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Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” contains as its key point the search by seven peasant men for people whose lives would be happy. One day they meet a certain peasant woman, Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, who tells them her sad story life.

Age and appearance

At the time of the story, Matryona is 38 years old, but the woman herself considers herself an old woman. Matryona is quite beautiful woman: she is dignified and dense, her face has already noticeably faded, but still retains traces of attractiveness and beauty. She had large, clear and stern eyes. They were framed by beautiful thick eyelashes.

Her hair was already noticeably gray, but her hair color could still be recognized. Her skin was dark and rough. Matryona's clothes are similar to the clothes of all peasants - they are simple and neat. Traditionally, her wardrobe consists of a white shirt and a short sundress.

Personality characteristics

Matryona has significant strength, a “Khokhloma cow” - this is the description the author gives her. She is a hardworking woman. Their family has a large farm, which Matryona mainly takes care of. She is not lacking in intelligence and ingenuity. A woman can clearly and clearly express her opinion on a particular issue, sensibly assess the situation and make the right decision. She is an honest woman - and she teaches the same to her children.

All her life after marriage, Matryona was forced to endure humiliation and various difficulties in her work, but she did not lose the basic qualities of character, retaining the desire for freedom, but at the same time she cultivated insolence and harshness.
The woman's life was very difficult. Matryona spent a lot of energy and health working for her husband’s family. She steadfastly endured all the sorrows and unfair treatment of herself and her children and did not complain; over time, her situation improved, but it was no longer possible to regain her lost health.

Not only her physical health suffered from life’s struggles - during this time, Korchagina cried a lot of tears, as she herself says, “you could fill three lakes.” Ironically, she calls them the unimaginable wealth of a lifetime.

On our website you can read the poem by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

Religion and true faith God allowed Matryona not to go crazy - according to the woman herself, she finds solace in prayer, the more she indulges in this activity, the easier it becomes for her.

Once the governor’s wife helped Matryona solve the difficulties of her life, so people, remembering this incident, began to call Matryona “governor” among the common people.

Matryona's life before marriage

Matryona was lucky with her parents - they were good and decent people. Her father did not drink and was an exemplary family man, her mother always took care of home comfort and the well-being of all family members. Her parents protected her from the hardships of fate and tried to make their daughter’s life as simple and better as possible. Matryona herself says that she “lived like Christ in his bosom.”

Marriage and first sorrows

However, the time came and, like all grown girls, she had to leave her father's house. One day, a visiting man, a stove maker by profession, wooed her. Matryona thought he was cute and a good man and she agreed to become his wife. According to tradition, after marriage, the girl moved to live in the house of her husband’s parents. This happened in Matryona’s situation, but here young girl The first disappointments and sorrows awaited her - her relatives received her very negatively and hostilely. Matryona was very homesick for her parents and her old life, but she had no way back.

The husband's family turned out to be large, but not friendly - since they did not know how to treat each other kindly, Matryona was no exception for them: she was never praised for a job well done, but was always found fault and scolded. The girl had no choice but to endure humiliation and rude treatment of herself.

Matryona was the first worker in the family - she had to get up earlier than everyone else and go to bed later than everyone else. However, no one felt grateful to her or appreciated her work.

Relationship with husband

It is not known how Matrenin’s husband Philip perceived the current unfavorable situation within his new family - it is quite likely that due to the fact that he grew up in such conditions, for him this state of affairs was normal.

Dear readers! We invite you to familiarize yourself with what came from the pen of the talented classical poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov.

In general, Matryona considers him good husband, but at the same time she harbors a grudge against him - he once hit her. It is likely that this characterization of their relationship on Matryona’s part was very subjective and she views the importance of her husband from the position - there are even worse ones, so my husband, compared to such absolutely bad husbands, is very good.

Children of Matryona

The appearance of children with new family It didn’t take long for Matryona to give birth to her first child, her son Demushka, on Kazanskaya. One day, the boy remains under the supervision of his grandfather, who was unscrupulous in the task assigned to him - as a result, the boy was killed by pigs. This brought a lot of grief into Matryona’s life, because for her the boy became a ray of light in her unsightly life. However, the woman did not remain childless - she still had 5 sons. The names of the elders are mentioned in the poem - Fedot and Liodor. The husband's family also did not treat Matryona's children joyfully or kindly - they often beat the kids and scolded them.

