Folk tales occupy a rather serious place in the Russian ethnic group. They express the aspirations, hopes, fears, and even simply unrealizable dreams of people. Most Russian fairy tales are permeated with kindness and faith in justice. Sometimes we are faced with the fact that the writer takes as the basis the plot of a folk tale and develops it in his own way. An example is the work of such a writer as Nikolai Ostrovsky. “The Snow Maiden”, a brief summary of which has been known to everyone since childhood, received a new and instructive turn under the author’s pen.
Love of Frost and Spring
Let's take a closer look at what N. Ostrovsky writes about. “The Snow Maiden”, the summary of which can be conveyed in several sentences, is filled with a mass of instructive messages to readers. Imagine an ancient mythical country of Berendey. And once, an unprecedented event happened in her once. Spring comes to the Red Hill near Berendeev Posad (the royal capital). Yes, not one, but with all its magnificent retinue. Her retinue is noble - cranes and swans. However, the country of the Berendeans awkwardly greets Spring (as it seems to her, their relationship with old Frost is to blame). After all, the father of her daughter named Snegurochka is Frost.
Not only in the country of Berendey are dissatisfied with such a course of things. The sun also expresses discontent, threatens to no longer warm the earth. Therefore, Spring, in order to somehow help warm the animals, invites them to sing and dance. However, as soon as they begin to move, an angry cold blizzard rises immediately. Spring collects all the birds and hides them in the bushes in the hope that the next day will bring the long-awaited warmth.
Father's warning
In addition, old Frost appears from the forest, reminding Spring of caring for a common child. He offers to shelter the Snow Maiden in the depths of the forest, where a warm tower is located. Mother Spring also cares in its own way - she wants her child to live among people, enjoy life with them. The meeting goes into a quarrel. Frost knows that the sun god, the hot Yarilo, wants to destroy the Snow Maiden, making it so that when the fire of love is lit in her heart, she just melts. All this he tells Spring. But she does not believe the arguments of Frost.
From the very beginning, we see a difference in the plots of a folk tale and the one that Ostrovsky wrote. The Snow Maiden, a brief summary of the chapters of which we are considering, continues as follows. After a long argument, the parents decided to give the girl up to a childless Bobyl. Say, there are no guys, which means that the heart of the Snow Maiden will be safe. The girl herself admits that she has long dreamed of living with people, singing songs and leading funny round dances. In addition, it turns out that the Snow Maiden is not completely indifferent to the young shepherd Lelu. This especially guarded Frost. He warns his daughter with all her paternal rigor to stay away from the shepherd, communication with which can ruin her.
Adoptive parents
The summary of the story “The Snow Maiden” (Ostrovsky perfectly describes the Shrove Tuesday) continues with the fact that the Berendey rejoice at the arrival of Spring, meeting it with songs and dances. In the deaf, a Boblyn often meets a beautiful, richly dressed girl who asks for adopted daughters. Not easy to live Snow Maiden. The thing is that, being overly bashful, she, in the opinion of Bobyle, has redeemed all potential suitors. But they really wanted to get rich at the expense of the family into which they would marry the girl.
Suddenly, a shepherd Lel comes to a barn to stand. Nobody wanted to take a handsome and charming guy to his house, fearing that his master's daughters would not resist him. And what to take from the poor shepherd? A very disadvantageous party. Therefore, the villagers collect money and give it to Lel, so that somewhere, just not with them, he will find a place to live. Tempted by the money, Bobyl let the young man into the house.
Inexperience of the Snow Maiden
How accurately and deeply Ostrovsky reveals his characters! “Snow Maiden” is a play whose brief content cannot convey the entire palette of characters. We will understand the relationship between the handsome shepherd and the innocent, modest Snow Maiden. Despite the fact that Lelya’s songs, and the guy himself, she likes, the girl’s innate modesty clearly prevents young people from getting close.
And the shepherd was not completely disinterested. He just doesn’t want to sing for pleasure. He asks for more material gifts. For example, kisses. But the Snow Maiden does not understand the aspirations of Lel. She wholeheartedly presented the young man with a flower for the performed song. The shepherd, tired of explaining the obvious, threw him out and retired to the other girls, who, in his opinion, could better appreciate talent and beauty.
Beauty is the subject of envy and resentment
What else does Ostrovsky emphasize? “The Snow Maiden” (a summary of the tale cannot be left without some details) was written for a long time, but even today we find many instructive moments. So, the Snow Maiden, despite her popularity among young people, cannot find friends. After all, all the guys look at her, and the girls do not want to communicate with the daughter of Spring.
