Read the work after the ball summary. Very Brief retelling for the reader's diary After the Ball (Tolstoy Lev N.)

"After the ball" Tolstoy briefly

The main character story of Tolstoy L.N. "After the ball" Ivan Vasilievich is at the ball with the provincial leader. He is madly in love with Varenka, the colonel's daughter, who is present at the ball.

Varenka, a lovely girl: tall, slender, graceful. At that time he was "a student at a provincial university", a cheerful and lively fellow, and even rich. Like many young people of his circle, Ivan Vasilyevich spent his evenings at balls, reveling with friends.

Ivan Vasilyevich characterizes the ball at the provincial leader as “wonderful” not only because everything was fine there, but also because his beloved was at the ball. Varenka in a white and pink dress looked especially beautiful. Ivan Vasilyevich danced with her all evening and felt that his love for her was mutual.

Varenka's father, a colonel ("a very handsome, stately, tall and fresh old man"), has the same kind and joyful smile as his daughter's. The owners persuade him to dance the mazurka with his daughter. The dancing couple attracts everyone's attention. The protagonist sees that the colonel is wearing unfashionable calf boots, as he is forced to deny himself a lot in order to dress and take his daughter out into the world. After the dance, the colonel brought Varenka to Ivan Vasilyevich, and the rest of the evening the young people did not part. They do not talk about love, and this is not necessary: ​​Ivan Vasilyevich is happy. He fears only one thing: that his happiness should not be spoiled by something.

In the most pleasant mood, the main character returns home, but cannot find a place for himself from feelings. He goes to the part of the city where Varenka's house is located and along the way he notices an extremely unpleasant sight: the soldiers severely punish their comrade for running away. The same colonel, Varenka's father, directs the cruel punishment. He vigilantly sees to it that the soldiers beat the poor man hard, without indulgence.

The sight of the red, mottled, blood-stained back of a soldier terrifies Ivan Vasilyevich, as does the punishment procedure itself. But most of all, the young man was shocked by the realization that he was unable to understand the obvious confidence of the colonel in the correctness of his actions, who, meanwhile, noticing Ivan Vasilyevich, turns away, pretending to be unfamiliar with him.

After all that he saw, Ivan Vasilievich “could not enter the military service, as he wanted before,” and “love from that day began to wane.” So just one case changed the whole life of the hero and his views.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy wrote the story a little earlier than the first publication, in 1903. The book was published on August 20, 1911, right at the Easter table. The reason for writing by Lev Nikolaevich the work “After the Ball” is quite simple, taken from life. While studying at the university, the writer and friends (Sergei, Dmitry, Nikolai, Maria) lived in Kazan. Sergei, who was Lev's brother, fell in love with Varenka, a local girl. Her father was a strict but honest officer. Their family also lived nearby, as in the work. Lev Nikolayevich wanted not only to tell one of real stories(beating a runaway soldier), but also to find out what really changes a person: circumstances or habitat?

Character characteristics

  • Ivan Vasilievich- an honest, fair and open guy dries and takes care of the officer's daughter - Varenka. From the situation he saw late in the evening, the guy loses faith in love for the girl and remembers what is happening for the rest of his life.
  • Varenka- the subject of sighing of Ivan Vasilyevich, the daughter of Peter Vladislavovich. Naive, but charming and smart.
  • Petr Vladislavovich- Colonel, Varenka's father. The reader will remember him as a cruel, righteous officer who gives criminal orders and beats his subordinates.
  • Tatar is a runaway soldier.They decided to lynch him right on the street, in front of ordinary citizens and the main character.

Summary of Leo Tolstoy's story "After the Ball"

The action takes place after the ball and directly at the ball itself. At the very beginning, the author shows us friends standing around who are actively talking about personal improvement and growth. The protagonist of the story is a respected man, whose name is Ivan Vasilyevich.He tells the guys a story that fundamentally changed his life. The hero talks about the old days when he was still at the university and the main events in his life were balls. He was in love with a young and very beautiful girl, her name was Varenka.

