First of all, Lefty is associated with a real Russian person. The author describes him very briefly, without unnecessary details, mentioning only that he is a gunsmith, there is a small mole on his cheek, and hair is torn out on his temples; this happened during an exercise. He worked at a weapons factory and there were three others with him. They were all very quiet and took their work very responsibly, which is why they took on the special order, in order to prove to the whole world that our specialists are the best.
The author writes about the main character with all the ordinary people of Russia in mind. And he says that he is a worker, respects authority, is always ready to carry out orders from his superiors, is patriotic, honest with everyone and, above all, with himself. Such was the time and, accordingly, people treated everything differently, unlike today. Lefty was a true patriot and respected his authority. This is very clearly reflected in the final scene when he was dying. His last words were: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them not clean ours either, otherwise, God bless war, they’re not good for shooting.” Yes, indeed, when leaving for England, he managed to find out. In the last minutes of his life he could have simply remained silent, but he spoke with the last of his strength and brought yet another benefit to the state. This once again confirms his love for his homeland and efforts. And this is what every Russian should do, making his contribution to the development of the country.
Many of us became acquainted with Leskov’s story “Lefty” at school, when, while reading, we did not understand the whole meaning of this masterpiece. But even then it was etched in our memory main character He was left-handed and impressed with his skill and calmness, which he showed every day and used it actively, thereby making his rather difficult life easier.
I was very surprised by this character after reading the story. After all, there are so many positive qualities can be found quite rarely in one person.
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Lefty and his role in the story
In Nikolai Semenovich Leskov’s story “Lefty,” pride for the Russian people and bitterness for the attitude of officials towards ordinary people.
IN brief description Lefty from the story “Lefty” the author speaks of him as one of the gunsmiths who promised to fulfill the royal order. The work doesn't even contain Lefty's real name.
Together with two other craftsmen, Lefty took on the task to prove to the British that our craftsmen are no worse than English craftsmen and can do any complex work.
Lefty's appearance and his relationship with the characters in the story
N. S. Leskov Lefty, whose description the author gives very briefly, introduces him as the main character almost in the middle of the story. Here is what the author writes: “there are three gunsmiths, the most skilled of them, one is left-handed with an oblique left hand, there is a birthmark on his cheek, and the hair on his temples has been torn out during training.” And only from this moment the plot already revolves around Lefty.
In the work, the gunsmiths appear before the reader as calm and self-confident craftsmen, respectful of the king and each other. The phrase “the king’s word will not be put to shame for our sake” says a lot. It seems that only the “royal word” sounds, but behind this expression one can hear “the honor of the Motherland,” for which the masters, without saying loud words, are ready to stand up.
Platov’s bad attitude towards Lefty changed only after Lefty explained how you need to look at a flea in order to see and appreciate the skill of Tula gunsmiths.
When sending Lefty with a messenger to England, neither the Tsar nor Platov even thought about the fact that a person was traveling so far without documents. And no one bothered to write out some paper for Lefty just in case. The main thing is for the British to understand “that this is not surprising to us.”
The Russian authorities' disdain for ordinary people runs throughout the story. They didn’t even bother to feed the left-hander, so they sent him to England hungry, only they gave him a caftan so that “it would look like he had some kind of paid rank.”
Lefty as the personification of Russian masters
All the simple working people of Russia appear in the description of Lefty from Leskov’s story “Lefty”. Hard-working, reverent of authority, ready to obey any order from his superiors, and at the same time full of dignity, patriotism and self-confidence, Lefty seems to personify Russian masters.
No English blessings tempt Lefty. He remains faithful to his homeland to the end.
Lefty's Patriotism
Returning to Russia, Lefty fully felt the “love” of his Motherland. Not having a “tugament” with him, he ended up in the “common people’s Obukhvin hospital, where everyone of an unknown class is admitted to die.”
Neither Platov nor anyone else even moved to save the master, and only thanks to the English half-skipper they brought him to Lefty good doctor. But before they had time, having caught a cold from lying on the cold floor, with a split head, Lefty died in the doctor’s arms.
And in the scene where the death of Lefty is described, the author fully reveals the character of the master. After all, even dying such a terrible death, Lefty remained faithful to his homeland. AND last words: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them not clean ours either, otherwise, God forbid war, they are not suitable for shooting” - the best confirmation of the patriotism of a Russian craftsman.
