Tales of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, written mainly in the 80s of the XIX century (they are often called political), became a satire on the existing orders in Russia. The description of the situation of the Russian peasant is the subject of the work “Konyag”, the peculiarity of which is that the author shows a person oppressed by slavery after the image of an unhappy animal. An important point is that Konyaga symbolizes in the fairy tale both the indestructible power of the people and their clogging and unwillingness to resist the established regime. The images of the Pustoplyas are also symbolic, behind which the main layers of Russian society of the mid-19th century are hiding.
How Konyaga lives
A summary of the tale begins with a description of the animal itself. A difficult share went to him. His man jumped up, gave him food, and Konyaga lay down by the road and was asleep. A difficult streak today stood out: some pebbles - barely overpowered with a man. Konyaga’s view is unsightly: his shoulders are frayed, his ribs bulge, his legs are broken, his mane has fallen off, he always walks limp. And everything from overwork - all year round under the collar - and unbearable food. In the summer there is still grass where you can grab, and in the winter only straw. So the peasant has to lift him in the spring with poles. Thus depicts the hero of the fairy tale "Horse" Saltykov-Shchedrin.
A brief introduction will complement the picture of the life of the host animal. The guy at Konyagi is kind, does not cripple for nothing, he tries to raise him with a cry. The cattle abuts with its front legs, takes away with its hind legs, presses its head to the chest; you look - and go. And the peasant leans on the plow back, spares no strength. The strip will pass, and it seems to both as if death has come. But no, they left. And so every day.
Unbearable task
The fairy tale "Konyaga", a brief summary of which is given here, continues with a description of the fields that are located on both sides of the road. There is no end to them, they surrounded the village with a dense ring. Here the peasant’s figure moves in a never-ending space, and then it suddenly disappears, as if the field has sucked it. For centuries, trying to figure out how to defeat this fabulous power, man and Konyaga. From birth to the grave, they struggle over how to free themselves from the captivity in which they found themselves, but in vain. And there is no salvation for them from exhausting work.
In agony
The description of "rest" continues with a brief summary. Shchedrin (Konyaga also symbolizes the peasant himself) describes the painful state of a dormant (or dying from overwork) animal. He lies in the sun itself, clouds of insects circling above him. But the exhausted Konyaga almost does not respond to their bites. Something huge, now black, now fiery, flies in front of his eyes and as if pulling along with him into the bottomless depths. And suddenly a boundless field arises again. Now it just came to life and it is blooming ... And now it is dead again, under a white shroud ... And as there is no edge to the field, so there is no end to bondage and torment ... So one after another it describes the gloomy pictures of life in the slavery of Saltykov.
Konyaga (a brief summary allows us to understand this) was born for only one purpose - hard physical labor. And everything that happens around is done only to give him the opportunity to perform this very work. Feed and rest are released just enough to have the strength to stand up. And nobody cares about new wounds. Not his well-being, but the ability to endure the yoke of work - only this has bothered others for many centuries. So it turns out that Konyaga (a brief summary describes his short life as infinity) does not live and does not die. All that remains for him is the hope that someone in the future will be able to answer the question of why he was given such an existence?
Parable of the Wasteland
In the meantime, Konyaga is half-forgotten, his brethren pass by. Few people will say that once he, “uncouth and insensitive,” and Pustoplyas, “polite and sensitive,” were born from one father. The parent of the first suffered for a long time, but once he judged: "Konyaghe is straw, and Pustoplyas is oat." Since then, it has been the custom that one starving lives and becomes exhausted from work, and the other - in a warm stall and basking in honey full.
The fairy tale “The Horse” continues with a brief summary of the conversations that the Pustoplyasy conducted while looking at immortality - you won’t get it! - his relative. One noted that in Konyag a lot of common sense has accumulated from hard work, because he is quiet and does his job. The second did not agree: the “life of the spirit and the spirit of life” are great in him, therefore you cannot crush him with any stick. The third said that Konyaga found “real work” for himself; it is he who gives him stability that centuries of slavery could not defeat. The fourth is sure of something else: for centuries he has been leading such a life and is so used to it that sometimes it seems that there is no strength to stand up, but no, you will whip him with a whip, and he will come to life and go to do the work to which he is assigned.
“N-but convict, move!”
While these empty conversations are ongoing, the man will wake up and call Konyagu to work in simple words. And now Pustoplyasy is delighted with how he rests, and rakes with his hind legs. Here, they shout, we need to learn from anyone! That's who to imitate! And they themselves are pushing: "N-no, convict, no-no!" So ends the fairy tale "Horse" Saltykov-Shchedrin.
The summary only conveys the main points of the narrative, however, in order to understand the author’s ideological intent, one needs to get acquainted with the full text of the work.