The role of artistic detail in A. Chekhov’s story “Chameleon”

(1 option)

A.P. Chekhov is rightfully considered a master artistic detail. A precisely and well-chosen detail is evidence of the writer’s artistic talent. Bright

the detail makes the phrase more meaningful. The role of artistic detail in Chekhov’s humorous story “Chameleon” is enormous.

The police warden Ochumelov, passing through the market square together with the policeman Eldyrin, is dressed in a new overcoat, which turns into important detail, characterizing the state of the police supervisor. For example, having learned that, probably, the dog that bit the goldsmith Khryukin belongs to General Zhigalov, Ochumelov becomes unbearably hot, so he says: “Hm!.. Take off my coat, Eldyrin... It’s terribly hot! » Here the removed coat is a symbol of the hero’s nervousness. Considering that such a nondescript dog cannot be the general’s, Ochumelov again scolds it: “The general’s dogs are expensive, purebred, but this one is the devil knows what! No fur, no appearance... just meanness..." But the assumption of a man from the crowd that the dog belonged to the general now instills fear in Ochumelov for the words that he just uttered. And here, to convey the mood of the character, the author again uses artistic detail. The warden says: “Hm!.. Put a coat on me, brother Eldyrin... Something blew in the wind... It’s chilling...” Here the coat seems to help the hero hide from his own words. At the end of the work, Ochumelov’s coat again turns into an overcoat, which the hero wraps himself in as he continues his path through the market square. Chekhov has no extra words, and therefore the important fact is that the new overcoat in Ochumelov’s conversation turns into a coat, that is, there is a deliberate reduction in the role of the object by the hero himself. Indeed, the new overcoat makes Ochumelov stand out as a policeman. But the function of the coat is different; with the help of this artistic detail, the writer characterizes the character.

Consequently, artistic detail helps the writer to penetrate deeper into the psychology of the hero, and the reader to see the changing state and mood of the character.

(Option 2)

Artistic detail helps the author create the character of the hero. Such a characterizing detail can be a telling surname, a hero’s spoken word at the right time or at the wrong time, a substitution of words, their rearrangement, a piece of clothing, furniture, sound, color, even the choice of an animal that became the title of the work.

The first thing that catches your eye is the name of the police supervisor. Why Ochumelov? Perhaps precisely because, having gone crazy and confused, the hero of the work does not know what to do, what to decide on. Next interesting fact, as always with Chekhov, is veiled, hidden, you won’t see it right away. Among the first remarks of Khryukin (also a telling surname) there is one especially close to Chekhov the satirist: “Nowadays it is not ordered to bite!” It seems that we are talking about a dog, but government policy got a little bit of it. Ochumelov does not turn around, but, as befits a military man, “makes a half turn to the left” and intervenes in what is happening. Khryukin’s bloody finger, raised up, “has the appearance of a sign of victory” of a man, a half-drunk goldsmith, Khryukin, over a dog, a white greyhound puppy with an expression of melancholy and horror in his watery eyes. Khryukin treats the dog as if it were a person who offended him, from whom he demands satisfaction, moral, material, legal: “I’ll rip you off”, “let them pay me”, “if everyone bites, then it’s better not to live in the world." The poor animal, depending on who it is considered to be, is either going to be exterminated as a rabid dirty trick, or it is called a gentle creature, a tsutsik, a little dog. But not only Ochumelov’s attitude towards the dog changes, but also towards Khryukin, whom she bit because he poked a cigarette in her face for a laugh, and towards the supposed owner. Either Khryukin is accused of having “picked his finger with a nail” in order to “rip it off”, then they advise not to leave this matter like that, “you need to teach him a lesson”, then they don’t call him anything other than a pig and a blockhead and they threaten him, not the dog . The degree of Ochumelov’s excitement is reflected by the new overcoat he puts on and then takes off, as he either shivers from excitement or gets hot.

The artistic detail in Chekhov's story characterizes Ochumelov, Khryukin, and the dog. It helps the reader understand the author's point of view and forces him to be more attentive.

