Malachite box (Bazhov). Malachite box by Pavel Bazhov Summary and main characters of the malachite box

Like almost all of Bazhov's tales, The Malachite Box is a "tradition of the Ural Mountains". It is included in the collection of the same name, along with such well-known works as: "Fire-jump", "Sinyushkin well", "Golden hair", "Silver hoof" and so on.

The tale "The Malachite Box" is a continuation of the story "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain", since it deals with the daughter of Stepan and Nastasya - Tanya. were created in 1936-1938, and were later combined by him into the collection "Malachite Box". The hostess herself acts as a through character in all the stories of the collection. Moreover, in many stories she herself does not appear, but acts indirectly. The story itself is not very long, but we will try to shorten it even more by providing you with a brief retelling.

"Malachite Box"

Bazhov did not immediately give the story such a name, at first it was called "Tyatino's gift", but just before it was published, the author decided to change the name. As we can judge now, it turned out to be extremely successful. But this is not entirely relevant to the topic of our conversation, but we promised you to retell what Pavel Petrovich Bazhov wrote. The “Malachite Box” (we will summarize the tale below) tells us about the events that develop several years after the adventures of the heroes described in the tale “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain”.

Stepan and Nastasya did not succeed in a successful family life - she became a widow, left with two children. Older sons can already help their mother, but Tanya is still too small for this. To keep her daughter busy, Nastasya lets her play with her wedding gift from the Mistress herself at the end of the previous tale - the development of wonderful events and Bazhov decided to continue. The “Malachite Box”, the summary of which you are now reading, is not in vain bears such a name. It is full of jewelry made by mountain craftsmen from local gems. These decorations did not fit Nastasya: as soon as she put earrings in her ears, strung rings and decorated herself with a necklace, the lobes began to swell, her fingers swelled, and a heavy and cold collar covered her neck.

So, out of kindness, she gave little Tanya to play with the jewels. The little girl was absolutely delighted! Instantly realizing that the rings were meant for the fingers, and the earrings were supposed to be worn in the ears, she began to try on headsets, looking at which the empresses could feel like beggars.

Fearing that the case might end up being stolen, Nastasya hides it from her daughter. But she finds her mother's hiding place and continues to secretly try on jewelry, assuring that the stones are good for her. Behind this occupation, she is caught by a beggar beggar who went into the hut to ask for some water. Having quenched her thirst, the beggar woman decides to stay for a while in a hospitable house, promising to teach Tanya to embroider marvelous tapestries with silk and beads as payment for her stay. She kept her word and even provided her student with the materials necessary for work. Soon the wanderer went on, leaving a valuable artifact for Tanya's memory - a button, through which she could communicate with her. Bazhov borrowed this technique from old Russian fairy tales.

"Malachite Box": a summary. Development of events

The family ceased to live in poverty, since needlework brought a good income, but then fate deals another blow to the family - a fire. Everything that was hard-earned burned down. To survive, Nastasya decides to sell the box, and the buyer is instantly found. It turns out to be the local clerk Parotya, more precisely, his wife and former mistress of the young master Turchaninov. But even the clerk's wife's jewelry turned out to be too large.

Meanwhile, Turchaninov, having decided to inspect his property in the Urals, left St. Petersburg and appeared in Polevaya. Looked acquisition of his former lover and wanted to talk to the former owner. Seeing Tanya, he instantly flared up with high feelings and, without leaving his place, offered her his hand, heart and fortune. As proof of his decency, he presents her with jewelry bought from a former mistress as a gift.

Tanya did not refuse directly, but she made a condition that she would give an answer after she was introduced to the Empress. Moreover, the ceremony of acquaintance should take place in chambers decorated with malachite, which the late Stepan got, but for now she considers herself a conditional bride and temporary keeper of the contents of the box. Somewhat taken aback by such demands, Turchaninov agrees and goes to the capital to prepare everything for the bride's visit.