New changes

The hardships of Matryona’s life did not end there - three years after marriage, her parents died - the woman experienced this loss very painfully. Soon her life began to improve. My mother-in-law died and she became the full-time mistress of the house. Unfortunately, Matryona failed to find happiness - by that time her children had become old enough to be drafted into the army, so new sorrows appeared in her life.

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 dignified woman, broad and dense, about 38 years old. Beautiful; hair streaked with gray, large, stern eyes, rich eyelashes, stern and dark.”

Among the people about M.T. goes the glory of the lucky one. She tells the wanderers who come to her about her life. Its narrative is told in the form of folk laments and songs. This emphasizes the typicality of M.T.’s fate. for all Russian peasant women: “It’s not a matter of looking for happiness among women.”

IN parental home M.T. Life was good: she had a friendly, non-drinking family. But, having married Philip Korchagin, she ended up “by her maiden will in 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 protector left - grandfather Savely, her husband’s grandfather. M.T. She has seen a lot of grief in her life: she endured the harassment of the manager, she survived the death of her first-born Demushka, who, due to Savely’s oversight, was killed by pigs. M.T. It was not possible to claim the son’s body and it was sent for an autopsy. Later, the heroine’s other son, 8-year-old Fedot, faced a terrible punishment for feeding someone else’s sheep to a hungry wolf. The mother, without hesitation, lay down under the rods instead of her son. But in a lean year, M.T., pregnant and with children, herself becomes like a hungry wolf. In addition, the last breadwinner is taken away from her family - her husband is chosen to become a soldier out of turn. In despair, M.T. runs into the city and throws himself at the feet of the governor. She helps the heroine and even becomes the godmother of M.T.’s born son. - Liodora. But an evil fate continued to haunt the heroine: one of her sons was taken into the army, “they were burned twice... God visited with anthrax... three times.” In “The Woman's Parable” M.T. sums up his sad story: “The keys to women’s happiness, From our free will, Abandoned, lost from God himself!”

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

Not everything is between men
Find the happy one
Let's feel the women!

They point to Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina, nicknamed the Governor, as the lucky one. This is a peasant woman, considered happy among the people. Wanderers find her:

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

She tells them about her life - the life of a simple Russian peasant woman, full of worries, grief and sadness. Matryona says that if she was happy, it was only before marriage. What is this happiness? Here's the thing: We had a good, non-drinking family.
The little girl turned into an adult girl - hard-working, beautiful in face and strict in character. She didn’t stay too long with the girls, she quickly found a groom, and “a stranger on the mountain”, Philip Korchagin. The difficult life of a daughter-in-law in her mother-in-law’s house began for the heroine:

The family was huge
Grumpy... went to hell from the maiden holiday!

Matryona lives in harmony with her husband. He raised his hand to her only once, and then only at the instruction of his mother and sisters.
Matryona's son Demushka was born - the only consolation in the absence of her husband. But she was not happy about him for long: her grumpy mother-in-law sent her to work, saying that grandfather Savely would look after her son. But he neglected his affairs, fell asleep, worn out by the sun, and Demushka was eaten by pigs.
But it didn’t end there; Matryona was not allowed to bury her son. They conducted an investigation, suspecting her of a shameful relationship with her grandfather Savely and the murder of Demushka, slashed the boy’s body and... Having found nothing, 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 visits. Three years flew by like one day. Every year, so are the children. ... There is no time to think, no time to be sad.
In the fourth year, a new grief befell the heroine: her parents died. She still has close people left - Philip and children. But even here fate did not calm down, punishing either her children or her husband. When his son Fedotushka turned eight years old, his father-in-law gave him as a shepherd. One day the shepherd left, and one of the sheep was dragged away by a she-wolf, who, judging by the bloody trail, had just given birth. Fedot took pity on her and gave her back the already dead sheep he had captured. 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 the mother.
The following describes a difficult, hungry year. On top of that, Philip was taken into the army out of turn. Now Matryona, who has a few days left before giving birth again, along with her children, is not a full-fledged mistress of the house, but a hanger-on. One night she prays fervently in the field and, inspired by some unknown force, hurries to the city to bow to the governor. But he meets only his wife there. Almost another son, Matryona, is born in this woman’s arms. Elena Alexandrovna helped the heroine by returning Philip and becoming the godmother of the child, whom she herself named Liodorushka. This is how Matryona got her nickname - “lucky”.
Matryona Korchagina, who is considered among the people to be the most famous, told the wanderers about all this. happy woman:

I haven't trampled my feet.
Not tied with ropes,
No needles...

