Analysis of the poem "To Whom in Russia to Live Well" (Nekrasov). Analysis of the chapters “Pop”, “Country Fair”, “Drunk Night Who in Russia lives well Nekrasov plan

Retelling plan

1. The dispute of the peasants about "who lives happily, freely in Russia."
2. Meeting with the priest.
3. A drunken night after the fair.
4. The story of Yakim Nagogo.
5. The search for a happy man among men. The story of Yermila Girin.
6. The men meet the landowner Obolt-Obolduev.
7. The search for a happy man among women. History of Matrena Timofeevna.
8 Meeting with an eccentric landowner.
9. Parable about the exemplary serf - Jacob the faithful.
10. The story of two great sinners - Ataman Kudeyar and Pan Glukhovsky. The story of the "peasant sin".
11. Thoughts of Grisha Dobrosklonov.
12. Grisha Dobrosklonov - "people's defender."

retelling

Part I

Prologue

The poem begins with the fact that seven men met on a pole path and argued about "who lives happily, freely in Russia." “Roman said: to the landowner, Demyan said: to the official, Luka said: to the priest. Fat-bellied merchant! - said the Gubin brothers, Ivan and Mitrodor. The old man Pakhom puckered up and said, looking at the ground: to the noble boyar, the minister of the sovereign. And Prov said: to the king. They argued all day and did not even notice how night fell. The peasants looked around them, realized that they had gone far from home, and decided to rest before the way back. As soon as they had time to settle down under a tree and drink vodka, their dispute began with renewed vigor, it even came to a fight. But then the peasants saw that a small chick crawled up to the fire, having fallen out of the nest. Pahom caught him, but then a warbler appeared and began to ask the peasants to let her chick go, and for this she told them where the self-collected tablecloth was hidden. The men found a tablecloth, had dinner and decided that they would not return home until they found out "who lives happily, freely in Russia."

Chapter I. Pop

The next day the men set off. At first they met only peasants, beggars and soldiers, but the peasants did not ask them, “How is it for them - is it easy, is it difficult to live in Russia.” Finally in the evening they met the priest. The peasants explained to him that they had a concern that “had risen from the houses, unfriended us with work, discouraged us from eating”: “Is the priestly life sweet? How do you live freely, happily, honest father? And the pop begins his story.

It turns out that there is no peace, no wealth, no honor in his life. There is no rest, because in a large county "a sick, dying, born into the world does not choose time: in reaping and haymaking, in the dead of autumn night, in winter, in severe frosts and in spring floods." And always the priest must go to fulfill his duty. But the most difficult thing, the priest admits, is to watch how a person dies and how his relatives cry over him. There is no priest and honor, because among the people he is called "a foal breed"; meeting a priest on the road is considered a bad omen; about the priest they compose “joke tales, and obscene songs, and all kinds of blasphemy,” and they make a lot of jokes about the priest’s family. Yes, and it is difficult for a priest to acquire wealth. If in former times, before the abolition of serfdom, there were many landlord estates in the county, in which weddings and christenings were constantly celebrated, now only poor peasants remain who cannot generously pay the priest for his work. Pop himself says that his “soul will turn over” to take money from the poor, but then he will have nothing to feed his family with. With these words, the priest leaves the men.

Chapter 2

The men continued their journey and ended up in the village of Kuzminskoye, at the fair, they decided to look for a lucky one here. “Wanderers went to the shops: they admire handkerchiefs, Ivanovo calicoes, harnesses, new shoes, products of the Kimryaks.” At the shoe shop they meet old man Vavila, who admires the goat's shoes, but does not buy them: he promised his little granddaughter to buy shoes, and to other family members - various gifts, but drank all the money. Now he is ashamed to appear in front of his granddaughter. The assembled people listen to him, but cannot help, because no one has extra money. But there was one person, Pavel Veretennikov, who bought Vavila shoes. The old man was so deeply moved that he ran away, forgetting even to thank Veretennikov, "but the other peasants were so comforted, so happy, as if he gave everyone a ruble." The wanderers go to a booth where they watch a comedy with Petrushka.

Chapter 3

Evening comes, and the travelers leave the “vibrant village”. They walk along the road, and everywhere they meet drunk people who return home after the fair. From all sides, drunken conversations, songs, complaints about the hard life, the cries of the fighting can be heard from the wanderers.

Travelers meet Pavel Veretennikov at the road post, around whom the peasants have gathered. Veretennikov writes down in his little book the songs and proverbs that the peasants sing to him. “The Russian peasants are smart,” says Veretennikov, “one thing is not good, that they drink to the point of stupefaction, fall into ditches, fall into ditches - it’s a shame to look!” After these words, a peasant approaches him, who explains that the peasants drink because of the hard life: “There is no measure for Russian hops. Have you measured our grief? Is there a measure for work? Wine brings down a peasant, but grief does not bring down? Work is not falling? And the peasants drink to forget themselves, to drown their grief in a glass of vodka. But then the man adds: “We have a drinking non-drinking family for our family! They don’t drink, but they also toil, it would be better if they drank, stupid, but such is their conscience. When asked by Veretennikov what his name is, the peasant replies: “Yakim Nagoi lives in the village of Bosovo, he works to death, drinks half to death! ..”, and the rest of the peasants began to tell Veretennikov the story of Yakim Nagoi. He once lived in St. Petersburg, but he was put in prison after he decided to compete with the merchant. He was stripped to the bone, and so he returned to his homeland, where he took up the plow. Since then, for thirty years he has been "fried on a strip under the sun." He bought pictures for his son, which he hung around the hut, and he liked to look at them himself. But one day there was a fire. Yakim, instead of saving the money he had accumulated throughout his life, saved the pictures, which he then hung in a new hut.

Chapter 4

People who called themselves happy began to converge under the linden. A sexton came, whose happiness consisted "not in sables, not in gold", but "in complacency." The pock-marked old woman came. She was happy because she had a large turnip born. Then a soldier came, happy because "he was in twenty battles, and not killed." The bricklayer began to tell that his happiness lies in the hammer with which he earns money. But then another bricklayer came up. He advised not to brag about his strength, otherwise grief could come out of it, which happened to him in his youth: the contractor began to praise him for his strength, but once he put so many bricks on a stretcher that the peasant could not bear such a burden and after that he completely fell ill. The yard man, the footman, also came to the travelers. He declared that his happiness lay in the fact that he had a disease that only noble people suffer from. All sorts of people came to brag about their happiness, and as a result, the wanderers passed their sentence on peasant happiness: “Hey, peasant happiness! Leaky, with patches, humpbacked, with corns, get the hell out of here!”

But then a man approached them, who advised them to ask about happiness from Yermila Girin. When the travelers asked who this Yermila was, the man told them. Yermila worked at a mill that belonged to no one, but the court decided to sell it. Bidding was arranged, in which Yermila began to compete with the merchant Altynnikov. As a result, Yermila won, only they immediately demanded money from him for the mill, and Yermila did not have that kind of money with him. He asked for half an hour, ran to the square and asked the people to help him. Yermila was a respected person among the people, so every peasant gave him as much money as he could. Yermila bought the mill, and a week later he came back to the square and gave back all the money he had lent. And each took as much money as he lent him, no one appropriated too much, even one more ruble remained. The audience began to ask why Ermila Girin was in such high esteem. The narrator said that in his youth Yermila was a clerk in the gendarmerie corps and helped every peasant who turned to him with advice and deed and did not take a penny for it. Then, when a new prince arrived in the patrimony and dispersed the gendarme office, the peasants asked him to elect Yermila as the mayor of the volost, as they trusted him in everything.

