Peasant Rus' in the image of H. A

Topic: - The people in the poem by N. A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

The Russian people are gathering strength
And learns to be a citizen...
N. A. Nekrasov

One of the most famous works N. A. Nekrasov is the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” glorifying the Russian people. It can rightfully be called the pinnacle of Nekrasov’s creativity. Written by the author in his mature years, it absorbed all his love for ordinary people, sympathy for their difficult lot, deep knowledge peasant life and customs.
Nekrasov began work on the poem shortly after the “liberation” of the peasants from serfdom. Frequently visiting villages and talking with peasants, he realized that their lives had not become better. He saw his duty as a poet-citizen in a truthful depiction of the difficult fate of Russian peasants.
The hero of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not just one person, but the entire long-suffering and heroic Russian people. The plot of the poem is simple: seven wanderers from different villages go in search of happy people in Rus'. By the end of the story, it becomes clear that it is unlikely that they will be found. The people's lot is hard! Even the names of the villages in which the action takes place speak about this - Zaplatovo, Dyryavino, Razutovo, Gorelovo, Neelovo, Neurozhaika...
Peasants are people who “didn’t eat enough and slurped without salt.” A man's happiness is “holey with patches, hunchbacked with calluses.” The suffering and lack of rights of the Russian people are especially vividly described in the songs contained in the poem. The poet called them “Corvee”, “Soldier’s”, “Salty”, “Hungry”.
“Melancholy and misfortune tormented me,” “the light is sick, there is no truth,” “twisted, twisted, cut, tormented...” - these lines from the songs speak for themselves.
They pass before the reader tragic stories from the life of Matryona Korchagina, who “has no unbroken bone, no unstretched vein,” Agap Petrov, Ermila Girin, headman Vlas. Each of them has their own grief, and therefore:

Soul, like a black cloud,
Angry, menacing - and it should be,
Thunder will roar from there,
Bloody rains,
And it all ends with wine.

Indeed, many peasants, feeling complete hopelessness, drown their grief and melancholy in wine. Many, but not all! No hardships of life can destroy the feelings of the majority of peasants self-esteem. Nekrasov especially sympathizes with those of his heroes who did not break from unbearable life, but saved his strength for protest. One of these characters is Savely - “the Holy Russian hero”. He embodies the physical and moral strength of the Russian people, “Branded, but not a slave!” - he says about himself. The story of Saveliy and his associates tells of the eternal desire of the peasants for freedom, of their desire to independently manage the modest fruits of their hard work.
No less significant in the poem is the image of Ermila Girin, in which Nekrasov showed a talented, honest owner who respects the interests of the peasant. Ermila's litigation with the merchant Altynnikov over the mill led to the unification of the peasants around him and a riot in the village of Stolbnyaki. This is the only description of the peasant revolt in the poem, which anticipates further historical events in Russia.
The image of the “people's defender” Grisha Dobrosklonov stands apart in the poem. Grisha comes from the people, his peculiarity is that he realized his destiny:

I don't need any silver
Not gold, but God willing,
So that my fellow countrymen
And every peasant
Life was free and fun
All over Holy Rus'.

Grisha was one of the first to feel that “a different song is heard over reviving Russia,” which “calls strong souls to an honest path.”
The existence of people like Saveliy, Ermila, Gregory brings an optimistic note to the poem, hope for a better future.
Despite the realistic description of all the hardships peasant life, the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” does not evoke a feeling of hopelessness. This is facilitated by Nekrasov’s masterful depiction of the spiritual beauty and greatness of the Russian people.
Important artistic feature The work is characterized by the abundance of folk jokes, jokes, and funny episodes. Nekrasov knew village life, customs, and peculiarities of speech of the common people very well. Here the poet admires the united labor impulse in the village of Bolshie Vakhlaki: “... the forgotten habit of work has awakened and flared up!” And there are many such bright episodes in the text.
In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” N. A. Nekrasov realistically spoke about the fate of the peasantry in Russia in the second half of the 19th century century. The nationality of the narrative, the ability to hear the voice of the people, the truthfulness of the view on life - all these features do not allow the poem to grow old for many decades.

