The most extensive work by N. A. Nekrasov in concept and execution, a synthesis of the main motifs of his poetry, truly an encyclopedia of an entire era in the life of the Russian people, is the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Presumably, work on it began in 1863. In the first issue of Sovremennik in 1866, the “Prologue” of the poem was published. In 1869-1870 Nekrasov's new journal, Otechestvennye zapiski, contains chapters of the first part. Two parts - “The Last One” and “The Peasant Woman” were written almost simultaneously and published in 1873-1874. (the sequence of arrangement of these parts within the poem was and remains controversial). Finally, the part that was destined to become the last, “A Feast for the Whole World,” dates back to 1876.

Thus, the poem remained unfinished. Within the framework of the work, there is no meeting of the men with the official, the merchant, “the noble boyar, the sovereign’s minister,” the tsar, while Nekrasov wanted to satisfy the curiosity of all seven men. “One thing I deeply regret is that I did not finish my poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” the poet said before his death. It is easy to see that at first he worked with more intensity. The work after the end of the first part progressed with difficulty, with interruptions, life did not give an unambiguous answer to the questions posed in the poem, and when Nekrasov was “pressed” in a conversation about “who lives happily and freely in Rus',” he answered half-jokingly and evasively: “To the hops.” "

The guiding thread in understanding the intent and content of the poem is Nekrasov’s interest in the historical destinies of the Russian peasantry, although we are talking about peasant happiness only in an ironic sense - this is the holey and humpbacked happiness of the peasants of the Tightened province. But until the question of the contentment and happiness of the Russian peasant, who represents the overwhelming majority of the people - his name is legion - has not been resolved, no one can be happy in Rus'. What are Nekrasov’s wanderers looking for? They themselves talk about this in the chapter “The Last One”:

We are looking, Uncle Vlas,

Unflogged province,

Uneviscerated parish,

Izbytkova sat down.

They search and do not find. The question of the fate of the peasantry is the question of why there is no happiness for the peasant and where are the “keys to this happiness.”

The poem was begun by Nekrasov immediately after the reform, and therefore in it, as in other works of the poet of this period, it is natural to reflect on whether the life of the people has changed for the better. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” contains an attempt, if not to give an answer, then at least to pose this question in all its depth and complexity. “The peasant order is endless,” says the heroine of the chapter “Peasant Woman,” Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina. Dependence remained the same after the reform, only changing its forms:

...You work alone,

And the work is almost over,

Look, there are three shareholders standing:

God, king, and lord.

And although the peasants have no reason, like Obolt-Obolduev, to yearn for recent times, they are forced to admit that in the bitter complaints of the landowner (“All over you, Mother Russia, - Like brands on a criminal, - Like a brand on a horse, - Two the words are scrawled - “Takeaway and drinking”) have their own truth. The serfdom order was built on arbitrariness, non-economic coercion (“whom I want, I will have mercy, whoever I want, I will execute”), but it was still a certain “order.” Now, says Obolt-Obolduev, “the fields are unfinished, the crops are unsown, there is no trace of order!” And Nekrasov’s “temporarily obliged” people perceive the new, just emerging way of life, not without fear.

In the part of the poem called “A Feast for the Whole World,” the festive Vakhlachina, who was reminded of the great peasant sin, suddenly sees herself not as the tipsy and brave men imagined, but as she really is:

Proud people have disappeared

With a confident gait,

There are Vakhlaks left,

Those who have not eaten their fill,

Those who slurped unsalted,

Which instead of the master

The volost will tear up.

Under these conditions, a type of behavior of the Russian peasant is formed, in which patience and anger, cunning and naivety, hard work and apathy, goodwill and temper are intricately intertwined.

Where is the way out? The answer to this question is not simple and unambiguous. It is given by the entire system of images of the work. This answer contains not only confidence, but also bitter thoughts and doubts. Rus', great and pitiful, powerful and powerless, in all its diverse manifestations appears in the poem.

What is the greatness of peasant Rus'? First of all, in hard work, truly heroic, but poorly rewarded and, most often, forced. The greatness of peasant Rus' lies in the fact that, crushed by slavery, it retained faith in better life, trust and cordiality. A random passer-by, a wanderer, a stranger in a Russian village will be given food and lodging for the night, and will be happy to talk with him.

The squalor of peasant Rus' lies in its darkness, ignorance, backwardness (including moral backwardness), reaching the point of savagery. The wanderers are surprised to see how the Vahlaks beat a person for no reason.