(Option 1) A.P. Chekhov is rightfully considered a master of artistic detail. A precisely and well-chosen detail is evidence of the writer’s artistic talent. Bright Detail makes the phrase more meaningful. The role of artistic detail in Chekhov’s humorous story “Chameleon” is enormous. The police warden Ochumelov, passing through the market square together with the policeman Eldyrin, is dressed in a new overcoat, which in the text of the story turns into an important detail characterizing the state of the police warden. For example, having learned that, probably, the dog that bit the goldsmith Khryukin belongs to General Zhigalov, Ochumelov becomes unbearably hot, so he says: “Hm!.. Take off my coat, Eldyrin... It’s terribly hot! » Here the removed coat is a symbol of the hero’s nervousness. Considering that such a nondescript dog cannot be the general’s, Ochumelov again scolds it: “The general’s dogs are expensive, purebred, but this one is the devil knows what! No fur, no appearance... just meanness..." But the assumption of a man from the crowd that the dog belonged to the general now instills fear in Ochumelov for the words that he just uttered. And here, to convey the mood of the character, the author again uses artistic detail. The warden says: “Hm!.. Put a coat on me, brother Eldyrin... Something blew in the wind... It’s chilling...” Here the coat seems to help the hero hide from his own words. At the end of the work, Ochumelov’s coat again turns into an overcoat, which the hero wraps himself in as he continues his path through the market square. Chekhov has no extra words, and therefore the important fact is that the new overcoat in Ochumelov’s conversation turns into a coat, that is, there is a deliberate reduction in the role of the object by the hero himself. Indeed, the new overcoat makes Ochumelov stand out as a policeman. But the function of the coat is different; with the help of this artistic detail, the writer characterizes the character. Consequently, artistic detail helps the writer to penetrate deeper into the psychology of the hero, and the reader to see the changing state and mood of the character. (Option 2) Artistic detail helps the author create the character of the hero. Such a characterizing detail can be a telling surname, a hero’s spoken word at the right time or at the wrong time, a substitution of words, their rearrangement, a piece of clothing, furniture, sound, color, even the choice of an animal that became the title of the work. The first thing that catches your eye is the name of the police supervisor. Why Ochumelov? Perhaps precisely because, having gone crazy and confused, the hero of the work does not know what to do, what to decide on. The next interesting fact, as always with Chekhov, is veiled, hidden, you won’t see it right away. Among the first remarks of Khryukin (also a telling surname) there is one especially close to Chekhov the satirist: “Nowadays you are not ordered to bite! “It seems that we are talking about a dog, but government policy got a little bit of it. Ochumelov does not turn around, but, as befits a military man, “makes a half turn to the left” and intervenes in what is happening. Khryukin’s bloody finger, raised up, “has the appearance of a sign of victory” of a man, a half-drunk goldsmith, Khryukin, over a dog, a white greyhound puppy with an expression of melancholy and horror in his watery eyes. Khryukin treats the dog as if it were a person who offended him, from whom he demands satisfaction, moral, material, legal: “I’ll rip you off”, “let them pay me”, “if everyone bites, then it’s better not to live in the world." The poor animal, depending on who it is considered to be, is either going to be exterminated as a rabid dirty trick, or it is called a gentle creature, a tsutsik, a little dog. But not only Ochumelov’s attitude towards the dog changes, but also towards Khryukin, whom she bit because he poked a cigarette in her face for a laugh, and towards the supposed owner. Either Khryukin is accused of having “picked his finger with a nail” in order to “rip it off”, then they advise not to leave this matter like that, “you need to teach him a lesson”, then they don’t call him anything other than a pig and a blockhead and they threaten him, not the dog . The degree of Ochumelov’s excitement is reflected by the new overcoat he puts on and then takes off, as he either shivers from excitement or gets hot. The artistic detail in Chekhov's story characterizes Ochumelov, Khryukin, and the dog. It helps the reader understand the author's point of view and forces him to be more attentive.

