The image of Matryona Korchagina briefly. The image of Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina ("Who should live well in Rus'")
One of the works of Russian literature studied in Russian schools is Nikolai Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'" - perhaps the most famous in the writer's work. A lot of research is devoted to the analysis of this poem and its main characters. Meanwhile, there are minor characters in it, which are by no means less interesting. For example, the peasant woman Matrena Timofeevna.
Nikolai Nekrasov
Before talking about the poem and its heroes, it is necessary to dwell at least briefly on the personality of the writer himself. The man, known to many primarily as the author of “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, wrote many works in his life, and began to create from the age of eleven - from the moment he crossed the threshold of the gymnasium. While studying at the institute, he wrote poems to order - saving money for the publication of his first collection of poems. Having been published, the collection failed, and Nikolai Alekseevich decided to turn his attention to prose.
He wrote stories and novels, published several magazines (for example, Sovremennik and Otechestvennye Zapiski). In the last decade of his life, he composed such satirical works as the already repeatedly mentioned poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, “Contemporaries”, “Russian Women” and others. He was not afraid to expose the sufferings of the Russian people, whom he deeply sympathized with, writing about their troubles and destinies.
"To whom in Rus' it is good to live": the history of creation
It is not known for certain when exactly Nekrasov began to create a poem that brought him great fame. It is believed that this happened around the beginning of the sixties of the nineteenth century, however, long before writing the work, the writer began to make sketches - therefore, there is no need to talk about the time of the idea of the poem. Despite the fact that the year 1865 is indicated in the manuscript of its first part, some researchers are inclined to believe that this is the date of completion of the work, and not of its beginning.
Be that as it may, the prologue of the first part was published in Sovremennik at the very beginning of the sixty-sixth year, and the entire first part was published intermittently for the next four years. The poem was difficult to print because of censorship disputes; however, censorship "vetoed" many other publications of Nekrasov, and in general on his activities.
Nikolai Alekseevich, relying on his own experience and on the experience of his fellow predecessors, planned to create a huge epic work about the life and fate of various people belonging to the most diverse strata of society, to show their differentiation. At the same time, he definitely wanted to be read, heard by the common people - this is the reason for the language of the poem and its composition - they are understandable and accessible to the most ordinary, the lowest strata of the population.
According to the original intention of the author, the work was to consist of seven or eight parts. Travelers, having passed through their entire province, had to reach Petersburg itself, meeting there (in order of priority) with an official, merchant, minister and tsar. This plan was not given to be realized due to the illness and death of Nekrasov. However, the writer managed to create three more parts - in the early and mid-seventies. After the departure of Nikolai Alekseevich from life, there were no instructions left in his papers on how to print what he wrote (although there is a version that Chukovsky found in Nekrasov’s documents a record that after “Last Child” there is a “Feast for the whole world”) . The last part saw the light only three years after the death of the author - and then with censorship blots.
It all starts with the fact that seven simple village peasants met “on the pillar path”. We met - and started a conversation among themselves about their lives, joys and sorrows. They agreed that the life of an ordinary peasant is by no means fun, but they didn’t decide who had fun. Having expressed various options (from the landowner to the king), they decide to look into this issue, talk to each of the voiced people and find out the right answer. And until then - not a step home.
Having set off on a journey with a self-assembled tablecloth they found, they first meet a lordly family led by a mad owner, and then - in the city of Klin - a peasant woman named Matryona Korchagina. The peasants were told about her that she was both kind, and smart, and happy - which is the main thing, but it is precisely in the latter that Matrena Timofeevna dissuades unexpected guests.
Characters
The main characters of the poem are ordinary peasant men: Prov, Pakhom, Roman, Demyan, Luka, Ivan and Mitrodor. On their way, they managed to meet both the same peasants as themselves (Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, Proshka, Sidor, Yakov, Gleb, Vlas and others), and landowners (Prince Utyatin, Vogel, Obolt-Obolduev and so on). Matrena Timofeevna is perhaps the only (and at the same time very important) female character in the work.
