To whom in Rus' to live well is the main idea. Themes of essays on the poem "who lives well in Rus'"

Before proceeding directly to the analysis of "To whom it is good to live in Rus'", we will briefly consider the history of the creation of the poem and general information. Nikolai Nekrasov wrote the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'". The fact is that in 1861 serfdom was finally abolished - many had been waiting for this reform for a long time, but after its introduction, unforeseen problems began in society. One of them Nekrasov expressed as follows, to paraphrase a little: yes, people have become free, but have they become happy?

The poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" tells how life went after the reform. Most literary critics agree that this work is the pinnacle of Nekrasov's work. It may seem that the poems are sometimes funny, somewhat fabulous, simple and naive, but this is far from being the case. The poem should be read carefully and draw deep conclusions. And now let's move on to the analysis of "Who in Rus' should live well."

Theme of the poem and problems

What is the plot of the poem "To whom in Rus' it is good to live"? "Pillar path", and on it there are men - seven people. And they began to argue about who is the sweetest of all to live in Rus'. However, the answer is not so easy to find, so they decide to go on a journey. This is how the main theme of the poem is determined - Nekrasov widely reveals the life of Russian peasants and other people. Many questions are covered, because the peasants have to make acquaintances with all sorts - they meet: a priest, a landowner, a beggar, a drunkard, a merchant and many others.

Nekrasov invites the reader to learn about the fair and the prison, to see how hard the poor work and the master lives in a big way, to attend a merry wedding and celebrate the holiday. And all this can be comprehended by drawing conclusions. But this is not the main thing when we do the analysis "Who should live well in Rus'." Let us briefly discuss the moment why it is impossible to say unequivocally who the main character of this work is.

Who is the main character of the poem

It seems that everything is simple - seven men who argue and wander, trying to find the happiest person. In fact, they are the main characters. But, for example, the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov is clearly highlighted, because it is this character, according to Nekrasov's plan, that reflects the one who will enlighten Russia and save the people in the future. However, it is impossible not to mention the image of the people themselves - this is also the main image and character in the work.

For example, when reading "Drunken Night" and "A Feast for the Whole World" one can see the unity of people as a people when a fair, haymaking or mass festivities take place. Making an analysis of "Who should live well in Rus'", it can be noted that individual personality traits are not inherent in seven peasants, which clearly indicates Nekrasov's intention. Their description is very short, it is not possible to single out their character from a single character. In addition, men strive for the same goals and even argue most often at the same time.

Happiness in the poem becomes the main theme, and each character understands it in his own way. A priest or a landowner strives to get rich and receive honor, a peasant has a different happiness ... But it is important to understand that some heroes believe that one does not need to have one's own happiness, because it is inseparable from the happiness of the whole people. What other problems does Nekrasov raise in the poem? He talks about drunkenness, moral decline, sin, the interaction of old and new orders, love of freedom, rebellion. Separately, we mention the problem of women in Rus'.

“Who is living well in Rus'?” The poem begins with this question. The heroes who set out to look for "who lives happily, freely in Rus'" ask questions to representatives of different classes and receive different answers. Sometimes opposite ideals of happiness appear before us. However, the main goal of the heroes is to find “muzhik happiness”. Who are they happy? How to combine personal happiness with public? These are the questions the author asks himself and his characters.

For the landowner Obolt-Obolduev and Prince Utyatin, happiness is a thing of the past. These heroes regret the times of serfdom: "string" allowed them to be self-willed, spend time in idleness and gluttony, the fun of dog hunting ... "Peace, wealth, honor" - this is the formula of happiness that the pop brings, but in reality it turns out that there is no peace, no wealth, no honor in the life of a clergyman.

The peasant world appears before us in the chapter "Happy". It would seem that now, judging by the title of the chapter, we will get the answer to the main question of the poem. Is it so? The happiness of a soldier lies in the fact that the poor fellow was not killed in battles, not beaten with sticks, punishing for "great and small" offenses. The stonemason is happy that, by working, he drives away the need from the family. A Belarusian peasant, having suffered from hunger in the past, rejoices in satiety in the present ... Thus, happiness for these people consists in the absence of misfortune.

Further in the poem, images of people's intercessors appear. A clear conscience, the trust of people - this is Yermila Girin's happiness. For Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, endowed with fortitude, self-esteem, the idea of ​​happiness is associated with family and children. For Savely, happiness is freedom. But do they have what they say? ..

Nobody lives well in Rus'. Why are there no happy people in Rus'? Is serfdom alone, the habit of slavery, to blame? Will the country move towards happiness if the memory of serfdom disappears? This is how Grisha Dobrosklonov is inclined to think. But for Nekrasov, this is only part of the truth. Let us recall the "Elegy" ("Let the changeable fashion speak to us..."): "The people are liberated, but are the people happy? ..".

