Brothers Tikhon and Kuzma Krasov were from a small village called Durnovka. Once in their youth they conducted small trade together, but then they quarreled and went their separate ways. Kuzma became a hired worker, and Tikhon rented a small inn and opened a shop and a tavern. He bought all the grain from the landowners, acquired land almost for free and succeeded in this matter, amassed quite a decent fortune, even bought the manor’s estate from the impoverished descendant of the former owners.
However, all this did not bring him joy: there was no one to leave what he had acquired, and only dead girls were born into the family.
There was no consolation for him in this dirty, hopeless village life; only in the tavern did Tikhon find an outlet. So he started drinking. When his age approached fifty years, he saw that his life had been lived in vain, there was nothing to remember from the past years, he did not even have a close person, he was a stranger to everyone. Tikhon then decided to make peace with his brother.
Kuzma was a completely different person in character. Since childhood, he dreamed of studying. A neighbor taught him to read and write, an old accordion player, a market “freethinker” regularly supplied him with books, introducing him to disputes about literature. Kuzma wanted to tell people about his life, to portray it in all its poverty and hopeless routine. He even tried to write a story, then took up poetry and published a book of simple verses, but he himself felt that his creations were far from perfect. Writing didn’t bring in any income either, but I had to buy bread for something. For many years Kuzma looked for work, traveled, observed human cruelty and indifference, then he started drinking and almost went downhill when he had the idea of going to a monastery or committing suicide.
It was at this time that Tikhon found him, offering to take over the management of the estate. It seems that Kuzma found a calm place. He settled in Durnovka, guarded the estate at night, walking around with a mallet, read newspapers during the day and made notes in an old office book about everything that happened around him. However, gradually such a life became boring to him: there was no one to talk to, just melancholy. Tikhon was rarely at the estate, all his conversations were only about the farm, about the peasants’ anger and meanness, and about the fact that the estate should be sold. The only living soul in the house was the always silent cook Avdotya, who, during Kuzma’s serious illness, left him to his own devices, going to spend the night in the common room and not showing any sympathy.
The wedding took place according to established tradition: the bride sobbed bitterly, Kuzma blessed her with tears in her eyes, and the guests sang songs and drank vodka. The wedding train was accompanied by an irrepressible February blizzard accompanied by the sad ringing of bells.
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is a famous Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate. In his works, he reflected the impoverishment of the Russian village after the revolutionary events (1905), oblivion and loss of the moral foundations of people's lives. The author was one of the first to grasp what changes were coming in Russia and how they would affect its society.
Bunin depicts the cruel face of the Russian village in his works. “The Village,” the theme of which is “the life and way of life of peasants after the abolition of serfdom,” is a story about the fate of two brothers. Each of them chose their own They were descendants Here is a brief summary.
"Village". Bunin - meeting the Krasov brothers
The story takes place at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The main characters are two brothers, Kuzma and Tikhon, born and raised in the village of Durnovka. Once upon a time they had a common cause - they were engaged in trade. Then a quarrel occurred, and the brothers parted ways. Tikhon rented an inn, opened a shop and a tavern. He bought land and bread from landowners for next to nothing and soon became a fairly wealthy man. Having become rich, the merchant bought a manor estate.
The second brother, Kuzma, went to work for hire. By nature he was very different from his relative. Since childhood, Kuzma has been drawn to literacy and read books. He dreamed of becoming an educated person, he liked to take part in literary disputes. Gramotey dreamed of becoming a great writer and poet. Once he even took up writing and published a simple book of his creations. The product was not in demand. Kuzma did not have money to further develop his writing career. He spent many years in a fruitless search for work. Life wasn't going well, and he started drinking.
Brothers together again
After several years of long separation, Tikhon decided to find his brother. His life also cannot be called happy. Wealth did not bring him joy. The wife was sick and gave birth only to stillborn girls. He had no one to leave his large farm to. He found consolation from the village everyday life in a tavern. Tikhon began to drink slowly. At this time, he looks for his brother and invites him to take over the management of the estate.
At a difficult time for Russia, Bunin wrote his story “The Village”. A brief summary cannot convey the full tragedy of the fate of former peasants who could not find themselves in the new post-revolutionary world.
