Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov is a Russian poet whose main theme of creativity will be the theme of the people. Already in the "Elegy" N.A. Nekrasov will say: "I dedicated the lyre to my people." However, the poet has a different approach to the theme of the people, he expresses the ideals of democracy in his work. Yes, Nekrasov sympathizes with the oppressed people, but does not idealize him, and even accuses him of humility. The poet is trying to find the people's way to happiness. This becomes the main problem in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, where the hero is the entire numerous “peasant kingdom”, which Russian literature did not know before.
However, in the poem the folk theme develops and rises to the theme of the search for a "people's protector". It is the heroes who are able to lead others that are needed in order to find happiness for everyone. Such characters N.A. Nekrasov painted in the images of Yakim Nagogoy, Yermila Girin, Savely Korchagin and, of course, Grisha Dobrosklonov.
Yakim Nagoi is a people's truth lover, he is a beggar, like all peasants, but there is disobedience in him, unwillingness to put up with injustice. This hero is able to defend his rights.
Another image is Ermila Girin. He is a favorite of the people, who speak of him like this:
... he will advise
And he will provide information;
Where there is enough strength - will help out,
Don't ask for gratitude
And if you give it, you won't take it!
Ermila Girin is not sinless: he fraudulently frees his younger brother from military service, from soldiering, but the people forgive him, because they see true repentance. The hero has a heightened sense of conscience, he cannot find peace and judges himself very strictly: he leaves the steward, hires a mill, seeks to make the position of the peasants easier. But, despite compassion, mercy for the people, he is not ready for a revolutionary action, it is enough for a hero that he is not to blame for anyone.
ON THE. Nekrasov in the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" shows us another type of Russian peasant, "the people's defender." This is the image of Saveliy - the “hero of the Holy Russian”. It's already in effect. Despite the fact that he was sent to hard labor, he did not resign himself to his fate: "branded, but not a slave." This hero is the conductor and bearer of such best character traits of the Russian people as justice, self-esteem, love for the motherland and people, hatred for their oppressors. Savely is a man who knows how, if necessary, to rally his comrades, to captivate them with an idea. People like him will certainly take part, if necessary, in peasant revolts and unrest.
A person who knows his needs is ready to devote his whole life to the struggle, to the people. This is Grisha Dobrosklonov - the most conscious "people's defender". It is for such as Dobrosklonov, according to N.A. Nekrasov, the future of Russia. No wonder the hero "fate prepared" a glorious path, a loud name of the people's intercessor, consumption and Siberia. The poet expressed the life goals and ideals of this hero in the songs that Grisha sings. They are truly revolutionary, they already sound the idea of liberating the people from slavery. The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov is an example of the fact that only those who choose the path of honor and truth can truly be happy.
Thus, in the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” N.A. Nekrasov shows that the answer to the question of how to find happiness can be given by people who have the strength in themselves to lead the masses. Yakim Nagoi, Ermila Girin, Savely are characters who see the injustice towards the peasant, all the pain of the peasant, but are not ready to go against fate, while Grisha Dobrosklonov is a new type of Russian person, in my opinion, the embodiment of the author's ideal. Such a hero is capable of "sowing the reasonable, the good, the eternal." He is the real "people's protector"!
Veretennikov Pavlush - a collector of folklore, who met peasants - seekers of happiness - at a rural fair in the village of Kuzminsky. This character is given a very meager external description (“He was a lot of baluster, / He wore a red shirt, / A woolen undershirt, / Lubricated boots ...”), little is known about his origin (“What kind of title, / The men didn’t know, / However, they were called “master”). Due to such uncertainty, the image of V. acquires a generalizing character. A lively interest in the fate of the peasants distinguishes V. from the environment of indifferent observers of the life of the people (leaders of various statistical committees), eloquently exposed in the monologue of Yakim Nagogo. The very first appearance of V. in the text is accompanied by a disinterested act: he helps out the peasant Vavila by buying shoes for his granddaughter. In addition, he is ready to listen to someone else's opinion. So, although he reproaches the Russian people for drunkenness, he is convinced of the inevitability of this evil: after listening to Yakim, he himself offers him a drink (“Yakim Veretennikov / He brought two scales”). Seeing genuine attention from a reasonable master, and "peasants open up / Milyaga likes it." Folklorists and ethnographers Pavel Yakushkin and Pavel Rybnikov, leaders of the democratic movement of the 1860s, are among the supposed prototypes of V. The character owes his last name, perhaps, to the journalist P.F. Veretennikov, who visited the Nizhny Novgorod Fair for several years in a row and published reports about it in Moskovskie Vedomosti.
Vlas- headman of the village of Big Vakhlaki. “Serving under a strict master, / Carried a burden on his conscience / An involuntary participant / His cruelties.” After the abolition of serfdom, V. refuses the post of pseudo-burmister, but assumes actual responsibility for the fate of the community: “Vlas was a kind soul, / He was sick for the whole vakhlachin” - / Not for one family. free life "without corvee ... without tax ... Without a stick ..." is replaced by a new concern for the peasants (litigation with heirs for rented meadows), V. becomes an intercessor for the peasants, "lives in Moscow ... was in St. Petersburg ... / But there is no sense! ". Together with his youth, V. parted with optimism, is afraid of the new, always gloomy. But his daily life is rich in inconspicuous good deeds, for example, in the chapter "A Feast for the Whole World" by his initiative, the peasants collect money for the soldier Ovsyanikov. The image of V. is devoid of external specificity: for Nekrasov, he is primarily a representative of the peasantry. His difficult fate (“Not so much in Belokamennaya / It was driven along the bridge, / As the peasant’s soul / insults passed ... " ) is the fate of the entire Russian people.