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARTISTIC DETAIL IN A. P. CHEKHOV’S STORY “CHAMELEON” A. P. Chekhov is a master of the short story. One of his stories, “Chameleon,” tells in a humorous way about an insignificant event that happened one day in a small provincial town. The event itself was really insignificant. However, the characters in the story, whose personalities are revealed mainly in dialogues, make the reader think, see the extraordinary in the ordinary. The story does not contain picturesque landscapes or detailed and detailed characteristics of the characters. A.P. Chekhov's skill lies in his ability to observe life, putting his thoughts into the form of subtle and precise details. Deserted market square. Police warden Ochumelov walks through it. The red-haired policeman Eldyrin paces behind him. There is peace and quiet all around. Suddenly the silence is broken by human screams and dog squeals. Ochumelov sees a dog running from the merchant Pichugin’s warehouse, “jumping on three legs and looking around.” A man is chasing her. You can imagine how funny the situation was. But the running man decides to do something funnier and at the same time insane: “leaning his body forward, he falls to the ground and grabs the dog by the hind legs" The dog's squealing is heard again. Not surprisingly, the incident enlivens the sleepy market square. Out of nowhere, “as if growing out of the ground,” people came running. Ochumelov, a representative of power and order, cannot help but pay attention to the disorder. As he approached the crowd, he saw a man showing witnesses his bloody finger. It would seem that in such a situation the sympathy of the readers should be on the side of the injured goldsmith Khryukin. But let’s pay attention to the following details: his face was half-drunk and it seemed to say on it: “I’ll rip you off, you scoundrel!” The animal is not huge terrible dog , but just a white greyhound puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow spot on the back, and even lame. “In his teary eyes there is an expression of melancholy and horror.” A.P. Chekhov does not express his opinion on the incident, but the attentive reader immediately understands on whose side the author's sympathy is. Thus, several apt details allow the writer to present the episode in some detail and, most importantly, vividly, which became the compositional plot of the story. The main role in the story is played by dialogues, which are characterized by liveliness, plasticity of language and accuracy, accuracy of details. The words of the victim Khryukin are expressive and emotional. He constantly emphasizes his service to the letter of the law. Despite his apparent decency, Khryukin does not care at all about the triumph of the law, but about his own benefit: “Let them pay me, because maybe I won’t lift this finger for a week...” This phrase by Khryukin nullifies all his assurances of the veracity and truth of what was said . This can be confirmed by the words of a random witness who saw that Khryukin himself provoked the dog. You cannot take seriously the words of a person who is capable of offending a defenseless animal, and even in such a way. Just as unpredictable, if you take into account the details, is the police supervisor Ochumelov. He does not have his own opinion at all; he changes decisions depending on what benefit or trouble this decision will bring him. Let us remember how he addresses policeman Eldyrin: “Take off my coat, Eldyrin... It’s terribly hot! It must be before the rain." And a few minutes later: “Put on my coat, brother Eldyrin... Something blew in the wind... It’s chilling...” The weather conditions did not change at all. The policeman's decision regarding the future fate of the dog changed. The following remarks are typical in these dialogues: “It’s time to pay attention to such gentlemen who do not want to obey the regulations! When they fine him, the scoundrel, he will learn from me what a dog and other stray cattle mean!” And a few minutes later: “She (the dog) may be dear, but if every pig pokes a cigar in her nose, then how long will it take to ruin it... And you, idiot, put your hand down! There's no point in sticking out your stupid finger! It’s my own fault!..” The story ends with the triumph of justice. The true culprit of the incident has been punished. His punishment was the general laughter of those gathered, while the dog was returned to its owner, instead of being exterminated, to which he was “sentenced” at the beginning. Ochumelov threatens Khryukin that he will get to him. And this gesture of Ochumelov looks so helpless that it’s time to feel sorry for him. Regret your fear of your superiors and your inability to make independent decisions. Each of the characters in the story is deeply individual. This individuality is revealed primarily in the details of behavior and in the dialogues of the characters. A.P. Chekhov creates vivid and memorable images without resorting to broad, detailed characteristics. He created like a true artist, whose every brush stroke is significant and eloquent. Before us are no longer images of individual people, but something broader and more significant - the image of a population, a people, a nation.

An artistic detail is one of the means of creating artistic image, which helps the reader to imagine the picture, object or character depicted by the author in a unique individuality. It can reproduce the character’s character or appearance, features of his speech, facial expressions, and clothing. One way or another, it is the artistic detail that helps the author place emphasis so that the reader understands his intention as accurately as possible.

A clear confirmation of this is the story “Chameleon”.

