Living well in Rus' is the essence of the poem. The meaning of the title of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

Nekrasov’s entire poem is a flaring up, gradually gaining strength, worldly gathering. For Nekrasov, it is important that the peasantry not only thought about the meaning of life, but also set out on a difficult and long path of truth-seeking.
The “Prologue” begins the action. Seven peasants argue about “who lives happily and freely in Rus'.” The men do not yet understand that the question of who is happier - the priest, the landowner, the merchant, the official or the tsar - reveals the limitations of their idea of ​​​​happiness, which comes down to material security. A meeting with a priest makes men think about a lot:

Well, here's what you've praised
Popov's life.

Starting from the chapter “Happy”, a turn is planned in the direction of the search for a happy person. On their own initiative, the “lucky ones” from the lower classes begin to approach the wanderers. Stories are heard - confessions of courtyard people, clergy, soldiers, stonemasons, hunters. Of course, these “lucky ones” are such that the wanderers, seeing the empty bucket, exclaim with bitter irony:

Hey, man's happiness!
Leaky with patches,
Humpbacked with calluses,
Go home!

But at the end of the chapter there is a story about a happy man - Ermil Girin. The story about him begins with a description of his litigation with the merchant Altynnikov. Yermil is conscientious. Let us remember how he paid off the peasants for the debt collected in the market square:

All day with my money open
Yermil walked around, asking questions,
Whose ruble? I didn’t find it.

Throughout his life, Yermil refutes the initial ideas of wanderers about the essence of human happiness. It would seem that he has “everything that is needed for happiness: peace of mind, money, and honor.” But at a critical moment in his life, Yermil sacrifices this “happiness” for the sake of the people’s truth and ends up in prison. Gradually, the ideal of an ascetic, a fighter for the people's interests, is born in the minds of the peasants. In the part “The Landowner,” the wanderers treat the masters with obvious irony. They understand that noble “honor” is worth little.

No, you are not noble to us,
Give me your peasant's word.

Yesterday’s “slaves” took up the task of solving problems that since ancient times were considered a noble privilege. The nobility saw its historical destiny in caring about the fate of the Fatherland. And then suddenly the men took over this single mission from the nobility and became citizens of Russia:

The landowner is not without bitterness
Said: “Put on your hats,
Sit down, gentlemen!”

In the last part of the poem, a new hero appears: Grisha Dobrosklonov - a Russian intellectual who knows that people's happiness can only be achieved as a result of a nationwide struggle for the “Unflogged province, Ungutted volost, Izbytkovo village.”

The army rises -
Uncountable,
The strength in her will affect
Indestructible!

The fifth chapter of the last part ends with words expressing the ideological pathos of the entire work: “If only our wanderers could be under their own roof, // If only they could know what was happening to Grisha.” These lines seem to answer the question posed in the title of the poem. A happy person in Rus' is one who firmly knows that he must “live for the happiness of his wretched and dark native corner.”

THE MEANING OF THE TITLE OF THE POEM N.A. NEKRASOV “WHO LIVES WELL IN Rus'”

Nekrasov’s entire poem is a worldly gathering that is flaring up and gradually gaining strength. For Nekrasov, it is important that the peasantry not only thought about the meaning of life, but also set out on a difficult and long path of truth-seeking.

The Prologue sets up the action. Seven peasants argue about “who lives happily and freely in Rus'.” The men do not yet understand that the question of who is happier - the priest, the landowner, the merchant, the official or the tsar - reveals the limitations of their idea of ​​​​happiness, which comes down to material security. A meeting with a priest makes men think about a lot:

Well, here's Popov's vaunted life.

Starting from the chapter “Happy”, a turn is planned in the direction of the search for a happy person. On their own initiative, the “lucky” ones from the lower classes begin to approach the wanderers. Stories are heard - confessions of courtyard people, clergy, soldiers, stonemasons, hunters. Of course, these “lucky ones” are such that the wanderers, seeing the empty bucket, exclaim with bitter irony:

Hey, man's happiness! Leaky with patches, Humpbacked with calluses, Go home!

