Who wrote The Chameleon? What is the main theme?

1. Gorky on Chekhov:

"He hates all vulgar and dirty things. He described the ugliness of life with the lofty language of the poet and the gentle smile of the humorist. Few people see the significance of severe condemnation under the beautiful coat of his short stories. ..... Before him, no one could describe the shameful and disgusting pictures of people's lives to them as they appeared in the lifeless chaos of ordinary people's daily lives. "

2. Luna Charles base on Chekhov:

"Chekhov examined the daily life of people around him very carefully. At this point, his eyes are not only sharp, but also broad. ..... Landlords, bourgeoisie, petty officials, monks, craftsmen and farmers are all depicted in his works in a very delicate and true way. "

Second, the theme of chameleon.

1. It is revealing and ironic. This statement has been recognized by most people.

2. Absurd meaning. Some people think that the characters in the works are absurd, the events are absurd and the relationship between the characters is absurd.

3. Key significance. Criticism of works is shameless, vulgar and boring. Ralph, like those ordinary citizens, is not fundamentally different. They are isomorphic and constitute the social foundation of authoritarian system. Criticizing autocracy must first shake this foundation.

Chameleon materials: chameleon materials and ideas.

Chekhov is good at choosing themes from daily life. Once the accustomed events enter his works, they not only have a vivid and real atmosphere, but also can write the essence of social environment, constitute a life picture with the characteristics of the times, and become a unique satirical epic of Russian social life. This is the case with The Chameleon, which only selects a fragment of social life-the little things that dogs bite people in the streets, but shows a sharp and important social problem, that is, bureaucratic police are tools to safeguard the interests of the ruling class, and authoritarian systems oppress people unscrupulously. It is the uniqueness of Chekhov's short stories that small things reflect big problems and see big things from small ones.

The artistic conception of chameleon is unique. A plain story can cause laughter. Fascinating, this is the result of the author refining the plot according to the unique personality of the characters. The plot of this novel is based on the contradiction between the police system and the broad masses of the people. Through the police's handling of the incident of a jeweler being bitten by a dog, the opposition between the police system and the public was exposed, and Ralph's spirit of willfulness, flattery and bullying was whipped. In a short time, Ralph changed his color five times: at first, he put on a fair face and tried to win people's hearts, and decided to punish the owner of the dog and teach the owner who didn't obey the law. However, the writer unexpectedly changed his writing style. Someone in the crowd said, "This seems to be General Xi Gallov's dog", so Ralph immediately changed his attitude and defended the dog: "Why did it bite you? Can it reach your fingers? So small. " This seems sudden, but it completely conforms to the logic of character development. Later, the patrolman guessed that "this is not the general's dog" and changed his attitude for the second time: "What about you, khryukin, who has been injured, then we must never ignore it." But the patrolman doubted his opinion: "But maybe it's the general's dog." So the officer changed his attitude for the third time. He called khryukin an "asshole" and "blame yourself!" The patrolman's two inferences about the dog owner made the police officer change color twice.

The chef of the general's family also made two judgments about the owner of the dog, but these are not two opposite judgments, but the latter is more accurate than before. This elaborate and ingenious arrangement has produced touching artistic charm. The cook said, "We have never had such a dog there", so the police officer became confident and showed his authority: "This is a wild dog! ..... kill it. " He changed his attitude for the fourth time. The death sentence for dogs has been announced and will be implemented soon. But the chef went on to say, "This is not our dog, this is the dog of the general's brother", and the police officer changed his attitude for the fifth time. A warm smile immediately piled up on his face, even flattering the dog. The ups and downs of the plot not only make the story ups and downs, attract readers, but also deepen the character, and the ugly face of the ruling class watchdog comes to the fore.

The author took pains to describe the process of Ralph's five transformations, which is by no means meaningless repetition. This is a way to show the character layer by layer. ..... play a role in promoting the development of the plot and strengthening the dramatic effect. In The Chameleon, Chekhov put the characters in contradiction and ugliness through constant color change, self-performance and self-exposure, and whipped them incisively and ironically, severely and mercilessly. The writer does not express any emotions or comments, and likes and dislikes run through the back of the paper, which is the characteristic of Chekhov's creation.

The Information of the Chameleon: An Analysis of the Theme of The Chameleon

Zhang faan

The theme of literary works is the soul of the works, and it is the central idea expressed by writers through describing real life in their works, which has distinct class nature and times. Only by clearly understanding the central idea of the work, namely the theme, can we grasp the spiritual essence of the work.

