Many generations of literary scholars have studied the theme of freedom in Pushkin’s lyrics. We begin our discussion with a general interpretation of the lyrics.
At its core, it is a secondary subjective reality. Lyrics is an emotional and colorful retelling of certain events by a person through the prism of his feelings, emotions, impressions.
We continue our reasoning by imagining that Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin would be such a person: a genius who is in love with Russia, has a phenomenal creative imagination, an unrivaled poet and linguist ...
In this case, his lyrics, devoted to the topic of freedom, can not only mobilize, it becomes a banner. And indeed it is! Which poems do you think the Decembrists recited?
Alexander Sergeevich has known freedom since childhood
The theme of freedom was close to Pushkin, proceeding from its very essence. This is a unique person who became a poet by the will of God, who himself breathed this freedom, who created solely by inspiration, who in his entire short life did not violate a single principle!
The theme of freedom in Pushkin’s lyrics at the initial stage of his work sounded in accordance with the style that the poet followed at that time — romanticism. Note that inner freedom as a character trait deeply corresponded to his personality. The love of freedom of the future classic was formed in childhood: an unloved son in the family, he was left to his own devices. At the same time, his mother trained his sister, and his father - his brother. A miracle happened, due to which all of Russia should bow to Arina Rodionovna, the nanny of a little genius: the boy’s natural interest in folk tales and epics gradually grew into a commitment to art, an inner need to create ...
The young poet brings freedom to the principle of creativity
At the stage of early creativity, the theme of freedom in Pushkin’s lyrics sounded in the context of the romantic, Pro-Byron style, which he initially followed. So, in the poem "Poet" for the author, the measure of freedom is the "free mind" of the poet (that is, what is now called the freedom of creativity). According to the young poet, the ideal poetry writer lives solely on his feelings and is absolutely autonomous in relation to society.
In poems dedicated to N. Ya. Plyuskova, the theme of freedom in Pushkin’s lyrics is identified with the moral principle: not to grovel in front of “earthly gods” and not to brandish the “censer of flattery”. That is, according to the graduate of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, freedom of creativity does not initially accept anyone's instructions about what to write and how to write.
The need for freedom of the victorious people
The initial Byron's understanding of freedom by the poet could not be final. The reason is the dynamism of the era.
Alexander Sergeyevich absorbed in his youth the patriotic upsurge of the Russian people that accompanied their victory over the French conqueror. The best intellectuals have already realized what a productive potential of the peasantry of Russia is not involved in its development because of slavery. Therefore, the evolution of the theme of freedom in Pushkin’s lyrics can be traced. Against the backdrop of the titanic action of the war, the smug arrogance of the conquerors, the heroism of not only professional Russian officers, but also thousands and thousands of peasants, Byronovsky freedom now seemed a classic unconvincing. After all, it was the desire of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Russian people that raised the club of the people's war and rained down on the heads of the Invincible Armada.
The poet comes to understand the impossibility of gaining real freedom by a person outside society, changing only himself.
Ode “Liberty” - evidence of Pushkin’s service to social freedom
Essentially speaking, the theme of freedom in Pushkin’s lyrics, shifted to social accents, first publicly appeared in the Liberty ode. Its author no longer demonstrates an aristocratic, but deeply popular civic position, which states that serfs and nobles are equal before God.
Alexander Sergeyevich dreamed that slavery should not be on the Russian land. To complete this act of justice, according to the poet, should be educated people, chivalrously performing the mission of serving the Fatherland ...
The chased syllable appears. The poet calls directly to his like-minded people (people with the worldview of the Decembrists).
Pushkin - author of the Decembrists anthem
The previously melancholy theme of freedom and slavery in Pushkin’s lyrics - romance - is gaining a political color. It can not be in any other way. He is deeply impressed by the meeting with Pestel, his acquaintance with Pushchin, the Turgenev brothers, and Muravyov. Now he is sure: the whole way of life of society should be changed. Alexander Sergeyevich, like his Decembrist friends, felt an obvious discord in the fact that the victorious soldier, returning home, again became a serf. He is adamant, step by step, line by line approaching realism ...
He was instructed to prepare the publication of a political journal of society, with which the poet dealt. The classic ideologists set out the ideological positions of the Decembrists in the poems “Village” and “Towards Chaadaev”.
And now, in the poem "The Village" in the poet’s creative style, something new, concrete, realistic appears ... Alexander Sergeyevich clearly shows who really needs help from the advanced aristocracy and intelligentsia: a peasant working in Russia who is poisoned and formally equated with agricultural property the earth. The theme of freedom and slavery in Pushkin’s lyrics goes into abstracted, extremely concretized, realistic poetic forms. How figuratively and succinctly the poet speaks about the antagonism of the tyrant landowners and completely disenfranchised serfs: "Skinny slavery weaves along the reins of the inexorable owner!"
The hymn of the Decembrists is considered the poem "To Chaadaev."
Here there is a call for the replacement of the monarchy, and faith in the future of Russia, “recovered from a dream”. The poem had a tremendous impact on the minds of young people. It spread throughout Russia by census. At the behest of Emperor Nicholas I, the troublemaker was exiled. Obviously, in addition to the two aforementioned, Pushkin wrote a number of pro-Dekabist writings. However, they remained unknown, having sunk into oblivion: on the orders of the emperor they were removed from the investigation and burned.
Decembrists saved Pushkin from repression
According to the recollections of the classic himself, only the absence of December 13-14, 1825 in St. Petersburg saved him from being shot in the same batch with five similarly executed Decembrists. Otherwise, by his personal confession to Emperor Nicholas I, he would also be on Senate Square ...
Did it happen by chance? Unlikely. The Decembrists knew that in case of failure they would face reprisals. And they saved their Banner. And this banner was Alexander Sergeevich.
The poem "Monument" - Pushkin's testimony to the service of freedom
Stingy information about how the theme of freedom develops in the lyrics of Pushkin further. The poet’s work is under the hood. Now the publication of any of his essays requires a personal visa of Nicholas I or the chief of gendarmes Benckendorf. Fate also saved him from exile, although, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, he wanted to share the fate of his exiled friends. The fiery lines that he managed to convey "deep into the Siberian ores" have survived to this day, testifying to the poet's unbroken faith in the Decembrist ideals of freedom.
In the poem "Monument" the theme of freedom finds its logical conclusion in the poetry of Pushkin. The composition of such a work was traditionally able to afford the Poet number 1 in the state.
The beginning of such a literary tradition was once laid by the ancient Roman poet Quintus Horace Flaccus. Like him, Pushkin commensurate his immortality with the power of the motherland, empire. Like Horace, Alexander Sergeevich emphasizes that his work also served Freedom, imperishable human value.