One of the most famous works of the Russian poet Nikolai Nekrasov is the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia". The summary of this work will help you thoroughly study it, learn in detail the history of the journey of seven peasants across the country in search of a truly happy person. The events in the poem unfold shortly after the historic abolition of serfdom, which took place in 1861.

The plot of the story

The poem "To whom it is good to live in Russia", a summary of which is given in this article, begins with the fact that seven men meet on a high road. All of them were still serfs quite recently, and now they are temporarily liable, living in neighboring villages with telling and frankly depressing names - Dyryavina, Zaplatova, Gorelova, Razutova, Neyolova, Znobishina and Neurozhayka.

A dispute arises between them, who is having fun and at ease today in Russia. Each of them has its own version. Someone believes that the landowner lives well, also among the versions are an official, a priest, a sovereign minister, a boyar, a merchant and the tsar himself.

You will find out how this dispute will end from Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Russia". You can get acquainted with it very briefly if you read this article. While talking, the men do not notice that they have made a detour of as much as 30 miles, realizing that it is too late to return home today, they make a fire, pour vodka and continue to argue. Gradually, the dispute develops into a fight, but even after it it is not possible to decide who is right.

The decision comes unexpectedly. One of the disputants named Pahom gets a warbler chick to free it, the bird tells the peasants where to find a self-assembled tablecloth. So all the participants in the dispute are provided with bread, vodka and all other food necessary for the journey. Then they decide for themselves to find out who in Russia has a good life. The summary of this work will help you quickly recall the main episodes if you read the work itself for a long time or decided to get acquainted with it in a truncated version.

Pop

The first person they meet is a pop. His men begin to wonder if he is doing well. He reasonably answers that happiness is in wealth, peace and honor. He himself does not possess any of these benefits.

In the poem "To whom it is good to live in Russia", a summary of which will help you prepare for an exam or test, the pop describes his unenviable fate. In any weather, he is forced to go where people get sick, are born or die. His soul is torn from the sadness of orphans, sobs over the coffin, so he does not always dare to take money for his work.

You can't count on more. The landlords, who used to live in family estates, lived in them all year round, got married and baptized children, are now scattered throughout the country, and someone has gone abroad, so you can’t count on retribution from them.

Well, the fact that few people respect the priest, the men themselves know, he sums up. As a result, the heroes of the poem "To whom it is good to live in Russia" (a summary of the chapters will help to better understand this work) even becomes uncomfortable when the clergyman begins to recall the insults and obscene songs that are regularly heard against him.

country fair

As a result, the heroes of the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia", a brief summary of which is now before you, end up at a rural fair in the village of Kuzminskoye. There they begin to question the people about true happiness.

The village is rich but dirty. It has a paramedic's hut, a rickety house that once had a "school", an untidy hotel, and many drinking establishments.

They meet the old man Vavila, who cannot buy shoes for his granddaughter, because he drank everything. He is saved by Pavlusha Veretennikov, whom everyone around for some reason calls "master", he buys a present for the old man.

The heroes are watching the farce Petrushka, trying to figure out where it is good to live in Russia. A summary of the poem will help to better consider the author's intention. They see that every trading day ends with drinking and fighting. At the same time, they do not agree with Pavlusha, who proposes to measure the peasant by the masters. The peasants themselves are sure that it is impossible for a sober person to live in Russia. In this case, there is no way to endure either the muzhik's misfortune or overwork.

Yakim Nagoi

These statements are confirmed by Yakim Nagoi, who came from the village of Bosovo, who, as everyone around says, "works to death, drinks half to death." At the same time, during a fire, he himself saves not the accumulated money, but his favorite pictures, which are completely useless. He believes that when drunkenness ends in Russia, great sadness will come.

Wanderers are trying to continue to find where in Russia to live well. The summary details their attempts. They promise to give water to the lucky ones, but there are none. It turns out that for a free drink, both the yard, paralyzed, and the ragged beggar are ready to declare themselves happy.

Ermil Girin

Finally, the heroes learn the story of Ermil Girin. It tells about the steward, who is known in the district for his honesty and justice in the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" by Nekrasov. A summary of the chapters gives a complete picture of the work. For example, the peasants lent him money when he needed to buy a mill, without even requiring a receipt. But even now he is unhappy, as he ended up in prison after a peasant revolt.

The poem tells in detail about the nobles, many of whom were unhappy after the peasants received their freedom. A 60-year-old landowner named Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev says that before the master was happy with everything: fields, forests, serf actors, hunters, musicians, they all belonged to him, he himself was kind to them.

The peasants themselves understand that serfdom was far from the idyll drawn by Obolduev, but they understand that the abolition of serfdom hit both the master, who had lost his usual way of life, and the peasants.

Russian women

Disappointed to find happy men among men, the heroes begin to ask women who and why live well in Russia. This episode is also summarized. One of the wanderers recalls that Matryona Korchagina lives in the village of Klin. Everyone around her considers her lucky. But she herself does not think so, telling the story of her life.

She was born into a wealthy and teetotal peasant family. Her husband was a stove-maker from the neighboring village Philip Korchagin. But only the night when her future husband persuaded her to marry him was happy for her. After that, the monotonous life of a Russian woman in the village began.

At the same time, she admits that her husband loved her, beat her only once, but soon left for St. Petersburg to work. Matryona had to get along in her father-in-law's family. She was only sorry for her grandfather Savely, who returned after hard labor, which he got into because of the murder of a manager from Germany, whom everyone hated.

Birth of the first child

Soon Matryona had her first child, who was named Demushka. But the mother-in-law did not allow to take the child with her into the field, and old Savely did not watch over him, and the pigs ate him. In front of the mother, the judges, who came from the city, performed an autopsy. After her five sons were born, but she never forgot her first child.

