Images of peasants in the poem. Images of peasants in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

“Images of peasants in the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

Poem by N.A. Nekrasov's "Who Lives Well in Rus'" was created in the last period of the poet's life (1863-1876). The ideological concept of the poem is already indicated in its title, and then repeated in the text: who can live well in Rus'? In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” by N.A. Nekrasov shows the life of the Russian peasantry in post-reform Russia, their difficult situation. The main problem of this work is the search for an answer to the question, “who lives happily and freely in Rus',” who is worthy and not worthy of happiness? The poet speaks about the essence of the Tsar’s manifesto in the words of the people: “You are kind, Tsar’s letter, but you were not written about us.” The poet touched upon the pressing problems of his time, condemned slavery and oppression, and sang the praises of the freedom-loving, talented, strong-willed Russian people. The author introduces into the poem the image of seven wandering peasants traveling around the country in search of the lucky ones. They live in the villages: Zaplatovo, Dyryavino, Razutovo, Znobishino, Gorelovo, Neelovo, Neurozhaika. They are united by poverty, unpretentiousness, and the desire to find happiness in Rus'. While traveling, peasants meet different people, evaluate them, determine their attitude towards the priest, towards the landowner, towards the peasant reform, towards the peasants. Men do not seek happiness among the working people: peasants, soldiers. Their idea of ​​happiness is associated with the images of the clergy, merchants, nobility, and the king. Peasant truth-seekers have a sense of self-esteem. They are deeply convinced that the working people are better, taller, and smarter than the landowner. The author shows the hatred of the peasants for those who live at their expense. Nekrasov also emphasizes the people’s love for work and their desire to help other people. Having learned that Matryona Timofeevna’s crop is dying, the men without hesitation offer her help. They also willingly help the peasants of the Illiterate Province mow the grass. “Like teeth from hunger,” everyone’s nimble hand works.

Traveling around Russia, men meet various people. Revealing the images of the heroes encountered by truth-seekers allows the author to characterize not only the situation of the peasantry, but also the life of the merchants, clergy, and nobility.

Having listened to the priest’s story about his “happiness”, having received advice to find out about the landowner’s happiness, the peasants snapped: you are past them, the landowners! We know them! Truth-seekers are not satisfied with the noble word, they need the “Christian word.” “Give me your Christian word! The noble with a scolding, with a push and a punch, is unsuitable for us! They have self-esteem. In the chapter “Happy” they angrily see off the sexton, a servant who boasted of his servile position: “Get lost!” They sympathize with the soldier’s terrible story and tell him: “Here, have a drink, servant! There's no point in arguing with you. You are happy - there is no word."

The author pays main attention to the peasants. The images of Yakim Nagogo, Ermila Girin, Saveliy, Matryona Timofeevna combine both general, typical features of the peasantry, such as hatred of all “shareholders” who drain their vitality, and individual traits.

Nekrasov more fully reveals the images of peasant fighters who do not grovel before their masters and do not resign themselves to their slave position. Yakim Nagoy from the village of Bosovo lives in terrible poverty. He works himself to death, saving himself under the harrow from the heat and rain. His portrait shows constant hard work:

And to Mother Earth myself

He looks like: brown neck,

Like a layer cut off by a plow,

Brick face...

The chest is sunken, like a depressed belly. There are bends near the eyes, near the mouth, like cracks in dried earth... Reading the description of the peasant’s face, we understand that Yakim, having toiled all his life on a gray, barren piece, had himself become like the earth. Yakim admits that most of his labor is appropriated by “shareholders” who do not work, but live on the labors of peasants like him. “You work alone, and as soon as the work is finished, look, there are three shareholders: God, the Tsar and the Master!” All his long life, Yakim worked, experienced many hardships, went hungry, went to prison and, “like a piece of velcro, he returned to his homeland.” But still he finds the strength to create at least some kind of life, some kind of beauty. Yakim decorates his hut with pictures, loves and uses apt words, his speech is full of proverbs and sayings. Yakim is the image of a new type of peasant, a rural proletarian who has been in the latrine industry. And his voice is the voice of the most determined peasants. Yakim understands that the peasantry is a great force. He is proud to belong to it. He knows what the strength and weakness of the “peasant soul” is:

Soul, like a black cloud -

Angry, menacing - and it should be

Thunder will roar from there...