But then the priest interrupted the narrator and said that he did not tell the whole truth about Yermila, that he also had a sin: instead of his younger brother, Yermila recruited the only son of the old woman, who was her breadwinner and support. Since then, his conscience haunted him, and one day he almost hanged himself, but instead demanded that he be tried as a criminal in front of all the people. The peasants began to ask the prince to take the old woman's son from the recruits, otherwise Yermila would hang herself out of conscience. In the end, the son was returned to the old woman, and Yermila's brother was sent to recruit. But Yermila's conscience still tormented him, so he resigned his position and began working at the mill. During a riot in the patrimony, Yermila ended up in prison ... Then there was a cry from a lackey, who was flogged for theft, and the priest did not have time to tell the story to the end.

Chapter 5

The next morning we met the landowner Obolt-Obolduev and decided to ask if he lives happily. The landowner began to tell that he was "of an eminent family", his ancestors were known three hundred years ago. This landowner lived in the old days "like in Christ's bosom", he had honor, respect, a lot of land, several times a month he arranged holidays that "any Frenchman" could envy, went hunting. The landowner kept the peasants in strictness: “Whomever I want, I will have mercy, whoever I want, I will execute. The law is my desire! The fist is my police! But then he added that he "punished - loving", that the peasants loved him, they celebrated Easter together. But the travelers only laughed at his words: “Kolom knocked them down, or what, you pray in the manor’s house? ..” Then the landowner began to sigh that such a carefree life had passed after the abolition of serfdom. Now the peasants no longer work on the landed estates, and the fields have fallen into disrepair. Instead of a hunting horn, the sound of an ax is heard in the forests. Where lordly houses used to stand, drinking establishments are now being built. After these words, the landowner began to cry. And the travelers thought: "The great chain broke, it broke - it jumped: at one end on the gentleman, on the other at the peasant! .."

peasant woman
Prologue

The travelers decided to look for a happy man among women. In one village they were advised to find Matryona Timofeevna and ask around. The men set off and soon reached the village of Klin, where “Matryona Timofeevna” lived, a portly woman, wide and thick, about thirty-eight years old. She is beautiful: her hair is gray, her eyes are large, strict, her eyelashes are the richest, she is stern and swarthy. She is wearing a white shirt, and a short sundress, and a sickle over her shoulder. The peasants turned to her: “Tell me in a divine way: what is your happiness?” And Matrena Timofeevna began to tell.

Chapter 1

As a girl, Matrena Timofeevna lived happily in a large family, where everyone loved her. Nobody woke her up early, they allowed her to sleep and gain strength. From the age of five, she was taken out into the field, she went after the cows, brought breakfast to her father, then she learned how to harvest hay, and got used to work. After work, she sat at the spinning wheel with her friends, sang songs, and went dancing on holidays. Matryona was hiding from the guys, she did not want to fall into captivity from a girl's will. But all the same, she found a groom, Philip, from distant lands. He began to marry her. Matrena did not agree at first, but the guy fell in love with her. Matrena Timofeevna admitted: “While we were bargaining, it must be, so I think, then there was happiness. And hardly ever again!” She married Philip.

Chapter 2. Songs

Matrena Timofeevna sings a song about how the groom's relatives pounce on the daughter-in-law when she arrives at a new house. Nobody likes her, everyone makes her work, and if she doesn't like her work, then they can beat her. This is how it happened with the new family of Matrena Timofeevna: “The family was huge, grumpy. I got from the girl's will to hell! Only in her husband could she find support, and it happened that he beat her. Matrena Timofeevna sang about a husband who beats his wife, and his relatives do not want to intercede for her, but only order to beat her even more.

Soon Matryona's son Demushka was born, and now it was easier for her to endure the reproaches of her father-in-law and mother-in-law. But here she was again in trouble. The master's steward began to pester her, but she did not know where to escape from him. Only grandfather Savely helped Matryona cope with all the troubles, only he loved her in a new family.

Chapter 3

“With a huge gray mane, tea, not cut for twenty years, with a huge beard, grandfather looked like a bear”, “grandfather’s back is arched”, “he has already turned, according to fairy tales, a hundred years.” “Grandfather lived in a special room, he did not like families, he did not let him into his corner; and she was angry, barked, his own son honored him with “branded, convict”. When the father-in-law began to become very angry with Matryona, she and her son went to Savely and worked there, and Demushka played with his grandfather.

Once Savely told her the story of his life. He lived with other peasants in impenetrable swampy forests, where neither the landowner nor the police could reach. But one day the landowner ordered them to come to him and sent the police after them. The peasants had to obey. The landowner demanded quitrent from them, and when the peasants began to say that they had nothing, he ordered them to be whipped. Again the peasants had to obey, and they gave the landowner their money. Now every year the landowner came to collect dues from them. But then the landowner died, and his heir sent a German manager to the estate. At first, the German lived quietly, became friends with the peasants. Then he began to order them to work. The peasants did not even have time to come to their senses, as they cut a road from their village to the city. Now you can safely drive to them. The German brought his wife and children to the village and began to rob the peasants even worse than the former landowner had robbed. The peasants put up with him for eighteen years. During this time, the German managed to build a factory. Then he ordered to dig a well. He did not like the work, and he began to scold the peasants. And Savely and his comrades dug it in a hole dug for a well. For this he was sent to hard labor, where he spent twenty years. Then he returned home and built a house. The men asked Matryona Timofeevna to continue talking about their woman's life.

Chapter 4

Matrena Timofeevna took her son to work. But the mother-in-law said that she should leave him to grandfather Savely, since you can’t earn much with a child. And so she gave Demushka to her grandfather, and she herself went to work. When she returned home in the evening, it turned out that Savely had dozed off in the sun, did not notice the baby, and the pigs trampled him. Matryona “rolled around in a ball”, “coiled like a worm, called, woke up Demushka - but it was too late to call.” The gendarmes arrived and began to interrogate, “didn’t you kill the child by agreement with the peasant Savely?” Then the doctor came to open the corpse of the child. Matryona began to ask him not to do this, sent curses at everyone, and everyone decided that she had lost her mind.

At night, Matryona came to her son's coffin and saw Savely there. At first she shouted at him, blamed Dema for the death, but then the two of them began to pray.

Chapter 5

After Demushka's death, Matrena Timofeevna did not talk to anyone, Savelia could not see, she did not work. And Savely went to repentance in the Sand Monastery. Then Matryona, together with her husband, went to her parents and set to work. Soon she had more children. So four years passed. Matryona's parents died, and she went to cry at her son's grave. He sees that the grave has been tidied up, there is an icon on it, and Saveliy is lying on the ground. They talked, Matrena forgave the old man, told him about her grief. Soon Savely died, and he was buried next to Dema.