A lot of suffering fell on her lot. One of her sons, Fedot, overlooked the sheep and one was dragged away by a she-wolf to protect him, Matryona took the punishment upon herself. Being pregnant with Liodor, she had to go to the city to seek justice when her husband was illegally taken into the soldiers. Then the governor's wife helped her, for whom everyone in the family now prays.

On the Volga

On the great Russian river, wanderers find themselves in the midst of haymaking. Here they become witnesses of another strange scene. A noble family is sailing to the shore in several boats. The mowers, who have just sat down to rest, jump up to demonstrate their zeal to the master.

These are peasants from the village of Vakhlachin, who in every possible way help the heirs to hide the abolition of serfdom from the landowner Utyatin, finally His relatives in exchange for this service promised floodplain meadows to the peasants. But when the old landowner still dies, the heirs do not keep their word, it turns out that the whole performance that the peasants staged was in vain.

Peasant songs

The main characters of the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" listen to various peasant songs near this village. A summary of the chapters will allow you to know what this work is about without even reading it. Among them are soldiers, corvee, salty, hungry. All these are stories from the times of serfdom.

One of them is dedicated to an exemplary and honest serf named Yakov. His only joy in life was to please his master. It was a small landowner Polivanov. He was a tyrant, in gratitude for his devotion and faithful service, he knocked out Yakov's teeth with his heel, causing even greater love in the lackey's soul.

In old age, the landlord lost his legs, then Yakov began to walk after him and take care of him like a child. But when the peasant's nephew decided to marry a local beauty named Arisha, Polivanov himself wants this girl and sends the guy to recruits. At first Yakov took to drink, but soon returned to his master again. In the end, he got his revenge on Polivanov in the only way a lackey like him could get his hands on. Yakov brought the master into the forest and hanged himself on a pine tree right in front of his master. Polivanov had to spend the whole night over the corpse of his servant, driving away wolves, birds and other animals.

Great sinners

Another story told about sinners. It is told by her divine wanderer named Iona Lyapushkin to the heroes of Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Russia". A summary of this story is also given in this article.

Once the Lord awakened the conscience of the leader of the robbers Kudeyar. He was forced to atone for his sins for a long time, but received absolution only when he killed the cruel Pan Glukhovsky.

Another sinner is Gleb the elder. For a monetary reward, he hid the will of the widower admiral, who, after his death, ordered the release of the peasants who belonged to him, but because of Gleb, no one knew about this for a long time.

Grisha Dobrosklonov

In addition to the peasants who want to find out who lives happily in Russia, the son of the local clerk Grisha Dobrosklonov, a seminarian, also thinks about the people's happiness. He loves his dead mother, this love merges with love for the whole Vahlachina.

At the age of 15, Grisha already knows for sure whom he is ready to die for, in whose hands he is ready to entrust his life. He reflects on the immense mysterious Russia, thinking of her as a mighty, powerless mother, expecting that the strength that he increasingly feels inside himself will still be felt in her.

Grisha Dobrosklonov is strong in spirit. Fate prepared for him the path of a people's intercessor, as well as Siberia and consumption.

The men do not know what is happening in the soul of this hero, otherwise they would surely have understood that they could return home, they learned everything that was necessary.

“Not everyone between men is looking for a happy one, let's feel the women!” - decide the strangers. They are advised to go to the village of Klin and ask Korchagina Matryona Timofeevna, whom everyone called the "governor's wife".

Wanderers come to the village: Whatever the hut - with a prop, Like a beggar with a crutch; And from the roofs the straw is fed to the Cattle. Stand like skeletons, Wretched houses. At the gate, the wanderers meet a lackey, who explains that "the landowner is abroad, and the steward is dying." Some men catch small fish in the river, complaining that there used to be more fish. Peasants and serfs steal everything they can: One serf was tormented At the door: copper handles Unscrewed; the other was carrying some kind of tiles... A gray-haired courtyard offers to buy foreign books for wanderers, gets angry that they refuse: Why do you need smart books?

Drinking signs for you Yes, the word "forbidden", What is found on the poles, Enough to read! The wanderers hear how a beautiful bass sings a song in an incomprehensible language. It turns out that “the singer of Novo-Arkhangelskaya, the gentlemen lured him from Little Russia.

They promised to take him to Italy, but they left. Finally, the wanderers meet Matrena Timofeevna. Matrena Timofeevna A portly woman, Broad and thick, Thirty-eight years old.

Beautiful; hair with gray hair, Big, strict eyes, Eyelashes of the richest, Harsh and swarthy. The wanderers tell why they set off on their journey, Matrena Timofeevna replies that she has no time to talk about her zhiani - she has to reap rye. The wanderers promise to help her harvest the rye, Matryona Timofeevna "began to open her whole soul to our wanderers." Chapter 1 Before marriage I was lucky in the girls: We had a good, non-drinking family. For father, for mother, Like Christ in the bosom, Residential ...

There was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Finally, “the betrothed turned up”: On the mountain - a stranger! Philip Korchagin - St. Petersburg worker, By skill a stove-maker. The father took a walk with the matchmakers, promised to give his daughter away. Matryona does not want to go after Philip, he persuades, says that he will not offend. In the end, Matrena Timofeevna agrees. Chapter 2 Songs Matrena Timofeevna finds herself in a strange house - to her mother-in-law and father-in-law.

The narrative is interrupted from time to time by songs about the hard lot of a girl who got married "to the wrong side." The family was huge, Grumpy... I got to Hell from a girl's Holi! My husband went to work, He advised me to be silent, endure... As ordered, so done: I went with anger in my heart, And I didn’t say a word to anyone. Filippushka came in the winter, He brought a silk handkerchief, Yes, he rode it on a sled On Catherine's Day, And it was as if there was no grief!

