Achieving a noble goal dishonestly is an example. Are all means good for achieving a noble goal?
FIPI commentary in the direction of "Goals and Means":
"The concepts of this direction are interconnected and allow us to think about a person's life aspirations, the importance of meaningful goal setting, the ability to correctly correlate the goal and the means to achieve it, as well as the ethical assessment of human actions. In many literary works characters are presented who deliberately or mistakenly chose unsuitable means to implement their plans. And it often turns out that a good goal serves only as a cover for true (lower) plans. Heroes are opposed to such characters, for whom the means of achieving high purpose inseparable from moral requirements."
Recommendations for students:
The table contains works that reflect any concept related to the direction "Aims and Means". You DO NOT NEED to read all of the titles listed. You may have already read a lot. Your task is to revise your reading knowledge and, if there is a lack of arguments in one direction or another, fill in the gaps. In this case, you will need this information. Take it as a guide to wide world literary works. Please note: the table shows only a part of the works in which the problems we need are present. This does not mean at all that you cannot bring completely different arguments in your works. For convenience, each work is accompanied by small explanations (the third column of the table), which will help you navigate exactly how, through which characters, you will need to rely on literary material (the second mandatory criterion when evaluating a graduation essay)
An approximate list of literary works and carriers of problems in the direction "Aims and means"
| Direction | Approximate list of literary works | Carriers of the problem |
|---|---|---|
| Aims and means | A. S. Griboedov. "Woe from Wit" | Chatsky(Goal: change society. Means: courage, honesty, denunciation of vices), Molchalin (Goal: obtaining ranks, own well-being. Means: meanness, serving important people, using others). |
| A. S. Pushkin. "Captain's daughter" | Grinev(Goal: to be faithful to the officer's duty. Means: courage, honesty. Goal: not to discredit the name captain's daughter, Masha Mironova. Means: nobility, refusal to use Masha's testimony in the investigation), Masha Mironova(Goal: save a loved one. Means: courage and determination, a conversation with the empress), Pugachev(Goal: live a bright life, be useful to the people. Means: rebellion, cruelty, courage, audacity), Shvabrin(Goal: save your life. Means: betrayal, going over to the side of the rebel Pugachev). | |
| A. S. Pushkin. "Mozart and Salieri" | Salieri. Goal: excellence in creativity. Means: envy, murder. | |
| M. Yu. Lermontov. "Hero of our time" | Pechorin. Goal: find your purpose. "Why did you live? For what purpose was he born? Remedy: to pluck the flowers of the pleasures of life, bringing suffering to others.. | |
| N. V. Gogol "Dead Souls" | Chichikov. Purpose: personal enrichment. Means: dishonesty, impudence, disregard for moral principles, following the father's commandment: "Save a penny." | |
| L. N. Tolstoy. "War and Peace" | members of the secular society(Goal: enrichment, honor and glory. Means: dishonor, deceit, intrigue), Andrey Bolkonsky, Pierre Bezukhov(Goal: to be useful to Russia. Means: honesty, courage, ruthlessness towards oneself). | |
| F. M. Dostoevsky. "Crime and Punishment" | Raskolnikov(Goal: to test his theory about the division of people. Means: ax (murder)), Sonechka Marmeladova(Goal: live honestly, help those who need it. Means: cross (faith, compassion, love)). | |
| A. Chekhov "Gooseberry" | Nikolay Ivanovich. Purpose: to acquire a small estate where gooseberries will grow. Remedy: renunciation of all the joys of life (not only his own, but also a ban on life for his wife). | |
| I. Bunin. "Sir from San Francisco" | gentleman from san francisco. Purpose: to accumulate capital. Means: to work all your life, postponing life itself for later. | |
| A. Platonov. "Sand Maiden" | Maria Nikiforovna Naryshkina. Purpose: to change the lives of the people around her, to help survive in the harsh conditions of the fight against the sands. Means: courage, determination, perseverance, personal example. | |
| V. Bykov "Dovzhik" | Commander partisan detachment . The goal is good German boots that a fighter named Dovzhik had. Means: murder of Dovzhik without witnesses. | |
| D. Granin "Prisoners" | Captured German lieutenant. Goal: survive in captivity. Remedy: pretend to be crazy. | |
| V. Astafiev "Note" | The son who "forgot" his mother at the train station. Purpose: to rid yourself of worries about the mother. Remedy: leave mother at the train station with a note in his pocket. | |
| V. Rasputin "Farewell to Matera" | People who make important government decisions and executors of orders. Purpose: construction of a hydroelectric power station. The remedy is the flooding of lands, including the village of Matera. But what about people? Their memory? |
“Goals and Means” is one of the topics of the final essay on literature offered to graduates of 2020 by the developer of knowledge control materials, the FIPI Institute. What can be written about in such a work?
