Cheat sheet: Savely the hero of the Holy Russian. Cheat sheet: Savely the hero of the Holy Russian Message on the topic Savely the hero of the Holy Russian

SAVELIY, THE BOGATYR OF SVYATORUSSK The project was prepared by: Barinova Ekaterina Malyuzhenko Ekaterina Galkina Valeria Grigoryan Karine Sabirova Alina

1. How old is the hero? What is its appearance? “I couldn’t: he was already a hundred years old, according to fairy tales.” “With a huge gray mane, uncut for twenty years, with a huge beard, Grandfather looked like a bear, especially as he came out of the forest, bent over. Grandfather’s back is arched” “He came in: well, will he straighten up? The bear will punch a hole in the light with his head!” Artist V. Serov

2. What is the hero's story? What troubles and hardships befell him? “In ancient times” “Oh, the share of the Holy Russian Homespun Bogatyr! He's been bullied all his life. Time will think about death - the torments of hell await in the other world." “We were only worried about the Bears. . . Yes, we dealt with bears easily.”

3. How does the hero talk about life, what does he accept and what does he deny in the peasant way of life? “According to the time of Shalashnikov “Dead. . . lost. . . "I thought up a new thing, An order comes to us: “Show up!...” “To not tolerate it is an abyss! To endure it is an abyss...” “Give it up! Give it up!” “The heir invented a remedy: He sent a German to us” “I was a convict” “Weak people surrendered, But the strong stood well for their patrimony”

4. What moral qualities does the author endow the hero with? How do you feel about him? The author endows Savely with such moral qualities as kindness, love for his homeland and people. Savely is also characterized by intelligence, patience, perseverance, and self-esteem. Savely is a freedom-loving, proud person. He is the embodiment of strength and courage. “Branded, but not a slave” Nekrasov creates an image that combines contradictory features: heroic patience “for the time being,” social activity, the ability to rebel.

5. What is the hero’s idea of ​​happiness, of the paths that lead to it? One of the conditions for people's happiness in Savely's understanding is freedom. “People of the servile rank are sometimes mere dogs: The heavier the punishment, the dearer the gentlemen are to them. “Savely sees him in protest against social injustice, in thinking about the fate of the peasant, in love for his native working people. “Where did your strength go? What were you useful for? She left under rods and sticks for little things!”

Saveliy did not understand the current people, who immediately gave up and did not even try to fight. “here were proud people, and now give me a slap on the wrist - the police officer, the landowner, They are dragging the last penny. “Nekrasov himself is deeply convinced that happiness is possible only in a society of free people. “Limits have not yet been set for the Russian people. There is a wide path before them. “Savely dies with words about the hopelessness of the peasant’s fate. And yet this image leaves the impression of strength, indomitable will, longing for freedom. Savely’s wise prophecy remains in my memory: “To not endure is an abyss, To endure is an abyss.”

6. Why didn’t the wanderers recognize the hero as happy? “Oh, the share of the Holy Russian Homespun Bogatyr! He's been bullied all his life. Time will think about death - the torments of hell await in the dim life.”

7. Can you notice the meaning in the hero’s speaking surname? Savely is a real Russian hero who does not recognize any pressure over himself. Artist A. Lebedev

8. What is the semantic role of folklore elements in the chapter about the hero? Nekrasov considered his work “an epic of modern peasant life.” In it, Nekrasov asked the question: did the abolition of serfdom bring happiness to the peasantry? Nekrasov strives to give a vivid and emotionally effective image of peasant life, to evoke sympathy for the peasantry, to awaken the desire to fight for peasant happiness. That is why the author uses a large number of folklore elements, such as folk songs, vernacular, fairy-tale images, riddles, omens, sayings, proverbs, epics. This is a poem about the “people” and for the “people”, a poem in which the author acts as a defender of the “people’s” (peasant) interests.

In Savely’s words about the peasant’s heroism, one can undoubtedly hear an echo of the epic about Svyatogor and earthly cravings: “Do you think, Matryonushka, the Man is not a hero? And his life is not a military one, And death is not written for him in battle - but a hero!” “In the meantime, he raised a terrible craving, but he sank into the ground up to his chest With the effort! There are no tears running down his face - blood is flowing!”

Essay on literature. Saveliy - Holy Russian hero

The reader recognizes one of the main characters of Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - Savely - when he is already an old man who has lived a long and difficult life. The poet paints a colorful portrait of this amazing old man:

With a huge gray mane,

Tea, twenty years uncut,

With a huge beard

Grandfather looked like a bear

Especially, like from the forest,

He bent over and went out.

