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To whom in Rus' to live well Savely's analysis. Cheat sheet: Savely the Holy Russian Bogatyr

The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is the result of all the work of N.A. Nekrasov. It was conceived "about the people and for the people" and was written from 1863 to 1876. The author considered his work "an epic of modern peasant life." In it, Nekrasov asked himself the question: did the abolition of serfdom bring happiness to the peasantry? To find the answer, the poet sends seven men on a long journey across Russia in search of at least one lucky man.
On their way, wanderers meet many faces, heroes, destinies. Savely becomes one of the people they meet. Nekrasov calls him "the hero of the Holy Russian." Travelers see an old man in front of them, "with a huge gray mane, ... with a huge beard", "he has already turned, According to fairy tales, a hundred years." But, despite his age, this man felt great strength and power: “... will he straighten up? The bear will punch a hole in the light room with its head!
This strength and power, as the wanderers later learned, manifested itself not only in Savely's appearance. They are, first of all, in his character, inner core, moral qualities.
The son often called Savely a convict and "branded". To which this hero always replied: “Branded, but not a slave!” Love of freedom, the desire for internal independence - that's what made Saveliy a real "Holy Russian" hero.
Why did this hero go to hard labor? In his youth, he revolted against the German manager sent by the landowner to their village. Vogel made it so that "hard labor came to the Korezsky peasant - Ruined to the bone!" At first, the whole village endured. In this, Savely sees the heroism of the Russian peasant in general. But what is his wealth? In patience and endurance - for seventeen years the peasants endured the yoke of Vogel:
And it bends, but does not break,
Doesn't break, doesn't fall...
Really not a hero?
But soon the peasant's patience came to an end:
It happened, I lightly
Pushed him with his shoulder
Then another pushed him
And third...
Popular anger, having received a push, like an avalanche, fell on the monster-manager. The peasants buried him alive in the ground, in the same hole that he ordered the peasants to dig. Nekrasov, thus, shows here that the patience of the people comes to an end. Moreover, despite the fact that patience is a national character trait, it must have its limits. The poet calls to start fighting for the improvement of his life, for his destiny.
For the crime committed, Savely and other peasants were exiled to hard labor. But before that, they were kept in prison, where the hero learned to read and write, and were flogged with whips. But Saveliy does not even consider this a punishment: “They didn’t tear it out - they anointed it, There’s a bad rag there!”
The hero escaped from hard labor several times, but he was returned and punished. Saveliy spent twenty years in strict penal servitude, twenty years in settlements. Returning home, he built his own house. It would seem that now you can live and work in peace. But is this possible for Russian peasants? Nekrasov shows that he is not.
Already at home with Savely, probably the most terrible event happened, worse than twenty years of hard labor. The old hero did not look after his great-grandson Demushka, and the pigs ate the boy. This sin Savely could not forgive himself until the end of his life. He felt guilty before Demushka's mother, and before all people, and before God.
After the death of the boy, the hero almost settled on his grave, and then completely went to the monastery to atone for his sins. It is the last part of Savely's life that explains the definition that Nekrasov gives him - "Holy Russian". The poet sees great strength, the invincibility of the Russian man precisely in morality, the inner core of a simple peasant, largely based on faith in God.
But better than Savely himself, no one, probably, will tell about his fate and fate. Here is how the old man himself evaluates his life:
Oh, the share of Holy Russian
Homemade hero!
He's been bullied all his life.
Time will reflect
About death - hellish torments
In the next worldly life they are waiting.
In the image of Saveliy, the Holy Russian hero, the enormous forces of the Russian people, their powerful potential, are embodied. This is expressed both in the physical appearance of the hero, and in his inner purity, love of freedom, pride. However, it is worth noting that Savely has not yet decided on a complete rebellion, on a revolution. In anger, he buries Vogel, but in his words, especially at the end of his life, humility sounds. Moreover, Savely believes that torment and suffering will await him not only in this life, but also in the next world.
That is why Nekrasov places his revolutionary hopes on Grisha Dobroskolonov, who must understand the potential of such Savelis and raise them to the revolution, lead to a better life.

The fairy tale "The Little Prince" was written by Exupery for both children and adults. Like all the writer's books, it is about respect for people, about responsibility to humanity. And more about how to learn this complex craft. Exupery does not like instructions, just as all children do not like them. But, telling the story of the Little Prince, he, together with his hero, convinces the reader of simple and wise truths. Listening to the sonorous voice of the Little Prince, you understand that in the roar of big cities and in the daily bustle and worries, the natural generosity of the heart has died out in "adult" people, directness and sincerity have disappeared.

