The main character, Rudy Panko, a famous storyteller of tales, begins his next narration, confirming the belief: if “the devilish force wants to faint, it will faint; By God, he’ll faint.” He remembers an old story that happened to his grandfather.
One day, the grandfather took him and his brother, then just boys, to chase sparrows and magpies on the tower. Familiar Chumaks drove by. Their grandfather began to treat them to melons, and asked his grandchildren to dance a Cossack dance. Yes, he couldn’t sit still and started dancing. And some kind of devilry happened here. Only the grandfather wanted to “take a walk and throw some of his things into the whirlwind with his feet - his legs won’t rise, and that’s all.” He started up again, but didn’t dance, looked around, didn’t see anything familiar, but only a smooth field. I started looking closer and came across a path in the dark. A candle flared on a grave to the side of the path. He decided that it was a treasure, but there was nothing to dig with. To avoid losing this place, he knocked down a large tree branch.
The next day, when it began to get dark in the field, the grandfather took a spade and shovel and went to look for the treasure. But he never found it, only the rain got it wet. Grandfather cursed Satan and returned with nothing. The next day, the grandfather, as if nothing had happened, went to the bashtan to dig a bed for late pumpkins. And when he passed by that enchanted place, he walked into its middle and struck the hearts with a spade. And suddenly I found myself in the same field again. I found a hiding place, pushed away a stone, and decided to sniff some tobacco. Suddenly someone sneezed from behind. I looked around - no one. I started digging and saw a boiler. Then the evil spirits began to frighten him: a bird’s nose, a ram’s head and a bear alternately appeared in front of him. It was so scary that my grandfather wanted to give up everything, but it was a pity to part with the treasure. He somehow grabbed the cauldron and “let’s run as far as the spirit could; He only hears something behind him and scratches his legs with rods...”
...A long time ago, mother came from the farm with a pot of hot dumplings, everyone had dinner, mother washed the dishes, but grandfather was still not there. She washed the pot and went into the kitchen, and grandfather was there. He boasted, opened the boiler, and there: “What did you think was there? Well, at least after thinking carefully, eh? gold? This is what is not gold: rubbish, squabbles... I’m ashamed to say what it is.”
From that time on, the grandfather told his grandchildren not to believe the devil: “And it happened that when he heard that there was trouble in another place, he himself would be baptized and force us. And he blocked off the enchanted place with a fence and threw all the weeds and rubbish that he raked out of the chestnut there. So nothing good ever grew in this place.”
Real and fantastic in N. V. Gogol’s story “The Enchanted Place”
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Enchanted Place” is a sexton’s story about an incident from his life. It is written in a surprisingly lively and interesting way. With each line, reading this story becomes more and more exciting. Even the sexton himself, who reluctantly began the story, was so carried away by his narration that he reproached the listeners for inattention: “What really!.. Listen like that!”
The main character of the story is the sexton's grandfather. His image is very bright and memorable. By telling us the story that happened to my grandfather, the sexton tries to convey to us all the details, and this makes the story more reliable.
It is impossible not to notice the humor with which the sexton tells his story. He calls his grandfather “an old devil,” laughs at how his grandfather danced, how he tried to find a treasure, how his mother poured slop on him. The grandfather, in turn, called his grandchildren “dog children” and scolded them. But we feel that the characters truly love and appreciate each other.
According to the sexton, most of all the grandfather loved to listen to the stories of the Chumaks passing by: “And to the grandfather it’s like a hungry dumpling.” And we understand that the hero himself was a cheerful, interesting person, it’s not for nothing that the sexton says: “It happened, he decided to…”
But the best way to understand the grandfather’s character is to describe the search for the treasure. His speech and thoughts are full of unusual expressions: “What a disgusting face!”, “Well, guys, now you’ll have some bagels!”
It was not by chance that Gogol gave the story such a title - “The Enchanted Place”. After all, the work combines two worlds: real and fantastic. Everything fantastic is connected with a grave, treasure and devilish power.
The real world is everyday life. Depicting the ordinary life of people, Gogol uses Ukrainian words, for example “Chumaks”, “kuren”. The description of the characters’ way of life is interesting, how the grandfather grows watermelons, “covers them with burdock,” and digs “a new bed for late pumpkins.” Or about how he determines the weather: “There will be a big wind tomorrow!” thought the grandfather.” Gogol admires the pictures of this people's life, the creative work of his heroes.
