Poet-citizen, poet of the revolutionary struggle, N.A. Nekrasov, who wrote poems of amazing power and feeling about his comrades Dobrolyubov, Chernyshevsky, Pisarev, could not help but turn in his work to a new image for Russian literature - the image of the people's intercessor.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” shows that forces are maturing among the people that are capable of defending the honor and dignity of people of low rank. The poet represents several characters of people who are ready to join the fight for the humiliated and insulted Russian people, who are in bondage. Among them are Saveliy, the Holy Russian hero, the people's truth-lover Yakim Nagoy, famous for his “strict truth, intelligence and kindness,” Yermil Girin, who knows “to whom he will give his whole life and for whom he will die,” Grisha Dobrosklonov.

Nekrasov portrays Savely the hero as one of those who stood up well for the “patrimony,” seeing in him the embodiment of people’s strength and courage. Neither the rod nor the hard labor reconciled him to his fate. “Branded, but not a slave,” he says about himself. It combines such qualities as self-esteem and hatred of oppressors, remarkable strength and love of freedom, love of nature and perseverance. Reading the lines dedicated to Savely, we understand that only the truly strong and courageous can be so patient and generous as to endure the suffering that befell them.

That's why we endured

That we are heroes.

This is Russian heroism.

Do you think, Matryonushka,

The man is not a hero?

And his life is not a military one,

And death is not written for him

In battle - what a hero!

Speaking about the folk heroes of the peasant kingdom of homespun Rus', Nekrasov finds amazing, truly epic comparisons:

.. .Hands are twisted with chains,

Feet forged with iron,

Back...dense forests

We walked along it - we broke down...

...And it bends, but does not break,

Doesn't break, doesn't fall...

Isn't he a hero?

The favorite word of the people's avenger Savely - naddai - helps to see in him a person capable of not only encouraging, but, most importantly, uniting, captivating and leading. This word will determine the fate of the proud hero. Recalling his youth, the old man Savely talks about how for eighteen years the peasants endured the tyranny of a cruel German manager, in whose power their whole life was actually in their power. Constant bullying on his part could not but arouse people's indignation. And one day they could not stand it and killed a German.

Tavern... a prison in Bui-gorod,

There I learned to read and write,

So far they have decided on us.

The solution has been reached: hard labor

And whip first...

...And life was not easy.

Twenty years of strict hard labor,

The settlement has been around for twenty years...”

Next to Savely in the poem stands another majestic image of a Russian peasant - the village righteous man Yermil Girin. The very appearance in the world of slavery and unbridled tyranny of people like him serves for Nekrasov as the basis for faith in the future victory of the people and the source of the cheerful feeling that permeates the poem:

People's power

Mighty force -

Conscience is calm,

The truth is alive!

Not through struggle, like Savely, but through labor and skill, Er-mil Girin wants to change the fate of the eternally oppressed. Literate, he becomes a clerk, and then, thanks to his humane attitude towards people, he is elected mayor. Honest, decent, smart, one day Girin, saving his brother from recruitment, commits an unfair act. And the sin he has taken upon his soul gives him no peace.

Doesn't drink, doesn't eat; that's how it ended

What's in the stall with the rope

His father found him.

“Ever since Vlasyevna’s son

I didn't put it in the queue

I hate the white light!

The image of Ermila Girin, who refused his position, is tragic, but cannot fail to evoke respect for his nobility, honesty, and compassion for people. The people around Girina appreciate him for this. And as the episode with the purchase of the mill shows, the people are ready to come to his aid at the right moment, to return kindness for kindness. The situation described by Nekrasov may not be the most typical, but it allows the poet to say that great strength is hidden in the unity and mutual assistance of the common people.

Yakim Nagoy is another man whom the wanderers met in their search for happiness in Rus'. It would seem which of him is the defender:

The chest is sunken; like a depressed Belly; at the eyes, at the mouth Bends like cracks in the dried earth;

And he himself looks like Mother Earth: his neck is brown,

Like a layer cut off by a plow,

Brick face

Hand - tree bark,

And the hair is sand.

The very first lines say about him:

He works himself to death

He drinks until he's half dead.

