Time does not stand still. Society and life itself are constantly moving forward, making adjustments to already established rules. That's just what happens for everyone in different ways and not always in accordance with the laws of morality and conscience.
The story âFarewell to Materâ by V. Rasputin is an example of how new trends run counter to moral principles, how progress literally âabsorbsâ human souls. The work, which appeared in the mid-70s of the last century, touches on many important problems that have not lost their relevance today.
The story of the story
The second half of the 20th century became a time full of changes in the history of the country. And the achievements of the scientific and technical industry, which contributed to the transition to a higher degree of development, often led to serious contradictions in society. One such example is the construction of a powerful power plant, the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, near the writer's native village, Atalanka. As a result, it fell into the flood zone. It would seem like a trifle: to destroy a small village in order to bring considerable benefit to the whole country. But nobody thought about the fate of its old inhabitants. Yes, and the ecological balance as a result of interference in the natural course of development of nature was disrupted.
These events could not but affect the soul of the writer, whose childhood and youth were spent in the outback, in direct connection with the established traditions and foundations. Therefore, the story of Rasputin's âFarewell to Materâ is also bitter thoughts about what the author himself had to go through.
Storyline
The action begins in the spring, but a symbolic understanding of this time as the birth of a new life is not applicable in this case. On the contrary, it was at that moment that the news of the imminent flooding of the village spreads around the village.
In the center of the story are the tragic fate of its indigenous inhabitants: Daria, Nastassya, Katerina, âold womenâ who dreamed of ending their century here and sheltered the godless God who was not needed (there are associations with a holy fool, a wanderer, a divine person). And then everything collapses for them. Neither the stories of a comfortable apartment in a new village on the banks of the Angara River, nor the fiery speeches of the young people (Andrei, the grandson of Daria) that the country needs it, can convince them of the advisability of destroying their home. Old women every evening gather for a cup of tea, as if trying to enjoy talking with each other before breaking up. Say goodbye to every corner of nature, so dear to the heart. All this time, Daria has been trying bit by bit to restore her life, her own and the village, trying not to miss anything: after all, for her, âthe whole truth is in memoryâ.
All this is majestically watched by an invisible Master: he cannot afford to save the island, and for him it is also a farewell to Matera.
The content of the last months of stay on the island of old-timers is supplemented by a number of terrible events. The burning of Katerinaâs house as a drunk son. An unwanted move to the village of Nastasya and watching how a hut without a hostess immediately turned into an orphan. Finally, the atrocities of the "officials" sent by the SES to destroy the cemetery, and the decisive confrontation of the old women - where did the forces come from in defense of their own graves!
And the tragic ending: people in a boat caught in the fog, lost in the middle of the river, lost their landmark in life. Among them is the son of the main character, Pavel, who did not manage to wrest his native places from his heart. And also the old women remaining on the island at the time of its flooding, and with them - an innocent baby. Towering, not broken - neither fire took him, nor an ax, nor even a modern chainsaw - foliage as evidence of eternal life.
âFarewell to Materâ: problems
A simple plot. However, decades pass, and the work of Rasputin still does not lose its relevance: after all, the author raises very important questions in it regarding the development of society. Here are the most important ones:
- Why was a man born, what answer should he give at the end of his life?
- How to maintain mutual understanding between generations?
- What are the advantages of a âruralâ way of life over a âurbanâ one?
- Why can not you live without memory (in the broad sense)?
- What should be the power so that it does not lose the confidence of the people?
As well as environmental problems: what threatens humanity with interference in the natural development of nature? Could such actions be the beginning to the tragic end of his existence?
Questions that are initially quite complex and do not imply a clear answer, affect Rasputin. âFarewell to Materâ is his vision of problems, as well as an attempt to attract the attention of everyone living on Earth to them.
Daria Pinigina - the oldest resident of the village
The keeper of centuries-old traditions, loyal to the memory of her family, respectfully referring to the places where her life has passed - this is the main character of the story. The son and his family left for the village, one joy - their arrival once a week. The grandson for the most part does not understand and does not accept her beliefs, since this is a person of another generation. As a result, lonely old women are the same as her own people for her. She spends time with them and shares her worries and thoughts.
With the image of Daria, the analysis of the work âFarewell to Materâ begins. It helps to understand how important it is not to lose touch with the past. The main conviction of the heroine is that there is no life without memory, since as a result the moral foundations of the very existence of man are lost. So, an unremarkable old woman becomes for Rasputin and his readers a measure of conscience. It is such inconspicuous heroes, according to the author, that attract him the most.