But at the end of the chapter there is a story about a happy man - Ermil Girin. The story about him begins with a description of his litigation with the merchant Altynnikov. Yermil is conscientious. Let us remember how he paid off the peasants for the debt collected in the market square:

All day long Yermil walked around with his purse open, asking, Whose ruble is it? I didn’t find it.

Throughout his life, Yermil refutes the initial ideas of wanderers about the essence of human happiness. It would seem that he has “everything that is needed for happiness: peace of mind, money, and honor.” But at a critical moment in his life, Yermil sacrifices this “happiness” for the sake of the people’s truth and ends up in prison. Gradually, the ideal of an ascetic, a fighter for the people's interests, is born in the minds of the peasants. In the part “The Landowner,” the wanderers treat the masters with obvious irony. They understand that noble “honor” is worth little.

No, you are not a noble to us, give us the word of a peasant.

Yesterday's "slaves" took on the solution of problems that since ancient times were considered a noble privilege. The nobility saw its historical destiny in caring about the fate of the Fatherland. And then suddenly the men took over this single mission from the nobility and became citizens of Russia:

The landowner, not without bitterness, said: “Put on your hats, sit down, gentlemen!”

In the last part of the poem, a new hero appears: Grisha Dob-rosklonov - a Russian intellectual who knows that people's happiness can only be achieved as a result of a nationwide struggle for the “Unflogged province, Ungutted volost, Izbytkovo village.”

The army is rising - Innumerable, The strength in it will be indestructible!

The fifth chapter of the last part ends with words expressing the ideological pathos of the entire work: “If only our wanderers could be under their own roof, // If only they could know what was happening to Grisha.” These lines seem to answer the question posed in the title of the poem. A happy person in Rus' is one who firmly knows that he must “live for the happiness of his wretched and dark native corner.”

The meaning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not clear. After all, the question is: who is happy? – raises others: what is happiness? Who deserves happiness? Where should you look for it? And “The Peasant Woman” does not so much close these questions as open them and lead to them. Without “The Peasant Woman,” everything is not clear either in the part “The Last One,” which was written before “The Peasant Woman,” or in the part “A Feast for the Whole World,” which was written after it.
In “The Peasant Woman,” the poet raised deep layers of the life of the people, their social existence, their ethics and their poetry, clarifying what the true potential of this life is, its creative beginning. Working on heroic characters (Savely, Matryona Timofeevna), created on the basis of folk poetry (song, epic), the poet strengthened his faith in the people.
This work became the guarantee of such faith and the condition for further work on actually modern material, which turned out to be a continuation of “The Last One” and formed the basis of the part called “A Feast for the Whole World” by the poet. “Good time - good songs” is the final chapter of “The Feast”. If the previous one was called “Both the Old and the New,” then this one could be entitled “Both the Present and the Future.” It is the focus on the future that explains a lot in this chapter, which is not accidentally called “Songs,” because they contain its entire essence.
There is also a person here who writes and sings these songs - Grisha Dobrosklonov. Much in Russian history pushed Russian artists to create images like Grisha. This includes the “going to the people” of revolutionary intellectuals in the early 70s of the last century. These are also memories of the democratic figures of the first conscription, the so-called “sixties” - primarily about Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov. The image of Grisha is at the same time very real, and at the same time very generalized and even conventional. On the one hand, he is a man of a very specific way of life and way of life: the son of a poor sexton, a seminarian, a simple and kind guy who loves the village, the peasant, the people, who wishes him happiness and is ready to fight for it.
But Grisha is also a more generalized image of youth, forward-looking, hopeful and believing. It is all in the future, hence some of its uncertainty, only a tentativeness. That is why Nekrasov, obviously not only for censorship reasons, crossed out the poems already at the first stage of his work (although they are published in most of the poet’s post-revolutionary publications): Fate had prepared for him a glorious Path, a great name for the People’s Defender, Consumption and Siberia.
The dying poet was in a hurry. The poem remained unfinished, but it was not left without a conclusion. The image of Grisha itself is not the answer to either the question of happiness or the question of a lucky person. The happiness of one person (whoever it is and no matter what is meant by it, even the struggle for universal happiness) is not yet a solution to the problem, since the poem leads to thoughts about the “embodiment of the people’s happiness,” about the happiness of everyone, about the “feast to the whole world."
“Who can live well in Rus'?” - the poet asked a great question in the poem and gave a great answer in her last song “Rus”
You're miserable too
You are also abundant
You are mighty
You are also powerless
Mother - Rus'!
Saved in slavery
Free heart
Gold, gold
People's heart!
They stood up - unwounded,
They came out - uninvited,
Live by the grain
The mountains have been damaged! R
it rises - Uncountable,
The strength in her will affect
Indestructible!