First, you need to explain what a goal is. For example, it can be considered as a fundamental part of human life. Write how important it is to have a goal, strive for heights, achieve something, self-actualize. You can mention great discoveries, scientific or geographical - this will make the essay more interesting and give a chance to get a higher mark. Second, you can give brief classification goals, because they are different - true and false, great and selfish. Another version of the theme of the work is “Does the end justify the means?” Discuss whether it is possible to justify a great goal achieved in an unrighteous way, write about the ethical assessment of the means to achieve the goal. Albert Einstein once said: "No goal is so lofty as to justify the unworthy means to achieve it." Goethe also agreed with him: “High goals, even if unfulfilled, are more expensive than low goals, even if they are achieved.” You can agree with them or not, but in the second case, you will have to try and bring your convincing arguments. Write examples from literary works in which characters mistakenly or deliberately choose "bad" means to achieve an end. One can also mention cases from life or history when a seemingly good goal actually serves only as a cover for base true plans. Be sure to oppose such characters with heroes who do not separate the means to achieve the goal from the requirements of morality.
Composition on the topic “On the way to a noble goal, are all means good?”
Often in Everyday life You can hear such a phrase as the end justifies the means. In my opinion, this is just an excuse for a wrongful act that is disguised as a "noble" goal. No action should bring evil, violence and pain. Even if it seems like it will make a lot of people feel better.
Life is very difficult, so very controversial situations can often arise in which it really seems that small digression from general rules morality can be of great benefit to all mankind. Sometimes such thoughts come into my head, but what if someone had done away with Adolf Hitler before he became the Fuhrer of Nazi Germany? This act could save the whole world from one of the most terrible pages in the history of the twentieth century and save a colossal number of lives. Just one murder, which, of course, is the most terrible act, would bring salvation to people from death and the loss of loved ones. Would such an end justify all means?
You can find a large number of discussions about this in the immortal work of Fedov Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". In it, Rodion Raskolnikov talks for a long time about the fact that people can be divided into two categories. Some can commit the most unlawful actions and at the same time not bear any punishment, since their actions will be better for everyone. And another category of people cannot have such rights and should only serve to achieve the goals of the first category. Practically become their slaves and indulge in everything. The young man could not decide for a long time which category he belongs to. Therefore, he decided to check this in the most reliable way, by committing the murder, as it seemed to him, of a useless and mercenary old money-lender.
One old woman did not manage, so a double murder was also committed by a witness to this scene. After this, a new period in life begins in the life of Rodion, which is associated with enormous and severe mental anguish and suffering. He understands the inconsistency and even the meaninglessness of his theory. But all the deeds have already been done, nothing can be changed, it remains only to suffer a fair punishment.
Another character in this novel also confirms that not every end justifies any means to achieve it. This is Svidrigailov. On the one hand, he is a calm and balanced person who helps orphans and Sonya Marmeladova by donating money to them. But on the other hand, he is very angry, cynical and, in order to achieve his goals, he is ready to commit any crime while not feeling remorse or remorse at all. Such a person is doubly scary. After all, he understands that he is doing bad things. But at the same time, he is trying with all his might to convince himself that this is being done for the public good and that it will be better for everyone. The fate of Svidrigailov is sad and ends in suicide. He understands that his life is meaningless and afflicted with vices. He is denied reciprocity by Raskolnikov's sister, Dunya, since she also considers him a terrible person.