Matrena Timofeevna: characterization of the hero
Before talking about Matryona Korchagina, one must remember that Nikolai Alekseevich was worried about the fate of a Russian woman throughout his life. Women in general - and even more so peasant, because she, not only was a disenfranchised serf, she was also a slave to her husband and her sons. It was to this topic that Nekrasov sought to attract public attention - this is how the image of Matrena Timofeevna appeared, into whose mouth the writer put the main words: that “the keys to women's happiness” had long been lost.
Readers get acquainted with Matryona Korchagina in the third part of the poem. Wandering men are led to her by a rumor - they say, it is this woman who is happy. The characteristic of Matrena Timofeevna is immediately manifested in her friendliness to strangers, in kindness. From her subsequent story about her life, it becomes clear that she is a surprisingly persistent person, patiently and courageously enduring the blows of fate. The image of Matrena Timofeevna is given some heroism - and her children, whom she loves with all-consuming maternal love, contribute a lot to this. She is, among other things, hardworking, honest, patient.
Matrena Korchagina is a believer, she is humble, but at the same time resolute and courageous. She is ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of others - and not just to sacrifice, but even, if necessary, to give her life. Thanks to her courage, Matrena saves her husband, who was taken into the soldiers, for which she receives universal respect. No other woman dares to do such things.
Appearance
The appearance of Matryona Timofeevna is described in the poem as follows: she is about thirty-eight years old, she is tall, "important", of a dense build. The author calls her beautiful: big strict eyes, thick eyelashes, swarthy skin, in her hair - gray hair that has already appeared early.
History of Matrena
The story of Matrena Timofeevna is told in the poem in the first person. She herself opens the veil of her soul in front of the men, who so passionately want to know if she is happy and if so, what is her happiness.
The life of Matrena Timofeevna could only be called sweet in girlhood. Her parents loved her, she grew up "like in God's bosom." But peasant women are married off early, so Matryona, in fact, as a teenager, had to leave her father's house. And in her husband's family, she was not treated too kindly: her father-in-law and mother-in-law disliked her, and the husband himself, who promised not to offend her, changed after the wedding - once he even raised his hand to her. The description of this episode once again emphasizes the patience of the image of Matryona Timofeevna: she knows that husbands beat their wives, and does not complain, but humbly accepts what happened. However, she respects her husband, perhaps even partly loves him - it’s not without reason that she saves him from military service.
Even in a difficult married life, where she has many responsibilities, and unfair reproaches are pouring in like a bucket, Matryona finds a reason for joy - and she also tells her listeners about this. Whether her husband arrived, whether he brought a new handkerchief, whether he took a ride on a sled - everything delights her, and insults are forgotten. And when the first child is born, true happiness comes to the heroine. The image of Matryona Timofeevna is the image of a real mother, recklessly loving her children, dissolving in them. It is all the more difficult for her to survive the loss when her tiny son dies by an absurd accident.
This peasant woman had to go through a lot in her life by her thirty-eight years. However, Nekrasov shows her to a fate that did not give up, a strong spirit that stood against everything. The mental strength of Matryona Korchagina seems truly incredible. She alone copes with all the misfortunes, because there is no one to pity her, she has no one to help - her husband's parents do not love her, her own parents live far away - and then she loses them too. The image of Matryona Timofeevna (who, by the way, according to some sources, was written off from one of the author’s acquaintances) causes not only respect, but also admiration: she does not give in to despondency, finding the strength not only to live on, but also to enjoy life - although rarely .
What is the happiness of the heroine
Matrena herself does not consider herself happy, directly declaring this to her guests. In her opinion, you cannot find lucky women among the “women” - their life is too hard, they get too many difficulties, sorrows and insults. Nevertheless, people's rumor speaks of Korchagina precisely as a lucky woman. What is the happiness of Matrena Timofeevna? In her fortitude and stamina: she steadfastly endured all the troubles that fell to her lot, and did not grumble, she sacrificed herself for the sake of people close to her. She raised five sons, despite the constant humiliation and attacks, she did not become embittered, did not lose her self-esteem, retained such qualities as kindness and love. She remained a strong person, and a weak person, eternally dissatisfied with his life, cannot be happy by definition. This definitely does not apply to Matryona Timofeevna.