Essay on literature on the topic: The meaning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

Other writings:

  1. Nekrasov’s entire poem is a flaring up, gradually gaining strength, worldly gathering. For Nekrasov, it is important that the peasantry not only thought about the meaning of life, but also set out on a difficult and long path of truth-seeking. The “Prologue” begins the action. Seven peasants argue about “who lives Read More ......
  2. The very title of the poem sets us up for a truly all-Russian review of life, for the fact that this life will be examined truthfully and thoroughly, from top to bottom. It aims to find an answer to the main questions of the time, when the country was going through an era of great changes: what is the source of people's Read More ......
  3. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is the result of the author’s thoughts about the fate of the country and the people. Who can live well in Rus'? - the poem begins with this question. Its plot, like the plot of folk tales, is structured as a journey of old peasants in search of a happy person. Read More......
  4. The song “In the Middle of the Downworld...” calls for the fight for people’s happiness, for light and freedom. But the point, naturally, is not simply a matter of declaring these ideological and thematic formulas and slogans. The meaning of the final verses of the poem really lies in the call to fight for the people's happiness, but the meaning of the whole Read More ......
  5. Disputes about the composition of the work are still ongoing, but most scientists have come to the conclusion that it should be like this: “Prologue. Part One”, “Peasant Woman”, “Last One”, “Feast for the Whole World”. The arguments in favor of this particular arrangement of material are as follows. In the first part Read More......
  6. Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov worked on his work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” for many years, giving it part of his soul. And throughout the entire period of creation of this work, the poet did not leave high ideas about a perfect life and a perfect person. Poem “To whom Read More ......
  7. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is the pinnacle of N. A. Nekrasov’s creativity. He himself called it “his favorite brainchild.” Nekrasov devoted many years of tireless work to his poem, putting into it all the information about the Russian people, accumulated, as the poet said, “according to Read More ......
  8. The question of the first “Prologue” deserves special attention. The poem has several prologues: before the chapter “Pop”, before the parts “Peasant Woman” and “Feast for the Whole World”. The first “Prologue” is sharply different from the others. It poses a problem common to the entire poem “To whom Read More ......
The meaning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

Who can live well in Rus'? This question still worries many people, and this fact explains the increased attention to Nekrasov’s legendary poem. 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 with the example of Grisha Dobrosklonov.

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

The book was published in fragments. The prologue was published in the January issue of Sovremennik in 1866. Later other chapters were published. 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: “The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman,” “A Feast for the Whole World.” He planned to write much more, but due to the rapid development of the disease he was unable to and settled on “The 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, kind, direction

ON THE. Nekrasov called his creation “the epic of modern peasant life” and was precise in his formulation: the genre of the work is “Who can live well in Rus'?” - epic poem. That is, at the heart of the book there coexists not just one type of literature, but two: lyricism and epic:

  1. Epic component. There was a turning point in the history of the development of Russian society in the 1860s, when people learned to live in new conditions after the abolition of serfdom and other fundamental transformations of their usual way of life. This difficult historical period was described by the writer, reflecting the realities of that time without embellishment or falsehood. 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 incorporates folklore elements of heroic songs telling about the military campaigns of heroes against enemy camps. All these are generic signs of the epic.
  2. Lyrical component. The work is written in verse - this is the main property of lyrics as a genre. The book also contains space for the author's digressions and typically poetic symbols, means of artistic expression, and features of the characters' confessions.

