What works are dedicated to Gogol? Which works of Gogol are devoted to historical themes? "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka"

Gogol’s interest in historical themes (from the life of the European Middle Ages the author had an already unfinished drama “Alfred”) in the story “Taras Bulba” (1835) is no longer a mythologization of the past, which was a priority phenomenon not only in folklore works, but mainly in literature from the time of romanticism. Actually, the historicism of “Taras Bulba” is only in the heroic and pathetic reproduction of the past, in the perception of that romanticism that did not mythologize the tragic past, did not contrast artistic truth with historical truth, approaching a realistic understanding of reality: myth as an aesthetic category was inferior to typification - both images and circumstances.

The main character of the story Taras Bulba (this figure embodies the best features of the uncompromising people's leaders of the national liberation competitions of the first half of the 17th century - Taras Tryasil, Ostryanitsa, Pavlyuk, etc.) is not just a national hero, but a representative of the people's life in the corresponding an era with a certain socio-political and spiritual orientation. Gogol's historical story, despite the brief condensation of events, the clear definition of the main storyline, an epic work, primarily due to the scale of artistic understanding of human destinies or a specific personality against the backdrop of a clash between the individual and the national, ideological, peacemaking and spiritual-ethical conflicts in the choice of faith and social -moral foundations.

The problem of feelings and duties is ambiguous in solution from the point of view of various moral and civil imperatives over many eras (it is in folklore, philosophical, religious treatises, in the works of world classics: V. Hugo, M. Lermontov, T. Shevchenko, G. Staritsky, F. Dostoevsky, revolutionary and post-revolutionary literature - Yu. Yanovsky, B. Lavrenev, G. Kulish, I. Dneprovsky, etc.). In Gogol’s “Taras Bulba” it is decided unambiguously and uncompromisingly: a world dominated by the spirit of the evil one, a world of union and apostasy from the original roots of the faith, brings spiritual and moral devastation and destruction to the Russian people. (“Russian” for the writer is his own Russian, which is associated in the minds of the author, characters, readers with the word “Orthodox”: the key reason for the national liberation movement is the defense of faith and social justice), and therefore betrayal even in the name of the highest manifestations of humanity feelings have to be punished. The punishing right hand of the father regarding the apostate son in “Taras Bulba” is an awareness of the punishing right hand of God’s Judgment over the trampling of faith and the highest truth in the name of egocentrism, selfishness, and selfish interests.

The entire reception ceremony at the Sich boiled down, first of all, to belonging to the faith, to the conscious defense of the Orthodox faith as a spiritual support, without which the existence of nations is not possible (today’s unprincipled and ideological democracy, which is actually implicated in alien, pseudo-spiritual concepts, is about this would know), people, families.

* "- Hello! What, do you believe in Christ?
* -I believe! - answered the parishioner.
* -And do you believe in the Holy Trinity?
* -I believe!
* -And do you go to church? I'm walking!
* -Come on, cross yourself! The newcomer was baptized.
* “Well, okay,” answered the Koschevoi.

* - go to the smoking room.

This ended the whole ceremony. And the entire Sich prayed in one church and was ready to defend it to the last drop of blood...” It is characteristic that the concepts of “Russian” and “Orthodox” in Gogol are identical (the word “Ukrainian” was not used even later in the work of T. Shevchenko), and Cossack Ukraine was associated with the region, which was a stronghold of faith and freedom, while the Cossacks themselves were nowhere in no way oppose the Moscow Movement - they fight against the Poles, Turks, Tatars as eternal enslavers (today’s efforts to make adjustments to history, to force it, work not just against the classics - Gogol or Shevchenko - but against the people themselves as the main bearer historical memory).

Orthodoxy itself, according to Gogol, is a faith that unites and shows solidarity, is a kind of alternative to individualism, greed, egocentrism, and thereby opposes alien (primarily Western) values to the Russian soul.

