Essay
"Indifference - highest degree cruelty"
I would like to begin my thoughts on this topic with the words of Bernard Shaw: “The most unforgivable sin towards one’s neighbor is not hatred, but indifference. Indifference is the essence of inhumanity.” I completely agree with this statement. Indeed, indifference is an indifferent attitude towards everything that surrounds a person, it is the ability to pass by someone else’s misfortune. I think that this is also a kind of cruelty, but not its direct manifestation, expressed in aggression and anger, in the deliberate infliction of pain and harm. After all, at first glance, indifferent people will not cause visible harm, but this is not so. It is indifference that often leads to disaster, since inaction in difficult life situations where help, responsiveness, and support is required turns out to be terrible and merciless. In life, a lot depends on our behavior, and precisely our caring attitude, in a given situation: it became bad to a stranger, a lonely baby is crying, old man looks lost on the street. And only a kind, sympathetic person will notice all this and come to the rescue, doing everything in his power. An indifferent person will simply pass by, deciding that this does not concern him. Such people are not able to feel someone else's misfortune and help. And this reluctance to respond to someone else’s pain is precisely what leads to the fact that help does not arrive on time, and people are left alone with their misfortune. So I believe that indifference is the highest degree of cruelty. Many authors raise this topic in their works, in Once again emphasizing how destructive human indifference is and that it is important to be sympathetic and kind people.
For example, K.G. Paustovsky in his story “Telegram” precisely shows us, the readers, the indifferent attitude of his daughter Nastya towards her mother. For me, the behavior of the main character is completely unacceptable. After all, Katerina Petrovna does not demand anything from her daughter. All she needs is a couple of lines about how her daughter is doing well and is healthy. But Nastya finds neither time nor desire even for this, justifying herself with busyness and urgent matters. While reading the story, I kept thinking about how a lonely mother feels, forgotten by her child. I’m even scared to imagine the depth of pain and loneliness of Katerina Petrovna, who every day and evening sits alone on her bed and sorts through the money sent by her daughter, which she absolutely does not need, and every time she rereads the meager lines about the impossibility of coming. In my opinion, this is inhumane, so I cannot understand and justify such an indifferent and cruel attitude of my daughter towards himself. to a loved one. It is especially bitter when a girl receives a letter from which it is clear that her mother is sick and asks her to come say goodbye. And even in this case, Nastya finds a reason not to go to the village, since matters in the city are more important. And only after receiving a telegram with the words “Katerina is dying”, the girl begins to understand and feel something. And it was all the more terrible for me to see a lonely, dying old woman, who already understood that her daughter would not come. Not only illness and old age, but also the daughter’s indifference accelerated Katerina Petrovna’s departure from life. And even though Nastya arrived in the village, it was already too late, she didn’t find her mother. And she had to secretly, stealthily go back, because it is impossible to justify such an act. Thus, we see what terrible consequences indifference can bring.
Reflecting on the fact that indifference is the highest degree of cruelty, I would like to turn to the work of Yu. Yakovlev “He killed my dog.” Before us is the boy Sasha, whom everyone calls Tabor. He finds himself in the principal's office, where he was called because a few days ago he came to school with a dog. Sasha quietly and monotonously tells a story about her dog, but behind this monotony lies pain and despair. From the terse phrases it becomes clear that the boy picked up the dog thrown away by the summer residents because he felt sorry for it. And this is the first thought about the cruelty of indifference on the part of the owners: they played for the summer and threw it away as an unnecessary thing. At the same time, Tabor emphasizes: it’s good that at least they didn’t kill him. And this very “they didn’t kill” already alarms with some kind of fear and hopelessness. And then the picture of indifference expands, because Sasha’s mother grumbles that the dog needs to be kicked out, and the father is immediately aggressive and inflexible. He is an indifferent person: he does not care about the desires or feelings of his own son, much less the fate of someone else’s animal. He is only interested in his own peace and comfort. And so the father, in the absence of his son, calls the gullible dog and shoots him in the ear. Such cruelty shocked my son and me as a reader. And if before Sasha saw that his father was an indifferent person, now he realized that he was also cruel. And this cannot be corrected, because for the boy the father is now only “he”, and Tabor cannot and does not want to talk to him. And I think it's forever.
