To convey a summary of “In Bad Society,” a few trivial sentences are not enough. Despite the fact that this fruit of Korolenko’s creativity is usually considered a story, its structure and volume are more reminiscent of a story.
On the pages of the book, a dozen characters await the reader, whose fate will move along a track rich in loops over the course of several months. Over time, the story was recognized as one of the best opuses from the writer’s pen. It was also reprinted many times, and several years after the first publication it was slightly modified and published under the title “Children of the Dungeon.”
Main character and setting
The main character of the work is a boy named Vasya. He lived with his father in the city of Knyazhye-Veno in the South-Western region, populated mainly by Poles and Jews. It would not be out of place to say that the city in the story was captured by the author “from nature.” In the landscapes and descriptions one can recognize exactly the second half of the 19th century. The content of Korolenko’s “In a Bad Society” is generally rich in descriptions of the world around us.
The child's mother died when he was only six years old. The father, busy with judicial service and his own grief, paid little attention to his son. At the same time, Vasya was not prevented from getting out of the house on his own. That is why the boy often wandered around his hometown, full of secrets and mysteries.
Lock
One of these local attractions was which formerly served as the count's residence. However, the reader will find him not at the best of times. Now the walls of the castle are destroyed due to impressive age and lack of maintenance, and its interior has been chosen by the poor of the immediate surroundings. The prototype of this place was the palace that belonged to the noble Lyubomirsky family, who bore the title of princes and lived in Rivne.
Scattered, they did not know how to live in peace and harmony due to differences in religion and conflict with the former count's servant Janusz. Exercising his right to decide who had the right to remain in the castle and who did not, he showed the door to all those who did not belong to the Catholic flock or the servants of the former owners of these walls. The outcasts settled in a dungeon, which was hidden from prying eyes. After this incident, Vasya stopped visiting the castle, which he had visited before, despite the fact that Janusz himself called the boy, whom he considered the son of a respected family. He didn't like how the exiles were treated. The immediate events of Korolenko's story "In a Bad Society", a summary of which cannot do without mentioning this episode, begin precisely from this point.
Meeting in the chapel
One day Vasya and his friends climbed into the chapel. However, after the children realized that there was someone else inside, Vasya’s friends cowardly ran away, leaving the boy alone. In the chapel there were two children from the dungeon. It was Valek and Marusya. They lived together with the exiles who were evicted by Janusz.
The leader of the entire community hiding underground was a man named Tyburtius. A summary of “In Bad Society” cannot do without its characteristics. This personality remained a secret to those around him; almost nothing was known about him. Despite his penniless lifestyle, there were rumors that the man had previously been an aristocrat. This guess was confirmed by the fact that the extravagant man quoted ancient Greek thinkers. Such an education did not in any way correspond to his common appearance. The contrasts gave the townspeople reason to consider Tyburtius a sorcerer.
Vasya quickly became friends with the children from the chapel and began to visit them and feed them. These visits for the time being remained a secret to others. Their friendship also withstood such a test as Valek’s confession that he steals food in order to feed his sister.
Vasya began to visit the dungeon itself while there were no adults inside. However, sooner or later such carelessness was bound to give the boy away. And during his next visit, Tyburtsy noticed the judge’s son. The children were afraid that the unpredictable owner of the dungeon would throw the boy out, but he, on the contrary, allowed the guest to visit them, taking his word that he would remain silent about the secret place. Now Vasya could visit his friends without fear. This is the summary of “In Bad Society” before the start of dramatic events.
Dungeon Dwellers
He met and became close to other exiles of the castle. These were different people: former official Lavrovsky, who loved to tell incredible stories from his past life; Turkevich, who called himself a general and loved to visit the windows of eminent residents of the city, and many others.
Despite the fact that they were all different from each other in the past, now they all lived together and helped their neighbors, sharing the modest life they had built, begging on the street and stealing, like Valek or Tyburtsy himself. Vasya fell in love with these people and did not condemn their sins, realizing that they were all brought to such a state by poverty.
Sonya
The main reason why the main character ran into the dungeon was the tense atmosphere in his own home. If his father did not pay any attention to him, then the servants considered the boy a spoiled child, who, moreover, constantly disappeared in unknown places.
The only person who makes Vasya happy at home is his younger sister Sonya. He loves the four-year-old, playful and cheerful girl very much. However, their own nanny did not allow the children to communicate with each other, because she considered the older brother a bad example for the judge’s daughter. Father himself loved Sonya much more than Vasya, because she reminded him of his deceased wife.
Marusya's disease
With the onset of autumn, Valek's sister Marusya became seriously ill. In the entire work “In Bad Society,” the content can be safely divided into “before” and “after” this event. Vasya, who could not calmly look at his friend’s serious condition, decided to ask Sonya for the doll that her mother left behind. She agreed to borrow the toy, and Marusya, who had nothing of the kind due to poverty, was very happy about the gift and even began to recover in her dungeon “in bad company.” The main characters did not yet realize that the outcome of the whole story was closer than ever.