Words of Colonel Taras about the brotherhood and solidarity of the Zaporozhye army. “I would like to tell you, gentlemen, what our comradeship is... There were comrades in other lands, but there were no such comrades as on the Russian land...” They express not only pride in those eternal moral foundations on which love rests , family, clan, Fatherland, but also pain for the future, since the Christian population is being instilled with foreign values, the worship of mammon, greed, debauchery, which will primarily contribute to the enslavement of human souls and families in general: “I know, a vile thing has now begun on our land ; They only think that they should have stacks of grain, stacks of grain, and horse herds of them, so that their honey would be sealed in the cellars.

They adopt God knows what infidel customs; they abhor their tongue; he doesn’t want his own with his own, he says; He sells his own, just as a soulless creature is sold at the trade market. The mercy of a foreign king, and not a king, but the vile mercy of a Polish magnate, who hits them in the face with his yellow shoe, is dearer to them than any brotherhood...”

As we see, the author’s thoughts, put into the mouth of the Cossack winner Taras (defender of sacred values), are aimed not only at his contemporaries, fixated on dubious earthly lures, on admiration for other people’s “mercies”. (Later, T.G. Shevchenko will brilliantly debunk his “fellow intellectuals” for preventing foreign temptations in the immortal “Message...”), and also to future generations: today’s, in its own way, tragic time of the information war is an irrefutable confirmation of this.

I would like to point out that it was precisely those sacred values that Gogol’s Taras Bulba proclaimed that saved our people in the bloody twentieth century, in particular during the Second World War, since, contrary to the foreign ideology imposed by Marxists, the people identified the basic postulates of communism with national Christian foundations. The anonymous authors of the famous modern best-selling book “Project Russia” rightly note that communism fulfilled the role of Orthodoxy without God, just as, say, today’s capitalism is Protestantism without God (at the heart of Protestant theories, luck in getting rich is considered God’s chosenness.)

The words of Colonel Taras that “there is no bond holier than comradeship” define the solidarity and spiritual foundations of the Russian people. Actually, that on which the state monolith of the once powerful Movement could rest. ("...What an honor our land was: it let the Greeks know about itself, and took chervonets from Constantinople, and took magnificent cities, and temples, and princes. Princes of the Russian family, their prince, and not Catholic “mistrusters,” and then fragmented and destroyed by foreign expansions. “The Busurmans took everything, everything was lost.”

“To be in the world and not have anything to indicate your existence - it seems terrible to me.” N.V. Gogol.

Genius of classical literature

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is known to the world as a writer, poet, playwright, publicist and critic. A man of remarkable talent and an amazing master of words, he is famous both in Ukraine, where he was born, and in Russia, to which he eventually moved.

Gogol is especially known for his mystical heritage. His stories, written in a unique Ukrainian language, which is not literary in the full sense of the word, convey the depth and beauty of Ukrainian speech, known throughout the world. Viy gave Gogol his greatest popularity. What other works did Gogol write? We will look at the list of works below. These are sensational stories, often mystical, and stories from the school curriculum, and little-known works of the author.

List of works by the writer

In total, Gogol wrote more than 30 works. He continued to complete some of them, despite publication. Many of his creations had several variations, including Taras Bulba and Viy. Having published the story, Gogol continued to reflect on it, sometimes adding or changing the ending. Often his stories have several endings. So, next we will consider the most famous works of Gogol. The list is in front of you:

