The history of Matryona Timofeevna briefly. Analysis of the chapter "Peasant woman

Basically, in the poem, the life stories of peasants appear in a short story of fellow villagers, wanderers. But one fate unfolds before the reader in detail. This is the story of Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, told in the first person.

♦ Why did the fate of a Russian woman, a peasant woman, turn out to be in the center of attention of the author, who studies the movement of people's life?

The reason is Nekrasov's worldview. For the poet, a woman - mother, sister, friend - is the center of national life. Her fate is the embodiment of the fate of her native land. Already in the portrait of the heroine, the natural majesty, beauty that does not disappear over the years, is emphasized: “a portly woman”, “big, strict eyes, richest eyelashes” and the severity, severity, and strength of the whole appearance of a peasant woman.

Matryona Timofeevna is called the lucky one. She herself, having heard about this, “Not that she was surprised ... / But somehow she began to spin.” Has the people justly given her such a nickname? Let's figure it out.

1. The youth of the heroine. Marriage.

The marriage of the heroine is successful by all standards: the family is prosperous; loving, not angry, not sick and not an old husband. But you can't call this life happy. Not an external enemy, but a harsh life, cruel family life deprive the peasant woman of her joy. Gradually, Nekrasov reveals the connection of this way of life with the general structure of the country. Among slaves, a young woman has nowhere to seek protection. Even in her family, she cannot hide from the harassment of the lord's steward. Of all the slaves, she is the last, the most disenfranchised.

2. The death of the firstborn.

Not grandfather Savely, not an evil mother-in-law doom Dyomushka to death, but all the same slave labor, forcing a female worker to leave a baby under the care of a hundred-year-old man. Intuitively understanding this, the mother forgives Savely the death of her son, shares his grief with him. The strength of her faith, the depth of feelings contrast with the callousness and greed of officials.

3. Fedotushka's fault.

Nekrasov does not idealize the peasant community. Hardened by need and hard work, people cannot appreciate the spiritual impulse of a child who is imbued with pity for a starving she-wolf. Mother, saving Fedotushka from punishment, saves not only his health, but also the sensitive, kind soul of the boy. Maternal sacrifice preserves in the son a man, not a slave. Not pain, but a cruel insult many years later, Matryona Timofeevna remembers. And again, the unrequited insult is sung, cried out by her in a song.

4. Hard year. Governor.

Behind the endless patience, humble obedience of Matryona Timofeevna, strength of character, determination and strong will are hidden. For the sake of the children, so that they do not become the downtrodden and defenseless sons of a soldier, she goes to save her husband from recruitment. The intervention of the governor's wife seems like a wonderful gift of fate. But the main merit belongs to Matryona Timofeevna. The reward is the return of the husband, the respect of the family, the status of the mistress of the house. But these awards cannot erase the experienced torments from memory and heart. And new sorrows await the peasant woman: “... A grove of children... Is it for joy? .. / Five sons! Peasant / Orders are endless - / Already they took one!

The story about the fate of a peasant woman is full of bitterness. The fate of the "lucky" turns out to be a story of endless misfortunes. But still, let's think again why they single out, consider Matryona Korchagina happy.

Let us ask ourselves the question: did fate manage to break the peasant woman? Did Matryona Timofeevna become a slave in the midst of universal slavery?

The author convincingly shows that the peasant woman is not broken by worldly storms. They tempered the harsh beauty of her mighty soul. Matryona Timofeevna is not a slave, but the mistress of her own destiny. Its strength is manifested not in violent prowess, not in revelry, not in a brief heroic impulse, but in the daily struggle with the hardships of life, in patient and persistent life-building.