The only kindness to Snegurochka was Kupava, the daughter of a wealthy peasant. She is so frank with the girl that she shares her happiness - the wealthy merchant Mizgir from imperial posad embraced her. Soon to be a wedding. After some time, the groom himself appears. He comes with many gifts that he wants to give to Kupava’s relatives and close people in honor of his marriage.
Kupava introduces the Snow Maiden to her lover and calls her to a bachelorette party, arranged on the occasion of the imminent marriage. But Mizgir falls in love with the Snow Maiden at first sight, completely forgetting about Kupava. He officially announces the girl about the termination of the engagement, arguing this with his unexpected love for the Snow Maiden. Kupava is so shocked that she decides to end her life by drowning in the river, but the shepherd Lel manages to save her. Of course, Kupava, like all the other girls in the village, held a grudge.
The disgrace of the god Yarila
We continue to study the summary. The fairy tale “The Snow Maiden” (Ostrovsky built it on the basis of ancient folk beliefs) takes us back to the times when people worshiped natural gods. So, it seems to Tsar Berendey that recently the god Yarilo has no mercy on his kingdom. Heats a little, does not allow the crop to ripen, and indeed rarely appears.
He speaks about this to his close Bermyat. The king is sure that Yarilo is angry with his subjects for the lack of warmth of love in their hearts. As a bright and warm deity, he is unpleasant.
Berendey Plan: Summary
Ostrovsky N., whose "Snow Maiden" "exposes" all human passions, leads the angry Kupava to the royal chambers . She asks to punish the traitor. Vindicating, Mizgir explained to the tsar that he no longer considered Kupava his bride, and that he did not want to marry without sincere love. After listening to the merchant, the silent Bermyat had previously suggested that the tsar force him to marry Kupava. However, the girl herself opposed it, saying that she did not need such a traitor for nothing. Mizgir answered that he henceforth considers Snegurochka to be his bride.
All this interferes with the Berendey plan, according to which his subjects need to conclude the maximum number of marriages. And the sooner the better. This should appease Yarila. Bermyatia was skeptical of the tsar’s plans, referring to the fact that recently more and more suburban girls have quarreled with their guys. Those are captivated by the beauty of the Snow Maiden.
Acquaintance of the Tsar with the Snow Maiden
The enraged Berendey condemns the merchant to expulsion from the country. Mizgir agrees with the punishment, but invites the king himself to look at the beauty, because of which there is so much talk. Soon Bobyl, along with his adopted daughter, appeared before the king.
Berendey was amazed at the beauty and chastity of the Snow Maiden, immediately estimating that if she was married off successfully, Yarilo would definitely be satisfied. However, here again the question arose about the suitors. Snow Maiden’s heart is cold, and she doesn’t want to get married. Puzzled Berendey asks for advice from his wife - Elena the Beautiful. The queen, having understood the situation, explained to her husband that only the shepherd Lel could melt the girl’s heart.
Spring Magic Gift
It would seem that the denouement is not far off. But passions only heat up. That's exactly what Ostrovsky intended. Snegurochka (a brief summary of the actions of this fairy tale accurately conveys the libretto to the opera of Rimsky-Korsakov) does not interest Lel. He is very passionate about Kupava, and so much so that he wants to sing his songs only for her. Inviting the Snow Maiden to a night holiday, the shepherd is not at all going to give her his heart to her, alluding to the fact that the girl has not once appreciated his aspirations. She does not understand carnal feelings, and Lel rejects the girl.
Misgir also does not lose time and seeks to win his beloved. But the Snow Maiden is not interested in the wealth of the merchant. An enraged Mizgir tries to take the girl by force, but the magical inhabitants of the forest protect the daughter of old Frost. As Ostrovsky wrote, the Snow Maiden (a very brief summary does not allow to fully reveal all the nuances of the plot) is always under the care of Leshiy.
In desperation, she asks Spring to teach her human love. Mother on the last day of her rule (after all, Yarilo rises in the morning) cannot refuse her daughter. But she still recalled that these feelings of "death are similar." Snegurochka agrees to everything, if only to know love. Spring puts a magic wreath on the girl’s head: the first man the daughter meets will become her chosen one.
The destructive rays of the sun
The Snow Maiden meets Mizgir, to whom she gives her love. The merchant is happy and does not believe in the Snow Maiden's fears about the first rays of the Sun. He solemnly brings the girl to Yarilina Gora, where all the Berendeis have gathered, and the king blesses all the couples who are going to get married.
Unfortunately, Ostrovsky tragically ends the tale. The snow maiden (the summary does not contain all the girl’s experiences) dies with the first rays of the sun. The merchant is so shocked that he rushes right from the mountain into the pool, where he drowns. However, their death did not impress King Berendey. He believes that Yarilo received a great sacrifice, and now their life in the kingdom will improve.