(302 words) Good and evil always go together. We encounter this not only in real life, but also in the literary. Recall, for example, the story of N.V. Gogol's "Portrait". We can conditionally divide it into two parts - evil and good. What are these opposite concepts manifesting themselves in?
In the first part we get acquainted with the young artist Chartkov. He is talented, ambitious, but poor. He is perplexed, as artists painting portraits to order, are full of clients ... But everything changes overnight - the hero buys a mysterious portrait of a stranger for the last money. At night, Chartkov had a dream - a painted old man crawls out of the canvas and shows the artist money. This is just a dream, the hero thought, but no: there really is money! It is then that the hero’s life changes. The thirst for money is growing every day, and the idea of drawing to order does not seem so bad anymore. Money and fame flowed in. And only after the once recognized painter sees the work of another master, he realizes that his gift is lost. In pursuit of wealth, the hero lost his soul. All this symbolizes only one thing - evil. Instead of real talent, the hero chooses material wealth.
Despite the fact that the second part follows after the story of Chartkov, in terms of timing, it occurs long before that. Before us is a completely different artist who receives an order for a portrait - it is necessary to draw an unknown moneylender with expressive eyes. The hero takes on this work, but realizes that he made a mistake. Something bad happens to everyone who has this picture in their hands. The moneylender dies, but the artist every day becomes confident that he committed a terrible sin. He decides to leave for the monastery, where he will later paint the icon of the Nativity of Jesus. This work brings him back to life. This part is “good”: it shows a wonderful atonement.
Thus, in the novel “Portrait”, good and evil are interconnected. The first is manifested with the recognition of one's sin and the desire to atone for it. And the second - in an effort to gain fame and fortune, no matter what.
