For Russia, 1861 was marked by the abolition of serfdom. Now no one understands how to live further. Neither the landowners nor the peasants themselves. Just at this time, three years after the abolition of serfdom, he begins work on the poem. What meaning does the author put into the title of his work?
Who lives well in Rus', what is the point?
It is enough to read the title of Nekrasov’s poem to understand what will be discussed. Desire to display different positions people for the abolition of serfdom, skillfully intertwined with eternal problem search for happiness and happy people in Rus', which determines the meaning of the title of the poem.
The author portrays men who decided to find a happy person by figuring out what people need to be happy. For this purpose, the men set off on a journey, and communicating with people of different classes, they found out how happy they were. If before they thought that it was good Rus' lives priests, landowners and the tsar, then, as they travel, they realize how much they are mistaken. However, they did not find happy people among the soldiers, peasants, hunters and drunken women. Finally, the men managed to meet a happy man, Grigory Dobrosklonov, who knew firsthand about the hardships of peasant life. Unlike other random fellow travelers, Gregory did not seek personal happiness, but thought about the well-being of the entire Russian people living in Rus'. It is precisely such people, according to the author, who are able to find their happiness.
Having read Nekrasov’s work, we understand that the meaning of the title Who Lives Well in Rus' fully corresponds to the plot. He prepares the reader in advance for the fact that the text will talk about true and truthful life in Rus'. It encourages you to search for answers and realize what people need to be happy, what is the source of their troubles, and who can claim to be a happy person. Trying to find these answers, the author shows how incorrectly the reform was carried out, which brought not only joy, but also problems. Nekrasov talks about all this in his poem Who Lives Well in Rus', the meaning of the name of which fully justifies itself.
In 1866, the prologue of Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” appears in print. This work, published three years after the abolition of serfdom, immediately caused a wave of discussions. Leaving aside the political criticism of the poem, let us focus on the main question: what is the meaning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”?
Of course, part of the impetus for writing Nekrasov’s poem was the reform of 1861. Russia, which had lived for centuries on the labor of serfs, was reluctant to get used to the new system. Everyone was at a loss: both the landowners and the serfs themselves, which Nekrasov masterfully portrays in his poem. The first ones simply did not know what to do now: accustomed to living exclusively on the labor of others, they were not adapted to independent life. They “sing to the landowner: Work!”, but he “thought to live like this for a century” and is no longer ready to adapt to new way. For some, such a reform is literally like death - the author shows this in the chapter “The Last One”. Prince Utyatin, its main character, has to be deceived until his death, claiming that serfdom still valid in Rus'. Otherwise, the prince will have a blow - the shock will be too strong.
The peasants are also confused. Yes, some of them dreamed of freedom, but they soon become convinced that they received rights only on paper:
“You are good, royal letter,
Yes, you are not written in front of us...”
The village of Vahalaki has been suing the former owners of the land, landowners, for its legal meadows on the Volga for years, but it is clear that the peasants will not see this land during their lifetime.
There is another type of peasant - those who were taken by surprise by the abolition of serfdom. They are accustomed to pleasing their landowner and treat him as an inevitable and necessary evil for life, moreover, they cannot imagine their life without him. “Have fun! / And I am the Utyatin princes / A slave - and that’s the whole story!” - that's the point of view they adhere to.
Such is the serf, proud of the fact that all his life he finished drinking and eating after his master. The faithful servant Yakov, who gave his entire life to the quarrelsome master, on the contrary, decides to rebel. But let's see how this rebellion is expressed - in taking one's own life in order to leave the landowner alone, helpless. This, as it turned out, is effective revenge, but it will no longer help Yakov...
The meaning of “Who Lives Well in Rus',” according to Nekrasov’s plan, was precisely to depict the country immediately after the abolition of serfdom from various points of view. The poet wanted to show that the reform was carried out in many ways thoughtlessly and inconsistently, and brought with it not only the joy of liberation, but also all sorts of problems that needed to be solved. Poverty and lack of rights, a huge lack of education for common people (the only school in the village “packed tightly”), the need for honest and smart people who would occupy responsible positions - all this is said in the poem in simple, vernacular. Rus' itself seems to be speaking to the reader in many voices, begging for help.
At the same time, it would be wrong to reduce the meaning of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” solely to a consideration of current political problems Russia. No, when creating the poem, Nekrasov also put a different, philosophical meaning into it. It is expressed already in the very title of the poem: “Who lives well in Rus'.” And really, who? - this is the problem the author, and with him the reader, have to solve. The peasants in their travels will ask the most different people, from the priest to the simple soldier, but none of their interlocutors can boast of happiness. And this is to some extent natural, because each of the heroes of the poem is looking for his own, personal happiness, without thinking about the general, popular one. Even the honest burgomaster Yermil cannot stand it and, in an attempt to benefit his family, forgets about the truth. Happiness, according to Nekrasov, can only be found by those who forget about the personal and take care of the happiness of their homeland, as Grisha Dobrosklonov does.
“In his last work, Nekrasov remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and wants,” this is how the Russian critic Belinsky spoke about Nekrasov’s work. And indeed, this is the main meaning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - not only to point out current problems, but to affirm the desire for universal happiness as the only possible path for the further development of the country.
Work test
The reader recognizes one of the main characters of Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - Savely - when he is already an old man who has lived a long and difficult life. The poet paints a colorful portrait of this amazing old man: With a huge gray...