In the morning there was a Maslenitsa holiday, and in the evening there should be a ball. Ivan Vasilyevich did not let his beloved Varenka out of the dance. Her father was present there - officer Pyotr Vladislavovich, who, at the request of the hostess, also danced once with her daughter.
Important! The main character really liked the way her father danced, and described the performance as “amazing and enthusiastic.” He was also struck by his father's shoes: "In order to take out and dress his beloved daughter, he does not buy fashionable boots, but wears home-made ones."
Ivan Vasilyevich slept badly and decided to take a walk. On the way, he saw a crowd of people gathered, in which a Tatar was seen. The soldiers beat him with sticks, mercilessly punishing him for desertion. The Tatar asked for mercy, but the soldiers did not stop. This process was led by Varenka's father, Colonel Pyotr Vladislavovich. He even hit one soldier because he wanted to pardon the sufferer. The punishment did not last long. Leaving, Ivan heard not even screams, but passionate sobs from the convict. One could hear how much pain the officer had inflicted on him, turning his back into something inanimate and terrible. Ivan Vasilievich walked home and could not believe his eyes. Just now he admired this man, but after what he saw, he simply hated him. When he got home, he could not sleep for a long time. Jumping up, the guy ran to a friend and got drunk there. The hero fell asleep in the late afternoon, when he crawled drunk to his mansion.

After everything he saw, the hero calmed himself for a long time, saying that he did not know all the details, and if he knew, then he would not be so tormented by what he saw. But since then, Ivan Vasilyevich did not want to go into the army (although there had been a great desire before) and never served in his life. The writer takes us while telling the story to his friends:
  • What about love? - the guys ask.
  • And the love from that moment disappeared flatly. As soon as I saw Varenka's widest, most beautiful smile, I immediately remembered the furious face of her father and those unfortunate events that beat off all desire to love.
This story is very revealing. He gives each reader an understanding of how only one situation can leave its mark on all subsequent years of a person's life. And one must always remember that a cruel soul can be hidden under external stiffness and beauty. We offer to see summary"After the Ball" in the video:

About the story. This work shows the life and customs of the noble society of that time.

What was the beginning of the story of Ivan Vasilyevich

The girl was beautiful and slim. Tall, stately. She felt like a breed. He couldn't help but notice her. All women and men admired her. She soared around the hall in a white and pink dress. Brown eyes looked with tenderness. When she smiled, dimples appeared on her ruddy cheeks.

It was love, but not physical. He did not dream of possessing her as a woman. Varenka was inaccessible, like a goddess. As a sign of sympathy, the girl gave him a feather from a fan, which she fanned herself with all evening.

Daughter and father dance

The next dance Varenka danced with her father. It was an elderly man. Colonel. Handsome, stately. The face of the military was decorated with a chic mustache. The couple circled the hall, attracting everyone's attention. Ivan drew attention to the colonel's boots: old, worn to holes. He realized that his father spent all his money on his only daughter, forgetting about himself. Ivan soared in the clouds. He was happy. All thoughts were about the beloved. Returning home, the guy could not sleep for a long time, turning over the events of the past day in his head.

Reprisal against a soldier or the true face of Varenka's father

Insomnia completely exhausted Ivan. He decided to take a walk around the city at night. Feet themselves led to Varenka's house. Music was playing in the courtyard. Flute sounds intertwined with drumming. A loud, unpleasant melody that irritated the ear. The guy sees how a Tatar is driven through the ranks of soldiers, beating him with sticks. The parade was commanded by a colonel, Varenka's father. He was terrible in anger. The face is contorted with hatred. Noticing Ivan, the colonel pretended not to know him and turned away.

Epilogue

Ivan could not move away from what he saw. The scene of the beating was before my eyes. He didn't understand why everyone was silent. Is it really right to torture a person half to death. So Ivan could not find an excuse for the colonel's cruelty. Now the guy knew one thing clearly, he didn’t have a foot in military service. Love for Varenka, along with this episode, began to wane. This is how a person's life turned upside down overnight, changing plans and directing them along a different path.

The specificity of the work of the Russian classic Leo Tolstoy is the constant search for morality. He questioned the purpose of man. In Tolstoy's stories, the theme of relationships between people runs like a red thread. The philosophical orientation of his works touches on these issues and reveals their essence. This is most acutely felt in the works created after the spiritual crisis. The story "After the Ball" deserves special attention. The plan for the future story was created as a draft diary entry. The final version was approved by the writer at the end of August 1903.

Brief description of the heroes of "After the Ball"

main characters

Ivan Vasilievich

In the story “After the Ball”, the hero Ivan Vasilyevich has the ability to empathize, knows how to imagine himself in the place of another person. The misfortunes of a person for him were not an ordinary picture of the day. Ivan Vasilievich's conscience is not silent. From what he sees, the hero loses everything that is bright and quivering that is alive in him at this time. Neglects what is important to you. He accepts the tragedy and physical pain of a stranger to him as his own. A message and a look at the things of the author himself are embedded in his mouth and thoughts.