Savely's life turned out to be very difficult; fate did not spoil him. In his old age, Savely lived with the family of his son, Matryona Timofeevna’s father-in-law. It is noteworthy that grandfather Savely does not like his family. Obviously, all members of the household do not have the best qualities, but the honest and sincere old man feels this very well. In his own family, Savely is called “branded, convict.” And he himself, not at all offended by this, says: “Branded, but not a slave.

It’s interesting to observe how Savely is not averse to making fun of his family members:

And they will annoy him greatly -

He jokes: “Look at this

Matchmakers are coming to us!” Unmarried

Cinderella - to the window:

but instead of matchmakers - beggars!

From a tin button

Grandfather sculpted a two-kopeck coin,

Tossed on the floor -

Father-in-law got caught!

Not drunk from the pub -

The beaten man trudged in!

What does this relationship between the old man and his family indicate? First of all, it is striking that Savely differs both from his son and from all his relatives. His son does not possess any exceptional qualities, does not disdain drunkenness, and is almost completely devoid of kindness and nobility. And Savely, on the contrary, is kind, smart, and outstanding. He shuns his household; apparently, he is disgusted by the pettiness, envy, and malice characteristic of his relatives. Old man Savely is the only one in his husband’s family who was kind to Matryona. The old man does not hide all the hardships that befell him:

“Oh, the share of Holy Russian

Homemade hero!

He's been bullied all his life.

Time will change its mind

About death - hellish torment

In the other world they are waiting.”

Old man Savely is very freedom-loving. It combines qualities such as physical and mental strength. Savely is a real Russian hero who does not recognize any pressure over himself. In his youth, Savely had remarkable strength; no one could compete with him. In addition, life was different before, the peasants were not burdened with the difficult responsibility of paying dues and working off corvée. As Savely himself says:

We did not rule the corvee,

We didn't pay rent

And so, when it comes to reason,

We'll send you once every three years.

In such circumstances, the character of young Savely was strengthened. No one put pressure on her, no one made her feel like a slave. Moreover, nature itself was on the side of the peasants:

There are dense forests all around,

There are swampy swamps all around,

No horse can come to us,

Can't go on foot!

Nature itself protected the peasants from the invasion of the master, the police and other troublemakers. Therefore, the peasants could live and work peacefully, without feeling someone else’s power over them.

When reading these lines, fairy-tale motifs come to mind, because in fairy tales and legends people were absolutely free, they were in charge of their own lives.

The old man talks about how the peasants dealt with bears:

We were only worried

Bears... yes with bears

We managed it easily.

With a knife and a spear

I myself am scarier than the elk,

Along protected paths

I go: “My forest!” - I shout.

Savely, like a real fairy-tale hero, lays claim to the forest surrounding him. It is the forest - with its untrodden paths and mighty trees - that is the real element of the hero Savely. In the forest, the hero is not afraid of anything; he is the real master of the silent kingdom around him. That is why in old age he leaves his family and goes into the forest.

The unity of the hero Saveliy and the nature surrounding him seems undeniable. Nature helps Savely become stronger. Even in old age, when years and adversity have bent the old man’s back, remarkable strength is still felt in him.

Savely tells how in his youth his fellow villagers managed to deceive the master and hide their existing wealth from him. And even though they had to endure a lot for this, no one could blame people for cowardice and lack of will. The peasants were able to convince the landowners of their absolute poverty, so they managed to avoid complete ruin and enslavement.

Savely is a very proud person. This is felt in everything: in his attitude to life, in his steadfastness and courage with which he defends his own. When he talks about his youth, he remembers how only people weak in spirit surrendered to the master. Of course, he himself was not one of those people:

Shalashnikov tore excellently,

And he received not so much great income:

Weak people gave up

And the strong for the patrimony

They stood well.

I also endured

He remained silent and thought:

“Whatever you do, son of a dog,

But you can’t knock out your whole soul,

Leave something behind!”

Old man Savely bitterly says that now there is practically no self-respect left in people. Now cowardice, animal fear for oneself and one’s well-being and lack of desire to fight prevail:

These were proud people!

And now give me a slap -

Police officer, landowner

They're taking their last penny!

Savely's young years were spent in an atmosphere of freedom. But peasant freedom did not last long. The master died, and his heir sent a German, who at first behaved quietly and unnoticed. The German gradually became friends with the entire local population and gradually observed peasant life.

Gradually he gained the trust of the peasants and ordered them to drain the swamp, then cut down the forest. In a word, the peasants came to their senses only when a magnificent road appeared along which their godforsaken place could be easily reached.

And then came hard labor

To the Korezh peasant -

ruined the threads

Free life is over, now the peasants have fully felt all the hardships of a forced existence. Old man Savely speaks about people's long-suffering, explaining it by the courage and spiritual strength of people. Only truly strong and courageous people can be so patient as to endure such bullying, and so generous as not to forgive such an attitude towards themselves.

