Mercy in Russian Literature. Mercy, compassion - USE arguments Compassion in the literary works of Russian writers examples

Composition on the topic: “What is more important - sympathy or real help?”. Own reasoning and literary examples.

The theme of the essay is “What is more important - sympathy or real help?” relevant and interesting in that it allows you to give examples of the indifference and responsiveness of the heroes of literary works, as well as express your own attitude to this issue, based on examples from life.

How do people show empathy and compassion?

Anyone can get into a difficult situation in which he does not know how to proceed. In this case, it is certainly important for him the attitude of those close to his problem. Difficulties in life are different, so making a choice between sympathy and real help is almost impossible. These are two sides of one beautiful human quality - responsiveness. Sometimes a person just needs understanding and advice, in another case, he is not able to cope on his own.

In our difficult time, full of social conflicts, exacerbation of human intolerance and aggression, information chaos, it has become very difficult to distinguish truth from lies, culture from imposed stereotypes, true life values from the desire to achieve exaltation and popularity at any cost.
Unfortunately, compassion in any manifestation is becoming a rare quality. Most people are selfish and obsessed only with their own well-being, not noticing the experiences of others. Others, more frighteningly, find pleasure in the problems of others, asserting themselves at their expense. Often, young people have fun filming and posting humiliating moments from the lives of their peers, without even thinking about the feelings of these people. They don't understand what empathy is.
The older generation notices that the world seems to be losing spirituality, and along with it, mercy and compassion for one's neighbor. The concept of kindness is sometimes equated with weakness, modesty and thoughtfulness look like a lack of brightness and individuality.

Empathy helps a person cope with the fear of being alone.

Do people need sympathy and real help?

Getting into any difficult situation, a person needs help and emotional support from relatives, friends or even strangers. Empathy means listening and trying to calm a stressed person.

Sympathy and understanding gives strength - a person realizes that he is not alone, they empathize with him. At the same time, it is not the situation itself that changes, but the attitude of a person towards it. Having calmed down and listened to advice, a person is able to take a different look at the problem and see a way out of the current situation.
If a person is disappointed in life, considers himself a complete failure and does not see the point in further existence, sincere sympathy can really help him believe that life is not over, that a lot of good lies ahead of him.
Sometimes psychological support is not enough. Sympathy, expressed not only in words, is real help. It can be material support or certain actions aimed at the good.
Not everyone is able, even showing spiritual sensitivity, to really help. Someone does not want to get involved in other people's problems, the other does not want to waste time and money for help if he sees that they will not return to him.

IMPORTANT: Genuine mercy is selfless self-giving, when the giver does not think about returning money, does not expect gratitude or admiration from others.

Supporting a loved one during a difficult period is an independent choice for everyone.

Disclosure of the theme of sympathy in literature

The theme of sympathy and real help is touched upon in many literary works. One of the most touching examples of humanity is V. Rasputin's story "French Lessons".

The class teacher tries to help one of the students because she notices that he is gambling to buy food. After learning the truth that the boy is in dire need and starving, the teacher invites him to her house for extra French lessons to feed him. But the main character is modest and well-mannered, so he does not touch food.

Then Lidia Mikhailovna comes up with a game for money, in which she gives the student the opportunity to win. The school principal, having learned about such an act of the class teacher, does not want to understand the reasons, but simply fires the teacher.

Having left for another city, she sends the hero a parcel with apples, which the boy has never eaten before. A school teacher becomes for a child a person who taught the main lesson in life - kindness, mercy and self-giving.

This story is autobiographical, the author equally appreciates sympathy and real help. A person, if desired, can help others, this should be the main goal of his existence. What kind of help it will be, material or psychological, everyone decides for himself. The main thing is that people should not remain indifferent to the problems and experiences of others. After all, perhaps, with one of our actions or just a sincere word, we can change the life of another person for the better.

Video: Pity, compassion and help to your neighbor! Where do they come from and why do we need them?

