Gogol Christmas night read a summary. Brief retelling - "The Night Before Christmas" Gogol N.V. (very briefly)

For changing last day before Christmas comes a clear frosty night. The maidens and lads had not yet come out to carol, and no one saw how smoke went out of the chimney of one hut and a witch rose on a broomstick. She flashes like a black speck in the sky, picking up stars in her sleeve, and the devil flies towards her, to whom "the last night was left to stagger around the white world." Having stolen the month, the devil hides it in his pocket, assuming that the darkness that has come will keep the houses of the rich Cossack Chub, invited to the clerk at kutya, and the blacksmith Vakula, hated by the devil (who painted a picture on the church wall doomsday and the shamed devil) will not dare to come to Chubova's daughter Oksana. While the devil is building chickens for the witch, Chub and his godfather, who left the hut, do not dare to go to the deacon, where a pleasant society will gather for varenukha, or, in view of such darkness, return home - and they leave, leaving the beautiful Oksana in the house, dressing up in front of a mirror, for which Vakula finds her. The severe beauty taunts him, untouched by his gentle speeches. The frustrated blacksmith goes to unlock the door, on which Chub, who has gone astray and lost his godfather, knocks, deciding to return home on the occasion of the blizzard raised by the devil. However, the blacksmith's voice makes him think that he did not end up in his own hut (but in a similar, lame Levchenko, to whose young wife the blacksmith probably came), Chub changes his voice, and an angry Vakula, poking, kicks him out. Beaten Chub, having read that from own house the blacksmith, therefore, left, goes to his mother, Solokha. Solokha, who was a witch, returned from her journey, and the devil flew in with her, dropping a month in the chimney.

It became light, the blizzard subsided, and crowds of carolers poured into the streets. The girls run to Oksana, and, noticing on one of them new laces embroidered with gold, Oksana declares that she will marry Vakula if he brings her the laces "which the queen wears." In the meantime, the devil, who has become mellow at Solokha's, is frightened away by the head, who has not gone to the clerk at the kutya. The devil quickly gets into one of the bags left in the middle of the hut by the blacksmith, but the head soon has to climb into the other, as the clerk knocks on Solokha. Praising the virtues of the incomparable Solokha, the clerk is forced to climb into the third bag, since Chub appears. However, Chub also climbs there, avoiding a meeting with the returned Vakula. While Solokha is explaining herself in the garden with the Cossack Sverbyguz, who came after him, Vakula carries away the bags thrown in the middle of the hut, and, saddened by the quarrel with Oksana, does not notice their weight. On the street he is surrounded by a crowd of carolers, and here Oksana repeats her mocking condition. Leaving all but the smallest sacks in the middle of the road, Vakula runs, and rumors are already crawling behind him that he either lost his mind or hanged himself.

Vakula comes to the Cossack Pot-bellied Patsyuk, who, as they say, is "a little like the devil." Having caught the owner eating dumplings, and then dumplings, which themselves climbed into Patsyuk's mouth, Vakula timidly asks for directions to hell, relying on his help in his misfortune. Having received a vague answer that the devil is behind him, Vakula runs away from the quick dumpling that climbs into his mouth. Anticipating easy prey, the devil jumps out of the bag and, sitting on the blacksmith's neck, promises him Oksana that very night. The cunning blacksmith, grabbing the devil by the tail and crossing him, becomes the master of the situation and orders the devil to take himself "to Petemburg, straight to the queen."

Having found Kuznetsov's bags about that time, the girls want to take them to Oksana to see what Vakula caroled. They go after the sled, and Chubov's godfather, having called for help from the weaver, drags one of the sacks into his hut. There, for the obscure, but seductive contents of the bag, there is a fight with the godfather's wife. Chub and the clerk are in the bag. When Chub, returning home, finds a head in the second bag, his disposition towards Solokha is greatly reduced.