N.A. Nekrasov wrote a wonderful poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Its writing began in 1863, two years after the abolition of serfdom in Russia. It is this event that is at the center of the poem. The main question of the work can be understood from...
Nekrasov conceived the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” as a “people's book.” He began writing it in 1863 and ended up terminally ill in 1877. The poet dreamed that his book would be close to the peasantry. At the center of the poem - collective image Russian...
The changes that occur with the seven men in the process of their search are extremely important for understanding the author's intention, the central idea of the entire work. Only wanderers are given in the course of gradual changes, in evolution (the rest characters depicted...
Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was, as it were, a departure from the general idea of many works of that time - revolution. In addition, in almost all works the main characters were representatives of the upper classes - the nobility, merchants, philistines...
The Russian people are gathering strength and learning to be citizens... N. A. Nekrasov One of the most famous works of N. A. Nekrasov is the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” glorifying the Russian people. It can rightfully be called the pinnacle of creativity...
Summary of the poem:
One day, seven men—recent serfs, but now temporarily bound “from adjacent villages—Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutova, Znobishina, Gorelova, Neyolova, Neurozhaika, etc.—come together on a highway.” Instead of going their own way, the men start an argument about who lives happily and freely in Rus'. Each of them judges in his own way who is the main lucky person in Rus': a landowner, an official, a priest, a merchant, a noble boyar, a minister of sovereigns or a tsar.
While arguing, they do not notice that they have taken a detour of thirty miles. Seeing that it is too late to return home, the men light a fire and continue the argument over vodka - which, of course, little by little develops into a fight. But a fight does not help resolve the issue that worries the men.
The solution is found unexpectedly: one of the men, Pakhom, catches a warbler chick, and in order to free the chick, the warbler tells the men where they can find a self-assembled tablecloth. Now the men are provided with bread, vodka, cucumbers, kvass, tea - in a word, everything they need for long journey. And besides, a self-assembled tablecloth will repair and wash their clothes! Having received all these benefits, the men make a vow to find out “who lives happily and freely in Rus'.”
The first possible “lucky person” they meet along the way turns out to be a priest. (It was not the soldiers and beggars they met who asked about happiness!) But the priest’s answer to the question of whether his life is sweet disappoints the men. They agree with the priest that happiness lies in peace, wealth and honor. But the priest does not possess any of these benefits. In the haymaking, in the harvest, in the dead of autumn night, in the bitter frost, he must go to where there are the sick, the dying and those being born. And every time his soul hurts at the sight of funeral sobs and orphan's sadness - so much so that his hand does not rise to take copper coins - a pitiful reward for the demand. The landowners, who previously lived in family estates and got married here, baptized children, buried the dead, are now scattered not only throughout Rus', but also in distant foreign lands; there is no hope for their retribution. Well, the men themselves know how much respect the priest deserves: they feel embarrassed when the priest reproaches him for obscene songs and insults towards priests.
Realizing that the Russian priest is not one of the lucky ones, the men go to a holiday fair in the trading village of Kuzminskoye to ask people about happiness. In a rich and dirty village there are two churches, a tightly boarded house with the sign “school”, a paramedic’s hut, and a dirty hotel. But most of all in the village there are drinking establishments, in each of which they barely have time to cope with thirsty people. Old man Vavila cannot buy goatskin shoes for his granddaughter because he drank himself to a penny. It’s good that Pavlusha Veretennikov, a lover of Russian songs, whom everyone calls “master” for some reason, buys him the treasured gift.
Male wanderers watch the farcical Petrushka, watch as the ladies stock up on books - but not Belinsky and Gogol, but portraits of unknown fat generals and works about “my lord stupid.” They also see how a busy trading day ends: widespread drunkenness, fights on the way home. However, the men are indignant at Pavlusha Veretennikov’s attempt to measure the peasant against the master’s standard. In their opinion, it is impossible for a sober person to live in Rus': he will not withstand either backbreaking labor or peasant misfortune; without drinking out of anger peasant soul It would rain bloody rain. These words are confirmed by Yakim Nagoy from the village of Bosovo - one of those who “work until they die and drink half to death.” Yakim believes that only pigs walk on the earth and never see the sky. During the fire, he himself did not save the money he had accumulated throughout his life, but the useless and beloved pictures hanging in the hut; he is sure that with the cessation of drunkenness, great sadness will come to Rus'.
Male wanderers do not lose hope of finding people who live well in Rus'. But even for the promise of giving free water to the lucky ones, they fail to find them. For the sake of free booze, both the overworked worker, the paralyzed former servant who licked the master’s plates with the best French truffle for forty years, and even ragged beggars are ready to declare themselves lucky.
Finally, someone tells them the story of Yermil Girin, the mayor in the estate of Prince Yurlov, who earned universal respect for his justice and honesty. When Girin needed money to buy the mill, the men lent it to him without even requiring a receipt. But Yermil is now unhappy: after the peasant revolt, he is in prison.
The ruddy sixty-year-old landowner Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev tells the wandering peasants about the misfortune that befell the nobles after the peasant reform. He remembers how in the old days everything made the master happy: villages, forests, fields, serf actors, musicians, hunters, who completely belonged to him. Obolt-Obolduev talks with emotion about how on the twelve holidays he invited his serfs to pray in the master's house - despite the fact that after this he had to drive the women away from the entire estate to wash the floors.