Another four years have passed. Matrena resigned herself to her life, worked for the whole family, only she did not give offense to her children. A pilgrimage came to them in the village and began to teach them how to live properly, in a divine way. She forbade breastfeeding on fasting days. But Matryona did not listen to her, she decided that it would be better for God to punish her than for her to leave her children hungry. So grief came to her. When her son Fedot was eight years old, his father-in-law gave him to the shepherdess. Once the boy did not look after the sheep, and one of them was stolen by a she-wolf. For this, the village headman wanted to flog him. But Matryona threw herself at the feet of the landowner, and he decided instead of his son to punish his mother. Matryona was carved. In the evening she came to see how her son was sleeping. And the next morning, she didn’t show herself to her husband’s relatives, but went to the river, where she began to cry and call for the protection of her parents.

Chapter 6

Two new troubles came to the village: first, a lean year came, then recruitment. The mother-in-law began to scold Matryona for calling trouble, because on Christmas she put on a clean shirt. And then they also wanted to send her husband to recruits. Matryona did not know where to go. She herself did not eat, she gave everything to her husband's family, and they also scolded her, looked angrily at her children, since they were extra mouths. So Matryona had to "send children around the world" so that they asked for money from strangers. Finally, her husband was taken away, and the pregnant Matryona was left all alone.

Chapter 7

Her husband was recruited at the wrong time, but no one wanted to help him return home. Matryona, who had been carrying her child for the last few days, went to seek help from the governor. She left home at night without telling anyone. Arrived in the city in the early morning. The porter at the governor's palace told her to try to come in two hours, then the governor might receive her. On the square, Matryona saw a monument to Susanin, and he reminded her of Savely. When the carriage drove up to the palace and the governor's wife got out of it, Matryona threw herself at her feet with pleas for intercession. Here she felt unwell. The long road and fatigue affected her health, and she gave birth to a son. The governor helped her, baptized the baby herself and gave him a name. Then she helped save Matrena's husband from recruitment. Matryona brought her husband home, and his family bowed at her feet and obeyed her.

Chapter 8

Since then, they called Matryona Timofeevna the governor. She began to live as before, worked, raised children. One of her sons has already been recruited. Matryona Timofeevna told the travelers: “It’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women”: “The keys to female happiness, from our free will, are abandoned, lost from God himself!”

The Last

The travelers went to the banks of the Volga and saw how the peasants were working in the hayfield. “We haven’t worked for a long time, let’s mow!” - the wanderers asked the local women. After work, they sat down to rest on a haystack. Suddenly they see: three boats are floating along the river, in which music is playing, beautiful ladies, two mustachioed gentlemen, children and an old man are sitting. As soon as the peasants saw them, they immediately began to work even harder.

The old landowner went ashore, walked around the entire hayfield. "The peasants bowed low, the steward in front of the landowner, like a demon before matins, wriggled." And the landowner scolded them for their work, ordered them to dry the already harvested hay, which was already dry. The travelers were surprised why the old landowner behaved this way with the peasants, because they are now free people and are not under his rule. Old Vlas began to tell them.

“Our landowner is special, exorbitant wealth, an important rank, a noble family, he has been a weirdo, fooled all his life.” But serfdom was abolished, but he did not believe it, he decided that he was being deceived, he even scolded the governor about this, and by the evening he had a stroke. His sons were afraid that he might deprive them of their inheritance, and they agreed with the peasants to live as before, as if the landowner was still their master. Some peasants happily agreed to continue serving the landowner, but many could not agree. For example, Vlas, who was then a steward, did not know how he would have to carry out the "stupid orders" of the old man. Then another peasant asked to be made a steward, and "the old order went." And the peasants gathered together and laughed at the stupid orders of the master. For example, he ordered a seventy-year-old widow to be married to a six-year-old boy so that he would support her and build her a new house. He ordered the cows not to moo when they pass by the manor house, because they wake up the landowner.

But then there was the peasant Agap, who did not want to obey the master and even reproached other peasants for obedience. Once he was walking with a log, and the master met him. The landowner realized that the log was from his forest, and began to scold Agap for stealing. But the peasant could not stand it and began to laugh at the landowner. The old man had a stroke again, they thought that now he would die, but instead he issued a decree to punish Agap for disobedience. All day long, young landowners, their wives, the new steward and Vlas, went to Agap, persuaded Agap to pretend, and gave him wine to drink all night. The next morning they locked him in the stable and ordered him to scream as if he was being beaten, but in fact he was sitting and drinking vodka. The landowner believed, and he even felt sorry for the peasant. Only Agap, after so much vodka, died in the evening.

Wanderers went to look at the old landowner. And he sits surrounded by sons, daughters-in-law, courtyard peasants and has lunch. He began to ask whether the peasants would soon collect the master's hay. The new steward began to assure him that the hay would be removed in two days, then he declared that the peasants would not go anywhere from the master, that he was their father and god. The landowner liked this speech, but suddenly he heard that one of the peasants laughed in the crowd, and ordered that the culprit be found and punished. The steward went, and he himself thinks how he should be. He began to ask the wanderers that one of them would confess: they are strangers, the master could not do anything to them. But the travelers did not agree. Then the steward's godfather, a cunning woman, fell at the master's feet, began to lament, saying that it was her only silly son who laughed, and begged the master not to scold him. Barin took pity. Then he fell asleep and died in his sleep.

Feast - for the whole world

Introduction

The peasants arranged a holiday, to which the whole estate came, they wanted to celebrate their newfound freedom. The peasants sang songs.

I. Bitter time - bitter songs

Cheerful. The song sings that the master took the cow from the peasant, the zemstvo court took away the chickens, the tsar took the sons into recruits, and the master took the daughters to himself. “It is glorious for the people to live in holy Russia!”

Corvee. The poor peasant Kalinushka has wounds all over his back from beatings, he has nothing to wear, nothing to eat. Everything he earns has to be given to the master. The only joy in life is to come to a tavern and get drunk.

After this song, the peasants began to tell each other how hard it was to be in corvée. One recalled how their mistress Gertrud Alexandrovna ordered them to be beaten mercilessly. And the peasant Vikenty told the following parable.

About the exemplary lackey - Jacob the faithful. There lived a landowner in the world, very stingy, even drove his daughter away when she got married. This master had a faithful servant Yakov, who loved him more than his own life, did everything to please the master. Yakov never asked his master for anything, but his nephew grew up and wanted to marry. Only the master also liked the bride, so he did not allow Yakov's nephew to marry, but gave him as a recruit. Yakov decided to take revenge on his master, only his revenge was as servile as life. The master's legs hurt, and he could not walk. Yakov took him to a dense forest and hanged himself in front of his eyes. The master spent the whole night in the ravine, and in the morning the hunters found him. He did not recover from what he saw: “You, sir, will be an exemplary slave, faithful Jacob, to remember until the day of judgment!”

II. Wanderers and pilgrims

There are different pilgrims in the world. Some of them only hide behind the name of God in order to profit at someone else's expense, since it is customary to receive pilgrims in any home and feed them. Therefore, they most often choose rich houses where you can eat well and steal something. But there are also real pilgrims who bring the word of God to a peasant's house. Such people go to the poorest house so that God's mercy descends on it. Ionushka, who led the story "About two great sinners", also belongs to such pilgrims.