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

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

This is the image of Matryona 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 fortitude and determination delight the reader.
The image of Matryona Timofeevna, undoubtedly one of the strongest, shows the true character of a Russian woman who

Stops a galloping horse
He will enter the burning hut.

Work:

Who can live well in Rus'?

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

M.T. - “A dignified woman, broad and dense, about 38 years old. Beautiful; hair streaked with gray, large, stern eyes, rich eyelashes, stern and dark.”

Among the people about M.T. goes the glory of the lucky one. She tells the wanderers who come to her about her life. Its narrative is told in the form of folk laments and songs. This emphasizes the typicality of M.T.’s fate. for all Russian peasant women: “It’s not a matter of looking for happiness 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 “by her maiden will in 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 only one protector left - grandfather Savely, her husband’s grandfather. M.T. She has seen a lot of grief in her life: she endured the harassment of the manager, she survived the death of her first-born Demushka, who, due to Savely’s oversight, was killed by pigs. M.T. It was not possible to claim the son’s body and it was sent for an autopsy. Later, the heroine’s other son, 8-year-old Fedot, faced a terrible punishment for feeding someone else’s sheep to a hungry wolf. The mother, without hesitation, lay down under the rods instead of her son. But in a lean year, M.T., pregnant and with children, herself becomes like a hungry wolf. In addition, the last breadwinner is taken away from her family - her husband is chosen as a soldier out of turn. In despair, M.T. runs into the city and throws himself at the feet of the governor. She helps the heroine and even becomes the godmother of M.T.’s born son. - Liodora. But an evil fate continued to haunt the heroine: one of her sons was taken into the army, “they were burned twice... God visited with anthrax... three times.” In “The Woman's Parable” M.T. sums up his sad story: “The keys to women’s happiness, From our free will, Abandoned, lost from God himself!”

The image of Matryona Timofeevna (based on the poem by N. A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'”)

The image of a simple Russian peasant woman Matryona Timofeevna is surprisingly bright and realistic. In this image, Nekrasov combined all the features and qualities characteristic of Russian peasant women. And the fate of Matryona Timofeevna is in many ways similar to the fate of other women.

Matrena Timofeevna was born into a large peasant family. The very first years of my life were truly happy. All her life Matryona Timofeevna remembers this carefree time, when she was surrounded by the love and care of her parents. But peasant children grow up very quickly. Therefore, as soon as the girl grew up, she began to help her parents in everything. Gradually, the games were forgotten, less and less time was left for them, and hard peasant work took first place. But youth still takes its toll, and even after a difficult working day the girl found time to relax.

Matryona Timofeevna recalls her youth. She was pretty, hardworking, active. It's no surprise that guys were staring at her. And then the betrothed appeared, to whom the parents gave Matryona Timofeevna in marriage. Marriage means that the girl’s free and free life is now over. Now she will live in someone else's family, where she will be treated far from in the best possible way. When a mother gives her daughter in marriage, she grieves for her and worries about her fate:

The mother cried:

“...Like a fish in a blue sea

You'll scurry away! like a nightingale

You'll fly out of the nest!

Someone else's side

Not sprinkled with sugar

Not drizzled with honey!

It's cold there, it's hungry there,

There's a well-groomed daughter there

Violent winds will blow around,

The shaggy dogs bark,

And people will laugh!”

In these lines one can clearly read the sadness of the mother, who perfectly understands all the hardships of life that will befall her married daughter. In someone else's family, no one will show concern for her, and the husband himself will never stand up for his wife.

Matryona Timofeevna shares her sad thoughts. She did not at all want to exchange her free life in her parents' home for life in a strange, unfamiliar family.

From the very first days in her husband’s house, Matryona Timofeevna realized how difficult it would be for her now:

The family was huge

Grumpy... I'm in trouble

Happy maiden holiday to hell!

Relations with her father-in-law, mother-in-law and sisters-in-law were very difficult; in her new family, Matryona had to work a lot, and at the same time no one said a kind word to her. However, even in such a difficult life that the peasant woman had, there were some simple and simple joys:

In winter Philippus came,

Brought a silk handkerchief

Yes, I went for a ride on a sled

On Catherine's day,

And it was as if there was no grief!

Sang as I sang

In my parents' house.

We were the same age

Don't touch us - we're having fun

We always get along.