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

Composition

The laws of the genre determined the composition and plot of the poem. Nekrasov finished writing 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 shaped and restored from drafts by his friends. In the last months of his life, he himself was unable to strictly adhere to the original concept of creation. Thus, the composition “Who Lives Well in Rus'?”, comparable only to the folk epic, is unique. It was developed as a result of the creative development of world literature, and not the direct borrowing of some well-known example.

  1. Exposition (Prologue). The meeting of seven men - the heroes of the poem: “On a pillared path / Seven men came together.”
  2. The plot is the characters' oath not to return home until they find the answer to their question.
  3. The main part consists of many autonomous parts: the reader gets acquainted with a soldier, happy that he was not killed, a slave, proud of his privilege to eat from the master's bowls, a grandmother, whose garden yielded turnips to her delight... While the search for happiness stands still, depicts the slow but steady growth of national self-awareness, which the author wanted to show even more than the declared happiness in Russia. From random episodes, a general picture of Rus' emerges: poor, drunk, but not hopeless, striving for a better life. In addition, the poem has several large and independent inserted episodes, some of which are even included in autonomous chapters (“The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman”).
  4. Climax. The writer calls Grisha Dobrosklonov, a fighter for people's happiness, a happy person in Rus'.
  5. Denouement. A serious illness prevented the author from completing his great plan. Even those chapters that he managed to write were sorted and designated by his proxies after his death. You must understand 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 long the peasants sing about the old and new times. Grisha Dobrosklonov sings kind and hopeful songs.
  7. What is the poem about?

    Seven men met on the road and argued about who would live well in Rus'? The essence of the poem is that they looked for the 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 and started a fight. In the night forest, during a fight, a bird's chick fell from its nest, and one of the men picked it up. The interlocutors sat down by the fire and began to dream of also acquiring wings and everything necessary for their journey in search of the truth. The warbler 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 clothing. They find her and feast, and during the feast they vow to find the answer to their question together, but until then not to see any of their relatives and not to return home.

    On the road they meet a priest, a peasant woman, the showroom Petrushka, beggars, an overextended worker and a paralyzed former servant, an honest man Ermila Girin, the landowner Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, the insane Last-Utyatin and his family, the servant Yakov the faithful, God's wanderer Jonah Lyapushkin , but none of them were happy people. Each of them is associated with a story of suffering and misadventures full of genuine tragedy. The goal of the journey is achieved only when the wanderers stumbled upon 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 where 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.

    The main characters and their characteristics

    About the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” we can say with confidence that they represent a complete system of images that organizes and structures the text. For example, the work emphasizes the unity of the seven wanderers. They do not show individuality or character; they express common features of national self-awareness for all. These characters are a single whole; their dialogues, in fact, are collective speech, which originates from oral folk art. This feature makes Nekrasov’s poem similar to the Russian folklore tradition.