And although the men themselves know that life in serfdom was far from the idyll depicted by Obolduev, they still understand: the great chain of serfdom, having broken, simultaneously hit the master, who was immediately deprived of his usual lifestyle, and according to the man.
Desperate to find someone happy among the men, the wanderers decide to ask the women. The surrounding peasants remember that Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina lives in the village of Klin, whom everyone considers lucky. But Matryona herself thinks differently. In confirmation, she tells the wanderers the story of her life.
Before her marriage, Matryona lived in a teetotal and wealthy peasant family. She married a stove-maker from a foreign village, Philip Korchagin. But the only happy night for her was that night when the groom persuaded Matryona to marry him; then the usual hopeless life of a village woman began. True, her husband loved her and beat her only once, but soon he went to work in St. Petersburg, and Matryona was forced to endure insults in her father-in-law’s family. The only one who felt sorry for Matryona was grandfather Savely, who lived out his life in the family after hard labor, where he got caught for the murder of a hated German manager. Savely told Matryona what Russian heroism is: it is impossible to defeat a peasant, because he “bends, but does not break.”
The birth of Demushka's first child brightened Matryona's life. But soon her mother-in-law forbade her to take the child into the field, and the old grandfather Savely did not take care of the baby and fed him to pigs. In front of Matryona, the judges who came from the city performed an autopsy on her child. Matryona could not forget her first-born, although after that she had five sons. . One of them, the shepherd Fedot, once allowed a she-wolf to carry away a sheep. Matryona accepted the punishment assigned to her son. Then, being pregnant with her son Liodor, she was forced to go to the city to seek justice: her husband, bypassing the laws, was taken into the army. Matryona was then helped by the governor Elena Alexandrovna, for whom the whole family is now praying.
By all peasant standards, the life of Matryona Korchagina can be considered happy. But it is impossible to talk about the invisible spiritual storm that passed through this woman - just like about unpaid mortal grievances, and about the blood of her firstborn. Matrena Timofeevna is convinced that a Russian peasant woman cannot be happy at all, because the keys to her happiness and free will are lost to God himself.
At the height of haymaking, wanderers come to the Volga. Here they witness a strange scene. A noble family swims to the shore in three boats. The mowers, who have just sat down to rest, immediately jump up to show the old master their zeal. It turns out that the peasants of the village of Vakhlachina help the heirs hide the abolition of serfdom from the crazy landowner Utyatin. The relatives of the Last-Duckling promise the men floodplain meadows for this. But after the long-awaited death of the Last One, the heirs forget their promises, and the whole peasant performance turns out to be in vain.
Here, near the village of Vakhlachina, wanderers listen to peasant songs - corvee songs, hunger songs, soldiers' songs, salt songs - and stories about serfdom. One of these stories is about the exemplary slave Yakov the Faithful. Yakov's only joy was pleasing his master, the small landowner Polivanov. Tyrant Polivanov, in gratitude, hit Yakov in the teeth with his heel, which aroused even greater love in the lackey’s soul. As Polivanov grew older, his legs became weak, and Yakov began to follow him like a child. But when Yakov’s nephew, Grisha, decided to marry the beautiful serf Arisha, Polivanov, out of jealousy, gave the guy as a recruit. Yakov started drinking, but soon returned to the master. And yet he managed to take revenge on Polivanov - the only way available to him, the lackey. Having taken the master into the forest, Yakov hanged himself right above him on a pine tree. Polivanov spent the night under the corpse of his faithful servant, driving away birds and wolves with groans of horror.
Another story - about two great sinners - is told to the men by God's wanderer Jonah Lyapushkin. The Lord awakened the conscience of the chieftain of the robbers Kudeyar. The robber atoned for his sins for a long time, but all of them were forgiven him only after he, in a surge of anger, killed the cruel Pan Glukhovsky.
The wandering men also listen to the story of another sinner - Gleb the headman, who for money hid the last will of the late widower admiral, who decided to free his peasants.
But not only wandering men think about people's happiness. The sexton’s son, seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov, lives on Vakhlachin. In his heart, love for his late mother merged with love for all of Vakhlachina. For fifteen years Grisha knew for sure who he was ready to give his life to, for whom he was ready to die. He thinks of all the mysterious Rus' as a wretched, abundant, powerful and powerless mother, and expects that the indestructible force that he feels in his own soul will still be reflected in it. Such strong souls, like Grisha Dobrosklonov, the angel of mercy himself calls to an honest path. Fate is preparing for Grisha “a glorious path, a great name for the people’s intercessor, consumption and Siberia.”
If the wandering men knew what was happening in the soul of Grisha Dobrosklonov, they would probably understand that they could already return to their native shelter, because the goal of their journey had been achieved.
Construction: Nekrasov assumed that the poem would have seven or eight parts, but managed to write only four, which, perhaps, did not follow one another. Part one is the only one without a title. Prologue: “In what year - count,
In what land - guess
On the sidewalk
Seven men came together..."
They got into an argument:
Who has fun?
Free in Rus'?
Further in the poem there are 6 answers to this question: to the landowner, official, priest, merchant, minister, tsar. The peasants decide not to return home until they find the correct answer. They find a self-assembled tablecloth that will feed them and set off.
The first part represents both in content and form something unified and integral. “The Peasant Woman” ideologically and partly the plot may not be adjacent to the first part and may follow the part “The Last One”, being at the same time an independent poem within the poem. The “Last One” part is ideologically close to “The Feast...”, but also differs significantly from the last part both in content and form. Between these parts lies a gap of five years (1872-1877) - the time of activity of the revolutionary populists.