The blacksmith, having galloped to St. Petersburg, appears to the Cossacks, who pass through Dikanka in the autumn, and, pressing the devil in his pocket, seeks to be taken to the tsarina. Marveling at the luxury of the palace and the wonderful paintings on the walls, the blacksmith finds himself in front of the queen, and when she asks the Cossacks who came to ask for their Sich, “what do you want?”, the blacksmith asks her for her royal shoes. Touched by such innocence, Catherine draws attention to this passage standing at a distance, and Vakula gives shoes, having received which he considers it good to go home.

In the village at this time, the Dikan women in the middle of the street are arguing about exactly how Vakula laid hands on himself, and the rumors that have come about embarrass Oksana, she does not sleep well at night, and not having found a devout blacksmith in the church in the morning, she is ready to cry. The blacksmith, on the other hand, simply overslept Matins and Mass, and waking up, takes out a new hat and belt from the chest and goes to Chub to woo. Chub, wounded by Solokha's treachery, but seduced by gifts, agrees. He is echoed by Oksana, who has entered, ready to marry the blacksmith "and without the slippers." Having got a family, Vakula painted his hut with paints, and in the church he painted a devil, but “so nasty that everyone spat when they passed by.”

Summary of "The Night Before Christmas" Option 2

1. About the work
2. Main characters
3. Other characters
4. Summary
5. Conclusion

About the work

The story "The Night Before Christmas" was written by N.V. Gogol in 1830 - 1832. The first edition of the work was published in 1832 in the printing house of A. Plushard. The story is included in the famous cycle of the writer "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". In The Night Before Christmas, he humorously portrayed poeticized rural life on a holiday, unfolding the plot around the love story of the blacksmith Vakula and the daughter of a wealthy Cossack Oksana.

Main characters

Vakula- a blacksmith, "a strong man and a kid anywhere", in free time was engaged in “painting”, was in love with Oksana and flew to St. Petersburg on the line in order to get the tsarina’s slippers for her.

Oksana- the daughter of the Cossack Chub, beloved of Vakula, she "was not yet seventeen years old", "she was capricious, like a beauty."

Crap- Disliked Vakula because he painted him in a bad light, took the blacksmith to St. Petersburg.

Other characters

Forelock- a rich Cossack, widower, Oksana's father.

Solokha- the witch, the mother of Vakula, "had no more than forty years of age."

Pot-bellied Patsyuk- a healer, a former Cossack who has been living in Dikanka for many years.

Head, clerk, godmother Panas, Empress Catherine.

In Dikanka, a clear winter night came before Christmas. Suddenly, a witch on a broom flew out of the chimney of one of the huts and, rising to the sky, began to collect stars in her sleeve. On the other hand, a devil appeared in the sky. He hid the moon in his pocket, and the surroundings immediately became dark. The devil did this so that the Cossack Chub would be too lazy to walk in the dark and stay at home, and therefore the blacksmith Vakula could not come to his daughter Oksana. So the devil wanted to take revenge on the blacksmith, who painted him ashamed in the picture with the Last Judgment.

Chub, together with Panas, waiting for a "good drink" at the deacon's, leave the Cossack's hut and see that the moon has disappeared from the sky, and it has become completely dark on the street. After hesitating, they still decide to continue on their way.

While Chub left, Oksana, who was left alone at home, admired herself in front of the mirror.
Behind this case, Vakula, who came to her, finds the girl. The blacksmith turns to Oksana with gentle speeches, but she only laughs and mocks him. Annoyed, Vakula decides that the girl does not love him.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the blacksmith went to open it.

The frost increased, so the devil and the witch went down through the chimney to her hut. The witch was none other than Vakula's mother, Solokha. She knew how to charm men in such a way that many Cossacks of the village went to her, while not one of them knew about her rivals. Among all the admirers, Solokha singled out the rich Cossack Chub.

Meanwhile, when the devil was descending into the chimney, he noticed Chub and made a strong snowstorm, thus trying to bring him home.