"Hanz Küchelgarten" (1827-1829, under the pseudonym A. Alov).
“Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” (1831), part 1 (“Sorochinskaya Fair”, “Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala”, “Drowned Man”, “Missing Letter”). Its second part was published a year later. It included the following stories: “The Night Before Christmas”, “Terrible Revenge”, “Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and His Aunt”, “Enchanted Place”.
"Mirgorod" (1835). Its edition was divided into 2 parts. The first part included the stories “Taras Bulba” and “Old World Landowners”. The second part, completed in 1839-1841, included “Viy” and “The Story of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich.”
"The Nose" (1841-1842).
"Morning of a business man." It was written, like the comedies “Litigation”, “Excerpt” and “Lackey”, in the period from 1832 to 1841.
"Portrait" (1842).
“Notes of a Madman” and “Nevsky Prospekt” (1834-1835).
"The Inspector General" (1835).
The play "Marriage" (1841).
"Dead Souls" (1835-1841).
Comedies "The Players" and "Theatrical Tour after the Presentation of a New Comedy" (1836-1841).
"The Overcoat" (1839-1841).
"Rome" (1842).

These are published works that Gogol wrote. The works (list by year, more precisely) indicate that the heyday of the writer’s talent occurred in 1835-1841. Now let’s take a little look at the reviews of Gogol’s most famous stories.

"Viy" - Gogol's most mystical creation

The story of “Viy” tells about the recently deceased lady, the centurion’s daughter, who, as the whole village knew, was a witch. The centurion, at the request of his beloved daughter, makes the funeral student Khoma Brut read over her. The witch, who died due to Khoma’s fault, dreams of revenge...

Reviews of the work “Viy” are complete praise for the writer and his talent. It is impossible to discuss the list of Nikolai Gogol’s works without mentioning everyone’s favorite “Viy”. Readers note bright characters, original, unique, with their own characters and habits. All of them are typical Ukrainians, cheerful and optimistic people, rude but kind. It is impossible not to appreciate Gogol's subtle irony and humor.

The writer’s unique style and his ability to play on contrasts are also highlighted. During the day, the peasants walk and have fun, Khoma also drinks so as not to think about the horror of the coming night. With the arrival of evening, a gloomy, mystical silence sets in - and Khoma again enters the circle outlined in chalk...

A very short story keeps you in suspense until the last pages. Below are stills from the 1967 film of the same name.

Satirical comedy "The Nose"

“The Nose” is an amazing story, written in such a satirical form that at first it seems fantastically absurd. According to the plot, Platon Kovalev, a public person prone to narcissism, wakes up in the morning without a nose - his place is empty. In a panic, Kovalev begins to look for his lost nose, because without it you won’t even appear in decent society!

Readers easily saw the prototype of Russian (and not only!) society. Gogol's stories, despite the fact that they were written in the 19th century, do not lose their relevance. Gogol, whose list of works can mostly be divided into mysticism and satire, had a very keen sense of modern society, which has not changed at all over the past time. Rank and external polish are still held in high esteem, but no one is interested in the inner content of a person. It is Plato’s nose, with an outer shell, but without internal content, that becomes the prototype of a richly dressed man, intelligently thinking, but soulless.

"Taras Bulba"

"Taras Bulba" is a great creation. When describing Gogol's works, the most famous, the list of which is provided above, one cannot fail to mention this story. The plot centers on two brothers, Andrei and Ostap, as well as their father, Taras Bulba himself, a strong, courageous and extremely principled man.

Readers especially highlight the small details of the story, which the author focused on, which enliven the picture and make those distant times closer and understandable. The writer spent a long time studying the details of everyday life of that era, so that readers could more vividly and vividly imagine the events taking place. In general, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, whose list of works we are discussing today, always attached special importance to little things.

The charismatic characters also made a lasting impression on readers. Tough, merciless Taras, ready to do anything for the sake of the Motherland, brave and courageous Ostap and romantic, selfless Andrei - they cannot leave readers indifferent. In general, Gogol’s famous works, the list of which we are considering, have an interesting feature - a surprising but harmonious contradiction in the characters’ characters.

"Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka"

Another mystical, but at the same time funny and ironic work by Gogol. The blacksmith Vakula is in love with Oksana, who promised to marry him if he gets her slippers like the queen herself. Vakula is in despair... But then, quite by chance, he comes across evil spirits having fun in the village in the company of a witch. It is not surprising that Gogol, whose list of works includes numerous mystical stories, used a witch and a devil in this story.