In the poet’s field of vision are such ordinary phenomena of Russian folk life as drunkenness and foul language. “Without swearing, as usual, - Not a word will be uttered, - Crazy, obscene, - She is the loudest of all!” (from the chapter “ drunken night"). This feature of popular communication receives an aphoristic expression: “... a peasant should not bark - the only thing is to remain silent.” The scale of popular drunkenness in Nekrasov’s depiction is truly monstrous. It is not for nothing that in the conventionally fairy-tale “Prologue” the magical warbler warns the men:

And you can ask for vodka

Exactly a bucket a day.

If you ask more,

And once and twice - it will come true

At your request,

And the third time there will be trouble!

The treasured “bucket” greatly facilitates the search for happiness for wanderers, opens souls and loosens tongues. The old plowman Yakim Nagoy speaks about himself:

He works himself to death.

He drinks until he's half dead.

The misery of peasant Rus' lies in its age-old patience. I recall the contemptuous remarks of the old rebel Savely: “The dead... the lost...”, “Oh, you Aniki warriors! - With old people, with women - you just have to fight! God, king and master are not only the rulers of the peasant, they are often idols that he is accustomed to worship. Of course, Saveliy, the Holy Russian hero, is a type of Russian peasant, but he is also an exemplary slave, Yakov the faithful is also a type of Russian peasant. Slave dependence gives rise to “real dogs” who are proud of their slavish fate - up to and including those like the servant of Prince Peremetyev, who is proud of the fact that “with the best French truffle” he licked plates, drank foreign drinks from glasses and is sick with a noble disease, “which is only found among the top officials in the empire,” or Prince Utyatin’s servant Ipat, who until his old age proudly tells how a misbehaving gentleman bathed him in an ice hole in the winter.

The idea of ​​unity, solidarity of peasants, peasant “peace” is dear to Nekrasov. The scene is expressive when in the litigation of the conscientious, honest and beloved by the peasants Ermil Ilyich Girin with the merchant Altynnikov, the support of the peasants helps him win:

The merchant Altynnikov is rich,

And everything cannot resist him

Against the world's treasury...

But the “world” is poorly aware of its own interests, being overly trusting of its masters; in “The Last One,” for example, the peasant community allows the landowner to mock the peasants - in the hope of honestly his heirs - to give them the flood meadows after the death of Prince Utyatin. But the Last One dies, and the Vahlaks are still fighting for the meadows with the young Utyatins.

The writer is especially interested in the best manifestations of the Russian peasant character, the emergence of self-awareness among the people. The beginnings of this self-awareness are already present in those oppressed by need and overwork. Yakima Nagogo. This man has been roasting under the sun behind a plow for thirty years. And this pathetic, wretched plowman pronounces a passionate, dignified monologue in defense of the peasant. Yakim is also characterized by the beginnings aesthetic feeling, and understanding of people and their relationships, and he does not live “by bread alone.”

Confession is presented in the poem with special lyricism and insight. Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina. Self-esteem came at a high price for her. Matryona Timofeevna had to experience mockery of her maternal feelings, and the impudent harassment of the master's manager Sitnikov, and the whip. And the affectionate intercession of the governor’s wife, who freed Matryona Timofeevna’s husband, St. Petersburg resident Philip, from recruitment, is not capable of erasing from the heart of the bitter insults and insults she suffered.

“The Angry Heart” of Matryona Timofeevna is no exception. Even the incorrigible slave Yakov the Faithful is sickened by continuous abuse, and his suicide is also a kind of ray of light in dark kingdom. The accumulation of combustible material among the people is obvious, and therefore this environment must put forward its leaders, “intercessors.” Types of people's intercessors also appear in Nekrasov's poem.

A striking embodiment of peasant strength and rebellion is Savely, “hero of the Holy Russian.” Indeed, there is something about him epic hero, who raised a terrible thrust and sank into the ground “with an effort.” It is no coincidence that when Matryona Timofeevna saw a monument to Ivan Susanin in the provincial town, she remembers Savely’s grandfather:

It is forged from copper,

Exactly like Savely’s grandfather,

A man on the square.

Savely is from the breed of those men who, under the leadership of Razin and Pugachev, hanged and threw nobles from bell towers, shook Moscow and all of landowner Russia. A former convict who, under the Russian word “Naddai!” together with other peasants he buried a German manager in the ground and, in his own words, “he was fiercer than a beast.” Savely, however, proudly bears his human dignity: “Branded, but not a slave!..” Savely still preserves the memory of those ancient times when the peasant community, taking advantage of dense forests and marshy swamps, really defended freedom, when Korezhina steadfastly stood up for their rights even under the rods. But these times are in the past, and the heroic spirit of grandfather Savely is far from real life. He leaves this life unconquered, but in the conviction that the fate of the Russian peasant cannot be changed and “the truth cannot be found.”