Secret Revealed
It seemed that everything would work out, but suddenly Janusz came to the judge to denounce the inhabitants of the dungeon, as well as Vasya, who was noticed in unfavorable company. The father was angry with his son and forbade him to leave the house. At the same time, the nanny discovered the doll was missing, which caused another scandal. The judge tried to get Vasya to confess where he goes and where his sister’s toy is now. The boy only replied that he had indeed taken the doll, but did not say what he did with it. Even the summary of “In Bad Society” shows how strong in spirit Vasya was, despite his young age.
Denouement
Several days passed. Tyburtsy came to the boy’s house and gave Sonya’s toy to the judge. In addition, he talked about the friendship of such different children. The father, struck by the story, felt guilty before his son, to whom he did not devote time and who, because of this, began to communicate with beggars who were not loved by anyone in the city. Finally Tyburtsy said that Marusya had died. The judge allowed Vasya to say goodbye to the girl, and he himself gave money to her father, after giving advice to escape from the city. This is where the story "In Bad Society" ends.
The unexpected visit of Tyburtsy and the news of Marusya’s death destroyed the wall between the main character of the story and his father. After the incident, the two of them began to visit the grave near the chapel, where the three children met for the first time. In the story “In Bad Society,” the main characters were never able to appear all together in one scene. The beggars from the dungeon were never seen in the city again. They all suddenly disappeared, as if they had never existed.
When I read Korolenko’s story “In Bad Society,” I was very touched by the description of the unfortunate girl Marusya. Marusya is an unhappy four-year-old child who does not know her mother’s affection, does not have a warm bed, and always suffers from hunger. Marusya's named father Tyburtsy, who takes care of the girl to the best of his ability, cannot even feed her enough, because Tyburtsy is poor, like a church rat. He is a beggar who took responsibility by taking care of homeless children who are strangers to him - Valka and Marusya.
Marusya's appearance is described by the author in a very unique way. Blond hair, turquoise and childishly curious eyes, a pale face, tiny hands, long eyelashes... At first glance, this is a very touching description of a small child. The author just added that four-year-old Marusya’s legs are crooked and weak, she moves very poorly for her age, walks slowly, is weak, her arms are very thin, the girl suffers from excessive thinness and is extremely painful. Besides, Marusya almost never laughs.
Due to the inability to enjoy simple things and laugh, like all children, Tyburtsy and Valek consider the girl strange. Sometimes Marusya’s weak laughter can still be heard, but it is like a silver bell that is carried into the distance - it is almost inaudible and quickly fades away.
The unfortunate child, whose home is an old abandoned chapel, and whose named father she considers to be a beggar who is even capable of theft, does not know how to distinguish good deeds from bad and shameful ones. When Tyburtsy reported that he had to steal to feed the children, Marusya was not shocked. On the contrary, she praised Tyburtsy for the theft, because thanks to this she managed to eat. The hungry have their own truth.
Marusya never had her own toys. This fact touched the soul of little Marusya’s new friend. Valka and Marusya's new acquaintance, whose name is Vasya, is from a normally wealthy, but single-parent family. Vasya’s mother died, his father doesn’t care about him, and the boy, wanting to find friends so as not to feel abandoned and lonely, wanders around and ends up in the very chapel that serves as a refuge for the poor. He became friends with Marusya and began to feel even greater tenderness for her than for his own sister. After all, he didn’t feel as sorry for his healthy and needy sister as he did for the sick and always hungry little Marusya. When poor Marusya became completely ill and stopped getting up, Vasya decided for her sake not to steal the doll from his own sister. Vasya manages to bring the first and last joy in life to an unfortunate child. The doll had a very positive effect on Marusya - the baby began to get up to play, and even began to weakly laugh and walk again. But the insidious disease did its dirty work. The joy of owning a doll did not save the sick child. Marusya died from a serious illness.
If adults had even a drop of compassion, like little Vasya, then the baby could have been saved. But, unfortunately, those around them were not touched by the problems of the poor.
Essay about Marusya
The most unfortunate character in Korolenko's story "In Bad Society" is a little girl, four-year-old Marusya. Marusya is not the main character, she is a minor character, but the reader follows her life and health with sympathy throughout the entire story about the “children of the dungeon.”
Marusya is only four years old, and in her short life the baby has already experienced many of the hardships of life, which are often too much for adults to endure. Cold and hunger, the loss of parents, global poverty - so many hardships fell on the thin shoulders of a small child. Marusya's named father Tyburtsy does not have the opportunity to provide his children with a warm home. The children, Valek and Marusa, live in an old chapel that is completely unsuitable for living. Poor, homeless, constantly hungry children evoke sympathy and indignation. The people of the city do not care about disadvantaged children. If at least one of them had shown sympathy and found suitable shelter for the poor children, the girl would not have died because she lived in a cold stone chapel. The "gray stone" of the chapel sapped her strength daily and sucked the life out of the sickly little girl.
The author describes Marusya's appearance as very pretty - the girl has turquoise eyes, an open look, thick blond hair and a fragile physique. Side by side with the description of Marusya’s appearance there is a description of her physical defects, which developed from poor nutrition and constant malnutrition. The girl lags behind her peers in development - Marusya walks unsteadily, her weak legs get tangled, she often falls, and she cannot run at all. A weak girl cannot play outdoor games. The baby's toys were replaced by wildflowers, which she could sort through for hours.