And indeed - not seeing anything because of the snowstorm, Chub decided to go back and he and his godfather went in different directions. Having reached his hut, the Cossack knocked, but, hearing Vakula's indignant cry, he decided that this was not his house, and changed his voice. Not recognizing Chub in the newcomer, the blacksmith beat the Cossack. Then Chub, reasoning that if Vakula was here, then he was not at home, he went to Solokha.

While the devil was flying out of the chimney and back, the moon flew out of the "ladunka" hanging on its side and rose into the sky. “Everything lit up. Blizzards like never before." Crowds of caroling lads and girls with sacks appeared in the street.

The girls hurried to Chub's house. Oksana noticed new slippers on one of the girls and felt sad that she had no one to get a beautiful new thing. Then Vakula himself volunteered to get "such little laces as a rare lady wears." Jokingly, Oksana said that only those worn by the queen herself would suit her, and if the blacksmith got them, she would marry him.

A hefty head suddenly comes to Solokha, who was sitting with the devil. While the woman was opening the doors, the unclean man hid in a sack. The head had only time to drink a glass of vodka and say that because of the snowstorm he did not get to the deacon, when there was another knock on the door - it was the deacon himself. Solokha hid her head in the second bag. However, the conversation between the woman and the deacon was soon interrupted - the Cossack Chub came to Solokha.
The hostess hid the clerk in the third sack, and soon Chub, who did not want to see Vakula, who came to his mother, turned out to be in the same sack.

While Solokha went to the next visitor, the blacksmith takes away all three bags and, saddened by Oksana's bullying, does not even notice their weight.

On the street, Vakula meets carolers. Oksana, laughing, again repeats her condition in front of everyone. Frustrated, Vakula threw the bags on the ground and, taking the smallest one with him, said goodbye to everyone and ran away.

Vakula decides to go to the local healer - Pot-bellied Patsyuk - "he, they say, knows all the devils and will do whatever he wants." Having caught Patsyuk eating first dumplings, and after dumplings, which themselves flew into the mouth of the owner, Vakula asks him how to find the devil in order to ask him for help. To this the sorcerer replied to him: "He does not need to go far, who has the devil behind him." Frightened by a quick dumpling flying into his mouth, Vakula runs away from Patsyuk.

Hearing the words of the blacksmith, the devil immediately jumped out of the bag and offered to conclude a contract, signing it with blood. However, Vakula grabbed the devil by the tail. Baptizing the unclean, the blacksmith saddled him and forced him to take him to St. Petersburg to the queen.

Oksana notices the bags left by Vakula and offers to pick them up. While the girls were fetching the sled, the sack with Chub and the clerk was carried away by the godfather who had left the tavern. During a quarrel between Panas and his wife over the contents of the bag, Chub and the clerk crawled out of it, explaining that they decided to joke like that.

The girls took the remaining bag to Oksana. At this time, Chub returned home and, finding an embarrassed head in a bag, was outraged by Solokha's cunning.

Having flown to Petersburg, the devil turned into a horse, and then, at the behest of Vakula, decreased and hid in his pocket. The blacksmith finds familiar Cossacks, and with the help of the unclean gets the consent to go with them to the queen.

In the palace of the Cossacks, Potemkin met Vakula, and then the queen herself. When Catherine asked the Cossacks with what request they came to her, the blacksmith immediately fell at the feet of the queen, asking for his wife the same beautiful little laces as hers.
Catherine was amused by his innocence, and she ordered to bring the most expensive shoes with gold. Praising the legs of the queen, the blacksmith, pushed by the Cossacks, stepped back and the devil instantly transferred him already “behind the barrier”.

At that time, rumors were already circulating in Dikanka that Vakula had either drowned or hanged himself. Hearing about this, Oksana was very upset - after all, he loved her, and now, perhaps, he left the village forever or disappeared altogether. Vakula did not appear even after mass.