» Matrena Timofeevna replies that only once, when her husband's sister arrived and he asked to give her shoes, and Matrena Timofeevna hesitated. On the Annunciation, Philip again goes to work, and on Kazanskaya, Matryona had a son, who was named Demushka. Life in the house of her husband's parents has become even more difficult, but Matryona endures: Whatever they tell - I work, No matter how they scold - I am silent. Of the whole family of her husband, One Savely, grandfather, Father of the father-in-law, took pity on me ... Matryona Timofeevna asks the wanderers whether to tell about grandfather Savely, they are ready to listen. Chapter 3 Saveliy, Holy Russian hero With a huge gray mane, Tea, uncut for twenty years, With a huge beard, Grandfather looked like a bear ...

He already knocked, According to fairy tales, a hundred years. Grandfather lived in a special room, He did not like families, He did not let him into his corner; And she was angry, barked, His own son honored his “branded, convict”. Saveliy will not be angry, He will go to his little room, Read the holy calendar, cross himself Yes, and suddenly say cheerfully: “Branded, but not a slave” ... One day Matryona asks Savely why he is called branded and hard labor.

Grandfather tells her his life. In the years of his youth, the peasants of his village were also serfs, “but we didn’t know either the landlords or the German managers then.

We didn’t rule the corvee, we didn’t pay dues, and so, when we judge, we’ll send it three times a year. ” The places were deaf, and no one could get there through the thickets and swamps. “Our landowner Shalashnikov through animal paths with his regiment - he was a military man - he tried to approach us, but he turned his skis!

"Then Shalashnikov sends an order - to appear, but the peasants do not go. The police swooped down (there was a drought) - “we are a tribute to her with honey, fish”, when they arrived another time - with “animal skins”, and the third time they did not give anything. They put on old bast shoes, full of holes, and went to Shalashnikov, who was stationed with a regiment in the provincial town. They came and said there was no dues. Shalashnikov ordered them to be flogged. Shalashnikov thrashed him hard, and he had to “split them up”, get the money and bring half a cap of “lobanchiks” (semi-imperials). Shalashnikov immediately calmed down, even drank with the peasants.

They set off on their way back, the two old men laughed that they were carrying home hundred-ruble notes sewn in the lining. Excellently fought Shalashnikov, And not so hot great Incomes received. Soon a notification arrives that Shalashnikov has been killed near Varna. The heir invented a remedy: He sent a German to us. Through dense forests, Through swampy marshes, A rogue came on foot! And at first he was quiet: "Pay what you can."

We can't do anything! "I'll notify the gentleman." - Notify! .. - That ended. The German, Christian Christian Vogel, meanwhile gained confidence in the peasants, saying: "If you can't pay, then work." They are interested in what the job is. He replies that it is desirable to dig in the swamp with grooves, cut down the trees where it is planned.

The peasants did as he asked, they see - it turned out to be a clearing, a road. Caught up, it's too late. And then hard labor came to the Korezsky peasant - Ruined to the bone!

And he fought ... like Shalashnikov himself! Yes, he was simple: he will attack With all his military strength, Just think: he will kill! And sun the money - it will fall off, Give or take a tick swollen In a dog's ear. The German has a deadly grip: Until he lets him go around the world, Without moving away, he sucks! This life continued for eighteen years. The German built a factory, ordered to dig a well.

It was dug by nine people, including Savely. After working until noon, we decided to rest. Then a German appeared, began to scold the peasants for idleness. The peasants pushed the German into the pit, Savely shouted "Naddy!", and Vogel was buried alive. Then there was “hard labor and whips in advance; they didn’t tear it out - they anointed it, there’s a bad rag there!

Then ... I fled from hard labor ...

Caught! They didn’t pat on the head either.” And life was not easy. Twenty years of strict hard labor.

Twenty years of settlement. I saved up money, According to the royal manifesto, I got back to my homeland, I built this hill, And I have been living here for a long time.

From 1863 to 1877, Nekrasov wrote "Who in Russia should live well." The idea, the characters, the plot changed several times in the process of work. Most likely, the idea was not fully revealed: the author died in 1877. Despite this, "To whom it is good to live in Russia" as a folk poem is considered a complete work. It was supposed to be 8 parts, but only 4 were completed.

With the introduction of the characters, the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" begins. These heroes are seven men from the villages: Dyryavino, Zaplatovo, Gorelovo, Crop failure, Znobishino, Razutovo, Neelovo. They meet and start a conversation about who lives happily and well in Russia. Each man has his own opinion. One believes that the landowner is happy, the other - that the official. A merchant, a priest, a minister, a noble boyar, a tsar, a peasant from the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" is also called happy. The heroes began to argue, lit a fire. It even came to a fight. However, they fail to come to an agreement.

Self-assembly tablecloth

Suddenly, Pahom quite unexpectedly caught a chick. The little warbler, his mother, asked the peasant to set the chick free. She prompted for this, where you can find a self-assembled tablecloth - a very useful thing that will certainly come in handy on a long journey. Thanks to her, the men during the trip did not lack food.

Pop's story

The following events continue the work "To whom it is good to live in Russia." The heroes decided to find out at any cost who lives happily and cheerfully in Russia. They set off on the road. First on the way they met a pop. The men turned to him with the question of whether he lives happily. Then the pop spoke about his life. He believes (in which the peasants could not disagree with him) that happiness is impossible without peace, honor, wealth. Pop believes that if he had all this, he would be completely happy. However, he is obliged day and night, in any weather, to go where he is told - to the dying, to the sick. Every time the priest has to see human grief and suffering. He even sometimes lacks the strength to take retribution for his service, since people tear the latter away from themselves. Once upon a time, everything was completely different. Pop says that rich landowners generously rewarded him for funerals, baptisms, and weddings. However, now the rich are far away, and the poor have no money. The priest also has no honor: the peasants do not respect him, as many folk songs speak of.