But there is a line in it that allows him to be ranked among the people’s intercessors: Yakim Nagoy protects the people’s soul. Exhausted, having lost strength and health, during a fire he saves not the accumulated thirty-five rubles, but the pictures hanging on the wall in the hut, the only joy of his miserable and gray existence. Pictures are a symbol of something beautiful that lurks in the tormented people's soul, the case allows the poet to tell the reader about the spiritual beauty inherent in the working people, which, as we know, will “save the world.”

And yet, the future of Russia, Nekrasov is sure, lies with people like Grisha Dobrosklonov: literate, most conscientious people from the people who dedicated their lives to the fight for the people. The image of seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov, for whom “fate was preparing a glorious path, a great name as a people’s intercessor, consumption and Siberia,” reflected not only the poet’s hopes for a bright future, but also his life ideals. To be in the din, where “it’s hard to breathe, where grief is heard,” is Dobrosklonov’s life goal. His songs do not even sound like a call to fight for liberation, but rather a statement that the struggle has already begun:

The army rises -

Countless!

The strength in her will affect

Indestructible!

This image, according to the poet, contained the only possible answer to the question posed in the poem about the possibility of happiness in Russia at that time. Nekrasov considered truly happy only selfless fighters for the people's good, those who, like Grisha Dobrosklonov, heard “immense strength in their chest,” whose ears were delighted by the “radiant sounds of the noble hymn” - “the embodiment of people’s happiness.”

As we see, both the hero of the poem and its author are full of faith that a person’s happiness lies in revolutionary service to the people. A faith based, as history has shown, on rather utopian ideas of that time, when people firmly believed that the Russian people would gather their strength and learn to be citizens.

The theme of the “people's protector” runs through the entire work of N. A. Nekrasov, it also sounds in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Many writers and poets have tried to answer the question “What to do?” Nekrasov also looked for an answer to this in his work. What to strive for in life? What is the real man in Russia?

What needs to be done to make everyone happy? - he asked himself. The poet believed that to resolve these issues, people are needed who are able to join the fight and lead others. He showed such characters in the images of Yakim Nagogo, Ermila Girin, Savely Korchagin, Grisha Dobrosklonov. In Yakima, Nagom is a kind of folk truth-teller. He lives a miserable life, like all the peasantry, but is different rebellious disposition. Yakim is ready to stand up for his rights. This is what he says about the people:

Every peasant

Soul, like a black cloud,

Angry, menacing - and it should be

Thunder will roar from there,

It's raining bloody rains.

Ermila Girin is a man whom the people themselves chose as mayor, recognizing his justice. While still a clerk, Ermila gained authority among the people for the fact that

He will advise

And he will make inquiries;

Where there is enough strength, it will help out,

Doesn't ask for gratitude

And if you give it, he won’t take it!

But Yermila was also guilty: he shielded his younger brother from recruiting, but the people forgave him for his sincere repentance. Only Ermila’s conscience was not at peace: he left the mayor’s office and hired a mill. And again the people fell in love with him for his goodness, for his even attitude towards the landowner and the poor, for his kindness.

The “gray-haired priest” characterizes Ermila this way:

He had everything he needed

For happiness and peace of mind,

And money and honor,

An enviable, true honor,

Not bought with money,

Not with fear: with the strict truth.

With intelligence and kindness.

From the priest’s statement it is clear that Girin achieved honor through “strict truth”, “intelligence and kindness”. He is concerned about the attitude of the people towards him, but Ermila himself judges himself even more strictly. He strives to alleviate the situation of the peasants, to help them financially, although he himself was not yet ready for a revolutionary action. Girin is already satisfied that his conscience is clear, that he makes the lives of others at least a little easier.

Savely the hero represents a different type of Russian peasant. He is the embodiment of strength and courage. Despite the rods and hard labor, he did not accept his fate. “Branded, but not a slave,” he says about himself. embodies the best traits of the Russian character: love for the homeland and people, hatred of oppressors, self-esteem. His favorite word - “push” - helps to see in him a person who knows how to cheer up his comrades, rally them, and captivate them. Savely is one of those who stood up well for the “patrimony.” Together with the men, he executes the hated manager, the German Vogel. People like Savely will not stand by at the time of peasant unrest.