The problem of happiness is translated by the author into a moral plane. The key theme of the poem is the theme of sin. Numerous peasant sins, uniting with the master's, fall like a heavy cross on Rus'. Everyone is sinful, even the best: Yermila Girin shielded his brother from recruitment at the cost of widow's tears; Savely responded to oppression with murder... Is happiness possible at the expense of another? And what are they all the same - the paths leading to people's happiness? True happiness is the struggle for the people's welfare. Living for others is the ideal of Grisha Dobrosklonov. From the author's point of view, the only possible path to happiness is the path of redemption, sacrifice, asceticism. Matryona Korchagina lies down under the whip, Savely exhausts himself with a vow, Ermila Girin goes to prison, Grisha chooses "the glorious path, the loud name of the people's intercessor, consumption and Siberia."

Despite everything, the ending of the poem is optimistic. The author leads us to the conclusion that, firstly, the happiness of the people will be possible only when they become the full owner of their land. Secondly, only one who fulfills his duty to the people can be happy, sees the goal of life in his liberation from the sin of slavery, servility, poverty, drunkenness, savagery, and therefore - in universal happiness. Only in the struggle "for the embodiment of the happiness of the people" does a person "life freely, cheerfully in Rus'."

Nekrasov's poem, which has become a true epic of folk life, has absorbed all the main themes of the poet's work. The main idea of ​​this work, rendered in its title, gives the poem not only national, but also universal significance. Drawing the state of post-reform Russia, the poet emphasizes that in an atmosphere of change, stable, unchanging principles stand out most clearly. There is a theme here that is closely related to the most important theme of the poet’s late lyrics: the chains of serf slavery broke up, but the suffering of the people remained, there was an indelible mark left by centuries of slavery:

The great chain was torn, It was torn - it jumped: One end hit the gentleman, The other one hit the peasant! ..

The fact that the life of the people is still hard, the reader will already know in the "Prologue", where he meets wanderers who have to look for a happy one. It's "seven temporary"

The tightened province of Zaplatov, Dyryavin, Terpigorev Uyezd, Razutov, Zlobishin, Empty Volost, Gorelov, Neyolova - From adjacent villages: Crop failure also ...

The very names of these villages speak eloquently of the position of the people in post-reform Russia. But this theme appears most clearly in the further course of the search for the happy, who must embody the people's dream of happiness:

We are looking for, Uncle Vlas, Unworn province, Ungutted volost, Izbytkov village! ..

In the chapter “Happy”, the stories of the “happy ones” sound bitter irony, which show the wretchedness and unbearable hardship of the life of the people, when a person, poor, sick, crippled, is happy only because he remained alive after all the suffering he endured. Such is the "muzhik's happiness" - "leaky with patches, humpbacked with corns." All subsequent meetings of peasant wanderers confirm the idea that the share of the people is still difficult.

This is especially true of the female share - another favorite theme of Nekrasov's work, which reappears with all its might in the part "Peasant Woman", which tells about the fate of Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina. She, like many other Russian women, can draw a bitter conclusion:

It's not a matter - between the women To look for a happy one! ..

But the poet also sees the bright sides of people's life, which are connected with those richest opportunities that are inherent in it. This is a working people, the creator of all the material and spiritual values ​​​​with which the country is rich:

We are a little Working life - We ask God: A direct friend An honest thing To the heart is dear, To do skillfully Away from the threshold, Give us strength! Coward and lazy!

This theme is closely related to the theme of heroism inherent in the Russian national character. This is not only a heroic force, which is concentrated in the image of Savely, but the ability to stand up for the truth, for your happiness:

The army rises - Innumerable! The power in it will be indestructible!

That is why the words of the poet about the centuries-old humility and long-suffering of the people, which are also a hallmark of the national character, sound so bitter:

That is why we endured, That we are heroes. In that Russian heroism.

Savely says so, but it is not for nothing that the poet shows him, and with him the whole people, not only in humility, but also when his patience comes to an end. Saveliy tells how, unable to withstand the bullying of the German Vogel, the peasants buried him in the ground alive:

And no matter how the German ruled, Yes, our axes lay - for the time being!

It is significant that, in accordance with the laws of the epic, the national motivation here coincides with the social one. The poet claims that the people experience a similar antipathy towards the representatives of the church, although these feelings are not fully motivated. Calling the priests “a foal breed,” the peasants cannot answer why they treat them this way: “Not by themselves ... by their parents,” is all they can say. This is also a feature of epic consciousness, epic experience, which cannot be explained by the everyday experience of one generation. It is nationwide, primordial and dates back to the time of the forefathers.

But on the other hand, the hatred of the peasants for the oppressors-landowners is marked quite clearly. She clearly appears in the chapter "Landlord" and in the part "Last Child", where another major theme of Nekrasov's creativity arises - a satirical depiction of the enslavers and exploiters of the people. At the same time, the poet shows that the people's consciousness does not accept the position of the landowner Obolt-Obolduev, who longs for the times when he had unlimited power:

The law is my desire! The fist is my police!

With great doubt, the peasants listen to the story of how, after the abolition of serfdom, the peasants agree to play "gum" for the old landowner Utyatin, portraying his serfs. For this, the landowner's heirs promise the peasants, after the death of the old master, to give them water meadows. But it turns out that even in this capacity, serfdom is destructive: unable to withstand the humiliation, the peasant Agap dies. After all, serfdom cripples not only physically, but also morally. With bitterness, Nekrasov shows the people of the “servant rank” existing among the people, to whom the people themselves treat with great contempt. The poet experiences even greater pain, talking about how the people drown their grief in wine:

Every peasant has a soul like a black cloud - wrathful, formidable - and it would be necessary for thunders to thunder from there, to pour bloody rains, and everything ends with wine.

