Who in Russia live well analysis of the poem. Analysis of the poem "Who should live well in Russia" Arguments of the Nekrasovs of Russia to live well

1. Introduction. The poem "" is one of the most significant works of Nekrasov. The poet managed to unfold a large-scale picture depicting the life of the simple Russian people. The search for happiness by peasants is a symbol of the centuries-old desire of the peasantry for a better life. The content of the poem is very tragic, but it ends with a solemn affirmation of the future revival of "Mother Russia".

2. History of creation. The idea to write a real epic dedicated to the common people arose from Nekrasov in the late 1850s. After the abolition of serfdom, this plan began to be realized. In 1863 the poet gets to work. Separate parts of the poem were published as they were written in the journal Domestic Notes.

Part of "A Feast for the Whole World" was able to see the light after the death of the author. Unfortunately, Nekrasov did not have time to finish work on the poem. It was assumed that the wandering peasants would end their journey in St. Petersburg. In this way, they will be able to bypass all the supposed "happy people", not excluding the king.

3. The meaning of the name. The title of the poem has become a stable household phrase that carries the eternal Russian problem. As in the time of Nekrasov, so now, the Russian man remains dissatisfied with his position. Only in Russia could the proverb "It's good where we don't exist" appear. As a matter of fact, "to whom in Russia to live well" - a rhetorical question. It is unlikely that there are many people in our country who will answer that they are completely satisfied with their lives.

4. genre Poem

5. Topic. The main theme of the poem is the unsuccessful search for people's happiness. Nekrasov somewhat departs from his selfless service to the common people, arguing that not a single estate can consider itself happy. A common misfortune unites all categories of society, which makes it possible to speak of a single Russian people.

6.Issues. The central problem of the poem is the eternal Russian grief and suffering arising from the backwardness and low level of development of the country. In this regard, the peasantry occupies a special position. Being the most downtrodden class, it nevertheless retains within itself healthy national forces. The poem touches upon the problem of the abolition of serfdom. This long-awaited act did not bring the expected happiness. Nekrasov owns the most famous phrase describing the essence of the abolition of serfdom: "The great chain has broken ... One end on the master, the other on the peasant! .."

7. Heroes. Roman, Demyan, Luka, Gubin brothers, Pakhom, Prov. 8. Plot and Composition The poem has a circular composition. A fragment is constantly repeated, explaining the journey of the seven men. The peasants drop everything they do and go in search of a happy man. Each character has their own version of this. Wanderers decide to meet with all the "candidates for happiness" and find out the whole truth.

The realist Nekrasov admits a fairy-tale element: the peasants receive a self-assembled tablecloth, allowing them to continue their journey without any problems. The first seven men meet the priest, in whose happiness Luka was sure. The clergyman "according to his conscience" tells the wanderers about his life. It follows from his story that the priests do not enjoy any special advantages. The well-being of the priests is only an apparent phenomenon for the laity. In fact, the life of a priest is no less difficult than that of other people.

The chapters "Country Fair" and "Drunken Night" are devoted to both the reckless and hard life of the common people. Simple fun is replaced by deep drunkenness. For centuries, alcohol has been one of the main troubles of a Russian person. But Nekrasov is far from a decisive condemnation. One of the characters explains the propensity to drunkenness in this way: "Great sadness will come, when we stop drinking! ..".

In the chapter "The Landowner" and the part "Last Child" Nekrasov describes the nobles who also suffered from the abolition of serfdom. For the peasants, their suffering seems far-fetched, but in fact, the breaking of the centuries-old way of life "hit" the landlords very hard. Many farms were ruined, and their owners could not adapt to the new conditions. The poet dwells in detail on the fate of a simple Russian woman in the part "Peasant Woman". She is considered lucky. However, from the story of the peasant woman, it becomes clear that her happiness lies not in gaining anything, but in getting rid of trouble.

Even in the chapter "Happy" Nekrasov shows that the peasants do not expect favors from fate. Their ultimate dream is to avoid danger. The soldier is happy because he is still alive; the stonemason is happy because he continues to have great strength, etc. In the part "A Feast for the Whole World", the author notes that the Russian peasant, despite all the troubles and sufferings, does not lose heart, referring to grief with irony. In this regard, the song "Merry" with the refrain "It is glorious for the people to live in Holy Russia!" is indicative. Nekrasov felt the approach of death and understood that he would not have time to finish the poem. Therefore, he hastily wrote the "Epilogue", where Grisha Dobrosklonov appears, dreaming of the freedom and welfare of the whole people. He was supposed to be the lucky man the wanderers are looking for.