Kuzma's life in Durnovka
Kuzma accepted Tikhon's invitation and moved to live in Durnovka. During the day he read newspapers and took notes about everything that was happening around him. And at night he walked around with a mallet - guarding the estate. Tikhon appeared rarely now. At first, Kuzma liked such a quiet life.
But soon he was overcome by boredom from the fact that there was no one to even exchange a word with. The only living creature in the house was the cook Avdotya. But she was always silent. And even when Kuzma fell ill, she went to sleep in the common room, leaving him in a helpless state. We are not destined to understand Kuzma’s loneliness and abandonment by reading only a short summary. Bunin’s “Village” shows us a deep image of a sympathetic, but useless person.
Tikhon “cares” about Avdotya’s fate
As soon as Kuzma recovered from his illness, he went to his brother. He received him warmly, but showed no interest in his brother’s life.
The fact is that Tikhon’s thoughts were occupied with the arrangement of the fate of the cook Avdotya. Many years ago, he took possession of her by force, thereby disgracing her in front of the entire village. After this, the girl got married, but her life did not work out. Her husband beat her severely, apparently in retaliation for her shame. When the tyrant died, Tikhon decided to help Avdotya get married again and chose Deniska, a mismanagement and cruel man who beats even his own father, as his groom. Thus, the master hoped to atone for his sin of youth.
Even a brief summary can convey all the uselessness and stupidity of this ridiculous idea. Bunin's "Village" shows us the death of centuries-old moral principles in a post-revolutionary society.
Avdotya's wedding
Kuzma, having heard about his brother’s intentions, tried to dissuade Avdotya from this idea. She herself was in no hurry to get married, but it was inconvenient for her to refuse. After all, Tikhon Ilyich has already incurred expenses. A wedding that no one wanted took place. Kuzma blessed the woman to the crown with tears. Avdotya sobbed bitterly, mourning her unenviable lot. Drunken wedding guests sang and danced. And outside the window the February blizzard howled and raged.
Here's a summary. “Village” by I. A. Bunin was written more than 100 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed in our lives. But they remain the same. Therefore, the story does not lose relevance even today.
Russia. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century.
The Krasov brothers, Tikhon and Kuzma, were born in the small village of Durnovka. In their youth, they were engaged in small trade together, then they quarreled, and their paths diverged. Kuzma went to work for hire. Tikhon rented an inn, opened a tavern and a shop, began buying standing grain from landowners, acquiring land for next to nothing, and, becoming a fairly wealthy owner, even bought a manorial estate from an impoverished descendant of the previous owners. But all this did not bring him joy: his wife gave birth only to dead girls, and there was no one to leave everything he had acquired. Tikhon did not find any consolation in the dark, dirty village life, except the tavern. Started drinking. By the age of fifty, he realized that from the passing years there was nothing to remember, that there was not a single close person and that he himself was a stranger to everyone. Then Tikhon decided to make peace with his brother.
Kuzma was a completely different person by character. Since childhood, he dreamed of studying. A neighbor taught him to read and write, a market “freethinker”, an old accordion player, supplied him with books and introduced him to disputes about literature. Kuzma wanted to describe his life in all its poverty and terrible routine. He tried to compose a story, then began to write poetry and even published a book of simple verses, but he himself understood all the imperfections of his creations. And this business did not bring in income, and a piece of bread was not given for nothing. Many years passed in search of work, often fruitless. Having seen enough of human cruelty and indifference in his travels, he started drinking, began to sink lower and lower and came to the conclusion that he must either go to a monastery or commit suicide.
Here Tikhon found him, and invited his brother to take over the management of the estate. It seemed that a quiet place had been found. Having settled in Durnovka, Kuzma became happier. At night he walked with a mallet - he guarded the estate, during the day he read newspapers and made notes in an old office book about what he saw and heard around him. But gradually melancholy began to overcome him: there was no one to talk to. Tikhon appeared rarely, talking only about the farm, about the meanness and malice of the men and about the need to sell the estate. The cook Avdotya, the only living creature in the house, was always silent, and when Kuzma became seriously ill, leaving him to his own devices, without any sympathy she went to spend the night in the common room.
The wedding took place as usual. The bride wept bitterly, Kuzma blessed her with tears, the guests drank vodka and sang songs. The irrepressible February blizzard accompanied the wedding train to the sad ringing of bells.
Russia. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century.
