The main theme of the tale is the wild landowner. Saltykov-Shchedrin, “Wild Landowner”: analysis

Main idea

Fairy tale by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “ Wild landowner” is a caustic satire of the ruling class. All the action described in it takes place as if within the framework of one estate, but in fact, it extends far beyond the boundaries of the entire province. The author began writing such “fairy tales” in his final period of creativity.

In them, he confidently raised topics of concern to the society of the second half of the 19th century century.

The main problem of all his “fairy tales” is the relationship between the exploited and the exploiters.

Likewise, the story of the “Wild Landowner” was intended to ridicule the social system based on the exploitation of the peasants. The author begins his work as an ordinary fairy tale with the words: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, once upon a time there lived...” This technique of using traditional fairy-tale terms is manifested in almost all of his fairy tales.

From the first lines it becomes clear that we are talking about a stupid and lazy person. The landowner Saltykov-Shchedrin was so ungrateful that he regarded the work of his peasants as something philistine. It seemed to him that the “men” were nothing but worries.

They eat a lot, waste a lot of water, burn a lot of candles, litter the land. In a word, main character was completely dissatisfied with the “chaff spirit.”

As soon as he got rid of them, it became easier for him to breathe and live freely.

But here’s the problem: without the peasants, there was no farm. There was no one to take care of the fertile lands, livestock and garden. He himself also gradually degraded, eating only candies and gingerbread.

He stopped washing and combing his hair, began to grow hair, walk on all fours, and eventually became wild. According to the author, it was thanks to the people that landowners like him had moral and material benefits. With the disappearance of the people, he lost these benefits.

It is not without reason that the author came up with such a name for his “landowner” - Prince Urus-Kuchum-Kildibaev. This is a true nobleman who is proud of his roots and hates ordinary men. Without a “servile spirit” the air seems pure and pure to him.

However, with the disappearance of the peasants, the food on the market also disappears, and therefore he has to go hunting in the forest himself. The landowner is not accustomed to such work. All his life he did nothing but lie on his estate and play grand solitaire.

In fact, by describing all these details, Saltykov-Shchedrin gradually reveals the main goal of his tale. He condemns not only the landowner for his idle lifestyle, but also the long-suffering of the peasants, their slavish worldview. By returning the “men” to their homes, the author expresses faith in the triumph of freedom.


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Essay on the topic: The main idea in the fairy tale The Wild Landowner, Saltykov-Shchedrin

A brief analysis of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale “The Wild Landowner”: idea, problems, themes, image of the people

The fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” was published by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in 1869. This work is a satire on the Russian landowner and the ordinary Russian people. In order to bypass censorship, the writer chose a specific genre, “fairy tale,” within which a deliberate fable is described. In the work, the author does not give his characters names, as if hinting that the landowner is a collective image of all landowners in Rus' in the 19th century. And Senka and the rest of the men are typical representatives peasant class. The theme of the work is simple: the superiority of the hardworking and patient people over the mediocre and stupid nobles, expressed in an allegorical manner.

Problems, features and meaning of the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner”

Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tales are always distinguished by simplicity, irony and artistic details, using which the author can absolutely accurately convey the character of the character “And there was that stupid landowner, he read the newspaper “Vest” and his body was soft, white and crumbly”, “he lived and looked at the light rejoiced."

The main problem in the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” is the problem of the difficult fate of the people. The landowner in the work appears as a cruel and ruthless tyrant who intends to take away the last thing from his peasants. But after hearing the prayers of the peasants for better life and the landowner's desire to get rid of them forever, God grants their prayers. They stop bothering the landowner, and the “men” get rid of oppression. The author shows that in the world of the landowner, the peasants were the creators of all goods. When they disappeared, he himself turned into an animal, grew overgrown, and stopped eating normal food, since all the food disappeared from the market. With the disappearance of the men, a bright, rich life went away, the world became uninteresting, dull, tasteless. Even the entertainment that previously brought pleasure to the landowner - playing pulque or watching a play in the theater - no longer seemed so tempting. The world is empty without the peasantry. Thus, in the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” the meaning is quite real: the upper strata of society oppress and trample the lower ones, but at the same time cannot remain at their illusory heights without them, since it is the “slaves” who provide for the country, but their master is nothing but problems, we are unable to provide.