The development of the action begins with an ordinary everyday incident: a greyhound puppy dared to encroach on the goldsmith Khryukin - he “grabbed” his finger. This event, insignificant in itself, gathers a large number of onlookers, and in a matter of minutes a whole crowd gathers in the market square, where it had just been quiet and dull. The victim Khrukni shows the crowd a bloody flame, and “in the center of the crowd, with his front legs spread out and his whole body trembling”) sits “the culprit of the scandal - a white greyhound puppy.” Police warden Ochumelov, who at that time, with a bundle in his hand, was marching decorously through the square, accompanied by a policeman, felt his importance and decided to look into the situation. Angered by the violation of the decree “on stray cattle,” he is not going to tolerate such disorder and orders a protocol to be drawn up. At the same time, he does not forget to ask whose dog it is. And then events take an unexpected turn.

Dialogue and individual remarks from the crowd come to the fore, and description is kept to a minimum. It has the character of the author's remarks (the police supervisor is “in a new overcoat”, the victim is “a man in a starched cotton shirt and an unbuttoned vest”, the culprit of the scandal is “a white greyhound puppy with a sharp muzzle and yellow spot on the back"). It is these and similar details that help us understand who is who in this situation and what can be expected from them.

Let's consider one of the expressive details used by Chekhov in this story - the new overcoat of the police warden. Ochumelov either takes it off, because he feels “it’s terribly hot!”, then puts it on again, then wraps himself in it, because from the news he heard, it was as if “the wind blew.” And so on several times. This detail highlights how the police officer's behavior changes depending on the circumstances.

IN difficult situation When he must determine his attitude to the dog, and to Khryukin, and to the owner of the puppy, and to the crowd of ordinary people, Ochumelov constantly changes his assessments, easily moving from servility to tyranny, from abuse to flattery. Like a chameleon, it changes its color. Chameleons are known to be skilled masters of camouflage. In response to various stimuli, they can change color from gray to brown and green, and sometimes yellow. Ochumelov, whom Chekhov branded with the word included in the title of the story and which became a designation for psychological and social adaptability, demonstrates the same change in reactions.

With this one detail, Chekhov reveals the essence of Ochu-Melov’s character: the police warden is a “chameleon”, the embodiment of the readiness to grovel before superiors and push around inferiors, to be mean, to curry favor, to “change his coloring” depending on the circumstances. It is curious that both Khryukin and the crowd of ordinary people behave in exactly the same way. It becomes clear that in the story, based on the example of a single case, Chekhov gave a psychologically based type of social behavior.

In the letters and notes of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, the following statements are often found: “Brevity is the sister of talent”, “The art of writing is the art of abbreviation”, “To write with talent, that is, briefly”... He believed that laconicism forces the reader to think independently critically, guess a lot for yourself. And indeed, there is nothing superfluous in Chekhov’s works. Just like there is nothing accidental.

Every word of the writer, every detail, every detail is thought out and used to fully and accurately express thoughts and feelings. And the story “Chameleon” became a clear confirmation of this.

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Essays on literature: The role of artistic detail in A. P. Chekhov’s story The Chameleon

A.P. Chekhov developed in early period small genres of his work: a humorous sketch, a short story, a joke, a feuilleton, often basing a work on an anecdotal incident. He was faced with the task of presenting a general picture through specific details in a small volume of work, with a small number of characters.

An artistic detail is one of the means of creating an artistic image, which helps to present the picture, object or character depicted by the author in a unique individuality. It can reproduce features of appearance, details of clothing, furnishings, experiences or actions.

Chekhov's story "Chameleon" begins with a premise that is extremely simple: an ordinary everyday incident - a greyhound puppy bit the finger of the "goldsmith master Khryukin" - gives rise to the development of the action. The main thing in this story is dialogue and individual remarks from the crowd, and description is kept to a minimum. It is in the nature of the author's remarks (the police officer is “in a new overcoat”, the victim is “a man in a starched cotton shirt and an unbuttoned vest”, the culprit of the scandal is “a white greyhound puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow spot on the back”).

There is nothing accidental in the story “Chameleon”. Every word, every detail is necessary for a more accurate description and expression of the author’s thoughts. In this work, such details are, for example, the overcoat of the police warden Ochumelov, the bundle in his hand, the sieve of the confiscated gooseberry, the bloody finger of the victim Khryukin. The artistic detail makes it possible to visualize the same Ochumelov in his new overcoat, which he takes off and puts on again several times throughout the story, then wraps himself in it. This detail highlights how the police officer's behavior changes depending on the circumstances. A voice from the crowd reports that the dog, “it seems,” is the general’s, and Ochumelov is thrown into hot and cold by such news: “Take off my coat, Eldyrin... It’s terrible how hot it is!”; “Put on my coat, brother Eldyrin... something was blown by the wind...”