This thought runs through the entire chapter “Drunk Night”, it sounds further, but already here the appearance among the people of such people is shown who are able to soberly assess the situation of the people and try to find other ways to resist the hardships of life. After all, a sense of truth, justice, a sense of dignity are also inherent in the people's consciousness. This idea is reflected in such vivid images of the poem as Yakim Nagoi and Yermil Girin. Together with them, the work includes the themes of the awakening of the people's consciousness, its desire for truth, the ability to stand up for a common cause with the whole world (the scene of buying a mill). The democrat poet saw that popular protest was limited, elemental, faith in the tsar-father remained unchanged. Only the people's intercessor Grisha Dobrosklonov was given the opportunity to fully understand the roots of all the people's troubles: "Be strong with everything with wine," - and therefore the final part of the poem is connected with the theme of the people's intercessors, summing up the development of her artistic idea.

But in the previous parts of the poem, the poet says more than once that the people have an inherent desire for truth and beauty, creative forces are alive in it, a mighty spirit that allows, in spite of everything, with their work to create everything that the Russian land is proud of: material from the site

In slavery, the saved Heart is free - Gold, gold The heart of the people!

Of course, Nekrasov sees that the protest that is ripening among the people is spontaneous and inconsistent, and his aesthetic needs are still limited to popular prints, which Yakim Nagoi cherishes so much. But the poet dreams of that time

When the people are not Blucher And not my lord stupid, Belinsky and Gogol From the market will suffer.

It is not for nothing that the chapter “Village Fair” is of such importance in the poem, in which, in the atmosphere of a wide national holiday, a theatrical spectacle arises - a folk performance, a bala-gan with its inexhaustible humor, reckless fun, and sometimes, angry ridicule of the oppressors of the people. This festive, joyful, free element of folk life is felt even more in the last chapter, “A Feast for the Whole World,” which is entirely built on a folk song basis. All this shows that the main ideological basis of the poem is the author's belief that such a people is worthy of happiness, worthy of a better share that will be won back by them:

In moments of despondency, O Motherland! I am thinking ahead. You are still destined to suffer a lot, But you will not die, I know. Enough! Finished with the last calculation, Finished with the master! The Russian people are gathering strength And learning to be a citizen.

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To whom in Rus' to live well? This issue still worries many people, and this fact explains the increased attention to the legendary poem by Nekrasov. The author managed to raise a topic that has become eternal in Russia - the topic of asceticism, voluntary self-denial in the name of saving the fatherland. It is the service of a high goal that makes a Russian person happy, as the writer proved using the example of Grisha Dobrosklonov.

“Who is living well in Rus'” is one of the last works of Nekrasov. When he wrote it, he was already seriously ill: he was struck by cancer. That is why it is not finished. It was collected bit by bit by the poet's close friends and arranged the fragments in random order, barely capturing the confused logic of the creator, broken by a fatal illness and endless pains. He was dying in agony, and yet he was able to answer the question posed at the very beginning: Who lives well in Rus'? In a broad sense, he himself turned out to be lucky, because he faithfully and selflessly served the interests of the people. This ministry supported him in the fight against the fatal illness. Thus, the history of the poem began in the first half of the 60s of the 19th century, approximately in 1863 (serfdom was abolished in 1861), and the first part was completed in 1865.

The book was published in fragments. The prologue was already published in the January issue of Sovremennik in 1866. More chapters came out later. All this time, the work attracted the attention of censors and was mercilessly criticized. In the 70s, the author wrote the main parts of the poem: "Last Child", "Peasant Woman", "Feast for the Whole World". He planned to write much more, but due to the rapid development of the disease, he could not and stopped at "Feast ...", where he expressed his main idea regarding the future of Russia. He believed that such holy people as Dobrosklonov would be able to help his homeland, mired in poverty and injustice. Despite the fierce attacks of reviewers, he found the strength to stand up for a just cause to the end.

Genre, genre, direction

ON THE. Nekrasov called his creation “the epic of modern peasant life” and was precise in his wording: the genre of the work “Who should live well in Rus'?” - epic poem. That is, at the base of the book, not one kind of literature coexists, but two whole: lyrics and epic:

1. epic component. In the history of the development of Russian society in the 1860s, there was a turning point when people learned to live in new conditions after the abolition of serfdom and other fundamental changes in the usual way of life. This difficult historical period was described by the writer, reflecting the realities of that time without embellishment and falsity. In addition, the poem has a clear linear plot and many original characters, which indicates the scale of the work, comparable only to a novel (epic genre). The book also absorbed the folklore elements of heroic songs that tell about the military campaigns of heroes against enemy camps. All these are generic features of the epic.
2. lyric component. The work is written in verse - this is the main property of lyrics, as a kind. The book also has a place for author's digressions and typical poetic symbols, means of artistic expression, features of the characters' confession.