Criticism
The censorship perceived the works of Nikolai Alekseevich "with hostility", but colleagues spoke of his works more than favorably. He was called a person close to the people - and therefore knowing how and what to tell about this people. They wrote that he "knows how to work miracles", that his material is "skillful and rich." The poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" was called a new and original phenomenon in literature, and its author himself was the only one who has the right to be called a poet.
- Nikolai Alekseevich did not study well at school.
- By inheritance, he inherited a love of cards and hunting.
- He loved women, throughout his life he had many hobbies.
This poem is a truly unique work in Russian literature, and Matryona is a synthesized image of a real Russian woman with a wide soul, of those about whom they say - “she will enter a burning hut and stop a galloping horse.”
The image of the peasant woman Matrena Timofeevna. Nekrasov has many works where he reflects on the fate of ordinary women (“Troika”, “Frost, Red Nose”, “Orina, a Soldier's Mother”, “Knight for an Hour”, etc.). It is no coincidence that in the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'”, the central part of the narrative is given to one character - a Russian peasant woman.
Perhaps, Nekrasov did not write about a single peasant woman with such warmth and love as about Matryona Timofeevna. He gives the heroine the right to talk about the “happiness” that has befallen her. The heroine tells the wanderers about her life and invites them to make their own conclusion about whether she can be called a happy person.
Matryona Timofeevna goes through all the trials that a Russian woman could go through. She lived freely and cheerfully in her parents' house, and after marriage she had to work like a slave, endure the reproaches of her husband's relatives. Her husband leaves to work, and Matryona is left all alone in a family that is not hers. Husband's visits bring joy:
In winter Phillipushka came,
Bring a silk handkerchief
Yes, I took a ride on a sled
On Catherine's day
And as if there was no grief! ..
Matryona is truly happy after the birth of her son Demushka. But then a great grief befell her: her son dies. She took Demushka's death hard. Further, many misfortunes occur in her life: the persecution of the master's manager, a hungry year, begging. It is not by chance that Grandfather Saveliy speaks of the share of peasants:
There are three paths for men:
Tavern, jail and hard labor,
And the women in Rus'
Three loops: white silk,
The second - red silk,
And the third - black silk,
Choose any!
But in difficult times, Matryona Timofeevna showed firmness and perseverance: she fussed about the release of her husband, who was illegally taken as a soldier, she even went to the governor himself; pulled out Fedotushka when they decided to punish him with rods. Despite the tragic circumstances of her life, she managed to maintain her dignity, nobility and rebelliousness. Majesty emanates from her image. Her enormous energy, spiritual clarity, diligence, vitality remained unchanged. Recalcitrant, resolute, she is always ready to defend her rights, and this brings her closer to Savely. About herself Matrena Timofeevna says:
I bow my head
I carry an angry heart!
For me insults are mortal
Gone unpaid...
Having told about her difficult life to wanderers, she says that “it’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women!” In the last chapter, entitled "The Woman's Parable", a peasant woman speaks of the total female share:
Keys to female happiness
From our free will
abandoned, lost
God himself.
But Nekrasov is sure that the "keys" must be found. The peasant woman will wait and achieve happiness. The poet speaks of this in one of Grisha Dobroskloyov's songs:
You are still in the family as long as a slave,
He did not carry a heart in his chest,
Who did not shed tears over you.
In the work of N.A. Nekrasov, many works are devoted to a simple Russian woman. The fate of a Russian woman has always worried Nekrasov. In many of his poems and poems, he speaks of her plight. Starting with the early poem “On the Road” and ending with the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, Nekrasov spoke about the “female share”, about the dedication of the Russian peasant woman, about her spiritual beauty. In the poem “In full swing the village suffering”, written shortly after the reform, a true reflection of the inhuman hard work of a young peasant mother is given:
Share you! - Russian woman's share!
Hardly harder to find...
Talking about the hard lot of the Russian peasant woman, Nekrasov often in her image embodied high ideas about the spiritual power of the Russian people, about its physical beauty:
There are women in Russian villages
With calm gravity of faces,
With beautiful strength in movements,
With a gait, with the eyes of queens.