Since the chameleon was selected as a middle school textbook, many articles have been published. These related review articles analyze this work from different angles, but their understanding of the theme is not consistent. As far as the irony of the works is concerned, there are several opinions, some of which are criticism of "traitors" (members of the Russian public opinion party), some of which are vivid descriptions of "wind faction" and "two-faced"; Some people say that this is a mockery of the habits of ordinary citizens. The understanding of the theme of the work is not uniform. The article "Pearl of Satire Literature" published in the first issue of Knowledge 1979 said: "The writer used this color-changing animal as the theme of the novel and made a title"; Some articles only analyze the protagonist of the work, without looking at the whole article, without analyzing the contradictory relationship between the characters, or even only analyzing the language logic of the protagonist Ralph (part of the dialogue), and it is concluded that the protagonist's character is servility first, so that the theme of the work is "The dog fights the human potential" (On the Logic of the Chameleon, No.3 of Chinese Studies, 1980). This kind of induction is obviously one-sided, which only summarizes a part of the work and reflects the character's personality. So, it only reveals half of the problem. From the overall content of the work, Ralph's five-color change is only a part of the whole story, and his servility is only one aspect of the character image and personality. On the other hand, the most complete bureaucracy, servility and bureaucracy are the unity of opposites in him. For the general, the first is servility; For He Liujin, it is bureaucracy. ..... The contradiction between him and khryukin runs through his works. The work not only directly describes their contradictory relationship, but also points out that the nature of contradiction is tit for tat.

Marx pointed out in the article "Outline on Feuerbach": "The essence of human beings is not an abstract thing inherent in a single person. In its reality, it is the sum of all social relations. " Chekhov's Chameleon is just so much. Only by putting the characters in concrete contradictions can we achieve the unity of typical environment and typical personality, thus making the characters typical and the works typical. At the same time, when analyzing this work, we should not only analyze the subordinate relationship between Ralph and the general, but also analyze the contradictory relationship between Ralph and khryukin, that is, the relationship between oppression and oppression. Bullying is also essential to Ralph, which is stipulated by his profession. He is a tool of the upper rulers and a running dog. "Be docile when you meet all rich people, and bark when you meet all poor people." This is his essential feature, which reflects the whole picture of his works, reveals the main contradictions in his works, dissects the nature of Ralph's personality, and explains a problem, that is, "dogs are enemies of the people and oppress them."

However, if the theme is summarized as "dogs fight people and oppress people", it only expresses the phenomenon content of the work, not the real essence of the work. Let's take a closer look at the contradictory relationship between Ralph and khryukin: khryukin regards the law as a lifeline and shouts: "The law is clear, and now everyone is equal!" Ralph, on the other hand, treats the law as a joke, pretending to be a hero who dares to enforce the law, and saying, "Since those grandfathers don't want to obey the law, they must be controlled now." Then he said: "People there (referring to Petersburg or Moscow) can call it dead in a blink of an eye, and no matter what laws are illegal." The dialogue between these characters can not be ignored in the works. In fact, it is a ruthless exposure and sharp criticism of czar absolutists. The contradiction between Ralph and khryukin is the basic contradiction in his works, and it is also a concrete reflection of the sharp contradiction between the strong demand of the bottom people for the legal system and the crazy pursuit of autocracy by the top rulers in Russian society. Prominent in the protagonist, it is the false face of law enforcers to cover up the nature of violence. This is the essence of the "two-faced" characters in The Chameleon, and it is the concentrated expression of the hypocrisy and arbitrariness of the Russian czar's autocratic government. This is the meaning of Chekhov's Chameleon.

Engels said in "Letter to La Salle" that "I think a character's character is not only reflected in what he did, but also in how he did it …" When analyzing the theme of a work, we should not only answer the question of "what", but also answer the question of "why" in depth. As far as the Chameleon is concerned, how Ralph's servility and bureaucracy are caused should be viewed from that society, and the actions of his villains and swindlers should be attributed to that social system and recorded in the general ledger of the environment in which he grew up.