9. What does the author teach. truly rooted for Russia. He saw all her shortcomings and sought to draw the attention of his contemporaries to them. The poem "To whom it is good to live in Russia" is one of the most elaborate works of the poet, which, according to the plan, was to present the whole tormented Russia at a glance. Even in an unfinished form, it sheds light on a number of purely Russian problems, the solution of which is long overdue.

To whom in Russia 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 Russia” 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 Russia? 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 Russia?” - 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.
  3. The direction within which the poem “Who Lives Well in Russia” 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 Russia?”, 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 beaten, a serf proud of his privilege to eat out of the master's bowls, a grandmother whose turnip was mutilated in her garden to her joy ... 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 Russia 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 Russia.
    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.
    7. What is the poem about?

      Seven peasants met on the road and argued about who should live well in Russia? 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 farce Petrushka, a beggar, an overworked worker and a paralyzed former courtyard, an 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 Russia” 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 Russia” 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 Russia: 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 Russia 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 Russia. 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 Russia 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 gives his son as a recruit 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 Russia. 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 Russia" are diverse and allow us to paint a picture of the customs and life of that time.

      Topic

  • The main theme of the piece is freedom- 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, an idea, without which time loses its 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 Russia 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 Russia 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 Russia?” - 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 Russia 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 Russia?" - 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 Russia” 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.

Output

In Russia, 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, Russia 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 Russia” lies in the fact 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 really wants to 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 the 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 Russia 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.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

In the center of Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" is an image of the life of post-reform Russia. Nekrasov worked on the poem for 20 years, collecting material for it "word by word". It unusually broadly embraces the folk life of Russia at that time. Nekrasov sought to portray in the poem representatives of all social strata - from a poor peasant to a king. But, unfortunately, the poem was never finished. This was prevented by the death of the author. The main question of the work is clearly posed already in the title of the poem - who in Russia has a good life? This question is about happiness, well-being, about the human lot, fate. The thought of the painful fate of the peasant, of the peasant ruin runs through the whole poem. The position of the peasantry is clearly illustrated by the name of the places where the truth-telling peasants come from: Terpigorev district, Pustoporozhnaya volost, villages: Zaplatovo, Dyryavino, Razutovo, Znobishino, Gorelovo, Neelovo. Asking the question of finding a happy, prosperous person in Russia, the truth-seeking peasants set off on their way. They meet different people. The most memorable, original personalities are the peasant woman Matrena Timofeevna, the hero Savely, Ermil Girin, Agap Petrov, Yakim Nagoi. Despite the misfortunes that haunted them, they retained spiritual nobility, humanity, the ability to do good and self-sacrifice. Nekrasov's work is full of pictures of people's grief. The poet is very concerned about the fate of the peasant woman. Her share is shown by Nekrasov in the fate of Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina:

Matrena Timofeevna

stubborn woman,

Wide and dense

Thirty-eight years old.

Beautiful: gray hair,

The eyes are large, stern,

Eyelashes are the richest

Stern and swarthy

She has a white shirt on

Yes, the sundress is short,

Yes, a sickle over the shoulder ...

Matryona Timofeevna has to go through a lot: overwork, and hunger, and the humiliation of her husband's relatives, and the death of her first-born ... It is clear that all these trials changed Matryona Timofeevna. She says to herself like this: “I have a downcast head, I wear an angry heart ...”, and compares a woman’s fate with three loops of white, red and black silk. She concludes her reflections with a bitter conclusion: “You have not started a business - look for a happy woman among the women!” Speaking of the bitter fate of women, Nekrasov never ceases to admire the amazing spiritual qualities of a Russian woman, her will, self-esteem, pride, not crushed by the hardest conditions of life.

A special place in the poem is given to the image of the peasant Saveliy, the “hero of the Holy Russian”, “the hero of the homespun”, which personifies the gigantic strength and stamina of the people, the motivation of the rebellious spirit in him. In the episode of the rebellion, when the peasants, who had been holding back their hatred for years, led by Savely, push the landowner Vogel into the pit, not only the strength of the people's anger, but also the long-suffering of the people, the lack of organization of their protest is shown with remarkable clarity. Saveliy is endowed with the features of the legendary heroes of Russian epics - heroes. About Savelia, Matrena Timofeevna tells the wanderers: “There was also a lucky man.” Saveliy's happiness lies in love of freedom, in understanding the need for an active struggle of the people, who can achieve a “free”, happy life only through active resistance and action.

