“Station Warden” is one of the ideas outlined by A.S. Pushkin. This work, like most of the literary creations of the great Russian poet, is written in a capacious, concise language. Pushkin fit several years into a small space, taking from them only the most important moments.
At one of the stations in the N province, through which the hero who told this story was passing, a certain widower served. But he had a fourteen-year-old daughter. When she came out of the closet, the first thing our narrator noticed was the girl’s extraordinary beauty. Her father, the station superintendent, was proud of his daughter and spoke with pleasure about how “intelligent, so agile, like a dead mother” she was.
This girl held the station. With her gaze, she could extinguish the anger of dissatisfied passers-by, who began to speak more quietly and calmly in front of her. The girl was a housewife, kept the house where they lived clean, and helped her father. She prepared the samovar very quickly, and our traveler and his hosts managed to drink hot, steaming tea before leaving.
Dunya was at that age when almost all girls begin to pay attention to the opposite sex. The little coquette already understood the effect she had on men. She allowed the departing young official to kiss her.
A few years later, when he was again passing through this province, he again turned into the station to see the caretaker and Dunya. But the girl was no longer at the station. Our traveler learned that a passing hussar liked Dunya, and he pretended to be sick just to stay in the caretaker’s house. Dunya looked after him.
And three days later, when the girl got ready to go to church, the recovered hussar had to leave the station. He offered Duna a ride to church, but, in essence, stole her. The girl loved her father very much, and of course she was worried about him, but new life, the unknown luxury that the hussar managed to promise her, the feeling of love for young man, clouded her consciousness. Therefore, as the coachman said, “Dunya cried all the way, although it seemed that she was driving on her own accord.”
Dunya fell in love with the hussar, Lieutenant Minsky, and, apparently, he did not immediately marry her. One day, a few years later, Dunya came to her native village, where her father once lived. Maybe she wanted to take him home, maybe she only came to visit and help financially, the reader will never know. We only know that Dunya had a kind and sensitive heart. And the tears at my father’s grave were sincere from the heart. She was late to take care of the living. And so she gave money to the priest so that he would take care of the soul of her late parent.
The story of A. S. Pushkin “The Station Agent” is about two destinies, father and daughter. After the death of his wife, Samson Vyrin resigned, receiving the rank of fourteenth class and the position of stationmaster. Vyrin works at a small postal station to support himself and his daughter. One day, a passing hussar, Minsky, secretly takes his very young daughter, who is fifteen years old, to St. Petersburg. To implement his plan, the rich captain pretended to be sick for three days, and the sympathetic Dunya looked after him. Samson Vyrin, without suspecting anything wrong, allowed the young hussar to take his daughter to church. Dunya did not return home, unfortunately for the poor old man. In the evening, a drunk driver arrived at the station, saying that Dunya cried all the way, but left voluntarily.
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The caretaker, blaming himself for carelessness and short-sightedness, paints a terrible picture of Dunya’s future life in an unfamiliar city. He is sure that the hussar will amuse himself with the girl and then leave her.
Dunya not only has beauty, but also natural charm. Despite her young age, she is very smart and can carry on any conversation with people passing by. She behaves confidently and is not shy. Belkin characterizes Vyrina as a little coquette who has seen the light. Dunya has long noticed what a strong impression she makes on the guests. Men compliment her, and ladies give her gifts. The girl is very open, kind, at times naive and trusting. She is not afraid to accompany the author of the story to the cart and easily agrees to a kiss, so it is not surprising that a handsome, unfamiliar hussar managed to take Dunya away from her father’s house.
In the story “The Station Agent” there are no clearly positive characters among the main characters. Until the very end of the work, it is difficult to believe that such a pure, kind and sweet girl could treat her own father so cruelly. For several years after the escape, she not only did not come to see Vyrin, but did not even deign to write him a short letter that she was alive and well. After all, the most terrible thing for the caretaker was the unknown: not knowing the real situation of his daughter, in his imagination he imagined the unfortunate abandoned Dunya, who was forced to sweep the streets of St. Petersburg in order to earn a piece of bread.