The direction within which the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was written is realism. However, the author significantly expanded its boundaries by adding fantastic and folklore elements (prologue, beginnings, symbolism of numbers, fragments and heroes from folk legends). The poet chose the form of travel for his idea, as a metaphor for the search for truth and happiness, which each of us carries out. Many researchers of Nekrasov's work compare the plot structure with the structure of the folk epic.

Composition

The laws of the genre determined the composition and plot of the poem. Nekrasov was finishing the book in terrible agony, but still did not have time to finish it. This explains the chaotic composition and many branches from the plot, because the works were formed and restored from drafts by his friends. In the last months of his life, he himself was unable to clearly adhere to the original concept of creation. Thus, the composition “Who is living well in Rus'?”, comparable only to the folk epic, is unique. It was developed as a result of the creative assimilation of world literature, and not the direct borrowing of some well-known model.

1. Exposition (Prologue). The meeting of seven men - the heroes of the poem: "On the pillar path / Seven men came together."
2. The plot is the oath of the heroes not to return home until they find the answer to their question.
3. The main part consists of many autonomous parts: the reader gets to know a soldier, happy that he was not killed, a serf, proud of his privilege to eat out of the master's bowls, a grandmother, in whose garden, to her joy, a turnip mutilated ... While the search for happiness stands still, the slow but steady growth of national self-consciousness is depicted, which the author wanted to show even more than the declared happiness in Russia. From random episodes, a general picture of Rus' emerges: impoverished, drunk, but not hopeless, striving for a better life. In addition, the poem contains several large and independent interstitial episodes, some of which are even placed in autonomous chapters (“Last Child”, “Peasant Woman”).
4. Climax. The writer calls Grisha Dobrosklonov, a fighter for the people's happiness, a happy man in Rus'.
5. Interchange. A serious illness prevented the author from completing his great plan. Even those chapters that he managed to write were sorted and marked by his confidants after his death. It must be understood that the poem is not finished, it was written by a very sick person, therefore this work is the most complex and confusing of Nekrasov's entire literary heritage.
6. The final chapter is called "A Feast for the Whole World". All night the peasants sing about the old and new times. Kind and hopeful songs are sung by Grisha Dobrosklonov.

What is the poem about?

Seven peasants met on the road and argued about who should live well in Rus'? The essence of the poem is that they were looking for an answer to this question on the way, talking with representatives of different classes. The revelation of each of them is a separate story. So, the heroes went for a walk in order to resolve the dispute, but only quarreled, starting a fight. In the night forest, at the moment of a fight, a chick fell from the bird's nest, and one of the men picked it up. The interlocutors sat down by the fire and began to dream in order to also acquire wings and everything necessary for traveling in search of the truth. The warbler bird turns out to be magical and, as a ransom for her chick, tells people how to find a self-assembled tablecloth that will provide them with food and clothes. They find her and feast, and during the feast they vow to find the answer to their question together, but until then they will not see any of their relatives and not return home.

On the way they meet a priest, a peasant woman, a farcical Petrushka, a beggar, an overworked worker and a paralyzed former yard, honest man Yermila Girin, a landowner Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, a survivor of the mind of the Last Duck and his family, a serf Yakov the faithful, God's wanderer Ion Lyapushkin but none of them were happy people. Each of them is associated with a story full of genuine tragedy of suffering and misfortune. The goal of the journey is reached only when the wanderers stumble upon the seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov, who is happy with his selfless service to his homeland. With good songs, he instills hope in the people, and this is how the poem “Who lives well in Rus'” ends. Nekrasov wanted to continue the story, but did not have time, but he gave his heroes a chance to gain faith in the future of Russia.

Main characters and their characteristics

It is safe to say about the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” that they represent a complete system of images that streamlines and structures the text. For example, the work emphasizes the unity of the seven wanderers. They do not show individuality, character, they express the common features of national self-consciousness for all. These characters are a single whole, their dialogues, in fact, are a collective speech that originates from oral folk art. This feature makes Nekrasov's poem related to the Russian folklore tradition.