The relationship between Matryona Timofeevna and her husband was not always cloudless. A husband has the right to beat his wife if something does not suit him in her behavior. And no one will come to the defense of the poor thing; on the contrary, all the relatives in the husband’s family will only be happy to see her suffering.

This was the life of Matryona Timofeevna after marriage. The days dragged on monotonous, gray, surprisingly similar friend against a friend: hard work, quarrels and reproaches of relatives. But the peasant woman has truly angelic patience, therefore, without complaining, she endures all the hardships that befall her. The birth of a child is the event that turns her whole life upside down. Now the woman is no longer so embittered White light, love for the baby warms and makes her happy.

Philip at the Annunciation

He left and went to Kazanskaya

I gave birth to a son.

How written was Demushka

Beauty taken from the sun,

The snow is white,

Maku's lips are red,

The sable has a black eyebrow,

In Siberian sable,

The hawk has eyes!

All the anger from my soul, my handsome man

Driven away with an angelic smile,

Like the spring sun

Clears the snow from the fields...

I didn't worry

Whatever they tell me, I work,

No matter how much they scold me, I remain silent.

The peasant woman's joy at the birth of her son did not last long. Working in the field requires a lot of effort and time, and then there’s a baby in your arms. At first, Matryona Timofeevna took the child with her to the field. But then her mother-in-law began to reproach her, because it is impossible to work with a child with complete dedication. And poor Matryona had to leave the baby with grandfather Savely. One day the old man neglected to pay attention and the child died.

The death of a child is a terrible tragedy. But peasants have to put up with the fact that very often their children die. However, this is Matryona’s first child, so his death was too difficult for her. And then there’s an additional problem - the police come to the village, the doctor and the police officer accuse Matryona of killing the child in collusion with the former convict Grandfather Savely. Matryona Timofeevna begs not to perform an autopsy in order to bury the child without desecration of the body. But no one listens to the peasant woman. She almost goes crazy from everything that happened.

All the hardships are heavy peasant life, the death of a child still cannot break Matryona Timofeevna. Time passes and she has children every year. And she continues to live, raise her children, fulfill hard work. Love for children is the most important thing you have peasant woman, so Matryona Timofeevna is ready to do anything just to protect her beloved children. This is evidenced by the episode when they wanted to punish her son Fedot for an offense.

Matryona throws herself at the feet of a passing landowner so that he can help save the boy from punishment. And the landowner ordered:

“Guardian of a minor

Out of youth, out of stupidity

Forgive... but the woman is impudent

Approximately punish!”

Why did Matryona Timofeevna suffer punishment? For his boundless love for his children, for his willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. The readiness for self-sacrifice is also manifested in the way Matryona rushes to seek salvation for her husband from conscription. She manages to get to the place and ask for help from the governor’s wife, who really helps Philip free himself from recruitment.

Matryona Timofeevna is still young, but she has already had to endure a lot, a lot. She had to endure the death of a child, a time of famine, reproaches and beatings. She herself speaks about what the holy wanderer told her:

“The keys to women's happiness,

From our free will

Abandoned, lost

God himself!”

Indeed, a peasant woman cannot be called happy. All the difficulties and difficult trials that befall her can break and lead a person to death not only spiritually, but also physically. Very often this is exactly what happens. The life of a simple peasant woman is rarely long; very often women die in the prime of life. It is not easy to read the lines telling about the life of Matryona Timofeevna. But nevertheless, one cannot help but admire the spiritual strength of this woman, who endured so many trials and was not broken.

The image of Matryona Timofeevna is surprisingly harmonious. The woman appears at the same time strong, resilient, patient and tender, loving, caring. She has to independently cope with the difficulties and troubles that befall her family; Matryona Timofeevna does not see help from anyone.

But, despite all the tragic things that a woman has to endure, Matryona Timofeevna evokes genuine admiration. After all, she finds the strength to live, work, and continues to enjoy those modest joys that befall her from time to time. And let her honestly admit that she cannot be called happy, she does not fall into the sin of despondency for a minute, she continues to live.

The life of Matryona Timofeevna is a constant struggle for survival, and she manages to emerge victorious from this struggle.

There are many heroes in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”. Some of them pass by. They are mentioned in passing. For others, the author spared no space and time. They are presented in detail and comprehensively.

The image and characterization of Matryona Korchagina in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is one of these characters. Women's happiness is what the wanderers wanted to find in Matryona.