This story is interesting not only because of the plot, but also because of the colorful characters, each of whom is unique. They, as if alive, appear before the readers, each in their own image. Gogol admires some with slight irony, he admires Vakula, and teaches Oksana to appreciate and love. Like a caring father, he chuckles good-naturedly at his characters, but it all looks so soft that it only evokes a gentle smile.

The character of the Ukrainians, their language, customs and foundations, so clearly described in the story, could only be described in such detail and lovingly by Gogol. Even making fun of the “Moskalyama” looks cute from the lips of the characters in the story. This is because Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, whose list of works we are discussing today, loved his homeland and spoke of it with love.

"Dead Souls"

Sounds mystical, don’t you agree? However, in fact, Gogol did not resort to mysticism in this work and looked much deeper - into human souls. The main character Chichikov seems to be a negative character at first glance, but the more the reader gets to know him, the more positive traits he notices in him. Gogol makes the reader worry about the fate of his hero, despite his unpleasant actions, which already says a lot.

In this work, the writer, as always, is an excellent psychologist and a true genius of words.

Of course, these are not all the works that Gogol wrote. The list of works is incomplete without the continuation of Dead Souls. It was its author who allegedly burned it before his death. Rumor has it that in the next two volumes Chichikov was supposed to improve and become a decent person. Is it so? Unfortunately, now we will never know for sure.