Work test
The first writer who comes to his mind is, of course, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. The second portrait that appears before the inner gaze of the domestic bookworm is the face of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. But there is one classic who, as a rule, is forgotten in this context (or not mentioned so often) - Nikolai Semenovich Leskov. Meanwhile, his works are also saturated with the “Russian spirit,” and they also reveal not only the peculiarities of the Russian national character, but also the specifics of all Russian life.
In this sense, Leskov’s story “Lefty” stands apart. It reproduces with extraordinary accuracy and depth all the flaws in the structure of domestic life and all the heroism of the Russian people. People, as a rule, now do not have time to read the collected works of Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, but they should find time to open a book on the cover of which it is written: N. S. Leskov “Lefty”.
Plot
The story supposedly begins in 1815. Emperor Alexander the First, on a voyage across Europe, also visits England. The British really want to surprise the Emperor, and at the same time show off the skills of their craftsmen, and for several days they take him around different rooms and show him all sorts of amazing things, but the main thing they have in store for the finale is filigree work: steel flea who can dance. Moreover, it is so small that without a microscope it is impossible to see it. Our Tsar was very surprised, but his accompanying Don Cossack Platov was not at all. On the contrary, he kept bawling that ours could do no worse.
He soon died, and ascended the throne who accidentally discovered a strange thing and decided to check Platov’s words by sending him to visit the Tula masters. The Cossack arrived, instructed the gunsmiths and went home, promising to return in two weeks.
The masters, including Lefty, retired to the house of the main character of the tale and worked there for two weeks, until Platov returned. Locals They heard an uninterrupted knocking, and during this time the masters themselves never left Lefty’s house. They became recluses until the work was done.
Platov arrives. They bring him the same flea in a box. He furiously throws the first craftsman he came across into the carriage (he turned out to be left-handed) and goes to St. Petersburg to see the Tsar “on the carpet.” Of course, Lefty did not get to the king right away; he was first beaten and kept in prison for a short time.
The flea appears before the bright eyes of the monarch. He looks and looks at her and cannot understand what the Tula people did. Both the sovereign and his courtiers struggled with the secret, then the Tsar-Father ordered to invite Lefty, and he told him that he should take and look not at the whole flea, but only at its legs. No sooner said than done. It turned out that the Tula people had shoed the English flea.
Immediately the wonder was returned to the British, and in words something like the following was conveyed: “We, too, can do something.” Here we will pause in the plot presentation and talk about what the image of Lefty is in the tale of N. S. Leskov.
Lefty: between the gunsmith and the holy fool
Lefty’s appearance testifies to his “superiority”: “he’s left-handed with an oblique look, the hair on his cheek and temples was torn out during training.” When Lefty arrived to the Tsar, he was also dressed in a very peculiar way: “in shorts, one trouser leg is in a boot, the other is dangling, and the leg is old, the hooks are not fastened, they are lost, and the collar is torn.” He spoke to the king as he was, without observing manners and without fawning, if not on an equal footing with the sovereign, then certainly without fear of power.
People who are at least a little interested in history will recognize this portrait - this is a description of the ancient Russian holy fool; he was never afraid of anyone, because Christian Truth and God stood behind him.
Dialogue between Lefty and the British. Continuation of the story
After a short digression, let’s turn again to the plot, but at the same time let’s not forget the image of Lefty in Leskov’s tale.
The British were so delighted with the work that they demanded that the master be brought to them without hesitating for a second. The king respected the British, equipped Lefty and sent him with an escort to them. In the protagonist's voyage to England there are two important points: conversation with the British (Leskov’s story “Lefty” is perhaps the most interesting in this part) and the fact that, unlike Russians, our ancestors do not clean the barrel of guns with bricks.
Why did the British want to keep Lefty?
The Russian land is full of nuggets, and they are not paid attention to special attention, but in Europe they immediately see “diamonds in the rough.” The English elite, having once looked at Lefty, immediately realized that he was a genius, and the gentlemen decided to keep our man, teach him, clean him up, enrich him, but that was not the case!
Lefty told them that he didn’t want to stay in England, he didn’t want to study algebra, his education—the Gospel and the Half-Dream Book—was enough for him. He doesn't need money, nor women.
It was with difficulty that the left-handed man was persuaded to stay a little longer and look at Western technologies for the production of guns and other things. Newest technologies At that time, our craftsman was of little interest, but he was very attentive to the storage of old guns. Studying them, Lefty realized: the British do not clean the barrel of their guns with bricks, which makes the guns more reliable in battle.