Prince Minsky is a very controversial character. He liked Dunya at first sight. In order to stay in the caretaker's house for a few days, he resorted to a trick, feigning illness. During this time, an open and trusting girl became attached to a cheerful and handsome hussar. The young man took Dunya away against her father’s will, leaving her without her parent’s blessing. He drove the unfortunate Vyrin out of his luxurious home twice, not even allowing him to see his daughter, having paid him off with money. Only at the very end of the story does Minsky turn from a scoundrel into a noble and loving person, who nevertheless married the poor and ignorant Duna. This conclusion can be drawn from the belated arrival of Dunya and the children to their deceased father. The young woman arrived at her home not humiliated and unhappy, but with her head held high, like a winner who had won the battle with fate.
Dunya is a girl without a dowry and not a noblewoman, but a rich prince of Minsk. The difference in social status between them is huge, so Samson Vyrin does not hope that the cunning and frivolous captain will marry her. He already considers her deceived and disgraced.
Modest Samson Vyrin is accustomed to humiliation and insults from significant persons, so he does not try to find justice for his unscrupulous beloved Dunya, he does not believe in justice, therefore in life he has encountered unfair reproaches from gentlemen, never having acquired patrons for himself who could stand up for him.
In order to help out his daughter, the caretaker comes to St. Petersburg. He humbly begs Minsky to return Dunya. He is ready to forgive him for insulting his daughter’s honor, if only he would return her back.
When Samson receives money from the prince, his first feeling is indignation. But he is not able to express even this indignation openly to his offender, and instead of throwing money in Minsky’s face, he throws it on the ground. Great passions are raging in Vyrin’s soul, but he does not commit the corresponding actions and actions. The struggle happens within. Moreover, the story with the money does not end there: Vyrin returns for it, but sees how, having caught a cab driver, a well-dressed gentleman, who supposedly found the banknotes, quickly disappears. Even here the caretaker gets lost and does not give chase. Disenfranchised and humiliated, Samson Vyrin can only please and silently endure beatings and insults.
Only at the very end of the story do we learn that Dunya’s fate was decided successfully. She became a lady with three children and a wet nurse, riding six horses to her native place. During this time, the caretaker died and the station was closed. Dunya visits the cemetery and lies at the grave for a long time. This episode shows that the newly-made lady loves her father and feels guilty. Dunya lived for many years in luxury and wealth, but this does not mean that her fate was decided. Most likely, Minsky could not immediately marry the girl. Apparently, circumstances interfered: - firstly, Dunya was not a noblewoman and was without a dowry; the hussar’s relatives could resist this marriage. - Secondly, the prince served in the army, in order to arrange a wedding, he had to retire. Thirdly, Minsky didn’t know the girl well. He became interested in her, but it takes time to develop such a serious feeling as love. I think that the captain himself, driving the young girl to church, did not yet know how this frivolous adventure would end. And Dunya wanted to escape from the outback to the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. She dreamed of love. She hoped for happiness, albeit short-lived. The girl was so ashamed of her action that she was afraid to even write to her father about the reasons that prompted her to do this.
I am sure that the death and drunkenness of Samson Vyrin is to blame not only for the cruel prince, who did not allow him to take his daughter, but also for Dunya, who left her beloved father to die alone. One letter, even one line of repentance would be hope for the caretaker. She would instill confidence that he would someday hug his daughter and hold his grandchildren close to him. But Avdotya Vyrina seemed to be ashamed of her origins and wanted to forget her former life at a small postal station. Parents will always understand their children and find an excuse for their actions, so it is better to confess to living parents than to come to the cemetery, bringing your repentance to the dead. This will not resurrect them. Samson Vyrin did everything for his daughter: he served as a caretaker and endured reproaches and humiliation in order to clothe and feed his daughter. He did not curse her, as was customary in Russian families of the century before last for the shameful flight from home. He waited and hoped that Dunya would return. He forgave her a long time ago, at the very moment when he found out that she ran away. Samson Vyrin died of grief and loneliness because he suffered from the unknown. His heart was breaking with pain for his only beloved daughter.
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Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is not only a national Russian poet, whose poems have been exciting the minds and hearts of people for two centuries, but also a talented prose writer, a master of words. Short stories occupy a special place in the list of his legendary works. One of them, “The Stationmaster,” was written in 1830. Shown here for the first time life's troubles, suffering and pain of poor defenseless people. To understand what the author wanted to say with this work, you need to read summary and the main characters.
The main characters of the story
Narrator- the person on whose behalf the story is told. I met the stationmaster and his beautiful daughter named Dunya and to some extent became friends with them. I was researching the facts after a misfortune happened with a friend.