And it all ends with wine...

Yakim refutes the opinion that the peasant is poor because he drinks. He reveals the true reason for this situation - the need to work for “interest holders”. The fate of Yakim is typical for the peasants of post-reform Rus': he “once lived in St. Petersburg,” but, having lost a lawsuit with a merchant, he ended up in prison, from where he returned, “torn like a sticker” and “took up his plow.”

The writer treats with great sympathy his hero Yermil Girin, the village elder, fair, honest, intelligent, who, according to the peasants: “At seven years old he did not squeeze a worldly penny under his fingernail, at seven years he did not touch the right, did not allow the guilty, did not with his soul screwed up...” Only once did Yermil act against his conscience, giving the old woman Vlasyevna’s son to the army instead of his brother. Repenting, he tried to hang himself. According to the peasants, Yermil had everything for happiness: peace, money, honor, but his honor was special, not bought “neither money nor fear: strict truth, intelligence and kindness.” The people, defending the worldly cause, help Yermil save the mill in difficult times and show exceptional trust in him. This act confirms the ability of the people to act together, in peace. And Yermil, not afraid of prison, took the side of the peasants when: “the estate of the landowner Obrubkov rebelled...” Yermil Girin is a defender of peasant interests. If the protest of Yakim Nagogo is spontaneous, then Yermil Girin rises to a conscious protest.

Another hero of the work is Savely. Savely, the Holy Russian hero, is a fighter for the people's cause. Savely acts as a folk philosopher. He ponders whether the people should continue to endure their lack of rights and oppressed state. Savely comes to the conclusion: it is better to “understand” than to “endure,” and he calls for protest. In his youth, like all peasants, he endured cruel bullying for a long time from the landowner Shalashnikov, his manager. But Savely cannot accept such an order, and he rebels along with other peasants; he buried the living German Vogel in the ground. Saveliy received “twenty years of strict hard labor, twenty years of imprisonment” for this. Returning as an old man to his native village, Savely retained good spirits and hatred of his oppressors. "Branded, but not a slave!" - he said about himself. Until old age Savely retained a clear mind, warmth, and responsiveness. In the poem he is shown as the people's avenger: “our axes lay - for the time being!” He speaks contemptuously about passive peasants, calling them “dead... lost.” Nekrasov calls Saveliy a Holy Russian hero, raising him very high, emphasizing his heroic character, and also compares him with the folk hero Ivan Susanin. The image of Savely personifies the people's desire for freedom. The image of Savely is given in the same chapter with the image of Matryona Timofeevna not by chance. The poet shows together two heroic Russian characters.

Nekrasov poem peasantry Rus'

In the last chapter, called “The Woman’s Parable,” the peasant woman speaks about the common female lot: “The keys to women’s happiness, to our free will, are abandoned, lost to God himself.” But Nekrasov is sure that the “keys” must be found. The peasant woman will wait and achieve happiness. The poet speaks about this in one of Grisha Dobrosklonov’s songs: “You are still a slave in the family, but the mother of a free son!”

With great love, Nekrasov painted images of truth-seekers, fighters, in which the strength of the people and the will to fight the oppressors were expressed. However, the writer did not close his eyes to the dark sides of the life of the peasantry. The poem depicts peasants who are corrupted by their masters and have become accustomed to their slave position. In the chapter “Happy,” the truth-seeking peasants meet with a “broken yard man” who considers himself happy because he was the beloved slave of Prince Peremetyev. The courtyard is proud that his “daughter, together with the young lady, studied French and all sorts of languages, she was allowed to sit down in the presence of the princess.” And the servant himself stood behind the chair of His Serene Highness for thirty years, licking the plates after him and finishing off the remnants of overseas wines. He is proud of his “closeness” to the masters and his “honorable” disease - gout. Simple freedom-loving peasants laugh at the slave who looks down on his fellow men, not understanding the baseness of his lackey position. Prince Utyatin’s servant Ipat did not even believe that “freedom” had been declared to the peasants: “And I am the Prince Utyatin’s Serf - and that’s the whole story!”

