In the story of Korolenko "Children of the Underground" the main character is a nine-year-old boy Vasya. He was only six years old when Vasya's mother died after a serious illness. His father completely forgot about him, completely immersed in his inconsolable grief. The boy grew up like a lonely wild tree in a field - he was not surrounded by anyone's care, but no one fettered his will.

Vasya lived in Knyazh-gorodok, where the miserable remains of the proud master's greatness lived out their days. The city spreads out at the bottom of moldy ponds. Gray fences, wastelands with heaps of rubbish mixed with huts that had sunk into the ground. The wooden bridge groaned and swayed like a decrepit old man. The river, over which the bridge was thrown, flowed out of a pond and flowed into another. There was an island in the middle of one of the ponds. There is an old, dilapidated castle on the island. Vasya always looked with fear at this stately decrepit building. Any poor man could find refuge in the old castle. “Lives in a castle” - this phrase expressed the extreme degree of poverty and decline. But one day the society of the castle was divided. Vasya and his friends watched the expulsion of the tenants. And the unfortunate dark personalities, drooping, left the island forever. Thereafter old lock, from which previously breathed on Vasya with some kind of greatness, lost all his attractiveness in his eyes. Vasya could not forget the cruelty with which the inhabitants of the castle drove their unfortunate roommates who were left homeless, his heart sank. Using the example of the old castle, Vasya first learned the truth that there is only one step from the great to the ridiculous. The great things in the castle were overgrown with ivy, mosses, and the funny seemed disgusting to Vasya.

Sister Sonya was four years old. Vasya loved her, and she paid him with the same love. But a fixed look at Vasya erected a high wall between them. Vasya was bitter and annoyed. And soon he stopped all attempts to engage Sonya with games, and after a while he felt cramped in the house and in the kindergarten, where he did not meet anyone with greetings and affection. Vasya began to wander. It seemed to him that behind the old fence of the garden he would find something and might do something. Towards this unknown and mysterious, in him from the depths of his heart, something rose, teasing and provoking. Since then he was called a street boy and a tramp, but he did not pay attention to it. He listened to comments and acted in his own way. Staggering through the streets, he watched the life of the town. He recognized and saw something that children much older than him did not see.

When the castle lost respect and attractiveness for Vasya, then he began to look at the chapel. Plucking up courage, Vasya looked inside the chapel, and from there he smelled of solemn silence. There he saw a boy of about nine and a girl with blue eyes. Since then, Vasya was completely absorbed in his new acquaintance. Going to bed and getting up, he only thought about visiting the chapel. Marusya, at the sight of a new friend, splashed her little hands, and her eyes lit up with a twinkle, her pale face flashed with a blush, she laughed. She looked like a flower that had grown without the rays of the sun. She reminded Vasya of his mother in last days life.

From Valka Vasya learned that the gray stone sucks life out of her. There was a bitter truth in these words. It was a mystery for Vasya, more terrible than all the ghosts of the old castle. Something unknown was bending over the little head of the girl, sucking out of it the blush, the sparkle of the eyes and the liveliness of movement. Vasya and Valk collected flowers for the girl, colorful pebbles, caught butterflies, told fairy tales or talked to each other. These conversations every day more and more strengthened the friendship of the boys, which grew, despite the sharp opposition of their characters.

Valek showed Vasya his father from a side from which it never occurred to him to look at him. He was pleased to hear his father's praise. Valk's words struck a string of filial pride in Vasya's heart.

Autumn was approaching. Maroussia started to get sick. Everything on the streets that amused and interested Vasya in these people, here in the underground, appeared unadorned and heavily oppressed the child's heart. When these pictures and people arose in Vasya's memory, he saw grief, need, tragedy. Vasya finally settled down with bad society, the sad smile of Marusya became as dear to him as the smile of his sister. Here he was needed, here no one put on the appearance of his depravity. Each of his appearance caused a blush, animation on the girl's cheeks. Valek hugged him like a brother.

Clear days passed, and Marusa was getting worse. Nothing pleased her anymore, and her laughter had not been heard for a long time. Then Vasya decided to turn to his sister Sonia. She had a large doll, a gift from her deceased mother. Vasya had high hopes for this doll. Vasya was not mistaken. The doll did a miracle, but it also delivered a lot of troubling minutes. The owners were looking for the doll. Vasya told Valka his concerns. It was decided to return the doll back. As soon as the boys took the doll out of the hands of the girl lying in oblivion, she suddenly burst into tears. Vasya, frightened, put the doll back in its place. The girl smiled and calmed down. Vasya realized that he wanted to deprive his little friend of the first and last joy of her short life.

Vasya was in for a serious conversation with his father. He summoned him to his office. Vasya heard the disturbing beat of his own heart. Vasya's father's face seemed scary. Father accused Vasya of theft. His father's eyes burned with anger. A barely conscious, insulted feeling of an abandoned child rose in the boy's chest. Bitter tears burned his cheeks. At that moment the voice of Tyburtius was heard. He untied the knot and took out the doll. Amazement appeared on my father's face. They went out. They returned a few minutes later. Vasya felt a hand on his head. It was his father's hand stroking him gently. Vasya raised his eyes to him. Now another person stood in front of Vasya, but it was in this person that he found something familiar, which he had vainly sought in him before. And the father only now began to recognize in Vasya the familiar features of his own son.

It is believed that Korolenko's story recreates the facts of his biography, studying which, one is amazed at the sincerity and genuineness of the author's word. The reader empathizes with the heroes of the work, is imbued with their thoughts and sorrows. The life of the author himself is reflected in the life of the main character Vasya. It is easy to imagine that this was a knowledgeable and impudent person, sincere and intelligent, with the ability to understand people, able to regret and sympathize. Respect for people, the struggle for each person is a fundamental link in the life and work of Korolenko. The heroes of his creations are ordinary Russian people, of which there are many. His works teach not to be shy in front of life's difficulties, to accept life as it is.

The story "Children of the Underground" was written by the Russian writer Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko. The author touched upon the eternal themes of love, friendship and kindness. This work evokes in the reader empathy and sympathy for the young heroes, whose lives are filled with almost nothing but hardships. The book is addressed to adolescents of average school age however, there is a version of the story for children to read. If you do not have a printed edition, then you can read this work online or listen to an audiobook.