Colonel Pyotr Vladislavovich

The image of a caring parent and a wonderful family man. He positions himself as a true Christian who pleases God in every possible way, but also serves the state and the sovereign. He is most accurately characterized by an absolute indifference to the moral postulate of Christianity, according to which one must treat others as they would like to be treated. An example of the spiritual blindness of a warrior is his immense love for his daughter and bestial hatred for ordinary soldiers.

Varenka

The image of the girl in the story plays a rather secondary role. Varenka is a young girl with whom Ivan Vasilyevich is in love. She is the only child in the family. Varenka has a good education enjoys reading, is fluent in French. At the ball, the love of the girl and the main character is born. But after the ball, he lost his love for this person. Varenka marries another, and retains her attractiveness until her old age.

Minor characters

The portraits of the characters together reflect the view of the author himself. Illustrate his irreconcilable position regarding human bitterness. The colonel supervises the execution and vigilantly monitors the execution of the punishment. His whole appearance demonstrates cruelty towards subordinates. He takes out his anger not only on the offender, but also on the soldiers who stand in line and carry out the punishment.
The author describes the events on behalf of the main character, who tells two cases from his own life that happened to him during his student days. The main idea here is that the decisive moment in the fate of any person is not the environment, but the circumstances.

Retelling plan

1. Ivan Vasilyevich begins a story about an incident that turned his life upside down.
2. Description of the ball. Hero love.
3. After the ball. The hero accidentally witnesses the execution, the cruelty of Varenka's father.
4. This case turns the hero's life upside down and disrupts all his future plans.

retelling

Respected by all, Ivan Vasilyevich, unexpectedly for all those present, expresses the idea that it is not the environment that influences the formation of a young person's worldview, but chance. Your statement old man reinforces the story of an incident from his own life, after which for him "the whole life changed."

As a young man, Ivan Vasilyevich was in love with a certain Varenka B., a lovely girl: tall, slender, graceful. At that time he was "a student at a provincial university", a cheerful and lively fellow, and even rich. Like many young people of his circle, Ivan Vasilyevich spent his evenings at balls, reveling with friends.

Ivan Vasilyevich characterizes the ball at the provincial leader as “wonderful”, not so much because everything was really fine there, but because his beloved was at the ball. Varenka in a white and pink dress looked especially beautiful. Ivan Vasilyevich danced with her all evening and felt that his love for her was mutual.

Varenka's father, a colonel ("a very handsome, stately, tall and fresh old man"), has the same kind and joyful smile as his daughter's. The owners persuade him to dance the mazurka with his daughter. The dancing couple attracts everyone's attention. The protagonist is touched by the fact that the colonel is shod in unfashionable calcining boots, since, obviously, he is forced to deny himself a lot in order to dress and take his daughter out into the world. After the dance, the colonel brought Varenka to Ivan Vasilyevich, and the rest of the evening the young people did not part. They do not talk about love, and this is not necessary: ​​Ivan Vasilyevich is happy. He fears only one thing: that his happiness should not be spoiled by something.

The hero returns home in the morning, but cannot fall asleep, because he is "too happy." He sets out to wander around the city in the direction of Varenka's house. Suddenly, the young man hears the sounds of a flute and a drum, the sounds are harsh, not good. It turned out that this music accompanied the punishment of a Tatar soldier for escaping. He was "driven through the ranks." The execution was commanded by Varenka's father. The punished begged for "mercy", but the colonel strictly monitored the observance of the punishment procedure. Therefore, he slapped the face of a “frightened, small, weak soldier” for “smearing”, i.e. slightly lowers his stick on the already mutilated back of the punished. The sight of the red, mottled, blood-stained back of a soldier terrifies Ivan Vasilyevich, as does the punishment procedure itself. But most of all, the young man was shocked by the realization that he was unable to understand the obvious confidence of the colonel in the correctness of his actions, who, meanwhile, noticing Ivan Vasilyevich, turns away, pretending to be unfamiliar with him.

After all that he saw, Ivan Vasilievich “could not enter the military service, as he wanted before,” and “love from that day began to wane.” So just one case changed the whole life of the hero and his views.