Eugene onegin analysis
The emptiness under Eugene’s mendacity
From the exterior perspective, Eugene Onegin, the protagonist in Pushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, is the combination of perfection. He is externally attractive, with his elegant and exquisite attires, his high social status and his wealth. He never worries about his livelihood and income, since he never has to work to sustain himself. His main activity is to entertain himself, like attaining balls and theatres, and flirting with women. However, in contrast, all these luxurious life fails to make him internally happy and satisfied. Pushkin implies Eugene’s gloomy mood even before the novel begins: “The heart’s reflections, writ in tears” (2). The origin of his passive mood is not explicitly explained in the novel. Although Pushkin keeps emphasizing that Eugene gets bored with the balls, the shows, and people around him, his moan and groan still seem come from nowhere. It is hard to get to Eugene’s deep inside to analyze the origin of his negative attitudes, since he keeps feigning his feelings.
One important quality of Eugene’s character is his mendacity. Pushkin directly reveals his mendacity at the beginning of the stanza 8 in chapter 1. Eugene’s character in the novel is like the costume of actors, presenting what he wants others to believe he is, instead of whom he is. Besides the obvious descriptions like “dissemble” and “conceal his hopes,” the author uses the word “play” to describe Eugene’s character (Pushkin 9). Eugene is not being himself. He is playing a role. Eugene’s every behavior and act is the decoration of his exterior appearance, instead of expressions of his feelings and emotions. His cheers in the theatre are not from his genuinely appreciation of the performance, but because “everyone has heard his voice” (11).
Under his splendid appearance, what is the genuine character of Eugene? Tatyana failed to identify Eugene’s sincerity through the end of the novel. At the reunion between Eugene and
From the exterior perspective, Eugene Onegin, the protagonist in Pushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, is the combination of perfection. He is externally attractive, with his elegant and exquisite attires, his high social status and his wealth. He never worries about his livelihood and income, since he never has to work to sustain himself. His main activity is to entertain himself, like attaining balls and theatres, and flirting with women. However, in contrast, all these luxurious life fails to make him internally happy and satisfied. Pushkin implies Eugene’s gloomy mood even before the novel begins: “The heart’s reflections, writ in tears” (2). The origin of his passive mood is not explicitly explained in the novel. Although Pushkin keeps emphasizing that Eugene gets bored with the balls, the shows, and people around him, his moan and groan still seem come from nowhere. It is hard to get to Eugene’s deep inside to analyze the origin of his negative attitudes, since he keeps feigning his feelings.
One important quality of Eugene’s character is his mendacity. Pushkin directly reveals his mendacity at the beginning of the stanza 8 in chapter 1. Eugene’s character in the novel is like the costume of actors, presenting what he wants others to believe he is, instead of whom he is. Besides the obvious descriptions like “dissemble” and “conceal his hopes,” the author uses the word “play” to describe Eugene’s character (Pushkin 9). Eugene is not being himself. He is playing a role. Eugene’s every behavior and act is the decoration of his exterior appearance, instead of expressions of his feelings and emotions. His cheers in the theatre are not from his genuinely appreciation of the performance, but because “everyone has heard his voice” (11).
Under his splendid appearance, what is the genuine character of Eugene? Tatyana failed to identify Eugene’s sincerity through the end of the novel. At the reunion between Eugene and
Cited: Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich. Eugene Onegin. Trans. James E. Falen. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.