"Scarlet Sails" by Alexander Grin captivate the reader not only with its romantic and fabulous plot, but also with the main characters. The image of Assol in the story embodies a bright faith in a dream and a fairy tale, kindness and tenderness, meekness and love.
Childhood Assol
Assol was born in the family of a sailor Longren. The girl's mother died when she was not even a year old. Assol was raised by his father. The girl helped him in everything, was obedient and kind, quickly learned everything. Characterization of Assol from the work "Scarlet Sails" is impossible without mentioning some moments of her life in Kapern.
In her early childhood, the heroine suffered from the fact that other children, on the instructions of their parents, were afraid of her and did not play with her, because they considered the girl's father a murderer. Soon, after crying out a sea of tears and resentment, the girl learned to play herself, living in her mysterious world of fantasy and dreams. In her own world, completely different from reality, Assol has not lost the ability to rejoice and love. Her love and kindness extend to nature and the only person in Kapern who understands her, besides her father, is the coal miner Philip.
A kind girl, she does not remember the insults and anger that the inhabitants of Kaperna pour over her, she is smart and hardworking, she never despairs, and she also knows how to dream for real - such is the characteristic of Assol from Scarlet Sails.
Meeting with the storyteller
Assol often helped her father, she took toys to the city for sale and bought the necessary products. Somehow, while walking through the forest, the girl met with the old collector of legends Egle, who told her about how a ship under scarlet sails would sail to Caperna and take her away from here forever.
“One morning, a scarlet sail will sparkle in the sea distance ... Then you will see a brave and handsome prince; he will stand and stretch out his hands to you.” So the old storyteller spoke, and Assol began to wait for the scarlet sails, believing the prediction with all her heart. Old Longren decided not to deprive the girl of such a gift, thinking that she would grow up and forget herself about this strange meeting in the forest.
Dream and Caperna
Unfortunately, Assol lives in a very mundane place. It is very difficult for her here, because both she and the environment are aware of her alienation and peculiarity.
“But you don’t tell fairy tales ... they don’t sing songs. And if they tell and sing, then these are stories about cunning peasants and soldiers, dirty, like unwashed feet ... quatrains. - this is what Aigl says about Kaperna.
It would seem that in such a place it is impossible for Assol's fragile dream to survive, but the girl carefully carries it through dirty ridicule and resentment. And nothing that she is considered crazy and evilly called "ship Assol", Gray only needs one look at her to understand that all the stories are a vile fiction.
The characteristics of Assol and Gray are completely different from the characteristics of the inhabitants of the town, both of them are from a completely different world. They have no place in Kapern.
Scarlet Sails
Little Assol, like an insanely expensive toy, keeps the prediction of the old collector of legends. And although they laugh at her, and consider her insane, the girl does not despair.
When one day Assol wakes up with Gray's ring on her finger, she realizes that her Scarlet Sails are on their way.
The main idea of the work is that you need to be able to dream, not to forget and not betray your dream, and then it will definitely come true. Assol's description from the story "Scarlet Sails" confirms this.
Artwork test
Perhaps, no less than Gray, Assol inspires faith in success, carries the burning of good luck. There were two people in Gray's soul. And in Assol's soul lived two Assols, "mixed in a wonderful beautiful irregularity." One was the daughter of a sailor, a craftsman, who knew how to make toys, diligently sew, cook, wash floors. The other, the one that Green called a living poem "with all the wonders of its consonances and images," was itself the epitome of poetry. Trembling and worrying, Assol lived in anticipation of a miracle. And in this reciprocity of shadows and light, in this beautiful irregularity, like Gray, there was its own correctness, there was a high art inherent in both of them to transform the world, to inspire to make many amazing discoveries “ethereally subtle”, “inexpressible”, “but important, like cleanliness and warmth.”
Everything that Assol saw around her, everything that she lived with, became “a lace of secrets in the image of everyday life”. The very sound of her name, as strange and unaccustomed to hearing as the gentle name Suok in The Three Fat Men, foreshadowed an encounter with a creature unlike any other. Agle, for example, likes that the name is so strange, so monotonous, musical, like the whistle of an arrow or the sound of a seashell. “What would I do,” he says thoughtfully to Assol, “if you called yourself one of those euphonious, but unbearably familiar names that are alien to the Beautiful Unknown? Moreover, I do not want to know who you are, who your parents are and how you live. Why break the charm?