Afonka Bida is a platoon soldier, whom Lyutov initially calls his friend. In the story “The Way to the Fords,” A. tells him a parable about a bee that did not want to sting Christ, after which he declares that the bees must endure the torment of war, because it is also for their benefit. After that, A. sings a song about a colt named Dzhigit, who took the podsaul, his master, to heaven, but he missed the bottle of vodka forgotten on earth and “cried about the futility of his efforts.” Seeing that Lyutov could not shoot the mortally wounded telephone operator Dolgushov in order to end his torment (“Death of Dolgushov”), A. himself

V. MayakovskyKlopThe action of the play takes place in Tambov: the first three paintings - in 1929, the remaining six paintings - in 1979. Former worker, former party member Ivan Prisypkin, who renamed himself Pierre Skripkin for euphony, is going to marry Elsevira Davidovna Renaissance - a hairdresser's daughter , cashier at the hairdresser and manicurist. With his future mother-in-law Rozalia Pavlovna, who “needs a professional ticket at home,” Pierre Skripkin walks around the square in front of a huge department store, buying from lottoshniks everything, in his opinion, necessary for a future family life: a toy “dancing people from ballet

Many destinies pass before the eyes of the wanderers of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov, who set off to look for the happy ones. The image and characterization of Saveliy in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are multifaceted and versatile. The bogatyr Savely the Holy Russian appears in reality. It is easy to describe, but difficult to understand.

Hero's appearance

The reader gets to know the character when he is already many years old. In total, Savely lived 107 years. It is difficult to imagine what he was like in his youth, but old age did not hide his heroic physique. The appearance of the old man is similar to the king of the northern forests - the bear:

a large gray mane (mop of hair) that has not been touched by scissors for more than 20 years;
big beard;
arched back.

Saveliy compared himself to a village well

... I look like an ochep.

Such a comparison is surprisingly true: a strong century-old building with crystal clear water.

character trait

Wanderers learn about Savely from the story of Matryona Korchagina. Savely is her husband's grandfather. In the image of a hero, several types of a simple Russian person were combined. The main feature is heroism. The Holy Russian hero has tremendous power, he protects the country, the people. But Savely is not a warrior:

"... his life is not military, and death is not written for him in battle ...".

Grandfather Savely is a true Christian. He rests on faith, prays for his fate and for the entire peasant country. The author does not make the character fabulous, he is real and terribly sinful. There are 2 human deaths on it: a German manager and a child. Grandfather is literate and sharp-tongued. This is an amazing feature of the Russian people. Proverbs, sayings, songs, prophecies saturate and decorate Savely's speech. A simple Holy Russian peasant is similar to the heroes of Ancient Rus' and to the saints who walk freely on the earth.

The fate of the hero

Savely lived a long life, it is clear that there were many events in it. He did not tell Matryona everything, but what he said was enough for the reader to accept him, and a strong woman fell in love. Grandfather lived in the village of Karezhin, where the landowners and administrators could not reach. The peasants sent rare dues and corvee. But the German outwitted the peasants. He turned the life of freedom-loving peasants into hard labor. The man did not last long. They buried Vogel alive. Savely pushed the manager to the pit, uttered one word:

"Nadday"

Comrades silently supported. This episode confirms the desire of the Russian people to get rid of slavery and speaks of respect for the old man. Savely survived the whip. 20 years of hard labor, the same amount of settlement. The man makes escapes and again falls under the beatings.

A peasant in hard labor managed to accumulate money. How can a person think about the future in such unbearable conditions? This is unknown to the author. He returned to his relatives, but they treated him well as long as there was money. The heart of the hero turned to stone from grief. It was only the attitude of little Demushka, the son of Matryona, that melted him. But here, too, fate played a cruel joke: the old man overslept the child,

"... fed to pigs ...".

From grief for his sin, Savely goes to the monastery for repentance. He asks God for forgiveness and begs for softening of the mother's heart. The old man's death was just as long as his life: he fell ill, did not eat, dwindled and became sick.

The character of the hero of the poem

Savely has a lot of positive things, which is why the author describes the character through the mouth of a woman. He was the only one from her husband's family who accepted her and took pity on her. The old man knows how to joke, humor and sarcasm help him not to notice the cruelty of his relatives. He grins like a rainbow, laughing not only at others, but also at himself. A good soul hides and is not open to everyone.