Based on the above, I came to the conclusion that indifference can indeed be the highest degree of cruelty. Because it is precisely this that deprives us of support, attention, responsiveness, sympathy, kindness - everything that allows us to remain human.
- Heartlessness manifests itself even towards very close people
- The thirst for profit often leads to heartlessness and dishonorable acts.
- A person’s spiritual callousness complicates his life in society
- The reasons for a heartless attitude towards others lie in upbringing
- The problem of heartlessness and mental callousness can be characteristic not only of an individual, but also of society as a whole.
- Difficult life circumstances can make a person heartless
- Often, spiritual callousness manifests itself in relation to moral, worthy people
- A person admits that he was heartless when nothing can be changed
- Mental callousness does not make a person truly happy
- The consequences of a callous attitude towards people are often irreversible
Arguments
A.S. Pushkin "Dubrovsky". The conflict between Andrei Dubrovsky and Kirilla Petrovich Troekurov ended tragically due to the callousness and heartlessness on the part of the latter. The words spoken by Dubrovsky, although they were offensive to Troekurov, were certainly not worth the abuse, dishonest trial and death of the hero. Kirill Petrovich did not spare his friend, although in the past they had a lot of good things in common. The landowner was driven by heartlessness and a desire for revenge, which led to the death of Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky. The consequences of what happened were terrible: officials burned, people were left without their real master, Vladimir Dubrovsky became a robber. The manifestation of the spiritual callousness of just one person made the lives of many people miserable.
A.S. Pushkin "The Queen of Spades". Hermann, the protagonist of the work, is driven to act heartlessly by the desire to get rich. To achieve his goal, he presents himself as an admirer of Lizaveta, although in fact he does not have feelings for her. He gives the girl false hopes. Penetrating into the countess's house with the help of Lizaveta, Hermann asks the old woman to tell him the secret of the three cards, and after her refusal, he takes out an unloaded pistol. Graphia, very frightened, dies. The deceased old woman comes to him a few days later and reveals the secret on the condition that Hermann will not play more than one card per day, in the future will not play at all and will marry Lizaveta. But the hero does not have a happy future: his heartless actions serve as a reason for retribution. After two wins, Hermann loses, which causes him to go crazy.
M. Gorky “At the Bottom”. Vasilisa Kostyleva does not feel any feelings for her husband except hatred and complete indifference. Wanting to inherit at least a small fortune, she very easily decides to persuade the thief Vaska Pepel to kill her husband. It's hard to imagine how heartless a person would have to be to come up with such a plan. The fact that Vasilisa was not married out of love does not in the least justify her action. A person must remain a person in any situation.
I.A. Bunin "Mr. from San Francisco". The theme of the death of human civilization is one of the main ones in this work. The manifestation of the spiritual degradation of people lies, among other things, in their spiritual callousness, heartlessness, and indifference towards each other. The sudden death of the gentleman from San Francisco evokes not compassion, but disgust. During his life, he is loved for his money, and after his death, they heartlessly put him in the worst room, so as not to spoil the reputation of the establishment. They cannot even make a normal coffin for a person who dies in a foreign country. People have lost true spiritual values, which have been replaced by a thirst for material gain.
K.G. Paustovsky "Telegram". A life full of activities and events captivates Nastya so much that she forgets about the only person truly close to her - her old mother Katerina Petrovna. The girl, receiving letters from her, is glad that her mother is alive, but does not think about anything else. Nastya doesn’t even read and perceive the telegram from Tikhon about Katerina Petrovna’s poor condition right away: at first she doesn’t understand at all who they are talking about. Later, the girl realizes how heartless her attitude towards her loved one was. Nastya goes to Katerina Petrovna, but does not find her alive. She feels guilty before her mother, who loved her so much.
A.I. Solzhenitsyn "Matrenin's Dvor". Matryona is a person you rarely meet. Without thinking about herself, she never refused to help strangers and treated everyone with kindness and sympathy. People didn't answer her in kind. After the tragic death of Matryona, Thaddeus thought only about how to win back part of the hut. Almost all relatives came to cry over the woman’s coffin only as an obligation. They did not remember Matryona during her lifetime, but after her death they began to lay claim to the inheritance. This situation shows how callous and indifferent human souls have become.