1. Seven Wanderers are former serfs "from adjacent villages - Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutov, Znobishina, Gorelova, Neyolova, Neurozhayka, too." All of them put forward their own versions of who lives well in Rus': a landowner, an official, a priest, a merchant, a noble boyar, a sovereign minister or a tsar. Perseverance is expressed in their character: they all demonstrate unwillingness to take sides. Strength, courage and the pursuit of truth - that's what unites them. They are ardent, easily succumb to anger, but the appeasement compensates for these shortcomings. Kindness and responsiveness make them pleasant interlocutors, even despite some meticulousness. Their temper is harsh and cool, but life did not spoil them with luxury: the former serfs always bent their backs, working for the master, and after the reform, no one bothered to attach them properly. So they wandered in Rus' in search of truth and justice. The search itself characterizes them as serious, thoughtful and thorough people. The symbolic number "7" means a hint of good luck that awaited them at the end of the journey.
2. Main character- Grisha Dobrosklonov, seminarian, son of a deacon. By nature, he is a dreamer, a romantic, loves to compose songs and make people happy. In them, he talks about the fate of Russia, about her misfortunes, and at the same time about her mighty strength, which will someday come out and crush injustice. Although he is an idealist, his character is firm, as are his convictions to devote his life to the service of the truth. The character feels a calling to be a people's leader and singer of Rus'. He is happy to sacrifice himself to a lofty idea and help his homeland. However, the author hints that a difficult fate awaits him: prisons, exile, hard labor. The authorities do not want to hear the voice of the people, they will try to shut them up, and then Grisha will be doomed to torment. But Nekrasov makes it clear with all his might that happiness is a state of spiritual euphoria, and it can only be known by being inspired by a lofty idea.
3. Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina- the main character, a peasant woman, whom the neighbors call lucky because she begged the wife of her husband's military leader (he, the only breadwinner of the family, was to be recruited for 25 years). However, the story of a woman's life reveals not luck or good fortune, but grief and humiliation. She knew the loss of her only child, the anger of her mother-in-law, everyday, exhausting work. Detailed and her fate is described in an essay on our website, be sure to look.
4. Savely Korchagin- the grandfather of Matryona's husband, a real Russian hero. At one time, he killed a German manager who mercilessly mocked the peasants entrusted to him. For this, a strong and proud man paid for decades of hard labor. Upon his return, he was no longer good for anything, years of imprisonment trampled on his body, but did not break his will, because, as before, he stood up for justice with a mountain. The hero always said about the Russian peasant: "And it bends, but does not break." However, without knowing it, the grandfather turns out to be the executioner of his own great-grandson. He did not notice the child, and the pigs ate it.
5. Ermil Girin- a man of exceptional honesty, a steward in the estate of Prince Yurlov. When he needed to buy the mill, he stood in the square and asked people to rush to help him. After the hero got to his feet, he returned all the borrowed money to the people. For this, he earned respect and honor. But he is unhappy, because he paid for his authority with freedom: after the peasant revolt, suspicion fell on him in his organization, and he was imprisoned.
6. Landlords in the poem“To whom in Rus' to live well” are presented in abundance. The author portrays them objectively and even gives some images a positive character. For example, the governor's wife Elena Alexandrovna, who helped Matryona, appears as a people's benefactor. Also, with a note of compassion, the writer portrays Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, who also treated the peasants tolerably, even arranged holidays for them, and with the abolition of serfdom, he lost the ground under his feet: he was too accustomed to the old order. In contrast to these characters, the image of the Last Duck and his treacherous, prudent family was created. The relatives of the hard-hearted old serf-owner decided to deceive him and persuaded the former slaves to participate in the performance in exchange for profitable territories. However, when the old man died, the rich heirs brazenly deceived the common people and drove him away with nothing. The apogee of the nobility of the nobility is the landowner Polivanov, who beats his faithful servant and sends his son to the recruits for trying to marry his beloved girl. Thus, the writer is far from denigrating the nobility everywhere, he is trying to show both sides of the coin.
7. Kholop Yakov- an indicative figure of a serf, the antagonist of the hero Saveliy. Yakov absorbed the whole slavish essence of the oppressed class, downtrodden with lack of rights and ignorance. When the master beats him and even sends his son to certain death, the servant meekly and meekly endures the offense. His revenge was a match for this humility: he hanged himself in the forest right in front of the master, who was crippled and could not get home without his help.
8. Iona Lyapushkin- God's wanderer, who told the peasants several stories about the life of people in Rus'. It tells about the epiphany of ataman Kudeyara, who decided to atone for sins by killing for good, and about the cunning of Gleb the headman, who violated the will of the late master and did not release the serfs on his orders.
9. Pop- a representative of the clergy, who complains about the difficult life of a priest. The constant clash with grief and poverty saddens the heart, not to mention the popular witticisms against his dignity.

The characters in the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" are diverse and allow us to paint a picture of the customs and life of that time.