And yet the memory of freedom is alive in the Russian peasant, just as the legend of the robber Kudeyar is alive, who atoned for his sins by killing the landowner - Pan Glukhovsky, “rich, noble, the first in that direction.” Nekrasov, thus, allows violence as one of the possible ways in a just reorganization of social relations. But not only through violence is it possible to change relationships between people for the better. Another path is indicated by the poet in the image of Yermil Girin.

Ermil Girin- a literate peasant, which in itself was a rarity. Even more rare were his conscientiousness and selflessness, which manifested themselves at the time when twenty-year-old Yermil was a clerk in an office. And this in a country where bribery was as common as drunkenness and foul language! The peasants appreciated Girin and elected him headman. Yermil stumbled once: he saved his brother from being recruited by putting another young guy out of line, and he experienced this wrong step as a real tragedy, achieving the restoration of justice and refusing the post of headman. And in his new position, having become the owner of the mill, which he had bargained with Altynnikov, Girin remained true to himself:

...And he became thicker than before

Love to all the people:

He took it for the grind according to his conscience,

Didn't stop people

<…>

The order was strict!

If only there were people different classes similar to Yermil - the men would not have to spend a long time looking for a happy one, there would be no need to restore justice with the help of violence. But people like Yermil are an exceptional phenomenon in Rus', and the story about Yermil ends with him sitting in prison. On the path of legality and legal consciousness, achieving justice turns out to be impossible...

The image of Grigory Dobrosklonov. Grigory is the son of a semi-poor village sexton, who survived a difficult childhood, the early death of his mother and survived thanks to compassionate fellow villagers. Grigory Dobrosklonov is the child of Vakhlachina, he is well acquainted with the peasant share and peasant labor, but his path is different. He is a seminarian, dreams of a university, but since childhood he knows for sure who his mind and knowledge will belong to. The poet’s cherished thought about the return of the intelligentsia’s debt to the people is expressed here in the simplest version, but there is no doubt that Nekrasov is thereby exploring the problem of the formation of a democratic intelligentsia as a whole, the genesis of its firm devotion to the interests of the peasantry, the “humiliated” and “offended”, and at the same time at the same time - her tragic loneliness, indicated in the fate of Grigory Dobrosklonov. In the songs of Grigory Dobrosklonov one can see the historical optimism of the poet, his premonition of fundamental changes in Russian life.

It is impossible not to see, however, that the image of the “people's defender” is extremely romanticized, and only at the level of romanticized consciousness can Gregory feel happy (“If only our wanderers could be under their own roof, - If only they could know what was happening to Grisha”) . Against the backdrop of popular backwardness, so convincingly shown in the life of his native Vakhlachina, the extreme rarity among the people of people like Yermil Girin, the extreme small number and in the most intelligent environment of people for whom the most important thing is really “the share of the people, their happiness, light and freedom “, the ending of the poem remains open, and it should be remembered that, according to Nekrasov’s plan, “A Feast for the Whole World” does not complete his work. Is there enough strength among the people for moral renewal? Are the Russian people able to arrange their lives happily, will they learn to “be citizens” or are they, with their “golden” heart, destined to find themselves on the outskirts of civilization? Will they remain faithful? people's intercessors» the covenants of the “angel of mercy”? There is no answer to these questions in the poem, just as the poem itself is not completed; this answer is lost in the fog of historical perspective...

Despite its incompleteness, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not only Nekrasov’s largest work, but also one of the largest in Russian poetry. In terms of scale and depth of depiction of folk life, diversity of poetic narration, comprehension folk character both in its mass manifestations and in individual destinies, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is truly a folk epic. Starting from the “Prologue,” the folk poetic element organically enters into the fabric of the literary work: fairy-tale and song motifs, lamentations (especially in the chapter “Peasant Woman”), small genres - sayings, proverbs, riddles. But it is necessary to take into account that Nekrasov approached folklore not as an imitator, a timid epigone, but as a self-confident and demanding master, a mature poet who had a definite attitude towards the people and their words. And he never treated folklore blindly, but disposed of it completely freely, subordinating it to his ideological tasks and his own, Nekrasov style.

