Poem Nekrasov "Grandpa": analysis and summary

Poem Nekrasov's "Grandfather" was written in 1870. In this article we will describe its brief content, we will tell about the interesting history of the creation of the work. We will also analyze the poem "Grandpa" Nekrasov. So, let's start with a brief summary.

The poem "Grandpa" (Nekrasov): a summary

Little Sasha once saw in the office of his father a portrait of some young general and decided to ask who it is. Father answered that this man is his grandfather. But he did not talk about him in detail. So begins Nekrasov's poem "Grandpa".

Sasha then ran to his mother and began to ask her where this person is now, and why the boy had never seen him. Her mother had tears in her eyes, she sadly told her son that he would learn everything himself when he grew up. Soon this mysterious grandfather came to visit the boy's family. All together he was met, they were happy. Sasha decided to ask his grandfather why he had not been in the house for so long, and where his uniform was. But he answered, repeating the words of his mother: "You will grow up - you will know."

Poem Nekrasov's "Grandfather" continues as follows. Sasha quickly made friends with the protagonist, they spent a lot of time walking together. Grandfather made an impression of a very wise and experienced man. He was slim and stately, with a gray beard and white curls. By nature, this man seemed simple, no work did not frighten him. He talked a lot about the village of Tarbagatay, located somewhere beyond Baikal. Sasha could not yet understand exactly where it was located, but hoped to know when he would grow up.

The poem "Grandfather" (Nekrasov), the brief content of which we describe, tells, in particular, about what the protagonist was doing when he came home. Grandfather was a general, but, despite this, he managed well with the plow, even plowed a whole field alone. Not a minute he did not sit easily. When I arrived home, my grandfather walked, enjoyed nature, fellowship with my grandson, worked all the time (in the garden, now at the plow, I mended something, repaired). He also sang songs, told stories that were very interesting to the boy who grew up in a good family, instilled in him interest in the fate and history of the Russian people. Grandfather was often sad, remembering something. When Sasha was interested in the cause of this sadness, he replied that everything had already passed, everything was fine. After all, quite a different time now, now it's easier for the people.

Earlier in the country, he had seen so many sufferings that now everything around him seemed calm and peaceful. Grandfather often performed songs about a free people, a glorious hike, beautiful beauties.

Time dragged along. Grandfather always answered any Sasha's questions with questions that said: "You will grow up - you will know." The boy thus developed a keen interest in learning. After a while he was already studying geography and history. The boy could show on the map where Petersburg is located, Chita, much to tell about the life of the Russian people. The grandfather became increasingly ill because of past wounds. He now needed a crutch. He understood, looking at Sasha, that the boy soon learns about the terrible events that happened recently in Russia - about the Decembrist uprising. Thus ends Nekrasov's poem "Grandpa". Let us now tell you about the history of its creation.

Kostroma basis of the work

Nekrasov at the beginning of the seventies of the 19th century worked on a cycle consisting of poems about the destinies of the Decembrists: "Grandfather" (written in 1870), as well as "Russian women", which consisted of two parts: in 1871, was finished "Princess Trubetskoy ", and in 1872 -" Princess Volkonskaya. "

Appeal to this subject at first glance may seem uncharacteristic for such a poet as Nekrasov, indifferent to historical subjects. However, as Nikolai Leonidovich Stepanov noted, it was precisely an appeal to the revolutionary pages of the past, and not to history as such, a reminder of the self-sacrificing figures and the first attempt at a revolution in our country.

The prototype of the grandfather

The plot of the work is a story about how the old Decembrist came to the estate to his son. He freed himself from Siberia in 1856 at the then issued manifesto.

To whom is the poem "Grandfather" Nekrasov dedicated? The prototype of the protagonist is Sergei Grigoryevich Volkonsky (years of life - 1788-1865) - a prince, a former major general, a famous Decembrist. S.G. Volkonsky in the summer of 1857 came to Kostroma province.

The governor of Moscow in August 1857 sent Andrei Fedorovich Wojciech, his colleague in Kostroma, a special order to establish supervision over this man who went to Buysky district to his daughter's estate. By this time she was already widowed, since Dmitri Vasilievich Molchanov, her husband, who served under Nikolai Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky (governor-general of all Eastern Siberia) as an official of special assignments, died in 1856. In 1854, Elena Sergeevna, Volkonsky's daughter, A son was born, who was named after Sergei in honor of his grandfather. Thus, the poem "Grandpa" (Nekrasov) as the main storyline has the basis taken by Nikolai Alekseevich from life (from the trip of Sergei Grigoryevich Volkonsky to Kostroma province).

The history of the creation of the poem "Grandfather"

Nekrasov on this trip could learn from his old friend - Prince MS Volkonsky (years of life - 1832-1902), with whom he often went on a winter hunt from St. Petersburg. This man was the son of SG Volkonsky.