Next to Matryona Timofeevna, even the "Holy Russian hero" grandfather Savely seems weak. The author's attitude to this hero is ambivalent, it combines admiration and a sad smile. Savely's heroism is not that useless, but unpromising. It is not given to him to influence the future, just as it is not given to save Dyomushka. The rebellious impulse of the Kora peasants, who buried the German Vogel alive, does not solve the problems of Russian life, but is redeemed at a too high price. “Unbearable - the abyss! / To endure is an abyss ... ”- this is exactly what grandfather knows, but how to determine the limit of patience, he does not know. With his awkward heroism, Savely is thrown out of worldly life, deprived of his place in it. Therefore, his strength turns into weakness. That's why the old man reproaches himself:

Where are you, power, gone?

What were you good for?

Under rods, under sticks

Gone little by little!

And yet, against the background of many peasant images, grandfather Savely stands out for his clarity and strength of mind, integrity of nature, and freedom of spirit. He, like Matrena Timofeevna, does not become a slave to the end, he builds his own destiny.

So, using the example of these two characters, the author convinces us of the inexhaustibility of the moral strength and vitality of the people, which serves as a guarantee of their future happiness.

Used book materials: Yu.V. Lebedev, A.N. Romanova. Literature. Grade 10. Lesson developments. - M.: 2014

Almost every writer has a secret theme that excites him especially strongly and passes through all his work as a leitmotif. For Nekrasov, the singer of the Russian people, the fate of the Russian woman became such a topic. Simple serfs, proud princesses and even fallen women who sank to the social bottom - for each, the writer had warm word. And all of them, so different at first glance, were united by complete lack of rights and unhappiness, which were considered the norm at that time. Against the backdrop of universal serfdom, the fate of a simple woman looks even worse, because she is forced to “submit to a slave to the grave” and “be the mother of a son-slave” (“Frost, red nose”), i.e. she is a slave in the square. “The keys to the happiness of women”, from their “free will” have long been lost - this is the problem the poet tried to draw attention to. This is how the incredibly bright and strong image of Matryona Timofeevna appears in Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”.
The story of the fate of Matryona is set out in the third part of the poem, which is called: "Peasant Woman".

A rumor leads the wanderers to the woman, stating that if any of the women can be called lucky, then only the “governor” from the village of Klin. However, Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina, a "dignified", beautiful and strict woman, having heard the peasants' question about her happiness, "twirled, thought" and did not even want to talk about anything initially. It was already dark, and the month with the stars went up into the sky, when Matrena nevertheless decided to “open her whole soul.”

Only at the very beginning, life was kind to her, Matrena recalls. Mother and father took care of their daughter, called "kasatushka", cherished and cherished. Let's pay attention to great amount words with diminutive suffixes: late, sun, crust, etc., characteristic of oral folk art. Here, the influence of Russian folklore on Nekrasov's poem is noticeable - in folk songs, as a rule, the time of carefree girlhood is sung, which contrasts sharply with the subsequent difficult life in the husband's family. The author uses this plot to build the image of Matryona and almost verbatim transfers the description of the girl's life with her parents from the songs. Some of the folklore is introduced directly into the text. These are wedding songs, lamentation over the bride and the song of the bride herself, as well as detailed description marriage ceremony.

No matter how hard Matryona tries to prolong her free life, she is still married to a man who is also a stranger, not from her native village. Soon the girl, together with her husband Philip, leaves the house and goes to an unfamiliar land, to a large and unfriendly family. There she goes "from a girl's holi" to hell, which is also transmitted with the help of a folk song. “Drowsy, drowsy, messy!

"- so they call Matryona in the family, and everyone tries to give her more work. There is no hope for the intercession of her husband: although they are of the same age, Philip treats his wife well, but sometimes he beats (“the whip whistled, blood splashed”) and does not think to make her life easier. In addition, he spends almost all his free time on earnings, and there is “no one to love” Matryona.

In this part of the poem, the extraordinary character and inner spiritual stamina of Matryona become clearly visible. Another would have despaired long ago, but she does everything as ordered and always finds a reason to rejoice at the most simple things. Her husband returned, “he brought a silk handkerchief / Yes, he took a ride on a sled” - and Matryona sang joyfully, as she used to sing in her parents' house.