What is the source of Assol's charm? Green is not going to ask us riddles on this score. There is so much purity, spontaneity, naturalness in her soul, such a readiness to see the world with eyes in which nothing adult remains, - the big eyes of a child, that together with her we are imbued with the expectation of the Beautiful Unknown. Assol inspiredly promises to his friend, the coal miner Philip, that one day, when Philip fills up his basket with coal, it will turn into a fragrant bush. And Philip really begins to imagine that buds have crawled out of the old twigs and leaves have splashed over the basket. Trembling and agitated, Assol leaves for the seashore, intensely looking out on the horizon for a white ship with a scarlet sail. And we, too, not believing that we believe, are waiting for his appearance.
“These moments were happiness for her,” Greene wrote about his heroine, “it’s hard for us to go into a fairy tale like that, it would be no less difficult for her to get out of her power and charm.” And what a triumph over the prosaic, rough, one-dimensional, flat and philistine idea of life, devoid of any flight of fantasy, the author of the book experiences together with his heroes, when, in front of the shocked inhabitants of Kaperna, a ship suddenly appears with the very sails, whose name is still it sounded like a mockery.
The heroine of "Scarlet Sails" at one time seemed to some critics of the book a character, although poetic, but passive, inactive. Such a reproach to Green was addressed more than once. Is he really that fair? Gray was given strength, opportunities, a desire to make Assol's dream come true. But remember that none other than Assol inspired Gray to his act! Assol helped Gray understand one simple truth. To understand and to be convinced of it: one must do the so-called miracles with one's own hands. And maybe that's why Gray didn't want anyone else but Assol.
Here, it turns out, how in the final analysis happily, almost like a fairy tale, and at the same time irreversibly, inevitably, fates, will and character traits are intertwined in Green's extravaganza. The meeting of the storyteller Egl with Assol determines the purpose of her existence. The picture depicting a ship rising on the crest of a sea rampart, which Gray liked to look at for a long time as a child, became for him “that necessary word in the conversation of the soul with life, without which it would be difficult for him to understand himself.” In a small boy, a huge sea gradually fit in. He got along with it...
Isn't the glimpse of the miniature boat that Green once saw in the window of a toy store somewhere in the same row? This insignificant impression turned out to be very necessary and very important for the writer.
Essay on literature on the topic: The image and characteristics of Assol in the extravaganza “Scarlet Sails”
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"Scarlet Sails" by Alexander Grin captivate the reader not only with its romantic and fabulous plot, but also with the main characters. The image of Assol in the story embodies a bright faith in a dream and a fairy tale, kindness and tenderness, meekness and love.
Childhood Assol
Assol was born in the family of a sailor Longren. The girl's mother died when she was not even a year old. Assol was raised by his father. The girl helped him in everything, was obedient and kind, quickly learned everything. Characterization of Assol from the work "Scarlet Sails" is impossible without mentioning some moments of her life in Kapern.
In her early childhood, the heroine suffered from the fact that other children, on the instructions of their parents, were afraid of her and did not play with her, because they considered the girl's father a murderer. Soon, after crying out a sea of tears and resentment, the girl learned to play herself, living in her mysterious world of fantasy and dreams. In her own world, completely different from reality, Assol has not lost the ability to rejoice and love. Her love and kindness extend to nature and the only person in Kapern who understands her, besides her father, is the coal miner Philip.
A kind girl, she does not remember the insults and anger that the inhabitants of Kaperna pour over her, she is smart and hardworking, she never despairs, and she also knows how to dream for real - such is the characteristic of Assol from Scarlet Sails.
Meeting with the storyteller
Assol often helped her father, she took toys to the city for sale and bought the necessary products. Somehow, while walking through the forest, the girl met with the old collector of legends Egle, who told her about how a ship under scarlet sails would sail to Caperna and take her away from here forever.
“One morning, a scarlet sail will sparkle in the sea distance ... Then you will see a brave and handsome prince; he will stand and stretch out his hands to you.” So the old storyteller spoke, and Assol began to wait for the scarlet sails, believing the prediction with all her heart. Old Longren decided not to deprive the girl of such a gift, thinking that she would grow up and forget herself about this strange meeting in the forest.
Dream and Caperna
Unfortunately, Assol lives in a very mundane place. It is very difficult for her here, because both she and the environment are aware of her alienation and peculiarity.
“But you don’t tell fairy tales ... they don’t sing songs. And if they tell and sing, then these are stories about cunning peasants and soldiers, dirty, like unwashed feet ... quatrains. - this is what Aigl says about Kaperna.
It would seem that in such a place it is impossible for Assol's fragile dream to survive, but the girl carefully carries it through dirty ridicule and resentment. And nothing that she is considered crazy and evilly called "ship Assol", Gray only needs one look at her to understand that all the stories are a vile fiction.
The characteristics of Assol and Gray are completely different from the characteristics of the inhabitants of the town, both of them are from a completely different world. They have no place in Kapern.