Biography of the main female character

Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina grew up in a family of simple peasants. When she meets the wanderers, she is only 38 years old, but for some reason she calls herself an "old woman." The life of a peasant woman flies by so quickly. God gave the woman children - she has 5 sons. One (firstborn) died. Why are only sons born? Probably this is the belief in the emergence in Rus' of a new generation of heroes, honest and strong like a mother.

According to Matryona, she I was happy only in my father's family. They took care of her, protected her sleep, and did not force her to work. The girl appreciated the care of her family and responded to them with affection and work. Songs at a wedding, lamentations over the bride and the crying of the girl herself are folklore, which conveys the reality of life.

Everything has changed in my husband's family. There was so much suffering that not every woman could bear it. At night, Matryona shed tears, during the day she spread out like grass, her head was lowered, anger was hidden in her heart, but it was accumulating. The woman understands that everyone lives this way. Philip treats Matryona well. But to distinguish good life cruelty is difficult: he whips his wife until she bleeds, goes to work, leaves alone with the children in a hated family. The girl does not require much attention: a silk scarf and sledding bring her back to cheerful singing.

The calling of a Russian peasant woman is to raise children. She becomes a real heroine, courageous and strong. Grief follows closely behind. The first son, Demushka, dies. Grandfather Savely could not save him. The authorities are bullying the mother. They torment the child’s body in front of her eyes, images of horror remain in her memory for the rest of her life. Another son gave a sheep to a hungry wolf. Matryona defended the boy by standing in his place for punishment. Mother's love strong:

“Who can endure it, it’s mothers!”

Korchagina came to her husband’s defense. The pregnant woman went to the governor with a request not to recruit him as a soldier.

Woman's appearance

Nekrasov describes Matryona with love. He recognizes her beauty and amazing attractiveness. Some features for the modern reader are not characteristic of beauty, but this only confirms how attitudes towards appearance have changed over the centuries:

• “Poganous” figure;
• “wide” back;
• “dense” body;
• Kholmogory cow.

Most of the characteristics are a manifestation of the author’s tenderness. Beautiful dark hair with gray streaks, large expressive eyes with “richest” lush eyelashes, dark skin. Rosy cheeks and clear eyes. What bright epithets do those around her choose for Matryona:

• “written kralechka”;
• "pour berry";
• “good...pretty”;
• "white face"
• The woman is neat in her clothes: a white cotton shirt, a short embroidered sundress.

Character of Matryona

The main character trait is hard work. Since childhood, Matryona loves work and does not hide from it. She knows how to stack haystacks, shake flax, and thresh on a barn. The woman has a large household, but she doesn’t complain. She gives all the strength she received from God to her work.

Other features of the Russian beauty:

Frankness: telling the wanderers her fate, she does not embellish or hide anything.

Sincerity: the woman does not cheat, she opens her whole destiny from her youth, shares her experiences and “sinful” deeds.

Love of freedom: The desire to be free and free remains in the soul, but the rules of life change the character and force one to be secretive.

Courage: A woman often has to become a “feisty woman.” She is punished, but “arrogance and insubordination” remain.

Loyalty: the wife is devoted to her husband and strives to be honest and faithful in any situation.

Honesty: Matryona herself leads an honest life and teaches her sons to be like that. She asks them not to steal or cheat.

Woman sincerely believes in God. She prays and consoles herself. It becomes easier for her in conversations with the Mother of God.

Matryona's happiness

Wanderers are sent to Korchagina because of her nickname - the governor's wife. It was rare that someone could go from being a simple peasant woman to becoming famous in the area with such a title. But did the nickname bring true happiness? No. The people praised her as lucky, but this is only one incident in Matryona’s life. Courage and perseverance brought her husband back into the family, and life became easier. The children no longer had to go begging around the villages, but one cannot say that Korchagina is happy. Matryona understands this and tries to explain to the men: among Russian ordinary women there are no happy ones, and there cannot be. God himself denied them this - he lost the keys to joy and will. Its wealth is a lake of tears. The trials were supposed to break the peasant woman, her soul was supposed to become callous. Everything is different in the poem. Matryona does not die either spiritually or physically. She continues to believe that the keys to female happiness will be found. She enjoys every day and arouses the admiration of men. She cannot be considered happy, but no one dares to call her unhappy either. She is a real Russian peasant woman, independent, beautiful and strong.