From childhood until old age, the master mocked his slave Ipat as best he could. The footman took all this for granted: “he ransomed me, the last slave, in an ice hole in winter! How wonderful! Two holes: he’ll lower it into one in a net, and into the other he’ll instantly pull it out and bring him some vodka.” Ipat could not forget the master's "mercies" that after swimming in the ice hole the prince would "bring vodka" and then seat him "next to the unworthy one with his princely person."

The obedient slave is also shown in the image of an “exemplary slave - Jacob the faithful.” Yakov served under the cruel Mr. Polivanov, who “in the teeth of an exemplary slave... casually blew his heel.” Despite such treatment, the faithful slave took care of and pleased the master until his old age. The landowner cruelly offended his faithful servant by recruiting his beloved nephew Grisha. Yakov made a fool of himself. First, he “drank the dead woman,” and then he took the master into a deep forest ravine and hanged himself on a pine tree above his head. The poet condemns such manifestations of protest as well as servile submission.

Nekrasov speaks with deep indignation about such traitors to the people's cause as Elder Gleb. He, bribed by the heir, destroyed the “freedom” given to the peasants before his death by the old master-admiral, thereby “for tens of years, until recently, the villain secured eight thousand souls.” For the images of courtyard peasants who became slaves of their masters and abandoned genuine peasant interests, the poet finds words of angry contempt: slave, serf, dog, Judas.

The poem also notes such a feature of the Russian peasantry as religiosity. It's a way to escape reality. God is the supreme judge from whom the peasants seek protection and justice. Faith in God is hope for a better life.

Nekrasov concludes the characteristics with a typical generalization: “people of the servile rank are real dogs sometimes: the more severe the punishment, the dearer the Lord is to them.” Creating different types of peasants, Nekrasov argues that there are no happy ones among them, that the peasants, even after the abolition of serfdom, are still destitute and bloodless. But among the peasants there are people capable of conscious, active protest, and he believes that with the help of such people in the future, everyone will live well in Rus', and first of all, a good life will come for the Russian people. “Limits have not yet been set for the Russian people: there is a wide path before them” N.A. Nekrasov, in his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” recreated the life of the peasantry in post-reform Russia, revealed the typical character traits of Russian peasants, showing that this is a force to be reckoned with, which is gradually beginning to realize its rights.

Essays on literature: Images of peasants in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” N.A. shows the life of the Russian peasantry in post-reform Russia, their difficult situation. The main problem of this work is the search for an answer to the question “who lives happily and freely in Rus'”, who is worthy and not worthy of happiness? The author introduces into the poem the image of seven wandering peasants traveling around the country in search of the lucky ones. This is a group portrait, therefore, in the image of the seven “temporarily obliged” ones, only general traits characteristic of the Russian peasant are given: poverty, curiosity, unpretentiousness. Men do not seek happiness among the working people: peasants, soldiers. Their idea of ​​happiness is associated with the images of the clergy, merchants, nobility, and the king. Peasant truth-seekers have a sense of self-esteem. They are deeply convinced that the working people are better, taller, and smarter than the landowner. The author shows the hatred of the peasants for those who live at their expense. Nekrasov also emphasizes the people’s love for work and their desire to help other people. Having learned that Matryona Timofeevna’s crop is dying, the men without hesitation offer her help; they also help the peasants of the Illiterate province with mowing.

Traveling around Russia, men meet various people. Revealing the images of the heroes encountered by the truth-seekers allows the author to characterize not only the situation of the peasantry, but also the life of the merchants, clergy, and nobility... But the author still pays the main attention to the peasants.

The images of Yakim Nagogo, Ermila Girin, Saveliy, Matryona Timofeevna combine both general, typical features of the peasantry, such as hatred of all “shareholders” who drain their vitality, and individual traits.