Bazhov "Malachite Box": a summary - the end

In St. Petersburg, he began to brag about the fact that he would soon marry a dazzling beauty. Such news excited the entire metropolitan beau monde, and the empress herself wished to see this Ural miracle of beauty. Turchaninov instantly informs Tanya that she should arrive in St. Petersburg. Having agreed that the groom would meet her on the steps of the palace, Tatyana Stepanovna put on all the jewelry from the box and went on foot to the meeting. So that passersby would not be blinded by the brilliance of gems, she covered them with an old fur coat. Seeing such a modestly dressed bride, the groom, out of shame, was ready to fall through the marble floor, and shamefully retreated from the meeting place. Tanya, on the other hand, easily entered the territory of the palace, presenting her jewelry as a pass to the guards. Having handed over the fur coat of the servants, she went to the malachite chambers, but no one was waiting for her there, since the empress appointed an audience in another hall. Realizing that her fiancé had brazenly deceived her, she told him everything she thought, and then stepped into the nearest malachite column and disappeared into it. Turchaninov was left not only without a bride, but also without the contents of the malachite box: although the jewelry did not enter the stone after Tanya, it remained on the surface, but it was not possible to collect them. And in the Urals, since then, two Mistresses began to appear to the people ...

The fairy tale "The Malachite Box" by Bazhov was written in 1938. This is one of the best works of the writer, included in the collection called "Ural Tales". The book is a continuation of Bazhov's fairy tale "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain".

For the best preparation for the literature lesson, we recommend reading the online summary of the Malachite Box on our website.

main characters

Nastasya- Stepan's widow, a kind, simple, hardworking woman.

Tanya- the daughter of Nastasya and Stepan, a very beautiful, but wayward girl.

Wanderer woman, she is the Mistress of the Copper Mountain- a sorceress who saw her henchwoman in Tanya.

Other characters

Parotya- a weak-willed, greedy clerk who fell in love with Tanya.

Turchaninov- a young rich gentleman, an ignorant, narrow-minded, ugly young man.

After the death of her husband, Stepan, a well-known miner in the district, Nastasya was left with a malachite box with rich decorations, which they got as a gift from the Mistress of the Copper Mountain herself. She knew the true value of these jewels, and even in the most difficult times she refused to sell them to local merchants.

Nastasya had three children: two boys and the youngest, Tanya. From an early age, the girl attracted attention with her beauty unusual for these places - “she is black and fable, and her eyes are green”. From childhood, Tanya got used to playing with jewelry from a malachite box, and when she grew up, she began to wear them - they suited her like no other beauty.

By that time, Tanya "had learned to sew with silk and beads", so much so that even the most experienced craftswomen were amazed. Tanya was taught needlework by a beggar wanderer, who asked Nastasya to live a little, to rest from a long journey. And what is interesting - Tanya was not very affectionate with her loved ones either, “but she clings to this woman, she clings to her,” and she calls her “daughter” in response. At parting, the woman gave Tanya a small button, and ordered her to look at her, as she would forget something about needlework or "or a difficult case would come up."

As Tatyana matured, her bride could not be more beautiful. Many guys tried to talk to her, only the girl was cold with everyone. Soon, trouble overtook the family, and the house, cattle, and the entire household burned down completely. Only the malachite box was saved and had to be sold. Tanya was very bitter, but the magic button gave her consent.

Once a visiting clerk Parotya, struck by the beauty of Tatyana, asked her to embroider her portrait for him. During the feast, being tipsy, she showed a portrait embroidered with silk to the young rich gentleman Turchaninov, who immediately fell in love with the green-eyed beauty. He bought her jewelry and offered to marry him. Tanya agreed, but made a condition - the master had to show her the queen in the palace room, decorated with malachite, which Stepan got.

Turchaninov immediately went to St. Petersburg, where he began to tell everyone about his beautiful bride. These conversations reached the ears of the empress herself, who wanted to look at the Ural beauty. When Tatyana appeared in the palace, she quickly exposed the impure intentions of the master, who was ashamed of her modest dress. Tatyana, in front of everyone, leaned against the malachite wall, and seemed to dissolve into it. Since then, it has been said that “as if the Mistress of the Copper Mountain began to double: people saw two girls in malachite dresses at once.”

Conclusion

The fairy tale teaches to respect the work of others, not to be lazy and not to give up even in the most difficult life situation. True beauty and wealth is not in precious stones, but in the person himself.

After reading the brief retelling of The Malachite Box, we recommend reading the tale in its full version.

