The novel "Hop": author, plot, main characters and the main idea of the work

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The first volume of the trilogy about the Siberian outback glorified the name of Alexei Cherkasov throughout the world. He was inspired to write the book by an incredible story: in 1941, the author received a letter written with the letters "yat", "fita", "izhitsa" from a 136-year-old resident of Siberia. Her memoirs formed the basis of Alexei Cherkasov's novel "Hop", which tells about the inhabitants of the Old Believer settlement, hidden in the depths of the taiga from prying eyes.

The plot of the novel

The plot of the work is intricate and fascinating, like climbing shoots of hops. Hence the name. In one of the parts of his famous trilogy, Cherkasov called life in Belaya Elani twisted like hops - you can’t get through the thickets of Old Believer rumors and kinship.

Aleksey Cherkasov's trilogy “The Tale of the People of the Taiga” tells about life in the Siberian hinterland. The first volume of the trilogy "Hop"covers a long period - from the Decembrist uprising of 1825 to the October Revolution. One of the participants in the uprising - Loparev - was exiled to Siberia.

Dear, he managed to escape. In the remote taiga, a real salvation for him was the settlement of the Old Believers. He delved into their way of life, their harsh way of life, comprehended the peculiarities of their rituals, cruel laws. And life here did not seem as joyful as at first.

Meeting with Old Believers

The novel “Hop” tells about people who had to defend their faith or give it up, sometimes at the cost of their lives. The adult generation, led by the spiritual father Filaret, strives to preserve traditions. They accept the convict in their community, because he went against the “king-antichrist”. But the hypocritical old man looks at the “pinch”, because his faith is alien to them and can bring discord.

Alexander Loparev makes friends with a healer, for the Old Believers - a heretic. A representative of a noble family, a young girl was preparing to be tonsured, but one righteous man “opened” her eyes that all biblical legends were invented by selfish people. Yefimiya believed him, and for this the churchmen doomed her to torture and death.

Saved her son Filaret and married her against her will. So she ended up in the community.

Alexander and Yefimiya fell in love. But the wild Filaret laws threaten their lives. The girl spent more time here and understands that they have nowhere to run. In addition, he considers it his duty to help people.

Sinister Conspiracy

Troublecame unexpectedly. The healer was caught and tortured as a heretic. They killed her little son. Loparev was severely beaten. A revolution took place in the community, which had long been brewing in the minds of the conspirators. But the changes did not lead to anything good. The new government seized gold and doomed the entire community to hunger and poverty.

Mokey, Yefimiya's husband, having learned about the death of his son at the hands of his father, is disappointed in the faith. Leaving the community, he accidentally becomes an accomplice in crime. The officers, blaming the "sect" for everything, disperse the community. Political prisoner Loparev they find dying. Defending Yefimiya, he fell under the knife of the convict and thief Tretiak.

Taiga people

A distinctive feature of the novel "Hop" are many-sided, heroic images. Imperfect, but strong-willed residents of the Siberian hinterland are looking for the truth far from civilization. Unlike the townspeople, the taiga people leave God not through someone else's instigation, but comprehend the truth through their own lives. Loparev lost his faith as a boy, and Mokey became disillusioned with its truth, watching the torture and torture. The last straw was the murder of his little son - his own father, Elder Filaret, personally strangled the boy in front of the icons and his wounded wife Efimiya. Mokei's disbelief was paid for, as was Yefimia's, who was tortured for her.

Heroes of the work

Mokey - natural, unyielding, ardent. Having fallen in love once, he was faithful to the grave. In the same way, having lost faith, he did not return to his former faith. He was secretly burdened by his surroundings and realized that he himself oppressed his Yefimiya by notwanted to understand her, and therefore did not deserve her love. He repented before her, and Yefimiya began to respect his original and outstanding personality.

With his desperate sermon, he helped Efimiya realize that faith is being covered up to do unseemly deeds and tyrannize people. Mokey's independence helped him realize this, come to the truth and abandon superstition. Mokey is an example of a person who rebelled against the age-old tyranny of the state, the church and conventions.

Efimia is strong and independent. She was not afraid to challenge others, the authorities in the person of Filaret and superstition. Everyone turned away from her, relatives will curse kinship with her. To them, she is a heretic and a witch. However, she had an irresistible craving for justice and love for people. Such people do not silently put up with arbitrariness. For the sake of love, they take risks, for which Yefimiya almost paid with her life.

A brief analysis of the piece

The novel “Hmel” is the first book of the trilogy “The Tale of the People of the Taiga”, its popularity was incredible. Cherkasov's books have been translated into many languages. Some literary scholars believe that "Hop" is the writer's strongest work. The plot is so captivating that you can't stop reading. It has a lot of characters that are simply impossible to list. But the author manages to describe perfectly and secondary characters.

Cherkasov raises very important topics in the novel - the desire for power, blind adherence to principles, betrayal and love, faith and goodness. The language of the author of the novel "Hop" changes in accordance with the described period, which helps the reader clearlyfeel that atmosphere. So, each hero has archaic expressions that complement his image.

For example, from the lips of an experienced convict one often hears the curse “very borzo”, Efimiya uses expressions from the Bible, Mokey expresses himself simply, but very emotionally, Filaret pours out Church Slavonic words: “heretic”, “algimei”, “get out”. Loparev, the bearer of the Western mentality, speaks almost modern language. A very deep novel that needs to be read consciously and thoughtfully so as not to miss anything.

In Cherkasov's novel "Hop" the reader sees another Russia, unfamiliar, not the one in the history books. Not subject to the king and the church, superstitious and cruel. The impenetrable taiga hides it from the rest of the world. The memory of Pugachev, of sorcerers and witches is still alive here. The author masterfully shows the traditions, rituals and mentality of the schismatics. The life of a woman in the Old Believer communities was valued much less than that of a man. Any tenderness in public entailed punishment, and the birth of a girl could become a reason for blaming and punishing the mother.

Main idea

The main idea of A. Cherkasov's novel "Hop" lies in the fact that religion, in which to this day many see salvation and are looking for it, did not live up to expectations. Faith led people, but to nowhere, to a dead end. Fleeing from the king, people fell under even more despotic power - fanaticism. He was far more unfair, more dangerous and more cunning. Sat in the heads, not on the throne. Delusional dreams, born from exhausting fasts, were taken as a sign, the whims of an old confessor - for a manifestationholiness. So they did not notice how they began to kill “before the icons”, in the name of the one who left them the commandment “Thou sh alt not kill.”