Yakim Nagoy, personifying the mass of the poor peasantry, “works himself to death,” but lives as a poor man, like the majority of the peasants of the village of Bosovo. His portrait shows constant hard work:

And to Mother Earth myself

He looks like: brown neck,

Like a layer cut off by a plow,

Brick face...

Yakim understands that the peasantry is a great force; he is proud to belong to it. He knows what the strength and weakness of the “peasant soul” is:

Soul, like a black cloud -

Angry, menacing - and it should be

Thunder will roar from there...

And it all ends with wine...

Yakim refutes the opinion that the peasant is poor because he drinks. He reveals the true reason for this situation - the need to work for the “interest holders”. The fate of Yakim is typical for the peasants of post-reform Rus': he “once lived in St. Petersburg,” but, having lost a lawsuit with a merchant, he ended up in prison, from where he returned, “torn like a piece of Velcro” and “took up his plow.”

Another image of the Russian peasant is Ermila Girin. The author endows him with incorruptible honesty and natural intelligence. The peasants respect him because he

In seven years the world's penny

I didn’t squeeze it under my nail,

At the age of seven I didn’t touch the right one,

Didn't let the culprit go

I didn’t bend my heart...

Having gone against the “peace”, sacrificing public interests for the sake of personal ones - having given up a neighbor’s guy as a soldier instead of her brother - Yermila is tormented by remorse and comes to the point of thinking about suicide. However, he does not hang himself, but goes to the people to repent.

The episode with the purchase of the mill is important. Nekrasov shows the solidarity of the peasantry. They trust Ermila, and he takes the side of the peasants during the riot.

The author’s idea that Russian peasants are heroes is also important. For this purpose, the image of Savely, the Holy Russian hero, is introduced. Despite the unbearably hard life, the hero has not lost his best qualities. He treats Matryona Timofeevna with sincere love and deeply worries about Demushka’s death. About himself he says: “Branded, but not a slave!” Savely acts as a folk philosopher. He ponders whether the people should continue to endure their lack of rights and oppressed state. Savely comes to the conclusion: it is better to “understand” than to “endure,” and he calls for protest.

Savelia's combination of sincerity, kindness, simplicity, sympathy for the oppressed and hatred of the oppressors makes this image vital and typical.

A special place in the poem, as in all of Nekrasov’s work, is occupied by the display of the “female share”. In the poem, the author reveals it using the example of the image of Matryona Timofeevna. This is a strong and persistent woman, fighting for her freedom and her feminine happiness. But, despite all her efforts, the heroine says: “It’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women.”

The fate of Matryona Timofeevna is typical for a Russian woman: after marriage she went to hell from a “maiden holiday”; Misfortunes fell upon her one after another... Finally, Matryona Timofeevna, just like the men, is forced to work hard at work in order to feed her family.

The image of Matryona Timofeevna also contains features of the heroic character of the Russian peasantry.

In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” the author showed how serfdom morally cripples people. He leads us through a procession of courtyard people, servants, serfs, who, over many years of groveling before the master, have completely lost their own “I” and human dignity. This is the faithful Yakov, who takes revenge on the master by killing himself in front of his eyes, and Ipat, the slave of the Utyatin princes, and Klim. Some peasants even become oppressors, receiving insignificant power from the landowner. The peasants hate these slave slaves even more than the landowners, they despise them.

Thus, Nekrasov showed the stratification among the peasantry associated with the reform of 1861.

The poem also notes such a feature of the Russian peasantry as religiosity. It's a way to escape reality. God is the supreme judge from whom the peasants seek protection and justice. Faith in God is hope for a better life.

So, N.A. Nekrasov, in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” recreated the life of the peasantry in post-reform Russia, revealed the typical character traits of Russian peasants, showing that this is a force to be reckoned with, which is gradually beginning to realize its rights.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is based on N.A. Nekrasov is an image of the Russian peasantry after the abolition of serfdom. Throughout the entire work, the characters are looking for the answer to the question: “Who lives cheerfully, at ease in Rus'?”, who is considered happy, who is unhappy.