At the end of the novel, Rodion realizes that not all ends justify the means and that his theory is fundamentally wrong and even harmful to society. Therefore, he seeks salvation in the Orthodox faith and sincere love for Sonya Marmeladova.
A noble cause is a rather complex concept. First of all, this goal will be different for everyone. Someone seems to have a noble goal of their own gain, which is acquired through theft and someone else's grief. Therefore, I am convinced that no goal is worth the shed blood or the pain of others. You can always find another, much better and right legal way to make the lives of those around you happier.
A noble cause is an ambiguous concept. After all, under this expression, each person can understand something individual. Someone considers their own well-being, acquired at the expense of someone else's grief, to be a noble goal. I believe that no goal should give rise to evil and violence. There is always another, more human way to make people's lives better.
To confirm my words, let us turn to the immortal novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". In him main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, reflects on the theory of dividing people into two categories: "the right to have" and "trembling creatures" The first are capable of committing the most inhumane acts without remorse and at the same time not be punished, since their actions are good for the whole society. And the latter are not capable of this and should only serve to achieve the goals of people of the first type. The young student could not decide who exactly he refers to. Therefore, he decided to check by the most drastic method: by killing, as it seemed to him, a useless and mercenary old woman - a pawnbroker.
But one murder was not enough, her sister, Lizaveta, who caught Raskolnikov at the scene of the crime, was also killed. Are you joining in 2019? Our team will help you save your time and nerves: we will select directions and universities (according to your preferences and recommendations of experts); we will issue applications (you will only have to sign); we will apply to Russian universities (online, by e-mail, by courier); we monitor competitive lists(we automate the tracking and analysis of your positions); we will tell you when and where to submit the original (we will evaluate the chances and determine the best option). Entrust the routine to professionals - more details.
Following this, a new stage begins in the life of Rodion, associated with mental anguish and remorse. Only then does he realize the inconsistency and absurdity of his theory.
Another character, Svidrigailov, also confirms that not every end justifies the means. On the one hand, this is a virtuous person who financially helps orphans and Sonya Marmeladova. But on the other hand, in order to satisfy his needs, he is ready to go to any atrocity, without any regrets. Such a person is mired in a pool of depravity. Svidrigailov's story ends in suicide. He understands that his life is meaningless and sinful. In the epilogue of the novel, Rodion realizes that not all ends justify the means and that his theory can only harm society, and in no way make it happy. Therefore, he finds salvation in faith and in love for Sonya Marmeladova.
In conclusion, I would like to say that everything in life is not arranged simply, therefore sometimes controversial situations arise in which it seems that if you deviate from the rules of morality, you can bring great benefits to all of humanity. But it’s not for nothing that there is a proverb: “You can’t build your happiness on someone else’s misfortune.”
Useful material
What are graduates willing to do to achieve their goals?
Text: Anna Chaynikova
Photo: artkogol.ru
"Goals and means" - this is the third direction proposed to eleventh graders for the final essay. Let's try together to figure out what questions we should ask ourselves, what works to remember in order to choose a topic from this direction without fear and doubt.
FIPI comment:
The concepts of this direction are interrelated and allow you to think about a person's life aspirations, the importance of meaningful goal setting, the ability to correctly correlate the goal and the means to achieve it, as well as the ethical assessment of human actions.
In many literary works, characters are presented who deliberately or mistakenly chose unsuitable means to realize their plans. And it often turns out that a good goal serves only as a cover for true (lower) plans. Such characters are opposed to heroes for whom the means to achieve a lofty goal are inseparable from the requirements of morality.
vocabulary work
"Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language" by S. I. Ozhegov and N. Yu. Shvedova:
PURPOSE - the object of aspiration, what is necessary, it is desirable to implement.
A MEANS is a means, a method of action to achieve something.
Synonyms
Target- task, aspiration, intention, dream.