Scarlet Sails
Little Assol, like an insanely expensive toy, keeps the prediction of the old collector of legends. And although they laugh at her, and consider her insane, the girl does not despair.
When one day Assol wakes up with Gray's ring on her finger, she realizes that her Scarlet Sails are on their way.
The main idea of the work is that you need to be able to dream, not to forget and not betray your dream, and then it will definitely come true. Assol's description from the story "Scarlet Sails" confirms this.
Artwork test
The romantic story "Scarlet Sails" has become the hallmark of its author. The heroine of this work is a girl who lost her mother. She lives with her father, but honest and kind. Her whole world is fantasies and dreams, once inspired by the prediction of a song collector. The embodiment of a dream that will come true, you just have to believe in it, has become such a romantic image as Assol. The characterization of the heroine is the topic of this article.
Extravaganza
Authors of literary works sometimes use various elements of a fairy tale in their work. This technique allows you to reveal the plot, characters, give the work a lyrical or philosophical meaning. Fairy called his story In this work, realism is combined with magic, and fantasy - with reality. And, perhaps, thanks to the use of such artistic means, the image of a girl named Assol became the most touching and sublime in Russian literature.
The characterization of this heroine once seemed consonant with the adherents of the socialist idea with their main postulates. That is why the work of Green in the Soviet Union was widely popular. Today, passions for the "Scarlet Sails" have subsided. And the image of the main character of this story took its rightful place in literature. But what inspired the author to write such a romantic story?
Creating the image of Assol
The characteristic of this character includes features that were characteristic of its author. Since childhood, Alexander Grinevsky dreamed of the seas and distant lands. But the romantic personality was increasingly faced with harsh reality. In his dreams he saw beautiful things in reality - a coaster. Grinevsky strove for lofty friendship, but experienced only contempt and ridicule from professional sailors. The desire to defeat rudeness and skepticism was born in the soul of a romantic man, but outwardly resembling the hero of his main book - Longren, Assol's father.
The characteristic of an unfortunate sailor, but a talented writer, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, is the following description: a rather gloomy, ugly person, unable to win over his interlocutor at the first meeting. The fate of the writer was also unlike a fairy tale. But it is known that it was precisely in the years when he had nowhere to lay his head that he created one of the most famous literary heroines - the girl Assol.
"Scarlet Sails" wrote Green at a time when all the foundations of life were collapsing around. The writer sometimes even starved, because creativity did not bring him any income. But he carried the manuscript with him everywhere, which later became one of the greatest works in Russian literature. In the plot of this story, he put all his aspirations and hopes and believed, like Assol: “Scarlet Sails” would someday see Petrograd. It was during the period of revolutionary events, but the color of the flag on the cherished ship had nothing to do with the red rebel banner. It was only his Scarlet Sails. The characteristic of Assol echoed the properties of the mental warehouse of the author himself. And with them it was extremely difficult to exist in the world of ordinary people and skeptics.
Are there scarlet sails?
Assol's characteristic is used by the author only to the extent necessary. The main theme in the story is hope. The character of the main character does not matter. It is known that she is a closed, modest and dreamy girl. She lost her mother very early, and since her father lost his job, the only source of food in their family was the sale of wooden toys.
The girl was lonely, although her father loved her dearly. Once she met the storyteller Egl, who predicted to her the arrival of a magical ship with sails. There will be a prince on board, and he will certainly take Assol with him.
The girl believed in a fairy tale, but those around her laughed at her and considered her crazy. And yet the dream came true. Once Assol saw scarlet sails.
Characteristics of the heroine from a romantic fairy tale
There is an artistic direction in literature, which is characterized by the assertion of spiritual and almost unattainable values. It's called romanticism. In the works of this direction there are fabulous and mythological motifs. And their heroes are in constant search for some ideal. German romantics dreamed of a blue flower. Scarlet sails became a similar ideal for Assol. The characterization of the heroine of Alexander Grin in this respect includes typical
Arthur Gray image
The prince, whose appearance was predicted by the storyteller, was an ordinary young man, although from a wealthy family. Since childhood, like the author of the story, he dreamed of becoming a captain. An irresistible desire to comprehend the wisdom of marine science prompted him to leave his home. At first he was a simple sailor, but years later his dream came true. Gray purchased his ship and became a captain. And once he heard stories about the crazy dreams of a girl who is waiting for the prince on a fairy-tale ship. He was touched by Assol's dream, and he decided to make it come true.