The plot of the work "Children of the Underground"

The events take place in a small town in Poland, Knyazhye-Veno, where the boy Vasya and the girl Sonya, the children of a respected judge, live. Their life is measured and calm. But after the death of their mother, family tragedy turns into severe pain for them and the father's dislike for his six-year-old son. The father moves away from his son and is limited to communication with his daughter.

The boy considers himself abandoned and wanders aimlessly around the city, and one day he meets two beggar little vagrants, Valera and Marusya, who are forced to steal and beg to survive. They live in the ruins of an old castle with their father Tiburtius and other beggars. Thus, Vasya finds friends and invites them to play in the garden of his house, but Tiburtius does not approve of such hospitality, because he knows that the boy's father is a respected judge in the city. However, the guys do not betray their friendship and continue to meet.

When it comes to storylines, then several should be highlighted:

• relationships between children from different worlds;
• father and son relationship different worlds;
• relationship of adults.

Heroes of the story

It is believed that V.G.Korolenko's work recreates some facts of the author's biography, studying which you are amazed at the authenticity of the author's word and its sincerity, because reading it, you empathize with all the heroes of the work and deeply immerse yourself in their sorrows and thoughts.

Attention should be paid that in the story "Children of the Underground" there are children-heroes:

• Boy Vasya
• his sister Sonya;
• Valerka.
• his sister Marusya.

You should also highlight the adult heroes:

• Judge (father of Vasya and Sonya);
• Tiburtius Drab (father of Marusya and Valerka).
• Janusz is the leader of the beggars;
• servants in the house of Vasya and Sonya's father

In the image of the boy Vasya, the author embodied himself, described his feelings and sensations from the world as he perceived it in childhood. This hero has the ability to understand people well and the ability to feel sorry for and empathize with those who are in trouble.

His father is a just and honest man who, despite his respected office as a judge, can despair and worry just like others. However, one cannot fail to note the wisdom of the father of Marusya and Valerka, Tiburtius, who was forced to become homeless and beggar with his children.

V.G.Korolenko united two worlds and two families, and revealed the characters of the heroes with better side... In each of these heroes, he demonstrated such traits as understanding, empathy, nobility and the ability to help others.

The heroes of the story teach us not to be shy in the face of life's difficulties and to accept life with all its delights and disappointments. In addition, V. G. Korolenko, using their example, calls on the reader to understand the bitter lot of his neighbor, not forgetting about sympathy, mutual assistance and respect for people, regardless of their status and position.

"Children of the Dungeon" is a teen story that teaches any reader to be human and not shy away from other people's grief, despite existing social prejudices. It sinks into the very heart and invisibly changes the formed worldview of every person, including the child.

Chapter 1

It takes place in the Polish town of Knyazhye-Veno. This place is unusual, it is surrounded by ponds, on which one of them stands an island, and on the island there is an abandoned castle in which poor people live.

Among such disagreeable personalities were the well-educated Tiburtius and his children: a seven-year-old boy Valerka and a three-year-old girl Marusya. The "exiles" were forced to find a new shelter and settled in the dungeon of the castle, which was located next to the old chapel.

Chapter 2

Six-year-old Vasya, the judge's son, after the death of his mother, due to the fact that he considers himself useless to anyone, becomes a vagabond, because a respected person and widower does not pay due attention to his son, because he himself cannot survive the loss of his wife. And if he finds a moment to talk with his daughter Sonya, then the boy really remains abandoned in this tragedy.

Vasya is a child with a fine mental organization. He is seriously experiencing the cooling of his father towards him and therefore begins to wander. His image in the work conveys the boy's misfortune with all his healthy morality and sensitivity. He, by chance, fell from a prosperous life into a beggar. I got there as a guest, but I tried to understand and sincerely sympathized with those who ended up in that world. On the one hand, he lives surrounded by servants and does not know what it means to starve, and on the other, he is a child of the streets, abandoned by his father without attention and experiencing the horror of loneliness.

Chapter 3

Vasya meets Valerka and Marusya from the dungeon when he explores the old chapel and is interested in the adjacent cemetery. From them, Vasya learns that the children of the chapel are "exiles" who were evicted from the castle. The boy promises what will come to your new acquaintances as often as possible and bring them food. Valerka, as if reluctantly, allows him to do good deeds and bypasses questions about his home with "noble silence."

Chapter 4

Vasya visits the children, brings them "goodies", which little Marusya is especially happy about; they play and reveal terrible secret castle. During one of his visits, Vasya discovers the girl's abnormal thinness, her unsteady gait, and learns from Valerka that Marusya is sick. But what exactly is unclear, Vasya understands only one thing - life draws out of it a dungeon and "gray stones" among which his friends live.

Chapter 5

Valera decides to show Vasya his and Marusya's dwelling place and they all go down into the dungeon together. But this does not frighten the boy so much, somehow, as he learns about in the future: all the beggars in this dungeon, including his friends, live by stealing. The main character develops an internal moral conflict and deep down he cannot accept this.

We can say that the obvious truth of what is happening for a nine-year-old boy from a good intelligent family turned out to be a difficult obstacle in understanding that his closest friend is a thief. Therefore, even after Valerka escorts him to their place of stay, Vasya avoids and cannot play with the guys as before. Their interesting amusements instantly cease, Vasya returns home early, goes to bed and falls asleep all in tears.

Chapter 6

The loyal friendship continued. Vasya gets to know the father of his friends - Tiburtius Drab, because as the guys did not try, they could not hide the meetings of the little tramps and the son of the city judge for a long time, and one day Tiburtius discovers a stranger in his home, but, to Vasya's surprise, he shows unexpected nobility when meeting him. Truth, he sees the hospitality of the owner only then when he has no doubt that the boy has not told anyone about the secret hideout of the beggars.

Tibucius always had a high opinion of Vasya's father and said that he was perhaps the only person in refereeing who has a heart. But despite this attitude towards him, he still checks the boy "for lice", and he withstands the test with honor and dignity.

Chapter 7

Autumn is coming. The weather is getting worse, but Vasya does not stop visiting his friends. The illness of five-year-old Marusya passes into a critical phase. And at the moment when Vasya expresses a desire to be close to his friends during the period of the girl's serious illness and help them in every possible way, his father learns from the leader of the "aristocrats" Janusz, who is also begging in the ruins of the castle, that Vasya goes underground.

His father, of course, does not believe a vagabond and a beggar, but visits to "bad society" become dangerous for the boy. Vasya is very worried and cannot watch without tears as the girl slowly disappears from life, to which he has become very attached and began to consider him his sister.