Strong male character. Many who were close to Savely could not stand the hardships. They gave up. Savely stood to the end, did not retreat, "endured". He tries to compare the whips: some "fighted" painfully, others badly. Savely could stand under the rods and not frown. The peasant's skin was hardened, it lasted for a hundred years.

Freedom. Grandfather does not want to be a slave:

"... branded, but not a slave!".

Pride. The old man does not tolerate humiliation and insults towards himself. He admires past generations.

Bravery. Savely went to the bear with a knife and a horn. When one day he stepped on a sleeping bear in the forest, he did not run away, but began to fight with her. The hero raises a mighty beast on a horn. There was a crunch in the man's back, but until old age he did not bend from pain.

A simple Russian peasant stands out among other heroes. He knows how to distinguish true kindness from lies and deceit. His character is strong. The grandfather does not argue over trifles, does not associate with stupid people, does not try to re-educate relatives. Hard labor for him takes on a broader meaning - this is his whole life.

Savely believes that all Russian men are heroes, they are patient and wise. The old man regrets that he lost his strength under the rods and sticks. The heroic prowess diverges in trifles, but it could change the whole of Rus', return liberty to the peasant, bring happiness.

Work:

Who lives well in Rus'

Saveliy - “Holy Russian hero”, “With a huge gray mane, Tea not cut for twenty years, With a huge beard, Grandfather looked like a bear.” In strength, he was definitely similar to a bear, in his youth he hunted him with his bare hands.

S. spent almost his entire life in Siberia in hard labor for burying a cruel German manager alive in the ground. S.'s native village was in the wilderness. Therefore, the peasants lived in it relatively freely: "The Zemstvo police did not come to us for a year." But they meekly endured the atrocities of their landowner. It is in patience, according to the author, that the heroism of the Russian people lies, but this patience also has a limit. S. was sentenced to 20 years, and after an attempt to escape, another 20 were added. But all this did not break the Russian hero. He believed that "Branded, but not a slave!" Returning home and living in his son's family, S. behaved independently and independently: "He did not like families, He did not let him into his corner." But on the other hand, S. treated his grandson's wife, Matryona, and her son Demushka well. The accident made him the culprit in the death of his beloved great-grandson (through an oversight, S. Demushka was bitten by pigs). In inconsolable grief, S. goes to repentance in a monastery, where he remains to pray for the entire destitute Russian people. At the end of his life, he pronounces a terrible verdict on the Russian peasantry: "There are three paths for men: a tavern, prison and hard labor, And for women in Rus' Three loops ... Get into any one."

One of the main characters of Nekrasov's poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - Savely - the reader will recognize when he is already an old man who has lived a long and difficult life. The poet draws a colorful portrait of this amazing old man:

With a huge gray mane,

Tea, twenty years uncut,

With a big beard

Grandpa looked like a bear

Especially, as from the forest,

Bending down, he left.

Savely's life turned out to be very difficult, fate did not spoil him. In his old age, Savely lived in the family of his son, father-in-law Matryona Timofeevna. It is noteworthy that grandfather Saveliy does not like his family. Obviously, all household members do not have the best qualities, and an honest and sincere old man feels this very well. In his native family, Saveliy is called “branded, convict”. And he himself, not at all offended by this, says: “Branded, but not a slave.

It is interesting to observe how Saveliy is not averse to playing a trick on his family members:

And they will annoy him hard -

Jokes: “Look

Matchmakers to us!” Unmarried

Cinderella - to the window:

But instead of matchmakers - beggars!

From a tin button

Grandfather fashioned two kopecks,

Threw up on the floor -

Father-in-law got caught!

Not drunk from drinking -

The beaten one dragged on!

What does this relationship between the old man and his family indicate? First of all, it is striking that Saveliy is different both from his son and from all relatives. His son does not possess any exceptional qualities, does not shun drunkenness, is almost completely devoid of kindness and nobility. And Savely, on the contrary, is kind, smart, outstanding. He eschews his household, apparently, he is disgusted by pettiness, envy, malice, characteristic of his relatives. Old man Savely is the only one in her husband's family who was kind to Matryona. The old man does not hide all the hardships that have fallen to his lot:

“Oh, the share of Holy Russian

Homemade hero!