The chameleon was written in 1884. Before the work was published, Alexander III came to power only after Alexander II (188 1) was assassinated by Russian voters. While he tried his best to strengthen police rule, he also made some laws to hide people's eyes and ears, which cast a veil over brutal absolutism. 1880 Lores Merikov, leader of the Supreme Council for Public Security, later became Minister of Interior. This is a typical two-faced, common people call him "the wolf's mouth and the fox's tail". At this time, the police are no longer beating people with their fists and batons at will in the Nikolai Gogol era, but doing things that flatter and take credit in a law-abiding bureaucratic way. Chekhov's depiction of police officer Ralph is the embodiment of czar's autocratic police rule. Therefore, this work satirizes and exposes not only an ordinary isolated policeman, but also a Russian society that worships official positions and vicious czar absolutism.

According to the above analysis, the theme of the work should be as follows: The Chameleon, by depicting have it both ways and Ralph, a police officer who bullies and flatters the czar, subtly exposes the reaction and hypocrisy of the Russian police system and criticizes its anti-people nature.

If the above understanding is desirable, we can also draw the following conclusions: analyzing any novel can not simply summarize the theme from the analysis of the protagonist's personality; Nor should we just look at the background of the times and adopt a pragmatic attitude for our use; We shouldn't blindly substitute topics for themes. In the analysis of works, it is not an individual phenomenon to summarize the theme simply from the analysis of the protagonist's image and personality. In my opinion, to analyze the theme of a work, we should focus on the protagonist's character, pay attention to the research and analysis of the contradictory relationship between the protagonist and other characters, and comprehensively analyze and treat the theme of the work in combination with the background of the times and the author's ideological tendency, so as to explore the spiritual essence of the work. Whether this is a rule or not, I'll teach you when I bring it up.

Chameleon materials: content analysis

This novel selects a fragment of social life-a common dog bite in the streets and lanes, but it shows a sharp and important social problem, that is, bureaucratic police are a tool to safeguard the interests of the ruling class, and authoritarian systems oppress people unscrupulously.

The plot of the novel revolves around Ralph's five color changes in a short time. At first, he put on a fair face and tried to win people's hearts. He decided to punish the dog's owner and teach the unruly owner a lesson. However, the writer unexpectedly changed his writing style. Someone in the crowd said, "This seems to be General Xi Gallov's dog," so Ralph immediately changed his attitude and defended the dog: "How could it bite you? Can it reach your fingers? So small. " This seems sudden, but it completely conforms to the logic of character development. Later, the patrolman guessed that "this is not the general's dog", and then changed his attitude for the second time: "What about you, khryukin, who was injured, then we must never ignore it." But the patrolman doubted his opinion: "But maybe it's the general's dog." So the officer changed his attitude for the third time. He called khryukin an "asshole" and "blame yourself!" The patrolman's two inferences about the dog owner made the police officer change color twice.

The chef of the general's family also made two judgments about the owner of the dog, but these are not two opposite judgments, but the latter is more accurate than before. This elaborate and ingenious arrangement has produced touching artistic charm. The cook said, "We have never had such a dog there", so the police officer became confident and showed his authority: "This is a wild dog! ..... kill it. " He changed his attitude for the fourth time. The death sentence for dogs has been announced and will be implemented soon. But the chef went on to say, "This is not our dog, this is the dog of the general's brother", and the police officer changed his attitude for the fifth time. A warm smile immediately piled up on his face, even flattering the dog. The ups and downs of the plot not only make the story ups and downs, attract readers, but also deepen the character, and the ugly face of the ruling class watchdog comes to the fore.

The author took pains to describe Ralph's five transformations, which is by no means meaningless repetition. It is a method to show the characters' personality layer by layer, which plays a role in promoting the plot development and strengthening the dramatic effect. In The Chameleon, Chekhov put the characters in contradiction and ugliness through constant color change, self-performance and self-exposure, and made incisive satire and cruel flogging. The writer keeps a quiet face without any comments, but his likes and dislikes permeate the back of the paper, which is the characteristic of Chekhov's creation.