House Farewell Scene
An important moment in understanding Dariaâs inner world is an episode in which she âprepares for deathâ her homeland. The parallel between the decoration of the house to be burned and the deceased is obvious. Rasputin includes in the work âFarewell to Materâ a detailed description of how the heroine âwashesâ and whitens it, decorates it with fresh fir - everything, as it should be when parting with the deceased. She sees a living soul in her house, turns to him, as to the most dear creature. Never understand her how a person (meaning Petruha, the son of her friend) can burn the house in which he was born and lived with his own hands.
Cemetery protection
Another key scene, without which it is impossible to analyze the work âFarewell to Materâ, is the destruction of graves in a local cemetery. No good purpose can explain such a barbaric act of the authorities, which takes place in front of the inhabitants. To the pain for leaving the graves of dear people to drown, another one was added - to see how the crosses are burned. So the old women with sticks had to get up to defend them. But you could "do this cleaning in the end" so that residents would not see it.
Where did conscience go? And yet - a simple respect for people and their feelings? Rasputin asks such questions (âFarewell to Materâ, by the way, is not the only work of the writer on this subject) and his characters. The merit of the author is that he managed to convey to the reader a very important idea: any state reorganization should be correlated with the peculiarities of the people's way of life, the characteristics of the human soul. It is from this that trust in each other and any relationships between people begin.
Intergenerational communication: is it important?
Where do people like SES and Petrukh come from? And not all its inhabitants treat the destruction of Matera in the same way as these five old women. The key, for example, only rejoices at the opportunity to move into a comfortable home.
Again, Dariaâs words are recalled about what it means for a person to remember their roots, their ancestors, and the laws of morality. The old people leave, and with them the accumulated experience and knowledge that nobody needs in the modern world disappear for centuries. Young people are always in a hurry somewhere, making grandiose plans, very far from the lifestyle that their ancestors had. And if Pavel, the son of Daria, still feels uncomfortable in the village: he is also burdened by a new house built by someone ânot for himselfâ, and stupidly located buildings, and land on which nothing grows, then her grandson, Andrei, no longer understands what can keep a person on such an abandoned island as Matera. For him, the main thing is progress and the prospects that it opens before people.
Intergenerational communication is a pretty hackneyed topic. âFarewell to Materâ on the example of one family shows how she is lost: Daria sacredly honors her ancestors, her main concern is to transport the graves to the ground. Such a thought seems strange to Pavel, but nevertheless he does not dare immediately refuse his mother. Although the request never fulfilled: there are enough other problems. And the grandson does not understand at all why this is necessary. So what can we say about those who âjust do their jobâ to clean up the territory - a word they invented! However, you cannot live in the future without remembering the past. For this, history is written. And moral values are stored so that mistakes in the future are not repeated. This is another important idea that the author is trying to convey to a contemporary.
Small homeland - what does it mean for a person?
Rasputin, as a man who grew up in a village, a Russian soul, is also concerned with another question: will society not lose its roots, originating in a father's house? For Daria and other old women, Matera is the place where their clan, centuries-old traditions, covenants given by ancestors originate, the main of which is to protect the land-nurse. Unfortunately, young people easily leave their homes, and with them lose their spiritual connection with their hearth. An analysis of the work leads to such joyless thoughts. Farewell to Matera can be the beginning of the loss of moral support that supports a person, and Paul is an example of this, ending up in the final between the two banks.
The relationship between man and nature
The story begins with a description of the beauty of the island, untouched by civilization, retaining its primacy. Landscape sketches play a special role in conveying the authorâs ideas. Analysis of the work âFarewell to Materâ allows us to understand that a person who has long considered himself the master of the world is deeply mistaken. Civilization will never be able to prevail over what was created before it. The proof is the unbroken, mighty foliage that will protect the island until its death. He did not succumb to man, retaining the dominant principle.
The meaning of the story âFarewell to Materâ
The content of one of the best works of V. Rasputin and after many years sounds like a warning. In order for life to go on and the connection with the past not to be lost, it is always necessary to remember our roots, that we are all children of the same mother earth. And everyoneâs duty is to be on this earth not guests or temporary residents, but custodians of everything that has been accumulated by previous generations.