The first volume of the trilogy about the Siberian remote places glorified the name of Alexei Cherkasov to the whole world. He was inspired by an incredible story for writing a book: in 1941, the author received a letter written with the letters “yat”, “fita”, “izhitsa” from a 136-year-old resident of Siberia, and her memoirs formed the basis of Alexei Cherkasov’s novel “Hops”, which tells about the inhabitants of the Old Believer settlement, sheltered in the depths of the taiga from prying eyes.
Plot of the novel
The plot of the work is intricate and fascinating, like the curly shoots of hops. Hence the name. In one of the parts of his famous trilogy, Cherkasov called life in Belaya Elani, twisted like a hop - you can’t get through the thickets of Old Believer explanations and kinship.
The trilogy of Alexei Cherkasov “The Tale of the Taiga People” tells the story of life in the Siberian outback. The first volume of the Hops trilogy covers a long period, from the Decembrist uprising of 1825 to the October Revolution. One of the participants in the uprising - Loparev - was exiled to Siberia.
Dear, he managed to escape. In the remote taiga for him a real salvation was the settlement of the Old Believers. He delved into their life, a severe way, comprehended the features of their rites, cruel laws. And life here did not seem so joyful as at first.
Meeting with the Old Believers
The novel “Hops” tells of people who had to defend their faith or abandon it, sometimes at the cost of life. The adult generation, led by the spiritual father Filaret, seeks to preserve traditions. They accept the convict in their community, because he went against the “king-antichrist”. But the hypocritical old man takes a closer look at the “gnawer”, because his faith is alien to them and can cause discord.
Alexander Loparev makes friends with a healer, for the Old Believers - a heretic. The representative of a noble family, a young girl was preparing to be tonsured, but one righteous man “opened” her eyes that all biblical tales were invented by selfish people. Euphemia believed him, and for this the clergy condemned her to torture and death.
Her son Filaret saved and married her against her will. So she ended up in the community.
Alexander and Efimia fell in love. But wild Filaret laws threaten their lives. The girl spent more time here and understands that they have nowhere to run. In addition, he considers it his duty to help people.
Sinister plot
The trouble came unexpectedly. The sorceress was caught and tortured as a heretic. Ruined her little son. Loparev was brutally beaten. A coup took place in the community, ripening long ago in the minds of the conspirators. But the changes did not lead to anything good. The new government seized gold and doomed the whole community to hunger and poverty.
Mokey, the husband of Euphemia, learning about the death of his son at the hands of his father, is disappointed in faith. Leaving the community, he accidentally becomes an accomplice in a crime. The officers, having accused the “sect" of everything, disperse the community. They find the political prisoner Loparev dying. Defending Euphemia, he fell under the knife of the convict and the thief of the Tretyak.
Taiga people
A distinctive feature of the novel "Hops" are multifaceted, heroic images. Imperfect, but strong-willed residents of the Siberian hinterland are looking for the truth away from civilization. Unlike the townspeople, the taiga people do not leave God through someone else's instructions, but comprehends the truth through their own lives. Loparev had lost his faith as a boy, and Mokey was disappointed in its truth, observing tortures and tortures. The last straw was the murder of his little son - his own father, the elder Filaret, personally strangled the boy in front of the icons and his wounded wife Efimia. Mokey’s disbelief was suffered, as was the faith of Euphemia, who was tortured for her.
Heroes of the work
Mokey - natural, adamant, passionate. Having fallen in love once, he was faithful to the grave. In the same way, having lost faith, he did not return to the previous faith. He was secretly burdened by his surroundings and realized that he himself oppressed his Euphemia by not wanting to understand her, and therefore did not deserve her love. He repented before her, and Euphemia began to respect in him an original and outstanding personality.
With his desperate sermon, he helped Euphemia realize that they were hiding by faith in order to do unseemly things and tyrannize people. The independence of Mokey helped him realize this, come to the truth and abandon superstition. Mokey is an example of a person who rebelled against the centuries-old tyranny of the state, church and conventions.
Euphemia is strong and independent. She was not afraid to challenge others, power in the person of Filaret and superstition. Everyone turned away from her, relatives will curse kinship with her. For them, she is a heretic and a witch. However, there was an irresistible craving for justice and love for people. Such people do not put up in silence with arbitrariness. For the sake of love, they take risks, for which Euphemia almost paid with her life.
Brief analysis of the work
The novel “Hops” is the first book of the trilogy “The Tale of the Taiga People”, its popularity was incredible. Cherkasov’s books have been translated into many languages. Some literary scholars believe that “Hops” is the writer’s most powerful work. The plot is so fascinating that there is no strength to break away from reading. It has many characters that are simply impossible to list. But the author manages to describe perfectly and minor heroes.
Cherkasov raises very important topics in the novel - the desire for power, blind adherence to principles, betrayal and love, faith and good. The language of the author of the novel “Hops” changes in accordance with the described period, which helps the reader to clearly feel that atmosphere. So, each hero has archaic expressions that complement his image.
For example, from the lips of a seasoned convict, one often hears a curse “green borzo”, Euphemia uses expressions from the Bible, Mokey expresses himself simply, but very emotionally, Filaret sprinkles Church Slavonic words: “heretic”, “algimey”, “come out”. Loparev, the bearer of the Western mentality, speaks a language almost contemporary to us. A very deep novel that must be read consciously and thoughtfully so as not to miss anything.
In Cherkasov’s novel “Hops,” the reader sees another Russia, unfamiliar, not the same as in the history books. Not subject to the king and churches, superstitious and cruel. The impenetrable taiga hides it from the rest of the world. The memory of Pugachev, of sorcerers and witches, is still alive here. The author masterfully shows the traditions, rites and mentality of schismatics. A woman’s life in the Old Believer communities was much less valued than a man’s. Any tenderness in public entailed punishment, and the birth of a girl could become an occasion for accusation and punishment of the mother.
The basic idea
The main idea of the novel by A. Cherkasov “Hops” lies in the fact that the religion, in which to this day many see salvation and seek it, did not live up to expectations. Faith led people, but nowhere, to a standstill. Fleeing from the king, people came under even greater tyrannical power - fanaticism. He was far more unfair, more dangerous and more cunning. He sat in the heads, not on the throne. Delusional dreams, born from exhausting fasts, were taken as a sign, the quirks of the elder-confessor - for the manifestation of holiness. So they did not notice how they began to kill “before the icons”, in the name of the one who left them the commandment “Do not kill”.