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Compassion is a quality of a person or the ability to put oneself in the place of another person, fully feel his experiences (usually meaning a negative spectrum) and decide to help in any situation. Usually the quality of compassion is manifested from childhood, but is not innate and its manifestations depend solely on the characteristics of the society surrounding the person.

This manifestation of human nature is usually understood in one direction, namely, affecting the sensual and emotional sphere. More and more people use the meaning of the word compassion as synonymous with empathy, but the difference is that the latter just implies a feeling side, while compassion always shares a negative fate. This can be compared with joint suffering, when the second intentionally takes on part of the burden in order to alleviate the fate of his loved one.

What it is

The concept of compassion primarily manifests itself exclusively on an emotional level, which in its continuation can be transformed into actions. Compassion is always a concomitant feature of such traits as kindness, responsiveness, mercy, which are categories of human behavior, and not just beautiful words.

Compassion implies not only a conscious penetration of other people's problems, but also the impact of the whole space on a person. This feature does not develop independently, it is formed by the surrounding reality, but, nevertheless, there are certain rudiments that allow a person to respond less or more to the pain of others. A high level of sensitivity leads to the fact that other people's emotions are easily felt, but when not only joy, the person himself, against his own will, begins to sympathize, experiencing the entire negative spectrum that fills the emotional worlds of others. With highly developed sensitivity, even social networks and television programs can influence a person.

Thus, the manifestation of compassion includes not only pity or sympathy, but a high share of empathy, which allows you to get in touch with a person’s feelings on an internal level, and not just when thinking. Despite the fact that many faiths present this trait as positive from a psychological point of view, such behavior may not always lead to favorable consequences. Assuming that a person always needs help in trouble, we can deprive him of the opportunity to develop his own survival skills. Excessive compassion makes people give away all their property as an ordinary manipulator, remaining with nothing or with debts. Excessive compassion, bordering on the enjoyment of one's own holiness from helping those in need, can lead to the formation of co-dependent relationships, where one will play the role of a rescuer, and the other will be in the eternal position of a victim whose suffering does not end.

There is a concept that distributes compassion in the rank of female traits or as a variant that prevails in the female world. It is women who tend to take care of the sick, despite the fact that they themselves ruined their health, they pity the weak, doing work for them and doing many other things that are guided by compassion. In the male aspect of behavior, there will be fewer such victims, the masculine world will show more justice than compassion. The weak will be forced to overcome difficulties, the one who has derailed his own life will not be pulled out until the person himself wants to, and those who consciously, regularly or deliberately ruin their health will not be pumped out at the next attack.

Compassion is never a substitute, as the mechanism for prompting action is quite different. If, with love, action arises more from personal desire, an assessment of the situation, sometimes to the detriment of oneself and one's interests, then in the case of compassion, the general development of the personality and social skills, suggesting the possibility of help, can be a motivating factor.

Compassion is not always able to assess the true cause of misfortune and what kind of support is lacking, it is guided by the sensual sphere, bypassing the logic of providing assistance. Of course, in some situations this is necessary and sometimes leaves the last straw for a person. It does not solve the problem, but when a person experiences extreme negative emotions, this is comparable to the use of anesthesia in medicine - it does not heal the focus, but helps to survive the crisis.

Compassion does not always give what the sufferer asks for, since in true concern this may be superfluous. It is focused on real help, which means it provides what is needed, not what is asked for. So a drug addict can ask for another dose, but the one who truly sympathizes with his condition will send him to a rehab center.

True compassion is available only to strong personalities capable spiritually and at the level of character to perform the necessary actions. Help is provided not in order to remove other people's suffering and receive gratitude for this, one's own peace of mind or a friend's benefit, but first of all for the sufferer himself, without pursuing selfish goals. Some authors describe compassion as an automatic decision, a subconscious choice where helping others is the first response. These are not necessarily actions and real help that changes the situation or processes in the world, but may well be limited to a warm look, a wink when there is no way to approach or a gentle touch when words are exhausted or inappropriate. The support and relevance of its form is important, so compassion can manifest itself in completely different formats.