Wanderers go to the fair

Wanderers understand that this person cannot be called happy, which is noted by the author of the work "Who Lives Well in Russia". The heroes set off again and find themselves on the road in the village of Kuzminsky, at a fair. This village is dirty, although rich. There are a lot of establishments in which residents indulge in drunkenness. They drink their last money. For example, the old man did not have money left for shoes for his granddaughter, since he drank everything. All this is observed by wanderers from the work "To whom it is good to live in Russia" (Nekrasov).

Yakim Nagoi

They also notice fairground entertainment and fights and talk about the fact that the peasant is forced to drink: this helps to endure hard work and eternal hardship. An example of this is Yakim Nagoi, a peasant from the village of Bosovo. He works to death, "drinks half to death." Yakim believes that if there were no drunkenness, there would be great sadness.

The wanderers continue on their way. In the work "To whom it is good to live in Russia," Nekrasov says that they want to find happy and cheerful people, they promise to give these lucky people water for free. Therefore, a variety of people are trying to pass themselves off as such - a former courtyard suffering from paralysis, for many years licking plates for a master, exhausted workers, beggars. However, travelers themselves understand that these people cannot be called happy.

Ermil Girin

The men once heard about a man named Yermil Girin. His story is further told by Nekrasov, of course, he does not convey all the details. Ermil Girin is a burgomaster who was highly respected, a fair and honest person. He intended to buy the mill one day. The peasants lent him money without a receipt, they trusted him so much. However, there was a peasant revolt. Now Yermil is in jail.

Obolt-Obolduev's story

Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, one of the landowners, spoke about the fate of the nobles after They used to own a lot: serfs, villages, forests. Nobles could invite serfs to the house on holidays to pray. But after the master was no longer the full owner of the peasants. The wanderers knew perfectly well how difficult life was in the days of serfdom. But it is also not difficult for them to understand that it became much harder for the nobles after the abolition of serfdom. And the men are no longer easy. The wanderers understood that they would not be able to find a happy man among men. So they decided to go to the women.

Life of Matrena Korchagina

The peasants were told that in one village there lived a peasant woman named Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina, whom everyone called the lucky one. They found her, and Matrena told the peasants about her life. Nekrasov continues with this story "Who lives well in Russia."

A brief summary of the life story of this woman is as follows. Her childhood was cloudless and happy. She had a working, non-drinking family. Mother cherished and cherished her daughter. When Matryona grew up, she became a beauty. A stove-maker from another village, Philip Korchagin, once wooed her. Matrena told how he persuaded her to marry him. This was the only bright memory of this woman in her entire life, who was hopeless and dreary, although her husband treated her well by peasant standards: he hardly beat her. However, he went to the city to work. Matryona lived in her father-in-law's house. Everyone treated her badly. The only one who was kind to the peasant woman was the very old grandfather Savely. He told her that for the murder of the manager he got to hard labor.

Soon Matryona gave birth to Demushka, a sweet and beautiful child. She could not part with him even for a minute. However, the woman had to work in the field, where her mother-in-law did not allow her to take the child. Grandfather Savely watched the baby. He once missed Demushka, and the child was eaten by pigs. They came from the city to sort it out, in front of the mother's eyes they opened the baby. This was a severe blow for Matryona.

Then five children were born to her, all boys. Matryona was a kind and caring mother. One day Fedot, one of the children, was tending sheep. One of them was carried away by a she-wolf. The shepherd was to blame for this, who should have been punished with whips. Then Matryona begged to be beaten instead of her son.

She also said that they once wanted to take her husband into the soldiers, although this was a violation of the law. Then Matrena went to the city, being pregnant. Here the woman met Elena Alexandrovna, a kind governor who helped her, and Matrena's husband was released.

The peasants considered Matryona a happy woman. However, after listening to her story, the men realized that she could not be called happy. There was too much suffering and trouble in her life. Matrena Timofeevna herself also says that a woman in Russia, especially a peasant woman, cannot be happy. Her lot is very hard.

Out of his mind landowner

The path to the Volga is held by wandering men. Here comes the mowing. People are busy with hard work. Suddenly, an amazing scene: the mowers are humiliated, pleasing the old master. It turned out that the landowner He could not understand what had already been canceled. Therefore, his relatives persuaded the peasants to behave as if it was still valid. They were promised for this. The men agreed, but were deceived once again. When the old master died, the heirs gave them nothing.

The Story of Jacob

Repeatedly on the way, wanderers listen to folk songs - hungry, soldier's and others, as well as various stories. They remembered, for example, the story of Jacob, the faithful serf. He always tried to please and appease the master, who humiliated and beat the serf. However, this led to the fact that Yakov loved him even more. The master's legs gave up in old age. Yakov continued to take care of him, as if he were his own child. But he didn't get any credit for it. Grisha, a young guy, Yakov's nephew, wanted to marry one beauty - a serf girl. Out of jealousy, the old master sent Grisha as a recruit. Jacob from this grief hit drunkenness, but then returned to the master and took revenge. He took him to the forest and hanged himself right in front of the master. Since his legs were paralyzed, he could not go anywhere. The master sat all night under Yakov's corpse.