Girin Ermil Ilyich (Yermila) - one of the most likely contenders for the title of lucky man. The real prototype of this character is the peasant A. D. Potanin (1797-1853), who managed by proxy the estate of Countess Orlova, which was called Odoevshchina (after the name of the former owners, the princes Odoevsky), and the peasants were baptized into Adovshchina. Potanin became famous for his extraordinary justice. Nekrasovsky G. became known for his honesty to fellow villagers even in those five years that he served as a clerk in the office (“You need a bad conscience - / A peasant from a peasant / Extort a penny”). Under the old prince Yurlov, he was dismissed, but then, under the young prince, he was unanimously elected mayor of Hell. During the seven years of his "reign" G. only once grimaced: "... from the recruitment / Little brother Mitrius / He outshone it." But remorse for this offense almost led him to commit suicide. Only thanks to the intervention of a strong master, it was possible to restore justice, and instead of the son of Nenila Vlasyevna, Mitriy went to serve, and "the prince himself takes care of him." G. resigned, rented a mill "and he became more than ever / Loved by all the people." When they decided to sell the mill, G. won the auction, but he did not have money with him to make a deposit. And then “a miracle happened”: G. was rescued by the peasants, to whom he turned for help, in half an hour he managed to collect a thousand rubles on the market square.
G. is driven not by mercenary interest, but by a rebellious spirit: "The mill is not dear to me, / The resentment is great." And although “he had everything that is needed / For happiness: and peace, / And money, and honor”, at the moment when the peasants start talking about him (chapter “Happy”), G., in connection with the peasant uprising, is in prison. The speech of the narrator, a gray-haired priest, from whom it becomes known about the arrest of the hero, is suddenly interrupted by outside interference, and later he himself refuses to continue the story. But behind this omission, one can easily guess both the cause of the rebellion and G.'s refusal to help in pacifying him.
Gleb- peasant, "great sinner". According to the legend told in the chapter “A Feast for the Whole World”, the “ammiral-widower”, a participant in the battle “near Achakov” (possibly, Count A. V. Orlov-Chesmensky), granted by the Empress eight thousand souls, dying, entrusted the elder G. his will (free for these peasants). The hero was tempted by the money promised to him and burned the will. The peasants tend to regard this "Judas" sin as the worst ever committed, because of it they will have to "forever toil". Only Grisha Dobrosklonov manages to convince the peasants, "that they are not the defendants / For the accursed Gleb, / To all the fault: grow strong!"
Dobrosklonov Grisha - a character that appears in the chapter "A Feast for the Whole World", the epilogue of the poem is entirely dedicated to him. "Grigory / His face is thin, pale / And his hair is thin, curly / With a hint of red." He is a seminarian, the son of the parish deacon Tryphon from the village of Bolshie Vahlaki. Their family lives in extreme poverty, only the generosity of Vlas the godfather and other men helped put Grisha and his brother Savva on their feet. Their mother Domna, “an unrequited laborer / For everyone who did something / Helped her on a rainy day”, died early, leaving a terrible “Salty” song as a memory of herself. In D.'s mind, her image is inseparable from the image of her homeland: "In the heart of a boy / With love for a poor mother / Love for all Vakhlachin / Merged." Already at the age of fifteen, he was determined to devote his life to the people. “I don’t need any silver, / No gold, but God forbid, / So that my fellow countrymen / And every peasant / Live freely and cheerfully / In all holy Rus'!” He is going to Moscow to study, but in the meantime, together with his brother, they help the peasants to the best of their ability: they write letters for them, explain the "Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom", work and rest "on a par with the peasantry." Observations on the life of the surrounding poor, reflections on the fate of Russia and its people are clothed in poetic form, the songs of D. are known and loved by the peasants. With his appearance in the poem, the lyrical beginning intensifies, the direct author's assessment intrudes into the narrative. D. is marked with the "seal of the gift of God"; a revolutionary propagandist from among the people, he should, according to Nekrasov, serve as an example for the progressive intelligentsia. In his mouth, the author puts his convictions, his own version of the answer to the social and moral questions posed in the poem. The image of the hero gives the poem compositional completeness. The real prototype could be N. A. Dobrolyubov.
Elena Alexandrovna - governor, merciful lady, savior of Matryona. “She was kind, she was smart, / Beautiful, healthy, / But God did not give children.” She sheltered a peasant woman after a premature birth, became the godmother of the child, "all the time with Liodorushka / Worn like with her own." Thanks to her intercession, Philip was rescued from recruitment. Matryona exalts her benefactor to the skies, and criticism (O.F. Miller) rightly notes in the image of the governor's echoes of the sentimentalism of the Karamzin period.
Ipat- a grotesque image of a faithful serf, a lord's lackey, who remained faithful to his master even after the abolition of serfdom. I. boasts that the landowner “harnessed him with his own hand / To the cart”, bathed him in the hole, saved him from a cold death, to which he himself had doomed him before. All this he perceives as great blessings. I. evokes healthy laughter among wanderers.