The story “Taras Bulba” is entirely devoted to the historical theme. In “Evenings...” there are historical motives - descriptions of Vakula’s flight to St. Petersburg during the time of Catherine II, but in general it would be wrong to call “Evenings...” a work on a historical theme.
“Taras Bulba” is included in the collection written by Gogol after “Evenings...”. - “Mirgorod” (1835).
At the beginning of the 19th century, European and Russian readers were amazed by the novels of Walter Scott. Russian society doubted: is it possible to create such a work based on the material of Russian history? Gogol proved that this was possible, but did not become another Walter Scott: he created a unique work based on historical material.
N.V. While working on the story, Gogol seriously studied history, read chronicles and historical acts. But in the story he did not describe specific historical events and battles in which the Cossacks participated in the XV-XV1I centuries. Another thing was important to him: to convey the living spirit of that rebellious time, as the folk songs performed by bandura players traveling around Ukraine conveyed this spirit. In the article “On Little Russian Songs” (published in “Arabesques”), Gogol wrote: “The historian should not look for in them indications of the day and date of the battle or an exact explanation of the place, the correct relation: in this regard, few songs will help him. But when he wants to know the true way of life, the elements of character, all the twists and shades of feelings, worries, sufferings, joys of the people depicted, when he wants to experience the spirit of the past century... then he will be completely satisfied; the history of the people will be revealed before him in clear grandeur.”
One of the ancient meanings of the noun “cut” is a fence, a blockage of trees that served as a fortification. From the name of such a fortification came the name of the center of the organization of Ukrainian Cossacks: Zaporozhye Sich. The main fortification of the Cossacks was located beyond the Dnieper rapids, often on the island of Khortytsia, which is now located within the city of Zaporozhye. The island is large in area, its shores are rocky, steep, in some places about forty meters high. Khortytsia was the center of the Cossacks.
Zaporozhye Sich is an organization of Ukrainian Cossacks that arose in the 16th century. When the Tatars ravaged Kievan Rus, the northern territories began to unite under the rule of the Moscow princes. The Kyiv and Chernigov princes were killed in fierce battles, and the central lands of the former Kievan Rus were left without power. The Tatars continued to ravage the rich lands, later they were joined by the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and then Poland. The inhabitants who inhabited these lands, unlike the Tatars, Muslim Turks and Catholic Poles, professed Orthodoxy. They sought to unite and protect their land from the attacks of predatory neighbors. In this struggle, the Ukrainian nation took shape in the central lands of the former Kievan Rus.
The Zaporizhian Sich was not a state organization. It was created for military purposes. Until 1654, that is, before the reunification of Ukraine with Russia, the Sich was a Cossack “republic”: the main issues were resolved by the Sich Rada. The Sich was headed by the Koshevoy Ataman and was divided into kurens (kuren - a military unit and its living quarters). At different times there were up to thirty-eight kurens.
The Sich waged war with the Crimean Khan, the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Ukrainian authorities.
The folk character of the story was manifested in the fact that its theme was the story of the Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons; many scenes of the story are close in content to Ukrainian folk historical songs; The heroes of the story are Cossacks who defend the independence of their native land from Polish rule.
When reading some episodes (descriptions of battles), one gets the impression that this is not a prosaic text, but a heroic song performed by folk storytellers.
Gogol creates the image of a narrator - a storyteller who seems to experience, together with the heroes, all the changes during the battle and on whose behalf regrets and exclamations are heard: “Cossacks, Cossacks! don’t give away the best color of your army!” It would be wrong to consider these lines as statements on behalf of the author.
Gogol gives the Cossack heroes a resemblance to the epic heroes: the Cossacks fight for their native land, for the Christian faith, and the author describes their exploits in the epic style: “As hail suddenly knocks out the entire field, where every ear of grain stood like a full-sized piece of gold, so they were knocked out and put it down"; “Where the Nezamainovites passed, there is a street; where they turned, there is an alley! You can see how the ranks thinned and the Poles fell in sheaves!” “And that’s how they fought! Both the shoulder pads and the mirrors were bent from the blows.”
The scene of the second battle is given a folkloric character by the triple exclamation of Taras Bulba, the ataman of the punishment: “Is there still gunpowder in the flasks? Has the Cossack strength weakened? Aren’t the Cossacks bending?” The Cossacks answer him: “There is still gunpowder in the flasks, dad.”
“Be patient, Cossack, you will become an ataman!” - Taras Bulba addresses these words to Andriy, who was “visibly bored” during the siege of the city of Dubno.
“What, son, did your Poles help you?” says Taras to Andriy, who betrayed the Cossacks.
All these expressions have become aphorisms in our time. We say the first when we talk about the high moral spirit of people; second - when we encourage someone to endure a little in order to achieve a big goal; the third we will turn to the traitor, who was not helped by his new patrons.
Taras Bulba is the main character of the story. The author describes Taras this way: “Bulba jumped on his Devil, who stepped back furiously, feeling a twenty-pound burden on himself, because Bulba was extremely heavy and fat.” He is a Cossack, but not a simple Cossack, but a colonel: “Taras was one of the indigenous, old colonels: he was all created for abusive alarm and was distinguished by the rough directness of his character. Then the influence of Poland was already beginning to exert itself on the Russian nobility. Many had already adopted Polish customs, had luxury, magnificent servants, falcons, hunters, dinners, courtyards. Taras did not like this. He loved the simple life of the Cossacks and quarreled with those of his comrades who were inclined to the Warsaw side, calling them slaves of the Polish lords. Restless forever, he considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy.
At the beginning we meet him on his own farm, where he lives in a house with his wife and servants. His house is simple, decorated “in the taste of that time.” However, Taras Bulba spends most of his life in the Sich or in military campaigns against the Turks and Poles. He calls his wife “old” and treats with contempt any manifestations of feelings other than courage and daring. He says to his sons: “Your tenderness is an open field and a good horse: here is your tenderness! See this saber! here is your mother!
Taras Bulba feels like a free Cossack and behaves as his ideas about a free life dictate: after getting drunk, he breaks dishes in the house; without thinking about his wife, he decides the very next day after his sons arrive to take them to the Sich; at will, he unnecessarily begins to incite the Cossacks to go on a campaign