The whole story is written very brightly and colorfully. Sometimes it seems that you yourself are among the sexton’s listeners, because the narration is interrupted by his comments. From the narrator’s speech it becomes clear that he himself is already old. But the sexton, like the grandfather, remains at heart the same young, interesting and unusual person.
At the end of the story, the sexton says that instead of treasure, the grandfather brought “rubbish, squabbles...”. After this, the hero began to believe only in Christ, and “... he blocked off that damned place where they didn’t dance with a fence, and ordered them to throw everything that was indecent...”. We can say that with these lines the author is making fun of his grandfather. After all, in this story Gogol says that good can only be acquired through one’s own labor. In addition, using the example of his grandfather, he teaches us to believe in the bright, pure: “So this is how the evil spirits of man fool!”
Creativity N.V. Gogol has always been distinguished by ideological mysticism. Stunning stories, stories reminiscent of dreams, mysterious incidents in the spirit of folk tales aroused interest not only among the poet’s contemporaries and his “comrades in the pen’s workshop,” but also excite the minds of modern youth.
One of the stories in the second volume of “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” tells about a certain Enchanted place located in the garden of Maxim’s grandfather.
The main character of the story finds this place by accident: when meeting old friends, he arranges a warm reception at which he shows his ability to dance. Having stumbled upon this anomalous place, his legs stopped obeying him and suddenly, Maxim, in a strange way, moves several kilometers from his home, without understanding how.
His sudden appearance near the local priest's dovecote could be explained by a lapse in memory, if not for the fact that the reality in which the hero finds himself is distorted. In real life the place looks completely different. The essence of the story is that the “place” itself begins to show signs of life: it talks to Maxim with signs. Accordingly, the reader begins to understand that the main character is neither the narrator nor Grandfather Maxim, but precisely “it, the same one.”
Characteristics of the Enchanted Place
The place itself does not pose any physical danger to humans. Throughout the entire story, one can be convinced that “something” lures and intimidates its “interlocutors”, plays with Maxim: it either puts obstacles in front of him, frightening him with echoes, hallucinations, sneezing, or calms down, letting him get closer.
As a result, Mesto teaches grandfather Maxim a lesson, who went after the treasure in the hope of getting a pot of gold. And he sought the treasure, rudely swearing, and dug under the grave in spite of fear - greed outweighed. So in the end I ended up with a cauldron of dirt and shameful things. The place did no more harm. But there was no benefit from it either. Even the grass did not grow on the nickel from where Grandfather Maxim had previously moved into the mysterious world.
The role of the Enchanted Place
It is difficult to talk about a place as about a person. The Enchanted Place itself could not have thoughts and perform actions. But here is the essence living in him, which Maxim himself called both the devil and the devil. In general, he immediately called out evil spirits. No one will know what would have happened if Maxim had been more polite and softer. Perhaps more curious, but not more impudent. The spirit living in the area clearly did not like or never knew tobacco: he sneezed at the sight of it. Surely, if he wanted serious damage to Maxim, he would have made his goals a reality and could have “lured” the whole family. Since the reader cannot even see a hint of this, we can conclude that the place itself is not bad and the “Something” living in it is not a monster, but, at most, a petty dirty trick.
Whether it was an evil joke from evil spirits or a moral lesson, judging by Maxim’s further behavior, the lesson was remembered for the rest of his life. The man turned to faith and no longer allowed himself the temptations of “free cheese.”
The story “The Enchanted Place” ( fourth), the second part of “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” ends. It was first published in 1832 in the second book of Evenings. The lack of a manuscript makes it impossible to determine the exact dating of the writing of the story. It is assumed that it refers to the early works of N.V. Gogol and dates back to the period 1829 - 1830.
The storyline intertwines two main motives: the search for treasure and the outrages committed by devils in enchanted places. The story itself originates in folklore stories, in which the main leitmotif is the idea that wealth obtained from evil spirits does not bring happiness. In some ways it has something in common with “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala.” The author denounces the thirst for enrichment, the irrepressible passion for money, which clearly leads to catastrophic consequences, and turns acquired money into trash. The story is based on folk beliefs and legends about enchanted “deceptive places.”
Analysis of the work
The plot of the work
Based on folklore, with which Nikolai Vasilyevich was very familiar from childhood. Legends and beliefs about “enchanted places” and treasures exist among most peoples of the world. The Slavs had a belief that treasures could be found in cemeteries. A candle flared above the grave with the treasure. It is a traditional and popular belief that ill-gotten wealth turns into trash.