Source (abbreviated): Russian literary classics of the 19th century: Textbook / Ed. A.A. Slinko and V.A. Svitelsky. - Voronezh: Native Speech, 2003

Introduction

Starting work on the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” Nekrasov dreamed of creating a large-scale work that would reflect all the knowledge about peasants that he had accumulated throughout his life. WITH early childhood“the spectacle of national disasters” passed before the poet’s eyes, and his first childhood impressions prompted him to further study the way of peasant life. Hard work, human grief, and at the same time the enormous spiritual strength of the people - all this was noticed by Nekrasov’s attentive gaze. And it is precisely because of this that in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” the images of the peasants look so reliable, as if the poet personally knew his heroes. It is logical that the poem, in which the main character is the people, has a large number of peasant images, but if we look at them more closely, we will be amazed by the diversity and liveliness of these characters.

The image of the main wanderer characters

The first peasants with whom the reader meets are truth-seeking peasants who argued about who lives well in Rus'. For the poem, it is not so much their individual images that are important, but the overall idea that they express - without them, the plot of the work would simply fall apart. And, nevertheless, Nekrasov gives each of them a name, a native village (the names of the villages themselves are eloquent: Gorelovo, Zaplatovo...) and certain character traits and appearance: Luka is an inveterate debater, Pakhom is an old man. And the views of the peasants, despite the integrity of their image, are different; each does not deviate from his views even to the point of fighting. In general, the image of these men is a group image, which is why it highlights the most basic features characteristic of almost any peasant. This is extreme poverty, stubbornness and curiosity, the desire to find the truth. Let us note that while describing the peasants dear to his heart, Nekrasov still does not embellish their images. He also shows vices, mainly general drunkenness.

The peasant theme in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not the only one - during their journey, the men will meet both the landowner and the priest, and will hear about the life of different classes - merchants, nobles, and clergy. But all other images in one way or another serve to more fully reveal the main theme of the poem: the life of peasants in Russia immediately after the reform.

The poem includes several crowd scenes - a fair, a feast, a road along which many people are walking. Here Nekrasov portrays the peasantry as a single whole, which thinks alike, speaks unanimously and even sighs at the same time. But at the same time, the images of peasants depicted in the work can be divided into two large groups: honest working people who value their freedom and serf peasants. In the first group, Yakim Nagoy, Ermil Girin, Trofim and Agap stand out.

Positive images of peasants

Yakim Nagoy - typical representative the poorest peasantry, and he himself resembles “Mother Earth”, like “a layer cut off by a plow”. All his life he works “to death”, but at the same time remains a beggar. His sad story: he once lived in St. Petersburg, but started a lawsuit with a merchant, ended up in prison because of it, and returned from there “like a piece of velcro” – does not surprise listeners in any way. There were many such destinies in Rus' at that time... Despite the hard work, Yakim has enough strength to stand up for his compatriots: yes, there are many drunk men, but there are more sober ones, they are all great people “in work and in revelry.” Love for truth, for honest work, a dream of transforming life (“thunder should thunder”) – these are the main components of the image of Yakima.

Trofim and Agap complement Yakima in some ways; each of them has one main character trait. In the image of Trofim, Nekrasov shows the endless strength and patience of the Russian people - Trofim once carried away fourteen pounds, and then returned home barely alive. Agap is a lover of truth. He is the only one who refuses to participate in the performance for Prince Utyatin: “The possession of peasant souls is over!” When they force him, he dies in the morning: it is easier for a peasant to die than to bend back under the yoke of serfdom.

Yermil Girin is endowed by the author with intelligence and incorruptible honesty, and for this he was chosen as burgomaster. He “didn’t bend his soul,” and once he had strayed from the right path, he could not live without the truth, and he repented before the whole world. But honesty and love for their compatriots do not bring happiness to the peasants: the image of Yermil is tragic. At the time of the story, he is sitting in prison: this is how his help to the rebellious village turned out.

Images of Matryona and Savely

The life of peasants in Nekrasov's poem would not be completely depicted without the image of a Russian woman. To expand " female share”, which “grief is not life!” the author chose the image of Matryona Timofeevna. “Beautiful, strict and dark,” she tells in detail the story of her life, in which only then was she happy, as she lived with her parents in the “girls’ lounge.” Afterwards, hard work began, equal to men, the nagging of relatives, and the death of the first-born distorted the fate. For this story, Nekrasov allocated an entire part of the poem, nine chapters - much more than the stories of the other peasants occupy. This well conveys his special attitude, his love for a Russian woman. Matryona amazes with her strength and resilience. She endures all the blows of fate without complaint, but at the same time she knows how to stand up for her loved ones: she lies down under the rod in place of her son and saves her husband from the soldiers. The image of Matryona in the poem merges with the image people's soul– long-suffering and long-suffering, which is why the woman’s speech is so rich in songs. These songs are often the only opportunity to pour out your melancholy...

