Brief description of the left-handed person from the tale "Left-Handed". The image and characteristics of Lefty in Nikolai Leskov’s work “Lefty

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The image of Lefty in Leskov’s work is quite interesting and unusual. There are very few people like him, and even more so in our time. He goes with the flow, changes practically nothing, his fate is tragic, but he still enjoys life.

Lefty - a talented Tula gunsmith

When Nikolai Pavlovich, the Russian Emperor, ordered the improvement of the flea brought from England by the previous Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, Lefty did the hardest work.

He forged the smallest detail that even the human eye cannot see. Of the three masters who performed the operation to improve the flea, he was the most diligent, resourceful, and talented.

Modest, inconspicuous and ugly

Despite all of Lefty's work, many underestimated him. This was usually due to appearance.

He was inconspicuous, ugly-faced, askew, and even left-handed. Almost no one knew what enormous potential was hidden in this seemingly ordinary peasant.


But, as I already said, you don’t often meet people like our hero.

Dear readers! We bring to your attention which was written by N. Leskov.

In his place, many would probably demand monetary compensation for moral damage, or a personal workshop, or some other reward for the enormous quality work done.

But Lefty wasn't like that. He calmly floated with the flow. I didn't go anywhere. Perhaps he even underestimated himself. He did not demand anything at all, although he did not live so luxuriously.

He didn’t even sign the flea’s legs, but simply made the work twice as difficult as the other craftsmen who forged the flea with him. So none of those who saw the creation of the joint work of Russian and English masters knew that not two masters, but three, worked on the work of art. And the name of the third remained unknown to the world.

Lefty's special patriotism

Despite all the difficulties that Lefty endured, he never betrayed his homeland. No matter how much he was underestimated, he always remained faithful to his beloved country. When he went to England, one can assume that he really liked it there. They offered him to stay, promising him all the necessary and comfortable conditions.


He knew that his work would be appreciated there. But Lefty remembered that there was practically nothing closer to him than his native land, and it didn’t matter what kind of people there would be. The main thing is that you are at home. I had to refuse. For some this may be business as usual, but for Lefty it was a huge choice.

Dear readers! We offer in the story of Nikolai Leskov “The Old Genius”

Just imagine: a homeland where no one needs you, and then you are invited to another, more progressive country, where you will be appreciated...

Lefty dies

Upon arrival in Russia, something terrible happens. Our hero becomes very ill. The pain is so severe that I have to go to the hospital. His name has already been forgotten. What he did is also forgotten. Everyone has already forgotten who he is. Lefty was admitted to a hospital for the poor. While they were carrying him on a stretcher, they dropped him and the guy broke his head. That's how he died in the hospital. None of those who saw him, none of those who surrounded him or carried him in a stretcher suspected that a great master gunsmith with whom almost no one could compare was dying before their eyes. But he is still happy with what he has. This is how Lefty's life ends tragically.

creative work

2. Description of Lefty

Distinctive properties of N.S.’s prose Leskov - fairy-tale motifs, the interweaving of the comic and tragic, the ambiguity of the author's assessments of the characters - were fully manifested in one of the writer's most famous works, “Lefty”.

Introducing us to the main character, the author does not demonstrate his attractiveness, just a few details: “he is left-handed with an oblique eye, there is a birthmark on his cheek, and the hair on his temples was torn out during training.” However, Lefty is a skilled Tula craftsman, one of those Tula gunsmiths who managed to forge the English “nymphosoria” and, thereby, surpass the English masters.

When he meets the Tsar himself, Lefty is not frightened, but “goes in what he was wearing: in shorts, one trouser leg is in a boot, the other is dangling, and the collar is old, the hooks do not fasten, they are lost, and the collar is torn; but it’s okay, don’t be embarrassed.” Lefty, an unprepossessing little man, is not afraid to go to the sovereign, because he is confident in his rightness and in the quality of his work. Indeed, there is something to marvel at here - the craftsmen not only did not spoil the curiosity, but also surpassed the British in skill: they shod a steel flea and wrote their names on the horseshoes. This is such a miniature work that you can see the result with a “small scope”, which magnifies several hundred times, and the craftsmen, due to poverty, did all the delicate work without a “small scope”, because they “have such a focused eye.” However, Lefty's name was not on the horseshoes, since he considered himself unworthy of it. In his opinion, he didn’t do anything special, because he worked with parts less than shoeing: he forged nails to nail them.