About two great sinners. Ataman Kudeyar was a robber and killed and robbed many people in his life. But his conscience tormented him, so much so that he could neither eat nor sleep, but only remembered his victims. He disbanded the whole gang and went to pray at the tomb of the Lord. He wanders, prays, repents, but it does not get easier for him. The sinner returned to his homeland and began to live under a centuries-old oak tree. Once he hears a voice that tells him to cut down an oak tree with the very knife with which he used to kill people, then all his sins will be forgiven. For several years the old man worked, but could not cut down the oak tree. Once he met pan Glukhovskoy, about whom they said that he was a cruel and evil person. When the pan asked what the elder was doing, the sinner said that he so wanted to atone for his sins. Pan began to laugh and said that his conscience did not torment him at all, although he had ruined many lives. “A miracle happened to the hermit: he felt furious anger, rushed to Pan Glukhovsky, plunged a knife into his heart! Just now, the bloodied pan fell headlong on the saddle, a huge tree collapsed, the echo shook the whole forest. So Kudeyar prayed for his sins.

III. Both old and new

“Great is the sin of the nobility,” the peasants began to say after Jon’s story. But the peasant Ignatius Prokhorov objected: "Great, but he shouldn't be against the sin of the peasant." And he told the following story.

Peasant sin. For courage and courage, the widower admiral received eight thousand souls from the empress. When the time came for the admiral to die, he called the headman to him and handed him a chest in which lay free for all the peasants. After his death, a distant relative came and, promising the headman mountains of gold and freedom, begged him for that casket. So eight thousand peasants remained in the lord's bondage, and the headman committed the most serious sin: he betrayed his comrades. “So here it is, the sin of the peasant! Indeed, a terrible sin! the men decided. Then they sang the song "Hungry" and again started talking about the sin of the landowners and peasants. And now Grisha Dobrosklonov, the son of a deacon, said: “The snake will give birth to snakes, and the support is the sins of the landowner, the sin of Jacob the unfortunate, the sin of Gleb gave birth! There is no support - there is no landowner, bringing a zealous slave to a noose, there is no support - there is no courtyard, who takes revenge on his villain by suicide, there is no support - there will be no new Gleb in Russia! Everyone liked the boy’s speech, they began to wish him wealth and a smart wife, but Grisha replied that he didn’t need wealth, but that “every peasant lived freely, cheerfully in all of holy Russia.”

IV. good time - good songs

In the morning the travelers fell asleep. Grisha and his brother took their father home, they sang songs along the way. When the brothers put their father to bed, Grisha went for a walk around the village. Grisha studies at the seminary, where he is poorly fed, so he is thin. But he doesn't think about himself at all. All his thoughts are occupied only by his native village and peasant happiness. "Fate prepared a glorious path for him, a loud name of the people's intercessor, consumption and Siberia." Grisha is happy because he can be an intercessor and take care of ordinary people, of his homeland. Seven men finally found a happy man, but they did not even guess about this happiness.

Features of the composition of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who should live well in Russia"

I. Introduction

Composition - the composition, arrangement and relationship of parts and elements of a work of art. (See Glossary for details.)

II. main part

1. The main plot core of the poem is the search for a "happy" seven peasants. This storyline, as it were, passes through the fate of many people and ends with the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov, who answers the question posed in the title of the poem.

2. In the process of searching for a happy man, the seven peasants meet many people, listen to numerous stories, and take part in some events themselves. The motive of wandering, travel makes it possible for Nekrasov to expand the scope of the original plot, to introduce into the composition of the poem many inserted plots (see Glossary), images and destinies. Thanks to this compositional construction, the poem really becomes a kind of "encyclopedia" of Russian peasant life.

3. In Nekrasov's poem, in fact, there is no main character, or rather, the whole peasant world and, in part, other classes that come into contact with it, become such a hero. The most important heroes can be called Matrena Timofeevna, Savely, Yermila Girin, Yakim Nagogoy, Grisha Dobrosklonov. But along with them in the poem there are many secondary and episodic characters, without which the picture of Russian village life would be incomplete. These are the headman Vlas, Klim Lavin, the landowner, the priest, the nameless peasants from the chapters “Happy”, “Drunk Night”, “Last Child”, etc.

4. The poem “To whom it is good to live in Russia” was written a short time after the abolition of serfdom, therefore comparisons of pre-reform and post-reform life occupy an important place in its composition. This opposition runs through the entire poem and is most clearly expressed in the parts "Feast - for the whole world", "Last Child" and in the chapters "Priest" and the Landowner.

5. A special compositional originality characterizes the part "Feast - for the whole world." In it, Nekrasov widely refers to the genre of song, sometimes stylized as folk, sometimes purely literary. Here the genre of the tale-parable also appears (“About the exemplary serf - Jacob the faithful”, “About two great sinners”, “Peasant sin”). These genre inclusions are important in that they directly or indirectly raise questions that are key to understanding the life of post-reform peasant Russia: about slave and free nature, about sin and truth, about the prospects for the development of the Russian village, etc.

III. Conclusion

The composition of Nekrasov's poem is complex and peculiar. According to the variety of its elements, the significant role of insert plots, it can be compared with such works as Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" and Gogol's "Dead Souls". The features of the composition of the poem corresponded to the main task of Nekrasov: to present the life of the Russian village at the turn of two historical eras as fully as possible.

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• who in Russia live well composition of the poem
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Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" has its own unique feature. All the names of the villages and the names of the heroes clearly reflect the essence of what is happening. In the first chapter, the reader can get acquainted with seven men from the villages of Zaplatovo, Dyryaevo, Razutovo, Znobishino, Gorelovo, Neyolovo, and Neurozhayko, who are arguing over who lives well in Russia, and in no way cannot come to an agreement. No one is even going to yield to another ... So unusually begins the work that Nikolai Nekrasov conceived in order, as he writes, "to state in a coherent story everything that he knows about the people, everything that happened to be heard from his lips ..."

The history of the creation of the poem

Nikolai Nekrasov began working on his work in the early 1860s and finished the first part five years later. The prologue was published in the January issue of the Sovremennik magazine for 1866. Then painstaking work began on the second part, which was called "Last Child" and was published in 1972. The third part, entitled "Peasant Woman", was released in 1973, and the fourth, "A Feast for the Whole World" - in the fall of 1976, that is, three years later. It is a pity that the author of the legendary epic did not manage to fully complete his plan - the writing of the poem was interrupted by an untimely death - in 1877. However, even after 140 years, this work remains important for people, it is read and studied by both children and adults. The poem "To whom it is good to live in Russia" is included in the compulsory school curriculum.

Part 1. Prologue: who is the happiest in Russia

So, the prologue tells how seven men meet on a high road, and then go on a journey to find a happy man. Who in Russia lives freely, happily and cheerfully - this is the main question of curious travelers. Each, arguing with the other, believes that he is right. Roman shouts that the landowner has the best life, Demyan claims that the official lives wonderfully, Luka proves that it’s still a priest, the rest also express their opinion: “noble boyar”, “fat-bellied merchant”, “sovereign minister” or the tsar .