Nekrasov began writing this poem in 1863, during a difficult post-reform period for Russia. The heroes of the poem, traveling through Russian villages in search of happiness, are temporarily obliged peasants. Despite the changes that have taken place in the country, the life of the inhabitants of the villages (Nekrasov gives them eloquent names - Neelovo, Razutovo, Neurozhaika, Dyryavino) remained as before difficult and hungry. Wherever the Seven Wanderers come, everywhere they see the same sad picture. People live in cruel world injustice, slavery and lawlessness. However, the peasants do not fall into hopeless melancholy and despondency and see in their lives not only dark side. “A calm conscience” and “tenacious truth” give them the strength to withstand adversity and oppression and overcome numerous trials.
Nekrasov, through his heroes, tells us about the fate of the peasants, and each such story can serve as an example of
the utmost humility, dedication and fortitude. Yakim Nagoy, Ermil Girin, Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina “carry their cross with patience,” although this burden, as Nekrasov convincingly shows, is unbearable. Matryona had to endure the death of her beloved son and a difficult year of hunger. “I work for everyone, for everyone,” “I submitted to everything,” she says about herself. Savely, her fellow countryman, consoles her: “Be patient, long-suffering one, be patient, many-suffering one.” Savely, according to Nekrasov, embodies best qualities Russian hero, but his courage is not manifested in feats of arms, but in strength of spirit, in the feat of humility and patience:
And his life is not a military one,
And death is not written for him
In battle - what a hero!
Hands are twisted in chains,
Feet forged with iron
The hero endures everything!
Savely had to experience a lot in life: hunger, poverty and deprivation, cruel treatment by the landowner, who “ruined” his peasants to the bone. However, Nekrasov, who rejected the idea of ​​Christian humility for the sake of the afterlife, shows that, no matter how great the patience of the peasants, it also has its limits. “Our axes lay there for the time being,” says Savely. Unable to withstand the master's open bullying, the men rebel and kill the villain and bloodsucker. Now they have hard labor and Siberia ahead... Savely looks into the future with bitterness:
To be intolerant is an abyss!
To endure it is an abyss!
...
There are three paths for men:
Tavern, prison and hard labor.
Similar to the fate of Savely is the story of the repentant thief, who, having atone for his sins, decided to live honestly. And here Nekrasov again comes into conflict with the Christian principles of forgiveness and love for one’s enemies. The poet tells us that after many years of seclusion and righteous work, he meets the sinner and villain Pan Glukhovsky, who, without a shadow of embarrassment or repentance, tells him:
How many slaves do I destroy?
I torture, torture and hang.
The hermit, shocked by the villain’s shamelessness, deals with him, and the peasants justify his action, because in their souls, in addition to humility and obedience, there lives a “hidden spark” that is about to flare up into a flame...
The Russian people endure for the time being, rebellion is only latently fermenting in its powerful, but still passive and not awakened soul, but it is already waiting for that “sower” who will sow the seeds of a new life, for “people’s power” does not get along with untruth.
The spokesman for these sentiments in the poem is Grisha Dobrosklonov. He cannot be called the hero of the poem, since he came from another life, from the world of the future, but it is he who announces the new life of “all-powerful Mother Rus'” and calls to live not for the sake of humility, but in the name of happiness and justice!

1. The main meaning of the poem.
2. Peasantry in the poem.
3. The hard lot and simple happiness of the Russian people.
4. Matryona Timofeevna as a symbol of a Russian woman.
5. Grisha Good of the Clones - the ideal of the intelligentsia for Nekrasov.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'?” is a programmatic work for N. A. Nekrasov. Creating it for many years, the author invested personal ideas about morality, the fate of the people and the concept of national happiness. This work contains thoughts about the people, worries about them and aspirations for a better life.

The main storyline of the work is the motive of the journey of seven men in search of a person living happily. The main point of travel is to find such a person on native land. Nekrasov’s ideal of man is inextricably linked with the peasantry and lies in the wanderers themselves. Of course they are dark. Uneducated, naive people. They lack a clear concept of the upper and lower classes, and are sincerely convinced that the “fat-bellied merchant,” the landowner, the tsar, must be happy. But at the same time they do not cease to be kind, sensitive and compassionate people. Later Vlas will say about them: “We are weird enough, but you are weirder than us!”

The poem colorfully depicts the living, spontaneous life of the people with the whole palette of emotions - joy, worries, grief, sarcasm and envy. The work is polyphonic, it contains a man with rims, a peasant who overturned a cart, a drunken woman, and a bear hunter. Here are Vavilushka, Olenushka, Parashenka, Trofim, Fedosei, Proshka, Vlas, Klim Lavin, Ipat, Terentyeva. Showing the severity of the peasant share, the lack of rights of the people and their exploitation, the poet nevertheless does not remain silent about the problems hidden within the people themselves, that is, the darkness of the mind and drunken revelry.

