Despite the fact that the fables of Ivan Andreevich Krylov are included in the compulsory program of school study of literature, many of them have not only deep meaning, but also the political background, inspired by the time when in Russia
serfdom acted. This meaning is inaccessible to children, which Krylov perfectly understood. “The Peasant and the Worker” is a work that formulates a seemingly harmless morality, behind which lies a difficult and not understandable meaning. During the analysis of this poem, we will try to understand its hidden meaning and uncover the idea that the
famous fabulist wanted to convey to the people
.“Peasant and Worker” (I. Krylov): summary
The plot of the work is straightforward and can be understood even by a commoner. The poems of Ivan Andreevich gained their popularity precisely because, despite the simplicity of interpretation, they showed people the essence of some representatives of the human race, which Krylov sought. "Peasant and Worker" is an excellent example of a fable with deep morality, but in order to reveal its meaning, you must first familiarize yourself with the content.
The peasant, along with his laborer, headed through the forest to his native village. Suddenly, a bear jumped out on them, which fell right on the peasant and began to tear him to pieces. He would surely have died, but began to beg the worker Stepan to save him from certain death, which he did: he demolished the skull with an ax and pierced it with a pitchfork. Despite the salvation, the peasant was dissatisfied with the action of his laborer, because he ruined the skin of the animal, for which good money could be gained.
"Peasant and Worker" - Krylov's fable with a hidden meaning
The main moral of the presented work is registered by the author at the very beginning of the storytelling. But Krylov was not such a simple writer. “Peasant and Worker”, like many other fables of this author, also has a hidden meaning, which is far from clear to everyone, and even more so inaccessible to primary school students.
The main moral of the work is that some people are always happy to blame others for all their troubles, but do not mind and resort to their help when need makes them. Consumerism, overvaluation and selfishness among the representatives of the human race is not news, and it is clear that such a theme was touched upon in the work by the expert on human souls I. A. Krylov.
“The Peasant and the Worker” is far from an ordinary work, since it shows the attitude of the authorities towards the inhabitants of Russia at the time when the great fabulist was engaged in creative work. The hierarchical ladder made small feudal lords bury and treat their subordinates with arrogance ...
It was at this time that the question of the abolition of
serfdom was brewing
, so the fable of Ivan Andreevich was written, which is called "to the wickedness of the day."
I. A. Krylov - the history of Russia in ironic poems
In fact, in almost every fable, Ivan Andreevich showed the imperfection of the political system of his native country, for which some officials disliked him. But the author literally immediately won recognition among the common people, which, in fact, sought. The political background slips in almost every poem of his, where he ridicules not the ignorance of commoners, but the ignorance of those people who were in power during the author’s time.