Actions, whether mental or physical, are an integral part, where there is no such activity, we can talk about related and similar feelings of pity, sympathy. These are feelings that induce compassion, but compassion itself is always an ability, which means it has an activity orientation. In addition, compassion develops a person’s own resistance to difficulties - it turns out that the more we empathize with others, listen to their problems and look for ways out and help, the more we pump our own skill of overcoming difficulties. Perhaps this happens because many situations are resolved in someone else's life, and this is a certain amount of knowledge, or maybe because the soul acquires an important confidence that everything can be overcome.

The Problem of Compassion

Compassion for people is not always an exclusively positively perceived category, which is why it is important to distinguish between aspects that provoke a change in the point of view on the need for this quality. On the one hand, it is believed that the lack of compassion has a positive effect on the personal life of the person himself, he becomes calm, and he can only go about his own business. This is very convenient when there is no sensitivity to other people's negative emotions - the mood depends solely on one's own affairs, there is no need to spend energy (mental, spiritual, temporary or material) on the needs of others.

Those who sympathize with those living in this world also have a harder life, the responsibility for other people's destinies automatically falls on their shoulders, not because duty dictates so, but because inner nature does not allow them to do otherwise. But the problem remains that where help to others and the development of society in general are pursued, a person loses his own peace and income, but gains some peace of mind and conscience. By acting otherwise without compassion and sharing the fate of those who are in trouble, a person wins individually and for a short period. Even if he does not begin to be tormented by toxic feelings of guilt and he does not repent of his indifference, then a life situation comes when he begins to need compassion, but does not receive it.

In general, the impact of lack of compassion in the long term can completely destroy humanity or greatly reduce its standard of living. This is the ability that does not have the opportunity to develop in each individual or be inherited, it develops in the process of education, and then self-education. Initially, it is necessary to form compassion at the level of duty and duty, and only then, when the mechanisms of the mind and soul are connected, perhaps its sincere manifestation. But the opposite effect is also possible, when being among callous and insensitive people, a person becomes overgrown with an emotional crust and no longer feels the desire to help.

Those who have brought up this trait in themselves at a high level of development receive, along with peace of mind from the fact that they helped, high anxiety for those who feel bad. This is a trait that requires action, not reasoning, it can deplete a person if it is not dictated by internal forces and spirituality, but it can also give strength to continue one's own life and faith in people.

Examples of Compassion in Literary Works

Like any manifestation of the ambiguous qualities of a human personality, compassion has many examples not only in real life, to which a person can selectively or even ignore, but also in works. In the novel "War and Peace", compassion is manifested in an act associated with the sacrifice of one's own well-being and property, when Natasha Rostova allows her dowry, as well as other property, to be thrown away in order for the wounded to take the vacant place. They did not express empty sympathy and did not offer to hold on, but provided the real help needed in that situation, sharing, albeit with material deprivation, the pain of other people.

The ability to visit the sick when there is no such desire and this time can be spent for one’s own benefit or amusement is also considered in the literature, namely when Anna visits the dying Bazarov in the story “Fathers and Sons”. The ability to be present when another is dying is considered one of the strongest tests for compassion, since death always frightens with its presence, prompts thoughts about one's own, and others feel it as the greatest loss. In the novel The Master and Margarita, Margarita sacrifices her own happiness and the opportunity to return her lover in order to end Frida's suffering and save her from torment forever.

The sacrifice of one's own life for the sake of another's freedom is described in the act of a serf in The Captain's Daughter. There are frequent examples of sacrificing one's life for the sake of a loved one, when the situation cannot be resolved otherwise. But examples of compassion are also described not only for people, but also for animals, when Kashtanka was saved or when the pain from the need to drown Mumu haunted the human soul. The last one is about how hard it can be to endure one’s inability to correlate one’s actions and go against one’s own compassion, where the duality of this quality manifests itself in the global understanding of the concept.

All these examples show that in the end, giving up their own and choosing to help others, people receive much more than what they give. And also the fact that they lose their peace, turning away from the problems of other people. Many examples of compassion on behalf of the author are found when describing the experiences of the hero, they talk about their feelings of pity, regret, sympathy.