Despite this discovery, the main character of the tale still greatly missed his homeland and asked the British to send him home as soon as possible. It was impossible to send by land, because Lefty did not know any languages other than Russian. It was also unsafe to sail on the sea in the fall, because it is restless at this time of year. And yet they equipped Lefty, and he sailed on a ship to the Fatherland.
During the journey, he found himself a drinking buddy, and they drank all the way, but not out of fun, but out of boredom and fear.
How bureaucracy killed a man
When friends from the ship were put ashore in St. Petersburg, the Englishman was sent to where all foreign citizens are supposed to be - to the “messenger house”, and Lefty was sent in an ill state through the bureaucratic circles of hell. They couldn’t admit him to any hospital in the city without documents, except the one where they were taken to die. Moreover, various officials said that Lefty should be helped, but here’s the problem: no one is responsible for anything and no one can do anything. So the left-handed man died in a hospital for the poor, and on his lips there was only one phrase: “Tell the Tsar Father that guns cannot be cleaned with bricks.” He nevertheless told it to one of the sovereign’s servants, but it never reached the Almighty. Can you guess why?
This is almost all on the topic “N.S. Leskov “Lefty”, brief content.”
The image of Lefty in Leskov’s tale and the model of the fate of a creative person in Russia
After reading the work of the Russian classic, a conclusion involuntarily arises: a creative, brilliant person simply has no hope of surviving in Russia. He will either be tortured by unchristian bureaucrats, or he will destroy himself from within, and not because he has some unresolved issues, but because Russian people are not able to simply live, his lot is to die, burning up in life like a meteorite in the earth’s atmosphere . This is the contradictory image of Lefty in Leskov’s tale: on the one hand, a genius and a craftsman, and on the other hand, a person with a serious destructive element inside, capable of self-destruction in conditions when you least expect it.
Gunsmith Lefty – main character story by N. Leskov. An interesting tale, which has become the plot of animated and feature films, and theatrical productions, conveys the essence of the life of Russian talent.
The image and characterization of Lefty in the story “Lefty” help to understand the events of the history of Rus', to understand how and how a simple Tula gunsmith lived.
Lefty's Appearance
The master gunsmith Lefty remained known to everyone only by his nickname. Nobody knows his real name. The nickname was given for his skillful use of his left hand. It’s even more convenient for a master to cross himself with his left hand. This ability surprised the British. Overseas engineers did not even imagine that one could become a skilled craftsman without using the right hand.Left-handed suffers from strabismus. This characteristic is even more striking. How did the scythe man manage to forge the smallest parts for a miniature flea? What is his visual acuity that he works without any microscopes or complex magnifying devices? Moreover, it performs the thinnest part of the product.
Other special signs:
- spot on the face;
- absence of “hair” on the temples.
\"...one sideways Left-hander, there is a birthmark on his cheek, and the hair on his temples was torn out during training...\"
The teacher tore at the boy’s hair, which means the guy managed to be not a particularly diligent and diligent student.
Because of poverty, the peasant dresses modestly:
- worn-out peasant shoes (footwear);
- Cossack on hooks.
He walks in what he was wearing: in shorts, one trouser leg is in a boot, the other is dangling, and the collar is old, the hooks are not fastened, they are lost, and the collar is torn; but it’s okay, don’t be embarrassed.
The boy is not ashamed of his appearance. Got used to it. In the story there is no feeling of discomfort when the boy is changed, that is, clothes mean nothing to him. It's scary to read the pages where he is undressed in the hospital and left almost naked on the cold floor. Some people really liked his new suit.
The image of talent from the outback
Lefty lives in the city of Tula in a small house. A cramped mansion - this is how the narrator characterizes him. The couriers who arrived with Platov tried to enter the hut, but failed. The doors were so strong that they remained standing, withstanding numerous blows from heroic strength. The roof of the house was removed faster, using logs. The tightness is proved by the staleness of the air, which, when the roof was removed, rose above the house so much that everyone around did not have enough air. The poor peasant loves his parents. When he is asked to stay in England, the first reason why he refuses new living conditions is his old parents. He affectionately calls his father “daddy” and his mother “old lady”. Lefty does not yet have his own family, he is not married.I'm still single.