Chameleon material: writing characteristics

Wonderful dialogue description

The dialogue description in The Chameleon, centering on Ralph, can be divided into the following groups:

1. Describe the dialogue between Ralph and Khrukin.

2. Describe the dialogue between Ralph and the bystanders.

3. Describe the conversation between Ralph and his assistant.

4. A description of the conversation between Ralph and the general's chef Prohor.

5. Describe the conversation between Ralph and the beagle.

On the one hand, Chekhov plays a role in promoting the development of the plot through dialogue description, on the other hand, he fully displays the characters' personality and reveals their psychology. Ralph takes different attitudes towards different speakers, and the content and tone of the conversation are sometimes gentle and abrupt, whether to people or dogs. In the process of gradual change, the transition is made by "taking off the coat" or "wearing the coat"; The mutation is crisp and decisive. For example, Prohor said, "Guess what, we have never had such a dog there!" " Ralph immediately took a sharp turn, instead of scolding khryukin, he praised the dog as a "delicate animal". He said, "Then there is no need to waste time asking questions", "This is a wild dog" and "Just kill it". The most wonderful thing is the description of the dialogue between Austria and the small hound, which not only describes his praise for the puppy, but also flatters the puppy. It's really disgusting. The author fully expresses his ridicule and criticism in the description of natural dialogue without showing traces and quietly.

Second, vivid detail description.

The author wrote about the police officer's coat four times in the novel, and revealed his fear through the detailed description of "taking off the coat" and "wearing the coat". He faced the general's dog, just like facing the general, fearing that he would not take care of it properly and pay enough attention to it; Clothes have become a cover for his treachery and the best tool for his "discoloration". In front of ordinary people, his coat seems to be a symbol of his power and prestige. Wearing this coat gives him legal power. He can bully people and try his best to protect those in high positions. The author vividly depicts the characters through the setting of the details of the "coat" and expresses extremely profound implications.

Three technologies

1. Repeat this technique. The author's repetition is mainly reflected in Ralph's repeated "face change". It repeats according to the following rules:

(1) Change your attitude with the change information of dog owners provided by others.

(2) Every time you change, you should make a 180 degree turn with cursing and holding.

(3) Although the changes are frequent, the words of swearing and praising are basically unchanged.

(4) Before the change, there is a short and sly transition to cover up the ugly state of changing face, such as putting on and taking off your coat.

By using repetition, Chekhov strengthened the critical significance of his works, aroused readers' attention, and made the people or events in his works absurd. In particular, the author is good at using repetition without revealing axe marks, so that readers can enjoy the pleasure of repeated stimulation without feeling stiff and monotonous. In addition, the author is good at creating changes in repetition, so that every repetition has rules to follow and is never the same, which embodies the author's ideas and achieves twice the result with half the effort.

2. Contrast technology. The author sets up many groups of contrasts in his works, which profoundly reflects the theme. For example:

(1) Comparison between police and patrol. As a police officer, Ralph is imposing and bossing around; On the other hand, Jedlin is a slave of Nuo Nuo. "The higher the rank, the darker and despotic the society, and the greater the contrast between ranks.

(2) Comparison between police and citizens. One side is the loyal lackeys of the ruler tsar, afraid of "chaos" and safeguarding the interests of big people in everything; On the one hand, vulgar ordinary citizens are extremely bored, lest there be no excitement. In an authoritarian society, ignorant and vulgar ordinary citizens are often the inevitable soil for authoritarian rule. Autocracy needs lackeys, and lackeys need ignorant people, and it is no exception.

(3) The comparison of the repeated changes of police attitudes before and after.

(4) Comparison of different attitudes of police towards various people. Full of servility to Shangguan, showing ugliness and shame; There is no justice in bullying the people, bending the law and favoritism.

(5) Comparison of the fate of dogs. Dogs have double symbolic meanings. First, they are the embodiment of generals, and they are extremely pampered in all aspects. For a time, he was the representative of the untouchables. He is so stingy that he has to go to eighteen hells.

(6) Comparison between human and dogs. In such a society, people are often inferior to dogs.

3. Foil technique. In the works, the environment plays a role in setting off the characters' images. The description of the environment is rare in novels, but it is the finishing touch. "The air is quiet and there is no one in the square. The doors of shops and restaurants are listlessly open. " This kind of environment makes people feel depressed and deserted, which is the unique atmosphere under the czar's autocratic rule and the result of the tyrannical behavior of the czar's lackeys such as Ralph. The novel puts inspector Ralph in such an environment created by himself, and at the same time fully shows the character of the inspector.

Fourth, personalized language description.

The language written by Chekhov in Ralph reflects his profound understanding of the characters, so his characters' language is completely personalized, which fully embodies the characteristics of "chameleon".