Because of the obstacles that have arisen to his visit to the sick Marusa and the completely broken Valerka, Vasya decides to tell about the gossip and betrayal of the old man Janusz to Tiburtius Drabu. He replies that this is bad, for although the judge is a good person, he will not go against the law.

Chapter 8

This chapter describes the ending of the story. Marusa is getting worse. Vasya brings his toys to the dungeon in order to somehow distract the girl from her illness. But this method has little effect on her condition, and then he comes up with another way to help: the boy turns to his sister Sonia for help and asks her for a luxurious doll - the memory of their deceased mother. Sonya does not want to give her away, but Vasya nevertheless persuades her sister and runs to Marusa with a gorgeous girlish gift.

Marusa really liked the doll... She became a kind of "living water" for her. The girl not only got out of bed, but also began to walk. However, this did not last long, because after a while she fell ill again.

Because of the doll, Vasya faces problems that arise at home, but Sonya is not to blame for this; The servants suspected something was wrong, and the father began to be very worried about the loss of a gift from his beloved wife.

Vasya falls under House arrest, which ends with a biased interrogation of his father, but does not betray the mystery of the doll's disappearance and does not confess about his friends.

The father squeezes his son's shoulder more and more, gets angry and hurts his son, but not out of malice, but only because he cannot cope with his inner anger. And in the midst of a tense conflict between the judge and his son, Tiburtius is calling Vasu from the street... He meets the boy's father and tells the whole story of the friendship between Vasya and his children, returns the doll and invites Vasya to say goodbye to Marusya. “Come to us to say goodbye to my girl. Father will let you go. She died, ”says Tiburtius.

This moment reaches the limit of the tragedy of this work. The author describes the farewell ceremony, as well as how the vagrants leave the dungeon, the abandoned chapel collapses, and a grave remains in the cemetery that was next to it, to which Vasya, Sonya and their father often come.

Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko

"Children of the Underground"

“My mother died when I was six years old” - this is how the hero of the story, the boy Vasya, begins the story. His father-judge grieved for his wife, paying attention only to his daughter Sonya, since she was like her mother. And the son “grew up like a wild tree in the field”, left to himself, without love and care.

The town of Knyazh-Gorodok, where Vasya lives - "the stench, the dirt, heaps of children crawling in the street dust" - surrounded by ponds. On one of them there was an island, on the island - an old castle, the terror of which "reigned over the whole city."

Beggars and other "dark personalities" lived in the ruins of the castle. There were strife between them and some of the "unfortunate roommates" were expelled from the castle. They were left homeless and Vasya's heart "sank" from pity for them.

The leader of the outcasts was Tyburtius Drab, who has a terrible monkey appearance. In his eyes "shone a sharp insight and intelligence", and the past "was covered with a darkness of obscurity."

With him, two children were occasionally seen: a seven-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.

Once Vasya and his friends climb into the chapel on the mountain near the castle. The friends were frightened by the "devils" in the darkness of the chapel and fled, leaving him alone. So Vasya meets Valek and little Marusya. They became friends. Later Vasya finds himself in a dungeon, where “two streams of light ... poured from above ... stone slabs the floor ... the walls were also made of stone ... they were completely drowned in darkness. " His new friends live here.

Vasya began to visit children from a "bad society" often. Marusya was the same age as his sister, but she looked sickly: thin, pale, sad. Her favorite game was to sort out flowers. Valek said that "the gray stone sucked the life out of her."

Vasya is tormented by doubts about his father's love, but Valek replied that Vasya's father is a very fair judge - he was not even afraid to condemn the rich count. Vasya thinks about it and begins to look at his father differently.

Tyburtsiy learns about Vasya's friendship with Valek and Marusya - he is angry, but allows the judge's son to walk into the dungeon, because his children are happy with the boy. Vasya understands that often the dungeon lives off the theft, but with contempt for his hungry friends, his "affection has not disappeared." He felt sorry for the sick, always hungry Marusya. He carries toys to her.

In the fall, the girl wastes away from the disease. Vasya tells his sister about the sick unhappy Marusa, persuades him to give her the best doll, presented by the deceased mother, for a while. And “the little doll did almost a miracle” - Marusya became more cheerful and began to walk.

Homes discover that the toy is missing. The father forbids the boy to leave the house. Vasya and Valek decide to return the doll, but when the boys took it away, Marusya "opened her eyes ... and cried quietly ... plaintively." Vasya understands that he wanted to deprive his "little friend of the first and last joy of the joy of her short life" and leaves the doll.

Father interrogates Vasily in the office, forcing him to confess to theft.

His face was terrible with anger: "You stole it and took it down! .. Who did you take it to? .. Speak!"

The boy confesses that he took the doll, but says nothing more. Tears dripped from his eyes, but inside "burning love rose up" for those who warmed him in the old chapel.

Suddenly Tyburtiy appears, gives the doll and tells the judge everything. The father understands that his son is not a thief, but a kind and sympathetic person. He asks Vasya to forgive him. Tyburtsiy reports that Marusya has died and the father lets Vasya go to say goodbye to the girl. He gives him money for the poor.

After these events Tyburtsiy and Valek “suddenly disappeared” from the city, like all “dark personalities”.

Every spring, Vasya and Sonya carried flowers to Marusya's grave - here they read, thought, shared their youthful thoughts and plans. And, leaving the city forever, "they pronounced their vows over a small grave."

In the story, Vasya's story begins with the fact that he informs about the death of his mother. Then he was only six years old. His father was an excellent judge who for a long time grieved for his wife. He spent most of his time with his only daughter, who looked so much like her mother. He practically did not remember his son.

Vasya lives in the town of Knyazh-Gorodok, around which there were ponds. On one of them there was an island where the old castle was located. Rather, the castle looked like ruins where beggars lived. Quite often, disputes and scandals took place between them, so some "roommates" were expelled from the so-called castle.

The head of this company was the rather unsympathetic Tyburtsiy Drab. Wherever he was, they always saw a seven-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl next to him. Once Vasya and his friends went to the chapel. So he meets these two children: Valek and Marusya. For the first time Vasya finds himself in their underground house.

Vasya visited them quite often, Marusya was for years, like his sister, but she looked very sickly. She loved to pick flowers. Vasya began to notice that his father did not like him, but Valek insisted that he was just and honest to him. After all, he did not shy away and condemned the rich count. Now Vasya has a different opinion about his father.