Ninaarc

Gogol gives the Cossack heroes a resemblance to the epic heroes: the Cossacks fight for their native land, for the Christian faith, and the author describes their exploits in the epic style: “As hail suddenly knocks out the entire field, where every ear of grain stood like a full-sized piece of gold, so they were knocked out and put it down"; “Where the Nezamainovites passed, there is a street; where they turned, there is an alley! You can see how the ranks thinned and the Poles fell in sheaves!” “And that’s how they fought! Both the shoulder pads and the mirrors were bent from the blows.”
The scene of the second battle is given a folkloric character by the triple exclamation of Taras Bulba, the ataman of the punishment: “Is there still gunpowder in the flasks? Has the Cossack strength weakened? Aren’t the Cossacks bending?” The Cossacks answer him: “There is still gunpowder in the flasks, dad.”
“Be patient, Cossack, you will become an ataman!” - Taras Bulba addresses these words to Andriy, who was “visibly bored” during the siege of the city of Dubno.
“What, son, did your Poles help you?” - Taras says to Andriy, who betrayed the Cossacks.
All these expressions have become aphorisms in our time. We say the first when we talk about the high moral spirit of people; second - when we encourage someone to endure a little in order to achieve a big goal; the third we will turn to the traitor, who was not helped by his new patrons.
Taras Bulba is the main character of the story. The author describes Taras this way: “Bulba jumped on his Devil, who stepped back furiously, feeling a twenty-pound burden on himself, because Bulba was extremely heavy and fat.” He is a Cossack, but not a simple Cossack, but a colonel: “Taras was one of the indigenous, old colonels: he was all created for abusive alarm and was distinguished by the rough directness of his character. Then the influence of Poland was already beginning to exert itself on the Russian nobility. Many had already adopted Polish customs, had luxury, magnificent servants, falcons, hunters, dinners, courtyards. Taras did not like this. He loved the simple life of the Cossacks and quarreled with those of his comrades who were inclined to the Warsaw side, calling them slaves of the Polish lords. Eternally restless, he considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy.”
At the beginning we meet him on his own farm, where he lives in a house with his wife and servants. His house is simple, decorated “in the taste of that time.” However, Taras Bulba spends most of his life in the Sich or in military campaigns against the Turks and Poles. He calls his wife “old” and treats with contempt any manifestations of feelings other than courage and daring. He says to his sons: “Your tenderness is an open field and a good horse: here is your tenderness! See this saber! here is your mother!

Ninaarc
Left a comment on October 20, 2017:

Taras Bulba feels like a free Cossack and behaves as his ideas about a free life dictate: after getting drunk, he breaks dishes in the house; without thinking about his wife, he decides the very next day after his sons arrive to take them to the Sich; at will, he unnecessarily begins to incite the Cossacks to go on a campaign.
The main values in his life are the struggle for the Christian faith and comradeship, the highest rating being “a good Cossack.” He builds his attitude towards his sons on this basis: he admires the actions of Ostap, who was elected ataman, and kills Andria, who betrayed the Cossacks.
The Cossacks value Taras, respect him as a commander, and after the division of the Cossack army they choose him as “punishment chieftain.” The character and views of Taras are most clearly revealed when before the battle he gives a speech about comradeship, when he encourages the Cossacks to fight and rushes to the aid of his son Ostap. At the tragic moment of Ostap’s execution, he finds the opportunity to help him, to lift his spirit, answering him: “I hear!” And then, when the Poles decide to burn him, he tries to help his comrades who got out of the encirclement, shouting for them to take the canoes and escape from pursuit.
Talking about the life and death of Taras Bulba, the author reveals his main idea: it was these people who defended the independence of the Russian land, and their main strength was love for their land and faith in the camaraderie, the brotherhood of the Cossacks.
Ostap and Andrey are the two sons of Taras Bulba. With each episode, their characters are drawn more and more clearly, and we see a difference between the sons that we had not noticed before.
Antithesis is the main compositional device of Taras Bulba. First, the author contrasts the fate of an unhappy woman and the cruel age that shapes the rude characters of men, while the brothers are described almost identically, only the difference in their characters is slightly outlined. In the second chapter, this difference manifests itself with even greater force when describing the life of the brothers in the bursa. Bursa is the name of a theological school or seminary. Bursa graduates usually became priests. Gogol does not emphasize this, but we remember that the main subject that was studied in the bursa was the Law of God.
Describing the life of the brothers in the Sich, the author tells us that Andria was shocked by the execution determined for murder. We see in him a soul capable of a variety of strong feelings. Ostap's soul is rougher, simpler.