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Perhaps one of the most "fabulous" and magical Russian writers - P.P. Bazhov. The Malachite Box is a book that everyone knows: from very young children to serious literary researchers. And no wonder, because everything is there: from a fascinating plot and finely written images to unobtrusive morality and many allusions and reminiscences.

Biography

A well-known Russian folklorist, a man who was one of the first to process Ural tales - all this is Pavel Petrovich Bazhov. The "Malachite Box" was just the result of this literary processing. He was born in 1879 in Polevskoy, in the family of a mining foreman. He graduated from the factory school, studied at the seminary, was a teacher of the Russian language, traveled around the Urals. These trips were aimed at collecting folklore, which would later form the basis of all his works. Bazhov was called "The Urals were" and was published in 1924. Around the same time, the writer got a job at the Peasant Newspaper and began to publish in a variety of magazines. In 1936, the magazine published the tale "The Girl Azovka", signed by the name "Bazhov". The Malachite Box was first published in 1939 and subsequently reprinted several times, constantly replenished with new tales. In 1950, the writer P.P. Bazhov.

"The Malachite Box": Poetics of the Title

The unusual title of the work is explained quite simply: a casket made of beautiful Ural stone, filled with wonderful jewelry made of gems, gives his beloved Nastenka the central character of the tale, the miner Stepan. He, in turn, receives this box not from anyone, but from the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. What is the hidden meaning hidden in this gift? The casket, finely crafted from green stone, carefully passed down from generation to generation, symbolizes the hard work of miners, the fine skill of cutters and stone cutters. Ordinary people, masters of mining, workers - it is them that Bazhov makes his heroes. The "Malachite Box" is also named so because each writer's tale resembles a finely cut, iridescent, shining precious stone.

P.P. Bazhov, "Malachite Box": a summary

After Stepan's death, the chest continues to be kept by Nastasya, but the woman is in no hurry to flaunt the donated jewelry, feeling that they were not intended for her. But her youngest daughter, Tanyusha, takes a liking to the contents of the box with all her heart: the jewelry seems to be made especially for her. The girl grows up and earns a living by embroidery with beads and silk. The rumor about her art and beauty goes far beyond the borders of her native places: master Turchaninov himself wants to marry Tanya. The girl agrees on the condition that he takes her to St. Petersburg and shows the malachite chamber located in the palace. Once there, Tanyusha leans against the wall and disappears without a trace. The image of the girl in the text becomes one of the personifications of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the archetypal guardian of precious rocks and stones.

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This story is a continuation of the events described by P.P. Bazhov in the tale "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain".

After Stepan's death, the malachite box, which was presented by the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, remained with Nastasya. She was not used to luxurious jewelry because she was an orphan. But when they lived with Stepan, she put on a gift. But she couldn't wear it. It would seem that everything fits her. But the ear lobes pulled back so much that they swelled up. From the ring, the finger turned blue, as if chained. Beads once only and tried on. Neck as if covered with ice.

After the death of her husband, Nastasya showed the box to a knowledgeable person, and he said that these things cost a lot of money. Stepan provided for the family well, so Nastasya did not sell the box, she left it for a rainy day. And there were many who wanted to buy that box. Yes, everyone wanted to deceive, they did not give the real price. Who offers a hundred, who offers two hundred rubles. Yes, Nastasya remembered the words of a knowledgeable person. She refused everyone.

She had another reason not to sell the box. Stepan and Nastasya had three children. The two eldest sons are ordinary children, and the youngest daughter Tanya did not look like either her mother or her father. It's like someone changed it. The daughter of her father cried very much after his death. Her mother gave her a box to play with. She got carried away. Since then, in order to keep her daughter occupied or distracted, Nastasya often let her play with her "aunt's reminder." Very Tanya asked not to sell the box. She was going to work, if only to save the memory of her father.

Since then, Tanya often played with the box. She will do everything around the house, get jewelry and try on herself. Moreover, he speaks as if warmth emanates from every thing. Once, when Nastasya and her sons were not at home, a thief made his way to them. Tanya, as always, tidied up the house, took out a box, put on jewelry. Then the thief entered the room, holding an ax in his hands. Tanya turned to him. And he suddenly grabbed his eyes and screamed that he was blind. To the neighbors, whom the girl, having jumped out the window, called for help, the man explained that he wanted to ask for alms, but something happened to his eyes, as if they were burned by the sun.

