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History and Literature - Page 2

© Gail Giordano

Upon arrival to the countryside they received quite a shock. They lived in hovels and were wasting away from malnutrition, disease, ignorance, and crushing from their poverty. The houses were made of loosely fitting logs, brush and straw for roofs. No chimneys so the smoke escaped through cracks around the "windows". Their animals lived inside with the people. During the year there was a cycle of disease that would occur. It would start with Influenza then move to malaria, followed by cholera, and finishing with diphtheria. It was a vicious cycle that did not stop.

The literate people who came to the countryside could escape back to the city the peasants on the other hand had no source of escape. Since there was no way of escape there was two things that were utilized, vodka and religion. The peasant religion was a mixture of Russian Orthodoxy and pagan tradition. Icons were very important, but they would be them if they wanted to commit a sin in front of them. Where religion did not cover issues, vodka took up. Every official occasion had it present, from funerals to weddings, to business transactions. It is a common philosophy that it is improper to leave a Russian wedding sober. People are striving to reach a higher level of being. The peasants were striving to reach the highest level of intoxication. This level is called zapoi, which is the euphoric state of drunken stupor. People would sell their clothes, animals and even their land to buy vodka.

Russian Orthodoxy is sometimes called Eastern Catholicism. This has been the religion of the Russian state for many centuries. It was established in Russia because Prince Valdimir's grandmother was converted in Constantinople. During the rise of Russia, the government needed a more sophisticated religion than the pagan traditions they currently had. After much research they decided on Orthodoxy, partially because that was the religion in the city of Constantinople. The icons are an important part of the religion and are incorporated into every class of Russian society.

Wars and revolts were popular at this time. The Russian - Turkish war occurred, as well as the People's Revolt and the start of World War I. An interesting fact about the revolt was that the Sunday it occurred, everyone attended church and then started the marches. Maxim Gorky was a literary writer that wrote on the side of the socialists, Soviet party. The revolts occurred during the time of Nicholas the Second, which consequently would be the last of the Romanov's to sit on power. Although Russian's literary figures wrote in different styles and from different backgrounds there is a common thread. A commonality of writing about history so that the Russian people would and could not forget. From disagreeing with the way the Russian Orthodox Church operated, to the peasant and serf class. Russian literature remains a rich and powerful tool to communicate ideals and understanding.

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