The language in Ralph is changeable and diverse. When I say diversity, I mean there are many languages: there are swearing languages, such as "pig", "you bastard" and "you ghost". Ask the language, such as "What the hell is going on?" "Who is shouting?" What are you doing here? And so on, these interrogative languages are often used together to fully show Ralph's identity and character. Command languages, such as "put your hands down!" "Cut the crap!" "Do it right away, don't delay!" "You take the dog to the general's house to ask. Just say I found the dog and sent someone to deliver it. Threatening language, such as "I will punish you sooner or later!" "I want to teach him a lesson! "The author also asked the police to use a lot of ellipsis language. These ellipsis language sentences are incomplete, mostly half sentences, but the intonation is certain, which can reveal his characteristics of putting on airs and dragging his bureaucratic tone, and also show his vulgar and empty characteristics. Ralph's language is changeable. First of all, he can say different things to different people. The second is to say different things according to the same object; Third, the language turns quickly, and its freewheeling and have it both ways's skills can be said to be extremely skillful, which embodies the mentality of the "old oil man" in officialdom and shows the characteristics of the czar's loyal lackeys.

"Chameleon" Materials: Guidance on Key Points and Difficulties

It is the focus of learning to use wonderful dialogues, vivid details to describe and portray characters, and clever use of contrast techniques. It is difficult for people to understand the social significance and theme of Ralph's novels.

Reading the text at first is ridiculous and the content is not difficult to understand, but after careful reading, you are not sure about the theme of the novel. It is necessary to guide students to study and discuss several neglected and easily overlooked issues, so as to deepen their understanding of the theme.

1. The law is mentioned three times in the novel: twice by khryukin and once by Ralph. What role does this play in the novel?

2. What role does Ralph play in this dog biting case?

3. What is the symbolic meaning of Beagle?

4. What is the role of General 4.Xi· Gallov in the novel?

Ralph is fickle. What among all kinds of changes will never change?

6. What role does Ralph's "New Army Coat" play in the novel?

Ralph's psychological activities are not described in the novel. However, in the process of handling the case, his psychological activities were extremely intense. We should try to figure out his psychological activities at that time according to the story.

……

To learn the writing method of contrast, students can design several charts according to the story, such as drawing Ralph's changing curve, in addition to the charts in Exercise 2 after the book.

Information about the chameleon: a brief introduction to the author

Chekhov (1860-1904) was originally named Anton pavlovic. Chekhov is a famous Russian realistic writer in the middle and late19th century. He is the first famous writer in the history of Russian literature whose main creative genre is short stories.

Chekhov's grandfather was a liberated serf; My father used to be a clerk and later ran a small grocery store. Due to poor management and bankruptcy, he fled to Moscow to escape. Later, his mother moved to Moscow with other children, while Chekhov stayed at home because he was at school. In order to make a living and continue to study, he worked as a tutor. From 65438 to 0880, Chekhov entered Moscow University to study medicine at the age of 20 and started literary creation. 1884 graduated from university, practiced medicine in the suburbs of Moscow, and continued to write. The chameleon was written in this year, and the author was only 24 years old. During this period, the author also wrote some excellent short stories with strong sense of humor and profound thoughts, such as The Death of a Little Civil Servant, Fat Man and Thin Man, Sergeant Prishbeyev and so on.

/kloc-In the mid-1980s of 0/9, Chekhov wrote some works reflecting the miserable life of the lower classes, such as Sorrow, Distress and Wanka. In the late 1980s, Chekhov's creation reached its heyday. He wrote Advisory Committee, Enemy, Dilemma, Grassland, Boring Story and so on. 1890, Chekhov traveled long distances to Sakhalin Island, visited nearly 10,000 celebrities, prisoners, immigrants and children, and local officials, and consulted a lot of archives, which greatly shocked him. He said indignantly: Sakhalin Island is a hell on earth. He summed up his travel experience in the past four months, and later wrote Travel Notes of Sakhalin Island.

1892 Chekhov moved to Merihovo, 60 kilometers from Moscow. There, while practicing medicine, he engaged in other social welfare undertakings. His literary creation also reached its peak, publishing short stories such as Ward 6, Jumping Woman, Literature Teacher, House with Attic, Farmer, Yao Neiqi, Man in a Condom, Gooseberry and other plays such as Uncle Vanya and Seagull.

Entering this century, as a keen artist and a rigorous doctor, he foresaw that Russian society would undergo great changes. During his lifetime, he successively wrote excellent works such as In the Canyon (novel), Three Sisters (script), Bride (novel) and cherry orchard (script). These works show the author's pursuit of light, his desire for freedom and his beautiful expectation for a new life. Unfortunately, he never saw a new life himself, and died of long-term lung disease on 1904.