The Krasov brothers, Tikhon and Kuzma, were born in the small village of Durnovka. In their youth, they were engaged in small trade together, then they quarreled, and their paths diverged. Kuzma went to work for hire. Tikhon rented an inn, opened a tavern and a shop, began buying standing grain from landowners, acquiring land for next to nothing, and, becoming a fairly wealthy owner, even bought a manorial estate from an impoverished descendant of the previous owners. But all this did not bring him joy: his wife gave birth only to dead girls, and there was no one to leave everything he had acquired. Tikhon did not find any consolation in the dark, dirty village life, except the tavern. Started drinking. By the age of fifty, he realized that from the passing years there was nothing to remember, that there was not a single close person and that he himself was a stranger to everyone. Then Tikhon decided to make peace with his brother.
Kuzma was a completely different person by character. Since childhood, he dreamed of studying. A neighbor taught him to read and write, a market “freethinker”, an old accordion player, supplied him with books and introduced him to disputes about literature. Kuzma wanted to describe his life in all its poverty and terrible routine. He tried to compose a story, then began to write poetry and even published a book of simple verses, but he himself understood all the imperfections of his creations. And this business did not bring in income, and a piece of bread was not given for nothing. Many years passed in search of work, often fruitless. Having seen enough of human cruelty and indifference in his travels, he started drinking, began to sink lower and lower and came to the conclusion that he must either go to a monastery or commit suicide.
Here Tikhon found him, and invited his brother to take over the management of the estate. It seems that a quiet month has been found -
Then, having settled in Durnovka, Kuzma became happier. At night he walked with a mallet - he guarded the estate, during the day he read newspapers and made notes in an old office book about what he saw and heard around him. But gradually melancholy began to overcome him: there was no one to talk to. Tikhon appeared rarely, talking only about the farm, about the meanness and malice of the men and about the need to sell the estate. The cook Avdotya, the only living creature in the house, was always silent, and when Kuzma became seriously ill, leaving him to his own devices, without any sympathy she went to spend the night in the common room.
The wedding took place as usual. The bride wept bitterly, Kuzma blessed her with tears, the guests drank vodka and sang songs. The irrepressible February blizzard accompanied the wedding train to the sad ringing of bells.
During his literary career, Ivan Alekseevich Bunin created many exquisite and unique works. His work contains real masterpieces that not only have artistic meaning, but also reflect the unrest of society of that time. Such works include the story “The Village”. It is worth noting that the author worked on this work for a very long time. The “village” cycle of stories was created over ten years - from 1900 to 1910.The main goal that the author set for himself was to reproduce exactly those incidents and events that affected Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Ivan Alekseevich showed the people in all their glory, without softening the nature of what was happening one bit. The work is a kind of psychological analysis, based on village life, which was quite familiar to the author himself.
The action described in the story takes place on the territory of the Russian Empire at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. The main characters of the story are brothers who were born in a village with the discreet name “Durnovka”. Their names are Tikhon and Kuzma, and the surname of the main characters is Krasov.
At a young age, they are actively involved in trading and have excellent attitudes. But, at a certain moment, a quarrel arises between them, and they break off relations, practically ceasing to communicate with each other. Their roads diverge in different directions.
After parting, Tikhon decides to open a tavern and shop. At the same time, he buys land for pennies, and also acquires and sells the landowner’s grain. Of course, such activity brings him wealth and prosperity over time. He has a lot of money and decides to purchase a manor estate. The author notes that success in the financial direction does not bring Tikhon happiness and joy. He got married, but could not have children, since his wife constantly gave birth to still babies. That is why, having reached his fiftieth birthday, he realizes that he has no heirs at all and there is simply no one to continue his activities. He realizes that he has wasted his years of life and, as he approaches old age, he begins to drink heavily.
Kuzma, after a quarrel with his brother, led a completely different life. Even earlier, from his very childhood, he dreamed of getting a decent education. Knowing how to read and write, he begins to try himself in a variety of literature. This leads to the fact that Kuzma not only gets acquainted with the works of various writers, but also begins to write stories and poems. He even managed to publish his own book. After re-reading his publication, he realizes that his work is imperfect. In addition, the books brought in virtually no income. That is why he also becomes disillusioned with his life, and like his brother, he begins to drink heavily. Strange thoughts constantly crept into Kuzma’s head - either he wanted to commit suicide, or he decided to devote the rest of his life to a monastery.