That's why we endured

That we are heroes.

This is Russian heroism.

Do you think, Matryonushka,

A man is not a hero"?

And his life is not a military one,

And death is not written for him

In battle - what a hero!

Nekrasov finds amazing comparisons when talking about people's patience and courage. He uses folk epic when talking about heroes:

Hands are twisted in chains,

Feet forged with iron,

Back...dense forests

We walked along it - we broke down.

What about the breasts? Elijah the prophet

It rattles and rolls around

On a chariot of fire...

The hero endures everything!

Old man Savely tells how the peasants endured the arbitrariness of the German manager for eighteen years. Their whole life was now at the mercy of this cruel man. People had to work tirelessly. And the manager was always dissatisfied with the results of the work and demanded more. Constant bullying from the Germans causes strong indignation in the souls of the peasants. And one day another round of bullying forced people to commit a crime. They kill the German manager. When reading these lines, the thought of supreme justice comes to mind. The peasants had already felt completely powerless and weak-willed. Everything they held dear was taken from them. But you can’t mock a person with complete impunity. Sooner or later you will have to pay for your actions.

But, of course, the murder of the manager did not go unpunished:

Bui-city, There I learned to read and write,

So far they have decided on us.

The solution has been reached: hard labor

And whip first...

The life of Savely, the Holy Russian hero, after hard labor was very difficult. He spent twenty years in captivity, only to be released closer to old age. Savely's whole life is very tragic, and in his old age he turns out to be the unwitting culprit in the death of his little grandson. This incident once again proves that, despite all his strength, Savely cannot withstand hostile circumstances. He is just a toy in the hands of fate.

Savely, the Holy Russian hero in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

Presented the material: Finished Essays

Nekrasov found an original way to show the struggle of peasants against serf owners at a new stage. He settles the peasants in a remote village, separated from cities and villages by “dense forests” and impassable swamps. In Korezhin, the oppression of the landowners was not clearly felt. Then he expressed himself only in Shalashnikov’s extortion of rent. When the German Vogel managed to deceive the peasants and, with their help, pave the road, all forms of serfdom appeared immediately and in full measure. Thanks to such a plot discovery, the author manages, using the example of only two generations, to reveal in a concentrated form the attitude of men and their best representatives to the horrors of serfdom. This technique was found by the writer in the process of studying reality. Nekrasov knew the Kostroma region well. The poet's contemporaries noted the hopeless wilderness of this region.

The transfer of the scene of action of the main characters of the third part (and perhaps the entire poem) - Savely and Matryona Timofeevna - to the remote village of Klin, Korezhinsky volost, Kostroma province, had not only psychological, but also enormous political meaning. When Matryona Timofeevna came to the city of Kostroma, she saw: “There is a forged copper standing, exactly like Savely’s grandfather, a man in the square. - Whose monument? - “Susanina.” Comparing Saveliy with Susanin is of particular importance.

As established by researcher A.F. Tarasov, Ivan Susanin was born in the same places... He died, according to legend, about forty kilometers from Bui, in the swamps near the village of Yusupov, where he led the Polish interventionists.

The patriotic act of Ivan Susanin was used... to elevate the “house of Romanov”, to prove the support of this “house” by the people... At the request of official circles, M. Glinka’s wonderful opera “Ivan Susanin” was renamed “A Life for the Tsar”. In 1351, a monument to Susanin was erected in Kostroma, on which he is represented kneeling in front of a bust of Mikhail Romanov, towering on a six-meter column.

Having settled his rebellious hero Savely in the Kostroma “Korezhina”, in the homeland of Susanin... the original patrimony of the Romanovs, identifying... Savely with Susanin, Nekrasov showed who the Kostroma “Korezhina” Rus' will actually give birth to, what the Ivan Susanins are really like, what it’s like in general the Russian peasantry, ready for a decisive battle for liberation.

A.F. Tarasov draws attention to this fact. On the Kostroma monument, Susanin stands in front of the king in an uncomfortable position - kneeling. Nekrasov “straightened out” his hero - “a copper forged... man stands in the square,” but he doesn’t even remember the figure of the king. This is how the writer’s political position was manifested in the creation of the image of Savely.

Saveliy is a Holy Russian hero. Nekrasov reveals the heroism of nature at three stages of character development. At first, the grandfather is among the peasants - the Korezhiites (Vetluzhintsev), whose heroism is expressed in overcoming the difficulties associated with wild nature. Then the grandfather steadfastly withstands the monstrous flogging to which the landowner Shalashnikov subjected the peasants, demanding a quitrent. When talking about spankings, my grandfather was most proud of the endurance of the men. They beat me hard, they beat me for a long time. And although the peasants’ “tongues were confused, their brains were already shaken, their heads were shaking,” they still took home quite a bit of money that was not “knocked out” by the landowner. Heroism lies in perseverance, endurance, and resistance. “Hands are twisted with chains, legs are forged with iron... the hero endures everything.”