Truth-seekers

At the forefront of the research is the journey of seven men through Russian villages in search of an answer to the question posed. In the appearance of the seven “freemen” we see only the common features of the peasants, namely: poverty, inquisitiveness, unpretentiousness.

The men ask about the happiness of the peasants and soldiers they meet. They consider the priest, the landowner, the merchant, the nobleman and the tsar to be lucky. But the main place in the poem is given to the peasantry.

Yakim Nagoy

Yakim Nagoy works “to death”, but lives from hand to mouth, like most residents of Bosovo. In the description of the hero, we see how difficult Yakim’s life is: “...He himself looks like Mother Earth.” Yakim realizes that the peasants are the greatest power, he is proud that he belongs to this group of people. he is familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the peasant character. The main disadvantage is alcohol, which has a detrimental effect on men.

For Yakima, the idea that the poverty of the peasantry is caused by drinking wine is unacceptable. In his opinion, this is due to the obligation to work for “shareholders.” The fate of the hero is typical for the Russian people after the abolition of serfdom: while living in the capital, he enters into an argument with a merchant, ends up in prison, from where he returns to the village and begins to plow the land.

Ermila Girin

Ermila Girina N.A. Nekrasov endowed him with honesty and great intelligence. He lived for the sake of the people, was honest, fair, and did not leave anyone in trouble. The only dishonest act he committed was for the sake of his family - saving his nephew from being recruited. He sent the widow's son instead. From his own deceit and torment of conscience, Girin almost hanged himself. He corrected his mistake and subsequently took the side of the rebellious peasants, for which he was imprisoned.

The episode with the purchase of Ermil's mill is remarkable, when the peasants express absolute trust in Ermil Girin, and he, in return, is completely honest with them.

Savely - hero

Nekrasov expresses the idea that peasants for him are akin to heroes. Here comes the image of Savely, the Holy Russian hero. He sincerely sympathizes with Matryona and has a hard time rethinking the death of Demushka. This hero combines goodness, simplicity, sincerity, help to the oppressed and anger towards the oppressors.

Matrena Timofeevna

Peasant women are represented in the image of Matryona Timofeevna. This strong-hearted woman fights all her life for freedom and female happiness. Her life resembles the life of many peasant women of that time, although she is even happier than many. This is taking into account the fact that after marriage she ended up in a family that hated her, she was married only once, her first-born was eaten by pigs, and her whole life is based on hard work in the fields.

Peasant oppressors

The author shows how hard serfdom affects people’s lives, how it cripples them, destroying them morally. There are also peasants who chose the side of their masters - Ipat, Klim, Yakov the Faithful, who oppress the common people along with the landowners.

In his poem, Nekrasov showed the life of the peasantry after the reform of 1861, depicted images of Russian peasants, saying that the people have untold power and will soon begin to realize their rights.

Introduction

Starting work on the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” Nekrasov dreamed of creating a large-scale work that would reflect all the knowledge about peasants that he had accumulated throughout his life. From early childhood, the “spectacle of national disasters” passed before the poet’s eyes, and his first childhood impressions prompted him to continue studying the way of peasant life. Hard work, human grief, and at the same time the enormous spiritual strength of the people - all this was noticed by Nekrasov’s attentive gaze. And it is precisely because of this that in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” the images of the peasants look so reliable, as if the poet personally knew his heroes. It is logical that the poem, in which the main character is the people, contains a large number of peasant images, but if we look at them more closely, we will be amazed by the diversity and liveliness of these characters.