Lefty is ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of the Fatherland, in the name of the cause. He goes to England without documents, hungry (on the road, “at each station, his belt was tightened by one more badge, so that his intestines and lungs would not get mixed up”) to show foreigners his Russian ingenuity and skill, and earns the respect of the British with his reluctance to stay in their country .

The skill and skill of Lefty aroused well-deserved respect among the British, but, unfortunately, he was deprived of the technical knowledge available to English masters, and, as a result, the “nymphosoria” savvy by Lefty and his comrades can no longer dance: “It’s a pity,” the English regret, - It would be better if you knew at least four rules of addition from arithmetic, then it would be much more useful for you than the entire Half-Dream Book. Then you could realize that in every machine there is a calculation of force; Otherwise, you are very skillful in your hands, but you didn’t realize that such a small machine, like the one in the nymphosoria, is designed for the most accurate precision and cannot carry its shoes. Because of this, the nymphosoria now does not jump and does not dance.”

When Lefty returns to his homeland, he falls ill and dies, useless to anyone. Thrown on the floor in a “common people’s” hospital, he personifies the inhumanity, short-sightedness and ingratitude of state power - the reason for the unsettled state of Russia, according to the author.

From the entire story, it becomes obvious that Leskov sympathizes with Lefty, feels sorry for him, and the author’s comments are filled with bitterness. The image of Lefty reflected Leskov’s search for a positive national hero, and, in my opinion, this image is very close to the goal.

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Lefty is the main character of the story of the same name by N. S. Leskov, a talented Russian artisan, gunsmith. He, along with two other masters, was tasked with creating some kind of masterpiece involving a steel dancing flea, so as not to be inferior in ingenuity to the British. After much deliberation, the three craftsmen decided to shoe the flea, keeping their plans secret. Lefty himself created nails for horseshoes. The external characteristics of the hero are scanty. All that is known from their tale is that Lefty was oblique, had a birthmark on his cheek and bald patches on his temples.

Particular attention is paid to the talent of the master. He is described as a skilled craftsman and craftsman. At the same time, the hero does not feel significant at all. When the British invite him to stay with them and promise a carefree life, he immediately rejects their offer. His actions reveal not only loyalty to his homeland, but also disbelief in a better life in better conditions. Lefty is such a downtrodden creature that it doesn’t even occur to him to show even the slightest resistance to circumstances. And he even dies somehow absurdly. Returning to St. Petersburg, he ended up in a hospital for people of the lower class. The cab drivers, carrying him on a stretcher, dropped him, as a result of which Lefty broke his head. So, a wonderful master died unknown and of no use to anyone.

The tragic fate of Lefty is contrasted with the life of the English skipper who came with him. Immediately upon arrival he was taken to the British embassy, ​​where he was warmly and carefully received. With this contrast, the author wanted to emphasize the indifference to human life that reigns in the country. In fact, a rare craftsman with outstanding talent died, and no one cared. There is a lot of comedy in the description of this hero. For example, being obliquely left-handed, he was able to create the finest work, invisible to the human eye.

), three Russian masters shoed a flea.

One of these masters is Lefty. This is a Tula craftsman who lives poorly, wears bad clothes, but is a master of his craft. He is a religious and patriotic person. Despite the fact that he is left-handed, has no special education, and even has an oblique eye, he performs very delicate, invisible to the human eye, incredible work.

By order of the Tsar, he goes to England, where he introduces the savvy flea and tells what Russian craftsmen are capable of. The British really like this simple, talented man. They bombard him with lucrative offers of cooperation, but Lefty, being an honest, selfless and devoted man to his country, does not agree to their tempting offers. He sees how craftsmen are treated in England, sees that they are well-fed and well dressed, but he yearns for his homeland.

Upon returning to Russia, he falls ill, no one except his new English friend takes care of him and does not want to treat him. But even abandoned by the ungrateful royal authorities, being on the verge of death, he cares and thinks about his country. He asks to convey to the king the tricks of British military affairs.

This hardworking man does not forget about his country for a minute; he worries and cares about his homeland until his last breath.

Essay Description Lefty

The plot of Leskov's story unfolds around the main character Lefty, who was a master from Tula. The description of the craftsman does not appear immediately, approximately in the middle of the story. The hero is a master blacksmith, he is left-handed, a patriot of his Motherland, very naive, devoted to Tsar Alexander I and Platov. He has a birthmark on his cheek and his eyes are squinted, but despite this, he does an excellent job.