He's been bullied all his life.

Time will reflect

About death - hellish torments

In the other world they are waiting.”

Old man Savely is very freedom-loving. It combines qualities such as physical and mental strength. Savely is a real Russian hero who does not recognize any pressure on himself. In his youth, Savely had remarkable strength, no one could compete with him. In addition, life used to be different, the peasants were not burdened with the hardest duty to pay dues and work off corvée. Savely says:

We did not rule corvee,

We didn't pay dues

And so, when it comes to judgment,

We will send once in three years.

In such circumstances, the character of the young Savely was tempered. Nobody pressured her, nobody made her feel like a slave. In addition, nature itself was on the side of the peasants:

Dense forests all around,

Swamps all around,

Not a horse ride to us,

Not a foot pass!

Nature itself protected the peasants from the invasion of the master, the police and other troublemakers. Therefore, the peasants could live and work in peace, not feeling someone else's power over them.

When reading these lines, fairy-tale motifs are recalled, because in fairy tales and legends people were absolutely free, they controlled their own lives.

The old man tells how the peasants dealt with the bears:

We were only concerned

Bears... yes with bears

We got along easily.

With a knife and with a horn

I myself am scarier than the elk,

Along the reserved paths

I go: “My forest!” - I scream.

Saveliy, like a real fairy tale hero, claims his rights to the forest surrounding him. It is the forest - with its untrodden paths, mighty trees - that is the real element of the hero Savely. In the forest, the hero is not afraid of anything, he is the real master of the silent kingdom around him. That is why in old age he leaves his family and goes into the forest.

The unity of the bogatyr Savely and the nature around him seems undeniable. Nature helps Savely to become stronger. Even in old age, when years and hardships have bent the old man's back, you still feel remarkable strength in him.

Savely tells how, in his youth, his fellow villagers managed to deceive the master, to hide the wealth from him. And although we had to endure a lot for this, no one could reproach people for cowardice and lack of will. The peasants were able to convince the landowners of their absolute poverty, so they managed to avoid complete ruin and enslavement.

Savely is a very proud person. This is felt in everything: in his attitude to life, in his steadfastness and courage with which he defends his own. When he talks about his youth, he recalls how only weak-minded people surrendered to the master. Of course, he himself was not one of those people:

Excellently fought Shalashnikov,

And not so hot great Incomes received:

Weak people gave up

And the strong for the patrimony

They stood well.

I also endured

He hesitated, thinking:

“Whatever you do, dog son,

And you won't knock out your whole soul,

Leave something!”

Old man Savely bitterly says that now there is practically no self-respect left in people. Now cowardice, animal fear for oneself and one's well-being and lack of desire to fight prevail:

Those were the proud people!

And now give a crack -

Corrector, landowner

Drag the last penny!

Savely's young years passed in an atmosphere of freedom. But peasant freedom did not last long. The master died, and his heir sent a German, who at first behaved quietly and imperceptibly. The German gradually became friends with the entire local population, little by little he observed peasant life.

Gradually, he got into the confidence of the peasants and ordered them to drain the swamp, then cut down the forest. In a word, the peasants came to their senses only when a magnificent road appeared along which it was easy to get to their godforsaken place.

And then came the hardship

Korean peasant -

Threads ravaged

The free life was over, now the peasants fully felt all the hardships of a servile existence. Old man Saveliy speaks of people's long-suffering, explaining it by the courage and spiritual strength of people. Only truly strong and courageous people can be so patient as to endure such mockery of themselves, and so generous as not to forgive such an attitude towards themselves.

And so we endured

That we are rich.

In that Russian heroism.

Do you think, Matryonushka,

The man is not a hero?

And his life is not military,

And death is not written for him

In battle - a hero!

Nekrasov finds amazing comparisons, speaking of people's long-suffering and courage. He uses the folk epos, speaking of heroes:

Hands twisted with chains

Legs forged with iron

Back ... dense forests

Passed on it - broke.

And the chest? Elijah the prophet

On it rattles-rides

On a chariot of fire...

The hero suffers everything!

Old man Savely tells how for eighteen years the peasants endured the arbitrariness of the German manager. Their whole life was now in the power of this cruel man. People had to work tirelessly. And every time the manager was dissatisfied with the results of the work, he demanded more. Constant bullying by the Germans causes the strongest indignation in the soul of the peasants. And once another portion of bullying made people commit a crime. They kill the German manager. When reading these lines, the thought of higher justice comes to mind. The peasants have already managed to feel absolutely powerless and weak-willed. Everything they held dear was taken from them. But after all, a person cannot be mocked with complete impunity. Sooner or later you will have to pay for your actions.