One of the main sources in the creation of this poem was, according to Y. Lebedev's just comment, the book "Siberia and Katorga" by SV Maksimova, published in the journal Otechestvennie zapiski (published by Nekrasov) in 1868-1869.

The most reliable sources, which the poet had at work on these two poems, were the information he took from the third part of this book - "State Criminals". It contained detailed descriptions of the Siberian life and references of the Decembrists. The author not only visited all these places, but also visited the famous Tarbagatai. Nekrasov's story about him served as the ideological grain of the poem.

The impact of censorship on the work

The author of the poem "Grandpa" (Nekrasov) had to be changed because of censorship. So, in the beginning of the acquaintance with the main character Nekrasov writes that the grandfather entered his house with the words that he reconciled with everything that he had to endure in his lifetime. That is, this person realized that he was rightly punished, reconciled with the regime that had crippled his life. In fact, however, it was completely different. We draw this conclusion on the basis of the subsequent speeches of the grandfather. Consequently, he wrote these lines to mask his work (the poem "Grandfather") by Nekrasov from censorship.

The image of the main character

Grandfather is depicted as a gray, very old, but still active, cheerful, with whole teeth, a firm bearing and a humble look. Nekrasov pays special attention to gray hair, to show how long this man stayed in Siberia, how uneasy it was to him in that harsh land, what suffering had to endure.

Grandfather is happy to see his native nature to tears, because in Siberia it is quite different - merciless, gray, alien. He dreams that the people of the peasant will finally be given freedom, and all of them - the nobles, the peasants - will live in harmony with each other, everyone will be happy.

We continue the analysis of the poem "Grandfather" (Nekrasov is the author). The old Decembrist says: "There will be a free people!" He believes that soon all difficulties will stop, that is, he believes in the liberal reforms that Alexander II was carrying out at that time, that serfdom will be stopped.

Story about life in Siberia

Grandfather said that "Divine wonders do" work and the will of man. His belief in these qualities is confirmed by the story of how in Siberia, by the strength of a small group of people, a livable settlement was built, bread was grown on the considered sterile northern land in the remote village of Tarbagatai. Now the "beautiful tall" people lived there richly and happily.

Attitude to different social groups of people

Grandfather calls the scribes, bureaucrats and landlords money-lover (that is, greedy people). They broke the fortunes of the serfs, upset their marriages, lopili, robbed, and recruited young men. But there were also good people in our country who sincerely worried about the fate of the country, the people. They were among the Decembrists on the Senate Square in 1825.

For struggle and victory over darkness, acquisitiveness needs reason, unanimity and amicable power. The true sorrow, according to grandfather, was that our country was ruined, behind, and people were deaf to any attempts to develop it, to revive, as the people suffered without it.

But the main character calls to remember that there are no "irresistible victories" in the world. That is, sooner or later all wreckers and villains will come to an end, their evil will return to them a hundredfold, and the people will be avenged.

Time of creation of the poem

This poem was created during a new social upsurge, which came in the late 1860s and early 70s, and was associated with the activities of the so-called revolutionary populists. Nekrasov with his work wanted to remind people of the heroic deed that the Decembrists committed openly against the authorities, and thereby focus on the importance of liberation ideas in Russia. In addition, he sought to draw the attention of contemporaries to the fact that the situation of the Russian people changed little after the abolition of serfdom. Nekrasov raised the issue that it is necessary to continue to fight for the rights of workers, for social justice.

Topicality and relevance of the work

In the poem "Grandfather" the main character seeks to open his grandson eyes on national disasters, to inspire the thought that it is necessary to serve truth and good. And his speeches are met with a lively response. Sasha, talking to his grandfather, begins to look at the world differently, to think deeper. Now he hates the wicked and the foolish, desires the good to the poor. In his grandson the grandfather tried to educate the future citizen. The actuality and relevance of the poem lies precisely in this. She echoed the tasks that the figures of the time, including NA Nekrasov, set for themselves.

"Grandfather" is a poem that was created taking into account censorship requirements to the literature of that time. In the work of Nekrasov, for obvious reasons, he could not speak openly about the case for which the hero was exiled to penal servitude. The story of the Decembrist uprising sounds muffled in the poem. But through the whole work the holy high idea of serving the people passes through the bright line.

The development of the theme in the future work of Nekrasov

The poet continued to work on the reflection of the Decembrist theme. The next stage was an appeal to the deed committed by the wives of the Decembrists, who went to far Siberia to go to penal servitude for their husbands. In the poem about princesses Volkonskaya and Trubetskoy, Nekrasov expresses her admiration for these best representatives of the nobility who realized the meaning of the case for which their spouses were injured.

This concludes the analysis of such a work as the poem "Grandfather" (Nekrasov). The composition does not pretend to full disclosure of the topic, but we tried to consider everything in as much detail as possible.