Such a disagreement leads to a ridiculous fight, which is observed by birds and animals. It is interesting to read how the author displays their surprise at what is happening. Even the cow “came to the fire, stared at the peasants, listened to crazy speeches and began, cordially, to moo, moo, moo! ..”

At last, having kneaded each other's sides, the peasants came to their senses. They saw a tiny warbler chick flying up to the fire, and Pahom took it in his hands. The travelers began to envy the little bird that could fly wherever it wanted. They talked about what everyone wants, when suddenly ... the bird spoke in a human voice, asking to release the chick and promising a large ransom for it.

The bird showed the peasants the way to where the real tablecloth was buried. Blimey! Now you can definitely live, not grieve. But the quick-witted wanderers also asked that their clothes not wear out. “And this will be done by a self-assembled tablecloth,” said the warbler. And she kept her promise.

The life of the peasants began to be full and cheerful. But they have not yet resolved the main question: who still lives well in Russia. And friends decided not to return to their families until they find the answer to it.

Chapter 1. Pop

On the way, the peasants met the priest and, bowing low, asked him to answer “in conscience, without laughter and without cunning,” whether he really lives well in Russia. What the pop said dispelled the ideas of the seven curious about his happy life. No matter how severe the circumstances are - a dead autumn night, or a severe frost, or a spring flood - the priest has to go where he is called, without arguing or contradicting. The work is not easy, besides, the groans of people leaving for another world, the weeping of orphans and the sobs of widows completely upset the peace of the priest's soul. And only outwardly it seems that pop is held in high esteem. In fact, he is often the target of ridicule by the common people.

Chapter 2

Further, the road leads purposeful wanderers to other villages, which for some reason turn out to be empty. The reason is that all the people are at the fair, in the village of Kuzminskoye. And it was decided to go there to ask people about happiness.

The life of the village evoked not very pleasant feelings among the peasants: there were a lot of drunks around, everywhere it was dirty, dull, uncomfortable. Books are also sold at the fair, but low-quality books, Belinsky and Gogol are not to be found here.

By evening, everyone becomes so drunk that it seems that even the church with the bell tower is shaking.

Chapter 3

At night, the men are on their way again. They hear the conversations of drunk people. Suddenly, attention is attracted by Pavlush Veretennikov, who makes notes in a notebook. He collects peasant songs and sayings, as well as their stories. After everything that has been said is captured on paper, Veretennikov begins to reproach the assembled people for drunkenness, to which he hears objections: “The peasant drinks mainly because he is in grief, and therefore it is impossible, even a sin, to reproach for it.

Chapter 4

Men do not deviate from their goal - by all means to find a happy person. They promise to reward with a bucket of vodka the one who tells that it is he who lives freely and cheerfully in Russia. Drinkers peck at such a "tempting" offer. But no matter how hard they try to colorfully paint the gloomy everyday life of those who want to get drunk for free, nothing comes out of them. Stories of an old woman who has born up to a thousand turnips, a sexton rejoicing when they pour him a pigtail; the paralyzed former courtyard, who for forty years licked the master's plates with the best French truffle, does not impress the stubborn seekers of happiness on Russian soil.

Chapter 5

Maybe luck will smile on them here - the searchers assumed a happy Russian person, having met the landowner Gavrila Afanasich Obolt-Obolduev on the road. At first he was frightened, thinking that he saw the robbers, but after learning about the unusual desire of the seven men who blocked his path, he calmed down, laughed and told his story.

Maybe before the landowner considered himself happy, but not now. Indeed, in the old days, Gavriil Afanasyevich was the owner of the entire district, a whole regiment of servants and arranged holidays with theatrical performances and dances. Even the peasants did not hesitate to invite the peasants to pray in the manor house on holidays. Now everything has changed: the family estate of Obolt-Obolduev was sold for debts, because, left without peasants who knew how to cultivate the land, the landowner, who was not used to working, suffered heavy losses, which led to a deplorable outcome.

Part 2

The next day, the travelers went to the banks of the Volga, where they saw a large hay meadow. Before they had time to talk with the locals, they noticed three boats at the pier. It turns out that this is a noble family: two gentlemen with their wives, their children, servants and a gray-haired old gentleman named Utyatin. Everything in this family, to the surprise of travelers, occurs according to such a scenario, as if there was no abolition of serfdom. It turns out that Utyatin was very angry when he found out that the peasants were given freedom and came down with a stroke, threatening to deprive his sons of their inheritance. To prevent this from happening, they came up with a cunning plan: they persuaded the peasants to play along with the landowner, posing as serfs. As a reward, they promised the best meadows after the death of the master.

Utyatin, hearing that the peasants were staying with him, perked up, and the comedy began. Some even liked the role of serfs, but Agap Petrov could not come to terms with the shameful fate and told the landowner everything to his face. For this, the prince sentenced him to flogging. The peasants also played a role here: they took the “rebellious” to the stable, put wine in front of him and asked him to shout louder, for appearances. Alas, Agap could not bear such humiliation, got very drunk and died the same night.

Further, the Last (Prince Utyatin) arranges a feast, where, barely moving his tongue, he delivers a speech about the advantages and benefits of serfdom. After that, he lies down in the boat and gives up the spirit. Everyone is glad that they finally got rid of the old tyrant, however, the heirs are not even going to fulfill their promise to those who played the role of serfs. The hopes of the peasants were not justified: no one gave them meadows.

Part 3. Peasant woman.

No longer hoping to find a happy man among the men, the wanderers decided to ask the women. And from the lips of a peasant woman named Korchagina Matryona Timofeevna they hear a very sad and, one might say, terrible story. Only in her parents' house she was happy, and then, when she married Philip, a ruddy and strong guy, a hard life began. Love did not last long, because the husband went to work, leaving his young wife with his family. Matryona works tirelessly and sees no support from anyone except old Savely, who lives a century after hard labor, which lasted twenty years. Only one joy appears in her difficult fate - the son of Demushka. But suddenly a terrible misfortune befell the woman: it is impossible to even imagine what happened to the child because the mother-in-law did not allow her daughter-in-law to take him into the field with her. Due to an oversight of the boy's grandfather, the pigs eat him. What grief for a mother! She mourns Demushka all the time, although other children were born in the family. For their sake, a woman sacrifices herself, for example, she takes upon herself the punishment when they want to flog her son Fedot for a sheep that was carried away by wolves. When Matryona was carrying another son, Lidor, in her womb, her husband was unfairly taken into the army, and his wife had to go to the city to look for the truth. It’s good that the governor’s wife, Elena Alexandrovna, helped her then. By the way, in the waiting room Matryona gave birth to a son.

Yes, the life of the one who was called “lucky” in the village was not easy: she constantly had to fight for herself, for her children, and for her husband.

Part 4. A feast for the whole world.