But, of course, the murder of the manager did not go unpunished:

Buoy-city, There I learned to read and write,

Until they decided us.

The solution came out: hard labor

And weave in advance ...

The life of Savely, the Holy Russian hero, after hard labor was very difficult. He spent twenty years in captivity, only closer to old age he was free. Savely's whole life is very tragic, and in old age he turns out to be the unwitting culprit in the death of his little grandson. This case once again proves that, despite all his strength, Savely cannot withstand hostile circumstances. He is just a plaything in the hands of fate.

The next chapter written by Nekrasov - "Peasant Woman"- also seems to be a clear deviation from the scheme outlined in the Prologue: the wanderers are again trying to find a happy one among the peasants. As in other chapters, the opening plays an important role. He, as in the "Last Child", becomes the antithesis of further narration, allows you to discover all the new contradictions of "mysterious Rus'". The chapter begins with a description of the ruined landowner's estate: after the reform, the owners abandoned the estate and the courtyards to the mercy of fate, and the courtyards ruin and break down a beautiful house, a once well-groomed garden and park. The funny and tragic sides of the life of the abandoned household are closely intertwined in the description. Yards are a special peasant type. Torn out of their familiar environment, they lose the skills of peasant life, and the main among them is the “noble habit of work”. Forgotten by the landowner and unable to feed themselves by labor, they live by plundering and selling the owner's belongings, heating the house, breaking arbors and chiselled balcony columns. But there are also genuinely dramatic moments in this description: for example, the story of a singer with a rare beautiful voice. The landlords took him out of Little Russia, they were going to send him to Italy, but they forgot, busy with their troubles.

Against the background of the tragicomic crowd of ragged and hungry courtyards, “whining domestics,” the “healthy, singing crowd of reapers and reapers,” returning from the field, seems even more “beautiful”. But even among these stately and beautiful people, Matrena Timofeevna, "famed" by the "governor" and "lucky". The story of her life, told by herself, is central to the story. Dedicating this chapter to a peasant woman, Nekrasov, I think, not only wanted to open the soul and heart of a Russian woman to the reader. The world of a woman is a family, and telling about herself, Matrena Timofeevna tells about those aspects of folk life that have so far been only indirectly touched upon in the poem. But it is they who determine the happiness and unhappiness of a woman: love, family, life.

Matrena Timofeevna does not recognize herself as happy, just as she does not recognize any of the women as happy. But she knew short-lived happiness in her life. The happiness of Matryona Timofeevna is a girl's will, parental love and care. Her girlish life was not carefree and easy: from childhood, from the age of seven, she performed peasant work:

I was lucky in the girls:
We had a good
Non-drinking family.
For father, for mother,
Like Christ in the bosom,
I lived, well done.<...>
And on the seventh for a burushka
I myself ran into the herd,
I wore my father for breakfast,
Grazed the ducklings.
Then mushrooms and berries,
Then: "Take a rake
Yes, hay!
So I got used to it...
And a good worker
And sing and dance the huntress
I was young.

“Happiness” she also calls the last days of a girl’s life, when her fate was decided, when she “bargained” with her future husband - argued with him, “bargained” her will in married life:

- You become, good fellow,
Straight against me<...>
Think, dare:
To live with me - do not repent,
And I don't cry with you...<...>
While we were trading
Must be what I think
Then there was happiness.
And hardly ever again!

Her married life is indeed full of tragic events: the death of a child, a cruel flogging, a punishment she voluntarily accepted in order to save her son, a threat to remain a soldier. At the same time, Nekrasov shows that the source of Matrena Timofeevna’s misfortunes is not only “strengthen”, the disenfranchised position of a serf woman, but also the disenfranchised position of the younger daughter-in-law in a large peasant family. The injustice that triumphs in large peasant families, the perception of a person primarily as a worker, the non-recognition of his desires, his "will" - all these problems are opened by the story-confession of Matryona Timofeevna. A loving wife and mother, she is doomed to an unhappy and powerless life: to please her husband's family and unfair reproaches of the elders in the family. That is why, even having freed herself from serfdom, having become free, she will grieve about the absence of a "volition", and hence happiness: "The keys to the happiness of a woman, / From our free will / Abandoned, lost / God Himself." And she speaks at the same time not only about herself, but about all women.