Korchagina Matrena Timofeevna - a peasant woman, the third part of the poem is entirely devoted to her biography. “Matryona Timofeevna / A portly woman, / Broad and thick, / Thirty-eight years old. / Beautiful; gray hair, / Large, stern eyes, / The richest eyelashes, / Harsh and swarthy. / She has a white shirt on, / Yes, a short sundress, / Yes, a sickle over her shoulder. The glory of a lucky woman leads wanderers to her. M. agrees to "lay out her soul" when the peasants promise to help her in the harvest: the suffering is in full swing. The fate of M. was largely prompted by Nekrasov, published in the 1st volume of "Lamentations of the Northern Territory", collected by E. V. Barsov (1872), the autobiography of the Olonets wailer I. A. Fedoseeva. The narrative is based on her laments, as well as other folklore materials, including "Songs collected by P. N. Rybnikov" (1861). The abundance of folklore sources, often with little or no change included in the text of the "Peasant Woman", and the very title of this part of the poem emphasize the typical fate of M.: this is the usual fate of a Russian woman, convincingly indicating that the wanderers "started / Not a deal - between women / / Look for a happy one. In the parental home, in a good, non-drinking family, M. lived happily. But, having married Philip Korchagin, a stove-maker, she ended up “from a girl’s will to hell”: a superstitious mother-in-law, a drunkard father-in-law, an older sister-in-law, for whom the daughter-in-law must work like a slave. True, she was lucky with her husband: only once it came to beatings. But Philip only returns home from work in winter, and in the rest of the time there is no one to intercede for M., except for grandfather Savely, father-in-law. She has to endure the harassment of Sitnikov, the master's manager, which ceased only with his death. Her first-born Demushka becomes a consolation in all troubles for a peasant woman, but due to Savely's oversight, the child dies: he is eaten by pigs. An unrighteous judgment is being carried out over a heartbroken mother. Not guessing in time to give a bribe to the boss, she becomes a witness to the abuse of the body of her child.
For a long time, K. cannot forgive Savely for his irreparable oversight. Over time, the peasant woman has new children, "there is no time / Neither to think nor be sad." The heroine's parents, Savely, are dying. Her eight-year-old son Fedot is threatened with punishment for feeding someone else's sheep to a she-wolf, and his mother lies under the rod instead of him. But the most difficult trials fall on her lot in a lean year. Pregnant, with children, she herself is likened to a hungry she-wolf. Recruitment deprives her of her last intercessor, her husband (he is taken out of turn). In delirium, she draws terrible pictures of the life of a soldier, soldier's children. She leaves the house and runs to the city, where she tries to get to the governor, and when the porter lets her into the house for a bribe, she throws herself at the feet of the governor Elena Alexandrovna. With her husband and newborn Liodorushka, the heroine returns home, this incident cemented her reputation as a lucky woman and the nickname "governor". Her further fate is also full of troubles: one of her sons has already been taken to the soldiers, "They burned twice ... God anthrax ... visited three times." In the "Woman's Parable" her tragic story is summed up: "The keys to a woman's happiness, / From our free will / Abandoned, lost / God Himself!" Part of the criticism (V. G. Avseenko, V. P. Burenin, N. F. Pavlov) met the "Peasant Woman" with hostility, Nekrasov was accused of implausible exaggerations, false, fake common people. However, even ill-wishers noted some successful episodes. There were also reviews about this chapter as the best part of the poem.
Kudeyar-ataman - "the great sinner", the hero of the legend told by God's wanderer Ionushka in the chapter "A Feast for the Whole World". The fierce robber unexpectedly repented of his crimes. Neither pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher, nor hermitage bring peace to his soul. The saint, who appeared to K., promises him that he will earn forgiveness when he cuts off the age-old oak with “the same knife that robbed”. Years of futile efforts cast doubt in the heart of the old man about the possibility of completing the task. However, “the tree collapsed, the burden of sins rolled down from the monk,” when the hermit, in a fit of furious anger, killed Pan Glukhovsky, who was passing by, boasting of his calm conscience: “Salvation / I don’t have tea for a long time, / In the world I honor only a woman, / Gold, honor and wine... How many serfs I destroy, / I torture, torture and hang, / And I would look at how I sleep! The legend about K. was borrowed by Nekrasov from the folklore tradition, but the image of Pan Glukhovsky is quite realistic. Among the possible prototypes is the landowner Glukhovsky from the Smolensk province, who spotted his serf, according to a note in Herzen's Bell dated October 1, 1859.
Naked Yakim- “In the village of Bosov / Yakim Nagoi lives, / He works to death, / Drinks half to death!” This is how the character defines himself. In the poem, he is entrusted to speak in defense of the people on behalf of the people. The image has deep folklore roots: the hero’s speech is replete with paraphrased proverbs, riddles, in addition, formulas similar to those that characterize his appearance (“Hand is tree bark, / And hair is sand”) are repeatedly found, for example, in folk spiritual verse "About Egor Khorobrom". The folk idea of the inseparability of man and nature is rethought by Nekrasov, emphasizing the unity of the worker with the earth: “He lives - he is busy with the plow, / And death will come to Yakimushka" - / As a clod of earth falls off, / What has dried up on the plow ... at the eyes, at the mouth / Bends like cracks / On dry ground<...>the neck is brown, / Like a layer cut off by a plow, / A brick face.
The biography of the character is not quite typical for a peasant, rich in events: “Yakim, a miserable old man, / Once upon a time he lived in St. Petersburg, / Yes, he ended up in prison: / I thought of competing with a merchant! / Like a peeled velvet, / He returned to his homeland / And took up the plow. During the fire, he lost most of his belongings, because the first thing he rushed to save the pictures he bought for his son (“I myself was no less than a boy / Loved to look at them”). However, even in the new house, the hero takes up the old, buys new pictures. Countless hardships only strengthen his firm position in life. In chapter III of the first part (“Drunken Night”), N. utters a monologue, where his convictions are formulated very clearly: hard labor, the results of which go to three equity holders (God, the king and the lord), and sometimes they are completely destroyed by fire; disasters, poverty - all this justifies the peasant drunkenness, and it is not worth measuring the peasant "by the master's measure." Such a point of view on the problem of popular drunkenness, widely discussed in the journalism of the 1860s, is close to the revolutionary democratic one (according to N. G. Chernyshevsky and N. A. Dobrolyubov, drunkenness is a consequence of poverty). It is no coincidence that later this monologue was used by the populists in their propaganda activities, repeatedly copied and reprinted separately from the rest of the text of the poem.