The researchers suggested that the correct sequence is:
"Prologue" and part one.
"The last one." From the second part. "A feast for the whole world." Chapter two.
"Peasant woman" From the third part.
Plot: Image of post-reform Russia. Nekrasov wrote the poem over the course of twenty years, collecting material for it “word by word.” The poem covers folk life unusually widely. Nekrasov wanted to depict all social strata in it: from the peasant to the tsar. But, unfortunately, the poem was never finished - the death of the poet prevented it. Main problem, the main question of the work is already clearly visible in the title “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - this is the problem of happiness.
Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” begins with the question: “In what year - calculate, in what land - guess.” But it is not difficult to understand what period Nekrasov is talking about. The poet is referring to the reform of 1861, according to which the peasants were “freed”, and they, not having their own land, fell into even greater bondage.
The plot of the poem is based on a description of the journey across Rus' of seven temporarily obliged men. The men are looking for a happy person and on their way they meet a variety of people, listen to stories about different human destinies. Thus, the poem unfolds a broad picture of Nekrasov’s contemporary Russian life.
Main characters:
Temporarily obliged peasants who went to look for who was living happily and at ease in Rus'
· Ivan and Mitrodor Gubin
· Old Man Pakhom
The author treats with undisguised sympathy those peasants who do not put up with their hungry, powerless existence. Unlike the world of exploiters and moral monsters, slaves like Yakov, Gleb, Sidor, Ipat, the best of the peasants in the poem retained genuine humanity, the ability to self-sacrifice, and spiritual nobility. These are Matryona Timofeevna, the hero Saveliy, Yakim Nagoy, Ermil Girin, Agap Petrov, headman Vlas, seven truth-seekers and others. Each of them has his own task in life, his own reason to “seek the truth,” but all of them together testify that peasant Rus' has already awakened and come to life. Truth seekers see such happiness for the Russian people:
I don't need any silver
Not gold, but God willing,
So that my fellow countrymen
And every peasant
Lived freely and cheerfully
All over holy Rus'!
In Yakima Nagom presents the unique character of the people's lover of truth, the peasant "righteous man". Yakim lives the same hardworking, beggarly life as the rest of the peasantry. But he has a rebellious disposition. Iakim is an honest worker with a great sense of self-worth. Yakim is smart, he understands perfectly why the peasant lives so wretchedly, so poorly. These words belong to him:
Every peasant
Soul, like a black cloud,
Angry, menacing - and it should be
Thunder will roar from there,
Bloody rains,
And it all ends with wine.
Ermil Girin is also noteworthy. A competent man, he served as a clerk and became famous throughout the region for his justice, intelligence and selfless devotion to the people. Yermil showed himself to be an exemplary headman when the people elected him to this position. However, Nekrasov does not make him an ideal righteous man. Yermil, feeling sorry for his younger brother, appoints Vlasyevna’s son as a recruit, and then, in a fit of repentance, almost commits suicide. Ermil's story ends sadly. He is jailed for his speech during the riot. The image of Yermil testifies to the spiritual forces hidden in the Russian people, the wealth of moral qualities of the peasantry.
But only in the chapter “Savely - the hero of Holy Russia” does the peasant protest turn into a rebellion, ending with the murder of the oppressor. True, the reprisal against the German manager is still spontaneous, but such was the reality of serf society. Peasant revolts arose spontaneously as a response to the brutal oppression of peasants by landowners and managers of their estates.
It is not the meek and submissive who are close to the poet, but the rebellious and brave rebels, such as Savely, the “hero of the Holy Russian”, Yakim Nagoy, whose behavior speaks of the awakening of the consciousness of the peasantry, of its simmering protest against oppression.
Nekrasov wrote about the oppressed people of his country with anger and pain. But the poet was able to notice the “hidden spark” of the mighty internal forces, embedded in the people, and looked forward with hope and faith:
The army rises
Uncountable,
The strength in her will affect
Indestructible.
The peasant theme in the poem is inexhaustible, multifaceted, the entire figurative system of the poem is devoted to the theme of revealing peasant happiness. In this regard, we can recall the “happy” peasant woman Korchagina Matryona Timofeevna, nicknamed the “governor’s wife” for her special luck, and people of the serf rank, for example, the “exemplary slave Yakov the Faithful,” who managed to take revenge on his offending master, and the hard-working peasants from chapters of “The Last One,” who are forced to perform a comedy in front of the old Prince Utyatin, pretending that there was no abolition of serfdom, and many other images of the poem.
Meaning
The idea that runs through the entire poem is about the impossibility of living like this any longer, about the difficult peasant lot, about peasant ruin. This motif of the hungry life of the peasantry, who are “tormented by melancholy and misfortune,” sounds with particular force in the song called “Hungry” by Nekrasov. The poet does not soften the colors, showing poverty, harsh morals, religious prejudices and drunkenness in peasant life.
The position of the people is depicted with extreme clarity by the names of those places where the truth-seeking peasants come from: Terpigorev county, Pustoporozhnaya volost, the villages of Zaplatovo, Dyryavino, Razutovo, Znobishino, Gorelovo, Neelovo. The poem very clearly depicts the joyless, powerless, hungry life of the people. “A peasant’s happiness,” the poet exclaims bitterly, “holey with patches, hunchbacked with calluses!” As before, the peasants are people who “didn’t eat their fill and slurped without salt.” The only thing that has changed is that “now the volost will tear them up instead of the master.”
