Composition

Fairy tale by Nikolai Semenovich Leskov “Lefty” - work amazing fate. Many critics believed that in it Leskov was laughing at the Russian people, that he simply collected the stories of Tula artisans into one work. This suggests that Leskov knew very well the life of the people, their character, speech and morals. Leskov came up with this work himself - he was such a wonderful writer.
In his work, Leskov shows us a simple craftsman from Tula, who in fact turns out to be anything but simple. He has golden hands, he can do anything. This Lefty looks like Lefty from folk tale, who shod the flea, but everything ends badly for Leskov. Tula Lefty can shoe a flea, but he broke the mechanism. This makes both the author and the reader sad.
Leskov knew the Russian soul very well. He also loved the Russian people very much, his soul rooted for them. He treats his hero with warmth and compassion; it hurts him that he was not appreciated in Russia. It seems to me that “Lefty” is a sad fairy tale, because there is a lot of injustice in it. After all, it is unfair that the English skipper is greeted with love and joy, but his Lefty, who was so eager to go home and was not tempted by English money, is not greeted like that. No one even said “thank you” to him. But there was a reason - Lefty found out the most important thing English secret. But they arrest him because he has no documents and strip him of his clothes. When they dragged him, they dropped him on the parapet and broke the back of his head. This is why he died, and also because they couldn’t find a doctor, because no one cared about a man from the people. And he loved his homeland so much that he didn’t even take money from the British.

In general, Leskov shows that his hero loves his Motherland very much and is ready to accomplish a feat for it. He does his amazing things and reveals the secret of cleaning a gun not for the sake of fame, but so that Russia becomes better. The secret was that the guns did not need to be cleaned with a brick - this would cause them to break. He told this secret before his death, but not a single general believed him. After all, Lefty is a representative of the people, and the people must remain silent. In Leskov, the people speak in their own special way. His words are apt, biting, only the people can speak like that. Leskov casts his voice in defense of the Russian people, but does it not directly, but on behalf of a visiting Englishman: “Even though he has an Ovechkin’s fur coat, he has a human soul.”
I know that now the work of N.S. Leskova is not very popular. It seems to me that it is very important for modern Russian people, because it makes us think about the Russian character, about our life, about why everything is so strange for us. Reading Leskov, you understand that a true patriot loves his Motherland no matter what, always stays with it in difficult times. This is the main thing moral lesson works by Leskov.

Other works on this work

Author and narrator in N.S. Leskov's story "Lefty" Pride in the people in N.S.’s fairy tale Leskova "Lefty" Lefty is a folk hero. Love and pain for Russia in N. Leskov’s tale “Lefty”. Love and pain for Russia in N. S. Leskov’s fairy tale “Lefty” Russian history in the story “Lefty” by N. S. Leskov The plot and problems of one of the works of N. S. Leskov (“Lefty”). Tragic and comic in N. S. Leskov’s tale “Lefty” Folklore traditions in the work of one of the Russian writers of the 19th century (N.S. Leskov “Lefty”) N.S. Leskov. "Lefty." The originality of the genre. The theme of the Motherland in N. Leskov’s tale “Lefty” Lefty 1 Techniques for depicting folk character in Leskov’s story “Lefty” Lefty 2 The plot and problems of one of Leskov’s stories “Lefty” Brief description of the work “Lefty” by N.S. Leskova Leskov "Lefty" Lefty 3 The image of the Russian national character in the work of N.S. Leskova “Lefty” Pride in Russia and its people in “The Tale of the Tula Lefty and the Steel Flea” by N. S. Leskov Russian national character in the story by N.S. Leskova “Lefty” 2 “Lefty” - the originality of the genre Traditions of folklore and ancient Russian literature in N. S. Leskov’s story “The Enchanted Wanderer” Left-handed - characteristics of a literary hero The main character of the story in the story by N. S. Leskov “Lefty”