The blacksmith got back even faster, and, after weighing the devil three blows with a twig, let him go. Entering the house, Vakula immediately fell asleep and slept until mass. Waking up, the blacksmith took with him the queen's shoes for Oksana and a hat and belt for Chub, and went to the Cossack. After her father agreed to the matchmaking, the embarrassed girl said that she was ready to marry Vakula "and without little laces."

Having married, the blacksmith painted over his entire hut, and in the church he depicted the devil in hell - "so nasty that everyone spat when they passed by."

Conclusion

In the story "The Night Before Christmas" Gogol reveals the theme folk life, depicting a number of typical rural characters - the dexterous and strong blacksmith Vakula, the beautiful and narcissistic Oksana, the stupid and rich Chuba, the cunning Solokha and others. Introducing mythical characters (witch, devil, healer) into the narrative, the author brings the plot of the work closer to the fairy tale, thus intertwining the techniques of realism and romanticism in the story.

Brief retelling"Nights before Christmas" describes the main plot of the work, but for a better understanding of the story, we advise you to familiarize yourself with its full version.

Summary of "The Night Before Christmas" |

Summary of The Night Before Christmas

The very last pre-Christmas evening was coming to an end, there was a gradually increasing frost on the street, it became cooler than in the morning. And then suddenly a witch appeared above one of the village huts, flying straight out of the chimney. She flew over the houses and at the same time collected stars in the sleeves of her clothes, which were scattered across the winter sky.No one had time to see her, because the time for carols had not yet come. The village youth was just about to leave their huts. And the devil flew towards the witch, who wanted to sneak up on the moon to steal it. The demon himself had long been angry with Vakula, the village blacksmith, who was the best painter on the Dikanka farm. This God-fearing man loved to paint pictures. One of them depicted the scene of the Last Judgment, where the devil was expelled from hell. It depicted sinners who, according to legend, beat him with everything that came to hand, chasing him with whips. From the very time this picture appeared, the devil decided to take revenge on Vakula. So he had only one night left when he could freely walk around the world. The demon planned to steal a clear month so that it would become dark on the earth, and then he could detain a Cossack named Chub. Then the blacksmith Vakula, who was very fond of his daughter, the beautiful Oksana, could not find his way to his house.

The devil's plan was a success, and as soon as he managed to hide the stolen month in his pocket, it became very dark all over the world, so it was impossible to find the way anywhere. Even the flying witch, when she saw herself in pitch darkness, screamed in fright. Right there, just in time, the thief of the month drove up to her like a small demon - the devil began to whisper pleasant words in her ear, which all women, even witches, would love to hear.

At the same time, the godfather and the Cossack Chub stood on the threshold of the clerk's house and decided whether they should go to visit the kutya in such darkness. They did not want to seem lazy in front of each other, and after some more thought, they nevertheless decided to set off.

Only one girl remained in the house - she was the daughter of the respected Cossack Chub in the village. She stood in front of the mirror and preened herself in anticipation of her girlfriends. With pleasure and great love, the girl examines her reflection, and she really likes it. Just then the blacksmith Vakula came. He for a long time looks and can not stop admiring this proud beauty, but the girl meets him coldly. They began to talk, but suddenly they heard a knock on the door. Vakula, very angry, is going to drive away the one who knocks, but sees at the door Oksana's father himself - Chub, who, having gone astray, decided to return to his home. When he hears Vakula's voice, he thinks that he has confused his house with the hut of the famous Cossack Levchenko. Changing his voice, he answers the blacksmith that he came to carol, to which he drove the owner of the house away. Chub decided to visit the witch Solokha, Vakula's mother, but at that time the devil was visiting her and playing with her. When the demon flew as usual through the pipe into the hut to this woman, he accidentally dropped the stolen month.

The moon, taking advantage of this, rose smoothly into the sky, and it became light around. The raging blizzard had subsided by this time, and noisy and cheerful youth poured into all the streets. Girlfriends came for Oksana. The girl noticed on one of them brand new little laces, embroidered with gold, and in front of everyone she announced very loudly that she would marry Vakula if he brought her those in which the queen herself walks. The blacksmith, very upset by these words, goes to his house.

