Ivan Alekseevich Bunin - a famous Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate. In his works, he reflected the impoverishment of the Russian village after the revolutionary events (1905), oblivion and the loss of the moral foundations of people's lives. The author was one of the first to catch what changes are coming in Russia, how they will affect its society.
The cruel face of the Russian village is painted in his works by Bunin. “Village”, whose theme is “the life and life of peasants after the abolition of serfdom,” is a story about the fate of two brothers. Each of them chose his own life path. They were descendants of serfs. Here is a summary.
"Village". Bunin - meeting the Krasov brothers
The duration of the story is the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The main characters are two brothers, Kuzma and Tikhon, who were born and raised in the village of Durnovka. Once they had a common cause - they were engaged in trade. Then a quarrel arose, and the brothers parted ways. Tikhon rented an inn, opened a shop and a tavern. He bought land and bread from landowners for nothing, and soon became a fairly wealthy man. Having become rich, the merchant bought the manor.
The second brother, Kuzma, went to work for hire. By nature, he was very different from his relative. Since childhood, Kuzma gravitated to reading and writing, read books. He dreamed of becoming an educated person, he liked to take part in literary disputes. Literacy dreamed of becoming a great writer and poet. Once he even took up writing and published a simple book of his creations. The work was not in demand. Kuzma did not have money for the further development of his writing career. He spent many years in a fruitless job search. Life did not add up, and he washed down.
Brothers again together
After several years of long separation, Tikhon decided to find his brother. His life also cannot be called happy. Wealth did not bring him joy. The wife was ill and gave birth only to dead girls. He had no one to leave his large farm. He found consolation from the village household in the tavern. Tikhon began to drink slowly. At this time, he searches for his brother, and offers him to take over the management of the estate.
In difficult times for Russia, Bunin wrote “The Village” as his story. The summary cannot convey the tragedy of the fate of former peasants who could not find themselves in the new post-revolutionary world.
Living Kuzma in Durnovka
Kuzma accepted Tikhon’s invitation and moved to live in Durnovka. In the afternoon he read newspapers and took notes about everything that was happening around him. And at night he went with a mallet - he guarded the estate. Tikhon now rarely appeared. At first, Kuzma liked such a calm life.
But, soon boredom overcame him that there was no one to even say a word with. The only living thing in the house was the cook Avdotya. But she was always silent. And even when Kuzma fell ill, she went to bed in a human room, leaving him helpless. We are not destined to understand the loneliness and abandonment of Kuzma by reading only a brief summary. Bunin's “Village” shows us a deep image of a responsive, but useless person.
Tikhon "cares" about the fate of Avdotya
As soon as Kuzma recovered from his illness, he went to his brother. He received him kindly, but showed no interest in his brother's life.
The fact is that Tikhon’s thoughts were preoccupied with the fate of the cook Avdotya. Many years ago, he took possession of it by force, thereby disgracing the whole village. After that, the girl got married, but her life was not wondered. Her husband brutally beat her, apparently in revenge for her shame. When the tyrant died, Tikhon decided to help Avdotya to get married again and identified Denisk as a bridegroom, an ownerless and cruel man who even beats his own father. Thus, the master hoped to pray for his sin of youth.
Even the brief content can convey all the futility and stupidity of this ridiculous undertaking. Bunin's “Village” shows us the death of centuries-old moral principles in a post-revolutionary society.
Wedding Avdotya
Kuzma, hearing of his brother’s intentions, tried to dissuade Avdotya from this venture. She herself was in no hurry to marry, but she was uncomfortable to refuse this. After all, Tikhon Ilyich has already incurred expenses. An unnecessary wedding took place. Kuzma blessed the woman with tears to the crown. Avdotya wept bitterly, mourning her unenviable share. Drunken guests at the wedding sang and danced. And the February blizzard howled and raged outside the window.
Here is a summary. "Village" by I. Bunin was written over 100 years ago. Since then, much has changed in our lives. But moral values remain the same. Therefore, the story does not lose relevance today.