Obolt-Obolduev Gavrila Afanasyevich - “The gentleman is round, / Mustachioed, pot-bellied, / With a cigar in his mouth ... ruddy, / Possessed, stocky, / Sixty years old ... Well done, / A Hungarian woman with brandenburgers, / Wide trousers.” Among the eminent ancestors of O. is a Tatar, who entertained the empress with wild animals, and an embezzler who plotted to set fire to Moscow. The hero is proud of his family tree. Previously, the master "smoked ... the sky of God, / He wore the royal livery, / Littered the people's treasury / And thought to live like this for a century," but with the abolition of serfdom, "the great chain broke, / It broke - jumped: / At one end along the master, / Others - like a man! With nostalgia, the landowner recalls the lost benefits, explaining along the way that he is sad not about himself, but about his motherland.
A hypocritical, idle, ignorant despot, who sees the purpose of his class in "an ancient name, / Dignity of the nobility / Support with hunting, / Feasts, every luxury / And live by someone else's labor." In addition to everything, O. is also cowardly: he takes unarmed men for robbers, and they do not soon manage to persuade him to hide the gun. The comic effect is enhanced by the fact that the accusations against oneself come from the lips of the landowner himself.
Ovsyanikov- soldier. “... He was fragile on his feet, / Tall and thin to the extreme; / He is wearing a frock coat with medals / Hanging like on a pole. / It is impossible to say that he has a kind / Face, especially / When he drove the old one - / Damn it! The mouth will snarl, / The eyes are like coals! With his orphan niece Ustinyushka, O. traveled around the villages, earning a living by the district committee, but when the instrument deteriorated, he composed new proverbs and performed them, playing along with himself on spoons. O.'s songs are based on folklore sentences and rural rhymes recorded by Nekrasov in 1843-1848. while working on The Life and Adventures of Tikhon Trostnikova. The text of these songs sketchily describes the life path of a soldier: the war near Sevastopol, where he was crippled, a negligent medical examination, where the old man’s wounds were rejected: “Second-rate! / According to them and pension”, subsequent poverty (“Well, with George - around the world, around the world”). In connection with the image of O., the theme of the railway, which is relevant both for Nekrasov and for later Russian literature, arises. Cast iron in the perception of a soldier is an animated monster: “It snorts in the face of a peasant, / Presses, maims, somersaults, / Soon the whole Russian people / Will sweep a cleaner broom!” Klim Lavin explains that the soldier cannot get to the St. Petersburg "Committee for the Wounded" for justice: the tariff on the Moscow-Petersburg road has increased and made it inaccessible to the people. The peasants, the heroes of the chapter "A Feast for the Whole World", are trying to help the soldier and collect only "rubles" together.
Petrov Agap- "rude, intractable", according to Vlas, a man. P. did not want to put up with voluntary slavery, they calmed him down only with the help of wine. Caught by the Last at the scene of the crime (carrying a log from the master's forest), he broke loose and explained to the master his real situation in terms of the most impartial. Klim Lavin staged a cruel reprisal against P., getting him drunk instead of a spanking. But from the endured humiliation and excessive intoxication by the morning of the next day, the hero dies. Such a terrible price is paid by the peasants for their voluntary, albeit temporary, renunciation of freedom.
Polivanov- "... a gentleman of a low family", however, small funds did not in the least interfere with the manifestation of his despotic nature. The whole spectrum of vices of a typical serf-owner is inherent in him: greed, stinginess, cruelty (“with relatives, not only with peasants”), voluptuousness. By old age, the master’s legs were taken away: “The eyes are clear, / The cheeks are red, / Plump hands are white as sugar, / Yes, there are shackles on the legs!” In this trouble, Yakov became his only support, "friend and brother", but for his faithful service, the master repaid him with black ingratitude. The terrible revenge of the serf, the night that P. had to spend in the ravine, “chasing away the birds and wolves with moans,” makes the master repent (“I am a sinner, a sinner! Execute me!”), But the narrator believes that he will not be forgiven: “You will you, sir, are an exemplary serf, / Jacob the faithful, / Remember until the day of judgment!
Pop- according to Luke's assumption, the priest "lives cheerfully, / At ease in Rus'." The village priest, who was the very first to meet the wanderers on the way, refutes this assumption: he has neither peace, nor wealth, nor happiness. With what difficulty "gets a letter / Popov's son", Nekrasov himself wrote in the poetic play "Rejected" (1859). In the poem, this theme will appear again in connection with the image of the seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov. The career of a priest is restless: “He who is ill, dying, / Born into the world / They do not choose time,” no habit will protect the dying and orphans from compassion, “every time he gets wet, / The soul will hurt.” The priest enjoys dubious honor in the peasant environment: folk superstitions are associated with him, he and his family are constant characters in obscene anecdotes and songs. Priestly wealth was previously due to the generosity of parishioners-landlords, who, with the abolition of serfdom, left their estates and dispersed, “like a Jewish tribe ... Through distant foreign land / And through native Rus'.” With the transition of the schismatics under the supervision of the civil authorities in 1864, the local clergy lost another serious source of income, and from peasant labor "it's hard to live on a penny."