The image of Matryona Timofeevna is accompanied by another curious image - the image of the Russian hero, Savely. Living out his life in Matryona’s family (“he lived for one hundred and seven years”), Savely thinks more than once: “Where have you gone, strength? What were you useful for? All the strength was lost under rods and sticks, wasted during back-breaking labor on the Germans and wasted away in hard labor. In the image of Savely it is shown tragic fate the Russian peasantry, heroes by nature, leading a life completely unsuitable for them. Despite all the hardships of life, Savely did not become embittered, he is wise and affectionate with those without rights (he is the only one in the family who protects Matryona). His image also shows the deep religiosity of the Russian people, who sought help in faith.

The image of peasant serfs

Another type of peasant depicted in the poem are serfs. Years of serfdom have crippled the souls of some people who are accustomed to groveling and can no longer imagine their lives without the power of the landowner over them. Nekrasov shows this using examples of the images of the slaves Ipat and Yakov, as well as the elder Klim. Jacob is the image of a faithful slave. He spent his whole life fulfilling the whims of his master: “Yakov had only joy: / To groom, protect, please the master.” However, you cannot live with the master “ladkom” - as a reward for Yakov’s exemplary service, the master gives his nephew as a recruit. It was then that Yakov’s eyes were opened, and he decided to take revenge on his offender. Klim becomes the boss thanks to the grace of Prince Utyatin. A bad owner and a lazy worker, he, singled out by the master, blossoms from a sense of self-importance: “The proud pig: itched / About the master’s porch!” Using the example of the headman Klim, Nekrasov shows how terrible yesterday's serf is when he becomes a boss - this is one of the most disgusting human types. But it is difficult to fool an honest peasant’s heart - and in the village Klim is sincerely despised, not afraid.

So, from the various images of the peasants “Who Lives Well in Rus'” a complete picture of the people is formed as a huge force, which is already beginning to gradually rise up and realize its power.

Work test

IN literary works we find an image of people, their lifestyle, feelings. By the 17th-18th centuries, two classes had emerged in Russia: peasants and nobles - with completely different culture, mentality and even language. That is why in the works of some Russian writers there are images of peasants, while others do not. For example, Griboedov, Zhukovsky and some other masters of words did not touch upon the topic of the peasantry in their works.

However, Krylov, Pushkin, Gogol, Goncharov, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Yesenin and others created a whole gallery

Immortal images of peasants. Their peasants are very different people, but there is also much in common in the writers’ views on the peasant. They were all unanimous that peasants are hard workers, creative and talented people, idleness leads to moral decay of the individual.

This is precisely the meaning of I. A. Krylov’s fable “The Dragonfly and the Ant.” In allegorical form, the fabulist expressed his view of moral ideal peasant worker (Ant), whose motto is: work tirelessly in the summer to provide food for yourself cold winter, - and on the slacker (Dragonfly). In winter, when the Dragonfly came to the Ant asking for help, he refused the jumper, although he probably had the opportunity to help her.

On the same topic, much later, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote the fairy tale “About how a man fed two generals.” However, Saltykov-Shchedrin solved this problem differently than Krylov: the idle generals, having found themselves on a desert island, could not feed themselves, but the peasant, the man, voluntarily not only provided the generals with everything they needed, but also twisted a rope and tied himself up. Indeed, in both works the conflict is the same: between a worker and a parasite, but it is resolved in different ways. The hero of Krylov’s fable does not allow himself to be offended, and the man from Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale voluntarily deprives himself of his freedom and does everything possible for the generals who are unable to work.

There are not many descriptions of peasant life and character in the works of A. S. Pushkin, but he could not help but capture very significant details in his works. For example, in the description of the peasant war in “ The captain's daughter“Pushkin showed that the children of peasants who had left farming and were engaged in robbery and theft took part in it; this conclusion can be drawn from Chumakov’s song about the “child peasant son”, who “stole” and “held robbery”, and then was hanged. In the fate of the hero of the song, the rebels recognize their fate and feel their doom. Why? Because they abandoned labor on earth for the sake of bloodshed, and Pushkin does not accept violence.