Grigory Dobrosklonov - people's protector

This and other stories make men think that they will not be able to find happy people. However, they learn about Grigory Dobrosklonov, a seminarian. This is the son of a sexton, who has seen the suffering and hopeless life of the people since childhood. He made a choice in his early youth, decided that he would devote his strength to the struggle for the happiness of his people. Gregory is educated and smart. He understands that Russia is strong and will cope with all troubles. In the future, Gregory will have a glorious path, the big name of the people's intercessor, "consumption and Siberia."

Men hear about this intercessor, but they still do not understand that such people can make others happy. This won't happen soon.

Heroes of the poem

Nekrasov depicted various segments of the population. Ordinary peasants become the main characters of the work. They were emancipated by the reform of 1861. But their life after the abolition of serfdom did not change much. The same hard work, hopeless life. After the reform, moreover, the peasants who had their own land found themselves in an even more difficult situation.

The characterization of the heroes of the work "To whom it is good to live in Russia" can be supplemented by the fact that the author created surprisingly reliable images of peasants. Their characters are very accurate, although contradictory. Not only kindness, strength and integrity of character is in the Russian people. They retained at the genetic level obsequiousness, servility, readiness to submit to a despot and tyrant. The advent of Grigory Dobrosklonov, a new man, is a symbol of the fact that honest, noble, intelligent people appear among the downtrodden peasantry. May their fate be unenviable and difficult. Thanks to them, self-consciousness will arise in the peasant masses, and people will finally be able to fight for happiness. This is what the heroes and the author of the poem dream of. ON THE. Nekrasov ("Who Lives Well in Russia", "Russian Women", "Frost, and other works) is considered a truly folk poet, who was interested in the fate of the peasantry, its suffering, problems. The poet could not remain indifferent to his hard lot. The work of N. A. Nekrasov's "To Whom in Russia to Live Well" was written with such sympathy for the people, which makes even today to empathize with their fate at that difficult time.

To whom in Russia it is good to live a summary of the chapters

So, in the first part of Nekrasov's work Whom in Russia to live well, we get acquainted with the prologue. In the prologue we meet men. These are seven people who met on the road, and they came from different villages. Each of them has a name and has his own opinion about who lives well in Russia, and then the peasants argue. It seems to Roman that it is good for the landowners to live, Demyan sees happiness in being an official. It seems to Luka that priests live best. Pakhom says that it is better for ministers to live in Russia, and the Gubin Brothers say that merchants live wonderfully, and Prov says that tsars feel best of all.

And in the dispute, they did not notice how the night had come. We decided to spend the night in the forest, continuing our argument. From their cries, all the animals flee, and a chick flew out of the nest, which was caught by one of the peasants. The mother bird asks to give the chick, fulfilling the desire of everyone in response. Further, the bird tells where to find a tablecloth - self-assembly. Having sat down to feast, they decide not to go home until they answer the question of who exactly lives well.

Chapter 1

The men meet the priest, who is asked how he lives and whether he is satisfied with life. The priest replied that if happiness is wealth and honor for them, then this is not about the priests. The priest today is not held in high esteem, the income is meager, because the nobles and landowners left for the capital, and you can’t take much from mere mortals. At the same time, the priest is called to him at any time of the year and in any weather.

Chapter 2

The men pass through several rural settlements, but people are almost nowhere to be seen, because they are all at the fair. That's where the men went. There were a lot of people there, and everyone was selling something. There are many not only shops, but also hot places where you can get drunk. The men met an old man who drank away the money, but did not buy shoes for his granddaughter. Veretennikov, whom everyone knows as a singer, buys shoes and gives them to his grandfather.

Chapter 3

The fair is over and everyone is walking home drunk. The peasants also went, where disputes are heard along the way. They also met Veretennikov, who says that the peasants drink a lot, only they say that they drink from grief, and vodka is like an outlet for them. On the way, the peasants also met a woman who has a very jealous husband. Here they remembered their wives, they wanted to quickly find the answer to the question of who lives sweetly in Russia and return home.

Chapter 4

The men, with the help of a tablecloth - samobranki, receive a bucket of vodka and treat all those who prove that they are happy. Everyone came up and shared their vision of happiness. Someone was poured vodka, someone was driven away, and then the peasants heard a story about the clerk Yermil Girin, whom everyone knew and even helped out when the judges demanded to pay money for the mill. The people chipped in, but Yermila returned everything and never appropriated someone else's. Once he shielded his younger brother from the recruits, after which he repented for a long time, and then left the post of steward. The men decide to find this Yermila, but along the way they meet a gentleman.

Chapter 5

The peasants ask the landowner Obol-Obolduev how he lives. Tom lived well before, but not now, when there are lands, but no peasants. He himself cannot work, he can only walk and have fun. All property was sold for debts. The men only sympathize and decide to look for the happy among the poor.

Part two

Walking along the road, the peasants see a field where hay is being harvested. They also wanted to mow, and then they see how an old man swims to the shore, which gives orders that they immediately carry out. As it turned out, this is Prince Utyatin, who was seized by a stroke when he learned that there was no serfdom. Afraid of losing their inheritance, the sons persuaded people to play the role of peasants for a fee, and they played performances. One Agap was not going to hide and told everything. There was a second blow. When the prince came to his senses, he ordered the serf to be punished, he was asked to shout in the barn, for which wine was poured. Agap dies because the wine is poisoned. The people are watching the prince having breakfast and barely holding back their laughter. One could not resist and laughed, he was ordered to be whipped, but a caring woman says that this son is a fool. Soon the prince had a third blow and he died, but happiness did not come, because the sons and peasants began to wage war. Meadows, as the Usyatins promised, no one received.

Part three

In order to understand who is happy, the peasants go to the peasant woman in the neighboring village, where hunger and theft flourish. A peasant woman is found, but she does not want to talk, because she needs to work. Then the men offer help, and Matrena shares her life.