At the same time, another guest, a village head, appears in Solokha's hut. The devil immediately hides the coal bag. The mistress of the house always willingly welcomed the very respected Cossacks in the village, but they themselves did not even know that each of them had a rival. She was the friendliest with the widower Chub. Solokha had serious plans for him - to take possession of all his wealth. She was jealous of her son for Oksana, as she was afraid that he might become the owner of Chub's property before her, so she often quarreled with Vakula's father. As soon as the head shook off the snow from his clothes, there was a knock on Solokha's door again - it was a clerk. So, one by one, all these boyfriends hid in coal bags that stood in the corner of the hut. Everyone was afraid to even move. Vakula's son came after them, and when he saw several bags, he thought that it was his mother who had collected the garbage, then decided that he needed to throw it away.

On his way, he met girls, among whom was his Oksana. Throwing all the big bags onto the snowy road, he, with one small one over his shoulders, catches up with the proud beauty. But she laughs at him again, and the guy decides to go to the hole and drown himself, because he is not able to fulfill Oksana's request. Entering the house of a Cossack named Patsyuk, about whom there were rumors that he was connected with the devil himself, Vakula meets a devil at his house who wants to get his soul. They sign a contract, according to which the devil will take him to the queen, in which he will ask for slippers for his Oksana.

The path to the Empress was long. Having met her, the blacksmith receives the coveted slippers and brings them to Dikanka. Everyone on the farm thought that the guy still drowned himself on Christmas night, but Oksana felt sorry for him the most, who realized that no one else could fulfill her desires and whims. She does not sleep at night and understands that she loves this blacksmith very much. When he returned to the village and came to ask the girl's hand from her father, she replied that she agreed to become his wife without these little shoes. The young people got married, and then Vakula painted his hut very beautifully with paints, everyone walked and admired.

The night before Christmas greeted the inhabitants of the farm with the light of a clear moon and a prickly January frost. While the lads and girls were gathering for carols, a witch riding a broom flew out of the smoker of one of the huts along with thick smoke. I made a couple of circles over the farm and climbed high, high, collecting bright stars up your sleeve. And the devil, who spent the last hours among the people, "... with the first bells for the morning, he will run without looking back, tail between his legs, ...", decided to snatch the month from the night sky and hide it in his pocket.

There was impenetrable darkness. The devil thought in such a cunning way to leave at home the Cossack Chub, who was going to the deacon at kutya. Chub had a daughter, Oksana, with whom the blacksmith Vakula fell madly in love. He was terribly hated by the devil because he shamed him on the image of the Last Judgment on the wall of the church. And Vakula would never have turned his back on Oksana while her father was at home. But while the devil was courting the witch, Chub and his godfather were already deciding whether or not to go to the deacon's, in order to spend the evening in pleasant company over a bottle of varenukha. Carried away by the dispute that has arisen, the Cossack leaves Oksana alone at home. This is what the blacksmith used. Chub's daughter was the most beautiful girl on the farm. "... the best girl has never been and never will be in the village."

She stood for hours at the mirror, admiring her beauty, so she did not even look in the direction of the blacksmith in response to his sincere confessions. Angry at unrequited feelings, Vakula hurries to the door to get out of the hut. At the exit, he collides with Chub, who, due to a blizzard, decided to return. But, not recognizing each other, the blacksmith cuffed the Cossack and disappeared into the darkness, shrouded in snow. Chub, decides to take advantage of Vakula's absence, and visits his mother, Solokha, who was a witch. Solokha, having flown on a broomstick, returned to the house along with the devil, who could not hold the moon and released him back into heaven. The blizzard subsided, and the clear moon again illuminated the snow-covered farm. There was a knock on Solokha's door. It came head. The witch immediately decides to hide the devil in a bag. In the same way, the head is hidden due to the arrival of the clerk, and he, in turn, hides from Chub, who has come to Solokha. Meanwhile, the girls have already gathered for carols. Noticing the beautiful boots of one of them, Oksana declares that she will marry Vakula only if he gets the laces of the queen herself for her. Frustrated by such bullying, Vakula goes home. Chub, frightened by the arrival of the blacksmith, hides in the fourth bag. Noticing bags in the middle of the hut, Vakula grabs them and, with a head clouded with love, runs into the street. He is surrounded by cheerful carolers. To hide from everyone, he leaves only one bag for himself and runs from the village. Rumors immediately spread that the blacksmith drowned himself or hanged himself.