As old age approaches, both brothers realize that they absolutely cannot live without each other. It is precisely such deplorable and unsuccessful life moments that lead them to reconciliation.
Tikhon decides to take Kuzma with him and appoints him as manager of his rich house; his brother willingly agrees to work as manager of the estate.
Upon returning to his native village of Durnovka, where the brothers lived since birth, Kuzma experiences true relief and gladly begins to fulfill his direct duties as a manager. But after some time, Kuzma again becomes bored and sad. Conversations with his brother were rare; this was not enough for him. During the communication between Tikhon and Kuzma, only those issues that were business-oriented were discussed.
The author especially highlights the cook Avdotya, who lived on the estate. She did not pay any attention to Kuzma and this depressed him very much. The silent woman unwittingly made the manager’s life even worse and only increased the feeling of complete loneliness.
At a certain moment, Kuzma accidentally learns a secret that the cook Avdotya had been hiding for a long time. This woman previously had a relationship with his brother due to the fact that Tikhon could not have children from his own wife. But this attempt by Tikhon to acquire offspring was not crowned with success. Avdotya also failed to become pregnant from her owner.
Every person in the village knew about this connection. That is why no one wanted to marry her. Avdotya was disgraced throughout the village.
In order to at least a little atone for his guilt before the cook, Tikhon promises her to find a husband. But it seems that the owner does not really care how the woman will feel in marriage. He seduces a real monster with a good dowry. When Kuzma finds out who exactly Avdotya's husband is planned to be, he refuses to participate in organizing the wedding event.
This man has a very sad character, he regularly beats his father, the old man is constantly beaten. But Avdotya has no other choice, and she agrees with the proposed solution. Kuzma, after a long pause, also agrees with Tikhon’s choice.
The wedding celebration was organized in February. The bride was constantly in tears. Kuzma also could not hold back his tears during the blessing of Avdotya’s bride. The guests invited to the celebration did not pay any attention to the fact that the bride was crying and behaved in the same way as people usually behave at celebrations in the village - they drank strong drinks and had fun freely.
Characteristics of the Krasov brothers
The images of brothers created by the writer have completely different life values. Tikhon is almost completely sure that a person’s main joy is having a large amount of money, which allows him to do whatever his heart desires. Kuzma believes that happiness is a quality education and knowledge of the fundamentals of the universe. The rich brother managed to achieve a lot during his activities - he earned a lot of money, became a very respectable person and respected by many people. The only thing he could not achieve was immortality, which every person receives after the appearance of heirs. After Tikhon's death, there will be nothing left. The memory of this person will simply be erased from his face.
The second brother, Kuzma, also failed to achieve what he wanted during his life. Yes, he received an education, but this scholarship could not bring him wealth, fame, and also deprived him of respect from others.
Both brothers, looking back on the years they have lived, can only observe sad consequences. Both main characters of the plot reached a dead end and turned out to be completely unnecessary - both for themselves and for those around them.
Characteristics of the cook Avdotya
In the work “The Village,” the author pays special attention to the life situation in which the cook Avdotya found herself. She lives in a village and is completely subordinate to the foundations formed in the area. Avdotya was used for his own purposes by the main character, Tikhon. This made her even more unhappy and ruined the woman’s whole life. Krasov understood perfectly well what he was doing, because in any case this woman would have been disgraced. Even if she gave birth, her reputation would be irreparably damaged. But such arguments could not stop a prudent and rich man. When he tried to atone for his mistakes, he ended up doing even worse - adding grief to the girl after the shame she had previously suffered.
The character traits of the heroine and obedience to her master turned Avdotya into a slave, as well as a victim of circumstances. In this case, it was already useless to resist. Adhering to established traditions, the unhappy, downtrodden cook agrees with all decisions made by outsiders. She is ready to perceive trouble in all its manifestations and accepts them as inevitable blows from the fateful horn.
The image of Avdotya is closed from the outside world, she stops communicating, becomes silent and indifferent to everyone around her. She does not know what love and affection are, as she is accustomed to being treated poorly by others.
Even in Kuzma, a guest of the estate, she sees another master, whose will she is obliged to unconditionally carry out. The cook does not notice at all that the main guest of their house himself needs help. And no less than herself.
All the main characters of the story “The Village” are unhappy. This is not a coincidence. Bunin shows that despite different life values, in general the Russian people are deeply unhappy.