In this selection, we have formulated the most common problems from the thematic block "Mercy", which are found everywhere in texts for essays on the Unified State Examination in the Russian language. Each of them is dedicated to a separate heading, under which there are literary arguments illustrating this problem. You can also download the table with these examples at the end of the article.

Each person needs support, care and attention, especially in difficult circumstances it is so important to know that you can count on someone. In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, the protagonist needed help, because, having committed a murder, he could not recover for so long. Rodion fell ill, had terrible dreams and lived with the thought that sooner or later his crime would be revealed. But in relation to him, Sonya Marmeladova showed sensitivity and mercy, learning about his terrible condition. The girl helped the hero not to go crazy, convinced him to confess and repent. Thanks to Sonya's support, Raskolnikov's conscience ceased to torment him.
In Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace, Natasha Rostova showed mercy to the wounded soldiers. The sympathetic heroine gave the carts to the wounded, which were set aside for the removal of the property of the count's family. The girl also took care of the dying Andrei Bolkonsky. Natasha's kind heart helped the heroes in difficult times. In difficult circumstances, you understand how mercy is needed. Indeed, sometimes it is sensitivity and compassion that can truly help us out.
Real mercy can help out not only those around you, but also the person who is sensitive. In Mikhail Sholokhov's story "The Fate of a Man", the protagonist Andrei Sokolov, having learned that his relatives were killed, remains completely alone. At the end of the story, he meets the lonely boy Vanya. The protagonist decides to introduce himself to an orphaned child as his father, thereby saving him and himself from longing and loneliness. The mercy of Andrei Sokolov gave Vanya and himself hope for happiness in the future.

Indifference and mercy

Unfortunately, so often, instead of mercy, we are faced with the indifference of others. In Ivan Bunin's story "The Gentleman from San Francisco", not even the name of the protagonist is mentioned. For the people sailing with him on the same ship, he still remains a master - a person who only gives orders and receives the results of their implementation for his money. But the reader notices how attention and fun are instantly replaced by indifference, by the way they relate to the lifeless body of the hero. In moments when his wife and daughter need mercy and support, people ignore their grief, not attaching importance to it.
We meet indifference in one of the most controversial characters in Russian literature - Grigory Pechorin. The protagonist of Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time" is either interested in others or remains indifferent to their own suffering. For example, he loses interest in Bela kidnapped by him, sees her confusion, but does not try to correct his own mistake. Most often, it is precisely at those moments when the characters need his mercy and support that Pechorin turns away from them. He seems to analyze his behavior, realizing that he is only making things worse, but he forgets to pay attention to others. The fate of many of his acquaintances is sad because of this, but if Gregory showed mercy more often, many of them could become happier.
Mercy can indeed save many, and the literature confirms this idea. In Alexander Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm", Kabanikh's mother-in-law treats Katerina badly, and the husband of the main character does not stand up for his wife. Out of loneliness and despair, the young woman secretly goes on dates with Boris, but then she decides to confess this to her husband in the presence of his mother. Failing to meet understanding and mercy, the girl realizes that she has nowhere to go, so she decides to jump into the water. If the heroes had shown mercy to her, she would have remained alive.

The ability to empathize as a positive trait

Such a trait as mercy often speaks of a person as a whole. If the character can feel compassion and support others, then you are most likely a positive character. In Denis Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth", the characters are strictly divided into negative (Prostakovs, Mitrofan, Skotinin) and positive (Pravdin, Sofya, Starodum and Milon). And indeed, during the action of the play, none of the uneducated and rude feudal landowners shows compassion and mercy, which cannot be said about honest and intelligent intellectual nobles. For example, in the final scene, Mitrofan rudely pushes away his own mother, who did everything for his well-being. But Sophia receives unexpected help from Starodum, who sympathizes with her.
Remembering the story of Nikolai Karamzin "Poor Liza", the reader will be negatively disposed towards Erast, because of which the main character drowned herself. For Lisa, feelings are the most important thing, so she can’t stand the news that a loved one is engaged to a rich widow. The girl takes everything to heart, she is capable of mercy, because her whole life was devoted to a sick mother in need of care. But her rich inner world was not truly appreciated by Erast. The heroine becomes sorry, we understand how pure the soul of Lisa in love was.