Ninaarc
Left a comment on October 20, 2017:

The author tells us about the brothers from the point of view of Taras Bulba. The father is proud of his eldest son. “Ostap, it seemed, was destined for the path of battle and the difficult knowledge of carrying out military affairs.” Composure, confidence, prudence, the inclinations of a leader - these are the qualities that Taras rejoices in displaying. Ostap seems to merge with the mass of the Cossacks, standing out from it only by the high degree of qualities respected by the Cossacks.
Andriy's insane courage is contrasted with the composure and reasonable actions of his brother. This is a man of the elements; for him, war is full of “the charming music of bullets and swords,” he is under the spell of the romantic aura of fighting for a just cause and probably does not realize that he is sowing death.
It is very important to understand that the tendency to introspection, to reflect on one’s feelings, on the motives of one’s own actions, is in many ways an achievement of the 19th and 20th centuries. Nowadays, people spend a long time and consciously developing the ability to understand themselves and manage their feelings. At the time described in the story, people did not analyze their feelings: the ray of reason was directed outward, as, for example, with Ostap, and not inward. It was not the person who controlled his feeling, but the feeling that controlled the person and captured him completely. The person became like a slave to his impulse, not understanding what made him change his behavior.
Ostap was kept by his composure and tradition. Andriy was not cold-blooded: his emotionality, hot temper, explosive, choleric temperament, as psychologists would say, dictated a different line of behavior for him.
When the army surrounded the city and a long siege began, the Tatar woman conveyed the lady’s request for a piece of bread for her old mother: “... because I don’t want to see my mother die in front of me. It’s better that I come first and she comes after me.”
Compassion, sympathy, pity, love - those feelings that are blessed by the Gospel. Andriy swears on the holy cross that he will not reveal the secret of the existence of the underground passage.
What did the Cossacks fight for? - complex issue.
Let us remember the words of one of the Cossack messengers: “It’s such a time now that the holy churches are no longer ours.” The Cossacks went to Poland to “avenge all the evil and disgrace of faith and Cossack glory, to collect booty from the cities, to set fire to villages and grain crops and spread their fame far across the steppe.” The main commandment of Christ is “thou shalt not kill.” The Lord teaches mercy and compassion. The war turns towards Andriy not with a romantic, but with a cruel, predatory side.
Andriy sees the Cossacks carelessly sleeping, having eaten at one time such an amount of porridge that would be enough for “a good three times,” and people dying of starvation. And indignation, protest against this side of the war fills his heart. Just as before he was completely overwhelmed by the intoxication of battle, now his soul is captured by compassion, pity and love. The picture of the world in the hero’s mind has completely changed. Andriy, as in a battle, cannot stop to understand what he is experiencing, and the entire flow of his experiences and sensations pours out into a ready-made, familiar form - the form of love passion.
When Taras kills Andriy, he stands in front of his father without moving. What is going on in his soul? Two opposing pictures of the world - with completely different, incompatible values - stand before his eyes. He can no longer choose the first, choosing the second means raising his hand against his father, but Andriy cannot do this either and dies by his hand.
An interesting statement by V.G. Belinsky about Taras Bulba. The critic called Gogol's story "a poem about love for the motherland." This is certainly true, but we must understand that love for the motherland takes on different forms at different historical times.
Once it was war and battles, once it was peaceful construction, economic development, improvement of government, development of the arts.