Arts & Entertainment, Literature
Stendhal. "Red and black". Conflict of society and personality
Stendhal is a French writer who made a great contribution to European literature. His real name is Henri Beyle. The time in which he lived, reflected on his life and work. After the overthrow of such an eminent ruler as Napoleon, in France the epoch of philistinism came. It was this phenomenon that was contrary to the writer to the core of his soul. It is worth considering one wonderful work that Stendhal created. "Red and black" - a novel in which the struggle between the individual and everyday life is considered. It is based on a real story, which the author read in one of the French newspapers.
The wife of M. de Renal was strongly opposed to this idea of her husband. She did not want to have someone "superfluous" between her and her three beloved children. However, when she saw Julien, she was surprised - instead of the uncouth teenager, as she had imagined, an embarrassed young man appeared to her eyes. Soon everyone in de Renal's house began to treat him with respect, for he was educated and held with dignity.
Serious problems are raised in the novel by Stendhal. "Red and Black" is a work that shows the conservatism of a society that hinders the realization of the potential of an individual and even spoils it, often inducing hypocrisy, lies and meanness to achieve one's goals. These unattractive features are visible in the actions of the main character, Julien Sorrell, and the higher he ascends the career ladder, the more they are noticeable. Envy and other negative qualities of individual members of society can become an insurmountable obstacle for other people.
The author of the novel has always focused on the psychological characteristics of society and his characters. Considering the work from this side, one can be surprised at how skillfully Stendhal wrote "Red and Black". Criticism of the French society of those days is keeping pace with the problems of the individual. In the end, Julien Sorrel is not trying to somehow mitigate his fate. Once in prison and realizing that his days are numbered, he felt a spiritual cleansing. He realized that if he became the spouse of Mademoiselle de la Mole, then the role of her husband would still lose all attraction for him. He realized that he did not feel the point in such a life. Sorrel calmly and courageously goes to death, and the feeling of happiness gives him the care of his beloved woman.
In the novel "Red and Black" Stendhal touched upon problems that are characteristic not only of French society after the overthrow of Napoleon, but also for our time.
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