The image of the main wanderer characters

The first peasants with whom the reader meets are truth-seeking peasants who argued about who lives well in Rus'. For the poem, it is not so much their individual images that are important, but the overall idea that they express - without them, the plot of the work would simply fall apart. And, nevertheless, Nekrasov gives each of them a name, a native village (the names of the villages themselves are eloquent: Gorelovo, Zaplatovo...) and certain character traits and appearance: Luka is an inveterate debater, Pakhom is an old man. And the views of the peasants, despite the integrity of their image, are different; each does not deviate from his views even to the point of fighting. In general, the image of these men is a group image, which is why it highlights the most basic features characteristic of almost any peasant. This is extreme poverty, stubbornness and curiosity, the desire to find the truth. Let us note that while describing the peasants dear to his heart, Nekrasov still does not embellish their images. He also shows vices, mainly general drunkenness.

The peasant theme in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not the only one - during their journey, the men will meet both the landowner and the priest, and will hear about the life of different classes - merchants, nobles, and clergy. But all other images in one way or another serve to more fully reveal the main theme of the poem: the life of peasants in Russia immediately after the reform.

The poem includes several crowd scenes - a fair, a feast, a road along which many people are walking. Here Nekrasov portrays the peasantry as a single whole, which thinks alike, speaks unanimously and even sighs at the same time. But at the same time, the images of peasants depicted in the work can be divided into two large groups: honest working people who value their freedom and serf peasants. In the first group, Yakim Nagoy, Ermil Girin, Trofim and Agap stand out.

Positive images of peasants

Yakim Nagoy is a typical representative of the poor peasantry, and he himself resembles “Mother Earth”, like “a layer cut off by a plow”. All his life he works “to death”, but at the same time remains a beggar. His sad story: he once lived in St. Petersburg, but started a lawsuit with a merchant, ended up in prison because of it, and returned from there “like a piece of velcro” – does not surprise listeners in any way. There were many such destinies in Rus' at that time... Despite the hard work, Yakim has enough strength to stand up for his compatriots: yes, there are many drunk men, but there are more sober ones, they are all great people “in work and in revelry.” Love for truth, for honest work, a dream of transforming life (“thunder should thunder”) – these are the main components of the image of Yakima.

Trofim and Agap complement Yakima in some ways; each of them has one main character trait. In the image of Trofim, Nekrasov shows the endless strength and patience of the Russian people - Trofim once carried away fourteen pounds, and then returned home barely alive. Agap is a lover of truth. He is the only one who refuses to participate in the performance for Prince Utyatin: “The possession of peasant souls is over!” When they force him, he dies in the morning: it is easier for a peasant to die than to bend back under the yoke of serfdom.

Yermil Girin is endowed by the author with intelligence and incorruptible honesty, and for this he was chosen as burgomaster. He “didn’t bend his soul,” and once he had strayed from the right path, he could not live without the truth, and he repented before the whole world. But honesty and love for their compatriots do not bring happiness to the peasants: the image of Yermil is tragic. At the time of the story, he is sitting in prison: this is how his help to the rebellious village turned out.

Images of Matryona and Savely

The life of peasants in Nekrasov's poem would not be completely depicted without the image of a Russian woman. To reveal the “female share”, which is “grief is not life!” the author chose the image of Matryona Timofeevna. “Beautiful, strict and dark,” she tells in detail the story of her life, in which only then was she happy, as she lived with her parents in the “girls’ lounge.” Afterwards, hard work began, equal to men, the nagging of relatives, and the death of the first-born distorted the fate. For this story, Nekrasov allocated an entire part of the poem, nine chapters - much more than the stories of the other peasants occupy. This well conveys his special attitude, his love for a Russian woman. Matryona amazes with her strength and resilience. She endures all the blows of fate without complaint, but at the same time she knows how to stand up for her loved ones: she lies down under the rod in place of her son and saves her husband from the soldiers. The image of Matryona in the poem merges with the image of the people's soul - long-suffering and long-suffering, which is why the woman's speech is so rich in songs. These songs are often the only opportunity to pour out your melancholy...