Subject

• The main theme of the piece is Liberty- rests on the problem that the Russian peasant did not know what to do with it, and how to adapt to new realities. The national character is also “problematic”: people-thinkers, people-seekers of truth still drink, live in oblivion and empty talk. They are not able to squeeze slaves out of themselves until their poverty acquires at least the modest dignity of poverty, until they stop living in drunken illusions, until they realize their strength and pride, trampled down by centuries of humiliating state of affairs that have been sold, lost and bought.
• Happiness Theme. The poet believes that a person can get the highest satisfaction from life only by helping other people. The real value of being is to feel needed by society, to bring goodness, love and justice to the world. Selfless and selfless service to a good cause fills every moment with sublime meaning, with an idea, without which time loses color, becomes dull from inaction or selfishness. Grisha Dobrosklonov is happy not with wealth and position in the world, but with the fact that he leads Russia and his people to a brighter future.
• Homeland Theme. Although Rus' appears in the eyes of readers as a poor and tortured, but still a beautiful country with a great future and a heroic past. Nekrasov pities his homeland, devoting himself entirely to its correction and improvement. The homeland for him is the people, the people are his muse. All these concepts are closely intertwined in the poem "To whom in Rus' it is good to live." The author's patriotism is especially pronounced at the end of the book, when wanderers find a lucky man who lives in the interests of society. In a strong and patient Russian woman, in the justice and honor of a hero-peasant, in the sincere good-heartedness of a folk singer, the creator sees the true image of his state, full of dignity and spirituality.
• The theme of labor. Useful activity elevates the impoverished heroes of Nekrasov above the vanity and depravity of the nobility. It is idleness that destroys the Russian master, turning him into a self-satisfied and arrogant nonentity. But the common people have skills that are really important for society and genuine virtue, without them there will be no Russia, but the country will manage without noble tyrants, revelers and greedy seekers of wealth. So the writer comes to the conclusion that the value of each citizen is determined only by his contribution to the common cause - the prosperity of the motherland.
• mystical motif. Fantastic elements appear already in the Prologue and immerse the reader in the fabulous atmosphere of the epic, where you have to follow the development of the idea, and not the realism of the circumstances. Seven owls on seven trees - the magic number 7, which promises good luck. The raven praying to the devil is another guise of the devil, because the raven symbolizes death, grave decay and infernal forces. He is opposed by a good force in the form of a warbler bird, which equips the men on the road. A self-assembled tablecloth is a poetic symbol of happiness and contentment. The “Wide Path” is a symbol of the open ending of the poem and the basis of the plot, because on both sides of the road, travelers open up a multifaceted and genuine panorama of Russian life. Symbolic is the image of an unknown fish in unknown seas, which has swallowed "the keys to female happiness." A weeping she-wolf with bloody nipples also clearly demonstrates the difficult fate of a Russian peasant woman. One of the most vivid images of the reform is the “great chain”, which, having broken, “spread one end along the gentleman, the other along the peasant!”. The seven wanderers are a symbol of the entire people of Russia, restless, waiting for change and seeking happiness.

Issues

• In the epic poem, Nekrasov touched on a large number of acute and topical issues of that time. The main problem is “Who is it good to live in Rus'?” - the problem of happiness, both socially and philosophically. It is connected with the social theme of the abolition of serfdom, which greatly changed (and not for the better) the traditional way of life of all segments of the population. It would seem that here it is, freedom, what else do people need? Is this not happiness? However, in reality, it turned out that the people, who, due to long slavery, do not know how to live independently, turned out to be thrown to the mercy of fate. A priest, a landowner, a peasant woman, Grisha Dobrosklonov and seven peasants are real Russian characters and destinies. The author described them, relying on rich experience of communicating with people from the common people. The problems of the work are also taken from life: disorder and confusion after the reform to abolish serfdom really affected all classes. No one organized jobs for yesterday's serfs, or at least land allotments, no one provided the landowner with competent instructions and laws governing his new relationship with workers.
• The problem of alcoholism. Wanderers come to an unpleasant conclusion: life in Rus' is so hard that without drunkenness a peasant will completely die. Forgetfulness and fog are necessary for him in order to somehow pull the strap of a hopeless existence and hard labor.
• The problem of social inequality. The landlords have been torturing the peasants with impunity for years, and Savelyia has been deformed for the murder of such an oppressor all her life. For the deceit, there will be nothing for the relatives of the Last, and their servants will again be left with nothing.
• The philosophical problem of the search for truth, which each of us encounters, is allegorically expressed in the campaign of seven wanderers who understand that without this discovery their life is depreciated.

The idea of ​​the work

The road skirmish of the peasants is not an everyday quarrel, but an eternal, great dispute, in which all layers of Russian society of that time appear to one degree or another. All its main representatives (priest, landowner, merchant, official, tsar) are called to the peasant court. For the first time men can and have the right to judge. For all the years of slavery and poverty, they are not looking for retribution, but for an answer: how to live? This is the meaning of Nekrasov's poem "Who is living well in Rus'?" - the growth of national consciousness on the ruins of the old system. The author's point of view is expressed by Grisha Dobrosklonov in his songs: “And your burden was lightened by fate, companion of the days of the Slav! You are still a slave in the family, but the mother is already a free son! ..». Despite the negative consequences of the reform of 1861, the creator believes that behind it is a happy future for the fatherland. It is always difficult at the beginning of change, but this work will be rewarded a hundredfold.

The most important condition for further prosperity is to overcome internal slavery:

Enough! Finished with the last calculation,
Done with sir!
The Russian people gather with strength
And learning to be a citizen

Despite the fact that the poem is not finished, Nekrasov voiced the main idea. Already the first of the songs of “A Feast for the Whole World” gives an answer to the question posed in the title: “The share of the people, their happiness, light and freedom, first of all!”

End

In the finale, the author expresses his point of view on the changes that have taken place in Russia in connection with the abolition of serfdom and, finally, sums up the results of the search: Grisha Dobrosklonov is recognized as the lucky one. It is he who is the bearer of Nekrasov's opinion, and in his songs the true attitude of Nikolai Alekseevich to what he described is hidden. The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” ends with a feast for the whole world in the truest sense of the word: this is the name of the last chapter, where the characters celebrate and rejoice at the happy end of the search.

Conclusion

In Rus', the hero of Nekrasov, Grisha Dobrosklonov, is well, as he serves people, and, therefore, lives with meaning. Grisha is a fighter for the truth, a prototype of a revolutionary. The conclusion that can be drawn on the basis of the work is simple: a lucky man has been found, Rus' is embarking on the path of reforms, the people, through thorns, are drawn to the title of citizen. This bright omen is the great meaning of the poem. For more than a century it has been teaching people altruism, the ability to serve high ideals, and not vulgar and passing cults. From the point of view of literary skill, the book is also of great importance: it is truly a folk epic, reflecting a controversial, complex, and at the same time the most important historical era.