The image of the people in the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin

The people in the work of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin are hardworking people in whose hands any business “argues.” It was thanks to them that the landowner always lived in abundance. The people appear before us not just as a weak-willed and reckless mass, but as smart and insightful people: “The men see: although their landowner is stupid, he has been given a great mind.” Peasants are also endowed with such an important quality as a sense of justice. They refused to live under the yoke of a landowner who imposed unfair and sometimes insane restrictions on them, and asked God for help.

The author himself treats the people with respect. This can be seen in the contrast between how the landowner lived after the disappearance of the peasantry and during his return: “And suddenly again there was a smell of chaff and sheepskins in that district; but at the same time, flour, meat, and all kinds of livestock appeared at the market, and so many taxes arrived in one day that the treasurer, seeing such a pile of money, just clasped his hands in surprise...”, it can be argued that the people are driving force society, the foundation on which the existence of such “landowners” is based, and they, of course, owe their well-being to the simple Russian peasant. This is the meaning of the ending of the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner”.

Interesting? Save it on your wall! Analysis of the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner" by Saltykov-Shchedrin

The theme of serfdom and the life of the peasantry played an important role in the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The writer could not openly protest the existing system. Saltykov-Shchedrin hides his merciless criticism of autocracy behind fairy-tale motives. He wrote his political tales from 1883 to 1886. In them, the author truthfully reflected the life of Russia, in which despotic and all-powerful landowners destroy hardworking men.

In this tale, Saltykov-Shchedrin reflects on the unlimited power of landowners, who abuse the peasants in every possible way, imagining themselves almost as gods. The writer also talks about the landowner’s stupidity and lack of education: “that landowner was stupid, he read the newspaper “Vest” and his body was soft, white and crumbly.” Shchedrin also expresses the powerless situation of the peasantry in Tsarist Russia in this fairy tale: “There was no torch to light the peasant’s light, there was no rod with which to sweep out the hut.” The main idea of ​​the fairy tale was that the landowner cannot and does not know how to live without the peasant, and the landowner dreamed of work only in nightmares. So in this fairy tale, the landowner, who had no idea about work, becomes a dirty and wild beast. After all the peasants abandoned him, the landowner never even washed himself: “Yes, I’ve been walking around unwashed for so many days!”

The writer caustically ridicules all this negligence of the master class. The life of a landowner without a peasant is far from reminiscent of normal human life.

The master became so wild that “he was covered with hair from head to toe, his nails became like iron, he even lost the ability to pronounce articulate sounds. But he had not yet acquired a tail.” Life without peasants in the district itself has become disrupted: “no one pays taxes, no one drinks wine in taverns.” “Normal” life begins in the district only when the peasants return to it. In the image of this one landowner, Saltykov-Shchedrin showed the life of all the gentlemen in Russia. And the final words of the tale are addressed to each landowner: “He plays grand solitaire, yearns for his former life in the forests, washes himself only under duress, and moos from time to time.”

This tale is full of folk motifs and is close to Russian folklore. There are no sophisticated words in it, but there are simple Russian words: “said and done”, “peasant trousers”, etc. Saltykov-Shchedrin sympathizes with the people. He believes that the suffering of the peasants will not be endless, and freedom will triumph.

