L.N. Tolstoy, "Youth", a brief summary

Tolstoy's story "Youth" is part of the autobiographical trilogy and is the final book after the parts "Childhood" and "Adolescence." In it, the author continues to talk about the life of the Irtenev family. The focus of the writer is still Nicholas, already grown up, a 16-year-old young man.

Mutiny and storms of the young soul in the story "Youth"

Finished Leo Tolstoy's "Youth", a brief summary of which we now consider, in 1857, five years after writing the first story of the cycle - "Childhood". During this time, the writer himself has changed: he has grown spiritually, has reworked a lot in his soul and in his consciousness. Together with him, his beloved hero, Nikolenka, went through a deep and difficult path of self-knowledge and moral self-perfection: from a sensitive, kind little boy, he turned into a young man who was intensively thinking, insistently seeking his way.

Tolstoy begins "Youth" (a brief summary of it in front of us) describing the mental state of Nicholas. He prepares to enter the university and dreams about the future and his high appointment. Having set himself the task of moral development, the hero writes down in his special notebook his reflections, committed deeds, duties, rules, which he must follow if he wants to become a truly spiritual person.

On the Holy Week, confessing to the confessor, Irtenev feels a deep purification, closeness to God and a special love for him, for people and for himself. Nikolenka is happy that he is so wonderful, enlightened, and he wants all home and family to know about it. And at night, remembering about another incident, he is suffering for a long time, a little light jumps up and rushes to a new confession. Having received forgiveness and absolution again, he is extremely happy. It seems to him that in the world there is no one purer and more enlightened, but when in a spiritual impulse the young man shares his experiences and feelings with the cabman, he does not share his emotions. The joy of Nikolenka gradually fades away, and his rush ceases to seem so important.

L.N. Tolstoy "Youth", the brief content of which we recall, builds up as a kind of dialogue of the hero with himself. A young man is constantly engaged in self-examination, condemnation or approval of himself. He persistently seeks answers to the questions "what is good?" And "what is bad?". But growing up, entering into a new life, perhaps, is the most difficult stage in the destiny of every person.

Nicholas becomes a student - it's a kind of pass to the adult world. And the young man, of course, can not help stumbling. He is friends with Nekhlyudov, a youth more mature than himself, serious, sedate. Not lacking in observation, Irtenev understands that it is Dmitri who is the person whom he should be equal to, being in the midst of the "golden" youth: he does not drink, does not smoke, does not behave rudely and cheekily, does not boast of victories over women. And quite the opposite behavior of other friends of Nikolenka - Volodya and Dubkov. However, they seem to Nicholas as a model of "youth" and "komilfo": they behave naturally, do what they want, they chicken and shy, and they all get away with it. Nikolenka imitates friends, but nothing good ends.

Continuing Tolstoy's "Youth", the brief content of which completely gives an opportunity to understand the essence of the work, the next "test" of Nikolenka: as an independent and adult person, he must make secular visits to friends of the family, hold himself solidly, at ease, confidently, conduct pleasant conversations, E. Such visits are given to the hero with difficulty, he is bored in secular living rooms, and people seem to be mannered, unnatural, false. The hero does not understand so much, how much instinctively he feels the essence of people, that's why it is really easy for him and mentally with Nekhlyudov. He can explain many things, avoiding the moral tone, keeping himself and Nikolenko on an equal footing. Under the influence of Dmitry, Nikolai realizes that the stages of growing up, which he is now going through, are not just physiological changes in his body, but the formation of his soul.

Leo Tolstoy's "Youth" created with special love, seeing in Nicholas his dear older brother - the namesake of the hero, as well as himself. Hence the warmth and severity with which the author relates to the protagonist, to his inner world. For example, when Irtyenev in the village sincerely admires nature, he feels it deeply and subtly - it's expensive for the author, because such a feature speaks about the rich inner world of the hero, about his aesthetic vigilance.

In his last chapters "Youth" Tolstoy makes a lot of thinking. Having started to study, having got into the new, student's environment of the noble youth, Irtenev first begins to live by her laws, moving away from Nekhlyudov. However, soon enough the hero sees: in the light there is no place for sincere feelings, impulses, relations. Everything is replaced by conventions, secular decencies and restrictions. This torments Nicholas, he is disappointed in himself, his beautiful, naive dreams, and the people who surround him.

But when one day he takes out a notebook that is signed "Rules of life". Sobbing, the hero decides that he will write new rules of honest, clean life and will not change them. He is waiting for the second half of his youth, which must necessarily be much happier than the first.