ШЕВЧЕНКІВ ПОГЛЯД НА РОСІЙСЬКУ ВОЄНЩИНУ У ЙОГО ПОВІСТЯХ

Abstract

In our review we analyze various aspects of the Russian military, shown by T. Shevchenko in the stories "The Maidservant", "The Princess", "The Unhappy", "The Twins", "The Lady Captain", "The Artist", "The Walk with pleasure and not without morality" and to a certan extent in "The Musician". Namely in our analysis we consider the way of life of the Russian army – both current and retired, their moral principles, social status, the actual military component of life, including education and frontline science. Well acquainted with the life of the military, the writer creates a holistic picture of their world. In Shevchenko's stories there is a whole line of active and retired soldiers of the Russian army, whose integral companions of life are gambling and drunkenness. Paying his attention mainly to the cavalry, T. Shevchenko calls it an academy that educates soulless machines. The author refutes the notion of the nobility of Russian officers. The complete lack of love is what is inherent in these militaries. Notable are the images-characters of the cornet (the story "The Maidservant"), the captain ("The Lady Captain") and Zosym ("The Twins"). The life of the latter resonates meaningfully with the graphic series "The Prodigal Son" by T. Shevchenko. There is no wonder that the author calls Zosia "prodigal son". According to the author's concept, the prodigal son is a military man, mired in numerous vices and is not capable of rebirth, and the Russian military is portrayed as a factor of the dehumanization of the man. In the stories under consideration military service as such largely covers only a number of short mentions of the Franco-Russian and TurkishRussian wars. Military affairs in general are shown in the stories as "military housing", which placed a burden on the shoulders of the local population and mainly led to the wide-spread bastardy In the latter T. Shevchenko sees the greatest, most common evil of the Russian military machine. Ukrainian recruits Yakim Tuman ("The Lady Captain") and Yakiv Oberemenko ("The Walk with Pleasure and Not Without Morality") are opposed to the typical image of the Russian military. Ill-fated, but nevertheless humane and endowed with true nobility, they showed true Christian concern for their closed ones and managed to avoid destructive or even degenerative military influence.