Based on the moral ideals of the people, relying on the experience of the liberation struggle, the poet creates images of "new people" - people from the peasant environment, who became fighters for the happiness of the poor. Such is Yermil Girin. He earned honor and love with strict truth, intelligence and kindness. But the fate of Yermila was not always favorable and kind to him. He ended up in prison when the “Frightened province, Terpigorev district, Nedykhanyev district, the village of Stolbnyaki” rebelled. The suppressors of the rebellion, knowing that the people would listen to Yermila, called him to exhort the rebellious peasants. But Girin, being the defender of the peasants, does not call them to humility, for which he is punished.

In his work, the author shows not only strong-willed and strong peasants, but also those whose hearts could not resist the corrupting influence of slavery. In the chapter "Last Child" we see the lackey Ipat, who does not even want to hear about the will. He recalls his “prince”, and calls himself “the last slave”. Nekrasov gives Ipat a well-aimed and malicious assessment: “sensitive lackey”. We see the same slave in the image of Jacob the faithful, an exemplary serf:

Only Jacob had joy

Grooming the master, protecting, appeasing ...

All his life he forgave the master of insults, bullying, but when Mr. Polivanov handed over the nephew of his faithful servant to the soldiers, coveting his bride, Yakov could not stand it and took revenge on the master with his own death.

It turns out that even morally deformed slaves, driven to the extreme, are able to protest. The whole poem is imbued with a sense of the inevitable and imminent death of a system based on slavish obedience.

The approach of this death is especially clearly felt in the last part of the poem - “A Feast for the Whole World”. The author's hopes are associated with the image of an intellectual from the people of Grigory Dobrosklonov. Nekrasov did not have time to complete this part, but nevertheless the image of Grigory turned out to be holistic and strong. Grisha is a typical raznochinets, the son of a laborer and a half-destitute deacon. He chooses the path of conscious revolutionary struggle, which seems to him the only possible way for the people to gain freedom and happiness. Grisha's happiness lies in the struggle for a happy future for the people, for "every peasant to live freely and cheerfully in all of holy Russia." In the image of Grigory Dobrosklonov, Nekrasov presented to readers the typical character traits of an advanced man of his time.

In his epic poem, Nekrasov poses the most important ethical problems: about the meaning of life, about conscience, about truth, about duty, about happiness. One of these problems follows directly from the question formulated in the title of the poem. What does it mean to "live well"? What is true happiness?

The heroes of the poem understand happiness in different ways. From the point of view of the priest, this is “peace, wealth, honor.” According to the landowner, happiness is an idle, well-fed, cheerful life, unlimited power. On the road leading to wealth, career, power, “a huge, greedy crowd goes to the temptation.” But the poet despises such happiness. It does not attract truth-seekers either. They see a different path, a different happiness. The happy life of the people for the poet is inseparable from the idea of ​​free labor. A man is happy when he is not bound by slavery.

Poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who in Russia should live well” is the final work of the poet’s work. The poet reflects the themes of people's happiness and grief, talks about human values.

Happiness for the heroes of the poem

The main characters of the work are seven men who go in search of happiness in Mother Russia. The heroes talk about happiness in disputes.

The first on the way of wanderers is a priest. For him, happiness is peace, honor and wealth. But he has neither one, nor the other, nor the third. He also convinces the heroes that happiness apart from the rest of society is completely impossible.

The landowner sees happiness in having power over the peasants. For peasants, harvest, health and satiety are important. Soldiers dream of being able to survive in difficult battles. The old woman finds happiness in a noble harvest of turnips. For Matryona Timofeevna, happiness lies in the dignity of a person, nobility and disobedience.

Ermil Girin

Ermil Girin sees his happiness in helping the people. Ermil Girin was respected and appreciated by the men for his honesty and justice. But once in his life he stumbled and sinned - he fenced off his nephew from recruitment and sent another guy. Having accomplished such an act, Yermil almost hanged himself from the torment of conscience. But the mistake was corrected, and Yermil took the side of the rebellious peasants, and for this he was put in jail.

Understanding Happiness. Grisha Dobrosklonov

Gradually, the search for a lucky man in Russia develops into an awareness of the concept of Happiness. The happiness of the people is represented by the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov, the protector of the people. While still a child, he set himself the goal of fighting for the happiness of a simple peasant, for the good of the people. It is in achieving this goal - happiness for a young man. For the author himself, this understanding of the problem of happiness in Russia is close.

Happiness in the perception of the author

The main thing for Nekrasov is to contribute to the happiness of the people around him. By itself, a person cannot be happy. Happiness will become available to the people only when the peasantry acquires its own civic position, when it learns to fight for its future.


