In his story "Bezhin Meadow", Turgenev describes the life of peasant children in feudal Russia. He shows how hard life was for them at that time, how they had to work on an equal basis with adults, while receiving a pittance.
The story is told on behalf of the hunter Pyotr Petrovich. He was hunting in the forest and was about to go home, but in the dark he lost his way and went out to the Bezhin meadow. A fire was burning there, and the village boys were sitting next to them: Fedya, Ilya, Pavlusha, Vanya and Kostya. They cooked potatoes and told each other about evil spiritsThey boiled potatoes and told each other about evil spirits and their tricks. The guys were from 8 to 14 years old, they drove the horses to graze for the night and whiled away the time in conversations. In their stories, reality was intertwined with superstition and ignorance.
At their age, these guys already knew how to do a lot: graze horses, work in the field and at home, pick mushrooms and berries. For example, boys 12 years old already had to work in a factory. At the same time, they were harshly exploited, because the overseer did not even allow the children to go home for the night. At that time, corporal punishment was widely applied to both adults and children.Turgenev especially singled out Pavel, a boy from a poor family. He had a strong voice, intelligent eyes, calmness and confidence. While everyone was sitting, Pasha watched the fire, cooked potatoes and even rushed to save the horses from the wolf. This boy did not speak much, but was wise beyond his years.
The author very accurately conveyed the sincerity, kindness and spontaneity of the village children. Describing the beauty of the surrounding nature, he also revealed the problems of the common people: lack of education, poverty, cruelty of landowners, etc. Descriptions of the Russian land and children penetrate to the core. Turgenev ends his work with a description of the dawn, which serves as a kind of final chord. The skill of the writer gives readers the opportunity to feel the beauty of their native nature, to notice what is happening in it every second, gives hope for the best.
In his story "Bezhin Meadow", Turgenev describes the life of peasant children in feudal Russia. He shows how hard life was for them at that time, how they had to work on an equal basis with adults, while receiving a pittance.
The story is told on behalf of the hunter Pyotr Petrovich. He was hunting in the forest and was about to go home, but in the dark he lost his way and went out to the Bezhin meadow. A fire was burning there, and the village boys were sitting next to them: Fedya, Ilya, Pavlusha, Vanya and Kostya. They cooked potatoes and told each other about evil spiritsThey boiled potatoes and told each other about evil spirits and their tricks. The guys were from 8 to 14 years old, they drove the horses to graze for the night and whiled away the time in conversations. In their stories, reality was intertwined with superstition and ignorance.
At their age, these guys already knew how to do a lot: graze horses, work in the field and at home, pick mushrooms and berries. For example, boys 12 years old already had to work in a factory. At the same time, they were harshly exploited, because the overseer did not even allow the children to go home for the night. At that time, corporal punishment was widely applied to both adults and children.Turgenev especially singled out Pavel, a boy from a poor family. He had a strong voice, intelligent eyes, calmness and confidence. While everyone was sitting, Pasha watched the fire, cooked potatoes and even rushed to save the horses from the wolf. This boy did not speak much, but was wise beyond his years.
The author very accurately conveyed the sincerity, kindness and spontaneity of the village children. Describing the beauty of the surrounding nature, he also revealed the problems of the common people: lack of education, poverty, cruelty of landowners, etc. Descriptions of the Russian land and children penetrate to the core. Turgenev ends his work with a description of the dawn, which serves as a kind of final chord. The skill of the writer gives readers the opportunity to feel the beauty of their native nature, to notice what is happening in it every second, gives hope for the best.