The story is rich in rich, bright, original Ukrainian folk language, which is sprinkled with Ukrainian words: “bashtan”, “kuren”, “chumaki”. Folk life is depicted as accurately as possible, Gogol's humor creates a unique atmosphere. The story is structured in such a way that you get a feeling of personal presence, as if you yourself are among the sexton’s listeners. This is achieved through the narrator's precise comments.
The plot is based on the story of the deacon of the local church, Foma Grigorievich, familiar to many readers from the story “The Missing Letter,” about an incident in the life of his grandfather. His story, vivid and memorable, is full of humor. It was no coincidence that the author gave the story the title “Enchanted Place.” It intertwines two worlds: reality and fantasy. The real world is represented by the way of life of people, the fantasy world is represented by a grave, treasure and devilry. The sexton's memories take him back to childhood. The father and his eldest son went to sell tobacco. A mother with three children and a grandfather remained at home. One day, having gone on a spree with visiting merchants, the grandfather began to dance in the garden until he reached one place in the garden and stopped, rooted to the spot, near a bed of cucumbers. I looked around and didn’t recognize the place, but realized that it was located behind the clerk’s threshing floor. Somehow I found a path and saw a candle flare up on a nearby grave. I noticed another grave. A candle flashed on it too, followed by another.
According to folk legend, this happens where the treasure is buried. Grandfather was happy, but he had nothing with him. Having marked the place with a large branch, he went home. The next day he tried to find this place, but found nothing, only accidentally hitting the cucumber bed with a spade, he again found himself in the same place, near the grave on which the stone lay.
And then the real devilry began. Before the grandfather had time to take out the tobacco to smell it, someone sneezed behind his ear. He started digging and unearthed a pot. “Ah, my dear, that’s where you are!” And after him the same words were repeated by a bird, a ram's head from the top of a tree, and a bear. The grandfather got scared, grabbed the cauldron and ran away. At this time, his mother and children began to look for him. After dinner, the mother went out to pour out the hot slop and saw a barrel crawling towards her. Deciding that these were naughty children, the woman poured slop on her. But it turned out that it was my grandfather who was walking.
We decided to see what kind of treasure the grandfather had brought, opened the pot, and there was garbage “and it’s a shame to say what it is.” From then on, the grandfather began to believe only in Christ, and fenced off the enchanted place with a fence.
Main characters
Grandfather Maxim
The hero of the story is Grandfather Maxim. Judging by the sexton’s words, his grandfather was a cheerful and interesting person. In the author's ironic description, he is a cheerful, lively old man who loves to have fun, joke, and brag somewhere. A big fan of listening to Chumakov stories. He refers to his grandchildren only as “dog children,” but it is clear that they are all his favorites. His grandchildren respond to him with the same love.
Enchanted place
The enchanted place itself can be called the hero of the story. By modern standards, it can be called an anomalous place. Grandfather Maxim discovers this place by chance while dancing. Inside the zone, space and time change their properties, which the old man attributes to evil spirits. The anomalous zone itself also has its own character. It doesn’t show much love to strangers, but it doesn’t overtly harm, only frighteningly. There is no great harm from the presence of this place in the real world, except that nothing grows here. Moreover, it is ready to play with the old man. Sometimes it hides from him, sometimes it opens up easily. In addition, he has many means of intimidation at his disposal: the weather, the disappearing moon, talking ram heads and monsters.
The demonstration of all these miracles frightens the old man for a while and he abandons his find, but the thirst for the treasure turns out to be stronger than the fear. For this, the grandfather receives punishment. The cauldron he had obtained with such difficulty turned out to be filled with rubbish. Science served him well. The grandfather became very pious, swore to associate with evil spirits and punished all his loved ones for this.
Conclusion
With this story, Gogol shows that only wealth that is acquired honestly is useful for future use, and that wealth acquired dishonestly is illusory. Using the example of the story with his grandfather, he gives us the opportunity to believe in good and bright. The writer's contemporaries, including Belinsky and Pushkin Herzen, received the story with rave reviews. For more than 150 years, this story has made the reader smile, immersing him in the amazing Gogol world of wit, fantasy, and folk poetry, in which the very soul of the people comes to life.
"The Enchanted Place" is unique in its skillful use of folklore and folk legends. Even the evil spirit introduced into the story has nothing to do with mysticism. Folk fiction is attractive to us for its everyday simplicity, naive and spontaneous. Therefore, all Gogol’s heroes are saturated with bright colors of life, full of enthusiasm and folk humor.