The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov reveals the meaning of the entire poem. This is a fighter who opposes this way of life. His happiness is in freedom, in his own and in others. He will try to do everything so that the people of Rus' are no longer in captivity.
Who can live well in Rus'? This question still worries many people, and this fact explains the increased attention to Nekrasov’s legendary poem. The author managed to raise a topic that has become eternal in Russia - the topic of asceticism, voluntary self-denial in the name of saving the fatherland. It is the service of a high goal that makes a Russian person happy, as the writer proved with the example of Grisha Dobrosklonov.
“Who lives well in Rus'” is one of latest works Nekrasova. When he wrote it, he was already seriously ill: he was struck by cancer. That's why it's not finished. It was collected bit by bit by the poet’s close friends and arranged the fragments in random order, barely catching the confused logic of the creator, broken by a fatal illness and endless pain. He was dying in agony and yet was able to answer the question posed at the very beginning: Who lives well in Rus'? Lucky in in a broad sense he himself turned out to be, because he faithfully and selflessly served the interests of the people. This service supported him in the fight against his fatal illness. Thus, the history of the poem began in the first half of the 60s of the 19th century, around 1863 (serfdom was abolished in 1861), and the first part was ready in 1865.
The book was published in fragments. The prologue was published in the January issue of Sovremennik in 1866. Later other chapters were published. All this time, the work attracted the attention of censors and was mercilessly criticized. In the 70s, the author wrote the main parts of the poem: “The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman,” “A Feast for the Whole World.” He planned to write much more, but due to the rapid development of the disease he was unable to and settled on “The Feast...”, where he expressed his main idea regarding the future of Russia. He believed that such holy people as Dobrosklonov would be able to help his homeland, mired in poverty and injustice. Despite the fierce attacks of reviewers, he found the strength to stand for a just cause to the end.
Genre, kind, direction
N.A. Nekrasov called his creation “the epic of modern peasant life” and was precise in his formulation: the genre of the work is “Who can live well in Rus'?” - epic poem. That is, at the heart of the book there coexists not just one type of literature, but two: lyricism and epic:
- Epic component. There was a turning point in the history of the development of Russian society in the 1860s, when people learned to live in new conditions after the abolition of serfdom and other fundamental transformations of their usual way of life. This one is heavy historical period and the writer described it, reflecting the realities of that time without embellishment or falsehood. In addition, the poem has a clear linear plot and many original characters, which indicates the scale of the work, comparable only to a novel (epic genre). The book also includes folklore elements heroic songs telling about the military campaigns of heroes against enemy camps. All this - birth characteristics epic
- Lyrical component. The work is written in verse - this is the main property of lyrics as a genre. The book also contains space for the author's digressions and typically poetic symbols, means of artistic expression, and features of the characters' confessions.
The direction within which the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was written is realism. However, the author significantly expanded its boundaries, adding fantastic and folklore elements (prologue, beginning, symbolism of numbers, fragments and heroes from folk legends). The poet chose the form of travel for his plan, as a metaphor for the search for truth and happiness that each of us carries out. Many researchers of Nekrasov’s work compare the plot structure with the structure of a folk epic.
Composition
The laws of the genre determined the composition and plot of the poem. Nekrasov finished writing the book in terrible agony, but still did not have time to finish it. This explains the chaotic composition and many branches from the plot, because the works were shaped and restored from drafts by his friends. He himself is in recent months life was unable to strictly adhere to the original concept of creation. Thus, the composition “Who Lives Well in Rus'?” is comparable only to folk epic, is unique. It was developed as a result of the creative development of world literature, and not the direct borrowing of some well-known example.
- Exposition (Prologue). The meeting of seven men - the heroes of the poem: “On a pillared path / Seven men came together.”
- The plot is the characters' oath not to return home until they find the answer to their question.
- The main part consists of many autonomous parts: the reader meets a soldier, happy that he was not killed, a slave, proud of his privilege to eat from the master's bowls, a grandmother, whose garden yielded turnips to her delight... While the search for happiness stands still, depicts the slow but steady growth of national self-awareness, which the author wanted to show even more than the declared happiness in Rus'. From random episodes, a general picture of Rus' emerges: poor, drunk, but not hopeless, striving for a better life. In addition, the poem has several large and independent inserted episodes, some of which are even included in autonomous chapters (“The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman”).
- Climax. The writer calls Grisha Dobrosklonov, a fighter for people's happiness, a happy person in Rus'.
- Denouement. A serious illness prevented the author from completing his great plan. Even those chapters that he managed to write were sorted and designated by his proxies after his death. You must understand that the poem is not finished, it was written by a very sick person, therefore this work- the most complex and confusing of all literary heritage Nekrasova.
- The final chapter is called “A Feast for the Whole World.” All night long the peasants sing about the old and new times. Grisha Dobrosklonov sings kind and hopeful songs.
- Seven wanderers represent former serfs “from adjacent villages - Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutova, Znobishina, Gorelova, Neelova, Neurozhaika and also.” They all put forward their versions of who should live well in Rus': a landowner, an official, a priest, a merchant, a noble boyar, a sovereign minister or a tsar. Their character is characterized by persistence: they all demonstrate a reluctance to take someone else's side. Strength, courage and the desire for truth are what unites them. They are passionate and easily angered, but their easygoing nature compensates for these shortcomings. Kindness and responsiveness make them pleasant interlocutors, even despite some meticulousness. Their character is harsh and harsh, but life did not spoil them with luxury: the former serfs always bent their backs working for the master, and after the reform no one bothered to provide them with a proper home. So they wandered around Rus' in search of truth and justice. The search itself characterizes them as serious, thoughtful and thorough people. The symbolic number “7” means a hint of good luck that awaited them at the end of the journey.