F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". Rodion Raskolnikov's heartlessness was expressed by his desire to test his terrible theory. Having killed the old pawnbroker, he tried to find out who he belonged to: “trembling creatures” or “those with the right.” The hero failed to maintain composure, to accept what he did as right, which means that he is not characterized by absolute spiritual callousness. The spiritual resurrection of Rodion Raskolnikov confirms that a person has a chance for correction.
Y. Yakovlev “He killed my dog.” The boy, showing compassion and mercy, brings a stray dog into his apartment. His father doesn’t like this: the man demands that the animal be thrown back onto the street. The hero cannot do this, because “she was already kicked out.” The father, acting completely indifferent and indifferent, calls the dog to him and shoots him in the ear. The child cannot understand why an innocent animal was killed. Together with the dog, the father kills the child’s faith in the justice of this world.
ON THE. Nekrasov “Reflections at the Main Entrance”. The poem depicts the harsh reality of that time. The life of ordinary men and officials who spend their lives only in pleasure are contrasted. High-ranking people are heartless because they are indifferent to problems ordinary people. And for common man An official's solution to even the most insignificant issue can be a salvation.
V. Zheleznikov “Scarecrow”. Lena Bessoltseva voluntarily took responsibility for a very bad act to which she had nothing to do. Because of this, she was forced to endure humiliation and bullying from her classmates. One of the most difficult tests for the girl was loneliness, because being an outcast is difficult at any age, and even more so in childhood. The boy who actually committed this act did not have the courage to confess. Two classmates who learned the truth also decided not to interfere in the situation. The indifference and heartlessness of those around him made the man suffer.
A list of arguments from literature in the direction of “Kindness and Cruelty” is presented for essays in grade 11 in 2018-2019 academic year.
Arguments in the direction of “Kindness and Cruelty”:
U. Shakespeare "King Lear"
Sometimes some people show cruelty even to the closest people, without thinking about what they might face in return. Should we put resentment above mercy, or would it be more correct to close our eyes to the past and show kindness? In his tragedy King Lear, Shakespeare writes about how main character– King Lear – renounces his own daughter Cordelia because she refused to flatter her father. The other two daughters did not miss this chance, because in this way the king resolved the issue of dividing the kingdom. However, later King Lear realizes how hypocritical his daughters were, telling him about high love. Only Cordelia was kind to her father and sheltered him when he was kicked out of the kingdom by her sisters. William Shakespeare in his play shows that being vindictive and heartless in response to cruelty is not an option, on the contrary, you need to let go of past grievances and show kindness. This is the only way to break the vicious circle of mutual grievances.
A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"
The problem of kindness and toughness is one of the main ones in the work of A.S. Pushkin. In the story " Captain's daughter“This problem is solved using the example of two heroes: Pyotr Grinev and Pugachev. At the moment of their meeting in the chapter “Counselor,” Grinev shows kindness towards Pugachev when he gives him a rabbit sheepskin coat from his shoulder. This noble gesture will later save his life. Grinev can be cruel, remember his quarrel with Savelich when he had to pay off a debt to Zurin. But even in such situations, kindness compels him to ask for forgiveness and restore a good relationship with the person he offended. This behavior of the hero also does not go unrewarded, since it is Savelich who throws himself at the feet of the executioners to save his good master. Pushkin convinces us: kindness evokes reciprocal kindness even in a world of war and cruelty.
Pugachev is presented in the story as the leader of the rebels. In the chapter “Attack,” the cruelty of the rebels knows no bounds: the execution of Captain Mironov and his associates, the reprisal of Vasilisa Yegorovna. Pushkin does not at all soften or brighten up the scenes of violence, letting us understand how terrible the “Russian revolt is - senseless and merciless.” But by presenting to us the image of a Bashkir with a torn off tongue and cut off nose and ears, Pushkin wanted to show that this cruelty is a product of the cruelty of those in power towards the common people. Using the example of Pugachev and Grinev, the writer wanted to show an example of such relationships when cruelty is excluded: for this, in any person you need to see an individual worthy of respect and deserving of a kind attitude.