Children of nature, hard workers, hardened in battle with harsh nature and freedom-loving natures - this is the source of their heroism. Not blind obedience, but conscious stability, not slavish patience, but persistent defense of one’s interests. It is clear why he indignantly condemns those who “...give a slap to the police officer, the landowner, who are stealing their last penny!”

Savely was the instigator of the murder of the German Vogel by peasants. Deep in the recesses of the old man’s freedom-loving nature lay hatred of the enslaver. He did not psyche himself up, did not inflate his consciousness with theoretical judgments, and did not expect a “push” from anyone. Everything happened by itself, at the behest of the heart.

“Kick it up!” - I dropped the word,

Under the word Russian people

They work more friendly.

“Keep it up! Give it up!”

They pushed me so hard

It was as if there was no hole.

As we see, the men not only “had their axes lying around for the time being!”, but they also had an unquenchable fire of hatred. Coherence of actions is acquired, leaders are identified, words are established with which to “work” more amicably.

The image of the Holy Russian hero has one more charming feature. The noble goal of the struggle and the dream of the bright joy of human happiness removed the rudeness of this “savage” and protected his heart from bitterness. The old man called the boy Dema a hero. This means that he brings childlike spontaneity, tenderness, and sincerity of a smile into the concept of “hero.” The grandfather saw in the child the source of a special love for life. He stopped shooting at squirrels, began to love every flower, and hurried home to laugh and play with Demushka. This is why Matryona Timofeevna not only saw in the image of Savely a patriot, a fighter (Susanin), but also a warm-hearted sage, capable of understanding much better than statesmen can. The grandfather’s clear, deep, truthful thought was clothed in “good” speech. Matryona Timofeevna does not find an example for comparison with the way Savely can speak (“If the Moscow merchants, the sovereign’s nobles happened, the Tsar himself happened: there would be no need to speak better!”).

Living conditions mercilessly tested the old man’s heroic heart. Exhausted from the struggle, exhausted by suffering, the grandfather “overlooked” the boy: the pigs killed his favorite Demushka. The heart wound was aggravated by the cruel accusation of “unjust judges” of the grandfather’s cohabitation with Matryona Timofeevna and of premeditated murder. Grandfather suffered painfully from irreparable grief, then “he lay hopelessly for six days, then he went into the forests, grandfather sang so much, grandfather cried so much that the forest groaned! And in the fall he went to repentance at the Sand Monastery.”

Did the rebel find solace behind the walls of the monastery? No, three years later he came again to the sufferers, to the world. Dying, one hundred and seven years old, the grandfather does not give up the fight. Nekrasov carefully removes from the manuscript words and phrases that are not in harmony with Savely’s rebellious appearance. The Holy Russian hero is not devoid of religious ideas. He prays at Demushka’s grave, he advises Matryona Timofeev: “But there is no point in arguing with God. Become! Pray for Demushka! God knows what he’s doing.” But he prays “...for the poor Dema, for all the suffering Russian peasantry.”

Nekrasov creates an image of enormous general meaning. The scale of thought, the breadth of Savely’s interests - for all the suffering Russian peasantry - make this image majestic and symbolic. This is a representative, an example of a certain social environment. It reflects the heroic, revolutionary essence of the peasant character.

In the draft manuscript, Nekrasov first wrote and then crossed out: “I am praying here, Matryonushka, I am praying for the poor, the loving, for the entire Russian priesthood and for the Tsar.” Of course, tsarist sympathies, faith in the Russian priesthood, characteristic of the patriarchal peasantry, manifested themselves in this man along with hatred for the enslavers, that is, for the same tsar, for his support - the landowners, for his spiritual servants - the priests. It is no coincidence that Savely, in the spirit of a popular proverb, expressed his critical attitude with the words: “High is God, far is the king.” And at the same time, the dying Savely leaves a farewell testament that embodies the contradictory wisdom of the patriarchal peasantry. One part of his will breathes hatred, and he, says Matryona Timofeev, confused us: “Don’t plow, not this peasant! Hunched over the yarn behind the linens, peasant woman, don’t sit!” It is clear that such hatred is the result of the activities of a fighter and avenger, whose entire heroic life gave him the right to say words worthy of being carved on the “marble plaque at the entrance to hell” created by Russian tsarism: “There are three roads for men: a tavern, a prison and hard labor, and women in Rus' have three nooses.”

Bogatyr Holy Russian". I would put it as an epigraph to a separate topic Savelia his words: “Branded... are also occupied by people’s intercessors. This “ heroes Holy Russian", such as Savely, together with other men, raised...