She lived wonderfully in her parents' house. She had fun and did not know troubles, and then her father marries Philip Korchagin.
Now she is in her mother-in-law's house. She does not live well there, they even beat her once. A child is born there, but the woman was often scolded, and although occasionally the father-in-law comes to her defense, life does not get better.

The old man himself lives out his life in the upper room. He also went to hard labor for the murder of a German who did not give life to the villagers. The old man often talked with Matryona about his life, talking about Russian heroism.

Then she tells how the father-in-law forbade taking his son with him into the field, he stayed with the old man, who fell asleep and overlooked the child. The pigs ate it. The woman later forgave the old man, but she herself was very worried about the death of the child. The woman also had other children. One of the sons was accused of not following the sheep and giving it to the wolf. The mother took the blame and was punished.

Then she talks about the hungry year. Then she was pregnant, and her husband was going to be taken to the soldiers. Anticipating hard times, she goes to the governor's wife and faints at the meeting. When she woke up, she realized that she had given birth. She is nursed by the governor, and also gives the order to release her husband from service. The peasant woman goes home and constantly prays for the health of the governor's wife.

And here she sums up that among women they will not find happy ones, since all of them have long lost the key to happiness.

Part Four

Regarding the death of the prince, Klim arranges a party in the village. All the peasants gathered to take a walk at the feast, where they argue how to properly dispose of the meadows. Songs are sung at the feast.

In one of the cheerful songs, they remembered the old days, the old order. They told about the servant Jacob and his nephew, who liked Arisha, but the master also liked her, so he sent Grisha to the soldiers, Jacob drank himself, and when he started working again, he hung himself in front of the master in the forest. The master cannot find his way out of the forest and a hunter helps him. Later, the master admitted his guilt and asked him to be executed. Then other songs are sung, where they talk about different life situations.

Here the peasants started a dispute about who among the robbers, peasants or landlords is better to live and we get acquainted with another story.

They started a conversation about sinfulness, who is more sinful, and then a story about two sinners began. Kudeyar, who killed and robbed people, and Pan Glukhov, who was greedy for women and was a drunkard. Kudeyarov had to cut down the tree with the very knife he used to kill, and then God would forgive his sins. But at that moment a pan was passing by, whom Kudeyarov killed, because the latter brutally killed peasants. Immediately the tree falls and Kudeyaru was forgiven of sins.

The conversation went on to say that the sin of the peasant is the hardest of all. They told how the admiral was granted eight thousand peasant souls for his services. He wrote free to everyone and gave the casket to his servant. After death, the heir pestered the servant and took the casket from him, burning everything. And then everyone agreed that such a sin is the most.
Then the peasants saw how the soldier was going to Petersburg. He is asked to sing songs, and he sang about how hard his fate is and how unfairly the pension was done to him, considering his bleeding wounds to be insignificant. The men donate a penny each and collect a ruble for the soldier.

Epilogue

Here the work comes to an end and we get acquainted with the epilogue, where the deacon's son studies at the seminary. He is smart, kind, loves to work, he is honest and loves to compose poetry, dreaming of improving the life of the people. And now he composed a song called Rat rises innumerable! The strength in it will be invincible. And he wants to teach this song to all the peasants. He sang and it is a pity that the wanderers had already gone far and did not hear the guy’s songs, because it would immediately become clear to them that they had finally found a happy person, and would have gone home.

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PART ONE

PROLOGUE

Seven men meet on the high road in the Pustoporozhnaya Volost: Roman, Demyan, Luka, Prov, the old man Pakhom, the brothers Ivan and Mitrodor Gubin. They come from neighboring villages: Neurozhayki, Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutova, Znobishina, Gorelova and Neelova. The men are arguing about who is good in Russia, who lives freely. Roman believes that the landowner, Demyan - the official, and Luka - the priest. The old man Pakhom claims that the minister lives best, the Gubin brothers - a merchant, and Prov thinks that the king.

It starts to get dark. The peasants understand that, carried away by the dispute, they have traveled thirty miles and now it is too late to return home. They decide to spend the night in the forest, make a fire in the clearing and start arguing again, and then even fighting. From their noise, all the forest animals scatter, and a chick falls out of the nest of a warbler, which Pahom picks up. The mother warbler flies up to the fire and asks in a human voice to let her chick go. For this, she will fulfill any desire of the peasants.

The men decide to go ahead and find out which of them is right. Chiffchaff tells where you can find a self-assembled tablecloth that will feed and water them on the road. The men find a self-assembled tablecloth and sit down to feast. They agree not to return home until they find out who has the best life in Russia.

Chapter I. Pop

Soon the travelers meet the priest and tell the priest that they are looking for "who lives happily, freely in Russia." They ask the minister of the church to honestly answer: is he satisfied with his fate?

Pop replies that he bears his cross with humility. If men believe that a happy life is peace, honor and wealth, then he has nothing of the kind. People don't choose the time of their death. So the priest is called to the dying man, even in pouring rain, even in severe frost. Yes, and the heart sometimes can not stand the widow's and orphan's tears.

There is no honor to speak of. They make up all sorts of tales about priests, laugh at them and consider meeting with a priest a bad omen. And the wealth of the priests is not the same now. Before, when noble people lived in their family estates, the incomes of the priests were not bad. The landowners made rich gifts, were baptized and married in the parish church. Here they were buried and buried. Those were the traditions. And now the nobles live in the capitals and "foreign countries", where they celebrate all church rites. And you can't take a lot of money from poor peasants.

The men respectfully bow to the priest and go on.

CHAPTER II. country fair

Travelers pass through several empty villages and ask: where have all the people gone? It turns out that there is a fair in the neighboring village. The men decide to go there. A lot of well-dressed people walk at the fair, they sell everything: from plows and horses to scarves and books. There is a lot of goods, but even more drinking establishments.