The image of Matryona Timofeevna is accompanied by another curious image - the image of the Russian hero, Savely. Living out his life in Matryona’s family (“he lived for one hundred and seven years”), Savely thinks more than once: “Where have you gone, strength? What were you useful for? All the strength was lost under rods and sticks, wasted during back-breaking labor on the Germans and wasted away in hard labor. The image of Savely shows the tragic fate of the Russian peasantry, heroes by nature, leading a life completely unsuitable for them. Despite all the hardships of life, Savely did not become embittered, he is wise and affectionate with those without rights (he is the only one in the family who protects Matryona). His image also shows the deep religiosity of the Russian people, who sought help in faith.

The image of peasant serfs

Another type of peasant depicted in the poem are serfs. Years of serfdom have crippled the souls of some people who are accustomed to groveling and can no longer imagine their lives without the power of the landowner over them. Nekrasov shows this using examples of the images of the slaves Ipat and Yakov, as well as the elder Klim. Jacob is the image of a faithful slave. He spent his whole life fulfilling the whims of his master: “Yakov had only joy: / To groom, protect, please the master.” However, you cannot live with the master “ladkom” - as a reward for Yakov’s exemplary service, the master gives his nephew as a recruit. It was then that Yakov’s eyes were opened, and he decided to take revenge on his offender. Klim becomes the boss thanks to the grace of Prince Utyatin. A bad owner and a lazy worker, he, singled out by the master, blossoms from a sense of self-importance: “The proud pig: itched / About the master’s porch!” Using the example of the headman Klim, Nekrasov shows how terrible yesterday's serf is when he becomes a boss - this is one of the most disgusting human types. But it is difficult to fool an honest peasant’s heart - and in the village Klim is sincerely despised, not afraid.

So, from the various images of the peasants “Who Lives Well in Rus'” a complete picture of the people is formed as a huge force, which is already beginning to gradually rise up and realize its power.

Work test

The main idea of ​​Nekrasov’s poem was to depict Russian peasants from the time when serfdom was abolished. Throughout the entire poem, the heroes travel throughout Rus' in order to answer the question: “Who lives cheerfully, at ease in Rus'?”, who is in complete prosperity, happy, and who is not.

Men seeking the truth

The main characters of the work come forward, seven men, wandering through Russian towns and villages, looking for an answer to a very difficult question. In the image of peasants there are the main features of poverty of ordinary Russian men, such as: poverty, curiosity, unpretentiousness. These men ask the same question to everyone who crosses their path. In their minds, the lucky ones are the priest, the merchant, the landowner, the nobleman and the Tsar Father himself. However, the main place in the author’s work is given to the peasant class.

Yakim Nagoy

He works until his death, but lives poorly and is constantly hungry, like the bulk of the residents of Bosovo. Yakim understands that the peasants are a great force and he is proud that he belongs to them, he knows the weak and strong points of the peasants’ character. It assumes that the main enemy of men is alcohol, which destroys them.

Ermila Girin

Yermila received honesty and intelligence from Nekrasov. He lives for the population, he is fair, he will not leave anyone in grief. There was one dishonest thing, he saved his nephew from recruiting. But he did this not for himself, but for the sake of his family. He sent his widow's son instead of his nephew. He was so tormented by his own lies that he almost led to hanging. Then he corrected the mistake and marched with the rebels, after which he was put in prison.

Savely the hero

The author admits the idea that ordinary men are like Russian heroes. Here the image of Savely, the Holy Russian hero, appears. Saveliy empathizes with Matryona from the bottom of his heart and takes Demushka’s death hard. This hero contains kindness, sincerity, and helping other people in difficult situations.

Matrena Timofeevna

All peasant women are shown in the guise of this woman. She has a powerful soul and willpower. Throughout his life he fights for the freedom and joy of women. Her life is similar to many peasant women of that time. Considering that after marriage she ends up in a family that despises her. Her husband beat her once, her first child was eaten by piglets, and she spends the rest of her life working in the fields.

Essay Peasants (Who lives well in Rus')

In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” N. A. Nekrasov raises and examines one of the main problems of the Russian state, which is relevant to this day. The images of peasants as the main characters of this problem and, accordingly, the poem reveals its entire essence.