Upon learning of this incident, Nastasya decided to hide the box. She went down to the cellar and there in a corner of it and buried it. Tanya somehow decided to play with decorations, but she did not find them in the chest. Was upset. Suddenly she smelled of warmth, she sees light pouring from under the floor. So she found the box. She did not take it out of the cellar. There she played with her. And Nastasya thinks that she hid Stepanov's memo well. Nobody can find.

Relatives all pestered her to sell the box. Life was not easy for them. It is difficult for one woman to raise a household. But Nastasya held on. When the sons grew up, it became easier. Yes, and Tanya helped the family very well with her needlework. She learned to sew with silk and beads. There was no more talk of selling at all.

And the girl accidentally learned her art. Once a stranger came into Nastasya's house. Asked to stay overnight. She showed her works, embroidered with silk and beads. Tanya really liked these things. Wanderer and offered to teach her his skills. At first, Nastasya refused, since the family did not have money for silk and beads. But the woman said that for the first time Tanya would provide everything. And there she will earn. The mother agreed.

And a strange thing - Tanya was unkind to her own people, as if she were a stranger, but she flirts with the wanderer. Nastasya was even offended. Once, when there was no one at home, Tanya told the woman about her father's gift. She asked me to show her the box. They went down to the cellar. Tanya got the box. And the wanderer asks to wear jewelry. The girl did just that. The woman corrected in some places, and then she says that Tanya should not look back at her, but look ahead and notice what will happen.

Tanya looks, and in front of her is a beautiful room, which she has never seen. There stands a beauty, as they say in a fairy tale: black hair, green eyes, all in jewels, green velvet dress. Next to the beauty is a man, very similar to a hare. Tanya is looking, and the jewelry on the girl is from her father's jewelry box. She told the stranger about this. And she smiles and says that Tanya didn’t see it. But then everything will be understood. And she said about the room that it was the royal palace, and the walls and ceiling in the room were decorated with malachite, which Tanya's father got.

On the same day, the wanderer got ready for the journey. She left a button for Tanya as a keepsake and ordered her to look at it if there were questions about work. There she will have an answer. Since then, Tanya has become a craftswoman. Her work has become widely known. Many orders were made to her. She earned more than any other man. But here the trouble happened. There was a fire at night. They just managed to jump out. But the box was taken out.

Nastasya had a hard time with the children. She decided to sell the box. Tanya looked at the button. And there the girl nods her head to agree. Buyers have flown in, but they give a low price. Nastasya asked for two thousand rubles. Nobody gives that kind of money. And a new clerk arrived in Polevaya, whom the people called Parotei. His wife was the beloved of the master, the owner of the mines. She married Parotya only because the old master gave her money as a dowry.

She heard about the box and bought it from Nastasya. But she couldn’t wear jewelry, because they, like Nastasya, didn’t fit her. She took them to the masters so that they would stretch the ring. But no one took it. Everyone recognized the masters of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.

The old master soon died. And the young one decided to come to the mines to squeeze money. He squandered his father's inheritance in Petersburg. Yes, and he wanted to return his beloved. Parotya found out about this, began to drink heavily. Once he heard from the workers about Tanya and her skills. He came to her, as he saw, he was dumbfounded by her beauty. And Parotya ordered Tanya's portrait of her. But she said that she would not do her own. And she has in mind a woman who looks like her. And she looks into the button.

When the portrait was ready, Parotya was very surprised. After all, it was Tanya on it. In the spring a young gentleman came to Polevaya. A celebration was held in the master's house. Parotya drank heavily and told the master and his wife that as soon as they left, he would marry a beauty, what world had never seen. And showed a portrait of Tanya. As soon as the master saw the girl, he immediately began to ask who she was. He also learned about the box. Bought it from the clerk's wife.

Master Turchaninov invited Tanyushka and asked her to put on jewelry. He was struck by the beauty of the girl and offered to marry him. Tanya thought about it and agreed on the condition that he would show her the queen in a room lined with malachite "daddy's prey." Turchaninov agreed to everything. He invited the girl to go with him to Petersburg immediately. But she refused, saying that she herself would come to the cover.