Updated: 2013-09-02

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He worked on a work called "The Night Before Christmas" in the period 1830-1832. At the center of the story, the reader sees developing love relationship between the main characters, and around them, rural life during a big holiday is humorously depicted.

Heroes of the work

• Blacksmith Vakula is the first guy in the village with heroic power and some painting skills. In love with the daughter of a rich Cossack. In order to achieve his goal, he is ready to go on a fantastic journey and defeat the manifestations of dark forces.
• Oksana is a capricious, wayward girl who likes the blacksmith's attention. He considers himself the best of all, so he gives the future groom an almost impossible task.
• The devil is an antagonist who entered into a fight with a blacksmith, hoping for an easy victory, but lost and became a cab driver.
• Chub is a wealthy Cossack, the father of the beautiful Oksana, a widower.
• Solokha is a middle-aged witch by nature, who gave birth and raised the blacksmith Vakula, the great temptress of men. She had many admirers, but none of them knew about the existence of a rival.
• Other characters: the head, Patsyuk, clerk, Princess Catherine, godfather.

Gogol "The Night Before Christmas" - summary

The story begins with an episode, showing how a terrible witch rose into the sky on her broomstick and began to steal the stars. Another impudent criminal turned out to be an ordinary devil, who imperceptibly put a month in his pocket. Thus, the night before Christmas was completely devoid of any light.

Further, N. V. Gogol explains the motivation of the devil. The fact is that Vakula the blacksmith painted a picture of the Christian Last Judgment, where this dark creature was humiliated. The devil knew that the strong man and partly the painter set out to visit his beloved. Stealing the light in the sky, he hoped to ruin the plans young man.

Gogol "The Night Before Christmas" - Good booze

Oksana's father with godfather Panas intends to spend the evening at the clerk's and get drunk, as befits the Cossacks. Going out into the street, the men notice that it is almost impossible to walk in pitch darkness. After some thought, they nevertheless decide to go blindly to the deacon.

Oksana, after the departure of her father Chub, was left at home alone. She admires her reflection in the mirror. Vakula, who came, finds the girl doing this pleasant pastime. The blacksmith tenderly turns to Oksana, pours out his soul, but in response he receives only grins and mocking witticisms. The good fellow falls into unusual sadness, deciding that the beauty does not love him at all. A knock is heard, Vakula hurries to open the door.

A total mess in the dark

It was getting colder outside. The devil and the witch Solokha return through the chimney to the blacksmith's house. The hostess is waiting to visit Chub, whom she singles out among her fans. The devil, seeing that Oksana's father is leaving his own house, arranges a severe snowstorm in the hope of returning the noble Cossack to the hut.

Chub and godfather diverge in different directions. Oksana's father knocks on his door and hears Vakula's indignant exclamation. The blacksmith, not understanding the pitch darkness, beats up Chub. The latter concludes that while Solokha's son is not at home, you can visit her. At this time, the envious devil, flying from pipe to pipe, loses a month from his bag. In the Christmas yard it becomes clear, and the blizzard completely subsides. Caroling girls appear on the streets.