The most conscious of the " people's intercessors"is Grisha Dobrosklonov.

He devotes his entire life to the struggle, lives among the people, knows their needs, and is educated. The future of Russia, the poet believes, belongs to people like Grisha Dobrosklonov, for whom “I prepared a glorious path, a great name for the people’s intercessor, consumption and Siberia.” The songs of Grisha Dobrosklonov reflect his thoughts about life ideals, his hopes for a bright future:

Share of the people

His happiness

Light and freedom

First of all.

In a moment of despondency, O Motherland!

My thoughts fly forward.

You are still destined to suffer a lot,

But you won't die, I know.

Saved in slavery

Free heart -

Gold, gold

People's heart!

The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov helps to understand that truly happy is the one on whose side the truth is, on whom the people rely, who chooses an honest path for himself, being a “people's defender.” The theme of popular intercession is widely represented in the poem. Intercessor is one of Nekrasov’s key words. A people's defender is one who not only pities and sympathizes with the peasants, but also serves the people, expresses their interests, confirming this with actions and deeds. The image of such a person is not the only one in the poem. His features were refracted in Ermil Girin, Savelia, Grisha Dobrosklonov, and partly in Yakima Nagy

So, Girin acted as a real defender of worldly interests: he defended the mill, which everyone needed. He sincerely, with pure thoughts, turned to the people for help, and people collected money for him, completely trusting him and not sparing their last penny. Then he settled accounts with everyone. His honesty and selflessness are evidenced by the fact that he did not appropriate the “extra ruble” that he had left, but, not finding the owner, gave the money to the blind.

How did Girin win the honor and respect of almost the entire district? The short answer: only the truth. People were drawn to him even when Yermil held the positions of clerk and mayor. He was “loved by all the people” because one could always turn to him for help and advice, and Yermil never demanded a reward

Where there is enough strength, it will help out,

Doesn't ask for gratitude

And give - but he won’t take!

Only once did a case occur when the hero, as they say, “became his soul”: Girin “excluded” his brother from recruiting, instead of whom another person had to become a soldier. 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 torment of conscience. The story about Ermil Girin suddenly ends, and we learn that he nevertheless suffered for the people’s cause, he was sent to prison.

One more thing should be noted folk hero- Yakima Nagogo It would seem that there is nothing unusual in his fate: when he lived in St. Petersburg, because of a lawsuit with a merchant he went to prison. Then he returned to his homeland and became a plowman. It is better than Nekrasov himself to imagine this image, which has become a generalized image of the Russian peasant:

The chest is sunken, as if depressed

Stomach; at the eyes, at the mouth of the Bend,

like cracks on dry ground...

But in the eyes of people, Yakim was a special person: during the fire, he rushed to save not money, but pictures that he lovingly collected for his son and looked at them in fascination. Having talked about this peculiar folk “collector,” Nekrasov opened 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 itself there is a special meaning: heroes in epics have always been defenders of the Russian land. Saveliy has a powerful physical strength. But Nekrasov showed that his heroism is not only based on this - Savely is characterized by will, patience, perseverance, and self-esteem. This hero is a rebel, he is capable of protest. However, his “intercession” was expressed not only in the fact that he saved Korezhina from the German, who had tortured the peasants with extortions. Savely is also a kind of folk philosopher and ascetic. His religiosity and ability to repent are symbols of high folk morality. Saveliy’s main prayer is for the people:

For all the suffering, Russian

Peasantry I pray!

Grisha Dobrosklonov in the poem is also a people's intercessor. Even as a child, he was imbued with acute pity and love for all the “Vahlachina”. Although Nekrasov does not say directly, it seems that “intercession” will be effective, Dobrosklonov will actually be able to change the lives of the people. The road is open in front of Grisha, along which they walk

Only strong souls

Loving,

To fight, to work

For the bypassed

For the oppressed.

This hero is marked with the “seal of God’s gift.” According to Nekrasov, he is capable of suffering and sacrificing his life for the people.