The peasants of Russian writers have a rich inner world: they know how to love. In the same work, Pushkin shows the image of the serf Savelich, who, although a slave by position, is endowed with a sense of self-worth. He is ready to give his life for his young master, whom he raised. This image echoes two images of Nekrasov: with Savely, the Holy Russian hero, and with Yakov the faithful, an exemplary slave. Saveliy loved his grandson Demochka very much, looked after him and, being an indirect cause of his death, went into the forests and then into a monastery. Yakov the faithful loves his nephew as much as Saveliy loves Demochka, and loves his master as Savelich loves Grinev. However, if Savelich did not have to sacrifice his life for Petrusha, then Yakov, torn by a conflict between the people he loved, committed suicide.

Pushkin has another important detail in Dubrovsky. It's about about the contradictions between the villages: “They (the peasants of Troekurov) were vain about the wealth and glory of their master and, in turn, allowed themselves a lot in relation to their neighbors, hoping for his strong patronage.” Isn’t this the theme sounded by Yesenin in “Anna Snegina”, when the rich residents of Radov and the poor peasants of the village of Kriushi were at enmity with each other: “They are axed, so are we.” As a result, the headman dies. This death is condemned by Yesenin. The topic of the murder of a manager by peasants was already discussed by Nekrasov: Savely and other peasants buried the German Vogel alive. However, unlike Yesenin, Nekrasov does not condemn this murder.

With Gogol's work fiction The concept of a peasant-hero appeared: carriage maker Mikheev, brickmaker Milushkin, shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov and others. After Gogol, Nekrasov also had a clearly expressed theme of heroism (Savely). Goncharov also has peasant heroes. It is interesting to compare Gogol’s hero, the carpenter Stepan Probka, and the carpenter Luka from Goncharov’s work “Oblomov”. Gogol’s master is “that hero who would be fit for the guard,” he was distinguished by “exemplary sobriety,” and the worker from O6lomovka was famous for making a porch, which, although shaky from the moment of construction, stood for sixteen years.

In general, in Goncharov’s work, everything in the peasant village is quiet and sleepy. Only the morning is spent in a busy and useful way, and then comes lunch, a general afternoon nap, tea, doing something, playing the accordion, playing the balalaika at the gate. There are no incidents in Oblomovka. The peace was disturbed only by the peasant widow Marina Kulkova, who gave birth to “four babies.” Her fate is similar to the difficult life of Matryona Korchagina, the heroine of Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” who “every year, then has children.”

Turgenev, like other writers, speaks of the peasant’s talent and creative nature. In the story “The Singers,” Yakov the Turk and a clerk compete in singing for an eighth of beer, and then the author shows a bleak picture of drunkenness. The same theme will be heard in Nekrasov’s “Who Lives Well in Rus'”: Yakim Nagoy “works to death, drinks until half to death...”.

Completely different motives are heard in the story “The Burmist” by Turgenev. He develops the image of a despot manager. Nekrasov will also condemn this phenomenon: he will call the sin of Gleb the elder, who sold the free people of other peasants, the most serious.

Russian writers were unanimous that the majority of peasants have talent, dignity, creativity, hard work. However, among them there are also people who cannot be called highly moral. The spiritual decline of these people mainly occurred from idleness and from material wealth acquired and the misfortunes of others.

I. Images of peasants and peasant women in poetry.
2. Heroes of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.”
3. Collective image of the Russian people.

Peasant Rus', the bitter lot of the people, as well as the strength and nobility of the Russian people, their age-old habit of work is one of the main themes in the works of N. A. Nekrasov. In the poems “On the Road,” “Schoolboy,” “Troika,” “ Railway", "The Forgotten Village" and many others, we see images of peasants and peasant women, created by the author with great sympathy and admiration.

He is amazed by the beauty of the young peasant girl, the heroine of the poem “Troika,” who runs after the troika flying past. But admiration gives way to thoughts about her future bitter female lot, which will quickly destroy this beauty. The heroine faces a joyless life, beatings from her husband, eternal reproaches from her mother-in-law and hard daily work that leaves no room for dreams and aspirations. The fate of Pear from the poem “On the Road” is even more tragic. Raised as a young lady at the master's whim, she was married to a man and returned “to the village.” But torn out from her environment and not accustomed to hard peasant labor, having touched culture, she can no longer return to her former life. The poem contains almost no description of her husband, the coachman. But the compassion with which he talks about the fate of the “villainous wife,” understanding the tragedy of her situation, tells us a lot about himself, his kindness and nobility. For his failed family life, he blames not so much his wife as the “masters” who destroyed her in vain.