Savely- Holy Russian hero, "with a huge gray mane, / Tea, not cut for twenty years, / With a huge beard, / Grandfather looked like a bear." Once, in a fight with a bear, he injured his back, and in old age she bent. The native village of S, Korezhina, is located in the wilderness, and therefore the peasants live relatively freely ("Zemstvo police / Did not get to us for a year"), although they endure the atrocities of the landowner. Patience is the heroism of the Russian peasant, but there is a limit to any patience. S. ends up in Siberia for burying the hated German manager alive in the ground. Twenty years of hard labor, an unsuccessful attempt to escape, twenty years of settlement did not shake the rebellious spirit in the hero. Returning home after the amnesty, he lives in the family of his son, father-in-law Matryona. Despite his venerable age (according to the revision tales, his grandfather is a hundred years old), he leads an independent life: “He didn’t like families, / He didn’t let him into his corner.” When they reproach him for his hard labor past, he cheerfully answers: “Branded, but not a slave!” Hardened by harsh crafts and human cruelty, only the great-grandson of Dema could melt the petrified heart of S.. The accident makes the grandfather responsible for Demushkin's death. His grief is inconsolable, he goes to repentance in the Sand Monastery, trying to beg forgiveness of the "angry mother". Having lived for one hundred and seven years, before his death, he pronounces a terrible verdict on the Russian peasantry: “There are three paths for men: / A tavern, prison and hard labor, / And for women in Rus' / Three loops ... Get into any one.” Image C, in addition to folklore, has social and polemical roots. O. I. Komissarov, who saved Alexander II from an assassination attempt on April 4, 1866, was a Kostroma dweller, fellow countryman of I. Susanin. Monarchists in this parallel saw proof of the thesis about the regality of the Russian people. To refute this point of view, Nekrasov settled in the Kostroma province, the original patrimony of the Romanovs, rebel S, and Matryona catches the similarity between him and the monument to Susanin.
Trofim (Tryphon) - "a man with shortness of breath, / Relaxed, thin / (Easy nose, like a dead one, / Skinny arms like a rake, / Long knitting needles, / Not a man - a mosquito)". Former bricklayer, born strongman. Yielding to the contractor's provocation, he "carried one at least / Fourteen pounds" to the second floor and overstrained himself. One of the brightest and most terrible images in the poem. In the chapter “Happy”, T. boasts of the happiness that allowed him to get from St. Petersburg alive to his homeland, unlike many other “feverish, feverish workers” who were thrown out of the car when they began to rave.
Utyatin (Last child) - "thin! / Like winter hares, / All white ... The nose with a beak, like that of a hawk, / The mustache is gray, long / And - different eyes: / One healthy one glows, / And the left one is muddy, cloudy, / Like a pewter penny! Having “exorbitant wealth, / an important rank, a noble family,” U. does not believe in the abolition of serfdom. As a result of a dispute with the governor, he is paralyzed. “Not self-interest, / But arrogance cut him off.” The sons of the prince are afraid that he will deprive them of their inheritance in favor of side daughters, and persuade the peasants to pretend to be serfs again. The peasant world allowed "to show off / To the dismissed master / In the remaining hours." On the day of the arrival of wanderers - seekers of happiness - in the village of Bolshie Vakhlaki, the Last One finally dies, then the peasants arrange a "feast for the whole world." The image of U. has a grotesque character. The absurd orders of the tyrant master will make the peasants laugh.
Shalashnikov- landowner, former owner of Korezhina, military man. Taking advantage of the remoteness from the provincial town, where the landowner stood with his regiment, the Korezha peasants did not pay dues. Sh. decided to beat the quitrent by force, tore the peasants so that "the brains were already shaking / In the little heads." Savely recalls the landowner as an unsurpassed master: “He knew how to flog! / He dressed my skin so that it has been worn for a hundred years. He died near Varna, his death put an end to the relative prosperity of the peasants.
Jacob- “about the exemplary serf - Jacob the faithful” tells the former courtyard in the chapter “A Feast for the Whole World”. "People of the servile rank - / Real dogs sometimes: / The heavier the punishment, / The dearer the Lord is to them." So was Y. until Mr. Polivanov, having coveted the bride of his nephew, sold him into recruits. An exemplary serf took to drink, but returned two weeks later, taking pity on the helpless master. However, the enemy was already "mutilating him." Ya. takes Polivanov to visit his sister, turns halfway into the Devil's ravine, unharnesses the horses and, contrary to the fears of the master, does not kill him, but hangs himself, leaving the owner alone with his conscience for the whole night. Such a way of revenge (“drag a dry misfortune” - to hang yourself in the possessions of the offender in order to make him suffer all his life) was really known, especially among the eastern peoples. Nekrasov, creating the image of Ya., refers to the story that A.F. Koni told him (who, in turn, heard it from the watchman of the volost government), and only slightly modifies it. This tragedy is another illustration of the perniciousness of serfdom. Through the mouth of Grisha Dobrosklonov, Nekrasov sums up: “There is no support - there is no landowner, / A zealous slave leads to the noose, / There is no support - there is no courtyard, / Avenging suicide / His villain.”
N. A. Nekrasov worked on his poem for a long time - from the 1860s until the end of his life. During his lifetime, individual chapters of the work were published, but it was fully published only in 1920, when K. I. Chukovsky decided to release the complete works of the poet. In many ways, the work “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is built on the elements of Russian folk art, the language of the poem is close to that which was understandable to the peasants of that time.
Main characters
Despite the fact that Nekrasov planned to cover the life of all classes in his poem, the main characters of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are still peasants. The poet paints their life in gloomy colors, especially sympathizing with women. The most striking images of the work are Ermila Girin, Yakim Nagoi, Savely, Matrena Timofeevna, Klim Lavin. At the same time, not only the world of the peasantry appears before the eyes of the reader, although the main emphasis is placed on it.
Often, schoolchildren receive as homework a brief description of the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” and their characteristics. To get a good assessment, it is necessary to mention not only the peasants, but also the landowners. This is Prince Utyatin with his family, Obolt-Obolduev, a generous governor, a German manager. The work as a whole is characterized by the epic unity of all acting heroes. However, along with this, the poet also presented many personalities, individualized images.
Ermila Girin
This hero "To whom it is good to live in Rus'", according to those who know him, is a happy person. The people around him appreciate him, and the landowner shows respect. Ermila is engaged in socially useful work - she runs a mill. He works on it without deceiving ordinary peasants. Kirin is trusted by everyone. This is manifested, for example, in the situation of collecting money for an orphan's mill. Ermila finds herself in the city without money, and the mill is put up for sale. If he does not have time to return for the money, then Altynnikov will get it - this will not be good for anyone. Then Jirin decides to appeal to the people. And people unite in order to do a good deed. They believe that their money will go to good causes.