Thus, the people's intercessor in the poem is presented as a person of exceptional destiny. This is an ascetic, that is, one who brings action, and a righteous man. He necessarily comes from the people, he is familiar to the smallest detail with the life of peasants. The person who was chosen as an “intercessor” is smart, conscientious, and mental inner work is constantly happening in him. And most importantly, he is able to understand all the complexity and inconsistency of the peasant’s soul and live a pure and simple life together with his people.

“Who Lives Well in Rus'” is one of the most famous works ON THE. Nekrasova. In the poem, the writer managed to reflect all the hardships and torments that the Russian people endure. The characteristics of the heroes are especially significant in this context. “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is a work rich in bright, expressive and original characters, which we will consider in the article.

The meaning of the prologue

The beginning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” plays a special role in understanding the work. The prologue resembles a fairy tale opening like “In a Certain Kingdom”:

In what year - calculate

In what land - guess...

The following tells about the men who came from different villages (Neelova, Zaplatova, etc.). All titles and names are telling; with them Nekrasov gives a clear description of places and characters. In the prologue, the men's journey begins. This is where the fairy-tale elements in the text end, the reader is introduced to the real world.

List of heroes

All the heroes of the poem can be divided into four groups. The first group consists of the main characters who went for happiness:

• Demyan;
• Novel;
• Prov;
• Groin;
• Ivan and Mitrodor Gubin;
• Luke.

Then come the landowners: Obolt-Obolduev; Glukhovskaya; Utyatin; Shalashnikov; Peremetev.

Slaves and peasants met by travelers: Yakim Nagoy, Egor Shutov, Ermil Girin, Sidor, Ipat, Vlas, Klim, Gleb, Yakov, Agap, Proshka, Savely, Matryona.

And heroes who do not belong to the main groups: Vogel, Altynnikov, Grisha.

Now let's look at the key characters in the poem.

Dobrosklonov Grisha

Grisha Dobrosklonov appears in the episode “A Feast for the Whole World”; the entire epilogue of the work is dedicated to this character. He himself is a seminarian, the son of a clerk from the village of Bolshie Vakhlaki. Grisha's family lives very poorly, only thanks to the generosity of the peasants they managed to raise him and his brother Savva to their feet. Their mother, a farmhand, died early from overwork. For Grisha, her image merged with the image of her homeland: “With love for the poor mother, love for all the Vakhlachina.”

While still a fifteen-year-old child, Grisha Dobrosklonov decided to devote his life to helping the people. In the future, he wants to go to Moscow to study, but for now, together with his brother, he helps the men as best he can: he works with them, explains new laws, reads documents to them, writes letters for them. Grisha composes songs that reflect observations of poverty and suffering of the people, and thoughts about the future of Russia. The appearance of this character enhances the lyricism of the poem. Nekrasov’s attitude towards his hero is clearly positive; the writer sees in him a revolutionary from the people who should become an example for the upper strata of society. Grisha voices the thoughts and position of Nekrasov himself, decisions of social and moral problems. N.A. is considered the prototype of this character. Dobrolyubova.

Ipat

Ipat is a “sensitive serf,” as Nekrasov calls him, and in this characteristic one can hear the poet’s irony. This character also makes travelers laugh when they learn about his life. Ipat is a grotesque character; he became the embodiment of a faithful lackey, a lordly slave who remained faithful to his master even after the abolition of serfdom. He is proud and considers it a great blessing for himself how the master bathed him in an ice hole, harnessed him to a cart, and saved him from death, to which he himself doomed. Such a character cannot even evoke sympathy from Nekrasov; only laughter and contempt are heard from the poet.

Korchagina Matryona Timofeevna

The peasant woman Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina is the heroine to whom Nekrasov dedicated the entire third part of the poem. This is how the poet describes her: “A dignified woman, about thirty-eight years old, broad and dense. Beautiful... big eyes... stern and dark. She’s wearing a white shirt and a short sundress.” Travelers are led to the woman by her words. Matryona agrees to talk about her life if the men will help in the harvest. The title of this chapter (“Peasant Woman”) emphasizes the typicality of Korchagina’s fate for Russian women. And the author’s words “it’s not a matter for women to look for a happy woman” emphasize the futility of the wanderers’ search.

Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina was born into a good, non-drinking family, and she lived happily there. But after marriage, she found herself “in hell”: her father-in-law was a drunkard, her mother-in-law was superstitious, and she had to work for her sister-in-law without straightening her back. Matryona was lucky with her husband: he only beat her once, but all the time, except winter, he was at work. Therefore, there was no one to stand up for the woman; the only one who tried to protect her was grandfather Savely. The woman endures the harassment of Sitnikov, who has no authority because he is the master’s manager. Matryona's only consolation is her first child, Dema, but due to Savely's oversight, he dies: the boy is eaten by pigs.

Time passes, Matryona has new children, parents and grandfather Savely die of old age. The most difficult years are the lean years, when the whole family has to go hungry. When her husband, the last intercessor, is taken into the army out of turn, she goes to the city. He finds the general's house and throws himself at the feet of his wife, asking for intercession. Thanks to the help of the general's wife, Matryona and her husband return home. It was after this incident that everyone considered her lucky. But in the future, the woman will face only troubles: her eldest son is already a soldier. Nekrasov, summing up, says that the key to female happiness has long been lost.

Agap Petrov

Agap is an inflexible and stupid man, according to the peasants who know him. And all because Petrov did not want to put up with the voluntary slavery that fate was pushing the peasants into. The only thing that could calm him down was wine.

When he was caught carrying a log from the master's forest and accused of theft, he could not stand it and told the owner everything he thought about the real state of affairs and life in Russia. Klim Lavin, not wanting to punish Agap, stages a brutal reprisal against him. And then, wanting to console him, he gives him something to drink. But humiliation and excessive drunkenness lead the hero to die in the morning. This is the price the peasants pay for the right to openly express their thoughts and desire to be free.

Veretennikov Pavlusha

Veretennikov was met by men in the village of Kuzminskoye, at a fair; he is a collector of folklore. Nekrasov gives a poor description of his appearance and does not talk about his origin: “The men did not know what family and rank.” However, for some reason everyone calls him master. necessary for the image of Pavlusha to be generalized. Compared to people, Veretennikov stands out for his concern about the fate of the Russian people. He is not an indifferent observer, like the participants in the many inactive committees that Yakim Nagoy denounces. Nekrasov emphasizes the hero’s kindness and responsiveness by the fact that his very first appearance is marked by a selfless act: Pavlusha helps out a peasant buying shoes for his granddaughter. Genuine concern for the people also attracts travelers to the “master”.

The prototype of the image was the ethnographers-folklorists Pavel Rybnikov and Pavel Yakushkin, who participated in the democratic movement of the 60s of the 19th century. The surname belongs to the journalist P.F. Veretennikov, who visited rural fairs and published reports in Moskovskie Vedomosti.

Yakov

Yakov is a faithful servant, a former servant, he is described in the part of the poem called “A Feast for the Whole World.” The hero was loyal to his master, endured any punishment and performed even the most difficult work without complaint. This continued until the master, who liked his nephew’s bride, sent him to recruit service. Yakov started drinking, but still returned to his owner. However, the man wanted revenge. One day, when he was taking Polivanov (the master) to his sister, Yakov turned off the road into Devil’s Ravine, unharnessed his horse and hanged himself in front of the owner, wanting to leave him alone with his conscience all night. Such cases of revenge were indeed common among peasants. Nekrasov based his story on a true story he heard from A.F. Horses.

Ermila Girin

Characteristics of the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is impossible without a description of this character. It is Ermila who can be considered one of the lucky ones whom the travelers were looking for. The prototype of the hero was A.D. Potanin, a peasant, manager of the Orlovs' estate, famous for his unprecedented justice.

