(312 words) In I. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov,” the hero is forced to choose between two women: Olga and Agafya. The young noblewoman, of course, fascinates him with her charm and enthusiasm, she sincerely wants to help him improve, but Ilya Ilyich still chooses the limited and not so brilliant Agafya Pshenitsyna. Many readers are interested in the fair question: why?
I believe that the reason for such an unusual choice lies in Oblomov himself and his lifestyle. He finds happiness in comfort: in plentiful and tasty food, in peace and laziness, in a soft bed and in the proximity of a loved one. All Olga’s attempts to impose other values on him only frightened the hero accustomed to Oblomovism, he was afraid of this marriage, where he would have to pretend regularly and reach for the level that his wife needed. It was much easier for him to agree to that marriage, where his whims unconditionally indulged, and not he was forced to indulge a stranger. This is a convenient egoistic decision peculiar to Ilya Ilyich, who in his whole circle was looking for those people who would be willing to fulfill all uncomfortable and undesirable duties for him. Agafya, a hardworking woman, willingly took on this role, for whom the helpless and infantile husband became a welcome and beloved child.
Another reason lies in Olga herself and the nature of her love. This woman wanted to remake Oblomov, she loved in him only her efforts. She was interested in the imaginary Oblomov, whom she would make of what was. She wanted to become a heroine and find in her husband a vocation that would elevate her above her environment. She wanted to compete with Oblomovschina and defeat her. But did she want happiness for Ilya Ilyich? In her understanding, yes, but hardly in his understanding. These are too different people who are not destined to be together for their own good.
Thus, Oblomov preferred Olga Agafyu, because he himself wanted to live according to the scenario of the industrious and limited economy of the bourgeois, and not according to the patterns of the pretentious young noblewoman, who presented excessive demands to the groom. The hero wanted happiness, but the one he chose, and not the illusion chosen by Olga Ilyinskaya for him.