Further, Gogol in the famous story "The Night Before Christmas" tells about the cheerful pickers going to the house of the Cossack Chub. Beauty Oksana sees lovely shoes on the feet of one of them and makes it clear to Vakula that she wants such a gift. The girl announces in a joking tone: “I want those slippers that the queen herself wears! Bring them and I will marry you." The blacksmith wholeheartedly promises to get this “treasure” to his beloved.

In the witch's house

Continuing the summary, let's say that the devil himself hid in a bag near the stove. The witch soon begins to welcome guests. The first to visit Solokha's house was the head, who only had time to drink a glass of vodka, when the clerk came to the fortune teller. The frightened admirer hid in the second bale. After the arrival of Chub, the priest also had to climb inside the last bag.

Finally, the frustrated blacksmith returns. The Cossack hastily hides in the third bale, where the unfortunate minister of the church is already sitting. When the mother leaves the house, Vakula decides to throw away all three full bags, not noticing the heaviness of the annoyance after talking with Oksana. On the street, a strong man meets carolers and his beloved, she again repeats a witty and impossible proposal. The angry blacksmith throws the bags on the ground, takes the lightest one and runs away.

Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas" - the search for difficulties

Vakula comes to visit the local healer Patsyuk who is famous for his mysticism. The young man asks to introduce him to the devil, who can fulfill his desire. Patsyuk alludes to the fact that devilry located behind Vakula. The devil is frightened of his position and wants to sign a contract for the foundation of blood. The blacksmith ignores his wishes, grabs the demon by the tail, saddles him like a horse, and orders him to fly to St. Petersburg to the royal court.

At the same time, the caroling girls decide to carry away the left bags and leave for the sleigh. Kum, who was previously in the tavern, takes Chub and the deacon to his own house. During the swearing of Panas and his wife, the failed fans of Solokha get out of the bale and claim that they decided to play a comedy. The remaining bag is taken to Oksana. Seeing the embarrassed head inside, Chub is surprised at the cunning of the village witch.

Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas" - straight to the capital and back

In St. Petersburg, Vakula meets the Cossacks and with damn help persuades them to take themselves to an appointment with Catherine. The unclean one hides in the blacksmith's pocket. When the queen asks those who came about their request, the strong man in love simply asks to give him the same little laces as Catherine had. She responds with courtesy and satisfies the request, the ruler likes to listen to the Cossacks who have come.

Rumors are spreading in Dikanka that Vakula either hanged himself or drowned. Oksana is upset because she will no longer see the person who loves her. The blacksmith gets to his native village and drives the devil away from him. In the morning he goes with the slippers to Chub's hut. The father blesses the blacksmith's request to marry Oksana, who opens up completely, hinting that he loves Vakula without any gifts. To end "The Night Before Christmas" in short, let's say that after the wedding, the groom paints his house, where he depicts the devil in the underworld.

Parsing the summary

On a note!

After reading the summary, it is highly recommended to read complete work.

Introduction. general description story, main idea.

"The Night Before Christmas" - an outstanding story by Gogol, was filmed many times and sincerely fell in love with the domestic reader. Included in the cycle of stories "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". Incredible fantastic events and lively language of description make the story bright and eye-catching. It is literally saturated with folklore, folk tales and legends.

The ideological meaning of the work can be most fully understood by analyzing the views of Gogol. At that time, he thought more and more about the greatness of democracy over the blind patriarchal way of contemporary Russia. It was fueled by progressive trends in the field of literature and science. The life of the landowners, their slow-wittedness and adherence to old ideals irritated Gogol, and over and over again he ridiculed their miserable lifestyle and primitive thinking.

It is very important that in "The Night Before Christmas" good triumphs over evil, and light prevails over darkness. Vakula is courageous and generous, he is not a coward and does not fold his arms in the face of difficulties. It was precisely such, similar to the brave epic heroes, that Gogol wanted to see his contemporaries. However, the reality differed sharply from his idealized ideas.

The author tries to prove, using the example of Vakula, that only by doing good deeds, leading a righteous lifestyle, one can become happy man. The power of money and the trampling of religious values ​​will bring a person to the very bottom, make him an immoral rotting person, doomed to a joyless existence.