Old man Vavila is crying near the shop. He drank all the money, and promised his granddaughter goat shoes. Pavlusha Veretennikov comes up to the grandfather and buys shoes for the girl. The overjoyed old man grabs his shoes and hurries home. Veretennikov is known in the district. He loves to sing and listen to Russian songs.

CHAPTER III. drunken night

After the fair, there are drunks on the way. Who wanders, who crawls, and who even rolls in a ditch. Groans and endless drunken conversations are heard everywhere. Veretennikov is talking to the peasants at the road post. He listens and writes down songs, proverbs, and then begins to reproach the peasants for drinking a lot.

A well drunk man named Yakim enters into an argument with Veretennikov. He says that the common people have accumulated many grievances against the landlords and officials. If they didn’t drink, then it would be a big disaster, otherwise all anger dissolves in vodka. There is no measure for peasants in drunkenness, but is there any measure in grief, in hard work?

Veretennikov agrees with such reasoning and even drinks with the peasants. Here the travelers hear a beautiful valiant song and decide to look for the lucky ones in the crowd.

CHAPTER IV. Happy

Men walk around and shout: “Come out happy! We'll pour some vodka!" The people crowded. Travelers began to ask about who and how happy. One is poured, others are only laughed at. But the conclusion from the stories is this: a peasant's happiness lies in the fact that he sometimes ate his fill, and God protected him in difficult times.

The peasants are advised to find Yermila Girin, whom the whole district knows. Once the cunning merchant Altynnikov decided to take away his mill. He conspired with the judges, and declared that Yermila should immediately pay a thousand rubles. Girin did not have that kind of money, but he went to the marketplace and asked the honest people to chip in. The peasants responded to the request, and bought Yermila the mill, and then returned all the money to the people. For seven years he was a steward. During that time, he did not appropriate a single penny for himself. Only once he shielded his younger brother from the recruits, then he repented before all the people and left his post.

The wanderers agree to look for Girin, but the local priest says that Yermil is in prison. Then a troika appears on the road, and a master is in it.

CHAPTER V. Landowner

The men stop the troika, in which the landowner Gavrila Afanasyevich Obolt-Obolduev is traveling, and ask how he lives. The landowner with tears begins to recall the past. Previously, he owned the whole district, he kept a whole regiment of servants and gave holidays with dancing, theatrical performances and hunting. Now the great chain is broken. The landowners have land, but there are no peasants who would cultivate it.

Gavrila Afanasyevich was not accustomed to work. This is not a noble business - to deal with the economy. He only knows how to walk, hunt, and steal from the treasury. Now his ancestral home has been sold for debts, everything is stolen, and the peasants drink day and night. Obolt-Obolduev bursts into tears, and the travelers sympathize with him. After this meeting, they understand that it is necessary to seek happiness not among the rich, but in the "Unwhacked province, Ungutted volost ...".

PEASANT WOMAN

PROLOGUE

Wanderers decide to look for happy people among women. In one village, they are advised to find Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, nicknamed the "governor". Soon the men find this beautiful, portly woman of about thirty-seven. But Korchagina does not want to talk: suffering, we urgently need to clean up the bread. Then the travelers offer their help in the field in exchange for a story about happiness. Matryona agrees.

Chapter I. Before Marriage

Korchagina's childhood passes in a non-drinking friendly family, in an atmosphere of love from her parents and brother. Cheerful and agile Matryona works a lot, but she also likes to take a walk. A stranger wooed her - a stove-maker Philip. Playing a wedding. Now Korchagina understands: only she was happy in childhood and girlhood.

Chapter II. Songs

Philip brings his young wife to his large family. It's not easy for Matryona. Her mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister-in-law do not give her life, they constantly reproach her. Everything happens exactly as it is sung in the songs. Korchagin is patient. Then her firstborn Demushka is born - like the sun in the window.

The master's steward molests a young woman. Matryona avoids him as best she can. The manager threatens that he will give Philip to the soldiers. Then the woman goes for advice to her grandfather Savely, the father of her father-in-law, who is one hundred years old.

Chapter III. Saveliy, Holy Russian hero

Savely looks like a huge bear. He spent a long time serving hard labor for murder. The cunning German manager sucked all the juice out of the serfs. When he ordered four hungry peasants to dig a well, they pushed the manager into the pit and covered it with earth. Among these killers was Savely.

CHAPTER IV. Demushka

The old man's advice was useless. The manager, who did not give Matryona a pass, suddenly died. But then another problem happened. The young mother was forced to leave Demushka under the supervision of her grandfather. Once he fell asleep, and the pigs ate the child.

The doctor and judges arrive, do an autopsy, interrogate Matryona. She is accused of intentionally killing a child, in collusion with an old man. The poor woman's mind almost goes haywire with grief. And Savely goes to the monastery to atone for his sin.

CHAPTER V. She-wolf

Four years later, the grandfather returns, and Matryona forgives him. When the eldest son of Korchagina Fedotushka turns eight years old, the boy is given into the shepherd. One day, the she-wolf manages to steal the sheep. Fedot chases after her and pulls out the already dead prey. The she-wolf is terribly thin, she leaves behind a trail of blood: she cut her nipples on the grass. The predator looks doomed at Fedot and howls. The boy feels sorry for the she-wolf and her cubs. He leaves the carcass of a sheep to the hungry beast. For this, the villagers want to flog the child, but Matryona takes the punishment for her son.

CHAPTER VI. Difficult year

There comes a hungry year in which Matryona is pregnant. Suddenly the news comes that her husband is being taken to the soldiers. The eldest son from their family is already serving, so the second one should not be taken away, but the landowner does not care about the laws. Matryona is horrified, before her there are pictures of poverty and lack of rights, because her only breadwinner and protector will not be around.