Mercy as self-sacrifice

Many literary heroes show mercy not only with words, but also perform any actions. This is exactly what the main character of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita does when she spends her well-deserved desire from Woland not on returning her beloved, but on helping Frida, whom she met at Satan's ball. Margot was imbued with the girl's grief and proves that her compassion is not limited to experiences. Therefore, Margarita wishes that Frida will never again be reminded of her strangled child. From now on, a woman will not be given a scarf, but all because the hostess of the Spring Ball heroically showed sensitivity and mercy.
Mercy means a willingness to help people with words, actions, and sometimes even sacrifices. In Maxim Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil", the image of Danko immediately stands out, showing concern for the people. Just so that people would not surrender to the enemy and be able to get out of the dark forest, Danko tore his chest, took out his heart from there and lit the way for fellow villagers, not paying attention to reproaches. The love for humanity and the mercy of the hero helped the tribe overcome all obstacles on the way, and Danko himself died, but in the last minutes he was truly happy.
Mercy can be expressed in different ways: both in words and in deeds. In Pushkin's novel The Captain's Daughter, Pyotr Grinev gives a sheepskin coat to an unknown Cossack, and then the reader realizes that the hero's kindness subsequently saved him from the gallows. In fact, the Cossack is Pugachev, who did not forget the help of the protagonist, therefore, he also goes to mercy in response: he gives life to both Peter and his bride. Obviously, this quality not only saves people, but also makes them better, because it is transmitted from one to another.

The Need for Empathy

Mercy will always be appreciated, especially if it is shown in difficult circumstances. Recall the story of Alexander Solzhenitsyn "Matryona Dvor". Before us is a heroine with a difficult fate, but a bright soul. Her husband did not return from the war, the children died young, and she was ill and lived alone. Nevertheless, Matrena always showed mercy to others even in the harsh conditions of totalitarianism. During her life, she was not understood, but after her death, the person who, being a storyteller, lived at her house and described her way of life and character, realized the most important social role of this woman. “A village does not stand without a righteous man,” he wrote, defining the significance of a sympathetic old woman for the entire settlement. He immortalized her image in his story.
Even in Lermontov's love lyrics, one can observe the motive of mercy, or rather, its absence in a cruel world. In the poem "The Beggar", the author, of course, writes about feelings that remain "deceived forever." However, Lermontov compares this state with the situation of a beggar asking only for a piece of bread. In relation to the poor man, not a drop of mercy was shown, but only a stone was placed "in his outstretched hand." Like the lyrical hero, the beggar needed help and compassion, but both of them met only with the cruelty of others.

Stefan Zweig in one of his works identified two kinds of compassion. One is craven and sentimental. Experiencing it, a person seeks to quickly get rid of thoughts inspired by someone else's misfortune. The Austrian author called such a feeling "impatience of the heart." But there is another, true. It is nothing but mercy. This feeling fills with determination and the desire to act. To do everything in human power and beyond them. in the literature of Russian and foreign authors, as well as its real and imaginary forms - the topic of this article.

What is mercy?

Mercy is a Christian concept, which means a caring and benevolent attitude towards another person. In the New Testament, it is a universal condition that every Christian must observe. Only love for one's neighbor can bring one closer to God. “First be reconciled to your brother,” the Bible says.

In fiction, they are found in Russian art and the works of foreign authors. Without them, perhaps prose would lose its value. This literature is designed to convey the spiritual experience of mankind. It is impossible to do this without depicting the basic Christian virtue.

Dmitry Nekhlyudov

An example of mercy in literature is the actions of Nekhlyudov after meeting with Katyusha Maslova in the courtroom and the realization that he was responsible for her moral death. There are several storylines in this novel. Critics interpreted Tolstoy's work at different times in their own way. But the actions of the protagonist after his spiritual resurrection confirm that he was guided by true compassion for the heroine - a woman who did not immediately believe in his good intentions. The ability to do good in the face of distrust and ridicule distinguishes true charity from false.