Means- way, technique, method of achieving (goals).
What could be the goals?
- Noble (serving the ideals of goodness, justice; Motherland and people)
- Low (selfish, selfish, disfiguring the human soul)
Within the framework of this thematic direction, schoolchildren are invited to reflect on life guidelines, human priorities. Choosing their own path, everyone makes decisions, sets goals and goes to them. Both the goals and the means to achieve them are different.
By what goals a person sets for himself, one can judge his life priorities and what he sees the meaning of life in.
What is more important for a person - selfless help to people, serving the ideals of good or money-grubbing, a selfish life "for oneself", an unprincipled desire to "go over the heads" to achieve one's goal? This is the question that poses to his heroes V. Rozov in the play "The Capercaillie's Nest".
The author's attention is focused on the family of a prominent party worker Sudakov. His daughter Iskra works in the newspaper's letter department, where there is an endless stream of complaints and requests for help from desperate people. The girl devotes all her free time to parsing correspondence, answering letters and helping people, in this she sees her vocation and destiny. Her husband, Georgy Yasyunin, a "young, promising" Ryazan, whose name his native village will someday be sure to name, is building a career with the same dedication. Growing up in poverty, he tries with all his might to break into the people, while he has no moral restrictions on the means to achieve his goal. The Iskra family, which received him warmly, became such a means for him. Arriving at Sudakov's house as a half-starved, downtrodden and helpful young man, Yegor spread his wings, began to quickly move up the career ladder, not without the support of Sudakov, and finally stepped over his benefactor. Speaking frankly with his mistress Ariadna, Yegor admits that he never loved Iskra and married her only out of gratitude for the human participation and help provided by her: “Of course, I treated her well, and, frankly, entering this house did not seem terrible to me either, I would even say, on the contrary. But all this, you understand, was wrong, a mistake. And now, when all this nonsense has disappeared, when I have already completely acclimatized, as they say, I suddenly realized: ah-ah-ah, what have I done, how I behaved incorrectly. I confused ordinary human participation and gratitude for it with love.. However, it is hard to believe that Yegor knows how to be grateful. Having received everything that was possible from Sudakov, he considers him and life in his family "a passed stage": “…now I have to enter a new phase. Otherwise, everything, the end, the lid, further the bottom, the border of the terminal station ". Exactly the same means on the way to achieving the goal will then become for Yegor and the family of his new boss Koromyslov, father of Ariadne. She is young and naive, so she does not understand Iskra's warning words about Yegor's true face: "He will trample you, wipe his feet on you and step over".
According to Natalia Gavrilovna, Iskra's mother, the most dangerous of all are such cynical and unprincipled people who are ready to go over the heads of even those people who helped them.
Sudakov cannot believe that his son-in-law can betray his family and personally him: “Yegor will not go anywhere, he does not have this in his thoughts. In the end, he won’t leave because of me, he is attached to me, loves ” he says to his wife. However, Sudakov is mistaken - Yegor does not know such feelings as affection and gratitude. Unfortunately, he is not the only one. As soon as Yegor receives an appointment to a higher position, his colleague-sycophant Zolotarev comes to congratulate him, formulating the attitude of this type of people like him and Yasyunin towards others: “But in general, you spit on them. Old - it is old. What is he to you now, right? Relatives, and only ... Yesterday's roast. Relationships for such people do not play any role, love also does not make their heart tremble, gratitude is unfamiliar to them, and a person is interesting only as long as one can benefit from it.
At the end of the play, Yegor is expelled from the Sudakovs' house, even after an awkward pause, he is introduced to the guests after an awkward pause as "George Samsonovich Yasyunin, a neighbor." And this is true, because a person who cynically turns others into a means to achieve his goals is doomed to loneliness.
