The protagonist of R. Senchin’s story The end of the season in the paradigm of ‘superfluous people': convergences and repulsions

Statement of the problem. Roman Senchin's creative research focuses on ordinary people living in the complex conditions of the modern world, including poverty, corruption, and social inequality. Senchin's characters experience a sense of alienation, which is portrayed through a special dramatic image of humanity. In this regard, the author reinterprets the concept of the ‘superfluous person' in the context of contemporary reality. The purpose of the article is to analyze the transformation of the ‘superfluous person' in modern Russian prose, using R. Senchin's text The End of the Season as an example, as well as to identify the features of a key character created by the writer. The work uses cultural-historical and sociological methods. Research results. A ‘superfluous person' in the works of R. Senchin is not merely a hero who cannot find their place in society. Rather, this character acutely feels their inadequacy to the surrounding reality, their needlessness, and the hopelessness of their current situation. Such a hero lives in a world where there is no place for sincere feelings, and where everyone seeks only material benefits and personal gain. The unique aspect of the ‘superfluous man' in Senchin's work is that this character is not a hero who is ready to fight for his ideals. Unlike the classical prototype, he does not strive to overcome his exclusion from life. On the contrary, he often appears weak and weak-willed, unable to resist the circumstances, and justifies his passivity. The short story The End of the Season features a large cast of ‘superfluous people', including a failed actor, an artist who has not realized his creative potential, and a clothing store clerk, among others, all struggling to find their ‘place in the sun'. Their unsuccessful search leads to feelings of suffering and guilt over lost time. In The End of the Season, Roman Senchin warns about the possibility of death amidst a cultural paradigm shift where Man is seen as the creator of his own destiny. This work falls under the category of modern literature and new realism.