In St. Petersburg, a rumor spread very quickly about Turchaninov's jewelry from the casket and about his bride. He reached the queen. She ordered to show her the girl. Turchaninov immediately told Tanya the day of the meeting, appointed by the queen. Tanya ordered the master to meet her at the porch.

On this day, a lot of people gathered at the palace. Everyone wanted to see Turchaninov's bride. And Tanya, in her poor fur coat, walked to the palace on foot. The master saw her and was ashamed to meet her at the porch, hid in the crowd. The footmen at the door did not want to let Tanya in until she took off her fur coat. And under it is a rich dress, the queen does not have such. Turchaninov saw this and ran up to the girl. And she looked angrily at him and reproached him for deceiving her, for not meeting her at the porch.

We entered the palace, into the room where the queen had made an appointment. Tanya looks, but the room is not the one she saw in her vision. She became even more angry with the master and went herself to the malachite chamber. Everyone in the palace followed her. They were very curious to see what would happen. And they have never seen such beauty. The queen went into the room where she had appointed. And there is no one there. She learned that Turchaninov's fiancee had taken everyone away with her. The queen got angry, entered the malachite chamber and ordered to show her the self-willed one.

Tanya, as she heard such words, was completely angry with the master. She tells him that it was she who ordered to show her the queen, but he, on the contrary, showed her to the queen. She leaned against the malachite wall and melted away. Only the stones on the wall sparkle. Yes, the button is lying on the floor. Turchaninov grabbed that button, and there Tanya laughs and says that it’s not for him, the crazy hare, to take it.

Since then, nothing has been heard about Tanya. As soon as people began to notice that the Mistress of the Copper Mountain began to double: they saw two girls at once in identical dresses.

Stepan's widow Nastasya was left with three children. The two boys looked like their parents, but the girl Tanya didn't look like any of them. Tanyusha was a beauty, black and with green eyes, her character was also special: there were no girlfriends or suitors

Older sons can already help their mother, but Tanya is still too small for this. No matter how difficult it was for Nastasya, she did not sell the malachite box. Tanya was especially drawn to this father's memory and asked her mother not to sell it. She loved to play with jewelry and they really suited her, unlike her mother.

Fearing that the case might end up being stolen, Nastasya hides it from her daughter. But she finds her mother's hiding place and continues to secretly try on jewelry, assuring that the stones are good for her. Behind this occupation, she is caught by a beggar beggar who went into the hut to ask for some water. Having quenched her thirst, the beggar woman decides to stay for a while in a hospitable house, promising to teach Tanya to embroider marvelous tapestries with silk and beads as payment for her stay. She kept her word and even provided her student with the materials necessary for work. Soon the wanderer went on, leaving a valuable artifact in memory of Tanya - a button, through which she could communicate with her.

Now the family did not live in poverty, needlework brought income, but soon all their property burned down. And Nastasya decides to sell the box. The box is bought by the local clerk Parotya, more precisely, his wife and former mistress of the young master Turchaninov. But even the clerk's wife's jewelry turned out to be too large. Meanwhile, Turchaninov saw the purchase of his former lover and wanted to talk to the former owner. Seeing Tanya, he offered her a hand and a heart. As proof of his decency, he presents her with jewelry bought from a former mistress as a gift.

The girl agreed to think in response to the fulfillment of her desire: to see the queen in the chamber in which the malachite mined by her father is. Turchaninov agrees and goes to the capital to prepare everything for her visit.

In St. Petersburg, he told everyone that he would soon marry a dazzling beauty and invite a girl to St. Petersburg. Having agreed that the groom would meet her on the steps of the palace, Tatyana put on all the jewelry from the box and went to the meeting. So that passersby would not be blinded by the brilliance of gems, she covered them with an old fur coat. The master, seeing Tanya in the palace in a poor fur coat, was ashamed and fled.

Tanya, on the other hand, easily entered the territory of the palace, presenting her jewelry as a pass to the guards. Having handed over the fur coat of the servants, she went to the malachite chambers, but no one was waiting for her there, since the empress appointed an audience in another hall. Realizing that her fiancé had brazenly deceived her, she stepped into the nearest malachite column and disappeared into it.

Turchaninov was left without a bride, and without the contents of the malachite box: although the jewelry did not enter the stone after Tanya, it remained on the surface, but it was not possible to collect them.