Aphorisms and sayings of famous people:
- To whom the end is permitted, the means are also permitted. (Hermann Buzenbaum, Jesuit)
- Some Jesuits say that every means is good, if only to achieve the goal. Not true! Not true! With feet defiled by the dirt of the road, it is unworthy to enter a clean temple. (I. S. Turgenev)
- No end is so lofty as to justify the unworthy means to achieve it. (A. Einstein)
- Let no one deviate a single step from the honest path under the plausible pretext that this is justified by a noble goal. Any beautiful goal can be achieved by honest means. And if not, then this goal is bad. (C. Dickens)
- No person can be a means to another person's ends. (E. Fromm)
- A purposeful person finds means, and when he cannot find them, he creates them. (W. Channing)
- Happy is the one who has a goal and sees the meaning of life in it. (F. Schelling)
- For a man who does not know which harbor he is heading for, no wind will be favorable. (Seneca)
- If you are heading towards the goal and stop along the way to throw stones at every dog that barks at you, you will never reach the goal. (F. M. Dostoevsky)
- When it seems to you that the goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action. (Confucius)
- We must set ourselves tasks above our strength: firstly, because you never know them anyway, and secondly, because forces appear as you complete an unattainable task. (B. L. Pasternak)
- If selfish well-being is the only goal of life, life quickly becomes aimless. (R. Rollan)
What questions should you think about?
- Why is it important to have a purpose in life?
- Can a person live without a purpose?
- What can lead to a lack of purpose in a person's life?
- What is the danger of an aimless existence?
- What helps a person achieve a goal?
- Are there unattainable goals?
- What is the difference between a dream and a goal?
- Is it possible to judge a person by what goals he sets for himself?
- What goal would bring satisfaction?
- Can the end justify the means to achieve it?
- When does achieving a goal not bring happiness?
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Preparation for the final essay-2017. "Purpose and Means" FIPI comment
- The concepts of this direction are interrelated and allow you to think about a person's life aspirations, the importance of meaningful goal setting, the ability to correctly correlate the goal and the means to achieve it, as well as the ethical assessment of human actions. Many literary works feature characters who deliberately or mistakenly chose unsuitable means to implement their plans. And it often turns out that a good goal serves only as a cover for true (lower) plans. Such characters are opposed to heroes for whom the means to achieve a lofty goal are inseparable from the requirements of morality.
- . Purpose as a fundamental part of human life. About the role and importance of having a goal in a person’s life, about its absence, about a person’s striving for heights, about achievements and about a goal as an engine of progress, about self-realization, great discoveries that are possible only thanks to a goal, about obstacles on the way to a goal, about a goal as a continuous process, as well as about what and who helps a person on the way to his goals
- . Does the end justify the means? Here you can speculate about whether it is possible to justify the great goals achieved dishonestly, about the importance human life, about ways to achieve the goal and about the ethical assessment of methods and means to achieve the goal. The goal is an imaginary peak, individual for each person, to which he aspires, and tries to fulfill for this all the necessary conditions, requirements, duties that depend on him.
- "Purpose": intention, end, task, task, plan, plan, project, calculation, target
- "Means": way, possibility, method; tool, device, weapon; panacea, tool, system, path, asset, resource, condition, method, recipe, drug
- 1. All means are good to achieve the goal.
- 2. Are all means good for achieving a noble goal?
- 3. How do you understand the saying of O. de Balzac: “In order to reach the goal, one must first of all go”?
- 4. What does the lack of purpose in life lead to?
- 5. How does society influence the formation of goals?
- 6. How does the goal set by a person in front of him affect his fate?
- 7. What is more important for a person - spiritual or material goals?
- 8. Do you agree with V. Hugo's statement: “Our life is a journey, an idea is a guide. There is no guide and everything has stopped. The goal is lost, and the strength is as if it had not happened”?
- 1. Introduction. Reference to an authoritative opinion on an issue close to the problem under discussion (for example, the words of Academician D.S. Likhachev: “ Only a vital goal allows a person to live his life with dignity and get real joy.».
- 2. The main part. The answer to the question posed in the topic of the essay:
- 1) thesis 1+ illustration (story by I.A. Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco");
- 2) thesis 2 + illustration (the goals of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrey Bolkonsky, the heroes of L.N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace"
- 3. Conclusion. Appeal, appeal to the reader//reasoning about the relevance of the topic.