This hero of “Who should live well in Rus'” was a clerk and helped those who do not know it to learn to read and write. However, the wanderers did not consider Yermila happy, because he could not stand the most difficult test - power. Instead of his own brother, Jirin gets into the soldiers. Ermila repents of her deed. He can no longer be considered happy.
Yakim Nagoi
One of the main characters of "Who Lives Well in Rus'" is Yakim Nagoi. He defines himself as follows - "works to death, drinks half to death." Nagogo's story is simple and at the same time very tragic. Once he lived in St. Petersburg, but ended up in prison, lost his estate. After that, he had to settle in the countryside and take on exhausting work. In the work, he is entrusted with protecting the people themselves.
The spiritual needs of man are indestructible
During the fire, Yakim loses most of what he has acquired, as he begins to save the pictures that he has acquired for his son. However, even in his new dwelling, Nagoi takes over the old one, buys other pictures. Why does he decide to save these things, at first glance, which are simple knick-knacks? A person tries to preserve what is dearest to him. And these pictures turn out to be more expensive for Yakim than money earned by hellish labor.
The life of the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is an ongoing work, the results of which fall into the wrong hands. But the human soul cannot be content with an existence in which there is only room for endless hard labor. The Spirit of the Naked requires something high, and these pictures, oddly enough, are a symbol of spirituality.
Endless adversity only strengthens his position in life. In Chapter III, he delivers a monologue in which he describes in detail his life - this is hard labor, the results of which are in the hands of three equity holders, disasters and hopeless poverty. And by these disasters he justifies his drunkenness. It was the only joy for the peasants, whose only occupation was hard work.
The place of a woman in the poet's work
Women also occupy a significant place in Nekrasov's work. The poet considered their share the most difficult - after all, it was on the shoulders of Russian peasant women that the duty of raising children, preserving the hearth and love in harsh Russian conditions fell. In the work “To whom it is good to live in Rus'”, the heroes (more precisely, the heroines) bear the heaviest cross. Their images are described in most detail in the chapter entitled "Drunken Night". Here you can face the difficult fate of women working as servants in cities. The reader meets Daryushka, who has grown thin from overwork, women whose situation in the house is worse than in hell - where the son-in-law constantly takes up the knife, "look, he will kill him."
Matryona Korchagin
The culmination of the female theme in the poem is the part called "Peasant Woman". Her main character is Matryona Timofeevna by the name of Korchagina, whose life is a generalization of the life of a Russian peasant woman. On the one hand, the poet demonstrates the gravity of her fate, but on the other, the unbending will of Matryona Korchagina. The people consider her "happy", and wanderers set off on a journey to see this "miracle" with their own eyes.
Matryona succumbs to their persuasion and talks about her life. She considers her childhood the happiest time. After all, her family was caring, no one drank. But soon the moment came when it was necessary to get married. Here she seemed to be lucky - her husband loved Matryona. However, she becomes the younger daughter-in-law, and she has to please everyone and everyone. She could not even count on a kind word.
Only with grandfather Savely Matryona could open her soul, cry. But even the grandfather, although not of his own free will, caused her terrible pain - he did not see after the child. After that, the judges accused Matryona herself of killing the baby.
Is the heroine happy?
The poet emphasizes the helplessness of the heroine and, with the words of Savely, tells her to endure, because "we cannot find the truth." And these words become a description of the whole life of Matryona, who had to endure losses, grief, and resentment from the landowners. Only once does she manage to “find the truth” - to “beg” her husband from the unfair soldiery from the landowner Elena Alexandrovna. Perhaps that is why Matryona began to be called "happy." And perhaps because, unlike some other heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, she did not break down, despite all the hardships. According to the poet, the fate of a woman is the most difficult. After all, she has to suffer from lawlessness in the family, and worry about the lives of loved ones, and perform back-breaking work.
Grisha Dobrosklonov
This is one of the main characters of "Who lives well in Rus'." He was born in the family of a poor clerk, who was also lazy. His mother was the image of a woman, which was described in detail in the chapter entitled "Peasant Woman". Grisha managed to understand his place in life already at a young age. This was facilitated by labor hardening, a hungry childhood, a generous character, vitality and perseverance. Grisha became a fighter for the rights of all the downtrodden, he stood for the interests of the peasants. In the first place he had not personal needs, but social values. The main features of the hero are unpretentiousness, high efficiency, the ability to sympathize, education and a sharp mind.
Who can find happiness in Rus'
Throughout the work, the poet tries to answer the question about the happiness of the heroes "Who in Rus' should live well." Perhaps it is Grisha Dobrosklonov who is the happiest character. After all, when a person does a good deed, he gets a pleasant feeling of his own worth. Here the hero saves the whole people. From childhood, Grisha sees unfortunate and oppressed people. Nekrasov considered the ability to compassion a source of patriotism. The poet has a person who sympathizes with the people, raises a revolution - this is Grisha Dobrosklonov. His words reflect the hope that Rus' will not perish.
landowners
Among the heroes of the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'", as was indicated, there are also quite a few landowners. One of them is Obolt-Obolduev. When the peasants ask him if he is happy, he only laughs in response. Then, with some regret, he recalls the past years, which were full of prosperity. However, the reform of 1861 abolished serfdom, although it was not carried through to the end. But even the changes that have taken place in public life cannot force the landowner to work and honor the results of the work of other people.
To match him, another hero of Nekrasov’s “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is Utyatin. All his life he was “freaking and fooling”, and when the social reform came, he had a stroke. His children, in order to receive an inheritance, together with the peasants, play a real performance. They inspire him that he will not be left with anything, and serfdom still dominates in Rus'.