The theme of mercy in Russian literature is widely disclosed. Examples are present in many novels and short stories by Leo Tolstoy, and in the works of other Russian classics.

Sonya Marmeladova

The brightest example of mercy in literature is the image. Depicting it, Dostoevsky created an antipode to the protagonist of the novel Crime and Punishment. Considering these two characters, one can identify the main difference between them.

Marmeladova is capable of true compassion. She makes sacrifices for her family. Then for Raskolnikov. Rodion Romanovich himself knows how to sympathize. He helps the destitute, humiliated and offended. But he does this as if on the way to his goal, which, however, he will not achieve, since he is not guided in his actions by important Christian laws. And this is the main idea of Dostoevsky's work.

Student

Examples of mercy in Russian literature are the heroes of Anton Chekhov's stories. In the work of this writer there is boundless faith in a person, in his ability to become better. The story "Student" makes a particularly strong impression. The meeting of the protagonist of this work with two women saves him from loneliness and despair. The action takes place on a cold evening, on the eve of Easter. Thoughts about human defenselessness before the harsh omnipotent elements overcome the young man. But here he meets ordinary women and, sitting next to them by the fire, acts as a storyteller. It tells about what happened nineteen centuries ago: about the betrayal of Peter and how Jesus predicted the act of his disciple. One of the women starts crying.

The Bible story makes a strong impression on them. And there is no more doubt in the soul of a student. melted them. Chekhov's story has a simple plot, but after reading it, the reader understands how important it is to love and respect people, to forgive each other's mistakes.

Lidia Mikhailovna

An example of mercy in literature is the relationship between the characters in Valentin Rasputin's story "French Lessons". In his works, this author touched upon the eternal themes of goodness, duty and justice. The fate of an individual is the main thing in his work. You need to live not according to strict laws and clear rules, but based on understanding, love and compassion.

And it is precisely this principle that Lidia Mikhailovna, the teacher from Rasputin's story, is guided by. In the famine after the war, she seeks to help her student, violating all pedagogical norms. She not only works on his pronunciation. The teacher conducts interesting abstract conversations with her student, plays “chika” with him for money. She tries to support the boy financially, at least in a hidden form.

Hero

The theme of mercy in the literature is revealed in different ways at all stages of its development. But the Russian classics spoke about compassion in such a penetrating way as, perhaps, no one else in the world culture. Their works have become a model for authors around the world. Darkness and light everywhere and always complement each other. As Bulgakov's character said: "People love money, they are frivolous, but mercy sometimes knocks on their hearts." In recent years, the topic of good and evil has not been raised so often. The author of the book "Black on White" nevertheless did it in a way that no one had done before.

Ruben Gallego's character is himself. A paralyzed boy in a Soviet boarding school, who miraculously managed to survive and tell about what is happening there. “If you are an orphan and you have no arms or legs, you are doomed to be a hero. I am a hero,” says Ruben. Where children live, who, like no one else, need compassion, there is no place for this feeling. The teachers lie, the young trainees cannot stand the "impatience of the heart." Only nannies are truly honest. Not all, of course, but only the real ones.

Gallego tries in his book not to divide people into categories, but he fails to do so. Only believing nannies are caring and affectionate. There are few of them, and the author of the story remembers their names to this day.

"Sashka"

History knows touching examples of mercy in war. There are also many in the literature. But what to do when this feeling becomes inappropriate, and it is replaced by others - patriotism and hatred of the enemy? This is narrated by the work of Kondratiev "Sasha".

The Russian soldier is unable to fulfill the order of the commander and kill the German prisoner. Before him is a man just like him. To shoot him is to save his own life, but to act against his conscience. The plot unfolds in such a way that Sasha does not have to commit a crime either against the Motherland or against his conscience. But the reader does not doubt for a minute what exactly the hero of Kondratiev's story would have done if the Soviet officer had not changed his mind.