By chance, the little girl had a new friend, Vasya, who came from a wealthy family and was the son of a judge. But the judge did little with the boy and stopped paying attention to him completely after the death of his wife, Vasya’s mother. Left to his own devices, the boy became friends with Marusya and even took part in her quiet games.
Over time, Marusya became completely ill and stopped going out into the fresh air. When she didn’t even have the strength to get up, the compassionate Vasya brought the baby a doll, which he borrowed from his sister. He didn't want to steal the doll - he just wanted to bring joy to his dying girlfriend. The first and last joy in her short life... Faithful to childhood friendship, Vasya, even as an adult, visited Marusya’s grave, all his life remembering the suffering of the little destitute child.
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I am delighted with our Russian language class. It would seem like an ordinary class, nothing special, but no. And the whole point is that the teacher of Russian language and literature is Alla Ivanovna
She lives with her brother and father in an old dilapidated chapel, or rather, in a stone dungeon. The roof of the chapel collapsed, the walls crumbled, and the dungeon was dark, cold and damp.
Marusya was thin and pale. Under the light, but dirty brown hair, a face with blue sad eyes looked out. At four years old, she was too tiny and helpless, her head swayed on her thin neck like the head of a field bell. Despite her age, she walked poorly: she kept falling, stumbling and swaying like a blade of grass. The girl never ran and laughed very rarely; she was wearing an old and dirty dress. Her hair was never braided with ribbons; she simply didn't have any. And her look was not childishly sad. Marusya almost never ran, but played quiet, calm games, for example, sitting quietly and sorting flowers. She also laughed very rarely, but when she did, her laughter was very quiet and resembled the ringing of a field bell...
The girl loved her brother and father very much, and always rejoiced at the arrival of Vasya (the boy with whom she and her brother became friends). When Vasya came, she joyfully shouted: “Hurray, Vasya, he’s arrived!”
Marusya had a weak body and weak legs, so she could not always stand on her feet. Marusya had thin arms and legs, a thin body. Her little tiny body with legs as thick as a thin stick could not walk.
The cold and dampness of the dungeon affects the girl's health. Little Marusya begins to gradually fade away. She is getting worse and worse. This gray stone sucked the blush, fun, laughter and even life out of her drop by drop. Her father does not have the money to invite a doctor to see his sick child and buy medicine. Vasya’s kind heart suffers at the sight of a sick girl, and in order to please her with at least something, he brings her a large and beautiful doll.
What a joy Marusya was when she saw the doll! For a while, Marusya even felt better and she seemed to begin to recover little by little. But the disease did not recede and Marusya became even worse. She stopped recognizing her relatives.
Marusya herself was kind and appreciated kindness. The little girl even justifies theft, because thanks to what she stole, she can relieve her hunger. A feeling of joy and a feeling of sadness, sadness, and maybe even pain inside, replace each other. She showed joy when her brother and their new friend came. Sadness and sadness were visible when she was dying and when she felt a loss of strength and energy
When I read the story, I didn’t understand how you can live without housing and without money? I felt very sorry for her and not only this poor little girl. When Marusya died, tears flowed from my eyes, I didn’t want this so much... The story made a depressing impression on me. This is a very sad story... And I really want all people, and especially children, to have their own cozy homes and happy families.
An essay based on the work “In Bad Society” by V. G. Korolenko “Why do Marusya and Sonya have two different childhoods?”
In a small place called Knyazhye-Veno there lived two little girls. One was called Sonya, and she was the daughter of the city judge. Marusya (the second girl) lived with the beggars. They belonged to different social strata and therefore their lives were very different. These girls simply could not have had the same childhood.
Four-year-old Sonya lived in love and contentment in a large house with a garden. She grew up as a cheerful, healthy child, rosy-cheeked, round, lively, and always smartly dressed. Her father loved her very much and spoiled her. She had a lot of beautiful dresses, ribbons for braids, and various toys. She was served by an old nanny and a maid. Six-year-old Vasya loved to play with his little sister; he liked her loud, cheerful laugh.
Little Marusya lived with the beggars in an old dungeon. Her life was very hard. She had nothing of what Sonya owned. Cold and hunger, lack of basic conditions, that was the life of this poor, unfortunate girl. She looked exhausted from constant malnutrition. Thin and pale, she could hardly walk, and her voice sounded like a barely audible thin bell. The girl could not play outdoor games - she simply did not have enough strength for it. Ten-year-old brother Valek pitied and loved her and helped as best he could.
Using the example of these two girls, the writer V. Korolenko showed two worlds of childhood: the safe and prosperous one, in which the daughter of the city judge Sonya lives, and the joyless world of little Marusya, full of hardships. The gray stone of the dungeons literally sucked the life out of poor little Marusya. She was constantly coughing and getting weaker literally every day. The girl lived very little (a little more than three years) and it so happened that the greatest joy in her life was a beautiful doll given by Sonya’s brother.