The writer creates a group portrait of seven peasants who travel around Rus' and look for happy people, among whom, they are sure, there are no peasants, soldiers and other lower classes. The author identifies the characteristics of wanderers: poverty, curiosity, independence. Nekrasov clearly points out the hostility of the peasants towards those who live and get rich for their work, while the poor peasants are pure in heart, honest in their work, and kind in soul. This can be seen in the described case with Matryona Timofeevna, when ordinary men came to her to help with the harvest.

The image of Yakima Nagoy personifies all the peasants who work tirelessly and live in starving poverty. HE works so hard that he already merges with the ground, which he plows day and night.

And to Mother Earth myself
He looks like: brown neck,
Like a layer cut off by a plow,
Brick face...

The myth that all peasants are poor because of drunkenness is not confirmed; in fact, the reason is in fate to work for the owner.

Ermila Girin wins over the reader with her honesty and great intelligence. After he framed a neighbor's boy as a soldier, he is tormented by his conscience instead of his brother. He is visited by the thought of suicide, but still he goes to the people to repent. The author introduces the image of Savely to demonstrate the idea that the people are heroes. Despite his illness, he knows how to empathize with others. Nekrasov gives him the role of a philosopher.

It is fashionable to see the female share in Matryona Timofeevna. She is strong-willed and resilient. Any successful merchant can envy her inner core. Her fate is so typical for all Russian women that she does not advise looking for a happy one among them. She, as the breadwinner of the family, is obliged to work and not spare herself and her strength.

Such images of peasants arise as a consequence of the reform of 1861. The peasants try not to look at the cruel reality and live in their own religious and humane world, which still treats them cruelly.

Option 3

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” talks about the difficulties of the life of peasants after the serfdom reform of Alexander II. Ordinary men, peasants, I decide to find out who in Rus' lives better than everyone else, who is truly happy: a landowner, a merchant, a priest, or maybe only the tsar himself is happy?

In search of the truth and an answer to their question, seven wanderers walk across Russian soil. On the way they meet a variety of heroes, and the wanderers help everyone and provide all kinds of support. This is how the wanderers help Matryona Timofeevna, whose harvest was dying. The peasant peasants of the Illiterate province also provide all possible assistance.

By showing the journeys of the heroes, the author of the poem thereby introduces readers to the most different strata of society. Wanderers meet merchants, nobility, and clergy. In comparison of all these classes, peasants stand out clearly in their behavior and character traits.

When reading the poem, the reader meets a poor peasant whose name is Yakim Naga. Despite the fact that Yakim worked all his life, he did not get rich at all, remaining among the poorest people in society. Many residents of the village of Bosovo are the same as the character Yakim Nagoy.

The author of the work compares the character with Mother Earth. His neck is brown and his face is brick. From this description it becomes clear what kind of work Yakim does. But our hero is not much upset by his situation, because he sincerely believes in the bright future of all peasants.

Another peasant in the poem who is completely different from Yakima is Ermila Girin. Ermila is distinguished by her intelligence, as well as crystal honesty. Revealing the image of this character, Nekrasov shows how solidarity the peasants were, how united they were. For example, the people trust Ermila when purchasing a mill, and Girin in return supports the rebellion, thereby taking the side of the peasants.

Many times in the text, when describing the peasants, Nekrasov compares them with heroes. For example, Savely is a strong man. However, despite the strongly expressed features of a stern man, Savely is very bright and sincere. He treats Matryona Timofeevna with tender trepidation. Savely is haunted by thoughts about why the people should endure all the hardships that fall on them and, in general, should they endure it?

Nekrasov embodied all the female images in the poem in the heroine Matryona Timofeevna. This woman spent her entire life striving for freedom and happiness. It can be assumed that in her understanding, freedom was already the embodiment of happiness. She was an unusually strong and resilient woman. Having got married, she steadfastly accepted all the trials that came to her, and in the end she took on hard work on an equal basis with the men.

In the poem, Nekrasov shows ordinary peasants and tries to tell readers that peasants are not labor force, but people with their own aspirations, feelings and dreams. And, of course, these people must be free, their opinions must also be listened to.