At the end of the village of Valakhchina, a feast was held, where everyone was gathered: the wandering peasants, and Vlas the headman, and Klim Yakovlevich. Among the celebrating - two seminarians, simple, kind guys - Savvushka and Grisha Dobrosklonov. They sing funny songs and tell different stories. They do it because ordinary people ask for it. From the age of fifteen, Grisha knows for sure that he will devote his life to the happiness of the Russian people. He sings a song about a great and mighty country called Russia. Isn't this the lucky one that the travelers were so stubbornly looking for? After all, he clearly sees the purpose of his life - in serving the disadvantaged people. Unfortunately, Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov died untimely, before he had time to finish the poem (according to the author's plan, the peasants were to go to St. Petersburg). But the reflections of the seven wanderers coincide with the thought of Dobrosklonov, who thinks that every peasant should live freely and cheerfully in Russia. This was the main intention of the author.

The poem by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov became legendary, a symbol of the struggle for the happy everyday life of ordinary people, as well as the result of the author's reflections on the fate of the peasantry.

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.

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 development of world literature, and not the direct borrowing of some well-known sample.

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.

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 farcical 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: jails, 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 commander (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 sends his son to the recruits for trying to marry his beloved girl. Thus, the writer is far from denigrating the nobility everywhere, he is trying to show both sides of the coin.
7. Kholop Yakov- an indicative figure of a serf, the antagonist of the hero Saveliy. Yakov absorbed the whole slavish essence of the oppressed class, downtrodden with lack of rights and ignorance. When the master beats him and even sends his son to certain death, the servant meekly and meekly endures the offense. His revenge was a match for this humility: he hanged himself in the forest right in front of the master, who was crippled and could not get home without his help.
8. Iona Lyapushkin- God's wanderer, who told the peasants several stories about the life of people in 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, with an idea, without which time loses color, becomes dull from inaction or selfishness. Grisha Dobrosklonov is happy not with wealth and position in the world, but with the fact that he leads Russia and his people to a brighter future.
• Homeland Theme. Although 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 peasant hero, 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 bloodied 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 the 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.

Conclusion

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 contradictory, 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” is that it is necessary to work for the good of one’s homeland, not to scold it, but to help it with deeds, because it’s easier to push around with a word, but not everyone 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 we achieve a significant result, only together can we overcome the problems and hardships of this overcoming. Grisha Dobrosklonov, with his songs, tried to unite, rally people so that they would meet changes shoulder to shoulder. This is his holy purpose, and everyone has it, it is important not to be too lazy to go out on the road and look for him, as the seven wanderers did.

Criticism

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

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

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Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" tells about the journey of seven peasants across Russia in search of a happy person. The work was written in the late 60's - mid 70's. XIX century, after the reforms of Alexander II and the abolition of serfdom. It tells about a post-reform society in which not only many old vices have not disappeared, but many new ones have appeared. According to the plan of Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, the wanderers were supposed to reach St. Petersburg at the end of the journey, but due to the illness and imminent death of the author, the poem remained unfinished.

The work “To whom it is good to live in Russia” is written in blank verse and stylized as Russian folk tales. We suggest reading the online summary of “Who Lives Well in Russia” by Nekrasov chapter by chapter, prepared by the editors of our portal.

main characters

Novel, Demyan, Luke, Gubin brothers Ivan and Mitrodor, Pahom, Prov- seven peasants who went to look for a happy man.

Other characters

Ermil Girin- the first "candidate" for the title of lucky man, an honest steward, very respected by the peasants.

Matryona Korchagina(Governor) - a peasant woman who is known in her village as a "lucky woman".

Savely- grandfather of her husband Matryona Korchagina. Centennial old man.

Prince Utyatin(Last child) - an old landowner, a tyrant, to whom his family, in collusion with the peasants, does not speak about the abolition of serfdom.

Vlas- a peasant, steward of the village, once owned by Utyatin.

Grisha Dobrosklonov- a seminarian, the son of a deacon, dreaming of the liberation of the Russian people; the revolutionary democrat N. Dobrolyubov was the prototype.

Part 1

Prologue

Seven men converge on the "pillar path": Roman, Demyan, Luka, the Gubin brothers (Ivan and Mitrodor), the old man Pakhom and Prov. The county from which they come is called by the author Terpigorev, and the “adjacent villages” from which the men come from are referred to as Zaplatovo, Dyryaevo, Razutovo, Znobishino, Gorelovo, Neelovo and Neurozhayko, thus, the poem uses the artistic device of “talking” names .

The men got together and argued:
Who has fun
Feel free in Russia?

Each of them insists on his own. One shouts that the landowner lives most freely, the other that the official, the third - the priest, "fat-bellied merchant", "noble boyar, minister of the sovereign", or the tsar.

From the outside, it seems that the men found a treasure on the road and are now dividing it among themselves. The peasants have already forgotten what business they left the house for (one went to baptize a child, the other to the market ...), and they go no one knows where until night falls. Only here the peasants stop and, "blaming the trouble on the goblin", sit down to rest and continue the argument. Soon it comes to a fight.

Roman hits Pakhomushka,
Demyan hits Luka.

The fight alarmed the whole forest, the echo woke up, the animals and birds got worried, the cow mooed, the cuckoo forged, the jackdaws squeaked, the fox, eavesdropping on the peasants, decides to run away.

And here at the foam
With fright, a tiny chick
Fell from the nest.

When the fight is over, the men pay attention to this chick and catch it. It is easier for a bird than for a peasant, Pahom says. If he had wings, he would fly all over Russia to find out who lives best on it. “We don’t even need wings,” the rest add, they would only have bread and “a bucket of vodka,” as well as cucumbers, kvass and tea. Then they would have measured the whole "Mother Russia with their feet."

While the men are interpreting in this way, a chiffchaff flies up to them and asks to release her chick into the wild. For him, she will give a royal ransom: everything desired by the peasants.

The men agree, and the chiffchaff shows them a place in the forest where a box with a self-assembled tablecloth is buried. Then she enchants clothes on them so that they do not wear out, so that the bast shoes do not break, footcloths do not decay, and louse does not breed on the body, and flies away “with her dear chick”. In parting, the warbler warns the peasants: they can ask for food from the self-collection tablecloth as much as they like, but you can’t ask for more than a bucket of vodka a day:

And one and two - it will be fulfilled
At your request,
And in the third be trouble!

The peasants rush to the forest, where they really find a self-assembled tablecloth. Overjoyed, they arrange a feast and give a vow: not to return home until they know for sure, "who lives happily, freely in Russia?"

Thus begins their journey.

Chapter 1. Pop

Far away stretches a wide path lined with birch trees. On it, the peasants mostly come across “small people” - peasants, artisans, beggars, soldiers. Travelers don’t even ask them anything: what kind of happiness is there? Toward evening, the men meet the priest. The men block his way and bow low. In response to the priest's silent question: what do they need?, Luka talks about the dispute and asks: “Is the priest's life sweet?”

The priest thinks for a long time, and then replies that, since it is a sin to grumble at God, he will simply describe his life to the peasants, and they themselves will realize whether it is good.

Happiness, according to the priest, consists in three things: "peace, wealth, honor." No rest is known to the priest: his dignity is given to him by hard work, and then no less difficult service begins, the crying of orphans, the cries of widows and the groans of the dying do little to promote peace of mind.

The situation with honor is no better: the priest serves as an object for witticisms of the common people, obscene tales, anecdotes and fables are composed about him, which do not spare not only himself, but also his wife and children.

