(342 words) The theme of love in the story "Olesya" is the main one. It is this feeling that awakens in man all those qualities that Kuprin writes about in his work. The main character gets acquainted with the Polesie witch named Olesya, who lives with her grandmother, also a witch, in the thicket of the forest. She appears unspoiled, naive, but selfless woman with the soul of a child who conquered the heart of Ivan.
Far from civilization, in more often Polesie, where Manuilikh and Olesya live, time has stopped. Her upbringing assured the girl that she possessed supernatural abilities, strengthened her faith in traditions and conspiracies. The heroine is absolutely not like the girls from the village, so the writer with a passionate imagination falls in love with her. The author pays special attention to the description of the emergence of the feelings of heroes after the first meeting, the hardships of long separation and acceptance of love. Their union is built in the midst of nature, in the silence of forests, so it is difficult for Ivan Timofeevich to believe Olesya’s predictions. He seriously thinks about getting married, naively ignores the obvious obstacles. This need for self-deception also appears in the girl: she goes against fate, surrendering to Ivan. These sweet illusions are a characteristic but not obvious feature of love that Kuprin subtly observes.
The true character traits of the characters are hidden behind their initially restrained behavior. Beloved ones are complete opposites. In Oles, Kuprin embodies his own vision of the ideal woman and her feelings. The emotionality of the girl does not appear in the work as a well-known cliche. She is open, sensual, capable of self-denial and violation of generally accepted rules. Kuprin shows in the image of Olesya free female love when the heroine is ready to take with herself the bitterness of loss, not burdening her beloved, but only blessing him for the presented moments. The only thing she regrets is the absence of a child from Ivan. But her chosen one is not like that. Passion could not wash away prejudice from his mind. He says, for example, that men can laugh at faith, but women must be devout. Because of this secular stupidity, he loses his love, because prudes from the village beat Olesya, contrary to all Christian virtues.
Kuprin portrayed a real test of love, which the man did not pass, but the woman withstood the honor. The writer admires the girls' ability to live by feeling alone. For his sake, they are ready to change for the better and reject the errors of the past. But their chosen ones seek to curb passion with a mind that makes a monstrous mistake.