Many artists use detail, including repetitive detail, but in Chekhov it occurs more often than in anyone else. With one such detail in the story, Chekhov reveals the essence of Ochumelov’s character: the police supervisor is a “chameleon”, the embodiment of the readiness to grovel before superiors and push around inferiors, to be mean, to curry favor, to “change his color” depending on the circumstances. “You, Khryukin, have suffered and don’t leave it like that... But the dog must be exterminated...” And a few minutes later the situation changed, and Ochumelov was already shouting: “A dog is a gentle creature... And you, idiot, put your hand down! There's no point in sticking out your stupid finger! It’s my own fault!”

Chekhov's skill lies in the fact that he knew how to select material, saturate a small work with great content, and highlight an essential detail important for characterizing a character or object. Precise and succinct artistic detail, created by the creative imagination of the author, guides the imagination of the reader. Chekhov gave details great importance, believed that it “excites the independent critical thought of the reader,” who must guess a lot for himself.

“Brevity is the sister of talent,” he wrote in his notebook Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. He himself, of course, had plenty of talent, which is why today, a hundred years after his death, we read the short and witty stories of this brilliant writer. How did he manage to so masterfully highlight the situation and reveal the characters’ characters in his small stories with a simple plot? Here an artistic detail comes to the author’s aid, aimed at emphasizing the special important points in the work.

A.P. Chekhov’s story “Chameleon” is also rich in artistic details, in which the writer ridicules servitude and opportunism. Every little detail here plays into revealing the images. The heroes of the story have surnames that speak for themselves and often do not need additional epithets: police warden Ochumelov, policeman Eldyrin, goldsmith Khryukin.

Introducing us to actors, A.P. Chekhov clarifies that the policeman has a sieve with confiscated gooseberries in his hands, and Khryukin with a “half-drunk face” is trying to achieve fair retribution for his finger bitten by a small puppy. These nuances in the description of the heroes help us to understand their characters and images more fully and deeply. Calling on artistic detail for help, rather than delving into complex psychology, the writer shows us Ochumelov’s violent changes in feelings during a difficult trial. He is so afraid of “missing the mark” with his decision that he gets hot and cold. By taking off and putting on his overcoat, the police supervisor seems to be changing masks, and at the same time his speech, mood, and attitude to the situation change.

Paying special attention to accuracy in the selection of descriptions and artistic details, A.P. Chekhov managed to create such capacious and memorable images that many of them became household names and have not lost their significance even today.

Chekhov is rightfully considered a master of the short story. Behind long years Working in humorous magazines, the author learned to pack maximum content into a small volume. In a small story, extensive ones are impossible, detailed descriptions, long monologues. That is why in Chekhov’s works an artistic detail comes to the fore, carrying a huge semantic load.

Let's consider the role of artistic detail in the story "Chameleon". It's about about how a police supervisor, considering the case of a puppy that bit a jewelry maker, changes his opinion several times about the outcome of the case. Moreover, his opinion directly depends on who owns the dog - a rich general or a poor man. Only after hearing the names of the characters, we can already imagine the characters in the story. Policeman Ochumelov, Master Khryukin, policeman Eldyrin - the names correspond to the characters and appearance of the heroes. The short phrases “Take off my coat, Eldyrin” and “Put my coat on, brother Eldyrin...” speak about the internal storm disturbing the police supervisor during the investigation of the case. Gradually we feel how Ochumelov is humiliated, not even in front of the general, the owner of the puppy, but in front of the animal itself. The warden bows to the powerful of this world, strives with all his might to please them, not caring about his human dignity. After all, his career depends on them.

We can learn about the character of the other hero of the story, Khryukin, from one small phrase that he “hits the dog with a cigarette in the mug for laughter, and she - don’t be a fool, and bite...”. The entertainment of Khryukin, a middle-aged man, is not at all appropriate for his age. Out of boredom, he mocks a defenseless animal, for which he pays - the puppy bit him.

The title "Chameleon" also conveys the main idea of ​​the story. Ochumelov’s opinion changes as quickly and often depending on circumstances, just as a chameleon lizard changes its skin color, corresponding to natural conditions.

It is thanks to Chekhov’s masterful use of artistic details in his works that the writer’s work is understandable and accessible to every person.