The problem of happiness in the poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who should live well in Russia"

N.A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Russia” is a work that embodies the primordial, “eternal” features of the Russian national character, touches on acute social problems that arose in Russia [before] after the abolition of serfdom. The poet does not accidentally address this topic, he is very worried about the fate of the country.

The problem of happiness is the main one in the poem. The author is extremely concerned about the following philosophical question: "The people are free, but are the people happy?" The heroes of the work, seven men, are trying to find the answer: "Who lives happily, freely in Russia?" To understand who is truly happy, one should refer to the criteria for happiness, which are stated almost at the very beginning in the chapter "Pop": "Peace, wealth, honor." However, analyzing the poem, one can add to their list and affirm the main idea that true happiness lies in serving the people. This idea is embodied in the image of Grigory Dobrosklonov.

So, the problem of well-being criteria is solved in the episode of the meeting of men with the priest. However, Luke's opinion, which is that the happiest person is a clergyman, is refuted, since the priest has neither peace, nor honor, nor wealth.

The priest claims that there used to be profit from the landowners, but now he can only live on the means of poor peasants. He also has no respect. At the same time, the hero cannot live in peace, since the "coming" of the priests is "big": "sick, dying, born into the world." [It is important to say that] It is hard for a hero to see the suffering of the people, he cannot be happy when other people around are unhappy.

In addition, [from the point of view of the ideological content] the characters assumed that the landowner was also happy, however, referring to his image, it can be noted that he lacks honor. The reform of 1861 made life difficult for Obolt-Obolduev. Now he has no power over the peasants, who were the main component of his well-being and a means of lordly arbitrariness (“Whoever I want, I will have mercy, whoever I want, I will execute”). From all this it follows that the landowner is unhappy, since he has no one to manage, he has to do everything himself, while he cannot even distinguish between a "rye ear" and a "barley ear".

At the same time, wanderers are interested in finding a happy person from the common people. At the country fair, they offer food and vodka to those who are truly happy. However, no such people were found. Not a single person fits the criteria provided by the peasants earlier: either their happiness is fleeting, or according to the principle "it could be worse." So, the old woman considers herself happy because of the good harvest of turnips, to which the wanderers say to her: “Drink at home, old one, eat that turnip!” So is the hunter, who is glad that his comrades were bullied by bears, and his cheekbone was only twisted. All this, on the contrary, confirms the bad life of the Russian people, for whom any luck or everyday pettiness is already happiness.

Among other things, the heroes learn about Yermil Girin, who is famous for respect among the peasants. He represents the type of "people's intercessor", as a result of which at first he is considered among the lucky ones. However, after the characters find out that Yermila is in prison, which destroys the idea of ​​him as a lucky man.

Meanwhile, the men meet a woman, Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, whom the people themselves also consider happy. The heroine has both “honor”, ​​and “wealth”, and “honor”:

Not a woman! kinder

And more ironically - there is no woman.

However, Matryona Timofeevna herself recognizes in her life only one moment of happiness, when her future husband persuaded her to marry him:

While we were trading

Must be what I think

Then there was happiness...

And hardly ever again!

From this it follows that the joy of a woman is associated with a premonition of love, because after marriage her life turns into endless reproaches from her mother-in-law and father-in-law, hard work. She, like all other serf women, endures the humiliation and neglect of her husband's family, which is considered typical among the peasants, and the heroine also faces many difficulties in life. It is no coincidence that Matryona sums up her whole story, which is of a generalizing nature:

Keys to female happiness

From our free will

abandoned, lost

God himself!

Thus, it turns out that respect, prosperity and peace are not enough to be happy.

Then we will consider another character belonging to the type of a genuine happy person, Grigory Dobrosklonov. The hero represents the interests of the people, in his song he raises the topic of the future of Russia:

Rat rises -

innumerable,

The strength will affect her

Invincible!

The character represents the spiritual line of happiness, the essence of which is completely different from the ideas of men. The “great truth” expressed in Grisha Dobrosklonov’s song gives him such joy that he runs home, feeling “immense strength” in himself. The hero chooses the path of serving the people. His road will not be easy, but this is the happiness for the soul of the "people's protector", which lies not in his own well-being, but in unity with the whole people. From the point of view of composition and ideological content, this is the key idea in the work.

Thus, in N.A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who should live well in Russia” there is no clear answer to the question of who is happy in the country, however, the author shows [, ] how men move from earthly ideas about happiness to the understanding that happiness - a spiritual category, and in order to acquire it, changes are necessary not only in the social, but also in the mental structure of every peasant.