All description is permeated with deep author's humor. Just remember with what mocking irony he describes the court environment of the empress. Gogol depicts the cloisters of the Petersburg Palace as ingratiating and servile people, looking into the mouths of their superiors.

History of creation

The book "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" was published in 1831, at the same time "The Night Before Christmas" was written. The stories of the cycle were born in Gogol quickly and naturally. It is not known for certain when Gogol began work on the story, and when he first had the idea of ​​​​creating it. There is evidence that he put the first words on paper a year before the book was published. Chronologically, the events described in the story fall on a period of about 50 years earlier than real time, namely the reign of Catherine II and the last deputation of the Cossacks.

Analysis of the work

Main plot. Features of the compositional structure.

(Illustration by Alexander Pavlovich Bubnov for N.V. Gogol "The Night Before Christmas")

The plot is tied to the adventures of the protagonist - the blacksmith Vakula and his love for the eccentric beauty Oksana. The conversation of young people serves as the plot of the story, the first beauty in the village promises Vakula marriage in exchange for royal little boots. The girl is not at all going to fulfill her word, she laughs at the young man, realizing that he will not be able to fulfill her instructions. But, according to the construction of the fairy tale genre, Vakula manages to fulfill the desire of the beauty, the devil helps him in this. Vakula's flight to Petersburg for an appointment with the Empress is the climax of the story. The denouement is the wedding of young people and the reconciliation of Vakula with the father of the bride, with whom they had a broken relationship.

In terms of genre, the story gravitates more towards the fabulous type of addition. According to the laws of a fairy tale, we can see a happy ending in the end of the story. In addition, many heroes originate precisely from the origins of ancient Russian legends, we observe the magic and power of dark forces over the world of ordinary people.

Images of the main characters

Blacksmith Vakula

Main characters - real characters, a resident of the farm. The blacksmith Vakula is a real Ukrainian man, quick-tempered, but at the same time exceptionally decent and honest. He is a hard worker good son for his parents and, for sure, will become an excellent husband and father. He is simple in terms of mental organization, does not hover in the clouds and has an open, rather kind disposition. He achieves everything thanks to the firmness of character and unbending spirit.

Black-eyed Oksana - the main beauty and enviable bride. She is proud and arrogant, due to her youth has a quick temper, is not serious and windy. Oksana is constantly surrounded male attention, loved by her father, tries to dress in the most elegant dresses and endlessly admires her own reflection in the mirror. When she learned that the lads in chorus proclaimed her the first beauty, she began to behave in a proper manner, constantly annoying everyone with her whims. But such behavior only amuses young suitors, and they continue to run after the girl in a crowd.

In addition to the main characters of the story, a lot of no less vivid secondary characters are described. actors. Vakula's mother, the witch Solokha, who also appeared in the Sorochinskaya Fair, is a widow. Attractive in appearance, a flirtatious lady, twisting tricks with the devil. Even though she represents dark force, her image is described very attractively and does not repel the reader at all. Just like Oksana, Solokha is full of admirers, including an ironically depicted clerk.

Conclusion

The story immediately after the publication was recognized as unusually poetic, exciting. Gogol so skillfully conveys the whole flavor of the Ukrainian village that the reader seems to be able to stay there himself and immerse himself in this Magic world while reading the book. Gogol draws all his ideas from folk legends: the devil who stole the month, the witch flying on a broom, and so on. With his characteristic artistic manner, he reworks the images in his own poetic way, making them unique and vivid. Real events are intertwined with fairy tales so closely that the thin line between them is completely lost - this is another feature of Gogol's literary genius, which permeates all his work and gives him characteristic features.

Gogol's work, his stories and novels filled with the deepest meaning are considered to be exemplary not only in domestic, but also in world literature. He so captured the minds and souls of his readers, managed to find such deep strings human soul that his work is deservedly considered ascetic.