M.A. Sholokhov "Quiet Don"
Injustice can make a person cruel. The hero of M. A. Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Don" Grigory was a kind and honest fellow, but his domineering father forcibly married him, choosing Natalya Korshunova as his wife. The young man’s heart belonged to the married Cossack woman Aksinya. Grigory acted cruelly with loving Katerina, abandoning his family for the sake of personal happiness. But in this situation, the girl should only blame herself, because when she got married, she knew that the feelings were not mutual. Thus, Gregory’s cruelty was provoked by unjust circumstances.
The war fostered callousness and cruelty in Gregory’s soul. Having gone to the front, the young Cossack selflessly fights the enemy, with human blood and suffering on his hands. But high services to the state for victories in battles do not bring him joy. He sees injustice and indifference political forces to the common people of the Don. Gregory comes to understand his mistake: he should not have taken up arms and killed, he is not a soldier, but a simple peasant, whose destiny is to sow and grow grain. Cruelty cannot achieve good, but the hero realized this too late, when he irretrievably lost his family and friends.
N.V. Gogol "Taras Bulba"
In the story by N.V. Gogol's Taras Bulba, the father instills a fighting spirit in his sons, but the exercises were not enough for him. He wanted to organize a real fight where young people would show their courage. To do this, he removed the Koshevoy and sent the Cossacks to Polish lands, where the fighters received serious rebuff. After this, they surrounded the city of Dubno, where the townspeople were dying of hunger. Hundreds of people died because of Bulba's battle madness. Therefore, the reader does not feel much pity for the old Cossack when his son leaves the army and disgraces his family. Andriy chooses not the warlike spirit of the Cossacks, but a calm, peaceful, settled life in love and tranquility. Taras himself is to blame for this betrayal, because cruelty can never achieve good.
It is difficult to show kindness in war, because it is a very cruel time when no one is spared. But there are exceptions, one of which was described by N.V. Gogol in the story “Taras Bulba”. Andriy fought against the Poles as part of the Cossack army. They decided to starve out the enemy city, surrounding it with a blockade ring. That night the young man did not sleep and saw how the maid of his beloved, whom he had met back in Kyiv, made her way to him. She complained bitterly about the famine in Dubno and begged the Cossack for mercy. The young lady wanted to feed her dying mother. Then Andriy shouldered a bag of bread and went to the enemy city. The young man could not refuse to answer this call. Women and children do not fight, but they die from war. The hero realized the injustice of this phenomenon and helped those in need, despite the risk.
M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time"
In the novel “Hero of Our Time” M.Yu. Lermontov created strange hero, who is cruel to people because he is bored and wants to have fun. Let's take the story of Grushnitsky. After all, this young man stupidly paid with his life just for being drawn into a game started out of boredom by Pechorin. This “hero of time” acted unimaginably cruelly to Bella and her family. Her father was killed, Azamat disappeared, Bella herself also died, but before that she had suffered first from Pechorin’s love, and then from its absence. The writer strives to show us how terrible a person can be for whom there is only one law - his own whims and desires. After all, Pechorin was not born this way, he simply lost all sorts of guidelines.
The kindness inherent in him awakens from time to time. For example, a blind boy evokes involuntary regret; the sight of a grief-stricken old woman, the mother of a Cossack who killed Vulich in a drunken stupor, awakens sympathy. He even decided to take the criminal alive, risking his life. And he succeeded with ease. If caring for people always lived in his heart and aroused good intentions in him, he could be called a real hero.
N.V. Gogol "The Overcoat"
The main idea in many works of N.V. Gogol is the idea of the incorrect structure of human society, in which cruelty reigns. The story “The Overcoat” tells the story of the life and death of Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. This is the image little man", despised and humiliated by everyone. He is not able to do anything to oppose his tormentors, only once his plaintive babble made a young man, who had not yet lost the ability to be kind, “stop and recoil in horror.” In such a world, there is nothing good for a “small” person, because even the overcoat purchased by such victims was taken away from him. It turns out that the wrong world rejects everyone who is kind and incapable of cruelty; only those who take away, rob, humiliate and insult others can get something in it.