The last thing remains, wealth, but even here everything has changed a long time ago. Yes, there were times when the nobles honored the priest, played magnificent weddings and came to their estates to die - that was the work of the priests, but now "the landlords have scattered in distant foreign land." So it turns out that the pop is content with rare copper nickels:

The peasant himself needs
And I would be glad to give, but there is nothing ...

Having finished his speech, the priest leaves, and the debaters attack Luka with reproaches. They unanimously accuse him of stupidity, that it was only in appearance that the priestly housing seemed free to him, but he could not figure it out deeper.

What did you take? stubborn head!

The men would probably have beaten Luka, but here, fortunately for him, at the bend in the road, the “priestly strict face” is once again shown ...

Chapter 2

The men continue on their way, and their road goes through empty villages. Finally, they meet the rider and ask him where the inhabitants have disappeared.

They went to the village of Kuzminskoe,
Today there is a fairground...

Then the wanderers decide to also go to the fair - what if the one “who lives happily” is hiding there?

Kuzminskoye is a rich, albeit dirty, village. It has two churches, a school (closed), a dirty hotel and even a paramedic. That’s why the fair is rich, and most of all there are taverns, “eleven taverns”, and they do not have time to pour for everyone:

Oh, Orthodox thirst,
How big are you!

There are a lot of drunk people around. A peasant scolds a broken ax, grandfather Vavila is sad next to him, who promised to bring shoes to his granddaughter, but drank all the money. The people feel sorry for him, but no one can help - they themselves have no money. Fortunately, there happens to be a "master", Pavlusha Veretennikov, and it is he who buys shoes for Vavila's granddaughter.

Ofeni (booksellers) also sell at the fair, but the most base books, as well as portraits of “thicker” generals, are in demand. And no one knows if the time will come when a man:

Belinsky and Gogol
Will you carry it from the market?

By evening, everyone is so drunk that even the church with the bell tower seems to stagger, and the peasants leave the village.

Chapter 3

It's worth a quiet night. The men walk along the "hundred-voiced" road and hear snippets of other people's conversations. They talk about officials, about bribes: “And we are fifty kopecks to the clerk: We made a request,” women's songs are heard with a request to “fall in love.” One drunk guy buries his clothes in the ground, assuring everyone that he is "burying his mother." At the road post, the wanderers again meet Pavel Veretennikov. He talks with the peasants, writes down their songs and sayings. Having written down enough, Veretennikov blames the peasants for drinking a lot - "it's a shame to look!" They object to him: the peasant drinks mainly from grief, and it is a sin to condemn or envy him.

The objector's name is Yakim Goly. Pavlusha also writes his story in a book. Even in his youth, Yakim bought his son popular prints, and he himself loved to look at them no less than a child. When a fire broke out in the hut, he first of all rushed to tear pictures from the walls, and so all his savings, thirty-five rubles, burned down. For a fused lump, they now give him 11 rubles.

After listening to stories, the wanderers sit down to refresh themselves, then one of them, Roman, remains at the bucket of vodka for the guard, and the rest again mix with the crowd in search of a happy one.

Chapter 4

Wanderers walk in the crowd and call the happy one to come. If such a person appears and tells them about his happiness, then he will be treated to glory with vodka.

Sober people chuckle at such speeches, but a considerable queue is lined up from drunk people. The deacon comes first. His happiness, in his words, "is in complacency" and in the "kosushka", which the peasants will pour. The deacon is driven away, and an old woman appears, in which, on a small ridge, "up to a thousand raps were born." The next torturing happiness is a soldier with medals, "a little alive, but I want to drink." His happiness lies in the fact that no matter how they tortured him in the service, he nevertheless remained alive. A stonecutter with a huge hammer also comes, a peasant who overstrained himself in the service, but still, barely alive, drove home, a courtyard man with a "noble" disease - gout. The latter boasts that for forty years he stood at the table of the most illustrious prince, licking plates and drinking foreign wine from glasses. The men drive him away too, because they have a simple wine, “not according to your lips!”.

The line to the wanderers does not become smaller. The Belarusian peasant is happy that here he eats his fill of rye bread, because at home they baked bread only with chaff, and this caused terrible pain in the stomach. A man with a folded cheekbone, a hunter, is happy that he survived in a fight with a bear, while the bears killed the rest of his comrades. Even the beggars come: they are happy that there is alms on which they are fed.

Finally, the bucket is empty, and the wanderers realize that this way they will not find happiness.

Hey, happiness man!
Leaky, with patches,
Humpbacked with calluses
Get off home!

Here one of the people who approached them advises “ask Yermila Girin”, because if he does not turn out to be happy, then there is nothing to look for. Ermila is a simple man who deserved the great love of the people. The wanderers are told the following story: once Ermila had a mill, but they decided to sell it for debts. Bidding began, the merchant Altynnikov really wanted to buy the mill. Yermila was able to outbid his price, but the trouble is that he did not have money with him to make a deposit. Then he asked for an hour's reprieve and ran to the market place to ask the people for money.

And a miracle happened: Yermil received money. Very soon, the thousand necessary for the ransom of the mill turned out to be with him. And a week later, on the square, there was an even more wonderful sight: Yermil "counted on the people", handed out all the money and honestly. There was only one extra ruble left, and Yermil asked until sunset whose it was.

Wanderers are perplexed: by what sorcery did Yermil receive such trust from the people. They are told that this is not witchcraft, but the truth. Girin served as a clerk in the office and never took a penny from anyone, but helped with advice. Soon the old prince died, and the new one ordered the peasants to choose a burgomaster. Unanimously, "six thousand souls, with the whole fiefdom" Yermila shouted - although young, he loves the truth!

Only once did Yermil "disguise" when he did not recruit his younger brother, Mitriy, replacing him with the son of Nenila Vlasyevna. But the conscience after this act tortured Yermila so much that he soon tried to hang himself. Mitrius was handed over to the recruits, and the son of Nenila was returned to her. Yermil, for a long time, did not walk on his own, “he resigned from his post,” but instead rented a mill and became “more than the former people love.”

But here the priest intervenes in the conversation: all this is true, but it is useless to go to Yermil Girin. He is sitting in jail. The priest begins to tell how it was - the village of Stolbnyaki rebelled and the authorities decided to call Yermila - his people would listen.

The story is interrupted by cries: the thief has been caught and is being flogged. The thief turns out to be the same lackey with a "noble disease", and after the flogging, he flies away as if he had completely forgotten about his illness.
The priest, meanwhile, says goodbye, promising to finish telling the story at the next meeting.

Chapter 5

On their further journey, the peasants meet the landowner Gavrila Afanasyich Obolt-Obolduev. The landowner is at first frightened, suspecting robbers in them, but, having figured out what the matter is, he laughs and begins to tell his story. He leads his noble family from the Tatar Oboldui, who was skinned by a bear for the amusement of the empress. She granted cloth to the Tatar for this. Such were the noble ancestors of the landowner ...

Law is my wish!
The fist is my police!