Tyburtius learns about their friendship. Of course, he is not happy with this, but he allows Vasya to come to the dungeon. He brings the weak and sick Marusa toys. In the fall, the girl fell ill, and he brings her a doll that belonged to his sister. Soon, the girl is recovering.

D children of the dungeon "(1886) - from among read books... This is quite understandable: the story has a hero who is close to the reader in age. In any case, he is perceived as such. In fact, Vasya is only seven years old. The presence of a peer hero for 10-11-year-olds is an essential criterion for the value of a work of art as a whole.

The story has a dramatic plot with elements of mystery. It keeps the reader in suspense, which reaches its climax by the end and pours into their tears. Why do babies cry? “I'm sorry for Marusya” is a typical answer. But tears as a reaction to what you read happen only when the story is read before studying it in class - in one sitting. Reading, stretched out in time, as often happens in school, kills the reader's emotions. cannot but affect the level of perception of the story.

The interest of adolescents in the work is usually limited to the heroes of the children and the events that they are experiencing. It is on them that attention should be concentrated in an analytical conversation, leaving aside other problems and other heroes, for example, "problematic
ical figures ”. This was done in the journal "Rodnik" when they adapted the story "In a Bad Society" for reading for children. In this work, "problematic natures" are the main object of artistic research and the writer's sympathy. half of the XIX century. In "Children of the Underground" "problematic natures" (Tyburtius, professor) are manifested only to the extent that they relate to the hero-children.

Let's start the conversation about the story with questions “for memory.” Do not reject them, qualifying them as primitive. They are necessary even in working with high school students, and with younger adolescents you simply cannot do without them. Why? At the age of 10-11, thinking remains still concrete, albeit with elements of the abstract. And this means that adolescents' interest in details, including artistic ones, is psychologically conditioned. They remember well all plot twists, pictures, events, characters, all sorts of details and retell them with pleasure , receiving emotional and aesthetic pleasure. Remembering the text, readers get the opportunity to re-experience what they read. They like it. But the conversation should not be limited to retelling the text. Retelling is also the factual basis for analyzing the work.

From these positions, we will try to build a conversation based on the story "Children of the Underground".

Who is the storyteller?

To draw readers' attention to the narrator's image, ask them:

Through whose eyes did we see the heroes and events in the story?

There is no definite indication of age in the text. But at the same time we read: "My mother died when I was six years old," "from the age of six I already experienced the horror of loneliness." From these indirect remarks, it turns out that Vasya is in his seventh year. Is it a lot or a little - seven years? How to look, but the majority of teenage readers are sure that "seven years" is still not enough. You can return to this question later, but for now the next one: "Is it only the child's voice of the boy Vasya that we hear when we read the story?" No, there is another voice throughout the story. Even an ordinary reader's ear is able to determine its belonging to an adult. For persuasiveness, let's read (now aloud) the very beginning of the story and turn Special attention for the tense in which the verbs are used. It is easy to see that this is the past tense - “when I was six years old”, “no one surrounded me”, “the place where we lived”, “the ponds were shallow from year to year”, “there were legends and stories about it (the castle) the other is worse. ”The past tense is especially emphasized by the verb“ happened ”-“ used to, I liked to come to the island ”,“ I loved to listen when Janusz happened… ”Who is he, this adult who tells the story in the past tense? Readers understand that this is the main character himself, recalling the years when he was still a little boy Vasya.

But the narrator not only remembers childhood and everything connected with it. Experiencing again the events of childhood, he also analyzes them, but from the position of himself today. To illustrate what has been said, it is enough to read a few paragraphs of the text, for example, from the chapter "Ruins", from the words "lives in a castle ..." ), intonation - everything betrays an adult.

Thus, the narrator is in two time dimensions: he is a child and he is an adult. The form of the story determines the artistic originality of the work. Two-voicedness creates a special atmosphere in which sincerity and purity coming from a child are combined with wisdom, the experience of an adult who has seen and lived a lot. And yet, thanks to his two-voiced voice, the reader not only sees and hears what the hero experienced in childhood, but also knows how it responded in his future life.

A stranger in his own family

How did Vasya remember himself in childhood? It is worth drawing the attention of readers to the comparisons that the hero uses when talking about himself. Recalling his childhood years, when he was just Vasya, the narrator will notice that he “grew up like a wild tree in the field”, like a “young wolf cub”, like a “shy animal.” Is there anything in common in those epithets and comparisons that are used in Yes, diminutive words are used that emphasize the age of the hero - it is clear that he is still quite small. so in so early age? The question prompts you to take a closer look at the atmosphere that reigned in his family. After the death of his mother, his home was almost alien to him. The father, consumed with grief, “completely forgot about my existence”, “turned away from me with annoyance and pain”. And when he noticed, he thought, “that I am a bad, spoiled boy, with a callous egoistic heart.” Maybe someone else in the house found Vasya's attention and interest in himself? No, there were no such people next to him. He does not show them. Later, the hero will say with bitterness that in his home he "did not meet anyone with greetings and affection." Moreover, the four-year-old sister Sonya, who loved her brother, tried in every possible way to protect her from his “bad” influence. But did Vasya have a need for participation from his family? , but did not receive them: "I wanted him (father) to hug me, put me on his lap and caress me." The neglect of those close to him "became very bitter and annoying," he even cried. The tension of the emotional state of the hero during this period of his life is expressed by the words: "... from the age of six I experienced the horror of loneliness." These words contain the drama of a child's life. Was it only with tears and worries that Vasya reacted to the “cold” in his home? His reaction to the attitude of his loved ones was most fully expressed in Vasya’s leaving home. The author convincingly shows the logic and psychological regularity of this step of the hero.

So, Vasya became free - “no one hindered my freedom.” But it was a forced freedom. In fact, the boy was betrayed. And above all, the father, who believed strangers, as if his son was a “vagabond” and a “worthless boy.” The boy hoped for the love of his father, longed for it, but did not receive it.

Street as a school of life

It was no coincidence that Korolenko chose a child as the main character, and even lonely, that is, free from adult influence. The little person's stock of impressions is minimal. It's all for him for the first time. But not only psychological reasons determined Vasya's discoveries, but also social reasons. A boy from a wealthy family - he has not yet had to face life seriously. Therefore, he almost continuously makes his personal discoveries, learning about life and its laws. In the process of this cognition, Vasya matures spiritually, growing into a personality.