Probably so
Story by N.S. Leskova “Lefty” is one of the most popular works writer. What is attractive here is the combination of folk, folklore origins with the deep thoughts of the author about the essence of the Russian national character, about the role of Russia and Russians in the world. It is no coincidence that this work has the subtitle “The Tale of the Tula Oblique Left-Hander and the Steel Flea.” "Lefty" imitated folk legend, although Leskov later admitted: “I composed this whole story... and the left-handed person is a person I invented.” To stylize the story as folklore, a narrator was chosen who is very different from the real author both in terms of speech and biography. Readers get the impression that the narrator is the same Tula artisan as the skilled gunsmith Lefty. He speaks completely differently than Leskov, and endows the characters with characters that are unusual for them. real prototypes speech characteristics. For example, the Don ataman Count Platov, while with Emperor Alexander Pavlovich in England, “ordered the orderly to bring a flask of Caucasian vodka-kizlyarka from the cellar, cracked a good glass, prayed to God on the road fold, covered himself with a cloak and snored so that in the whole house no Englishmen could sleep.” It was impossible.” And the same Platov speaks just like a peasant or a craftsman: “Oh, they are dog scoundrels! Now I understand why they didn’t want to tell me anything there. It’s good that I took one of their fools with me.” In the narrator's view, the emperor himself expresses himself no better: “No, I still want to see other news...” The narrator’s own speech is the same, as we have already seen when describing Platov. The author of “Lefty,” having entrusted the story to him, left only footnotes directly behind him, thanks to which readers get the impression of the reliability of the facts underlying the story. The language of the notes is literary correct, almost scientific. Here Leskov’s own voice can already be heard: “Pop Fedot” was not taken from the wind: Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, before his death in Taganrog, confessed to the priest Alexei Fedotov-Chekhovsky, who after that was called “His Majesty’s confessor” and loved to make everyone see this completely random circumstance. This Fedotov - Chekhovsky, obviously, is the legendary “priest Fedot.” But Lefty’s voice in the story is almost indistinguishable in style from the speech of other characters and the narrator. Let us also add that Leskov deliberately gives the popular vowels of the names of famous nobles. For example, Chancellor Count K.V. Nesselrode turned into Count Kisselrode. In this way the writer conveyed his negative attitude to Nesselrode's activities as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Main character In the story, he is an uneducated man, not without the shortcomings characteristic of Russians, including friendship with the “green serpent”. However, the main property of Lefty is extraordinary, wonderful skill. He wiped the noses of the “Aglitsky masters”, shod the flea with such small nails that you couldn’t see it even with the strongest microscope. In the image of Lefty, Leskov proved that the opinion put into the mouth of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich was incorrect: foreigners “have such a nature of perfection that once you look at it, you will no longer argue that we, Russians, are worthless with our significance.” Lefty does not succumb to any temptations and refuses to betray his homeland, sacrificing his life to convey: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them not clean ours either, otherwise, God bless wars, they are not suitable for shooting.” But the officials never conveyed this warning to either the then emperor or his successor, c. as a result of which the Russian army allegedly lost Crimean War. And when Lefty’s friend “the English half-skipper” states in a wonderful broken language: “Even though he has an Ovechkin’s fur coat, he has the soul of a little man,” the author of the story himself speaks to us.

The life of the people is main topic creativity N.S. Leskova. In his works he did not try to teach people how to live. The author was simply imbued with life ordinary people. I didn’t invent the heroes of my stories, I took them from life: eccentrics, good-natured people, generous, harmless. In the talent of the Russian people, the writer saw the purity and righteous path of his country and its people.

Here is "Lefty" a wonderful work about a Tula master who shod a steel flea. The narrative of the tale begins with the visit of the Russian sovereign to England, where he gets acquainted with various wonders abroad, from where he brings a steel flea. After the death of the ruler, the new sovereign, “believing” in his people, orders to find masters who could surpass the British. They found such people in Tula; in three days they were able to shoe a tiny flea. After which Lefty is sent to London to show his product. The British are trying to lure the Russian master by offering him money, but he refuses and returns to his homeland. But the return proves difficult. Weakened by the journey, illness and drunkenness, the Tula master is first sent to a neighborhood where he is robbed, and then for a long time he cannot be admitted to a hospital. Before his death, the left-hander does not think about himself, he cares about the army, asking him to convey to the sovereign an important secret, which will later be forgotten.

What kind of hero is he, personifying the Russian people? He is obliquely left-handed, the hair at his temple has been torn out, and he is dressed in old peasant clothes. The author does not embellish his positive hero, on the contrary, he emphasizes his belonging to to the common people. Left-handed, a brilliant master of his craft, completely devoid of vanity. N. S. Leskov does not hide and regrets the illiteracy and lack of enlightenment of his hero. Also the writer in left-handed shows major vice Russian person - drunkenness. If the left-hander had not agreed to the bet, maybe his fate would have been different? Despite all this, left-handedness does not fall in the eyes of the reader. The author values ​​his hero for other qualities: skill, dignity, love for his homeland, desire to be useful to his country.