Nekrasov conveys the best qualities of the Russian peasantry - hard work, moral purity and spiritual nobility, the ability to compassion and self-esteem, daring and fun, despite the surrounding adversity and difficulties. The author asserts that “good soil is the soul of the Russian people.” Readers will probably remember the scenes where Euphrosyne cares for the sick during cholera, and the peasants help Vavila and the disabled soldier. Using various means and various methods The author proves the purity of the “golden heart of the people.”

An irresistible craving for beauty is also clearly demonstrated by the example of the incident with Yakim. Thus, a simple peasant Yakim saved from a fire not furniture or savings accumulated with great difficulty, but pictures he bought at a fair. I also remember the singer from the peasants with the marvelous in a clear voice, with which he “captivated the hearts of the people.” Often speaking about peasants, Nekrasov uses words with diminutive suffixes - old woman, soldiers, guys. Isn't this excellent proof of the warm, friendly attitude towards them on the part of the author? He is convinced that no matter the hard work,

Nor eternal care,
Not the yoke of slavery for a long time,
Not the pub itself
More to the Russian people
No limits are set
There is a wide path before him.

An important place in the poem is occupied by the image of Savely, endowed with heroic features. He despises submission and courageously stands up for the defense of the humiliated people. The protest, becoming more and more open, takes on terrible forms of rebellion. This is where the edifying, albeit cruel, story about the mocking German Vogel ends. The author's aesthetic ideals were embodied in the image of Matryona Timofeevna, the granddaughter of the great hero. It not only outer beauty, but also infinite spiritual wealth. It contains best features, inherent in a Russian woman, which she carries through difficult life circumstances and suffering. This image is so valuable and important that the author devotes an independent chapter to it. In Matryona - the totality of those already indicated in early works crap. You can see in her Daria, Orina, and the nameless girl from “Troika...”. Yes and appearance it's hard to forget her:

Matrena Timofeevna -
dignified woman,
Wide and dense
About thirty-eight years old.
Beautiful, gray hair,
The eyes are large, strict,
The richest eyelashes,
Severe and dark.

A different type of ideal person is represented by the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov. It is of great importance for understanding human and peasant happiness, but does not apply to those described earlier. He is a commoner, the son of a “unrequited farm laborer,” who has gone through difficult times. Half-starved childhood. He is incredibly young, not so much in body as in powerful spirit.

The life of this hero is inextricably linked with the peasantry - he owes his life to them. He gives his debt to him - sincerely and selflessly - trying to help in everything. He sows, mows, reaps, goes to the forest to pick mushrooms, plays with peasant children and listens with great pleasure to simple peasant songs:

...about fifteen years old
Gregory already knew for sure
What will live for happiness
Wretched and dark
Native corner.

The image of Dobrosklonov inexorably leads the reader to his description. They will be united by many features: origin, roll call of surnames, seminary education, common illness (consumption), tendency to poetic creativity. This image, which appeared in the text of the poem not by chance, develops the ideal described by Nekrasov in the poem “In Memory of Dobrolyubov,” making it more down-to-earth and life-like. Like Dobrolyubov, Grisha was destined by fate

... The path is glorious, the name is loud
People's Defender,
Consumption and Siberia.

Gregory is not afraid of future difficulties and trials, since he believes with all his heart in the rightness of his cause. He believes in help and support native people, because he sees how the people themselves rise to the right fight:

The army is rising
Uncountable,
The strength in her will affect
Indestructible!

This thought can make the hero happy, fill his soul with joy. The finale of the poems also shows the effect of Gregory’s words on the entire people and on the seven wanderers seeking happiness. Dobrosklonov — future leader of his people, expressing their joy and pain:

If only our wanderers could be under their own roof,
If only they could know what was happening to Grisha.
He heard the immense strength in his chest,
The sounds of grace delighted his ears,
The radiant sounds of the noble hymn -
He sang the embodiment of people's happiness.

Thus, the work shows ideal type a person for Nekrasov, organically combining the positive features of the peasantry and the Russian intelligentsia. Only the joint efforts of the revolutionaries leading the people, and the people themselves, can lead the country to victory, lead the Russian people onto the true path of happiness. But so far the Russian people are only on the way to a “feast for the whole world.”