Of course, the poem would not be so valuable if it only gave lessons in history and literature. She gives life lessons, and this is her most important property. The moral of the work “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is that it is necessary to work for the good of one’s homeland, not to scold it, but to help it with deeds, because it’s easier to push around with a word, but not everyone can and wants to really change something. Here it is, happiness - to be in your place, to be needed not only for yourself, but also for the people. Only together can a significant result be achieved, only together can we overcome the problems and hardships of this overcoming. Grisha Dobrosklonov, with his songs, tried to unite, rally people so that they would meet changes shoulder to shoulder. This is his holy purpose, and everyone has it, it is important not to be too lazy to go out on the road and look for him, as the seven wanderers did.

Criticism

The reviewers were attentive to the work of Nekrasov, because he himself was an important person in literary circles and had great authority. Entire monographs were devoted to his phenomenal civil lyrics with a detailed analysis of the creative methodology and the ideological and thematic originality of his poetry. For example, here is how the writer S.A. spoke about his style. Andreevsky:

He retrieved the anapaest abandoned on Olympus from oblivion and for many years made this heavy, but flexible meter as walking as from the time of Pushkin to Nekrasov only airy and melodious iambic remained. This rhythm, chosen by the poet, reminiscent of the rotational movement of a hurdy-gurdy, made it possible to stay on the borders of poetry and prose, to joke with the crowd, to speak fluently and vulgarly, to insert a cheerful and cruel joke, to express bitter truths and imperceptibly, slowing down the beat, with more solemn words, to turn into ornate.

Korney Chukovsky spoke with inspiration about the thorough preparation of Nikolai Alekseevich for work, citing this example of writing as a standard:

Nekrasov himself constantly “visited Russian huts”, thanks to which both soldier and peasant speech became thoroughly known to him from childhood: not only from books, but also in practice, he studied the common language and from his youth became a great connoisseur of folk poetic images, folk forms thinking, folk aesthetics.

The death of the poet came as a surprise and a blow to many of his friends and colleagues. As you know, F.M. Dostoevsky with a heartfelt speech inspired by the impressions of a recently read poem. Specifically, among other things, he said:

He, indeed, was highly original and, indeed, came with a "new word."

The “new word”, first of all, was his poem “Who in Rus' should live well”. No one before him was so deeply aware of the peasant, simple, worldly grief. His colleague in his speech noted that Nekrasov was dear to him precisely because he bowed "to the people's truth with his whole being, which he testified to in his best creations." However, Fedor Mikhailovich did not support his radical views on the reorganization of Russia, however, like many thinkers of that time. Therefore, criticism reacted violently to the publication, and in some cases aggressively. In this situation, the honor of a friend was defended by a well-known reviewer, a master of the word Vissarion Belinsky:

N. Nekrasov in his last work remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and requirements.

Quite sharply, recalling, apparently, professional disagreements, I. S. Turgenev spoke about the work:

Nekrasov's poems, collected in one trick, are burning.

The liberal writer was not a supporter of his former editor and openly expressed his doubts about his talent as an artist:

In white threads sewn together, seasoned with all sorts of absurdities, painfully hatched fabrications of the mournful muse of Mr. Nekrasov - she, poetry, is not even worth a penny ”

He really was a man of very high nobility of soul and a man of great mind. And as a poet he is, of course, superior to all poets.

Nekrasov always dreamed that the Russian peasant would take at least the first step towards liberation: he would comprehend his fate, understand the causes of misfortunes, and consider the ways of liberation.

In this poem, the poet accomplishes the impossible, turning his dream into reality himself. That is why the poem turned out to be fabulous, very close to folklore.

The plot of the fairy tale poem is that seven peasants - temporarily obliged peasants - abandon their household worries and affairs and, having agreed and argued with each other to their heart's content, they go around Rus' to look for a happy one, or, as they themselves say, “whoever lives happily, freely in Rus'.

First, their starting understanding of happiness is naive and primitive: at the beginning of the poem they understand happiness exclusively as wealth and contentment. Therefore, the first "suspects" are the landowner, priest, even the king. On their way, they learn many destinies, get acquainted with the life stories of people of various classes and wealth, from the social bottom to the very top. Their idea of ​​happiness is gradually corrected, and the travelers themselves receive not only the necessary life experience, but also the pleasure of their search.

In essence, this is a poem-tale, in form - a poem-journey. Traveling not only in space (in Rus'), but also in the spheres of life, from top to bottom.

Main character groups

Peasants-truth-seekers, wanderers, thinking about their fate and looking for a happy life in Rus'.

Peasants-serfs, voluntary slaves, causing contempt or pity. Among them are “an exemplary slave - Jacob the faithful”, a yard servant Ipat, Gleb the headman.

The masters of life, the oppressors of the people, depicted evil, and sometimes with sympathy. Among them are a landowner, a priest, and others.