In the works of Nekrasov, the image of a “majestic Slav” appears, pure in heart, bright in mind, strong in spirit. This is Daria from the poem "Frost, Red Nose", and a simple girl from the "Troika". This is Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina from the poem "Who in Rus' should live well."
The image of Matrena Timofeevna, as it were, completes and unites the group of images of peasant women in Nekrasov's work. The poem recreates the type of the “dignified Slav”, a peasant woman of the Central Russian strip, endowed with restrained and strict beauty:
stubborn woman,
Wide and dense
Thirty-eight years old.
Beautiful; gray hair,
The eyes are large, stern,
Eyelashes are the richest
Stern and swarthy.
She, smart and strong, the poet entrusted to tell about his fate. “Peasant Woman” is the only part of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, all written in the first person. Trying to answer the question of the men-truth-seekers, can she call herself happy, Matrena Timofeevna tells the story of her life. The voice of Matrena Timofeevna is the voice of the people themselves. That is why she sings more often than talks, sings folk songs. "Peasant Woman" is the most folklore part of the poem, it is almost completely built on folk poetic images and motifs. The whole life story of Matrena Timofeevna is a chain of continuous misfortunes and suffering. No wonder she says about herself: “I have a downcast head, I carry an angry heart!” She is convinced: "It's not a matter of looking for a happy woman between women." Why? After all, there was love in the life of this woman, the joy of motherhood, the respect of others. But with her story, the heroine makes the peasants think about the question of whether this is enough for happiness and whether all those hardships and hardships that befall the Russian peasant woman will outweigh this cup:
Silent, invisible to me
The storm has passed,
Will you show her?
For me insults are mortal
Gone unpaid
And the whip passed over me!
Slowly and unhurriedly Matrena Timofeevna leads her story. She lived well and freely in her parents' house. But, having married Philip Korchagin, she ended up with a "maiden's will to hell": a superstitious mother-in-law, a drunkard father-in-law, an older sister-in-law, for whom her daughter-in-law had to work like a slave. With her husband, she, however, was lucky. But Philip only returned from work in the winter, and the rest of the time there was no one to intercede for her, except for grandfather Savely. A consolation for a peasant woman is her first-born Demushka. But due to Savely's oversight, the child dies. Matrena Timofeevna becomes a witness to the abuse of the body of her child (in order to find out the cause of death, the authorities perform an autopsy of the child's corpse). For a long time she cannot forgive Savely's "sin" that he overlooked her Demushka. But the trials of Matrena Timofeevna did not end there. Her second son Fedot is growing up, then misfortune happens to him. Her eight-year-old son is facing punishment for feeding someone else's sheep to a hungry she-wolf. Fedot took pity on her, he saw how hungry and unhappy she was, and the wolf cubs in her den were not fed:
Looking up, head up
In my eyes ... and howled suddenly!
In order to save her little son from the punishment that threatened him, Matryona herself lies under the rod instead of him.
But the most difficult trials fall on her lot in a lean year. Pregnant, with children, she herself is likened to a hungry she-wolf. A recruiting set deprives her of her last intercessor, her husband (he is taken out of turn):
hungry
Orphans are standing
In front of me...
unkindly
The family looks at them
They are noisy in the house
On the street pugnacious,
Gluttons at the table...
And they began to pinch them,
Bang on the head...
Shut up, soldier mother!
Matrena Timofeevna decides to ask the governor for intercession. She runs to the city, where she tries to get to the governor, and when the porter lets her into the house for a bribe, she throws herself at the feet of the governor Elena Alexandrovna:
How do I throw
At her feet: “Stand up!
Deception, not godly
Provider and parent
They take from children!
The governor took pity on Matryona Timofeyevna. The heroine returns home with her husband and newborn Liodorushka. This incident cemented her reputation as a lucky woman and the nickname "governor".
The further fate of Matryona Timofeevna is also full of troubles: one of the sons has already been taken to the soldiers, "they burned twice ... God anthrax ... visited three times." The "Baby Parable" sums up her tragic story:
Keys to female happiness
From our free will
abandoned, lost
God himself!