- Main character– Grisha Dobrosklonov, seminarian, son of a sexton. By nature he is a dreamer, a romantic, loves to compose songs and make people happy. In them he talks about the fate of Russia, about its misfortunes, and at the same time about its mighty strength, which will one day come out and crush injustice. Although he is an idealist, his character is strong, as are his convictions to devote his life to the service of truth. The character feels a calling to be the people's leader and singer of Rus'. He is happy to sacrifice himself to a high idea and help his homeland. However, the author hints that something is waiting for him. hard lot: prisons, exile, hard labor. The authorities do not want to hear the voice of the people, they will try to silence them, and then Grisha will be doomed to torment. But Nekrasov makes it clear with all his might that happiness is a state of spiritual euphoria, and you can only know it by being inspired by a lofty idea.
- Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina – main character, a peasant woman whom her neighbors call lucky because she begged the military leader’s wife for her husband (he, the only breadwinner of the family, was supposed to be recruited for 25 years). However, the woman's life story reveals not luck or fortune, but grief and humiliation. She experienced the loss of her only child, the anger of her mother-in-law, and everyday, exhausting work. Her fate is described in detail in an essay on our website, be sure to check it out.
- Savely Korchagin- grandfather of Matryona’s husband, a real Russian hero. At one time, he killed a German manager who mercilessly mocked the peasants entrusted to him. For this, a strong and proud man paid with decades of hard labor. Upon his return, he was no longer fit for anything; the years of imprisonment trampled his body, but did not break his will, because, as before, he stood up for justice. The hero always said about the Russian peasant: “And it bends, but does not break.” However, without knowing it, the grandfather turns out to be the executioner of his own great-grandson. He did not look after the child, and the pigs ate him.
- Ermil Girin- a man of exceptional honesty, mayor in the estate of Prince Yurlov. When he needed to buy the mill, he stood in the square and asked people to chip in to help him. After the hero got back on his feet, he returned all the borrowed money to the people. For this he earned respect and honor. But he is unhappy, because he paid for his authority with freedom: after a peasant revolt, suspicion fell on him about his organization, and he was imprisoned.
- Landowners in the poem“Who lives well in Rus'” are presented in abundance. The author portrays them objectively and even gives some images a positive character. For example, governor Elena Alexandrovna, who helped Matryona, appears as a people's benefactor. Also, with a touch of compassion, the writer portrays Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, who also treated the peasants tolerably, even organized holidays for them, and with the abolition of serfdom, he lost ground under his feet: he was too accustomed to the old order. In contrast to these characters, the image of the Last-Duckling and his treacherous, calculating family was created. The relatives of the old cruel serf owner decided to deceive him and persuaded him former slaves participate in the performance in exchange for profitable territories. However, when the old man died, the rich heirs brazenly deceived the common people and drove him away with nothing. The apogee of noble insignificance is the landowner Polivanov, who beats his faithful servant and gives his son as a recruit for trying to marry his beloved girl. Thus, the writer is far from denigrating the nobility everywhere; he is trying to show both sides of the coin.
- Serf Yakov- an indicative figure of a serf peasant, an antagonist of the hero Savely. Jacob absorbed the entire slavish essence of the oppressed class, overwhelmed by lawlessness and ignorance. When the master beats him and even sends his son to certain death, the servant humbly and resignedly endures the insult. His revenge was consistent with this humility: he hanged himself in the forest right in front of the master, who was crippled and could not get home without his help.
- Jonah Lyapushkin- God's wanderer who told the men several stories about the life of people in Rus'. It tells about the epiphany of Ataman Kudeyara, who decided to atone for his sins by killing for good, and about the cunning of Gleb the elder, who violated the will of the late master and did not release the serfs on his orders.
- Pop- a representative of the clergy who complains about the difficult life of a priest. The constant encounter with grief and poverty saddens the heart, not to mention the popular jokes addressed to his rank.
What is the poem about?
Seven men met on the road and argued about who would live well in Rus'? The essence of the poem is that they looked for the answer to this question on the way, talking with representatives of different classes. The revelation of each of them is a separate story. So, the heroes went for a walk in order to resolve the dispute, but only quarreled and started a fight. In the night forest, during a fight, a bird's chick fell from its nest, and one of the men picked it up. The interlocutors sat down by the fire and began to dream of also acquiring wings and everything necessary for their journey in search of the truth. The warbler bird turns out to be magical and, as a ransom for her chick, tells people how to find a self-assembled tablecloth that will provide them with food and clothing. They find her and feast, and during the feast they vow to find the answer to their question together, but until then they will not see any of their relatives and will not return home.
On the road they meet a priest, a peasant woman, the farcical Petrushka, beggars, an overworked worker and a paralyzed former servant, honest man Ermila Girin, the landowner Gavrilo Obolt-Obolduev, the deceased Last-Duckling and his family, the servant Yakov the faithful, God's wanderer Jonah Lyapushkin, but none of them were happy man. Each of them is associated with a story of suffering and misadventures full of genuine tragedy. The goal of the journey is achieved only when the wanderers stumbled upon seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov, who is happy with his selfless service to his homeland. With good songs, he instills hope in the people, and this is where the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” ends. Nekrasov wanted to continue the story, but did not have time, but he gave his heroes a chance to gain faith in the future of Russia.