To make the hero's spiritual evolution look convincing, the writer guides him through a chain of events that force the boy to make choices and make decisions. What are these events? The first dramatic and turning point in his life was the death of his mother. She is taken out of the plot. Readers see only the consequences of this family grief in Vasya's life - he became a stranger in his own home and went out into the street. Going outside is the second milestone in his life. Is it possible to explain why it was on the street that Vasya developed the feeling “that somewhere out there, in this big and unknown light, behind the old fence of the garden, I’ll find something; it seemed that I had to do something and could something to do, but I did not know what exactly. ”As you can see, the author does not give a direct answer to the question, but he guesses from some details of the text. “my eyes opened wide”, “I stopped”, “I recognized and saw”.

The little boy was thrown out into the street by the force of circumstances and did not drown in it only because he did not give up, showed character (“did his own thing”), saved a burning curiosity. The author deliberately “abuses” personal pronouns and verbs in a small space of the text. They emphasize Vasya's spiritual activity, which was defined as the goal of life.

Here it is appropriate to once again draw the attention of students to the fact that our hero is still a child, but he is already thinking about the meaning of life. And again the question arises: "Is it too early? What does the author think about this?"

Vasin's discovery

What did Vasya see when he went out into the street? First of all, the town of Knyazh-Gorodok, the main architectural decoration of which was a prison. The picture of the city and its surroundings was complemented by “sleepy”, “moldy ponds”, “wastelands with heaps of all rubbish”, “wooden bridge”, “stench, mud, heaps of children”, “cemetery”, “dilapidated castle”, “abandoned chapel”. Are the pictures of the city limited only to descriptions of its natural and architectural sights? Of course no. There are also so-called “problematic figures” in the city. Who are they? These are “unfortunate dark personalities, red-nosed elders”, “ugly old women”, “a half-mad old beggar who was called a professor”, and Pan Tyburtsiy Drab, who stands out among this dark mass ... So, in human society, as in the urban landscape, there is not a single figure pleasing to the eye. It is noteworthy that the pictures of a musty, mossy life open the story, anticipating the main events and thereby setting the reader to a certain perception of them.

And what about Vasya? How he perceives gloomy pictures and figures hometown? Quite normal. The old ruined castle attracted him especially. Vasya saw him in a romantic halo. It seemed to him that the castle emanated "some vague grandeur." He "loved to come to the island and although from afar admire its old walls." The inhabitants of the castle were also interesting to him, he even looked at them with some respect. "I loved to listen when ... Janusz began to talk about the glorious past of the deceased building."

The word "loved" dominates in Vasya's impressions, although it is not very much combined with the object of this love - the ruins of a castle and dark personalities in rags. The boy saw and heard only what he wanted to see and hear. With his imagination he adorned the unsightly reality. But Vasya's romantic ideas were not destined to live long.

The "aristocratic coup" in the castle was the next turning point in Vasya's life. He was forced to define his likes and dislikes. As a result of the coup, only servants or descendants of servants of the count's family remained in the castle. The rest were ruthlessly driven out into the street, depriving this miserable housing.

How did Vasya react to the "coup"? The castle lost "all its attractiveness" in his eyes. The castle became "disgusting" to him.

Vasya's knowledge of life goes both in breadth and in depth. Going out into the street, he not only accumulates new impressions, he also passes them through his heart. So, experiencing a coup in the castle, he will say: “My heart sank at the recollection of the exiled.” A little later we read again: “Image after image, impression after impression fell on my soul with bright spots”.

So gradually, under the influence of the life that was passing by, the boy's childish enthusiasm gave way to a downright heartache.

The meeting with the children of the dungeon also became a significant event in the boy's life and brought him new discoveries on the way of learning about life. How natural was this meeting? What prompted Vasya to go to the chapel? First of all, natural curiosity and thirst for new experiences. Vasya himself will say: “When all the corners of the city became known to me until the last dirty nooks and crannies, then I began to look at the chapel that could be seen in the distance, on the mountain.” Vasya only wanted to inspect the chapel, but faced a completely new and unknown world.

But the author does not immediately introduce the hero, and with him the reader, into this world. He considers it necessary to first emotionally prepare both the hero and the reader to enter it. How it's done? By whipping up dark colors, sounds, sensations.

When does Vasya and his friends go on an "excursion" to the chapel? "After lunch." Then the time is, as it were, clarified - “the sun was beginning to lean towards sunset.” Why does the author emphasize the time so persistently? The fact is that at sunset, in the evening, everything looks different than during the day. fear. The boys do not admit that they are scared, but they are given some remarks: "There is no one, - said one of my companions."

The constant mention of the time creates a feeling of emotional discomfort. It is compounded by the description of the path to the chapel. What was most striking when the boys walked towards their goal? An abandoned cemetery, “white decayed bones”, “wooden coffin”, “a human skull bared its teeth”, “lopsided crosses”. Why does Korolenko accumulate these eerie details in a small space of text? Because they create a picture of a dead abandoned world. People have not visited the cemetery for a long time. This world, seen at the end of the day, when all the shadows, colors, sounds are shifting, evokes not so much surprise as a feeling of fear and horror. But that's not all.

Let's turn the children's attention to the chapel. Korolenko describes it in detail: “old, tattered walls”, “collapsed choirs, old decayed columns”, “corners were woven with cobwebs.” There is not a single living and light paint in this picture. Only the seal of a bygone life is clearly visible on it. the appearance of the chapel corresponds to its "interior decoration". In the corners there was “special darkness”, “in the dark corners of the chapel”, an owl “flew out of a dark corner”, “a dark object next to the throne”, “a dark subject of our dispute.” The epithet “dark” dominates in the description. Why does Korolenko use it so widely? The fact is that dark color often causes negative associations, frightens. Fear reaches its climax when “a dark object on the floor stirred.” “I was in the next world”, “I was exactly in a coffin” - this is how Vasya will express his feelings at this moment.