They walked with open heads and long forelocks; they had beards
released. They walked not fearfully, not gloomily, but with a kind of quiet pride;
their dresses of expensive cloth were worn out and hung shabby on them
shreds; they did not look or bow to the people. Ostap walked ahead of everyone.
What did old Taras feel when he saw his Ostap? What happened
then in his heart? He looked at him from the crowd and did not say a single
his movements. They were already approaching the frontal area. Ostap stopped. To him
the first one had to drink this heavy cup. He looked at his people, raised his hand
up and said loudly:
- God forbid that all the heretics standing here don’t hear,
wicked, how a Christian suffers! so that not one of us says anything
one word!
After this he approached the scaffold.
- Good, son, good! - Bulba said quietly and pointed at the ground
gray head.
The executioner tore off his old rags; his hands and feet were tied in on purpose
made machines, and... Let us not confuse our readers with a picture of hellish torment, from
whose hair would stand on end. They were the product of the then
rough, ferocious century, when man still led a bloody life of nothing but military
exploits and hardened his soul in it, not sensing humanity. In vain some
few who were exceptions from the century were opponents of these terrible
measures In vain the king and many knights, enlightened in mind and soul,
imagined that such cruelty of punishment could only fuel revenge
Cossack nation. But the power of the king and smart opinions was nothing before the disorder
and the daring will of state magnates, who, with their rashness,
an incomprehensible lack of any foresight, childish pride and
with insignificant pride they turned the Sejm into a satire on the government. Ostap carried out
torment and torture like a giant. Neither a scream nor a groan was heard even then,
when they began to break the bones in his arms and legs, when their terrible carnage
was heard among the dead crowd by distant spectators when the panicked
turned away their eyes - nothing resembling a groan escaped from his lips, not
his face trembled. Taras stood in the crowd with his head down and at the same time
proudly raising his eyes and only saying approvingly: “Good, son, good!”
But when they brought him to his last mortal pangs, it seemed as if
his strength began to give way. And he turned his eyes around him: God, everything
unknown, all strangers faces! At least someone close to you would be present
his death! He would not like to hear the sobs and contrition of a weak mother or
the mad cries of his wife, tearing out her hair and beating her white breasts;
Now he would like to see a firm husband who would refresh him with a reasonable word
and consoled him at his death. And he fell with strength and exclaimed in spiritual weakness:
- Father! where are you! Can you hear?
- I hear! - rang out amid the general silence, and all the million people in
I shuddered for a while.
Some of the military horsemen rushed to carefully examine the crowds of people.
Yankel turned pale as death, and when the riders moved a little away from him, he
turned back with fear to look at Taras; but Taras is already near
he was not there: there was no trace of him.

Saltykov-Shchedrin M., fairy tale "Wild Landowner"

Genre: satirical tale

The main characters of the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner" and their characteristics

  1. Wild landowner. Stupid, stubborn, stubborn, narrow-minded, tyrant
  2. Guys. Simple, unprepossessing, hard-working
  3. Police captain. Faithful servant.
  4. Four generals. They love to play cards and drink.
  5. Actor Sadovsky. Man of sense.
Plan for retelling the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner"
  1. Rich landowner.
  2. The landowner's prayer to God
  3. Fines
  4. Men's prayers
  5. Chaff Whirlwind
  6. Clean and fresh
  7. Actor Sadovsky
  8. Four Generals
  9. Landowner's dreams
  10. Police captain
  11. The savagery of the landowner
  12. Friendship with a bear
  13. Management's decision
  14. Swarm of men
  15. General prosperity.
The shortest summary of the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner" for reader's diary in 6 sentences
  1. The landowner lived in prosperity and contentment, but did not want to see the men and imposed fines on them
  2. The men prayed to God and were carried away with a chaff whirlwind.
  3. The landowner's guests called him stupid, but the landowner only dreamed and stubbornly stood his ground.
  4. The landowner began to run wild, grew taller and became very strong, and made friends with the bear
  5. The bosses ordered the man to be returned and the landowner to be reprimanded
  6. They caught a swarm of men, caught the landowner and prosperity came.
The main idea of ​​the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner"
There is no life in the state without a man.

What does the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner" teach?
The fairy tale teaches us not to follow the example of stupid newspaper articles, but to think with our own heads. Teaches you to respect other people's work. Teaches that work is honorable, and idleness and laziness are harmful. Teaches you not to be stubborn, teaches you to listen to other people's opinions. Teaches you to have your head on your shoulders. Teaches you not to be selfish. Teaches that labor made the monkey a man.