"Scarecrow"

Examples of the manifestation of mercy in literature are indispensable for the development of the moral world of the child. The main character of Zheleznyakov's story "Scarecrow" is an outcast among her peers. She suffered as a result of the betrayal of her friend.

Despite this unseemly act and the cruelty of her classmates, the girl's heart did not harden. She did not lose her composure and turned out to be above revenge and other base human feelings.

mockingbird

Mercy in Russian literature is often associated with the image of a little man. He is weak and defenseless. People do not like weakness, and at the sight of it, for some reason, they become even more hardened. This topic was revealed in her novel by the American writer Harper Lee.

The mockingbird is a harmless bird. She only sings to people for joy. Killing her is a big sin. The mockingbird in the work of Harper Lee symbolizes a black young man who is innocently convicted of a serious crime. Adults do not notice that they are participating in lawlessness. As the protagonist of the novel, the lawyer of the convict, says: “They will do this more than once, and only children will cry.”

Impatience of the heart

Classical prose forms and corrects the spiritual world of a person. An important factor in the development of morality is mercy in works of literature. Examples that make up an insignificant part of the great Russian heritage are presented in this article. Returning to the theme of "impatience of the heart", which the Austrian author called imaginary compassion, it should be said about his character, officer Anton Hoffmiller.

He is kind and sympathetic. He is touched by the fate of the crippled girl. But his mercy is a combination of weakness, pity and sentimentality. Realizing that the girl is in love with him, Hoffmiller betrays her and thereby kills her. An indelible guilt lies on his soul all his life and becomes decisive in his fate. War for him is salvation from remorse. He becomes a hero and receives the Order of Maria Theresa. But only he knows the real price of his heroism.

With the help of the images of the novel Impatience of the Heart, Zweig expressed his opinion about false sensitivity and pity - feelings that have nothing to do with true mercy.

What is compassion?

What is compassion and empathy?

The problem of compassion and sympathy (on the example of the works of M. Gorky "The Old Woman Izergil" and M. Lermontov "The Hero of Our Time")

Each of us at least once complained that he lacked compassion and understanding from those around him. What is the meaning of these words? Why is it so important for each of us to see sympathy and interest in the eyes of the interlocutor? Why do we hate selfish people and love those who know how to sacrifice themselves for others?

Compassion is one of the most important human qualities.

Without it, he becomes dry, callous and cruel. If we help our neighbors, try to do something pleasant for the people around us, then we ourselves feel satisfaction and joy from our actions. Selfishness and indifference lead only to loneliness. And this is really scary.

In the work of M. Gorky "Old Woman Izergil" we see two opposite people in character and behavior. Larra is proud, cruel, not wanting to see and understand anyone but himself. He believes that he is above the rest, their life does not interest him. And Danko, on the contrary, is doing everything possible to help people, to get them out of the forest. Even when his fellow tribesmen begin to grumble against him, he does not abandon them, but leads them to the end, lighting the way with his burning heart. And we see that Danko remains in the memory of people as a hero, a man who sacrificed himself for the sake of saving his neighbors. And Larra was expelled, and in the end he understands that eternal loneliness is the most terrible punishment for a person. Thus, we understand that pride and indifference make a person deeply unhappy.

The fact that life according to selfish principles does not lead to happiness is narrated by M. Lermontov in the novel A Hero of Our Time. The protagonist of the work, Grigory Pechorin, realizing his erroneous position in life: neglect of other people's feelings, indifferent attitude towards old friends, admits that he was never happy in love, because he did not sacrifice anything for those whom he loved. For us, the main character is an example of how unhappy a person is who does not know how to sympathize and empathize with others.

The main evidence that the ability to sympathize and help others are very important qualities of a person is the words of Jesus Christ. He says that if people do something good for their neighbors, then they do it for Himself. Thus, compassion, sympathy and understanding are feelings that are important not only in earthly life.

Summing up, it is worth saying that, of course, the ability to sympathize with others is one of the most important qualities of a real person. Indifference dooms only to suffering and torment. And sympathy and self-sacrifice bring peace and spiritual satisfaction.