    1. Seven wanderers represent former serfs “from adjacent villages - Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutov, Znobishina, Gorelova, Neelova, Neurozhaika and also.” They all put forward their versions of who should live well in Rus': a landowner, an official, a priest, a merchant, a noble boyar, a sovereign minister or a tsar. Their character is characterized by persistence: they all demonstrate a reluctance to take someone else's side. Strength, courage and the desire for truth are what unites them. They are passionate and easily angered, but their easygoing nature compensates for these shortcomings. Kindness and responsiveness make them pleasant interlocutors, even despite some meticulousness. Their disposition is harsh and harsh, 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 provide them with a proper home. So they wandered around 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 luck that awaited them at the end of the journey.
    2. Main character– Grisha Dobrosklonov, seminarian, son of a sexton. 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 its misfortunes, and at the same time about its mighty strength, which will one day come out and crush injustice. Although he is an idealist, his character is strong, as are his convictions to devote his life to the service of truth. The character feels a calling to be the people's leader and singer of Rus'. He is happy to sacrifice himself to a high idea and help his homeland. However, the author hints that a difficult fate awaits him: prison, exile, hard labor. The authorities do not want to hear the voice of the people, they will try to silence them, 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 you can only know it by being inspired by a lofty idea.
    3. Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina- the main character, a peasant woman, whom her neighbors call lucky because she begged her husband from the wife of the military leader (he, the only breadwinner of the family, was supposed to be recruited for 25 years). However, the woman's life story reveals not luck or fortune, but grief and humiliation. She experienced the loss of her only child, the anger of her mother-in-law, and everyday, exhausting work. Her fate is described in detail in an essay on our website, be sure to check it out.
    4. Savely Korchagin- 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 with decades of hard labor. Upon his return, he was no longer good for anything; the years of imprisonment trampled his body, but did not break his will, because, as before, he stood up for justice. 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 look after the child, and the pigs ate him.
    5. Ermil Girin- a man of exceptional honesty, mayor in the estate of Prince Yurlov. When he needed to buy the mill, he stood in the square and asked people to chip in to help him. After the hero got back on 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 a peasant revolt, suspicion fell on him about his organization, and he was imprisoned.
    6. Landowners in the poem“Who lives well in Rus'” are presented in abundance. The author portrays them objectively and even gives some images a positive character. For example, governor Elena Alexandrovna, who helped Matryona, appears as a people's benefactor. Also, with a touch of compassion, the writer portrays Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, who also treated the peasants tolerably, even organized holidays for them, and with the abolition of serfdom, he lost ground under his feet: he was too accustomed to the old order. In contrast to these characters, the image of the Last-Duckling and his treacherous, calculating family was created. The relatives of the old, cruel 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 noble insignificance 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. Serf Yakov- an indicative figure of a serf peasant, an antagonist of the hero Savely. Jacob absorbed the entire slavish essence of the oppressed class, overwhelmed by lawlessness and ignorance. When the master beats him and even sends his son to certain death, the servant humbly and resignedly endures the insult. His revenge was consistent with 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. Jonah Lyapushkin- God's wanderer who told the men several stories about the life of people in Rus'. It tells about the epiphany of Ataman Kudeyara, who decided to atone for his sins by killing for good, and about the cunning of Gleb the elder, 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 encounter with grief and poverty saddens the heart, not to mention the popular jokes addressed to his rank.

    The characters in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are diverse and allow us to paint a picture of the morals and life of that time.