The poet no less expressively depicts the men who once came to the front entrance. Their description takes up only one-sixth of the work and is given outwardly sparingly: bent backs, a thin little Armenian, tanned faces and hands, a cross on the neck and blood on the feet, shod in homemade bast shoes. Apparently their path was not close to the front entrance, where they were never allowed in, without accepting the meager contribution they could offer. But if all the other visitors who “besiege” the front entrance on weekdays and on holidays are portrayed by the poet with a greater or lesser degree of irony, then he writes about the peasants with open sympathy and respectfully calls them Russian people.

Nekrasov also glorifies the moral beauty, resilience, and courage of the Russian people in the poem “Frost, Red Nose.” The author emphasizes the bright individuality of his heroes: parents who suffered a terrible grief - the death of their breadwinner son, Proclus himself - a mighty hero-worker with large calloused hands. Many generations of readers admired the image of Daria - the “stately Slavic woman”, beautiful in all clothes and dexterous in any work. This is the poet’s true hymn to the Russian peasant woman, accustomed to earning wealth through her labor, who knows how to both work and rest.

It is the peasants who are the main actors and in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Seven “stately men from temporary duty”, as they call themselves, from villages with meaningful names(Zaplatovo, Dyryavino, Razutovo, Znobishino, Gorelovo, Neelovo, Neuro-zhaika), they are trying to solve a difficult question: “who lives a joyful and free life in Rus'?” Each of them imagines happiness in their own way and calls them happy different people: landowner, priest, tsar's minister and the sovereign himself. They are a generalized image of a peasant - persistent, patient, sometimes hot-tempered, but also ready to stand for the truth and his beliefs. The wanderers are not the only representatives of the people in the poem. We see many other men's and female images. At the fair, the peasants meet Vavila, “selling goatskin shoes to his granddaughter.” Leaving for the fair, he promised everyone gifts, but “drank himself to a penny.” Vavila is ready to patiently endure the reproaches of her family, but she is tormented by the fact that she will not be able to bring the promised gift to her granddaughter. This man, for whom only a tavern is a consolation in a difficult, hopeless life, evokes in the author not condemnation, but rather compassion. Those around him also sympathize with the man. And everyone is ready to help him with bread or work, but only the master Pavlusha Veretennikov was able to help him with money. And when he helped Vavila out and bought shoes for him, everyone around was happy as if he had given everyone a ruble. This ability of a Russian person to sincerely rejoice for another adds another important feature to the collective image of a peasant.

The same breadth of the people's soul is emphasized by the author in the story about Ermil Ilyich, from whom the rich merchant Altynnikov decided to take away the mill. When it was necessary to make a deposit, Yermil turned to the people with a request to help him out. And the hero collected the necessary amount, and exactly a week later he honestly repaid the debt to everyone, and everyone honestly took only as much as they gave and there was even an extra ruble left, which Yermil gave to the blind. It is no coincidence that the peasants unanimously elect him as headman. And he judges everyone fairly, punishes the guilty and does not offend the right and does not take a single extra penny for himself. Only once Ermil, speaking modern language, took advantage of his position and tried to save his brother from recruitment by sending another young man in his place. But his conscience tormented him and he confessed to his untruth in front of the whole world and left his position. Grandfather Saveliy is also a bright representative of the people’s persistent, honest, ironic character. A hero with a huge mane, looking like a bear. Matryona Timofeevna tells the wanderers about him, whom the wanderers also ask about happiness. His own son calls Saveliy’s grandfather “branded, a convict,” and the family doesn’t like him. Matryona, who has suffered many insults in her husband’s family, finds consolation from him. He tells her about the times when there was neither a landowner nor a manager over them, they did not know corvée and did not pay rent. Since there were no roads in their places, except for animal trails. Such a comfortable life continued until “through dense forests and marshy swamps” the German master sent them to them. This German deceived the peasants into making a road and began to govern in a new way, ruining the peasants. They endured for the time being, and one day, unable to bear it, they pushed the German into a hole and buried him alive. From the hardships of prison and hard labor that befell him, Savely became coarse and hardened, and only the appearance of the baby Demushka in the family brought him back to life. The hero learned to enjoy life again. It is he who has the hardest time surviving the death of this baby. He did not reproach himself for the murder of the German, but for the death of this baby, whom he neglected, he reproaches so much that he cannot live among people and goes into the forest.

All the characters from the people depicted by Nekrasov create a single collective image of a peasant worker, strong, persistent, long-suffering, filled with inner nobility and kindness, ready to help those who need it in difficult times. And although this peasant’s life in Rus' is not sweet, the poet believes in his great future.