The life history of Matryona Timofeevna showed that the most difficult, unbearable conditions of life could not break a peasant woman. The harsh conditions of life honed a special female character, proud and independent, accustomed to relying on her own strength everywhere and in everything. Nekrasov endows his heroine not only with beauty, but with great spiritual strength. Not resignation to fate, not stupid patience, but pain and anger are expressed in the words with which she ends the story of her life:
For me insults are mortal
Gone unpaid...
Anger accumulates in the soul of a peasant woman, but faith remains in the intercession of the Mother of God, in the power of prayer. After praying, she goes to the city to the governor to seek the truth. Saved by her own spiritual strength and will to live. Nekrasov showed in the image of Matryona Timofeevna both a readiness for self-sacrifice when she stood up for her son, and strength of character when she does not bow to formidable bosses. The image of Matrena Timofeevna is, as it were, woven from folk poetry. Lyrical and wedding folk songs, lamentations have long told about the life of a peasant woman, and Nekrasov drew from this source, creating the image of his beloved heroine.
Written about the people and for the people, the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" is close to the works of oral folk art. The verse of the poem - Nekrasov's artistic discovery - perfectly conveyed the lively speech of the people, their songs, sayings, sayings, which absorbed centuries-old wisdom, sly humor, sadness and joy. The whole poem is a truly folk work, and this is its great significance.
Composition.
Life of Matrena Timofeevna based on the poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who should live well in Rus'"
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'”, begun in one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, was written for several years, up to one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, although it remained unfinished.
To write such a work, Nekrasov began to study Russian folk art, peasant life. Thus, the author was preparing for a great literary feat - to create a monumental poem glorifying the Russian people. In my opinion, the reader should treat this work as a chronicle, a document written on the basis of real facts. In addition, the poem is also perceived as a folk narrative, since issues that are relevant to the people, age-old for people's consciousness are being resolved: about truth and falsehood, about grief and happiness. The poem takes on the significance of a folk encyclopedia.
For Nekrasov, the Russian people are "a hero of their time", the spiritual strength of the country. In the image of one hero, the author personifies the entire human race. People cease to be a crowd, they become a society in which women play a special role. The Russian woman has always been for the poet the bearer of life, a symbol of national existence. Therefore, one of the parts of the poem "Peasant Woman" can be safely renamed and called "The Life of Matrena Timofeevna."
Having found the definition of the term “life” in the dictionary, we learn that this is a description of the life of spiritual and secular persons canonized by the Christian Church, their biography.
Indeed, the whole part is built on telling as much as possible about the life of Matryona Timofeevna, to acquaint the reader with the heroine. Nekrasov writes this part, the only one in the poem, in the first person, bringing us closer to the spiritual inner world of man.
The first meeting with the heroine takes place at the moment when she returns from the field in a crowd of "reapers and reapers". Before the reader appears the image of a Russian peasant woman who is able to perform difficult and physically difficult work. She did not try to get away from work. Now it's time to work, is it leisure to interpret?
At any time, the heroine is able to sacrifice herself and her strength for the common good. Human happiness and duty for her is the main activity. She is ready to sacrifice herself.
Judging by the first meeting of the reader with the heroine, one can quite definitely say that Matryona Timofeevna is a smart, strict, hardworking woman and, moreover, a very caring mother. Many trials fell to her share, despite the fact that in her childhood she lived like "in Christ's bosom." As a girl, the heroine learned a lot: she worked in the field, brought breakfast to her father - a shepherd, spun - in general, did household chores. But "the betrothed turned up." They gave Matrena Timofeevna in marriage, she ended up "from a girl's holi to hell." For new relatives, the heroine became like a "slave". Husband Philip once beat her, but even this fact is not enough for Matryona Timofeevna to take revenge or hate him. She forgave, continuing to treat him as gently and affectionately: "Filippushka" or "Filyushka". She did not even resist the beatings, "turning the other cheek." This testifies to the closeness of her soul to God, deep faith in him, because she lives according to the biblical commandments. Then she gave birth to a son Demushka. And again the heroine is faced with a new problem, which is helped by her “father-in-law’s parent”, the only person who pities her. Grandfather Saveliy is presented in the poem as "the hero of Svyatorussky." It can also be attributed to the saints. It personifies the image of a holy, courageous person. Saveliy embodies heroism: mind, will, calmness and sanity. His feelings develop in trials, like Matryona Timofeevna. He was the only one who respected and felt sorry for the heroine, a defenseless girl who had to suffer so much. Even when Demushka died because of Savely, Matryona Timofeevna was able to forgive him. And this is not given to every woman, because in most cases, few mothers are able to forgive the "killer" of their child. Nor is it surprising that the mother's first reaction was to curse the poor old man. The same man was perfectly aware of his sin, therefore he answered absolutely calmly to the anger and violence of the woman, reasoning that only "God knows what he is doing." Feeling guilty and trying to atone for his sin, Savely went to the monastery, spending the last years of his life there.