This disbelief in the possibility of a woman's happiness is shared by the author. It is no coincidence that Nekrasov excludes from the final text of the chapter the lines about how happily the difficult situation of Matryona Timofeevna in her husband's family changed after returning from the governor's wife: in the text there is no story either that she became a "big woman" in the house, or that she “conquered” the “grumpy, quarrelsome” family of her husband. Only lines remained that the husband's family, recognizing her participation in saving Philip from the soldiery, "bowed" to her and "obeyed" to her. But the chapter of the “Woman's Parable” ends, affirming the inevitability of bondage-misfortune for a woman even after the abolition of serfdom: “But to our female will / There are no and no keys!<...>/ Yes, they are unlikely to be found ... "

The researchers noted Nekrasov's idea: creating image of Matrena Timofeevna y, he aspired to the widest generalization: her fate becomes a symbol of the fate of every Russian woman. The author carefully, thoughtfully chooses the episodes of her life, “guiding” his heroine along the path that any Russian woman takes: a short carefree childhood, labor skills instilled from childhood, a girl’s will and a long powerless position of a married woman, a worker in the field and in the house. Matrena Timofeevna is going through all the possible dramatic and tragic situations that fall to the lot of a peasant woman: humiliation in her husband's family, beatings of her husband, death of a child, harassment by a manager, flogging and even - albeit not for long - the share of a soldier's wife. “The image of Matryona Timofeevna was created in this way,” writes N.N. Skatov, - that she seemed to have experienced everything and been in all the states that a Russian woman could be in. The folk songs and laments included in Matrena Timofeevna’s story, most often “replacing” her own words, her own story, further expand the narrative, allowing one to comprehend both the happiness and misfortune of one peasant woman as a story about the fate of a serf woman.

In general, the story of this woman depicts life according to God's laws, "divinely," as Nekrasov's heroes say:

<...>I endure and do not grumble!
All the power given by God
I believe in work
All in children love!

And the more terrible and unfair are the misfortunes and humiliations that have fallen to her lot. "<...>In me / There is no unbroken bone, / There is no unstretched vein, / There is no uncorrupted blood<...>"- this is not a complaint, but the true result of what Matryona Timofeevna experienced. The deep meaning of this life - love for children - is also affirmed by Nekrasov with the help of parallels from the natural world: the story of Dyomushka's death is preceded by a cry about a nightingale, whose chicks burned down on a tree lit by a thunderstorm. The chapter that tells about the punishment accepted in order to save another son - Philip from whipping, is called "The She-Wolf". And here the hungry she-wolf, ready to sacrifice her life for the cubs, appears as a parallel to the fate of a peasant woman who lay down under the rod to free her son from punishment.

The central place in the chapter "Peasant Woman" is occupied by the story of Savely, Holy Russian bogatyr. Why is Matryona Timofeevna entrusted with the story of the fate of the Russian peasant, the “hero of Holy Russia”, his life and death? It seems that this is largely because it is important for Nekrasov to show the “hero” Savely Korchagin not only in his opposition to Shalashnikov and the manager Vogel, but also in the family, in everyday life. “Grandfather” Savely, a pure and holy man, was needed by his large family as long as he had money: “As long as there was money, / They loved grandfather, groomed, / Now they spit in the eyes!” Savely's inner loneliness in the family enhances the drama of his fate and at the same time, like the fate of Matrena Timofeevna, gives the reader an opportunity to learn about the everyday life of the people.

But it is no less important that the “story within a story”, connecting two destinies, shows the relationship between two outstanding people, who for the author himself were the embodiment of an ideal folk type. It is the story of Matrena Timofeevna about Savely that makes it possible to emphasize what brought together different people in general: not only the disenfranchised position in the Korchagin family, but also the commonality of characters. Matrena Timofeevna, whose whole life is filled only with love, and Savely Korchagin, whom hard life has made “stone”, “fierce than the beast”, are similar in the main thing: their “angry heart”, their understanding of happiness as “will”, as spiritual independence.

Matrena Timofeevna does not accidentally consider Savely lucky. Her words about “grandfather”: “He was also lucky ...” is not a bitter irony, because in Savely’s life, full of suffering and trials, there was something that Matryona Timofeevna herself values \u200b\u200bhighest of all - moral dignity, spiritual freedom. Being a "slave" of the landowner according to the law, Savely did not know spiritual slavery.