    Subject

  • The main theme of the work 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 upon by centuries of humiliating state of affairs that were 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 into 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 because of his wealth or his position in the world, but because he is leading Russia and his people to a bright 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 feels sorry for his homeland, devoting himself entirely to its correction and improvement. For him, the homeland is the people, the people are his muse. All these concepts are closely intertwined in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” The author's patriotism is especially clearly expressed at the end of the book, when the wanderers find a lucky man who lives in the interests of society. In the strong and patient Russian woman, in the justice and honor of the heroic peasant, in the sincere good-heartedness of the folk singer, the creator sees the true image of his state, full of dignity and spirituality.
  • Theme of labor. Useful activity elevates Nekrasov's poor heroes 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 and true virtue that are really important for society, 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 homeland.
  • Mystical motive. Fantastic elements appear already in the Prologue and immerse the reader in the fabulous atmosphere of the epic, where one must follow the development of the idea, and not the realism of the circumstances. Seven eagle owls on seven trees - the magic number 7, which promises good luck. A raven praying to the devil is another mask 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 for the journey. A self-assembled tablecloth is a poetic symbol of happiness and contentment. “The Wide Road” is a symbol of the open ending of the poem and the basis of the plot, because on both sides of the road travelers are presented with a multifaceted and authentic panorama of Russian life. The image of an unknown fish in unknown seas, which has absorbed “the keys to female happiness,” is symbolic. The crying she-wolf with bloody nipples also clearly demonstrates the difficult fate of the Russian peasant woman. One of the most striking images of the reform is the “great chain”, which, having broken, “split one end over the master, the other over 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 pressing and topical issues of the time. The main problem in “Who can live well 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 this is freedom, what else do people need? Isn't this happiness? However, in reality, it turned out that the people, who, due to long slavery, do not know how to live independently, found themselves thrown to the mercy of fate. A priest, a landowner, a peasant woman, Grisha Dobrosklonov and seven men are real Russian characters and destinies. The author described them based on his 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 or at least land plots for yesterday's slaves, no one provided the landowner with competent instructions and laws regulating his new relations with workers.
  • The problem of alcoholism. The wanderers come to an unpleasant conclusion: life in Rus' is so difficult that without drunkenness the peasant will completely die. He needs oblivion and fog in order to somehow pull the burden of a hopeless existence and hard labor.
  • The problem of social inequality. The landowners have been torturing the peasants with impunity for years, and Savelia has had her whole life ruined for killing such an oppressor. For deception, nothing will happen to the relatives of the Last One, and their servants will again be left with nothing.
  • The philosophical problem of searching for truth, which each of us encounters, is allegorically expressed in the journey of seven wanderers who understand that without this discovery their lives become worthless.

Idea of ​​the work

A road fight between men is not an everyday quarrel, but an eternal, great dispute, in which all layers of Russian society of that time figure to one degree or another. All its main representatives (priest, landowner, merchant, official, tsar) are summoned 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 expresses the meaning of Nekrasov’s poem “Who can live well in Rus'?” - growth of national self-awareness on the ruins of the old system. The author’s point of view is expressed by Grisha Dobrosklonov in his songs: “And fate, the companion of the Slav’s days, lightened your burden! You are still a slave in the family, but the mother of a free son!..” Despite the negative consequences of the reform of 1861, the creator believes that behind it lies a happy future for the fatherland. At the beginning of change it is always difficult, but this work will be rewarded a hundredfold.

The most important condition for further prosperity is overcoming internal slavery:

Enough! Finished with past settlement,
The settlement with the master has been completed!
The Russian people are gathering strength
And learns to be a citizen

Despite the fact that the poem is not finished, Nekrasov voiced the main idea. Already the first of the songs in “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, above all!”

End

In the finale, the author expresses his point of view on the changes that have occurred 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 Nikolai Alekseevich’s true attitude to what he described is hidden. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” ends with a feast for the whole world in the literal sense of the word: this is the name of the last chapter, where the characters celebrate and rejoice at the happy completion of the search.

Conclusion

In Rus', it is good for Nekrasov’s hero Grisha Dobrosklonov, since he serves people, and, therefore, lives with meaning. Grisha is a fighter for truth, a prototype of a revolutionary. The conclusion that can be drawn based on the work is simple: the lucky one has been found, Rus' is embarking on the path of reform, the people are reaching through thorns to the title of citizen. The great meaning of the poem lies in this bright omen. It has been teaching people altruism and the ability to serve high ideals, rather than vulgar and passing cults, for centuries. From the point of view of literary excellence, 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 taught lessons in history and literature. She gives life lessons, and this is her most important property. The moral of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is that it is necessary to work for the good of your homeland, not to scold it, but to help it with deeds, because it is easier to push around with a word, but not everyone can and really wants to change something. This is happiness - to be in your place, to be needed not only by yourself, but also by the people. Only together can we achieve significant results, only together can we overcome the problems and hardships of this overcoming. Grisha Dobrosklonov tried to unite and unite people with his songs so that they would face change shoulder to shoulder. This is its holy purpose, and everyone has it; it is important not to be lazy to go out on the road and look for it, as the seven wanderers did.