Many destinies pass before the eyes of the wanderers of N.A. Nekrasov’s poem, who set off to look for the happy. The image and characterization of Savely in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is multifaceted and versatile. The hero Saveliy of Holy Russia appears realistically. It is easy to describe, but difficult to understand.

Hero's appearance

The reader meets the character when he is many years old. In total, Savely lived 107 years. It is difficult to imagine what he was like in his youth, but old age did not hide his powerful physique. The old man’s appearance is similar to the king of the northern forests - the bear:

• a large gray mane (head of hair), which has not been touched by scissors for more than 20 years;
• huge beard;
• back bent into an arc.

Savely compared himself to a village well

...I look like a bitch.

This comparison is surprisingly true: a strong, centuries-old structure with crystal clear water.

Character trait

Wanderers learn about Savelia from the story of Matryona Korchagina. Savely is her husband’s grandfather. The image of the hero combines several types of ordinary Russian people. The main feature is heroism. The Svyatorussky hero has enormous power, he protects the country and the people. But Savely is not a warrior:

“...his life is not a military one, and death is not written for him in battle...”

Grandfather Savely is a true Christian. He relies on faith, prays for his fate and for the entire peasant country. The author does not give the character a fabulous quality; he is real and terribly sinful. There are 2 human deaths on it: a German manager and a child. Grandfather is literate and sharp-tongued. This is an amazing feature of the Russian person. Proverbs, sayings, songs, prophecies saturate and decorate Savely’s speech. A simple Holy Russian man is similar to the heroes of Ancient Rus' and the saints who freely walk the earth.

The fate of a hero

Savely lived a long life, it is clear that there were many events in it. He didn’t tell Matryona everything, but what he told was enough for the reader to accept him and for a strong woman to fall in love with him. My grandfather lived in the village of Karezhina, where landowners and managers could not reach. The peasants sent rare dues and corvee payments. But the German outwitted the peasants. He turned the life of freedom-loving peasants into hard labor. The man did not endure it for long. They buried Vogel alive. Savely pushed the manager towards the pit and said one word:

"Pump it up"

The comrades silently supported. This episode confirms the desire of the Russian people to get rid of slavery and speaks of respect for the old man. Saveliy survived the lash. 20 years of hard labor, the same amount of settlement. The man escapes and gets beaten again.

The peasant managed to save money in hard labor. How can a person think about the future in such unbearable conditions? This is unknown to the author. He returned to his family, but they treated him well as long as they had money. The hero's heart turned to stone from grief. It was only the attitude of little Demushka, Matryona’s son, who melted him. But here too, fate played a cruel joke: the old man overslept the child,

“...fed to the pigs...”

Out of grief for his sin, Savely goes to a monastery to repent. He asks God for forgiveness and begs for softening of his mother’s heart. The old man's death was as long as his life: he fell ill, did not eat, dried up and wasted away.

The character of the hero of the poem

Savely has a lot of positive things, which is why the author describes the character through the lips of a woman. He was the only one from her husband’s family who accepted her and took pity on her. The old man knows how to joke; humor and sarcasm help him not to notice the cruelty of his relatives. He grins like a rainbow, laughing not only at others, but also at himself. A good soul hides and is not open to everyone.

Strong masculine character. Many people around Savely could not stand the hardships. They gave up. Saveliy stood until the end, did not retreat, “endured.” He tries to compare the whips: some hurt, others badly. Savely could stand under the rods and not wince. The peasant's skin became tanned; it lasted for a hundred years.

Love of freedom. Grandfather does not want to be a slave:

“...Branded, but not a slave!”

Pride. The old man does not tolerate humiliation and insults towards himself. He admires past generations.

Bravery. Savely went at the bear with a knife and a spear. When one day he stepped on a sleeping bear in the forest, he did not run away, but began to fight with her. The hero lifts a mighty beast on a spear. There was a crunch in the man’s back, but until old age he did not bend from the pain.

A simple Russian man stands out among other heroes. He knows how to distinguish true kindness from lies and deception. His character is strong. Grandfather does not argue over trifles, does not get involved with stupid people, does not try to re-educate his relatives. Hard labor takes on a broader meaning for him - it is his whole life.