A.I. Solzhenitsyn "Matrenin's Dvor"
- An example of true kindness is the heroine of the story by A.I. Solzhenitsyn "Matryona's yard" Matryona. The woman never refuses to help her fellow villagers, sincerely rejoices at the harvests in the gardens of others, and she herself is content with little: what she has grown in her own garden bed. She doesn’t even spare her hut for her pupil Kira, giving her the upper room to dismantle in the middle of winter. But when transporting goods through railway a woman dies under the wheels of a train. The narrator notes that now it has become difficult for the village without the righteous Matryona. After all, a simple-minded and selfless woman really made people, those next to her, better.
The highest measure of cruelty is shown by the author of the story “Matrenin’s Dvor” A.I. Solzhenitsyn in the image of Thaddeus. He did not forgive the insult to Matryona and his brother because they got married. The girl considered Thaddeus missing, so she agreed with Efim. But he returned and harbored a grudge. Out of spite, he married another girl named Matryona, whom he beat and offended. The author shows the limit of cruelty when Thaddeus, in the middle of winter, dismantles the upper room of his former lover in order to transport her to his daughter Kira, and enjoys the spectacle of how the old woman, with her last strength, helps him drag heavy boards. Even at the funeral, he thinks not about Matryona, who died under the train, but about the sleigh, which after the accident needs to be taken from the railway.
- An example of true kindness is the heroine of the story by A.I. Solzhenitsyn "Matryona's yard" Matryona. The woman never refuses to help her fellow villagers, sincerely rejoices at the harvests in the gardens of others, and she herself is content with little: what she has grown in her own garden bed. She doesn’t even spare her hut for her pupil Kira, giving her the upper room to dismantle in the middle of winter. But when transporting goods through railway a woman dies under the wheels of a train. The narrator notes that now it has become difficult for the village without the righteous Matryona. After all, a simple-minded and selfless woman really made people, those next to her, better.
I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
The cruel attitude of children towards their parents is shown in the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons". As an adult, Evgeny Bazarov rarely visits his family. Even after a three-year absence, he does not want to listen to his father’s timid reproaches and does not pay attention to his mother’s tears. His parents are afraid to upset Evgeniy in any way and try to please him in everything. But for him, his own ideological beliefs are in the foreground, which do not coincide with the views of the older generation. Unfortunately, the young man never admitted the error of his behavior towards his parents, but the old people retained their love for their son, and they alone mourned him after his death.
In the novel “Fathers and Sons” by I.S. Turgenev describes kindness and cruelty using the example of the two Kirsanov brothers. The elder Pavel, a former military man, a lonely bachelor, does not recognize the marriage of Nikolai and Fenechka, ignoring the girl when they meet. When his nephew and his friend appear in the house, he does not show hospitality, behaves coldly and rudely. Due to differences of opinion, without hesitation he arranges a duel with Bazarov. The author shows Nikolai Kirsanov as a kind and decent family man. He lives with a simple girl, Fenechka, with whom he has a one-year-old son. In front of Arkady's friend, Bazarov tries to justify his brother's behavior, tries to smooth out the conflict. It is thanks to his kindness and understanding that the eldest son abandons nihilistic ideas and returns to the family.
I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov"
In the novel by I.A. Goncharov's "Oblomov" the main character is not distinguished by hard work and determination, but he is kind and trusting. His goodwill becomes a beacon that shows the way to many people. For example, his childhood friend Stolz always finds rest and relaxation in Ilya’s company. It is this person that he has been visiting for decades in a row, and his sympathy has not weakened over time. Also, Oblomov’s kindness attracts and conquers the beautiful Olga. Outwardly, Oblomov is ugly, his condition is not good, and in conversation he does not shine with wit. But the heroine likes the beautiful and pure soul of a man much more than anything that society dandies can offer. Ilya Ilyich is a big child who wishes no harm to anyone. He always submits to his friends, does not seek benefits from communicating with them, and accepts all the blows of fate calmly and resignedly. That is why Agafya Pshenitsyna took care of him so tenderly, and his servant Zakhar loved him so selflessly. Everyone who knew him appreciated the hero’s warm and big heart. Thus, kindness will always be valued by people as it deserves and will never become obsolete.