Savely, according to Matryona Timofeevna, called his youth "prosperity", although he experienced many insults, humiliations, and punishments. Why does he consider the past "good times"? Yes, because, fenced off by “swampy swamps” and “dense forests” from their landowner Shalashnikov, the inhabitants of Korezhina felt free:

We were only concerned
Bears ... yes with bears
We got along easily.
With a knife and with a horn
I myself am scarier than the elk,
Along the reserved paths
I go: "My forest!" - I scream.

"Prosperity" was not overshadowed by the annual flogging, which Shalashnikov arranged for his peasants, knocking out quitrents with rods. But the peasants - "proud people", having endured the flogging and pretending to be beggars, they knew how to save their money and, in turn, "amused" over the master, who was unable to take the money:

Weak people gave up
And the strong for the patrimony
They stood well.
I also endured
He hesitated, thinking:
"Whatever you do, son of a dog,
And you won't knock out your whole soul,
leave something"<...>
But we lived as merchants ...

The “happiness” that Savely speaks of is, of course, illusory, it is a year of free life without a landowner and the ability to “endure”, endure during the spanking and keep the money earned. But other "happiness" to the peasant could not be released. And yet, Koryozhina soon lost even such “happiness”: “penal servitude” began for the peasants when Vogel was appointed manager: “I ruined it to the bone! / And he fought ... like Shalashnikov himself! /<...>/ The German has a dead grip: / Until he lets him go around the world, / Without leaving, he sucks!

Savely glorifies non-patience as such. Not everything can and should be endured by the peasant. Saveliy clearly distinguishes the ability to "underbear" and "endure". To not endure means to succumb to pain, not to bear the pain, and to submit morally to the landowner. To endure means to lose dignity and to accept humiliation and injustice. Both that and another - does the person "slave".

But Savely Korchagin, like no one else, understands the whole tragedy of eternal patience. With him, an extremely important thought enters the narrative: about the wasted strength of the peasant hero. Savely not only glorifies the Russian heroism, but also mourns for this hero, humiliated and mutilated:

And so we endured
That we are rich.
In that Russian heroism.
Do you think, Matryonushka,
The man is not a hero?
And his life is not military,
And death is not written for him
In battle - a hero!

The peasantry in his reflections appears as a fabulous hero, chained and humiliated. This hero is more than heaven and earth. A truly cosmic image appears in his words:

Hands twisted with chains
Legs forged with iron
Back ... dense forests
Passed on it - broke.
And the chest? Elijah the prophet
On it rattles-rides
On a chariot of fire...
The hero suffers everything!

The hero holds the sky, but this work costs him great torment: “For the time being, a terrible thrust / He lifted something, / Yes, he himself went into the ground up to his chest / With an effort! On his face / Not tears - blood flows! But is there any point in this great patience? It is no coincidence that Savely is disturbed by the thought of a life gone in vain, a gift of wasted strength: “I was lying on the stove; / Lie down, thinking: / Where are you, strength, gone? / What were you good for? / - Under rods, under sticks / She left for trifles! And these bitter words are not only the result of one's own life: they are sorrow for the ruined people's strength.

But the author's task is not only to show the tragedy of the Russian hero, whose strength and pride "went away over trifles." It is no coincidence that at the end of the story about Savely, the name of Susanin appears - a hero-peasant: the monument to Susanin in the center of Kostroma reminded Matryona Timofeevna of "grandfather". Saveliy's ability to maintain freedom of spirit, spiritual independence even in slavery, not to submit to the soul - this is also heroism. It is important to emphasize this feature of the comparison. As N.N. Skatov, the monument to Susanin in the story of Matryona Timofeevna does not look like a real one. “A real monument created by the sculptor V.M. Demut-Malinovsky, the researcher writes, turned out to be more of a monument to the tsar than to Ivan Susanin, who was depicted kneeling near a column with a bust of the tsar. Nekrasov not only kept silent about the fact that the peasant was on his knees. In comparison with the rebel Savely, the image of the Kostroma peasant Susanin received for the first time in Russian art a peculiar, essentially anti-monarchist interpretation. At the same time, the comparison with Ivan Susanin, the hero of Russian history, put the final touch on the monumental figure of the Korezh bogatyr, Holy Russian peasant Savely.

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