Stationmaster- in the story he is called Samson, but the name is mentioned extremely rarely. A loving and kind father who simply adores his daughter Dunya. After her sudden disappearance, she experiences a real tragedy. Dies prematurely from alcohol abuse. The story shows how positive hero, but, unfortunately, unable to overcome the difficulties of life.
Dunya- daughter of a stationmaster. Kind, meek and very beautiful girl, who was kidnapped by a visiting hussar, hiding the truth from her father. Her life is contradictory: on the one hand, love for her dad, whom she betrayed, on the other, the inability to resist feelings for the young man who so unexpectedly appeared in her life. Subsequently, she became a lady, gave birth to children, and was happy with her husband. But my father died untimely, and Dunya, having found his burial place, cried for a long time at the grave, pouring out melancholy and sadness.
Young hussar, or captain Minsky- a young man who decided to capture the heart of the stationmaster’s daughter at any cost. For this purpose, he resorts to a cunning method - he pretends to be sick, and then, under the guise of taking the girl to church, he carries out his plan to kidnap her. Subsequently, he is shown as loving his wife, but trying with all his might to get rid of her father, forbidding him to see Dunya.
An old man's grief
The bitter news plunged poor father Dunya into such despair that he immediately fell ill and went to bed. Having recovered a little, he weighed all the options on how to help his beloved daughter and went on foot to look for her.
Meeting with captain Minsky in St. Petersburg
First I stopped in St. Petersburg, thinking of starting my search from there. “He knew from the road that Captain Minsky was traveling from Smolensk to St. Petersburg.” After a short investigation, the old man realized that a hussar lived in the Demutov tavern. He came to him and with tears asked to “give back poor Dunya.” The young man felt that he was guilty before this gray-haired elderly man, asked for forgiveness, but assured that Dunya would be happy with him and that he would not allow him to see her. Then he “put something up his sleeve” and opened the door. The poor caretaker himself did not understand how he ended up on the street. He did not accept the money from the hussar, but in despair threw it away on the road. Then, however, he changed his mind and wanted to take it, but it was too late.
Second attempt to see my daughter
The old man’s heart did not calm down, and two days later he decided to try again to see Dunya. The first time he was pushed out of the front hall by a footman, but the second time, it would seem, luck smiled on the poor father. He noticed a smart droshky approaching Minsky’s home, and a hussar running onto the porch of his house. Immediately a plan matured in my head on how to still see my dear blood. Hiding behind the fact that he wanted to take Duna a note from the master, the girl’s father entered the hall. Finally, he saw his daughter. Beautiful, “dressed in all the luxury of fashion,” she seemed to be very happy. But, turning around and seeing her own father, who was looking at her, she fainted.
Need I say how Minsky reacted? He drove the old man away in a rage.
When you have to come to terms
An attempt to see Dunya was unsuccessful, and this weakened the old man even more. He realized that absolutely nothing would help bring back his lost daughter, and decided to accept it. “For the third year now,” he concluded, “I have been living without Dunya and there is neither a rumor nor a breath of her.” Such a disappointing speech sounded from the lips of one who used to be a flourishing and hopeful man. He was clearly depressed, thinking that his daughter would not always live in good conditions, beloved by her husband. For some reason, the old man’s heart said that he would leave the hussar Dunya, and he shared these doubts with the narrator over a glass of intoxicating drink.
What happened next?
The narrator remembered his friend and decided to visit the village where the post house once stood. It turned out that we had to listen to sad news: the old caretaker drank himself from grief and died, and the house went to the brewer and his wife. And the master wanted to see where his former friend was buried. The narrator was led there by a ragged boy named Vanya, from whom he learned that Dunya, the caretaker’s daughter, had visited the cemetery and lay on the grave for a long time, yearning for her father. “Beautiful lady,” Vanya said about her.
Reflections on the ending of the story
Contrary to her father's fears, his daughter became happy with the hussar. Oh, if only he did not give in to despair so much, if his humility were not external, but internal! Maybe then the stationmaster’s old age was rich and calmer, and the end of his life did not become so sad?
Collegiate registrar or station superintendent is the lowest civil rank of the fourteenth class in the table of ranks in Russia of the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries, as well as an official who holds such a rank; head of the postal station. Their primary task was to issue horses to travelers, care for these animals, and maintain and repair the station, which most often was a log cabin with several rooms and a stable.
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Dunya is a young girl, the daughter of a stationmaster. Her mother died early, and she was forced to take over a modest household in the house of Samson Vyrin. She was a jack of all trades - she could cook and clean. The father could not get enough of it, looking at his homely, intelligent, beautiful daughter.
She was very friendly and knew how to please both her father and all the guests. But one day Captain Minsky appears at the post station. He could not help but like the beautiful Dunya. Minsky pretends to be sick, gains the trust of Samson Vyrin, and, fraudulently, takes Dunya away from her father to St. Petersburg. For several years there has been no news from her to her father.
Vyrin goes on foot to St. Petersburg to find out about the fate of his daughter, he worries about her. But Minsky won’t even let him in. Although Vyrin finds out that his daughter is alive and rich, he is still worried about her, and she apparently has completely forgotten about the old man in her prosperous life. Dunya arrived home, but too late, when her father died. She feels guilty, but she can’t change anything. She will have to live with a stone on her heart.
Her fate can hardly be called happy, although she spent her childhood in the house of a loving father, and then lived in luxury and prosperity in Minsky’s house. Rather, this is a dramatic fate, since all her life she will be tormented by her conscience and the fact that she did not even say goodbye to her old father before her death.
Retelling plan
1. The narrator reflects on the fate of the station guards.
2. First meeting with the caretaker and his daughter.
3. Years later, the narrator meets Samson Vyrin and learns from him the story of Dunya:
a) Dunya deceives her and leaves for St. Petersburg with Captain Minsky;
b) the caretaker goes to the capital to return his “lost sheep”;
c) Minsky kicks Samson Vyrin out.
4. The narrator learns about the death of the caretaker and his daughter’s repentance.
Retelling
The narrator had a chance to travel a lot around Russia: he saw a lot of stations and station keepers. But only one caretaker remained in his memory forever.
One day the narrator got to one of the stations. The house was clean and comfortable. The caretaker ordered the samovar to be put on immediately, and a girl (Dunya) about fourteen years old, unusually beautiful, appeared in the room. She soon brought the samovar. The three of them were talking at the table, “as if they had known each other for centuries.” As he was about to leave, the narrator asked permission to kiss the girl, and she agreed.
Years later, life circumstances again brought the narrator to this station. But he was disappointed - the house was dirty and neglected. The same Samson Vyrin served as caretaker - now gray-haired and angry. The narrator asked about Dunya, the answer was this story.
One winter evening a young man appeared in the house. He was wearing an overcoat and a Circassian hat. He wanted to be angry that there were no horses, but Dunya’s appearance softened his intention. During dinner, the hosts got a better look at the guest: he was a handsome hussar. Meanwhile, the horses returned to the station, but the hussar did not go, citing headache. The next morning the young man felt even worse. They sent for a doctor. Dunya sat at the bedside of the patient, who drank cups of coffee and ordered himself a decent lunch. The doctor carefully examined the patient, received money for the visit, prescribed rest, promised recovery in a couple of days, and left.
A day later the officer felt much better. He was having fun and joking with Dunya, talking with the caretaker. On Sunday morning the hussar began to say goodbye to everyone. Duna was allowed to go with him to the nearest church... The father waited for his daughter to return, but never did. I looked for her everywhere, asked the sexton about the girl, whether she was at mass, but no one could say anything about her. In the evening, the caretaker learned from the coachman that Dunya had run away with a young hussar. The old father was sick with melancholy and bitterness. Reflecting on what happened, he realized that the guest did not have any illness. From the documents that were with the “imaginary patient,” the caretaker learned that the hussar Minsky was a captain on his way to St. Petersburg. The old man decided to look for his daughter there.
The caretaker actually found Minsky and asked him to return his daughter to him, to which Minsky replied that he could not live without Dunya. The hussar asked not to worry about her. Vyrin received the money and was kicked out the door. But the caretaker did not calm down. He began to follow Minsky and eventually found out where his daughter was. The maid did not want to let the caretaker in, but he burst into the apartment. Dunya, seeing her father, fainted, and the hussar kicked out the old man. The caretaker had to return home with nothing, and from then on he began to drink bitters.
Some time later, driving along the same road, the narrator learned that Vyrin had become an alcoholic and died, and the station had been destroyed. Now the brewer's family lived in the caretaker's house. The boy accompanied the narrator to the cemetery, to the grave of the caretaker. On the way, he said that a “beautiful lady” came here with her children. When she found out that the caretaker had died, she went to the cemetery and cried bitterly, lying on the grave. Then she gave her money and left.