However, not all strictness, the landowner admits that he more "attracted hearts with affection"! All the courtyards loved him, gave him gifts, and he was like a father to them. But everything changed: the peasants and the land were taken away from the landowner. The sound of an ax is heard from the forests, everyone is being ruined, instead of estates drinking houses are multiplying, because now no one needs a letter at all. And they shout to the landowners:

Wake up, sleepy landowner!
Get up! - study! work hard!..

But how can a landowner work, accustomed to something completely different from childhood? They did not learn anything, and "thought to live like this for a century," but it turned out differently.

The landowner began to sob, and the good-natured peasants almost wept with him, thinking:

The great chain is broken
Torn - jumped:
One end on the master,
Others for a man! ..

Part 2

The Last

The next day, the peasants go to the banks of the Volga, to a huge hay meadow. As soon as they got into a conversation with the locals, music was heard and three boats moored to the shore. They have a noble family: two gentlemen with their wives, little barchats, servants and a gray-haired old gentleman. The old man inspects the mowing, and everyone bows to him almost to the ground. In one place he stops and orders a dry haystack to be spread: the hay is still damp. The absurd order is immediately executed.

Strangers marvel:
Grandfather!
What a wonderful old man.

It turns out that the old man - Prince Utyatin (the peasants call him the Last) - having learned about the abolition of serfdom, "fooled", and came down with a blow. His sons were told that they had betrayed the landowner's ideals, that they could not defend them, and if so, they were left without an inheritance. The sons were frightened and persuaded the peasants to fool the landowner a little, so that after his death they would give the village poem meadows. The old man was told that the tsar ordered the serfs to be returned back to the landowners, the prince was delighted and stood up. So this comedy continues to this day. Some peasants are even happy about this, for example, the courtyard Ipat:

Ipat said: “You have fun!
And I am the Utyatin princes
Serf - and the whole story here!

But Agap Petrov cannot come to terms with the fact that even in the wild someone will push him around. Once he told the master everything directly, and he had a stroke. When he woke up, he ordered Agap to be whipped, and the peasants, in order not to reveal the deceit, led him to the stable, where they put a bottle of wine in front of him: drink and shout louder! Agap died the same night: it was hard for him to bow down...

Wanderers are present at the feast of the Last, where he speaks about the benefits of serfdom, and then lies down in the boat and falls asleep in it with songs. The village of Vahlaki sighs with sincere relief, but no one gives them the meadows - the trial continues to this day.

Part 3

peasant woman

“Not everything is between men
Find a happy
Let's feel the women!”

With these words, the wanderers go to Korchagina Matryona Timofeevna, the governor, a beautiful woman of 38 years old, who, however, already calls herself an old woman. She talks about her life. Then she was only happy, as she grew up in her parents' house. But girlhood quickly rushed by, and now Matryona is already being wooed. Philip becomes her betrothed, handsome, ruddy and strong. He loves his wife (according to her, he beat him only once), but soon he goes to work, and leaves her with his large, but alien to Matryona, family.

Matryona works for her elder sister-in-law, and for a strict mother-in-law, and for her father-in-law. She had no joy in her life until her eldest son, Demushka, was born.

In the whole family, only the old grandfather Savely, the “Holy Russian hero”, who lives out his life after twenty years of hard labor, regrets Matryona. He ended up in hard labor for the murder of a German manager who did not give the peasants a single free minute. Savely told Matryona a lot about his life, about "Russian heroism."

The mother-in-law forbids Matryona to take Demushka into the field: she does not work much with him. The grandfather looks after the child, but one day he falls asleep, and the pigs eat the child. After some time, Matryona meets Savely at the grave of Demushka, who has gone to repentance in the Sand Monastery. She forgives him and takes him home, where the old man soon dies.

Matryona also had other children, but she could not forget Demushka. One of them, the shepherdess Fedot, once wanted to be whipped for a sheep carried away by a wolf, but Matrena took the punishment upon herself. When she was pregnant with Liodorushka, she had to go to the city to ask for the return of her husband, who had been taken into the soldiers. Right in the waiting room, Matryona gave birth, and the governor, Elena Alexandrovna, for whom the whole family is now praying, helped her. Since then, Matryona has been "denounced as a lucky woman, nicknamed the governor's wife." But what kind of happiness is there?

This is what Matryonushka tells the wanderers and adds: they will never find a happy woman among women, the keys to female happiness are lost, and even God does not know where to find them.

Part 4

A feast for the whole world

There is a feast in the village of Vakhlachina. Everyone gathered here: both wanderers, and Klim Yakovlich, and Vlas the headman. Among the feasters are two seminarians, Savvushka and Grisha, good simple guys. They, at the request of the people, sing a “jolly” song, then the turn comes for different stories. There is a story about “an exemplary slave - Jacob the faithful”, who all his life went after the master, fulfilled all his whims and even rejoiced at the master's beatings. Only when the master gave his nephew to the soldiers, Yakov took to drink, but soon returned to the master. And yet, Yakov did not forgive him, and was able to take revenge on Polivanov: he brought him, with his legs off, into the forest, and there he hanged himself on a pine tree above the master.

There is a dispute about who is the most sinful of all. God's wanderer Jonah tells the story of "two sinners", about the robber Kudeyar. The Lord awakened a conscience in him and imposed a penance on him: cut down a huge oak tree in the forest, then his sins will be forgiven him. But the oak fell only when Kudeyar sprinkled it with the blood of the cruel Pan Glukhovsky. Ignatius Prokhorov objects to Jonah: the peasant's sin is still greater, and tells the story of the headman. He hid the last will of his master, who decided to release his peasants before his death. But the headman, tempted by money, tore free.

The crowd is subdued. Songs are sung: "Hungry", "Soldier's". But the time will come in Russia for good songs. Confirmation of this is two seminarian brothers, Savva and Grisha. The seminarian Grisha, the son of a sexton, has known since the age of fifteen that he wants to devote his life to the happiness of the people. Love for his mother merges in his heart with love for the whole vakhlachin. Grisha walks along his edge and sings a song about Russia:

You are poor
You are abundant
You are powerful
You are powerless
Mother Russia!

And his plans will not be lost: fate prepares Grisha "a glorious path, a loud name of the people's intercessor, consumption and Siberia." In the meantime, Grisha sings, and it is a pity that the wanderers do not hear him, because then they would understand that they had already found a happy person and could return home.

Conclusion

This ends the unfinished chapters of the poem by Nekrasov. However, even from the surviving parts, the reader is presented with a large-scale picture of post-reform Russia, which, with torment, is learning to live in a new way. The range of problems raised by the author in the poem is very wide: the problems of widespread drunkenness, the ruining of a Russian person (it’s not without reason that a bucket of vodka is offered as a reward!) The problems of women, the ineradicable slave psychology (revealed on the example of Yakov, Ipat) and the main problem of people's happiness. Most of these problems, unfortunately, to one degree or another still remain relevant today, which is why the work is very popular, and a number of quotations from it have become part of everyday speech. The compositional device of the main characters' wanderings brings the poem closer to an adventure novel, thanks to which it is read easily and with great interest.

A brief retelling of “To whom it is good to live in Russia” conveys only the most basic content of the poem; for a more accurate idea of ​​​​the work, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the full version of “To whom it is good to live in Russia”.

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