Savely believes that all Russian men are heroes, they are patient and wise. The old man regrets that he lost his strength under rods and sticks. The heroic prowess is wasted over trifles, but it could change all of Rus', return freedom to the peasant, and bring happiness.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is the result of N.A.’s entire work. Nekrasova. It was conceived “about the people and for the people” and was written from 1863 to 1876. The author considered his work “an epic of modern peasant life.” In it, Nekrasov asked the question: did the abolition of serfdom bring happiness to the peasantry? To find the answer, the poet sends seven men on a long journey across Russia in search of at least one happy person.
On their way, wanderers meet many faces, heroes, destinies. Savely becomes one of the people they meet. Nekrasov calls him “the hero of Holy Russia.” The travelers see in front of them an old man, “with a huge gray mane, ... with a huge beard,” “he is already a hundred years old, according to fairy tales.” But, despite his age, this man felt enormous strength and power: “...will he straighten up? The bear will punch a hole in the light with his head!”
This strength and power, as the wanderers later learned, was manifested not only in Savely’s appearance. They are, first of all, in his character, inner core, moral qualities.
The son often called Savely a convict and “branded.” To which this hero always answered: “Branded, but not a slave!” Love of freedom, the desire for internal independence - this is what made Savely a real “Holy Russian” hero.
Why did this hero end up in hard labor? In his youth, he rebelled against the German manager sent by the landowner to their village. Vogel made sure that “hard labor came to the Korezh peasant - he ruined him to the bone!” At first the whole village endured it. In this Savely sees the heroism of the Russian peasant in general. But what is his heroism? With patience and endurance, the peasants endured Vogel’s yoke for seventeen years:
And it bends, but does not break,
Doesn't break, doesn't fall...
Isn't he a hero?
But soon the peasant’s patience came to an end:
Happened, I'm lightly
Pushed him with his shoulder
Then another pushed him,
And the third...
The people's anger, having received an impetus, fell like an avalanche on the monster manager. The men buried him alive in the ground, in the very hole that he ordered the peasants to dig. Nekrasov, thus, shows here that the people’s patience is coming to an end. Moreover, despite the fact that patience is a national character trait, it must have its limits. The poet calls on you to start fighting for the improvement of your life, for your destiny.
For the crime committed, Savely and other peasants were sent to hard labor. But before that they kept him in prison, where the hero learned to read and write, and was flogged. But Savely doesn’t even consider this a punishment: “If they didn’t tear it out, they anointed it, it’s a bad fight!”
The hero escaped from hard labor several times, but was returned and punished. Saveliy spent twenty years in strict penal servitude, twenty years in settlements. Returning home, he built his own house. It would seem that now you can live and work in peace. But is this possible for Russian peasants? Nekrasov shows that no.
Already at home, probably the most terrible event happened to Savely, worse than twenty years of hard labor. The old hero did not look after his great-grandson Demushka, and the boy was devoured by pigs. Saveliy could not forgive himself for this sin until the end of his life. He felt guilty before Demushka’s mother, and before all people, and before God.
After the boy’s death, the hero almost settled at his grave, and then completely went to the monastery to atone for his sins. It is precisely the last part of Saveliy’s life that explains the definition that Nekrasov gives him - “Holy Russian”. The poet sees the great strength and invincibility of the Russian man precisely in morality, the inner core of a simple peasant, largely based on faith in God.
But probably no one can speak better about his fate and destiny better than Savely himself. This is how the old man himself evaluates his life:
Eh, the share of Holy Russian
Homemade hero!
He's been bullied all his life.
Time will change its mind
About death - hellish torment
In the other world they are waiting.
The image of Savely, the Holy Russian hero, embodies the enormous strength of the Russian people, their powerful potential. This is expressed both in the physical appearance of the hero and in his inner purity, love of freedom, and pride. However, it is worth noting that Savely has not yet decided on a complete rebellion, a revolution. In anger, he buries Vogel, but his words, especially at the end of his life, sound humility. Moreover, Savely believes that torment and suffering will await him not only in this life, but also in the next world.
That is why Nekrasov places his revolutionary hopes on Grisha Dobroskolonov, who must understand the potential of such Savelievs and raise them to revolution, to lead them to a better life.

The chapter “Peasant Woman” was created by Nekrasov on the eve of the second democratic upsurge, when true knowledge of the people’s environment, the essence of the people’s character, became especially necessary. What conclusions did the long-term study of Nekrasov’s folk life lead to?

Never before in any of the chapters of the epic “To Whom in Rus'...” has the author so inspiredly affirmed the idea that inexhaustible sources of moral beauty, perseverance, heroic power and love of freedom lurk in the people’s environment. The latter is revealed with particular force in the central episode of the chapter “Peasant Woman,” the story about Savely, the Holy Russian hero. It is completely natural that it is in the chapter characterizing the life of the peasantry, narrated by a peasant woman and closely connected with folk art, that the semi-fictional (and so concretely real!) image of the “homespun hero” appears, Savely - one of the best and most dramatic creations of Nekrasov’s genius .