More than twenty years have passed since the death of Matryona's son. The heroine gave birth to Fedotushka, with the appearance of which the innocent woman again had to suffer for the happiness of the child. For the fault of the stupid boy, the mother took upon herself the pain and cruelty of the punishment assigned to her son. Even for the sake of her ruthless husband, Matryona was ready for anything. She was not afraid to meet the governor's wife. At that moment, Matrena gave birth to a boy. Upon learning of the woman's misfortune, the governor helped her. Philippa saved.
This is the last difficult test that the heroine herself tells us about, and it makes it clear to the reader that the woman in Nekrasov's poem is a strong personality who managed to defend her human dignity in conditions of production and slavery. With her existence, Matryona Timofeevna explained what an indestructible spiritual and moral force is hidden in the mother's soul. Therefore, it is not in vain that the author describes the entire life path of the heroine, showing that she is a holy person, ready to die not for herself, but for others.
The main character personifies the whole nation as a whole. The consciousness of this morality, the “strength of the people”, which foreshadowed the sure victory of the people in the struggle for a happy future, was the source of that joyful vivacity that is felt even in the rhythms of the great poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who is it good to live in Rus'".
Tasks and tests on the topic "The Life of Matrena Timofeevna based on the poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who should live well in Rus'""
- Spelling - Important topics for repeating the exam in the Russian language
Lessons: 5 Assignments: 7
In the work of N.A. Nekrasov, many works are devoted to a simple Russian woman. The fate of a Russian woman has always worried Nekrasov. In many of his poems and poems, he speaks of her plight. Starting with the early poem “On the Road” and ending with the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, Nekrasov spoke about the “female share”, about the dedication of the Russian peasant woman, about her spiritual beauty. In the poem “In full swing the village suffering”, written shortly after the reform, a true reflection of the inhuman hard work of a young peasant mother is given:
Share you! - Russian woman's share!
Hardly harder to find...
Talking about the hard lot of the Russian peasant woman, Nekrasov often in her image embodied high ideas about the spiritual power of the Russian people, about its physical beauty:
There are women in Russian villages
With calm gravity of faces,
With beautiful strength in movements,
With a gait, with the eyes of queens.
In the works of Nekrasov, the image of a “majestic Slav” appears, pure in heart, bright in mind, strong in spirit. This is Daria from the poem "Frost, Red Nose", and a simple girl from the "Troika". This is Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina from the poem "Who in Rus' should live well."
The image of Matrena Timofeevna, as it were, completes and unites the group of images of peasant women in Nekrasov's work. The poem recreates the type of the “dignified Slav”, a peasant woman of the Central Russian strip, endowed with restrained and strict beauty:
stubborn woman,
Wide and dense
Thirty-eight years old.
Beautiful; gray hair
The eyes are large, stern,
Eyelashes are the richest
Stern and swarthy.
She, smart and strong, the poet entrusted to tell about his fate. “Peasant Woman” is the only part of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, all written in the first person. Trying to answer the question of the men-truth-seekers, can she call herself happy, Matrena Timofeevna tells the story of her life. The voice of Matrena Timofeevna is the voice of the people themselves. That is why she sings more often than talks, sings folk songs. "Peasant Woman" is the most folklore part of the poem, it is almost completely built on folk poetic images and motifs. The whole life story of Matrena Timofeevna is a chain of continuous misfortunes and suffering. No wonder she says about herself: “I have a downcast head, I carry an angry heart!” She is convinced: "It's not a matter of looking for a happy woman between women." Why? After all, there was love in the life of this woman, the joy of motherhood, the respect of others. But with her story, the heroine makes the peasants think about the question of whether this is enough for happiness and whether all those hardships and hardships that befall the Russian peasant woman will outweigh this cup:
Silent, invisible to me
The storm has passed,
Will you show her?