Grandfather Savely
The characterization of the heroes of "Who Lives Well in Rus'" would be incomplete without a description of the image of grandfather Savely. The reader gets to know him already when he lived a long and hard life. In his old age, Savely lives with his son's family, he is Matryona's father-in-law. It is worth noting that the old man does not like his family. After all, households do not have the best characteristics.
Even in his native circle, Savely is called "branded, convict." But he is not offended by this and gives a worthy answer: "Branded, but not a slave." Such is the nature of this hero "Who in Rus' live well." A brief description of the character of Savely can be supplemented by the fact that he is not averse to sometimes playing a trick on members of his family. The main thing that is noted when meeting this character is his difference from the rest, both from his son and from other inhabitants of the house.
- The plot of the poem.
- The theme of public intercession.
- Heroes - "protectors".
- Grisha Dobrosklonov as a "conscious defender".
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov entered Russian poetry as a "people's mourner". The folk theme became one of the central ones in his work. But the poet was never a simple everyday writer; as an artist, he was primarily concerned with the drama of the people. The theme of the "people's intercessor" is also heard in the poem "To whom in Rus' it is good to live."
In the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'”, the author himself appeared as a people’s “intercessor”, who not only expressed his attitude towards the people by the fact of creating this work, but was able to understand his soul, truly reveal his character. What is the real happiness of a person in Russia? What needs to be done to make everyone happy? he asked himself. The poet believed that in order to resolve these issues, people are needed who are able to join the struggle and lead others. The theme of popular intercession is widely represented in the poem. Intercessor is one of the key words in the work. The people's protector is one who not only pities, sympathizes with the peasants, but serves the people, expresses their interests, confirming this with actions and deeds. Such characters are shown in the images of Yakim Nagogoy, Ermila Girin, Savely Korchagin, Grisha Dobrosklonov.
In Yakima Nagoi, a peculiar character of the people's truth-seeker is presented. He lives a beggarly life, like all the peasantry, but is distinguished by a rebellious disposition. Yakim is ready to stand up for his rights. Here is what he says about the people:
Every peasant has a Soul that is a black cloud, Wrathful, formidable - and Thunders should thunder from there, Bloody rains to pour.
Ermila Girin is a peasant whom the people themselves chose as a steward, recognizing his justice. Even as a clerk, Yermila won authority among the people for the fact that:
... they will advise
And he will provide information;
Where there is enough strength - will help out,
Don't ask for gratitude
And if you give it, you won't take it!
But Yermila was also guilty: he shielded his younger brother from recruitment, but the people forgave him for his sincere repentance. Only Ermila's conscience did not calm down: he left the steward, hired a mill. And again the people fell in love with him for his good treatment, for his even attitude towards the landowner and the poor, for his kindness. "Grey priest" characterizes Yermila in this way:
He had everything that is necessary For happiness and tranquility, And money, and honor, An enviable, true honor, Not bought either by money, Nor by fear: strict truth. Mind and kindness.
It can be seen from the priest's statement that Girin achieved honor with “strict truth”, “mind and kindness”. He is worried about the attitude of the people towards him, but Yermila himself judges himself even more strictly. He seeks to alleviate the situation of the peasants, to help them financially, although he himself is not yet ready for a revolutionary action. Kirin is already satisfied that his conscience is clear, that he makes life a little easier for others.
Savely the Bogatyr represents another type of Russian peasant. He is the embodiment of strength and courage. Despite the rods and hard labor, he did not resign himself to his fate. “Branded, but not a slave,” he says about himself. Savely embodies the best features of the Russian character: love for the motherland and people, hatred for the oppressors, self-esteem. His favorite word - "nadday" - helps to see in him a person who knows how to cheer up his comrades, rally, captivate. Saveliy is one of those who stood up well for "the patrimony." Together with the peasants, he executes the hated manager, the German Vogel. People like Savely will not stand aside at the moment of peasant unrest.
The most conscious of the "people's defenders" is Grisha Dobrosklonov. He devotes his whole life to the struggle, lives among the people, knows their needs. The future of Russia, the poet believes, belongs to people like Grisha Dobrosklonov, for whom "fate prepared a glorious path, a loud name of the people's intercessor, consumption and Siberia." The songs of Grisha Dobrosklonov reflect his thoughts about life ideals, his hopes for a brighter future:
Share of the people, Happiness, Light and freedom First of all.
The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov helps to understand that truly happy is the one on whose side the truth is, on whom the people hope, who chooses an honest path for himself, being the “people's defender”. The poem shows the difficult childhood of Grisha, tells about his father and mother.
Grigory's reflections on the fate of the people testify to the liveliest compassion that makes Grisha choose such a difficult path for himself. The image of Grisha is closely connected with the revolutionary democratic ideas that began to appear in society in the middle of the 19th century. Nekrasov created his hero, focusing on the fate of N. A. Dobrolyubov. Grigory Dobrosklonov is a type of revolutionary raznochinets. He was born into the family of a poor deacon, from childhood he felt all the disasters that are characteristic of the life of ordinary people. Grigory was educated and, being an intelligent and enthusiastic person, cannot remain indifferent to the situation in the country. Grigory is well aware that now there is only one way out for Russia - radical changes in the social system. The common people can no longer be the same dumb community of slaves that meekly endures all the antics of their masters.
The image of Grigory Dobrosklonov in Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'" inspires hope in the moral and political revival of Rus', in a change in the consciousness of the simple Russian people.