I.A. Goncharov in his book “Oblomov” describes a truly kind person. This is Andrei Stolts, who always supports his helpless friend. Andrey had a difficult fate. His strict father sent him to the capital without patronage or big money, saying that the young man must achieve heights himself. In the big city, the hero did not lose his head and began to work hard. Gradually he made capital from trade deals. It would seem that the struggle for a place in the sun should have embittered him, but he retained his friendliness, courtesy and kindness. More than once he disinterestedly helped out the lazy and infantile Oblomov, more than once he drove away scammers from him. In the finale, the hero even took upon himself the responsibility of raising the son of the deceased Ilya Ilyich. I believe that kindness is selfless activity for the benefit of another person, and Stolz - good for that example.
Honore de Balzac "Père Goriot"
- Unfortunately, many people, inhumanly taking advantage of the gentleness of kind helpers, treat them cruelly. We will encounter the same situation in Balzac’s novel “Père Goriot.” The protagonist's daughters Anastasi and Delphine abandoned their father. Father Goriot loved his daughters very much and forgave them for their indifference and cynicism, but the girls absolutely did not appreciate the kind heart of their old man. As soon as they marry successfully, they seem to forget about their father, they are even ashamed of him: after all, they have now begun to move in high circles, and Goriot was a pasta maker. Anastasi and Delphine did not visit Goriot even when he was dying, and empty carriages were cynically sent to his funeral. Father Goriot is a kind and generous hero who forgives his daughters any cruelty, but never met any responsiveness on their part. Unfortunately, kindness is not at all a guarantee of personal happiness, and sometimes even a condition under which happiness is unattainable.
(382 words) “Indifference is paralysis of the soul, premature death,” said A.P. Chekhov. One cannot but agree with the writer’s opinion, because indifference to a person is extreme cruelty. Mortification of the soul can lead to the most desperate actions, to disastrous consequences. The literature allows us to present many arguments that show how dangerous it is.
Let us recall the work of K. Paustovsky “Telegram”. While Nastya is creating a successful career in Leningrad, her mother is living her last days in the “memorial house”. The daughter has not visited the sick Katerina Petrovna for a long time, who is being cared for by strangers. Nastya always has “no time”; she only occasionally sends money to her mother. But does the old lady really need this? Katerina Petrovna misses the care and love of her own daughter. The heroine died, and the daughter arrived a few days after the funeral. Indifference was detrimental to an elderly man who needed attention, and such an environment became an indirect cause of his death. Nastya devoted all her time to her career, forgetting about the most precious thing in her life. And only the reader saw how the mother suffered from such an indifferent attitude, which turned into sophisticated torture. The same opinion about Nastya’s behavior was shared by fellow villagers, whom the girl avoided, sneaking out of the house secretly to leave. It is obvious that most of the people mentioned in the story consider indifference to be the highest cruelty, because otherwise our heroine would not have run away from their court. She herself felt painfully ashamed, but there was nothing to justify herself with.
The theme of indifference is also revealed in the work that first reflects the features of Russian sentimentalism - in “Poor Liza” by N. Karamzin. Erast's indifference destroyed the young peasant woman. At first, he confessed his feelings to Lisa and promised her a happy future together. The girl believed every word of the young man and sincerely loved him. But soon the hero lost interest in Lisa, he suddenly disappeared on for a long time. When the heroine found out that Erast was engaged to another woman and that he had betrayed her, she could not withstand such a blow and threw herself into the pond. The sensitive peasant woman found the meaning of her life only in love. Erast's behavior destroyed Lisa, and in the seriousness of the tragic consequences of indifference one can see proof that the highest degree of cruelty lies precisely in indifference.
Using the example of two masterpieces of Russian literature, we can conclude: indifference is the most terrible cruelty that you can imagine. By showing indifference to loved ones, a person behaves worse than any enemy, because such an attitude hurts more than a knife, a harsh word, or even betrayal. Moreover, it leads to irreparable tragic consequences, since those who do not feel needed sooner or later die.