Lefty, together with his comrades, Platonov gave instructions to make a masterpiece, but using a steel flea. Thus, he wanted to prove to others that not only the British are capable of inventing non-standard things. For a long time, three masters puzzled over what to do to surprise the people and decided to shoe a miniature flea. Without special equipment and proper knowledge, they still succeeded. This invention shocked everyone.

After inventing an ingenious product, Lefty goes to England, not having any documents with him. The British offered the young man both training and money, but he remained faithful to his homeland and refused everything. Lefty dreamed of getting home as soon as possible.

Excessive modesty was the ruin of Lefty. In winter, he refused a cozy cabin because he believed that he was unworthy of such honors. Therefore, I spent the entire trip on deck and fell ill.

Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, Lefty was robbed. Having no money or documents with him, not a single hospital wanted to accept him, only a hospital for the poor. No one even thought to save the great master, except for the Englishman, who brought a good doctor. But, unfortunately, it was already too late. Lefty died modestly, unknown to anyone. Even in the last minutes of his life, the master wants to convey a message to the king that he should not clean his weapon with a brick.

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Distinctive properties of N.S.’s prose Leskov - fairy-tale motifs, the interweaving of the comic and tragic, the ambiguity of the author's assessments of the characters - appeared fully in one of the most famous works of the writer “Lefty”. The title character, who outwardly does not stand out in anything special (“there is a birthmark on his cheek, and the hair on his temples was torn out during training”), is at the same time, according to the author himself, the most skillful among the Tula gunsmiths. However, Leskov does not idealize the hero, showing that despite his excellent skill, he is not strong in the sciences, “and instead of the four rules of addition from arithmetic, he takes everything from the Psalter and the Half-Dream Book.”

Lefty is a skilled craftsman, one of those who participated in shoeing the flea, personifying the talent of the Russian people. But the savvy flea stops dancing: Russian craftsmen do not have the basic technical knowledge that any English master has. Leskov does not give a name to his hero, thereby emphasizing the collective meaning and significance of his character (“Where “Lefty” stands, one must read the Russian people,” Leskov said). Lefty, while in England, rejects lucrative offers from the British and returns to Russia. He is unselfish and incorruptible, but he is “downtrodden” and feels his own insignificance next to officials and nobles. Lefty is used to constant threats and beatings.

One of the main themes in the story is the theme of the creative talent of the Russian person, which has been depicted more than once in Leskov’s works (stories “The Stupid Artist”, “The Imprinted Angel”). Talent, according to Leskov, cannot exist independently; it must necessarily be based on the moral and spiritual strength of a person. Lefty, an unprepossessing little man, is not afraid to go to the sovereign, because he is confident in his rightness and in the quality of his work.

The image of Lefty stands among other images of the righteous created by Leskov. He sacrifices himself for the sake of the Fatherland, in the name of the Cause. He goes to England without documents, hungry (on the road, “at each station, his belt was tightened by one badge so that his intestines and lungs would not get mixed up”) to show foreigners his Russian ingenuity and skill, and earns the respect of the British with his reluctance to stay in their country . Lefty has a number of qualities inherent in Leskov’s gallery of righteous people: he is a true patriot, a patriot in his soul, gifted from birth, he is characterized by high morality and religiosity. He went through many trials, but even in his death hour he remembers that he must tell the military secret of the British, ignorance of which negatively affects the combat effectiveness of the Russian army.

According to Leskov, the inattention of the authorities to the fate of national talents, the denseness and lack of education of the Russian people themselves constitute the reason for the backwardness of Russia. It is interesting to compare Nicholas’s conversation with Lefty, to whom the emperor condescends, and the hero’s meeting with the British, who respect him as a master and speak as equals. When Lefty returns to his homeland, he falls ill and dies, useless to anyone. Thrown on the floor in a “common people’s” hospital, he personifies the inhumanity, short-sightedness and ingratitude of the tsarist government - the reason for the disorder in Russia, according to the author.

From the entire story it becomes obvious that Leskov sympathizes with Lefty and takes pity on him; the author's comments are filled with bitterness. The image of Lefty reflected Leskov’s search for a positive hero, and I think this image is closest to this goal.

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