From Matryona’s very first words about Savely, a feeling of his heroic power is born. The huge, “With a huge gray mane, / With a huge beard,” the hundred-year-old man not only “looked like a bear,” but his strength seemed “more terrible than an elk.” The epic, broadly generalizing meaning of the image of Savely is emphasized in the title of the chapter - “Savely, the Holy Russian hero.” What are the origins of the birth of this image and what place does it occupy in the development of the ideological concept of the poem?

The impulses that stimulated the work of Nekrasov’s creative imagination are very diverse. It is possible that the idea of ​​​​introducing the image of a peasant hero into the chapter “Peasant Woman” was prompted by Fedosov’s laments. Thus, in the lament “About the Killed by Thunder and Lightning,” the image of Elijah the Prophet is depicted, who asks God for permission to shoot a fiery arrow into the white chest of a mighty peasant. Words of the poem:

What about the breasts? Elijah the prophet

It rattles and rolls around

On a chariot of fire...

The hero endures everything! —

an undoubted echo of Fedosov's cry.

But Nekrasov came not so much from the book as from life. As it was found out in one of the most interesting studies, the intention of the chapter about Savely is acutely journalistic. The events described in the chapter “Savely, the hero of the Holy Russian” unfold in the northwestern part of the Kostroma region, as evidenced by the names: Korezhina, Bui, Sand Monastery, Kostroma. It turns out that the choice of the location, so to speak, “Kostroma topography,” is not accidental in the poem. Arriving in the city (“Governor’s Lady”), Matryona stops in surprise in front of the monument to Susanin:

It is forged from copper,

Exactly like Savely’s grandfather,

A man on the square.

- Whose monument? - “Susanina.”

The fact that Savely is compared with Susanin has been noted many times in the literature, but scientific research has shown that the internal connection between the image of Savely and Susanin is much deeper and more complex than it seemed. It is in it that the secret of the birth of the image is hidden.

The Kostroma “signs” of the chapter have a special meaning. The fact is that Ivan Susanin was born in the same place, in the village of Derevenki, Buysky district. He died, according to legend, about forty kilometers from Bui, in the swamps near the village of Yusupov.

As is known, Susanin’s patriotic feat was interpreted in a monarchical spirit; love for the Tsar and willingness to give his life for him were declared to be traits expressing the very essence of the Russian peasantry. In 1851, a monument to Susanin was erected in Kostroma (sculptor V.I. Demut-Malinovsky). At the foot of a six-meter column, topped with a bust of Mikhail Romanov, is the kneeling figure of Ivan Susanin. When visiting Kostroma, Nekrasov saw this monument more than once.

With the plot of the chapter “Savely, the hero of the Holy Russians,” the action of which is concentrated in a remote bearish corner, deep in the Kostroma forests and swamps, the poet declares that even in the most remote side a man wakes up. This is also evidenced by the image of Savely - an epically generalized image of the Russian peasantry rising to fight.

In his poem, Nekrasov gives an unusually deep analysis of the characteristics of the peasant movement of his era, peasant Rus' in its strengths and weaknesses. The author of the epic draws attention to the heroic power of the “homespun hero” (Russian peasant), the seemingly difficult patience with it and the spontaneous nature of his rebellion. The Russian man is patient. Korezhin silently tolerates Shalashnikov’s teasing. This ability to restrain growing anger and rise above beatings and torture testifies to inner strength and pride (“These were proud people!”)

Whatever you do, son of a dog,

But you can’t knock out your whole soul...

In this patience there is not obedience and slavish blood, but common sense and fortitude.

A kind of competition in strength and stamina takes place between the Korezhinites and Shalashnikov, and Shalashnikov’s brute strength is not able to defeat the inner tenacity of the men, the strength of their spirit: “You are a fool, Shalashnikov!” - the Korezhin residents mockingly say, making fun of the master. However

Peasant patience

Enduringly, and with time

There is an end for him too

peasant "axes lie for the time being." Ordinary natures submit to evil, but the people's environment constantly puts forward people who stand up to fight it. These people begin to understand that excessive patience often develops into a habit and gives birth to the psychology of a slave. “To endure the abyss...” Savely, who has taken the path of protest, formulates this thought.

The Russian peasant is patient, but once he has made his decision, he is no longer afraid of obstacles. Pushed to the limit by the bullying of the “German manager,” the patient Korezhin residents, silently agreeing to settle accounts with the hated Vogel, show amazing determination and unanimity in actions. The initiative belongs to Savely. It was he who was the first to lightly push Khristyan Khristianych towards the pit with his shoulder. And this slight push, a spark, is enough to ignite the flames of the people’s anger and start working in unison to the remark “Pump it up!” nine shovels...

Affirming the moral right of the people to fight, to deal with their oppressors, admiring the strength and determination of the Korezhinites, Nekrasov, however, also shows the doom of such outbursts of peasant anger. Savely and his comrades

To the land of the German Vogel

Khristyan Khristianych

Buried him alive.