Accumulating dark colors, gloomy details, the author attunes the reader to the perception of the main event - a meeting with the children of the dungeon. The meeting became the logical conclusion of the previous impressions of the heroes. Not only did the children live in the cemetery, they also had a dungeon as a dwelling. Repeating the word "underground" many times, the author kind of "drives" it into the mind of the reader. The image is enriched, becomes visible thanks to expressive details: “stone floor slabs”, “stone arcs of columns”, walls “stood out as cruel cold stones.” Even the figure of the professor “looked like a stone statue”, and stone walls closed in "strong hugs over a tiny figure of a girl." At some point, Vasya even thought that here, in the dungeon, he felt "an invisible stone gaze" on him. And again we see - the writer “abuses” one epithet, in this case “stone”, as well as those close to him in meaning - “cold”, “cruel”. Taken together, they create the feeling of a dead world in which there is no place for the living. But people live in this world, including children - Valek and Marusya.

The most important discovery

Valek and Marusya. How did Vasya see and recognize them?

Valek - "a boy of about nine ... thin and thin as a reed. He was dressed in a dirty shirt, he kept his hands in his pockets ... pants. Dark curly hair was shaggy over black pensive eyes." In the first chapter, when Valek was only mentioned, it was said: "A boy of about seven years." Why is there such a difference in the designation of age? Maybe because at first Vasya sees Valek from the sidelines, somewhat detached, that's why he seemed small to him. In the chapel, he saw Valek up close. Moreover, they almost grappled. In this situation, Vasya had to assess the strength of the enemy, and he assessed them - “more than me.” What detail in Valek's portrait characterization especially attracted Vasya's attention? Vasya immediately noticed that Valek's eyes were “pensive”. And he also noticed that Valek "said sadly," "grinned with the usual sad look." Valek's sad mood plunges Vasya, and with him the reader, into an atmosphere of some hopeless sadness and anxiety, though not yet fully realized. This feeling is exacerbated by the presence of Marusya. The author gives the reader the opportunity to see it. She has a “dirty face”, “blond head”, “unsteady steps”, “the head swayed on a thin neck like the head of a field bell”, Marusya walked, “reeling like a blade of grass.” Diminutive words prevail in the description of Marusya. emphasize the age of Marusya, but not only. Diminutive words, comparison with a bell, a blade of grass create a feeling of insecurity of this girl. She evokes a feeling of pity.

Is the first impression of Marus and Valek confirmed in the future? Yes, it is confirmed and strengthened by facts from their lives. Which of these facts became a discovery for Vasya? On the very first day of their acquaintance, Vasya is surprised to learn that Valek and Marusya are not at home. "I could not imagine that children could live without a home," he will say. After a while, the news again - Valek confesses that he stole a roll for hungry Marusya in the bazaar. "So you stole it? .." - will try to clarify Vasya. He knew that “it is not good to steal”, but he didn’t know “what hunger is…” The whole way of life of Valek and Marusya is a discovery for Vasya. So, he did not even suspect that his new friends were beggars: "" Are you beggars? " I asked in a low voice. "

Having entered the life of Valek and Marusya, watching them, Vasya involuntarily begins to compare Marusya with her sister Sonya. What prompted Vasya to make such a comparison? Girls at the same age. And this is the only thing that united them. Otherwise, they were very different. Vasya sees the differences in their appearance: “Sonya ... is round like a donut and elastic like a ball. She ran so briskly ... she laughed so loudly, she always had such beautiful dresses.” And Marusya never ran and “laughed very rarely ”,“ her dress was dirty and old, there were no ribbons in her braid. ”And her“ eyes sometimes looked so not childishly sad ”.

Vasya not only observes and records, he also wants to understand what is happening to Marusya, and therefore asks Valek: "Why is she like this?" “The gray stone sucked the life out of her,” Valek explains. But Vasya still did not understand anything. “It was for me,” he will say, “a mystery, more terrible than all the ghosts of the old castle.” Why did he say that? How to understand the boy's words? Vasya lived in a different world and in a different circle of concepts, ideas, therefore to realize how a gray stone can suck life This misunderstanding is understandable psychologically: small children are literalists by nature, therefore true meaning they don't understand metaphors. And everything incomprehensible often causes fear. What happened to Vasya.

How did Vasya react to the discoveries he made in the chapel? Did they touch his feelings? Certainly. Faced with the unpleasant and inexplicable, Vasya suffers. “I could not play with my friends on that day, still serenely,” he will say. And at night he “cried bitterly”, and the feeling of “heartache” for his friends never left him. Could you expect something like that from Vasya manifestations of feelings for the children of the dungeon? Yes, because such a reaction is psychologically explainable - children live with feelings. Vasya is one of them. A heartfelt reaction to what is happening around is in his spirit. Let's remember how he worried about the beggars who were expelled from the castle having deprived even this wretched shelter. Then he also confessed that "at the recollection of dark personalities who were left homeless ... the heart sank." Deprived of his father's attention and affection, he felt sorry for him too - "my heart burned with pity and sympathy for my father."

And why did Vasya not leave his new friends when he found out that Valek was stealing, and Tyburtsy too? After all, he had long known that “contempt is combined with theft.” The answer is given in the story in plain text. Vasya found in the dungeon what he needed - attention to himself, and he could not refuse what he had acquired. : "Here no one always put me on the look of my depravity." “There is some kind of burning love in my chest for those who warmed me there, in the old chapel.” But there was another reason for Vasya's affection for Valek and Marusa. He not only needed attention himself, but also longed to feel needed - "I was needed here."

Did the feeling of compassion and pity that Vasya felt towards Valek and Marusa affect his behavior? Of course, Vasya is changing. In him, qualities that were unknown to him begin to appear, he discovers himself. So, noticing that Marusya cannot run fast in games, he “tempered his agility.” And when he did not want to go down into a dark dungeon, he won unpleasant sensation and went there together ”with Valek and Marusya. Vasya tries to help his friends as much as possible. In his pockets there are always apples and “saved treats.” It is “saved” that means that Vasya never forgot about his friends.

He was faithful to them from the first meeting to the end. Vasya immediately, perhaps even unexpectedly for himself, determined his attitude towards Valek and Marusa. "And you won't talk about what you were with us?" - Valek asked after Vasya's first visit to them. "" I won't tell anyone, "I said firmly." And a little later again: ““ I will always go to you, ”I replied resolutely.” Why does the author pay attention to the form of Vasya's answer? pronounces.