The theme of the "people's protector" runs through all the work of N. A. Nekrasov, it also sounds in the poem "Who should live well in Rus'." Many writers and poets tried to answer the question "What to do?". I was looking for an answer to it and Nekrasov in his work. What to strive for in life? What is the real happiness of a person in Russia? What needs to be done to make everyone happy? he asked himself. The poet believed that in order to resolve these issues, people are needed who are able to join the struggle and lead others. He showed such characters in the images of Yakim Nagogoy, Ermila Girin, Savely Korchagin, Grisha Dobrosklonov. In Yakima Nagoi, a peculiar character of the people's truth-seeker is presented. He lives a beggarly life, like all the peasantry, but is distinguished by a rebellious disposition. Yakim is ready to stand up for his rights. Here is what he says about the people:
Every peasant has
The soul is like a black cloud
Angry, formidable - and it would be necessary
Thunders rumble from there,
To pour bloody rains.
Ermila Girin is a peasant whom the people themselves chose as a steward, recognizing his justice. Even as a clerk, Yermila won prestige among the people for the fact that
... he will advise
And he will provide information;
Where there is enough strength - will help out,
Don't ask for gratitude
And if you give it, you won't take it!
But Yermila was also guilty: he shielded his younger brother from recruitment, but the people forgave him for his sincere repentance. Only Ermila's conscience did not calm down: he left the steward, hired a mill. And again the people fell in love with him for his good treatment, for his even attitude towards the landowner and the poor, for his kindness.
"Grey priest" characterizes Yermila in this way:
He had everything he needed
For happiness and peace
And money and honor
Honor enviable, true,
Not bought by money
Not fear: strict truth.
Mind and kindness.
It can be seen from the priest's statement that Girin achieved honor with “strict truth”, “mind and kindness”. He is worried about the attitude of the people towards him, but Yermila himself judges himself even more strictly. He seeks to alleviate the situation of the peasants, to help them financially, although he himself was not yet ready for a revolutionary action. Kirin is already satisfied that his conscience is clear, that he makes life a little easier for others.
Savely the Bogatyr represents another type of Russian peasant. He is the embodiment of strength and courage. Despite the rods and hard labor, he did not resign himself to his fate. “Branded, but not a slave,” he says about himself. Savely embodies the best features of the Russian character: love for the motherland and people, hatred for the oppressors, self-esteem. His favorite word - "nadday" - helps to see in him a person who knows how to cheer up his comrades, rally, captivate. Saveliy is one of those who stood up well for "the patrimony." Together with the peasants, he executes the hated manager, the German Vogel. People like Savely will not stand aside at the moment of peasant unrest.
The most conscious of the "people's defenders" is Grisha Dobrosklonov. He devotes his whole life to the struggle, lives among the people, knows their needs, has an education. The future of Russia, the poet believes, belongs to people like Grisha Dobrosklonov, for whom "fate prepared a glorious path, a loud name of the people's intercessor, consumption and Siberia." The songs of Grisha Dobrosklonov reflect his thoughts about life ideals, his hopes for a brighter future:
The share of the people
his happiness,
Light and freedom
First of all.
In a moment of despondency, O Motherland!
I am thinking ahead.
You are destined to suffer a lot,
But you won't die, I know.
Saved in bondage
Free heart -
Gold, gold
The heart of the people!
The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov helps to understand that the one on whose side the truth is on whose side the truth is, who the people hope for, who chooses an honest path for himself, being a "people's defender" is truly happy.
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov entered Russian poetry as a "people's mourner". The folk poem became one of the central ones in his work. But the poet was never a simple everyday writer; as an artist, he was primarily concerned with the drama of the people.
In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, the author himself appeared as the people’s “intercessor”, who not only expressed his attitude towards the people by the fact of creating this work, but was able to understand his soul, truly reveal his character. The theme of popular intercession is widely represented in the poem. Protector is one of his keywords. The people's protector is one who not only pities, sympathizes with the peasants, but serves the people, expresses their interests, confirming this with actions and deeds. I think that the image of such a person is not the only one in the poem. His features were refracted in Ermil Girin, Savely, Grisha Dobrosklonov, and partly in Yakim Nagoy.
So, Girin acted as a real defender of worldly interests: he defended the mill, which was needed by everyone. He sincerely, with pure thoughts, turned to the people for help, and people collected money for him, completely trusting and not sparing the last penny. Then Yermil paid off everyone. His honesty and disinterestedness are evidenced by the fact that he did not steal the “extra ruble” that he had left, but, not finding the owner, gave the money to the blind. How did Jirin win the honor and respect of almost the entire district? The answer is short: only "truth". People were drawn to him, and when Yermil held the positions of a clerk and steward, He was “loved by all the people” because it was always possible to visit him
ask for help and advice. And Yermil never demanded a reward:
"Where there is enough strength - it will help out,
Don't ask for gratitude
And he won’t take it like that!”
Only once there was a case when the hero, as they say, "disguised his soul" Girin "shielded" his brother from the recruitment, instead of whom another person had to go to the soldiers. The realization that he acted dishonestly, unfairly, leads Girin almost to suicide. And only repentance in front of all the people frees him from the pangs of conscience. The story about Yermil Girin suddenly ends, and we learn that he nevertheless suffered for the cause of the people, he was put in prison. It is impossible not to mention another national hero - Yakim Nagogo. It would seem that there is nothing unusual in his fate:
once he lived in St. Petersburg, because of a lawsuit with a merchant, he ended up in prison. Then he returned to his homeland and became a plowman. Better than Nekrasov himself not to present this image, which has become a generalized image of the Russian peasant:
"The chest is sunken, like a distant
Stomach; at the eyes, at the mouth
Bends like cracks
On dry ground;…”
But in the eyes of people, Yakim was a special person: during a fire, he rushed to save not money, but pictures that he lovingly collected for his son and looked at them spellbound himself. Talking about this, a kind of folk "collector", Nekrasov also opens a page in the life of a peasant, in which not only work and "drinking" could
be the main ones. The image of the people's intercessor was vividly embodied in Savely, the Holy Russian hero. Already in this definition there is a meaning: the heroes in the epics have always been the protectors of the Russian land. Sa