He created a kind of “War and Peace” in verse - the legendary epic poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.”

Quite deservedly, this work of the poet is called epoch-making. Nekrasov himself considered it his main work, the crown of creativity. Unfortunately, the poem was never finished, however, in the published four parts and the prologue, the author’s revolutionary idea has already clearly emerged. If “Eugene Onegin” was called “an encyclopedia of Russian life,” then Nekrasov’s work can be called an encyclopedia of Russian peasant life.

For many years the poet dedicated the lyre to “his people.” Even the Muse of Nekrasov, “cut with a whip,” seemed to him in the image of a beautiful peasant woman, strong, unbroken and rebellious. Nikolai Alekseevich was confident that the abolition of serfdom would become a kind of starting point, after which the incalculable human power of Rus' would grow stronger and rise from oblivion.

However, after the emperor signed a decree on the liberation of the peasants, the poet saw with surprise and horror that the life of the enslaved people had not changed in better side. This pushed Nekrasov to a cruel and insane thought about the need for revolution and even the overthrow of the autocracy. But more on that later.

So, the poet became disillusioned with the results of the abolition of serfdom, to which he had been calling on the authorities and people for so long. Another thought is now ripening in his head, and he, like Gogol with his “Dead Souls,” is going to show all of Rus' - but not from one side, but from all sides. That is why men, looking for an answer to the question “who lives happily and freely in Rus',” are going to go around the entire empire, asking about happiness from the priest to the tsar. It is interesting that travelers do not look for happy ones among the peasants, since they themselves understand that there are none. So, in the chapter “Happy” the heroes offer vodka to everyone who proves that he is happy. And it turns out that the grace of the peasants is to be able to survive among all adversities and have the strength to work. The soldier, for example, is happy that he survived twenty battles, was beaten with sticks and starved a lot, but still survived and coped with sorrows.

Hey, man's happiness!
Leaky, with patches,
Humpbacked with calluses,
Go home!

Not an attractive picture, isn't it? It’s bittersweet to realize such “happiness.” And the poet is even more bitter because free people failed to “squeeze the slave out of themselves.” That is why he portrays in an unattractive light servile peasants who do not dare to stand up for themselves: for example, “Yakov the Faithful” - a man who took revenge on the master... with his own death! Such characters do not evoke sympathy from Nekrasov.

A special place in the poem is occupied by the story of a Russian woman, the peasant woman Matryona Timofeevna. This theme itself runs like a red thread in the poet’s work, so it is not surprising that it is dedicated to the national heroine whole part poems.

Nekrasov draws Matryona Timofeevna as beautiful woman, stately, hard-working, very strong, faithful and devoted. First of all, she is a mother who is ready to endure all difficulties for the sake of her own children.

The peasant woman does not immediately agree to tell the story of her life to travelers, but still says that before her marriage she lived happily, although she spent her days in work and worries. After the wedding, she had a bad time: her husband beat her, her mother-in-law “bent her to death,” and her work became almost unbearable. The poet shows without embellishment how hard it is female share: Matryona Timofeevna loses her firstborn, experiences hunger, Slave work, pain and resentment, but does not give up. Like a true mother, she accepts punishment with rods for her own son. In the end, fate smiles on her, and the governor herself, Elena Alexandrovna, becomes Matryona Timofeevna’s intercessor.

The poem itself is written in blank verse, rhythmically, but without rhyme. In addition, Nekrasov uses traditionally fairy-tale beginnings (“In what year - calculate, / In what land - guess, / On a high street / Seven men came together”), resorts to fairy-tale symbols, which is why, for example, a self-assembled tablecloth appears in the text. The unique style of the poem is intended to make it close in spirit to song and fairy tale traditions Ancient Rus', which has survived to this day. By artistic means the “nationality” of the work is achieved.

Crying and tears are one of the symbols of the poem, a motif found in every chapter. Perhaps it is he who most clearly reflects the cruelty of the reality in which the liberated peasants live. Their environment is dominated by prejudice, hunger, poverty, pain, and slave labor. ON THE. Nekrasov is trying to find a way out for these people, to help them cope with adversity. That is why such characters as Yermil Girin, an honest peasant who refused to pacify the rebellious peasants, or Savely, the “hero of the Holy Russian”, appear in the poem. It is from his lips that it sounds amazing exact phrase, perhaps reflecting author's attitude to reality: “Branded, but not a slave!”