Is there any evidence in the story of Vasya's faithfulness to his word? A kind of test of loyalty for Vasya was his explanation with his father because of the doll that he begged from his sister for the sick Marusya. How does Korolenko describe Vasya's condition on the eve of the conversation with his father? “My heart was heavy”, “I was tormented by a heavy foreboding”, “I heard the disturbing beat of my own heart.” Entering his father, Vasya “timidly stopped,” “I shuddered,” “I shrank all over.” The boy's tense emotional state is aggravated and emphasized by the state of nature - outside the window was shining “a sad autumn sun.” Why does Korolenko dwell on Vasya's state of mind in such detail? It is important for him to show how difficult it was for the boy. were these feelings justified? The boy's forebodings did not deceive. They even intensified at the mere sight of his father. His "face ... it seemed to me scary", he had a "heavy, motionless, oppressive look", "the father sighed heavily again", " put a heavy hand on his shoulder. ”Why does the author use the epithet“ heavy ”so persistently? Repeated several times, it creates an atmosphere of heaviness and psychological discomfort. The father's mood and condition exacerbate the son's anxious feelings. Therefore, Vasya's unwillingness to answer his father's question "Where is the doll?" in this atmosphere it looks understandable and logical. Between father and son is an abyss. It is not father and son who are talking, but the judge with the defendant. The only thing that Vasya can put up in his defense is stubbornness. To all his father's questions he answered: "No, not I will ... I will never tell you. Never!" In this critical situation, Vasya's character was fully manifested. He did not want to ease his position by betrayal. This scene showed what he, Vasya, is worth. It turns out that age does not determine a person's actions or behavior (remember, Vasya is only seven years old), but something else. This "something" is the moral potential of a person, the level of his spiritual maturity.

Having met the children of the dungeon, Vasya not only got to know himself better, but also his father, whom, as it turned out, he did not know. Offended by his father's inattention, Vasya in a conversation with Valek will say: “He is not good.” And in response he will hear: “Not true, not true,” Valek objected, “you don’t understand. Tyburtius knows better. He says that the judge is the most best person in the town". It was pleasant to learn this about father Vasya, although the resentment towards him still remained. “This is what he is,” I thought. “But still, he doesn't love me.” Later, Vasya will hear from Tyburtsiy himself: “Your father, little one, is the best of all judges in the world.” And then it is Tyburtsiy who will turn out to be the person who will return the son to the father and the father to the son. With his arrival, he defused their explanation about the disappeared doll: “There was another person in front of me, but in this particular person I found something dear, which I had carefully looked for in him before.” This is Vasya about his father, who, too, “only now began to recognize I have the familiar features of my own son. " The words "found" and "recognize" are key words for father and son, who, thanks to a stranger, and even from another world, found each other.

From Tyburtsiy Vasya also learns that people in this world are divided. "I am a beggar, and he is a beggar. I ... steal, and he will steal. And your father judges me - well, and you will judge me someday ... here is him." and he recoiled. For him she sounded with primordial force, and the reaction was adequate: "I will not judge Valek," I objected gloomily. - Not true!" In children's "untruth" - rejection of the adult, incomprehensible world.

The world is full of contradictions. Vasya has to be convinced of this more than once. He knew for a long time that "it is not good to steal", but at the same time he sees that those who steal do not have to bad people... So the stealing Valek became like a brother to him, and to a pain in his heart he felt sorry for Marusya - "Marusya's smile became almost as dear to me as my sister's smile." And even Tyburtsy was no longer scary - "he looked at the three of us with some strange eyes in which something flickered like a tear. " Someone else's bad world suddenly became his own.

And one more paradox - old Janusz told Vasya more than once that he was “the son of such respectable parents” in “a bad society”. And what? Did Vasya do anything wrong while communicating with the children of the dungeon? Definitely not. On the contrary, he showed good qualities, which he himself did not suspect.

Concluding our conversation on the book, we ask our readers what they think - is there a future for those who find themselves in a “bad society?” Of course, they have no future. They live in a cemetery, and the author specifies that they are "abandoned." It turns out that they live in the world of the dead - far from people. In addition, they live in a dungeon - literally and figuratively. The words "cemetery" and "underground" are dominant in the story. They are a symbol of the one who is gone and the one who is leaving. There is one more detail - the underground under the chapel. Why? It turns out that its inhabitants are only in the power of God? Where are the people? Are there those who could help them get out of the hole in the city of the dead? No, there are none. Although everyone in the city knew about the existence and habitat of the beggars, no one wanted to help them. People didn't care about those who went beyond. They were seen only as a source of potential dangers. They looked at them with “hostile anxiety.” Ever since the time of the coup in the castle, the city knew that people who were hungry and cold were wandering on its streets in the rainy darkness of a rainy night, realizing that cruel feelings should be born in the hearts of these people, the city was on guard and to meet these feelings he sent his threats ”, the city did not recognize them. It is worth paying attention to the fact that there are no specific images of the townspeople in the story, there is a "city" - a kind of huge, faceless, indifferent and hostile mass.

No soul but little boy, did not express sympathy for these offended (fate, society) people. The sympathy of Vasya's father, that is, a representative of the authorities, is only hinted at. There is no one to get its inhabitants out of the dungeon. Why is only a child shown in the role of a sympathizer? Probably to show how small the forces compassionate to those who are at the bottom. This means that the probability of their exit from the pit is negligible - there is no one to hope for. They themselves cannot get out of there. Even the strongest of them - Tyburtsiy - is only able to utter speeches and amuse the peasants.

But by making the child the only compassionate person, Korolenko probably had another goal in mind. With the help of the child, thanks to the child, he showed the human viability of the people of the underground, and especially the children. Vasya, who lives with his heart, has become a kind of moral criterion for the inhabitants of the dungeon. Chekhov, the great contemporary of Korolenko, also spoke about children as a kind of indicator showing the true value of human society. During his trip to Sakhalin, he noticed that children were drawn to some convicts. And this, according to Chekhov, meant that they were not yet completely lost people. The blind eye of an adult sees much less than the sensitive heart of a child.

So, Vasya is the only one who actively empathizes with the rejected, but he is not able to change their life for the better. Korolenko did not show the strength that is capable of doing this.

The hopelessness of the fate of the inhabitants of the dungeon is also emphasized by the ending of the story. The most beloved heroine, Marusya, dies. Valek and his father left the city somewhere. Obviously not in better life... After all, Tyburtsy once said: “I steal, and he will steal.” Valek's future is still at the bottom of his life.