Dreams Come True…
The captain ordered the scarlet sails to be raised. The ship entered the port, and a girl was waiting for him on the shore. Everything happened just as the good Aigle had predicted. And it does not matter that Assol Gray learned about the dream in advance. The main thing is faith and hope. After all, they can save a person even in the most difficult times. The characterization of Assol and Gray was compiled by the author on the basis of his personal worldview and life experience. The main feature of these characters is the ability to believe in a dream. And this, perhaps, saved the writer when he was in exile. A. Green's life was rather difficult, but he always found a place for a miracle in his heart. Even when others did not understand and condemned him.
The appearance of the heroine
Not of paramount importance in the story are the appearance and character of a girl with a beautiful name Assol. The characterization of the heroine, as already mentioned, is less significant than her ability to believe in a dream. But still, a little should be said about the appearance of this character.
Assol is presented in the story as the owner of a thick mop of hair, taken into a scarf. Her smile was meek, and her eyes seemed to contain some sad question. The figure of the heroine is depicted by A. Green as fragile and thin. The girl worked diligently, helping her father create miniature ships from wood.
Assol is the personification of gentle beauty, spiritual meekness and diligence. And this is not surprising, because this is exactly the typical heroine of many well-known romantic fairy tales, who has been waiting for a handsome prince for a long time. As it should be according to the laws of the genre, at the end of a magical story, all Assol's dreams come true.
The story about Assol begins from the first years of her life in the city of Kaperna. Growing up, the girl changes, but always remains charming. At the age of five, Green notes that she had a kind but nervous face that brought a smile to her father's face. At 13, she was a thin and very tanned girl with expressive and clean features. Since the family's income is low, Assol's costume is very poor. She is modest, hides her hair under a scarf, averts her eyes. She is not like the rest of the inhabitants of her village and this scares them away. She resembled a swallow, she was always friendly with those around her.Important! At the age of 17-20, when she meets Captain Gray, Assol turned into an attractive short girl with thick blond hair and delicate features.It seemed surprising that she retained the childish naivete in her eyes and the bright light that only babies have.
Rice. 1. Illustrations for the extravaganza story "Scarlet Sails". Nonna Aleshina
Assol family
Assol was left without a mother, while still a baby: she died when the baby was only 5 months old. Returning from swimming, the father takes care of his daughter.Important! Longren (Papa Assol) was a cruel and callous man, but nevertheless he abandoned his fishing business and remained in the village to raise Assol.He tries to make toys, but it doesn't bring in much money. From an early age, his daughter helps him - she carries toys to the city to sell them. The villagers shun the cruel Longren and his strange daughter, but they live in love and harmony with each other.
Rice. 2. Illustrations for the fairy tale "Scarlet Sails". Nonna Aleshina
The character of Assol in "Scarlet Sails"
Assol grows alone. As a child, the heroine had no one to communicate with - fearing stories about the girl's father, other parents forbade the children to play with her. Assol suffered greatly from the fact that she had no one to talk heart to heart with.Important! In search of warmth, the girl approaches the surrounding nature - she talks to trees and bushes. Own world of illusions helped Assol to maintain the ability to love and rejoice.All her warmth and kindness went only to her father and the coal miner Philip, the only person in Kapern who communicated with her. Despite the attitude of others, the girl does not hold a grudge and does not get angry, she is smart and dreamy. Young Assol is a good hostess. She has been accustomed to helping her father since childhood, she knows how to cook, clean, sew, save money. The girl loves to read and can write. She is completely immersed in the world of books, perceiving the meaning between the lines.
Important! As a child, the song collector Aigle tells her a story about scarlet sails, in which it is said that one day a ship with scarlet sails will be in Kaperna and take her away from here forever. This dream wins the heart of Assol. She believes in her with all her heart and does not refuse her even under the weight of ridicule from her neighbors. The girl constantly sits on the shore and waits for her ship.Longing and lack of human warmth made Assol timid. She deeply experiences any insults, subtly feels the experiences of others and seeks to help anyone. Her differences from the locals in the village led to the fact that Assol began to be called crazy, crazy, they make fun of her, calling her nothing more than “ship Assol”.
Rice. 3. Illustrations for the fairy tale "Scarlet Sails". Nonna Aleshina One day she woke up with a ring on her finger, which Gray carefully put on while sleeping, and realized that soon the legend would come true. After a few days, a ship appeared on the horizon with the noble Captain Gray, who made her dream come true. Wild stories are told about Assol in the village, but one glance was enough for the beloved to understand that this was a lie. Assol in the story "Scarlet Sails" is sharply opposed to the inhabitants of his village. She is the embodiment of kindness and humility, romance and dreaminess. Alexander Grin created a portrait that later inspired many writers, artists, musicians and ordinary people who were shown that dreams can come true. We recommend watching an interesting video about the story “Scarlet Sails”.