The character of a hero from the people
Lefty is one of the three most skilled craftsmen in the city of Tula gunsmiths. This means that among all the gunsmiths of the ancient city, only those who were very talented were chosen. It’s hard to even imagine how many real artisans live in the city of weapons production. According to the narrator, the entire Russian nation hopes for Lefty and his friends. The task facing the masters is to prove that Russian craftsmen can do everything better than others, in this story, better than the English.The craftsmen are hardworking and persistent. They did not deliver the work before completion, and without fear of the ataman’s anger, they completed everything to the end.
Special Personality Qualities
The main character has many of his own individual characteristics, but at the same time, his personality qualities make Lefty a symbol of the entire Russian people, kind and talented.Education. The gunsmith is not literate or educated, like almost the entire peasantry in Rus' in those years. His school consisted of two textbooks: “The Psalter” and “The Half-Dream Book.” Talent lives in a master by nature. He managed to open it.
Cunning. A simple craftsman does not reveal the ideas that three gunsmiths had about an English craft. He is silent in England, not trusting his thoughts to overseas engineers. He is cunning in a kind way, without evil or intent.
Faith in God. The masters did not begin the work without the blessing of the highest divine powers. They went to the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Gunsmiths rely on themselves and on help from above.
Determination and courage. The master is not afraid to meet with the Russian emperor. Don't be embarrassed by torn clothes. He knows that he and his friends carried out his order and is ready to answer for the work. He boldly tells the king that he engraved his names on the horseshoes, what his work was.
Lefty and his role in the story
In Nikolai Semenovich Leskov’s story “Lefty,” pride for the Russian people and bitterness for the attitude of officials towards ordinary people are intertwined.
In a brief description of Lefty from the story “Lefty,” the author speaks of him as one of the gunsmiths who promised to fulfill the royal order. The work doesn't even contain Lefty's real name.
Together with two other craftsmen, Lefty took on the task to prove to the British that our craftsmen are no worse than English craftsmen and can do any complex work.
Lefty's appearance and his relationship with the characters in the story
N. S. Leskov Lefty, whose description the author gives very briefly, introduces him as the main character almost in the middle of the story. Here is what the author writes: “there are three gunsmiths, the most skilled of them, one is left-handed with an oblique left hand, there is a birthmark on his cheek, and the hair on his temples has been torn out during training.” And only from this moment the plot already revolves around Lefty.
In the work, the gunsmiths appear before the reader as calm and self-confident craftsmen, respectful of the king and each other. The phrase “the king’s word will not be put to shame for our sake” says a lot. It seems that only the “royal word” sounds, but behind this expression one can hear “the honor of the Motherland,” for which the masters, without saying loud words, are ready to stand up.
Platov’s bad attitude towards Lefty changed only after Lefty explained how you need to look at a flea in order to see and appreciate the skill of Tula gunsmiths.
When sending Lefty with a messenger to England, neither the Tsar nor Platov even thought about the fact that a person was traveling so far without documents. And no one bothered to write out some paper for Lefty just in case. The main thing is for the British to understand “that this is not surprising to us.”
The Russian authorities' disdain for ordinary people runs throughout the story. They didn’t even bother to feed the left-hander, so they sent him to England hungry, only they gave him a caftan so that “it would look like he had some kind of paid rank.”
Lefty as the personification of Russian masters
All the simple working people of Russia appear in the description of Lefty from Leskov’s story “Lefty”. Hard-working, reverent of authority, ready to obey any order from his superiors, and at the same time full of dignity, patriotism and self-confidence, Lefty seems to personify Russian masters.
No English blessings tempt Lefty. He remains faithful to his homeland to the end.
Lefty's Patriotism
Returning to Russia, Lefty fully felt the “love” of his Motherland. Not having a “tugament” with him, he ended up in the “common people’s Obukhvin hospital, where everyone of an unknown class is admitted to die.”
Neither Platov nor anyone else even moved to save the master, and only thanks to the English half-skipper they brought a good doctor to Lefty. But before they had time, having caught a cold from lying on the cold floor, with a split head, Lefty died in the doctor’s arms.
And in the scene where the death of Lefty is described, the author fully reveals the character of the master. After all, even dying such a terrible death, Lefty remained faithful to his homeland. And the last words: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them not clean ours either, otherwise, God forbid war, they are not suitable for shooting” - the best confirmation of the patriotism of the Russian craftsman.
Work test