CHAPTER VII. Governor

The woman goes on foot to the city and in the morning arrives at the governor's house. She asks the porter to arrange a meeting with the governor. For two roubles, the porter agrees and lets Matryona into the house. At this time, the governor's wife comes out of the chambers. Matryona falls at her feet and falls into unconsciousness.

When Korchagina comes to, she sees that she has given birth to a boy. The kind, childless governor's wife takes care of her and the child until Matryona recovers. Together with her husband, who was released from service, the peasant woman returns home. Since then, she has not tired of praying for the health of the governor.

Chapter VIII. woman's parable

Matryona ends her story with an appeal to wanderers: do not look for happy people among women. The Lord dropped the keys to female happiness into the sea, they were swallowed by a fish. Since then, they have been looking for those keys, but they can’t find them in any way.

LATER

Chapter I

I

Travelers come to the banks of the Volga to the village of Vakhlaki. There are beautiful meadows and haymaking in full swing. Suddenly music sounds, boats moor to the shore. It was the old prince Utyatin who arrived. He examines the mowing and swears, and the peasants bow and ask for forgiveness. The peasants wonder: everything is like under serfdom. For clarification, they turn to the local steward Vlas.

II

Vlas gives an explanation. The prince was terribly angry when he found out that the peasants had been given freedom, and he had a blow. After that, Utyatin began to act weird. He does not want to believe that he no longer has power over the peasants. He even promised to curse and disinherit his sons if they say such nonsense. So the heirs of the peasants asked that they, under the master, pretend that everything was the same as before. And for this they will be granted the best meadows.

III

The prince sits down to have breakfast, which the peasants are going to stare at. One of them, the biggest loafer and drunkard, has long volunteered to play the steward in front of the prince instead of the recalcitrant Vlas. So it spreads before Utyatin, and the people can hardly restrain their laughter. One, however, can not cope with himself and laughs. The prince turns blue with anger, orders to flog the rebel. One brisk peasant woman helps out, who tells the master that her foolish son laughed.

The prince forgives everyone and sails away in a boat. Soon the peasants learn that Utyatin died on the way home.

PIR - FOR THE WHOLE WORLD

Dedicated to Sergei Petrovich Botkin

Introduction

The peasants rejoice at the death of the prince. They walk and sing songs, and the former servant of Baron Sineguzin, Vikenty, tells an amazing story.

About the exemplary serf - Yakov Verny

There lived one very cruel and greedy landowner Polivanov, he had a faithful serf Yakov. The man endured a lot from the master. But Polivanov's legs were taken away, and the faithful Yakov became an indispensable person for the disabled person. The master is not overjoyed with the serf, he calls him his own brother.

Somehow, Yakov's beloved nephew decided to marry, he asks the master to marry the girl that Polivanov looked after for himself. The master, for such impudence, gives his opponent to the soldiers, and Yakov, out of grief, goes into a binge. Polivanov feels bad without an assistant, but the serf returns to work in two weeks. Again the master is pleased with the servant.

But a new problem is already on the way. On the way to the master's sister, Yakov unexpectedly turns into a ravine, harnesses his horses, and hangs himself on the reins. All night the master drives away the crows from the poor body of the servant with a stick.

After this story, the peasants argued about who is more sinful in Russia: landowners, peasants or robbers? And the pilgrim Ionushka tells such a story.

About two great sinners

Somehow a band of robbers led by ataman Kudeyar hunted. The robber ruined many innocent souls, and the time has come - he began to repent. And he went to the Holy Sepulcher, and accepted the schema in the monastery - everyone does not forgive sins, his conscience torments. Kudeyar settled in a forest under a hundred-year-old oak, where he dreamed of a saint who showed the way to salvation. The murderer will be forgiven when he cuts this oak with the knife that killed people.

Kudeyar began to cut oak in three girths with a knife. Things go slowly, because the sinner is already at a respectable age and weak. One day, the landowner Glukhovsky drives up to the oak tree and begins to mock the old man. He beats slaves as much as he wants, tortures and hangs him, and sleeps peacefully. Here Kudeyar falls into a terrible rage and kills the landowner. The oak immediately falls, and all the sins of the robber are immediately forgiven.

After this story, the peasant Ignatius Prokhorov begins to argue and prove that the gravest sin is the peasant. Here is his story.

Peasant sin

For military merit, the admiral receives from the empress eight thousand souls of serfs. Before his death, he calls the headman Gleb and hands him a casket, and in it - free for all the peasants. After the death of the admiral, the heir began to pester Gleb: he gives him money, free, just to get the coveted casket. And Gleb trembled, agreed to give important documents. So the heir burned all the papers, and eight thousand souls remained in the fortress. The peasants, after listening to Ignatius, agree that this sin is the most serious.

At this time, a cart appears on the road. It rides to the city for a pension retired soldier. He is sad that he needs to get all the way to St. Petersburg, and the "piece of iron" is very expensive. The peasants offer the serviceman to sing and play on spoons. The soldier sings about his hard share, about how unfairly he was given a pension. He is almost unable to walk, and his injuries were considered "minor". The peasants drop a penny each and collect a ruble for the soldier.

EPILOGUE

Grisha Dobrosklonov

The local deacon Dobrosklonov has a son, Grisha, who studies at the seminary. The guy is endowed with excellent qualities: smart, kind, hardworking and honest. He composes songs and is going to enter the university, he dreams of improving the life of the people.

Returning from the peasant festivities, Gregory composes a new song: “The army is rising - innumerable! The strength in it will be invincible!” He will definitely teach his fellow villagers to sing it.