Criticism

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

He brought the anapest, abandoned on Olympus, out of oblivion and for many years made this heavy but flexible meter as common as the airy and melodious iambic had remained from the time of Pushkin to Nekrasov. This rhythm, favored by the poet, reminiscent of the rotational movement of a barrel organ, allowed him to stay on the boundaries of poetry and prose, joke around with the crowd, speak smoothly and vulgarly, insert a funny and cruel joke, express bitter truths and imperceptibly, slowing down the beat, in more solemn words, move into floridity.

Korney Chukovsky spoke with inspiration about Nikolai Alekseevich’s thorough preparation 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 a young age became a great connoisseur of folk poetic images and folk forms thinking, folk aesthetics.

The poet's death came as a surprise and a blow to many of his friends and colleagues. As you know, F.M. spoke at his funeral. Dostoevsky with a heartfelt speech inspired by impressions from a poem he recently read. In particular, among other things, he said:

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

First of all, his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became a “new word”. No one before him had understood so deeply the peasant, simple, everyday grief. His colleague in his speech noted that Nekrasov was dear to him precisely because he bowed “to the people’s truth with all his being, which he testified to in his best creations.” However, Fyodor Mikhailovich did not support his radical views on the reorganization of Russia, however, like many thinkers of that time. Therefore, criticism reacted to the publication violently, and in some cases aggressively. In this situation, the honor of his friend was defended by the famous reviewer, master of words 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 caustically, recalling, apparently, professional disagreements, I. S. Turgenev spoke about the work:

Nekrasov's poems, collected into one focus, are burned.

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

In the white thread stitched, seasoned with all sorts of absurdities, painfully hatched fabrications of the mournful muse of Mr. Nekrasov - there is not even a penny of it, poetry.”

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

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(403 words) N.A.’s own idea Nekrasov put it in the very first line of his poem - in the title. The meaning of the title “Who Lives Well in Rus'” conveys the idea of ​​the entire work. What kind of idea is this? The answer to this question will provide us with an understanding of the entire text.

The heroes of the poem begin their journey with a dispute about who has freedom in Rus': a landowner, a nobleman, a merchant, a priest, a sovereign official, or the tsar himself? However, meetings with people from this list did not give the men an answer, and they again and again looked for someone who was happy, and even in the finale the author hid the lucky one from them. To some extent, the question remained open and hung in the air. The poet proposed his own version, but the people passed him by, which means there is no final answer yet. The title itself asks the reader: who is happy in Rus' then? Maybe you know? The author deliberately left the original question without a solution and focused attention on it in the title in order to show the main thing: the reform is not completed, because it did not solve the problem, but created new ones. There are still no happy people in Rus', but there are martyrs who are joyful only because they realize the importance of sacrifice. But Grisha Dobrosklonov’s condition does not fit into the ordinary understanding of the word “good”. Ordinary people who just want to live and work understand happiness differently, not like poets. If Nekrasov has made his choice, then his heroes are still in search, and the ending of the poem remains open. Therefore, the name cannot be changed in any way: the unknown has not gone away, and every reader has been asked about it for several decades in a row. This is a kind of time test, because you can find out the era by the answer options. The versions of the seven wanderers accurately conveyed the realities of their historical period: in the opinion of the people, it is good for those who are above, but also those who are above convincingly prove the misfortune of their position. This means that the existing government system does not benefit anyone, and it needs to be changed. Conclusions corresponding in depth can be drawn about each era in Russia if you ask one single question: “Who lives well in Rus'?”

Thus, the meaning of the title expresses the author’s position on the reform of the emancipation of the peasants: it was carried out poorly and harmed all layers of society, so the question of happiness remains unanswered. Everyone in Rus' feels bad, except those who sacrifice themselves to fix it. The chain hit “one end on the gentleman, the other on the peasant,” so ordinary people, uninspired martyrs, do not even know what happiness is. In addition, this question allowed Nekrasov to reveal the historical and social circumstances of his time, it serves as the starting point for his reasoning. He was probably the first person who decided to evaluate countries by their standard of living, as is now done everywhere.