The only happiness of a peasant woman is in her children. So the heroine of Nekrasov has her firstborn, whom she can’t get enough of: “How hand-written was Demushka!”. The author very convincingly shows: it is the children who do not allow the peasant woman to become embittered, they support truly angelic patience in her. The great vocation - to raise and protect her children - raises Matryona above the gray everyday life. The image of a woman turns into a heroic one.

But the peasant woman is not destined to enjoy her happiness for a long time: work must continue, and the child, left in the care of the old man, dies due to a tragic accident. The death of a child at that time was not a rare event, this misfortune often fell upon the family. But Matryona is harder than the others - not only is this her first-born, but also the authorities who came from the city decide that it was the mother herself, in collusion with the former convict grandfather Savely, who killed her son. No matter how much Matryona cries, she has to be present at the autopsy of Demushka - he was “spilled”, and this terrible picture was forever imprinted in her mother’s memory.

The characterization of Matryona Timofeevna would not be complete without another important detail - her willingness to sacrifice herself for others. Her children are what remains the most sacred for a peasant woman: “Just don’t touch the little ones! I stood up for them…” Indicative in this regard is the episode when Matryona takes upon herself the punishment of her son. He, being a shepherd, lost a sheep, and he was to be flogged for this. But the mother threw herself at the feet of the landowner, and he "mercifully" forgave the teenager, ordering in return to flog the "impudent woman." For the sake of her children, Matrena is ready to go even against God. When a wanderer comes to the village with a strange demand not to breastfeed her children on Wednesdays and Fridays, the woman is the only one who did not listen to her. “To whom to endure, so mothers” - in these words of Matryona the whole depth of her maternal love is expressed.

Another key feature of a peasant woman is her determination. Submissive and compliant, she knows when to fight for her happiness. So, it is Matryona from the whole huge family who decides to stand up for her husband when he is taken into the soldiers and, falling at the feet of the governor, brings him home. For this act, she receives the highest award - people's respect. Hence her nickname "Governor". Now the family loves her, and in the village they consider her lucky. But the hardships and "storm of the soul" that have passed through Matryona's life do not give her the opportunity to speak of herself as happy.

A resolute, selfless, simple and sincere woman and mother, one of the many Russian peasant women - this is how the reader of Matryona Korchagin's “Who Lives Well in Rus'” appears before the reader.

The description of the image of Matryona Korchagina and her characterization in the poem will help 10th grade students before writing an essay on the topic “The Image of Matryona Timofeevna in “Who Lives Well in Rus'””.

Artwork test

In the image of Matryona Timofeevna, Nekrasov embodied the fate of all Russian peasant women. A lot of folklore elements surround this image, the heroine goes through all the stages typical for married woman, who lives in her husband's family and is a serf. The fate of Matryona is full of troubles and misfortunes, a rare joy, a warm human attitude brings the woman back to life and she again becomes cheerful and cheerful, as in her youth.

Matryona's life before marriage

Matryona tells the wanderers about her girlish life, using vocabulary with a diminutive connotation. Father and mother spoiled their daughter, they didn’t force her to work, she didn’t hear a bad word. Only at that time the girl got enough sleep and enjoyed the caress and care of her relatives. Later, when she was sent to a strange village after her wedding, she learned how hard a woman's life can be, even if her husband loves and pities her. Matryona describes her fate as follows: “Now there is only one richness: three lakes are weeping with burning tears.” The heroine of the poem Strong woman, not only physically (“Kholmogory cow”), but also morally: she experienced a lot of grief, but life did not break her.

The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” contains the most beautiful folklore traditions, which are introduced directly into the text of the work. It is the chapter describing the life of Matryona that is especially rich in oral folk art.