The Russian people in the tale of Tula left-hander- gifted, kind, honest, unconceited, patriotic, but at the same time illiterate and lagging behind other countries in knowledge. N. S. Leskov is outraged by the unjust humiliation of the people, the unwillingness of the authorities to listen to the words ordinary person. The country and the people must follow the same path; unfortunately, this is not always the case.

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3. Russian national character Lefty, the hero of the tale by N.S. Leskov

Leskov does not give a name to his hero, thereby emphasizing the collective meaning and significance of his character. The image of Lefty combines the main features of the Russian national character.

· Religiosity

The religiosity of the Russian people is manifested in the episode when Tula craftsmen, including Levsha, before starting work, went to bow to the icon of “Nikola of Mtsensk” - the patron of trade and military affairs. Also, Lefty’s religiosity is “intertwined” with his patriotism. Lefty's faith is one of the reasons he refuses to stay in England. “Because,” he answers, “our Russian faith is the most correct, and as our right-wingers believed, our descendants should believe in the same way.”

· Willpower, courage and bravery

Lefty, one of three gunsmiths, worked hard on the strange flea for two weeks. All this time they sat locked up, keeping their work secret. It is here that the strength of spirit is manifested, since they had to work in difficult conditions: with closed windows and doors, without rest, so that during work they would never leave their “crowded mansion”, in which “from restless work in the air such a sweaty spiral became “that an unaccustomed person with a fresh illness could not breathe even once.”

· Patience and perseverance

Many times, Lefty shows patience and perseverance: both when Platov “caught Lefty by the hair and began to toss him back and forth so that tufts flew,” and when Lefty, sailing home from England, despite bad weather, sits on the deck to quickly see his homeland :

“As soon as we left the bay into the Solid Earth Sea, his desire for Russia became such that it was impossible to calm him down. The flooding has become terrible, but the left-handed man doesn’t go downstairs to the cabins - he sits under the gift, pulls his cap down and looks towards his fatherland. Many times the English came to a warm place to call him down, but so as not to be bothered, he even began to lash out.”

· Patriotism

While in England, Lefty rejects profitable offer English: settle in London, learn science, visit factories for practice, get a job prestigious job, get married, have a family. (“Stay with us, we will give you great education, and you will become an amazing master”, “The British called themselves to send money to his parents”, “we will marry you”), because he loves his Motherland, loves its customs, its traditions. Lefty cannot imagine his life outside of Russia. “We,” he says, “are committed to our homeland, and my aunt is already an old man, and my parent is an old woman and is accustomed to going to church in her parish,” “and I wish to quickly native place, because otherwise I might get a form of insanity.”

Lefty - true patriot, a patriot at heart, gifted from birth, he is characterized by high morality and religiosity. He went through many trials, but even in his death hour he remembers that he must tell the military secret of the British, ignorance of which negatively affects the combat effectiveness of the Russian army.

· Kindness

Despite his strong attachment to his homeland, Lefty refuses the British's request to stay very politely, trying not to offend them. He does this in such a way that his refusal not only did not upset the British, but even earned them respect. And he forgives Ataman Platov for his rude treatment of himself. “Even though he has Ovechkin’s fur coat, he has the soul of a man,” says the “Aglitsky half-skipper” about his Russian comrade.

· Hard work and talent

One of the main themes in the story is the theme of the creative talent of the Russian person. Talent, according to Leskov, cannot exist independently; it must necessarily be based on the moral and spiritual strength of a person. The plot itself, the very history of this tale tells how Lefty, together with his comrades, was able to “outdo” the English masters without any acquired knowledge, only thanks to talent and hard work. Extraordinary, wonderful skill is the main property of Lefty. He wiped the noses of the “Aglitsky masters”, shod the flea with such small nails that you couldn’t see it even with the strongest microscope. In the image of Lefty, Leskov proved that the opinion put into the mouth of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich was incorrect: foreigners “have such a nature of perfection that once you look at it, you will no longer argue that we, Russians, are no good for our importance.”

The proper name of Lefty, like the names of many greatest geniuses, is forever lost to posterity, but his adventures can serve as a memory of an era, the general spirit of which is accurately and accurately captured. The image of Lefty, according to the writer, recalls those times when “inequality of talents and talents” mattered, and makes one look with sadness at the present time, when, “while favoring an increase in earnings, machines do not favor artistic prowess, which sometimes exceeded the limit, inspiring folk imagination to compose fabulous legends similar to the current ones.”

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