At the same time, Nekrasov makes a terrible mistake, justifying the so-called “permission of blood according to conscience” (in the terminology of F.M. Dostoevsky). Thus, in the poem, Saveliy, who buried a German manager alive, or the cruel chieftain Kudeyar, who received remission of his sins by the Lord for... the murder of Pan Glukhovsky, are also acquitted! At the same time, the poet seems to forget that the very Christian spirit is contradicted by the thought of murder, because this is one of the seven deadly sins. That is why, despite his apparent closeness to the people, Nekrasov turns out to be excessively far from them. He demonstrates complete ignorance of Russian culture and religion, which was the basis of peasant life.

Nekrasov is likened to the liberal Belinsky, who wrote: “I am beginning to love humanity like Maratov (Marat is one of the leaders of the Great French Revolution- approx. author). To make the smallest part of humanity happy, I would kill the rest with fire and sword. But it’s funny to think that this can happen by itself, with time, without violent coups, without blood. People are so stupid that they must be forcibly led to happiness.” Thus, Nekrasov in the image of his goodies, including Grisha Dobrosklonov, becomes an ideologist of the philosophy of blood and violence, not understanding that a kind-hearted Russian person, moral, spiritual, cannot be “led to happiness” by cannibalism and suffering. It turns out that Nekrasov, who unvarnishedly depicted the cruel reality of the life of the Russian peasantry, is pushing the people onto the wrong path of deliverance, thereby entrenching the prevailing cruelty in their world.

We hope you remember the summary of the work. We offer you an analysis of this image, which provides the key to understanding the entire poem.

The work is an artistic exploration public life, contemporary writer, its root problems. The main place in compositional terms is occupied by the image of two worlds - the landowner and the bureaucrat. However, it is tragic fate people is the ideological core of the work.

The writer, mercilessly castigating the existing social order in the country, was firmly convinced that the Russian land was destined for a glorious future. He believed in its future blossoming. For Nikolai Vasilyevich, this conviction arose from a living feeling of the enormous creative potential, which lurks in the depths of the Russian people.

The image of Rus' in the poem " Dead Souls"is presented as the personification of that great thing that the people are capable of, that important historical deed that the author believed his compatriots could accomplish. The image of Russia rises above all the images and pictures drawn in the work. It is covered with the love of the author, who dedicated his life, your creativity to serve home country.

Briefly characterizing the image of Rus' in the poem “Dead Souls,” it is necessary to say a few words about the “masters of life.” After all, it was not by chance that Gogol introduced them into his work.

Denouncing the "masters of life"

Gogol passionately believed that Russia had a better future. Therefore, in his work he denounces those people who have shackled with rusty chains the development of the creative potential of the people, the nation. Nikolai Vasilyevich mercilessly debunks the nobles, the “masters of life.” The images he created indicate that people like Chichikov, Plyushkin, Sobakevich, Manilov are not capable of creating spiritual values. They are consumers devoid of creative energy. Landowners, excluded from the sphere of living life and useful activity, are the bearers of inertia and stagnation. Chichikov, who has launched his adventure, does not suffer from inertia. Nevertheless, the activity of this hero is not aimed at a good cause, but at achieving selfish goals. He is alienated from the interests of the state. All these heroes are contrasted with the image of Rus' in the work “Dead Souls”.

Validation of progress

The forms of life that all of the above characters claim sharply contradict the needs and demands of historical development countries. To illustrate this idea, the author draws a majestic image of Rus' in the poem “Dead Souls.” This country, according to Gogol, has enormous power. The image of Rus' in the novel “Dead Souls” is the personification of the main idea of ​​the poem, which is the denial of social stagnation, social enslavement, and the affirmation of progress.

Opinion about the poem by V. G. Belinsky

The famous critic V. G. Belinsky emphasized that the contradiction between the deep substantial beginning of Russian life and its social forms- this is the main idea of ​​“Dead Souls”. The critic understood by the phrase “substantial beginning” the rich talent of the people, their eternal desire for freedom. Nikolai Vasilyevich firmly believed that great historical achievements were ahead of his native country. Focus on the future, take off vital energy- all this embodies the image of Rus' in the poem “Dead Souls”. The country is rushing into the vast distance, like a bird-three. Other states and peoples shun her, looking askance, and give her way.