Appearance of Matryona Timofeevna

The surname of the heroine is Korchagina, she lives in the village of Klin. Matryona is 38 years old, she calls herself an old woman, realizing that youth and beauty are lost due to hard work. The author lovingly describes his heroine of the poem: “Beautiful; gray hair, large, stern eyes, richest eyelashes, stern and swarthy. She has a white shirt on, and a short sundress, and a sickle over her shoulder ... ”. The words that the author uses are taken from folk songs: “written kralechka”, “poured berry”, “girl's eyes”, “ruddy face”, “pretty”, “beloved”, “white face”. The beauty of Matryona is the beauty of a Russian woman, strong, strong, hardworking. Describing Matryona at work, the author draws every stroke with pleasure: the heroine evokes sincere sympathy from the reader. She is honest, straightforward, patient, caring, smart, savvy, and a little brash.

Characteristics of Matryona, her life philosophy

Matryona Timofeevna has five children, she is ready to give her life for each of them. When trouble happened - the youngest son overlooked the herd of sheep entrusted to him, she came to the master instead of her son to save the child from whipping. The very first son, Dyomushka, died when he was very young, he was instructed to watch his grandfather Savely, but then he fell asleep. The child got into the corral, where there were pigs, they ate him alive. The authorities insisted on an autopsy, accusing Matryona of colluding with her convict grandfather in killing the child. The woman had to endure a monstrous spectacle that she will never forget. Husband Philip loves Matryona, but sometimes he still dissolves his hands. When he brings her a gift and rides on a sleigh, the heroine feels happy again. She knows that many women got a fate even more difficult than hers: “It’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman between women ...”, “The keys to female happiness, from our free will are abandoned, lost from God himself! ..

". Matryona is frank with strangers, she found her woman's happiness in children, in work. harsh mother-in-law, bad attitude relatives of her husband led to the fact that a lot of pain, resentment and longing accumulated in her soul: “There is no unbroken bone in me, there is no unstretched vein, there is no unspoiled blood ...”

Matryona teaches her children to be honest, not to steal. She is a believing woman: “the more I prayed, the easier it became…”. It was faith that helped Matryona survive the most difficult moments in her life.

Our article contains quotes from Matryona Timofeevna, which characterize her image most clearly. The material will be useful in analyzing the poem and writing creative works on this topic.

Artwork test

Characteristics of the hero

Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina is a peasant woman. The third part of the poem is dedicated to this heroine.

M.T. - “A portly woman, Broad and thick, 38 years old. Beautiful; hair with gray hair, Big strict eyes, Eyelashes of the richest, Harsh and swarthy.

Among the people about M.T. the glory of the lucky woman is coming. She tells the strangers who come to her about her life. Her story is told in the form of folk laments and songs. This emphasizes the typical fate of M.T. for all Russian peasant women: “It’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women.”

In the parental home of M.T. life was good: she had a friendly non-drinking family. But, having married Philip Korchagin, she ended up "from a girl's will to hell." The youngest in her husband's family, she worked for everyone like a slave. The husband loved M.T., but often went to work and could not protect his wife. The heroine had one intercessor - grandfather Savely, her husband's grandfather. M.T. she has seen a lot of grief in her lifetime: she endured the harassment of the manager, survived the death of the first-born Demushka, who, due to Savely's oversight, was bitten by pigs. M.T. failed to retrieve the son's body and he was sent for an autopsy. Later, another son of the heroine, 8-year-old Fedot, was threatened with a terrible punishment for feeding someone else's sheep to a hungry she-wolf. Mother, without hesitation, lay down under the rod instead of her son. But in a lean year, M.T., pregnant and with children, is likened to a hungry she-wolf herself. In addition, the last breadwinner is taken away from her family - her husband is shaved into soldiers out of turn. In desperation, M.T. runs into the city and throws himself at the feet of the governor's wife. She helps the heroine and even becomes the godmother of the born son M.T. — Liodora. But the evil fate continued to haunt the heroine: one of the sons was taken to the soldiers, "they burned twice ... God anthrax ... visited three times." In the "Woman's Parable" M.T. sums up his sad story: “The keys to female happiness, From our free will, Abandoned, lost From God himself!”