Girin is revered among the peasants because of his honesty. For seven years he was burgomaster, but only once did he allow himself to abuse his power: he did not give his younger brother Mitri as a recruit. But the unrighteous act tormented Yermil so much that he almost killed himself. The intervention of the master saved the situation, he restored justice, returned the peasant who had been unfairly sent to the recruits and sent Mitri to serve, but personally took care of him. Girin then left the service and became a miller. When the mill that he rented was sold, Ermila won the auction, but he did not have the money with him to pay the deposit. The people helped out the peasant: in half an hour, men who remembered kindness collected a thousand rubles for him.

All of Girin’s actions were driven by the desire for justice. Despite the fact that he lived in prosperity and had a considerable household, when a peasant revolt broke out, he did not stand aside, for which he ended up in prison.

Pop

The characterization of the heroes continues. “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is a work rich in characters different classes, characters and aspirations. Therefore, Nekrasov could not help but turn to the image of a clergyman. According to Luke, it is the priest who should “live cheerfully and freely in Rus'.” And the first on their way, the seekers of happiness meet the village priest, who refutes Luke’s words. The priest has no happiness, wealth or peace of mind. And getting an education is very difficult. The life of a clergyman is not at all sweet: he sees off the dying on their last journey, blesses those who are born, and his soul aches for the suffering and tormented people.

But the people themselves do not particularly honor the priest. He and his family are constantly the subject of superstitions, jokes, obscene ridicule and songs. And all the wealth of the priests consisted of donations from parishioners, among whom were many landowners. But with the cancellation, most of the rich flock scattered around the world. In 1864, the clergy was deprived of another source of income: schismatics, by decree of the emperor, came under the tutelage of the civil authorities. And with the pennies that the peasants bring, “it’s hard to live.”

Gavrila Afanasyevich Obolt-Obolduev

Our description of the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is coming to an end; of course, we could not give descriptions of all the characters in the poem, but we included the most important ones in the review. The last of them significant heroes became Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev - a representative of the lordly class. He is round, pot-bellied, mustachioed, ruddy, stocky, and sixty years old. One of the famous ancestors of Gavrila Afanasyevich is a Tatar who entertained the Empress wild animals, stole from the treasury and plotted the arson of Moscow. Obolt-Obolduev is proud of his ancestor. But he is sad because now he can no longer make money from peasant labor as before. The landowner covers up his sorrows with concern for the peasant and the fate of Russia.

This idle, ignorant and hypocritical person is convinced that the purpose of his class is one thing - “to live by the labor of others.” When creating an image, Nekrasov does not skimp on shortcomings and endows his hero with cowardice. This trait is manifested in a comical incident when Obolt-Obolduev mistakes unarmed peasants for robbers and threatens them with a pistol. It took a lot of effort for the men to dissuade the former owner.

Conclusion

Thus, N. A. Nekrasov’s poem is filled with a number of bright, original characters, designed from all sides to reflect the position of the people in Russia, the attitude of different classes and government officials towards them. It is thanks to such a number of descriptions of human destinies, often based on real stories, the work leaves no one indifferent.

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 published in full only in 1920, when K.I. Chukovsky decided to release the complete collected works of the poet. In many ways, the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is built on 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 highlight 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 tones, especially sympathizing with women. The most bright images works are Ermila Girin, Yakim Nagoy, Saveliy, Matryona Timofeevna, Klim Lavin. At the same time, not only the world of the peasantry appears before the reader’s eyes, although the main emphasis is placed on it.

Often schoolchildren receive as homework briefly describe the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” and their characteristics. To get a good grade, you must mention not only the peasants, but also the landowners. This is Prince Utyatin with his family, Obolt-Obolduev, the generous governor’s wife, and the German manager. The work as a whole is characterized by the epic unity of all the acting characters. However, at the same time, the poet presented many personalities and individualized images.

Ermila Girin

This hero “Who Lives Well 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 a socially useful activity - she runs a mill. He works on it without deceiving ordinary peasants. Girin enjoys the trust of everyone. This manifests itself, for example, in the situation of collecting money for an orphan 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 it will go to Altynnikov - this will not hurt anyone. Then Girin decides to appeal to the people. And people come together to do a good thing. They believe that their money will be used for good.