Tavern... a prison in Bui-gorod,

...Twenty years of strict hard labor,

The settlement has been around for twenty years.”

By killing Vogel, the Korezhinites aroused against themselves the action of the force behind Vogel, the terrible force of the autocratic landowner state, which even heroes cannot cope with if they are alone. Old man Savely reflects:

Where have you gone, strength?

What were you useful for?

- Under rods, under sticks

Left for little things!

That’s why the Holy Russian hero likes to repeat: “To not endure is an abyss...” Yes, spontaneous and scattered peasant revolts will not lead to Izbytkovo village. Nekrasov knows this and yet speaks with enormous poetic inspiration about the power and love of freedom, about the enormous potential power of the Russian peasant’s anger.

Savely’s story contains the words:

Then... I escaped from hard labor...

The image of a peasant - a rebel, a people's avenger for centuries-old grievances - was originally conceived even more sharply. The manuscripts contain an episode that tells how Saveliy, having escaped from hard labor for the third time, “had a fair walk in freedom.” Wandering in the taiga in winter, he comes across a hut in which some hated officials were staying, and, carrying out his revenge, Savely burns his enemies.

It is generally accepted that consideration of censorship forced Nekrasov to refuse to introduce this episode into his poem. But I would like to note something else. There is something eerie in the painted picture, casting an ominous glare, an ominous shadow on the appearance of Savely, contrary to Nekrasov’s concept of folk character. The Russian peasant is more complacent than cruel; thoughtful and deliberate cruelty is not characteristic of him. Yes, driven to the limit, in a fit of righteous anger, the Korezhinites bury Vogel in the ground. But the psychological picture here is different. The shovels of the Korezhin residents work under the influence of a spontaneous impulse, they carry out the will of the collective, although each of the participants in the massacre is internally embarrassed by the cruelty of this just (after all, they endured it for “eighteen” years!) will:

We didn't look at each other

In the eyes...

They came to their senses and “looked at each other” only when the deed was done. It seems that it was not a look at censorship, but an artistic flair that forced the poet to refuse to introduce into the final text of the poem the fragment “And the doors are covered with stones...”, which contradicts the humane foundations of the hero’s nature.

There is no force capable of breaking Savely. “Twenty years of strict hard labor, / Twenty years of settlement” only strengthened his natural love of freedom, expressed in the words: “Branded, but not a slave!” Having become a hundred-year-old man, all his thoughts are chained to the past, he reflects on the fate of the peasantry, “about the bitter lot of the plowman,” about the ways of struggle, and even in the monastery where he went, blaming himself for the death of Demushka, he prays “for all the suffering Russian peasantry.” True, at the end of his life Savely sometimes comes to bitter and bleak conclusions.

Be patient, long-suffering one!

We can't find the truth,

He says to Matryona, and mentally addresses the peasants with the words:

No matter how you fight, you fools,

What is written in the family

This cannot be avoided!

But fatalism and religiosity, so characteristic of the ideology of the patriarchal Russian peasantry, live in Savely next to the anger and contempt for those who are not capable of fighting that has not subsided over a long life:

Oh you Aniki warriors!

With old people, with women

All you have to do is fight!

The image of Savely is correlated in the poem not only with Ivan Susanin, but also with the images of the Russian epic epic. He is a Holy Russian hero. This poetic parallel affirms the heroism of the people and faith in their inescapable powers. It has long been established that in Saveliy’s characterization of the peasant (Do you think, Matryonushka, the peasant is not a hero?...) one can hear the echo of the epic about Svyatogor and earthly cravings. Svyatogor the hero feels immense strength within himself.

If only I could find the traction

That would lift the whole earth! —

he says. But, having tried to lift the saddle bag with earthly traction,

And Svyatogor sunk into the ground up to his knees,

And not tears, but blood flows down the white face...

In the poem:

For now there is a terrible craving

He raised it,

Yes, he went into the ground up to his chest

With effort! By his face

Not tears - blood flows.

The image of Svyatogor helps to express the idea of ​​the strength and weakness of the Russian peasantry, of its powerful but still dormant forces and the unawakened, unformed state of its social consciousness. To the observation The comparison of the Russian peasant with Svyatogor is present in the poem as Savely’s reasoning. Saveliy, whose consciousness is characterized not by drowsiness, but by intense, many years of painful work of thought, the result of which was contempt for Anika warriors who were not capable of fighting, the consciousness that a convict brand was better than spiritual slavery. Therefore, the figurative parallel of Svyatogor - the Russian peasant cannot in any way be extended to Savely himself, also a Svyatorussky hero, but of a different, not dormant, but active force.