Review of the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner"
I really like this beautiful fairy tale. Its main character is not just a wild, but a very stupid landowner who believed that everything around him appears by itself. He despised the peasant, but left alone he could not feed himself, could not take care of himself, became a savage, turned into an animal. He was too stubborn to admit his mistakes. But strangely enough, wild life the landowner was quite satisfied. But this state of affairs did not suit the state, which also could not exist without men.

Proverbs for the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner"
A person who doesn't know anyone is completely stupid.
Stupidity is not a vice, but a misfortune.
The man works crying, but collects bread galloping.
Men's calluses and bars live well.
Teach a fool that the dead can be healed.

Read summary, brief retelling fairy tales "The Wild Landowner"
There lived a landowner in a certain kingdom and he had plenty of everything. And peasants, and land, and bread and livestock. But the landowner was stupid because he read "The News". And so the landowner asked God to deliver him from the peasants, but God did not heed his request, because he knew about the landowner’s stupidity.
And the landowner, seeing that the peasant was still there, read the word “Try” in the newspaper and began to try.
The landowner imposed various fines and taxes on the peasants, so that the peasant could not even breathe without a fine. And the men already prayed that God would deliver them from such a landowner. And God heeded the peasant’s prayer. A chaff wind rose and the men disappeared.
The landowner went out onto the balcony, and the air around was clean, very clean. The fool rejoiced.
I invited the actor Sadovsky and his actors to visit. And when he found out that the landowner had harassed the peasants, he said that he was stupid. After all, now no one will give him a wash. And with these words he left.
Then the landowner invited four generals to play cards.
The generals arrived, happy that the man was gone and that the air was clean. They play cards. Only the time has come to drink vodka, and the landowner brings each a lollipop and a gingerbread.
The generals widened their eyes, what kind of treat is this, they would like beef. They called the landowner stupid and left in anger.
But the landowner decided to be firm to the end. He played solitaire and it worked for him, which means he must continue to stick to his line. He began to dream about how he would order cars from England and what kind of gardens he would plant. He wanders around the rooms, shouts to Senka, remembers that this is not the case, and goes to bed.
And in his sleep he dreams of how he was made a minister for his firmness. He will wake up, shout to Senka, and come to his senses.
And then the police captain came to the landowner and arranged an interrogation as to where the temporarily liable people had disappeared and who would now pay taxes. The landowner offered to pay with a glass of vodka and printed gingerbread. But the police officer called him stupid and left.
The landowner began to think, because already the third person had called him stupid. I thought, is it really because of him that there is now no bread or meat in the market? And he chickened out. I began to think what it smelled like and if only Cheboksary was good. The landowner is scared, but a secret thought flashes through his mind that maybe he will meet a man in Cheboksary.
And by this time the mice had already eaten his cards, the paths in the garden were overgrown with thistles, in the park wild animals howl.
One day even a bear came to the house, looked out the window and licked its lips. The landowner cried, but did not want to deviate from his principles.
And then autumn came, the frosts hit. And the landowner has become so wild that he doesn’t feel the cold. He is overgrown with hair, his nails have become iron, he walks more and more on all fours. I’ve even forgotten how to pronounce articulate sounds. Only he hasn’t got a tail yet. A landowner will go out into the park, climb a tree, watch for a hare, tear it apart and eat it whole.
And the landowner became very strong, so much so that he even made friends with the bear. Only the bear calls the landowner stupid.
And the police captain sent a report to the province and the provincial authorities became alarmed. He asks who will pay taxes and engage in innocent activities. And the captain reports that innocent occupations have been abolished, and instead of them, robbery and robbery are flourishing. Just the other day, some kind of bear-man almost killed him. And the management decided to return the man, and to make a suggestion to the landowner so that he would stop his fanfare.
As if on purpose, a swarm of men flew past and landed on the city square. This swarm was immediately caught and sent to the district. And immediately flour and meat appeared in the market, a lot of taxes arrived, and the district smelled of peasant trousers.
The landowner was caught, washed and shaved. They took away the newspaper "Vest" and assigned Senka. He is alive to this day, plays solitaire, washes himself under duress, yearns for his life in the forests and sometimes moos.

Drawings and illustrations for the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner"