What is the story “Mumu” about and what is it directed against?
The story is very strong, and when reading it, make a very strong emotional impression of what you read. Everything that is described in it is dedicated to serfdom, how they mocked the peasants, but this really was the case before, in those distant times.
The main character here appears mute, but perhaps this was intended by the author, because there is some meaning hidden in this.
Gerasim kills his dog on orders, because he could not disobey, because for disobedience he could even pay with his life.
It seems to me that the story simply screams about the servility of people, it is aimed at combating their stupidity, excessive devotion to their master, it tells us how you can ruin your life by listening to other people's advice and obeying orders.
So, Gerasim lost those to whom he was attached most of all in this world: first he lost his beloved, then his dog.
Turgenev is a very subtle psychologist; he gifted Gerasim with muteness. It would seem, why? Then, to draw the reader’s attention to the issue of the impossibility of defending one’s point of view using language in this case. But how much would have changed if Gerasim had not been mute? I'm sure many readers have thought about this. This is what the author of the story sought: he wanted to encourage people whose rights had been violated to express their thoughts and strive to satisfy, first of all, their personal interests. Turgenev wanted to prove to us that language is not only an organ, but also a tool for self-expression.
In Mumu's story we can clearly observe all the negative influences from the serf's right. After all, the main character is irresponsible, being enslaved, he drowns his dog Mumu. And all because he does not have his own right to vote. The peasants are all subordinate to the masters and do not have the opportunity to manage their own lives, everything is only as directed.
And, of course, this work has an anti-serfdom in its focus. The idea that people should be free, should make their own decisions and should not die and accept punishment from their masters. We are all human and should all be at least relatively equal.
Against human slavery, against serfdom. Everything that was dear to him and that he loved so much was taken away from Gerasim. Of course, his physical disability also played a role. But, nevertheless, Gerasim loved a girl - he could not be with her, he loved a dog - he was forced to kill.
At the moment when Gerasim drowned the dog, he suddenly realized that he did not want to be a slave. This was his kind of internal rebellion and protest. He leaves the lady.
Turgenev's story Mumu is dedicated to serfdom, the tyranny of the lady and the lack of rights of the serfs. It’s not for nothing that the main character, Gerasim, was mute. Likewise, the serfs were completely dependent on the will of the master to whom they belonged. They could be trained and kept in good conditions, or they could be beaten to death.
The main plot of Turgenev's story Mumu is the tragic death of a dog. Gerasim drowned her on the orders of the lady. But in fact, this is a literary work about serfdom and the complete lack of rights of serfs. They had to completely obey their owner and live according to their orders. In fact, they lived like slaves.
Turgenev dedicated Mumu's story to serfdom in Russia. Or rather, the complete lack of rights, humility, resignation of the serfs and the self-will of the masters, in this case the lady. Essentially, the master could do whatever he wanted with the serf, and he had to obediently accept his will, even if it meant taking his life.
In Turgenev's story Mumu, two main ideas can be traced:
Betrayal. Gerasim goes to kill the dog, despite the fact that the animal was his only native creature. The old man is afraid of reprisals against himself. The author praises the dog, which in the opposite situation would have protected Gerasim simply because the animal was trusted by the person.
Unconditional submission of the peasants. Gerasim also kills the dog because this is an order from the mistress, whom he does not dare disobey. We can say that killing a dog is the whim of the owner and nothing more.
The story is directed against the foundations of serf Russia.
Mumu's story makes a very strong impression, and it is not for nothing that many generations of schoolchildren study this story in literature classes and wonder why Gerasim drowned Mumu after all. The story is, of course, dedicated to the topic of the lack of rights of the serf in Russian society. The lady, who could execute and pardon, had unlimited power over the minds and souls of her serfs, she could order everything - and they were forced to obey. The Lady wanted to marry the serf to a drunkard - it was easy, no one said a word, and only poor Gerasim had to be deceived and convinced of Tatyana’s drunkenness. The lady didn’t like Gerasima’s dog and threw it out. And when Gerasim secretly found her and continued to feed her, because he had truly become attached to Mumu, the lady ordered her to be drowned. And what about Gerasim? He obeys the lady, despite all the internal protest, which literally turns him into a rebel. After all, not daring not to fulfill the will of the lady, Gerasim drowns the dog, but as a sign of protest he leaves without asking for the village. That is, he did not dare to disobey the order directly, but demonstrated his indignation.
Story Ivan Turgenev“Mumu” is rightfully considered one of the best works of the writer. It is dedicated to the touching love of a deaf-mute man for his four-legged friend. Gerasim was from a village and from birth was deprived of the opportunity to hear the world around him and communicate with it on an equal basis. When he was taken to Moscow, he was assigned to work for one eccentric lady, who lived out her days alone and constantly terrorized her workers.
Throughout the story, we see how the peasants suffer because of her whims and how their lives are destroyed. Gerasim became one of these victims. At first his laundress was taken away from him Tatiana with whom he was in love. The lady decided to pass her off as a drunkard Capiton. Then she ordered to get rid of Mumu- Gerasim’s beloved dog, his only reliable, faithful friend. In my opinion, Gerasim’s tragedy lay in his kindness and inability to express what was in his heart.
He always followed all the lady’s orders and did not even imagine that he could disobey her. Many other serfs under such oppression had long ago learned to lie, cheat and dodge, just to avoid the tyranny of their mistress. But Gerasim did not possess such qualities. He was a straightforward and honest man. Mumu was his only joy. Once he saved her from certain death. The dog almost drowned in the water, but now he was forced to drown it with his own hands, since the owner did not like her barking.
Many readers wonder why he did this himself, and did not entrust it to someone else. The whole point is that he did not want to give a piece of his soul into the hands of a murderer who could do anything with it. For this reason, Gerasim decided to take this desperate step that destroyed his entire subsequent life. After the events of the Moscow court, he packed his things and left for his native village, from where he never returned.
With great pleasure and literally in one breath I read Turgenev’s work “Mumu”. The story is very easy to read and the essence of the text you read is quickly captured. It reveals the theme of the lack of rights of peasants and the cruel treatment of them. The main character is a deaf-mute fellow named Gerasim.
The story tells about a serf peasant and his difficult life and how the people around him treated him. It seems to me that Gerasim is a very kind and gentle person, although at first glance he looks like a formidable man. He was very attached
To Tatyana, who served with him, and was ready to do a lot for her sake. After the lady married the poor young lady to an alcoholic and evicted her from the yard.
Gerasim found the poor, chilled dog and saw in it an outlet after he had suffered a separation from his beloved. But even here the lady decided that Mumu should be drowned. She did not care about his reverent and gentle nature and the torment to which she subjected the servant with her orders. If she wanted something or was in the way, she did as she pleased, regardless of the feelings of the peasants who worked for her. The main idea of the story is directed against serfdom. Gerasim personifies the entire Russian people.
You need to act according to your conscience, even if circumstances are against you.
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Turgenev's story "Mumu" is one of the author's most discussed works. In it, the writer describes all the ugliness of serfdom and condemns this system.
Problems of the story "Mumu"
The main problem that Turgenev touches on is the problem of personality. The writer, like many other representatives of his generation, was confident that a person should be free. That is why serfdom seemed to him something unnatural and abnormal. The story of Gerasim is the story of only one of the millions of people who found themselves in virtual slavery to their selfish masters.
However, Turgenev considers this problem from two sides. One might even say that in this situation the author blames not only the serf owners, but also the peasants who meekly submit to them. So, for example, not one of the courtyard people living with Gerasim ever tried to object to the lady: they all live in constant fear and submission to her reckless desires. This is also an important part of the story's problems.
Ideological originality of the story "Mumu"
Among all the ideas expressed by the writer in this work, the most important are:
- The idea of human freedom: Gerasim and other serfs do not have their own will and opinion, because from birth they already belonged to someone. The author refuses to accept such a system and argues that the world needs a new man, free and driven;
- The idea of confronting injustice: the main character only at the end of the story decides to rebel, and Turgenev fully supports him in this. The writer believes that it is high time to begin the fight against serfdom in all possible ways;
- The idea of mercy: it is best seen in the contrast between Gerasim and the lady. A janitor rescues a homeless puppy and takes care of him like his friend. The lady plays with the lives of other people, knowing in advance that they simply cannot, have no right to resist her. Turgenev argues that one must always remember mercy and treat others humanely.