And what about Vasya? What is his destiny? Did a brief acquaintance with the children of the dungeon have any consequences for him? Let's draw the readers' attention to the fact that the acquaintance was really short. There are details in the story that more or less accurately indicate this. The events described began in late spring. At the beginning of the first chapter we read: “… here spring has finally triumphed over the last gusts of winter.” And the penultimate chapter is called “Autumn.” This means that the acquaintance did not last long - only 3-4 months. Why, then, the impression is created that a lot of time has passed? Because a small period of time contained a lot. What exactly? The answer to this question will summarize all the themes and problems of the story. During this time, Vasya experienced the bitterness of the loss of his mother, the drama of his relationship with his father, the destruction of his romantic ideas, acquaintance with a completely new world for him who turned his whole life. Vasya found himself face to face with problems that he did not even know existed. Vasya experienced the joy of friendship and the torment of compassion, the loss of those with whom he became akin. Much was revealed to him not only in a new world for him, but and in himself, in his own father, whom, it turns out, he did not know at all.

Having passed his hero through many everyday and psychological tests, the author showed what he is worth in a moral sense. The behavior, actions, emotions of the boy Vasya convince that “adulthood” is not so much an age concept as a moral concept. At the age of seven, Vasya was able to make decisions, be responsible for his actions and words.

The epilogue of the story once again emphasizes that what Vasya experienced had consequences in his future life. From it, readers will learn that Vasya not only did not forget anything himself, but was able to convert his younger sister and even his father to his faith.

Take a look at ourselves

The story "Children of the Underground" encourages the reader to look at himself: "But what am I? Am I capable of an act if need be? Will I be able to keep my word when circumstances require it?" The path from literature to life, if it is not too straightforward, is natural and necessary for the children's audience. his own problems.

A reader's conference, which will complete the study of the story, can become a form of implementation of this task. It can be called like this: "My questions to Vasya - the hero of" Children of the Dungeon. "Two or three students take turns playing the role of the main character. The role will be reduced to answering questions that the audience will ask them. Each conference participant must prepare at least one question for the hero. Questions and answers to them will reveal both the level of perception of the work, and the degree of its impact on the reader. Aesthetic and ethical tasks in this situation are solved simultaneously.

As a final lesson, there can be a "Meeting with a writer". One of the readers acts as the writer Vladimir Korolenko, all the others prepare questions for him. Among the questions there may be the following: why did Marusya die? Why did Vasya never find out where Valek and Tyburtsy had gone and what happened to them? What kind of people did Vasya and his sister Sonia grow up to? What happened to those "problematic natures" who remained in Knyazhye-Veno? Why did the writer not show his friends next to Vasya, and did he have them? Do seven-year-old boys behave too adult? The purpose of the questions to the writer is the same as to its protagonist.

In both cases, the knowledge of the text, the level of its perception and the impact of the reading on modern readers are checked.

So that what you read in the lesson was assimilated ...

It would be good to consolidate what was revealed to the students in the lesson on new literary material. As such "new" material for the reader can be works of both Russian and foreign literature. Let's name some of them: A. Chekhov. "Roly", "I want to sleep"; D. Mamin-Sibiryak. "Spit", "Breadwinner "," Off the beaten track "," Under the ground "; A. Kuprin." White Poodle "," Wonderful Doctor "," Taper "; M. Gorky." Grandfather Arkhip and Lyonka "," Shake "," Orphan "; D . Greenwood. "Little ragtag"; G. Little. "Without a family"; C. Dickens. "Oliver Twist"; A. Lindgren. "Rasmus the tramp."

In the story "Children of the Underground" Korolenko touches upon such eternal themes as friendship, love, kindness, empathy. He reveals hard life poor people living in conditions of powerlessness and poverty, who, in spite of everything, know and know how to value friendship and responsiveness, possessing many qualities that more successful people often lack.

The plot of the work is based on the life and feelings of the boy Vasya, the main character - his mother dies, and the father closes in his grief, turning away from the child. Trying to somehow diversify life, Vasya begins to wander around his hometown for a long time.

During one of these walks, he meets the beggar inhabitants of the old chapel - Valik and Marusya, the children of Pan Tyburtsy. It is they who become his true friends, through them he comprehends the reality of life, looks at it from a completely different side. Tragic death Marusya from a serious illness becomes not only a stage of Vasya's growing up, but also unexpectedly reconciles him with his father.

3. Creativity of Kipling. The genre of the work "Mowgli".

Among the works of Rudyard Kipling - poems, short stories, short stories, fairy tales, novellas, novels: "Department Songs" (1886; collection of poetry), "Simple Stories from the Mountains" (1888; collection of short stories), "The Lights went out" (1890; novel; Russian translation, 1903), Songs of the Barracks (1892; a collection of poems), The Jungle Book (1894; stories about Mowgli), The Second Jungle Book (1895; stories about Mowgli), The Seven Seas (1896; collection of poetry), Burden of a White Man (1899), Kim (1901; novel), Just Tales (1902), Five Nations (1903; collection of poetry), Pak from the Hills (1906; collection "Historical Tales"), "Awards and Fairies" (1910; collection of "Historical Tales").

By the middle of the writer's life, his literary style had changed, now he wrote slowly, prudently, carefully checking what he had written. For two books of historical stories "Pak from the Pook Hill" (1906) and "Awards and Fairies" (1910), a higher structure of feelings is characteristic, some of the poems reach the level of pure poetry. Kipling continued to write stories collected in the books "Ways and Discoveries" (1904), "Action and Reaction" (1909), "Various Creatures" (1917), "Debit and Credit" (1926), "Restriction and Renewal" ( 1932). In the 1920s, Kipling's popularity declined.

His best works are The Jungle Book, Kim, and numerous poems.

Which country inspired R. Kipling to create wonderful works and why exactly it? Remember how and why R. Kipling wrote "Mowgli"? What are the negative and positive traits characteristic of human society and the inhabitants of the Jungle? In human society, love and friendship, a benevolent attitude towards each other, mutual assistance, mutual understanding, fidelity to the promised word, but also anger, envy, a desire to deceive, rudeness, and sycophancy prevail. In much the same way, we can characterize the attitudes of the inhabitants of the Jungle. It is disgusting to read about Tabaki's Sherkhanov sycophant, and Sher-Khan himself evokes negative feelings both because he interferes in the life of wolves, and because he is evil, cruel, envies everyone, does mean deeds. If we were talking about people, then we could say that his hands are grabbing, and his eyes are envious. Bagheera commands respect for his actions, and, the wolves who saved the human cub.