The main characters and their characteristics
About the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” we can say with confidence that they represent a complete system of images that organizes and structures the text. For example, the work emphasizes the unity of the seven wanderers. They do not show individuality or character; they express common features of national self-awareness for all. These characters are a single whole; their dialogues, in fact, are collective speech, which originates from oral folk art. This feature connects Nekrasov’s poem with the Russian folklore tradition.
The characters in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are diverse and allow us to paint a picture of the morals and life of that time.
Subject
- The main theme of the work is freedom- rests on the problem that the Russian peasant did not know what to do with it, and how to adapt to new realities. The national character is also “problematic”: people-thinkers, people-seekers of truth still drink, live in oblivion and empty talk. They are not able to squeeze slaves out of themselves until their poverty acquires at least the modest dignity of poverty, until they stop living in drunken illusions, until they realize their strength and pride, trampled upon by centuries of humiliating state of affairs that were sold, lost and bought.
- Happiness theme. The poet believes that a person can get the highest satisfaction from life only by helping other people. The real value of being is to feel needed by society, to bring goodness, love and justice into the world. Selfless and selfless service to a good cause fills every moment with sublime meaning, an idea, without which time loses its color, becomes dull from inaction or selfishness. Grisha Dobrosklonov is happy not because of his wealth or his position in the world, but because he is leading Russia and his people to a bright future.
- Homeland theme. Although Rus' appears in the eyes of readers as a poor and tortured, but still a beautiful country with a great future and a heroic past. Nekrasov feels sorry for his homeland, devoting himself entirely to its correction and improvement. For him, the homeland is the people, the people are his muse. All these concepts are closely intertwined in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” The author's patriotism is especially clearly expressed at the end of the book, when the wanderers find a lucky man who lives in the interests of society. In a strong and patient Russian woman, in the justice and honor of a heroic peasant, in sincere kindness folk singer the creator sees the true appearance of his power, full of dignity and spirituality.
- Theme of labor. Useful activity elevates Nekrasov's poor heroes above the vanity and depravity of the nobility. It is idleness that destroys the Russian master, turning him into a self-satisfied and arrogant nonentity. But the common people have skills and true virtue that are really important for society, without them there will be no Russia, but the country will manage without noble tyrants, revelers and greedy seekers of wealth. So the writer comes to the conclusion that the value of each citizen is determined only by his contribution to the common cause - the prosperity of the homeland.
- Mystical motive. Fantastic elements appear already in the Prologue and immerse the reader in the fabulous atmosphere of the epic, where it is necessary to follow the development of the idea, and not the realism of the circumstances. Seven eagle owls on seven trees - magic number 7, which promises good luck. A raven praying to the devil is another mask of the devil, because the raven symbolizes death, grave decay and infernal forces. He is opposed by a good force in the form of a warbler bird, which equips the men for the journey. A self-assembled tablecloth is a poetic symbol of happiness and contentment. "Wide path" - symbol open final poems and the basis of the plot, because on both sides of the road travelers are presented with a multifaceted and authentic panorama of Russian life. The image of an unknown fish in unknown seas, which absorbed “the keys to female happiness,” is symbolic. A crying wolf with bloody nipples also clearly demonstrates hard fate Russian peasant woman. One of the most bright images reform is a “great chain”, which, having broken, “split one end to the master, the other to the peasant!” The seven wanderers are a symbol of the entire people of Russia, restless, waiting for change and seeking happiness.
Issues
- In the epic poem Nekrasov touched upon large number acute and topical issues of the time. The main problem in “Who can live well in Rus'?” - the problem of happiness, both socially and philosophically. It is connected with the social theme of the abolition of serfdom, which greatly changed (and not for the better) the traditional way of life of all segments of the population. It would seem that this is freedom, what else do people need? Isn't this happiness? However, in reality, it turned out that the people, who, due to long slavery, do not know how to live independently, found themselves thrown to the mercy of fate. A priest, a landowner, a peasant woman, Grisha Dobrosklonov and seven men are real Russian characters and destinies. The author described them based on his rich experience of communicating with people from the common people. The problems of the work are also taken from life: disorder and confusion after the reform to abolish serfdom really affected all classes. No one organized jobs or at least land plots for yesterday's slaves, no one provided the landowner with competent instructions and laws regulating his new relations with workers.
- The problem of alcoholism. The wanderers come to an unpleasant conclusion: life in Rus' is so difficult that without drunkenness the peasant will completely die. He needs oblivion and fog in order to somehow pull the burden of a hopeless existence and hard labor.
- Problem social inequality. The landowners have been torturing the peasants with impunity for years, and Savelia has had her whole life ruined for killing such an oppressor. For deception, nothing will happen to the relatives of the Last One, and their servants will again be left with nothing.
- The philosophical problem of searching for truth, which each of us encounters, is allegorically expressed in the journey of seven wanderers who understand that without this discovery their lives become worthless.