This hero of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was a clerk and helped those who do not know it learn to read and write. However, the wanderers did not consider Ermila happy, because he did not pass the most difficult test - power. Instead of his brother, Girin becomes a soldier. Ermila repents of what she did. He can no longer be considered happy.

Yakim Nagoy

One of the main characters of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is Yakim Nagoy. He defines himself this way: “he works himself to death and drinks until he is half to death.” The story of Nagogo is simple and at the same time very tragic. He once lived in St. Petersburg, but went to prison and lost his estate. After that, he had to settle in the village and take up exhausting work. In the work, he is entrusted with protecting the people themselves.

Human spiritual needs are ineradicable

During a fire, Yakim loses most of his possessions, as he begins to save the pictures that he acquired for his son. However, even in his new home, Nagoy returns to his old ways and buys other pictures. Why does he decide to save these things, which at first glance are simple trinkets? A person tries to preserve what is most dear to him. And these pictures turn out to be more valuable to Yakim than money acquired through 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 pronounces a monologue in which he describes his life in detail - it is hard labor, the results of which end up in the hands of three shareholders, disasters and hopeless poverty. And with 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 lot to be 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 the harsh Russian conditions fell. In the work “Who Lives Well in Rus',” the heroes (or rather, heroines) bear the heaviest cross. Their images are described in more detail in the chapter entitled “ drunken night" Here you can encounter the difficult fate of women working as servants in cities. The reader meets Daryushka, who is emaciated from back-breaking work, women whose situation in the house is worse than hell - where the son-in-law constantly takes up the knife, “look, he’ll kill him.”

Matryona Korchagina

The climax feminine theme in the poem there is a part called “Peasant Woman”. Her main character- this is Matryona Timofeevna, whose last name is Korchagina, whose life is a generalization of the life of a Russian peasant woman. On the one hand, the poet demonstrates the severity of her fate, but on the other, the unbending will of Matryona Korchagina. The people consider her “happy,” and wanderers set off 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 youngest daughter-in-law and has to please everyone. She couldn't even count on a kind word.

Only with grandfather Savely Matryona could open her soul and cry. But even her grandfather, although not of his own free will, caused her terrible pain - he did not look after the child. After this, the judges accused Matryona herself of murdering the baby.

Is the heroine happy?

The poet emphasizes the heroine’s helplessness and in the words of Savelya tells her to endure, because “we won’t find the truth.” And these words become a description of Matryona’s entire life, who had to endure losses, grief, and insults 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 this is why Matryona began to be called “happy.” Or perhaps because she, unlike some of the other heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus',” did not break down, despite any adversity. According to the poet, a woman’s share is the hardest. After all, she has to suffer from lack of rights in the family, and worry about the lives of loved ones, and do backbreaking work.

Grisha Dobrosklonov

This is one of the main characters of “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” He was born into the family of a poor clerk, who was also lazy. His mother was the image of a woman that was described in detail in the chapter entitled “Peasant Woman.” Grisha managed to understand his place in life at a young age. This was facilitated by hard work, a hungry childhood, a generous character, resilience and perseverance. Grisha became a fighter for the rights of all the humiliated, he stood for the interests of the peasants. What came first for him was 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 entire work, the poet tries to answer the question about the happiness of the heroes “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Perhaps Grisha Dobrosklonov is the happiest character. After all, when a person does a good deed, he has a pleasant feeling of his own worth. Here the hero saves an entire people. Since childhood, Grisha has seen unhappy and oppressed people. Nekrasov considered the ability to compassion to be the source of patriotism. For the poet, a person who sympathizes with the people starts a revolution is Grisha Dobrosklonov. His words reflect the hope that Rus' will not perish.

Landowners

Among the heroes of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” as was indicated, there are many 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 completed. But even the changes that have occurred in social life cannot force the landowner to work and honor the results of the work of other people.

Matching him is another hero of Nekrasov’s “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - Utyatin. All his life he “been weird and foolish,” and when social reform came, he was struck down. His children, in order to receive an inheritance, put on a real performance together with the peasants. They convince him that he will not be left with anything, and serfdom still reigns 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, household members do not have the best characteristics.