- The means chosen by the "famus society" are low. A vivid example of this is A. Molchalin, a man who is ready to do anything for the sake of promotion, money, well-being. He tries to please everyone, to please, to flatter, to be hypocritical. The hero learned well the lessons of his father, who taught his son:
- First, to please all people without exception: The owner, where he happens to live,
- The boss with whom I will serve,
- To his servant who cleans dresses;
- Doorman, janitor to avoid evil,
- The janitor's dog, so that it was affectionate.
- If to achieve the goal you need to play the role of a man in love, he uses this means too, deftly deceiving Sophia in the sincerity of his feelings, dreaming of marrying her, intermarrying with the influential Famusov. Well, most likely some means will nevertheless lead him to the desired goal. Chatsky is sure of this, speaking of the hero: “But by the way, he will reach the known levels, because now they love the dumb ...”
- Chatsky's goal is to live life with dignity. He wants to serve the Fatherland honestly, without flattery and servility (“... I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to serve ...”), dreams of sincere love, strives to be honest, have his own position, principles and not change them, no matter how they contradict society. Yes, his end and means are noble, but what anger they cause in society! “Woe from Wit” is experienced by Chatsky, misunderstood by others, recognized by them as crazy. But this is exactly how, according to the author, one must live - honestly, with dignity.
- To choose a worthy goal in life, to use the appropriate means to achieve it, not to make mistakes, not to follow the path of imaginary values - it is so important to become a person, to be honest with yourself and people. It is to this conclusion that readers of the play by A.S. Griboyedov come.
- Purpose and means - these concepts always go together. We dream about something and plan how to achieve it, by what means to achieve the goal. And we often hear: “The end justifies the means,” and some add: “If it is noble.” I don't agree with this. Even for the sake of a noble goal, one cannot commit betrayal, treason, or crime. After all, noble means pure, moral. It is impossible to go to nobility in an immoral way. Russian literature has repeatedly warned the reader about the danger of such a path.
- Let us turn to the work of F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". The hero Rodion Raskolnikov is a poor student, a man of exceptional intelligence and will. Understanding the injustice of the social structure, he creates a theory according to which he divides all people into "trembling creatures" and those who "have the right." Of course, he wants to include himself in the second category. But how to test this theory? It is necessary to kill the useless old pawnbroker, to test yourself, - the hero decides. They will be tormented by pangs of conscience - that means you are an ordinary person, you can “step over” - that means “you have the right”. But not only the desire to test the correctness of the theory drives Raskolnikov, but also a very noble goal - to help the "humiliated and offended." It is no coincidence that already at the beginning of the novel, Dostoevsky leads us through the streets of St. Petersburg, where powers of the world they do this iniquity. We meet people like Marmeladov. We are witnessing the beggarly life that members of his family lead, and the eldest daughter Sonya is forced to go “on a yellow ticket”, otherwise her brothers and sisters will die of hunger. Yes, and Raskolnikov's sister is also forced to sacrifice herself in order to help her brother finish university.
- Seeing this, wanting to help those who drag out a miserable existence, Raskolnikov commits murder. But even for a noble goal, not all means are good! Like a true humanist writer, Dostoevsky debunks the theory of the hero. Having committed a crime, Raskolnikov literally goes crazy: he is seized with a fever, he moves away from people, even those closest to him, internally approaches people who are hated by him (such as, for example, Svidrigailov). Unable to bear the pangs of conscience, the hero comes with a confession. But only in hard labor did he finally realize the perniciousness of his theory. The writer led him to the Bible, the main commandment of which is: "Thou shalt not kill." Raskolnikov realized the danger of his theory: one cannot reach a lofty goal with low means.
