Natalia is the wife of Grigory Melekhov, daughter of Korshunov Miron Grigorievich. This heroine is one of the main in the work. The image of Natalia in the novel "Quiet Don" we will describe in this article. It is no coincidence that the author paid so much attention to the image of the inner world of his heroine. She carries the characteristic features characteristic of a Russian woman of the 20th century. Thus, Natalia Korshunova ("Quiet Don") is a typical representative of her environment.
The image of women in the novel
If the image of such a hero as Grigory Melikhov is a symbolic image of a Russian peasant of the 20th century, then in the female types the author’s idea of ​​their fate in Russia is embodied. The priority over all politically engaged and socially concrete eternal moral values ​​is reflected in the charming images of the fair sex created in the novel.
Natalia's character
For Natalia, the wife of Gregory, patience is characteristic, as well as the wise calm of the woman - the guardian of the hearth. In addition, she possesses a deeply hidden ability for strong spiritual experiences. Acts, not words, speak of Natalia’s pride, the strength of her feelings: this is her attempt at suicide, as well as her unwillingness to have a child from an unloving husband. Natalia in the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" is a woman who managed to devote herself to children, home. Her very portrait contains a tragic life story: the beauty of her face contrasts with her “crushed work” and “big” hands, and her gray eyes, looking boldly, are contrasted with a restrained and embarrassed smile. Such is the portrait of Natalia ("Quiet Don").
Psychological interpretation of character
Portraying this and other women in the work, the writer uses the principle of the so-called psychological interpretation of character. That is, the image of Natalia in the novel "Quiet Don" is given in dynamics, in development, with penetration into the inner world, into the springs of the heroine's actions. At the beginning of the book we see her still a very young girl, when the Melekhovs came to marry her. When the bride is first shown to Gregory, he thinks: "Good." He approves of his father's choice, seeing that this girl is obedient, submissive, bashful and affectionate. The character of this heroine interwoven whimsically enslavement by ancient patriarchal traditions and constantly putting her in dramatic situations and pushing huge human opportunities to protest. High moral qualities, as well as beauty and grace, which took shape in the very bowels of the life of the people, were embodied in it.
Relations between Natalia and Gregory
Natalya fondly fell in love with her fiancé Gregory, while she was still looking at him with her “enamored eyes”, she looked forward to the days that remained before the wedding. This girl, seeing off her groom, looked after him with tears of excited joy, feeling her heart beating rapidly. Usually shy and shy, she insisted on her when her parents at first did not want to marry her to Gregory. However, life with this person did not justify the heroine's joyful hopes. Grigory and Natalya were not happy in the work “Silent Don” in family life. The heroine became more and more convinced that her husband was indifferent to her, that he only loved Axinho. And when he confesses honestly to her that he does not love her, Natalia lonely and silently worries about her grief, is losing weight, and something "pathetic" appears in her eyes.
The selflessness of this woman’s feelings and her chaste restraint are emphasized by the writer. Creating the image of Natalia in the novel "Quiet Don", the author notes the sadness that conquers the grief of his heroine. Her eyes are especially remembered, which Sholokhov calls "sad," "mournful." Restrained and modest Natalya is ashamed to show feelings in people, hides them. This is the main characteristic of this heroine (the novel "Quiet Flows the Don"). The image of Natalia is one of the brightest in the work.
Relations between Natalia and Melekhovs
This girl is selfless in love for Gregory and is infinitely loyal to him. She attracts all the Melekhovs to her with her human charm, moral purity (Sholokhov, "Quiet Don"). Natalia in this family was immediately well received. She conquered both her mother-in-law and her mother-in-law with her spiritual qualities and hard work. Shyness and chastity did not allow her to even kiss her future husband before the wedding.
Natalia finds happiness in work and motherhood
Natalia’s love at the beginning of her married life was still slow and cold, and her feelings were hidden deep in her soul. Only after the birth of children did this heroine reveal herself, gaining self-confidence. She cares about people with all her generous heart, while she herself experiences lonely misfortune of her unloved wife. Oblivion finds Natalia in hard daily work. Even more than Aksinya, this heroine loves work, and Sholokhov poetizes this quality, the ability to give all his strength to him with inspiration and ease, while not sparing his "working hands."
Natalya, not knowing the joy in love, finds happiness in motherhood. After Polyushka and Mishatka were born, this heroine became prettier and flourished. Her face shone with proud pride as she showed the children to her spouse. A happy mother, Natalia gives the children all their unspent caress. And Gregory conquers with "pure inner beauty" this heroine in the image of her mother. His heart fills with tenderness. However, Gregory affectionately never spoiled his wife, therefore he does not find a warm word even now.
Natalia curses her husband
For a long time Natalia had to put up with her difficult position as an unloved wife. Offended in her best feelings, broken, she curses her husband in the steppe during a terrible thunderstorm. Gregory crippled her life. With tragic force, the trauma of this woman is conveyed by the parallel between the state of nature and her inner sensation. Natalya, distraught with grief, clasped her hands prayerfully, wet from tears, asked Gregory for death. At this time, a cloud crawled from the east, black, swirling. Thunder rumbled. A burning white lightning, piercing the tops of the clouds, glided across the sky, wriggling. The wind drove west of the grass, carried bitter dust from the hat, bent almost to the ground hats of sunflowers, weighed down with seeds. Natalia, strong in character, with her former meek resignation decisively breaks, declaring imperiously her right to a real, vibrant life. However, she is ruining herself because she does not know how to fight for her.
The image of Natalia before her death
Before death, in the last days, her courage, greatness of spirit, moral purity and selfless love are manifested with all their strength. The image of Natalia in the novel "Quiet Don" is fully disclosed. When dying, the heroine asks to dress her in a green skirt. It was her that Grigory loved to see on his wife. She also passes the last testament to Mishatka to kiss her father for her and say that he pitied the children. Despite humiliation, resentment, grief associated with married life, forgives all his wife Natalia (Silent Don) before Grigory’s death. The characterization of this heroine is respected, and her fate is sincere sympathy. Gregory himself also did not remain indifferent to the death of his wife. For him, the departure of Natalia becomes a shock, he feels his guilt. No grief after her death could already shock him. In memory of Gregory, the wife remains a beautiful, radiant inner beauty.
The role of female images in the novel
Natalia ("Quiet Flows the Don"), the characteristic of which was presented, is not the only interesting female image in the work. The novel is given considerable dignity by combining the epic depiction of historical events with the lyricism of the narrative, the disclosure of the deepest thoughts and feelings of the characters. This applies more to the images of Russian women.
It is difficult to find another work in Russian literature, on the pages of which so much attention would be given to the woman, her difficult share. From the depths of the writer's heart emanate pain and tenderness towards the heroines. Natalya Korshunova (Quiet Don) is a girl who certainly deserves the sympathy and attention of Sholokhov.