Pictures of native nature

The lyrical statements of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol are filled with high pathos. He speaks of Rus' with admiration. Gogol paints pictures one after another native nature, which rush in front of the traveler, racing on fast horses along the autumn road.

It is no coincidence that the author contrasts the image of Rus' in the poem “Dead Souls” with the stagnation of the landowners. Chapter 11 is very important for understanding this image. It depicts Rus', which is rapidly moving forward. This expresses the author’s faith in the future of his country, his people.

Reflections on the Russian people

Among the most heartfelt pages are Gogol's lyrical reflections on the energetic, lively character of a hardworking nation. They are warmed by the flame of patriotism. Nikolai Vasilievich was well aware that creative talents and the inventive mind of the Russian people will become a powerful force only when their compatriots are free.

Gogol, depicting revelry on the pier, rises to chant folk life. Living force The Russian people are also emphasized in the desire of the peasants to get rid of oppression. Flight from the landowners, the murder of assessor Drobyakin, the people’s ironic mockery of the “orders” are manifestations of protest that are mentioned in the poem, albeit briefly, but persistently. Chanting national character and the Russian people, Nikolai Vasilyevich, never stoop to vanity.

The characters representing Rus' are quite diverse. This includes Pelageya, a young girl, and the nameless, runaway or deceased workers of Plyushkin and Sobakevich, who do not act in the poem, but are only mentioned in passing. A whole gallery of characters passes before the reader. All of them represent a multi-colored image of Russia.

Mastery, natural ingenuity, wide scope of soul, sensitivity to a well-aimed, striking word, heroic prowess - in all this, as well as in many other things, Nikolai Vasilyevich reveals the true soul of the Russian people. The sharpness and strength of his mind were reflected, according to Gogol, in the accuracy and vivacity of the Russian word. Nikolai Vasilyevich writes about this in the fifth chapter. The integrity and depth of folk feeling resulted in the sincerity of the Russian song, which the author mentions in the eleventh chapter. In chapter seven, Gogol says that generosity and breadth of soul were reflected in the unbridled joy with which folk holidays are held.

Herzen's assessment of the poem

The patriotic pathos of Dead Souls was highly appreciated by Herzen. He is with with good reason noted that this work is an amazing book. Herzen wrote that this is a “bitter reproach modern Rus'", but not hopeless.

Contradictions reflected in the poem

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol fervently believed that a great future awaited Russia. Nevertheless, the writer clearly imagined the path along which the country was moving towards prosperity, glory and power. He asks: “Rus, where are you going?” However, there is no answer. Nikolai Vasilyevich did not see any way to overcome the contradiction that had arisen between the flourishing of Russia, the rise of its national genius and the state of oppression of the state. Gogol cannot find someone who could guide Russia forward, direct it into high life. And this reveals the contradictions inherent in the writer.

What was V.G. concerned about? Belinsky

Gogol, in his denunciation, reflected the protest of the people against the serfdom that existed at that time. His flagellating satire grew precisely from this soil. It was directed against bureaucratic rulers, owners of serf souls, and “knights” of profit. However, the writer who put big hopes for enlightenment, did not come to the conclusion about the feasibility revolutionary struggle. In addition, the work contains statements about a husband who is gifted with divine virtues, as well as about a selfless and generous Russian maiden. In other words, a religious motive arises in it. who was very interested in the image of Rus' in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”, was seriously concerned about these parts of the work.

"Dead Souls" - a revolutionary work

Nikolai Vasilyevich wrote the second volume of his novel while experiencing a deep spiritual crisis. In the life of Russia during this period, tendencies characteristic of bourgeois development began to appear. The writer hated with all his soul the so-called kingdom of dead souls. However, Gogol also peered with horror at the appearance of the bourgeois West. Capitalism scared the writer. He was unable to accept the idea of ​​socialism and opposed the revolutionary struggle. However, possessing a powerful gift, Nikolai Vasilyevich created, in fact, a revolutionary work.

Gogol is a patriot

The lyrical pages dedicated to Russia, the Russian people are, perhaps, the best in " Dead souls". Chernyshevsky, speaking about the high patriotism of Nikolai Vasilyevich, wrote that Gogol considered himself a man who should serve the fatherland, and not art. The image of Rus' in the poem “Dead Souls” indicates that the future of the country really worried the writer. Of course , Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a true patriot.