For me insults are mortal
Gone unpaid
And the whip passed over me!
Slowly and unhurriedly Matrena Timofeevna leads her story. She lived well and freely in her parents' house. But, having married Philip Korchagin, she ended up with a "maiden's will to hell": a superstitious mother-in-law, a drunkard father-in-law, an older sister-in-law, for whom her daughter-in-law had to work like a slave. With her husband, she, however, was lucky. But Philip only returned from work in the winter, and the rest of the time there was no one to intercede for her, except for grandfather Savely. A consolation for a peasant woman is her first-born Demushka. But due to Savely's oversight, the child dies. Matrena Timofeevna becomes a witness to the abuse of the body of her child (in order to find out the cause of death, the authorities perform an autopsy of the child's corpse). For a long time she cannot forgive Savely's "sin" that he overlooked her Demushka. But the trials of Matrena Timofeevna did not end there. Her second son Fedot is growing up, then misfortune happens to him. Her eight-year-old son is facing punishment for feeding someone else's sheep to a hungry she-wolf. Fedot took pity on her, he saw how hungry and unhappy she was, and the wolf cubs in her den were not fed:
Looking up, head up
In my eyes ... and howled suddenly!
In order to save her little son from the punishment that threatened him, Matryona herself lies under the rod instead of him.
But the most difficult trials fall on her lot in a lean year. Pregnant, with children, she herself is likened to a hungry she-wolf. A recruiting set deprives her of her last intercessor, her husband (he is taken out of turn):
… Hungry
Orphans are standing
In front of me ... Unkindly
The family looks at them
They are noisy in the house
On the street pugnacious,
Gluttons at the table...
And they began to pinch them,
Banging on the head...
Shut up, soldier mother!
Matrena Timofeevna decides to ask the governor for intercession. She runs to the city, where she tries to get to the governor, and when the porter lets her into the house for a bribe, she throws herself at the feet of the governor Elena Alexandrovna:
How do I throw
At her feet: “Stand up!
Deception, not godly
Provider and parent
They take from children!
The governor took pity on Matryona Timofeyevna. The heroine returns home with her husband and newborn Liodorushka. This incident cemented her reputation as a lucky woman and the nickname "governor".
The further fate of Matrena Timofeevna is also full of troubles: one of the sons has already been taken to the soldiers, “they burned twice ... God anthrax ... visited three times.” The "Baby Parable" sums up her tragic story:
Keys to female happiness
From our free will
abandoned, lost
God himself!
The life history of Matryona Timofeevna showed that the most difficult, unbearable conditions of life could not break a peasant woman. The harsh conditions of life honed a special female character, proud and independent, accustomed to relying on her own strength everywhere and in everything. Nekrasov endows his heroine not only with beauty, but with great spiritual strength. Not resignation to fate, not stupid patience, but pain and anger are expressed in the words with which she ends the story of her life:
For me insults are mortal
Gone unpaid...
Anger accumulates in the soul of a peasant woman, but faith remains in the intercession of the Mother of God, in the power of prayer. After praying, she goes to the city to the governor to seek the truth. Saved by her own spiritual strength and will to live. Nekrasov showed in the image of Matryona Timofeevna both a readiness for self-sacrifice when she stood up for her son, and strength of character when she does not bow to formidable bosses. The image of Matrena Timofeevna is, as it were, woven from folk poetry. Lyrical and wedding folk songs, lamentations have long told about the life of a peasant woman, and Nekrasov drew from this source, creating the image of his beloved heroine.
Written about the people and for the people, the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" is close to the works of oral folk art. The verse of the poem - Nekrasov's artistic discovery - perfectly conveyed the lively speech of the people, their songs, sayings, sayings, which absorbed centuries-old wisdom, sly humor, sadness and joy. The whole poem is a truly folk work, and this is its great significance.