Definitely negative heroes. Nekrasov describes various perverted relationships between landowners and serfs. The young lady who whipped men for swear words seems kind and affectionate in comparison with the landowner Polivanov. He bought a village with bribes, in it he “played freely, indulged in drinking, drank bitterly,” was greedy and stingy. The faithful servant Yakov took care of the master, even when his legs were paralyzed. But the master chose Yakov’s only nephew to become a soldier, flattered by his bride.

Separate chapters are devoted to two landowners.

Gavrila Afanasyevich Obolt-Obolduev.

Portrait

To describe the landowner, Nekrasov uses diminutive suffixes and speaks of him with disdain: a round gentleman, mustachioed and pot-bellied, ruddy. He has a cigar in his mouth, and he’s carrying a C grade. In general, the image of the landowner is sweet and not at all menacing. He is not young (sixty years old), “portanous, stocky,” with a long gray mustache and dashing manners. The contrast between the tall men and the squat gentleman should make the reader smile.

Character

The landowner was frightened by the seven peasants and pulled out a pistol, as plump as himself. The fact that the landowner is afraid of the peasants is typical for the time this chapter of the poem was written (1865), because the liberated peasants gladly took revenge on the landowners whenever possible.

The landowner boasts of his “noble” origins, described with sarcasm. He says that Obolt Obolduev is a Tatar who entertained the queen with a bear two and a half centuries ago. Another of his maternal ancestors, about three hundred years ago, tried to set fire to Moscow and rob the treasury, for which he was executed.

Lifestyle

Obolt-Obolduev cannot imagine his life without comfort. Even while talking with the men, he asks the servant for a glass of sherry, a pillow and a carpet.

The landowner nostalgically recalls the old days (before the abolition of serfdom), when all nature, peasants, fields and forests worshiped the master and belonged to him. Noble houses competed with churches in beauty. The life of a landowner was a continuous holiday. The landowner kept many servants. In the fall he was engaged in hound hunting - a traditional Russian pastime. During the hunt, the landowner’s chest breathed freely and easily, “the spirit was transferred to the ancient Russian customs.”

Obolt-Obolduev describes the order of landowner life as the absolute power of the landowner over the serfs: “There is no contradiction in anyone, I will have mercy on whomever I want, and I will execute whomever I want.” A landowner can beat serfs indiscriminately (word hit repeated three times, there are three metaphorical epithets for it: spark-sprinkling, tooth-breaking, zygomatic-rot). At the same time, the landowner claims that he punished lovingly, that he took care of the peasants, and set tables for them in the landowner’s house on holidays.

The landowner considers the abolition of serfdom to be similar to breaking the great chain connecting masters and peasants: “Now we don’t beat the peasant, but at the same time we don’t have mercy on him like a father.” Manor estates dismantled brick by brick, forests cut down, men robbing. The economy also fell into disrepair: “The fields are unfinished, the crops are unsown, there is no trace of order!” The landowner does not want to work on the land, and what his purpose is, he no longer understands: “I smoked God’s heaven, wore the royal livery, littered the people’s treasury and thought of living like this forever...”

Last One

This is how the peasants nicknamed their last landowner, Prince Utyatin, under whom the serfdom. This landowner did not believe in the abolition of serfdom and became so angry that he had a stroke.

Fearing that the old man would be deprived of his inheritance, his relatives told him that they had ordered the peasants to turn back to the landowners, and they themselves asked the peasants to play this role.

Portrait

The last one is an old man, thin as hares in winter, white, a beaked nose like a hawk, long gray mustache. He, seriously ill, combines the helplessness of a weak hare and the ambition of a hawk.

Character traits

The last tyrant, “fools in the old way”, because of his whims, both his family and the peasants suffer. For example, I had to sweep away a ready-made stack of dry hay just because the old man thought it was wet.

The landowner Prince Utyatin is arrogant and believes that the nobles have betrayed their age-old rights. His white cap is a sign of landowner power.

Utyatin never valued the lives of his serfs: he bathed them in an ice hole and forced them to play the violin on horseback.

In old age, the landowner began to demand even greater nonsense: he ordered a six-year-old to be married to a seventy-year-old, to quiet the cows so that they would not moo, to appoint a deaf-mute fool as a watchman instead of a dog.

Unlike Obolduev, Utyatin does not learn about his changed status and dies “as he lived, as a landowner.”

• The image of Savely in Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”
• The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov in Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”
• The image of Matryona in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”