People's defenders who took the first steps towards the struggle for people's happiness. This is the robber Kudeyar, Savely - the Holy Russian hero, Yakim Nagoi, Ermil Girin, Matryona Timofeevna, Grigory Dobrosklonov.

The idea and composition of the poem

This poem became the main Nekrasov book. He conceived and started it in 1863, shortly after the abolition of serfdom, and wrote until his death, almost 15 years, but never finished.

Of the four large fragments, only "part one" was conceived by Nekrasov as complete, completed. The chapters "The Last Child" and "A Feast for the Whole World", connected both by plot and by the time of action, have the author's notes "from the second part", and "The Peasant Woman" has the subtitle "from the third part". Almost nothing else is clear. Looking at the parts, we must guess at the possible whole.

Today, the chapters are usually arranged in the order of the author's work on them: “Part One” - “Last Child” - “Peasant Woman” - “A Feast for the Whole World”. It is precisely such a composition that is prompted by the logic of the change in the ideas of peasant truth-seekers about a happy person, although Nekrasov did not have time to build parts and chapters in the order he needed.

The idea of ​​the poem

The main idea of ​​the poem is that the reform of 1861 did not bring relief and happiness to either the “master” or the “muzhik”:

The great chain is broken

Torn - jumped:

One end - on the master,

Others - for a man! ..

For the priest, happiness lies in the feudal past, when the church was maintained by rich landlords, and the ruin of the landowners led to the impoverishment of the peasants and the decline of the clergy.

Two landowners Obolt-Obolduev (chapter V1 of part) and Utyatin-prince (chapter "The Last") yearn for the forever lost paradise of serf Rus', when noble happiness consisted in idleness, luxury, gluttony, self-will and autocracy. The wealth of the “progressive” landowner is based on extortions from quitrent peasants, and the landowner’s peace is a belief in the idyll of a single family of a feudal landowner (father) and peasants (children), where the father can punish in a paternal way, or maybe generously pardon. The happiness of Prince Utyatin from the chapter "Last Child" lies in the satisfaction of lust for power and in tyranny, conceited pride in one's origin. And now - wealth has been lost, peace has been lost (peasants-robbers are all around), no one favors noble honor (wanderers call the landlords "scoundrels"), and the landowner himself received a speaking surname, which combines an idiot, a fool and a balda.

What is happiness in the eyes of the people? In the chapter “Happy”, those who like to drink a gratuitous cup talk about their happiness as the absence of unhappiness (“Country Fair”). The soldier is happy that in twenty battles he “was, not killed”, “I was mercilessly beaten with sticks”, but remained alive. The old woman rejoices that she will not die of hunger, as many raps were born "on a small ridge." The bricklayer, who overstrained himself at work, is glad that he finally got to his native village:

Hey, happiness man!

Leaky with patches

Humpbacked with calluses.

The people in the concept of happiness are content with small things, taking for it even small luck. The gallery of happy people ends with an ironic paradox: the parade of “lucky ones” is completed by the beggars, for whom happiness lies in receiving alms.

But here the peasant Fedosey from the village of Dymoglotov calls the wanderers happy - Yermila Girin. At first he is a clerk, then he is chosen as a steward. He retreated from the truth only once, saving his “little brother Mitriy” from recruitment, but then repents publicly, receives forgiveness, successfully fights for the mill with the merchant Altynnikov, collecting money from everyone, and then honestly returns it to those who donated. The end of Girin's story is shrouded in mystery: he was called to help pacify the peasants of the "landowner Obrubkov", and then it is reported that "he is sitting in prison" (obviously, he turned out to be on the side of the rebels).

In the chapter "Peasant Woman" Nekrasov creates a wonderful image of Matryona Timofeevna, who has passed all the tests possible for a Russian woman: family "hell" in her husband's house, the terrible death of a child, public punishment at the whim of a tyrant-landlord, her husband's soldierhood. But she continues to rule the house, raise children. The author saw the happiness of a Russian peasant woman through the eyes of wanderers in unbending steadfastness and great patience.

Another “lucky one” is Saveliy, the Holy Russian hero: “branded, but not a slave!” - endured, endured, but his patience came to an end, however, after 18 years of humiliation. For swearing at the German manager, nine men, led by Savely, bury him alive in the ground, for which he receives years of hard labor. After serving his sentence, Savely becomes the unwitting culprit of the death of his grandson, leaves to wander, repents and dies, having lived to "one hundred and seven years."

There are three paths for men:

Tavern, jail and hard labor ...

Only in the epilogue does a truly happy character appear - Grigory Dobrosklonov. Growing up in the family of a sexton, he lives an ordinary difficult peasant life, but with the help of fellow villagers he enters the seminary and chooses his own path, in which the word is the main weapon. This is the way of the poet - the people's intercessor.

Nekrasov's happiest person is not a tsar, not a drunk, not a slave, not a landowner, but a poet singing radiant hymns about people's happiness. The songs composed by Grisha are one of the strongest points in the poem.

Thus, following the questions of Gogol “Rus, where are you rushing to?”, Herzen “Who is to blame?”, Chernyshevsky “What to do?” Nekrasov poses another eternal Russian question: “Who is living well in Rus'?”