Even in his own circle, Savely is called “branded, a convict.” But he is not offended by this and gives a worthy answer: “Branded, but not a slave.” Such is the character of this hero “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Short description Savely's character can be supplemented by the fact that he is not averse to sometimes making fun of members of his family. The main thing that is noted when meeting this character is his difference from the others, both from his son and from the other inhabitants of the house.

1. The plot of the poem.
2. The theme of people's intercession.
3. Heroes are “intercessors”.
4. Grisha Dobrosklonov as a “conscious defender.”

Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov entered Russian poetry as the “people's sad man.” Folk theme became one of the central ones in his work. But the poet was never a simple writer of everyday life; as an artist, he was primarily concerned with the drama of the people. The theme of the “people's protector” is also heard in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.”

In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” the author himself appeared as the people’s “intercessor,” who not only expressed his attitude toward the people by the very fact of creating this work, but was able to understand their soul and truly reveal their 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 to resolve these issues, people are needed who are able to join the fight 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 intercessor is one who not only pities and 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 Nagogo, Ermila Girin, Savely Korchagin, Grisha Dobrosklonov.

In Yakima, Nagom presents the peculiar character of the people's truth-seeker. He lives a miserable life, like all the peasantry, but is distinguished by his rebellious disposition. Yakim is ready to stand up for his rights. This is what he says about the people:

Every peasant has a Soul that is like a black cloud, Angry, menacing - and Thunder should thunder from there, Bloody rain should fall.

Ermila Girin is a man whom the people themselves chose as mayor, recognizing his justice. While still a clerk, Ermila gained authority among the people for the fact that:

...they will advise
And he will make inquiries;
Where there is enough strength, it will help out,
Doesn't ask for gratitude
And if you give it, he won’t take it!

But Yermila was also guilty: he shielded his younger brother from recruiting, but the people forgave him for his sincere repentance. Only Ermila’s conscience was not at peace: he left the mayor’s office and 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. The “gray-haired priest” characterizes Ermila this way:

He had everything he needed for happiness and peace, And money, and honor, Enviable, true honor, Not bought either by money or fear: by strict truth. With intelligence and kindness.

From the priest’s statement it is clear that Girin achieved honor through “strict truth”, “intelligence and kindness”. He is concerned about the attitude of the people towards him, but Ermila himself judges himself even more strictly. He strives to alleviate the situation of the peasants, to help them financially, although he himself is not yet ready for a revolutionary action. Girin is already satisfied that his conscience is clear, that he makes the lives of others at least a little easier.

Savely the hero represents a different type of Russian peasant. He is the embodiment of strength and courage. Despite the rods and hard labor, he did not accept his fate. “Branded, but not a slave,” he says about himself. Savely embodies the best traits of the Russian character: love for the homeland and people, hatred of oppressors, self-esteem. His favorite word - “push” - helps to see in him a person who knows how to cheer up his comrades, rally them, and captivate them. Savely is one of those who stood up well for the “patrimony.” Together with the men, he executes the hated manager, the German Vogel. People like Savely will not stand by at the time of peasant unrest.

The most conscientious of the “people’s defenders” is Grisha Dobrosklonov. He devotes his entire 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 was preparing a glorious path, a great name for the people’s intercessor, consumption and Siberia.” The songs of Grisha Dobrosklonov reflect his thoughts about life’s ideals, his hopes for a bright future:

The people's share, their 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 rely, who chooses an honest path for himself, being a “people's defender.” The poem shows Grisha's difficult childhood and tells about his father and mother.

Gregory's thoughts about 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 revolutionary democratic ideas that began to appear in society in mid-19th V. Nekrasov created his hero, focusing on the fate of N. A. Dobrolyubov. Grigory Dobrosklonov is a type of commoner revolutionary. He was born into the family of a poor sexton, and from childhood he felt all the disasters characteristic of the life of the common people. Grigory received an education and, being an intelligent and enthusiastic person, cannot remain indifferent to the current situation in the country. Grigory understands perfectly well that for Russia there is now only one way out - radical changes in the social system. The common people can no longer be the same dumb community of slaves that meekly tolerates 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 ordinary Russian people.