N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is a rather rare and artistically unique phenomenon. And if we recall the analogues, then it can only be compared with Pushkin's novel in verse. The monumentality and depth of the depiction of characters, combined with an unusually vivid poetic form, will be common to them.
The plot of the poem is simple: seven peasants set out to find out "who lives happily, freely in Rus'" and wander, trying to find this person. Having traveled many roads, having seen many people, they decided:

Not everything between men
Find a happy
Let's touch the grandmother!

They, as happy, are pointed to Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, nicknamed the Governor. This is a peasant woman, reputed to be happy among the people, Wanderers find her:

Matrena Timofeevna,
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 tells them about her life - full of worries, grief and sadness of the life of a simple Russian peasant woman. Matrena says that if she was happy, then only before marriage. What is this happiness? And here's what: We had a good, non-drinking family.
The little girl turned into a grown girl - hardworking, beautiful face and strict disposition. She did not stay too long with the girls, she quickly found a groom, and Philip Korchagin was a “stranger on the mountain”. The hard life of a daughter-in-law in the house of her mother-in-law began for the heroine:

The family was big
Grumpy ... got to hell with a girl's holi!

Matryona lives in harmony with her husband. He raised his hand to her only once, and even then according to the teaching of his mother and sisters.
Matrena's son Demushka was born - the only consolation in the absence of her husband. But she did not rejoice at him for long: the grumpy mother-in-law sent her to work, saying that grandfather Savely would look after her son. But he overlooked the affairs, fell asleep, exhausted by the sun, and Demushka was eaten by pigs.
But it didn’t end there, they didn’t let Matryona bury her son. They conducted an investigation, suspecting her of a shameful relationship with grandfather Saveliy and the murder of Demushka, slashed the body of the boy and. not finding anything, they gave it to their mother, distraught with grief. For a very long time Matryona could not move away from this nightmare.
She missed her parents very much, but they did not often spoil her with their arrival. Three years flew by like one day. What a year, then children. ... No time to think, no sadness.
In the fourth year, a new grief befell the heroine: her parents died. She left close people - Philip and children. But even here fate did not calm down, punishing either her children or her husband. When his son Fedotushka was eight years old, his father-in-law gave him as a shepherd. Once the shepherd left, and one sheep was dragged away by a she-wolf, judging by the bloody trail, she had just given birth. Fedot took pity on her and gave the already dead sheep he had beaten off. For this, the people in the village decided to flog him. But Matryona stood up for her son, and the landowner, passing by, decided to let the boy go, and punish his mother.
The following describes a difficult, hungry year. On top of that, Philip was taken to the soldiers out of turn. Now Matryona, who has a few days left before the new birth, is not a full-fledged hostess in the house, but a host, together with her children. One night she fervently prays in the field and, inspired by some unknown force, hurries to the city to bow to the governor. But he only meets his wife there. In practice, this woman has another son of Matryona in her arms. Elena Alexandrovna helped the heroine, returning Philip and becoming the godmother of the child, whom she herself named Liodorushka. So Matryona got her nickname - "lucky".
It was about all this that Matryona Korchagina, who is considered by the people to be the happiest woman, told the wanderers:

My feet are not trampled.
Not tied with ropes
Not pierced with needles...

That's all happiness. But stronger than all this is the “spiritual thunderstorm” that passed through the heroine. You can’t turn a wounded soul inside out and you won’t show people, and therefore for everyone she is a lucky woman, but in fact:

For a mother that has been scolded,
Like a trampled snake,
The blood of the firstborn has passed
For me insults are mortal
Gone unpaid
And the whip passed over me!

Such is the image of Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina, the governor's wife, who is known among the people as a happy woman. But is she happy? In our opinion, no, but in the opinion of a simple peasant woman of the 19th century, yes. This elevates Matryona: she does not complain about life, does not complain about difficulties. Her firmness of spirit, determination delights the reader.
The image of Matrena Timofeevna, undoubtedly one of the strongest, shows the true character of a Russian woman who

Stop a galloping horse
He will enter the burning hut.