- READ THE INTRODUCTION PAYING ATTENTION TO THE THESIS:
- Purpose and means - these concepts always go together. We dream about something and plan how to achieve it, by what means to achieve the goal. And we often hear: “The end justifies the means,” and some add: “If it is noble.” I don't agree with this. Even for the sake of a noble goal, one cannot commit betrayal, treason, or crime. After all, noble means pure, moral. It is impossible to go to nobility in an immoral way. Russian literature has repeatedly warned the reader about the danger of such a path.
- "End justifies the means". These words are so suitable for the hero of the poem by N.V. Gogol Chichikov! The goal was clearly set by the hero (it was already indicated by his father in childhood: “ take care of everything and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world ... "- wealth, nobility, position in society. Step by step the hero goes to his goal. Already in school years he uses certain means to achieve it, is engaged in hoarding: he sells refreshments to his comrades, a bullfinch, which he molded from wax, carefully sews 5 kopecks into bags. And later, any machinations, if they led to money or promotion, were good for the hero. Let us recall how cleverly he deceived the boss by promising to marry his daughter. But after receiving the next rank, I forgot about it ( "... blew it, blew it, damn son!") It seemed that it could be worse than the sale of "dead souls", and Chichikov sells them without disdaining anything, because this can bring him a significant income. Even secular society, corrupted by the pursuit of money, does not understand the hero, and such a method of gain is alien to him. Chichikov can find an approach to anyone, literally charm the whole society with himself. Entering into the confidence of the landlords, he makes illegal transactions. And everything would be fine if it were not for Korobochka, who decided in the city to find out if she had sold the dead souls cheaply, if it were not for Nozdryov with his frankness, who publicly asked how things were going with the purchase of these souls. This time the scam failed. But the hero still has so many opportunities ahead, and who knows, maybe he will succeed in another dubious enterprise. Of course, the author hoped that a person could change. It is no coincidence that he wrote the 2nd volume, in which he showed goodies. But N. Gogol himself realized that the characters turned out to be too unrealistic, that it is very difficult to get rid of their vices in people, so he burned this volume.
- The desire to be rich is always characteristic of people. This goal is well understood. But does a person always use worthy means? Does he descend to baseness, lawlessness, injustice? Everyone should think about this when determining the means to achieve their goals in order to be a respected and worthy person in society.
- The character of a person is formed throughout life. Sometimes one goals and values are replaced by others. Much depends on the environment, on changes both in the life of the person himself and in the life of the whole country, the people. The hero of Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" Andrei Bolkonsky is constantly in search of his place in life. The author shows how his goals changed, the means he used to achieve them.
- At the beginning of the novel, the hero dreams of fame, goes to war with Napoleon to find his "Toulon", that is, the starting point that will mark the beginning of his fame ( “I want fame, I want to be famous people I want to be loved by them”). However, the war showed the insignificance of his dreams. Seeing the huge sky, the clouds floating across it, he realized that he had to live according to the laws of nature, that all his goals were so low, worthless. The meeting with Natasha in Otradnoye, overheard her words about the beauty of the night, in which there is so much desire to live to the fullest - all this influenced Andrey. He wanted to be useful to people, to benefit them ( “... it is necessary that everyone knows me, so that my life goes not for me alone ... so that it is reflected on everyone and that they all live with me together). He also considers the means for this, being a member of the legislative commission of A. Speransky. At the end of the novel, this is a completely different person who has realized that a person is happy, living a single life with the people, the Fatherland, contributing to great things. And he also realized that one must be able to forgive, because it was precisely the fact that he had once failed to understand and forgive Natasha that deprived him of the love of such a woman! Before his death, Andrei realized this , "... he discovered that patient love for people that his sister taught!"
- The author makes his readers think about many things and, above all, about how to live on this earth, how to be a person. L. Tolstoy's favorite characters seem to suggest answers to these questions.
- The goal in life, the means to achieve it. How to choose them? It is not simple. It is human nature to make mistakes when choosing life guidelines. But the main thing is whether or not he can find the right path, set a worthy goal for himself, using fair means to achieve it. In deeds, deeds, a person is valued. You need to live not aimlessly, but for the benefit of yourself, loved ones, the people and the Motherland. Only then will a person be truly happy.