Idea of the work
A road fight between men is not an everyday quarrel, but an eternal, great dispute, in which all layers of Russian society of that time figure to one degree or another. All its main representatives (priest, landowner, merchant, official, tsar) are summoned to the peasant court. For the first time, men can and have the right to judge. For all the years of slavery and poverty, they are not looking for retribution, but for an answer: how to live? This expresses the meaning of Nekrasov’s poem “Who can live well in Rus'?” - growth of national self-awareness on the ruins of the old system. The author’s point of view is expressed by Grisha Dobrosklonov in his songs: “And fate, the companion of the Slav’s days, lightened your burden! You are still a slave in the family, but the mother of a free son!..” Despite the negative consequences of the reform of 1861, the creator believes that behind it lies a happy future for his homeland. At the beginning of change it is always difficult, but this work will be rewarded a hundredfold.
The most an important condition further prosperity is to overcome internal slavery:
Enough! Finished with past settlement,
The settlement with the master has been completed!
The Russian people are gathering strength
And learns to be a citizen
Even though the poem is not finished, main idea Voiced by Nekrasov. Already the first of the songs in “A Feast for the Whole World” gives an answer to the question posed in the title: “The share of the people, their happiness, light and freedom, above all!”
End
In the finale, the author expresses his point of view on the changes that have occurred in Russia in connection with the abolition of serfdom and, finally, sums up the results of the search: Grisha Dobrosklonov is recognized as the lucky one. It is he who is the bearer of Nekrasov’s opinion, and in his songs Nikolai Alekseevich’s true attitude to what he described is hidden. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” ends with a feast for the whole world in the literal sense of the word: that’s what it’s called final chapter, where the characters celebrate and rejoice at the happy conclusion of the quest.
Conclusion
In Rus', it is good for Nekrasov’s hero Grisha Dobrosklonov, since he serves people, and, therefore, lives with meaning. Grisha is a fighter for truth, a prototype of a revolutionary. The conclusion that can be drawn based on the work is simple: the lucky one has been found, Rus' is embarking on the path of reform, the people are reaching through thorns to the title of citizen. The great meaning of the poem lies in this bright omen. It has been teaching people altruism and the ability to serve high ideals, rather than vulgar and passing cults, for centuries. From the point of view of literary excellence, the book is also of great importance: it is truly a folk epic, reflecting a controversial, complex, and at the same time the most important historical era.
Of course, the poem would not be so valuable if it only taught lessons in history and literature. She gives life lessons, and this is its most important property. The moral of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is that it is necessary to work for the good of your homeland, not to scold it, but to help it with deeds, because it is easier to push around with a word, but not everyone can and really wants to change something. This is happiness - to be in your place, to be needed not only by yourself, but also by the people. Only together can we achieve significant results, only together can we overcome the problems and hardships of this overcoming. Grisha Dobrosklonov tried to unite and unite people with his songs so that they would face change shoulder to shoulder. This is his holy purpose, and everyone has it; it is important not to be lazy to go out on the road and look for it, as the seven wanderers did.
Criticism
The reviewers were attentive to Nekrasov’s work, because he himself was an important person in literary circles and had enormous authority. Entire monographs were devoted to his phenomenal civic lyrics. detailed analysis creative methodology and ideological and thematic originality of his poetry. For example, here is how the writer S.A. spoke about his style. Andreevsky:
He brought out the anapest abandoned on Olympus from oblivion and for many years made this rather heavy, but flexible meter as common as the airy and melodious iambic remained from the time of Pushkin to Nekrasov. This rhythm, favored by the poet, reminiscent of the rotational movement of a barrel organ, allowed him to stay on the boundaries of poetry and prose, joke around with the crowd, speak smoothly and vulgarly, insert a funny and cruel joke, express bitter truths and imperceptibly, slowing down the beat, with more solemn words, move into floridity.
Korney Chukovsky spoke with inspiration about Nikolai Alekseevich’s thorough preparation for work, citing this example of writing as a standard:
Nekrasov himself constantly “visited Russian huts,” thanks to which both soldier’s and peasant speech became thoroughly known to him from childhood: not only from books, but also in practice, he studied the common language and from a young age became a great expert folk poetic images, folk forms thinking, folk aesthetics.
The poet's death came as a surprise and a blow to many of his friends and colleagues. As you know, F.M. spoke at his funeral. Dostoevsky with a heartfelt speech inspired by impressions from a poem he recently read. In particular, among other things, he said:
He, indeed, was highly original and, indeed, came with a “new word.”
First of all, his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became a “new word”. No one before him had understood so deeply the peasant, simple, everyday grief. His colleague in his speech noted that Nekrasov was dear to him precisely because he bowed “to the people’s truth with all his being, which he testified to in his the best creatures" However, Fyodor Mikhailovich did not support his radical views on the reorganization of Russia, however, like many thinkers of that time. Therefore, criticism reacted to the publication violently, and in some cases, aggressively. In this situation, the honor of his friend was defended by the famous reviewer, master of words Vissarion Belinsky:
N. Nekrasov in his last work remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and wants.
Quite caustically, recalling, apparently, professional disagreements, I. S. Turgenev spoke about the work:
Nekrasov's poems, collected into one focus, are burned.
The liberal writer was not a supporter of his former editor and openly expressed his doubts about his talent as an artist:
In the white thread stitched, seasoned with all sorts of absurdities, painfully hatched fabrications of the mournful muse of Mr. Nekrasov - there is not even a penny of it, poetry.”
Interesting? Save it on your wall!He truly was a man of very high nobility of soul and a man of great intelligence. And as a poet he is, of course, superior to all poets.