The meaningless and useless work has many other names in the Russian language. One of the most common is monkey labor. This expression will be dedicated to our today's article.
Source - fable I.A. Krylova "Monkey"
The work of our illustrious fabulist is a storehouse of winged expressions. Many phraseological units came out of his pen and enriched the Russian language with his efforts. "Monkey labor" (its meaning will be clear after exposition of the plot of the fable) is no exception. This is one of the clearest examples of how successful literary processing of a long-known story leads to the popularization of the plot.
Monkeys are wonderful creatures, but in the minds of peoples who are used to living side by side with these tailed poison frogs, their image is associated with everything vile and low that is in human nature, for example, antics, impudence, meanness and ridicule. Krylov exploits this myth in his fable.
Lump or plow
The peasant stood up to the first roosters and set to work. He plowed the field, with all the passion of his soul surrendering to this hard work, and fatigue was unknown to him. The sun was rising higher, and the first travelers appeared on the road. Whoever walked past the plowman all marveled at his tenacity. And everyone tried to cheer up with a kind word and praise, at least to lighten his work a little. He did not answer and continued to work intently. In the branches of a green tree that stood on the edge of the field, there was a monkey, and the compliments of the people deceived her. She also wanted a little fame and recognition for herself. She thought that it was all about the complexity of the assignment, and if she would do anything with the same zeal, she would get what she wanted. Therefore, she found somewhere a heavy block and began to drag it from place to place, not at all embarrassed by the emptiness of this occupation. Meanwhile, the peasant continued to painstakingly cultivate plow land, and praises of passers-by poured on him.
Nobody paid any attention to the monkey. Although the work of the two creatures is hard, and the external signs are the same - fatigue and sweat hail - there is a huge difference between them, which is noticed by everyone who can compare them. A man works for the good, his efforts feed the family, and the little animal is busy senselessly dragging a heavy piece of wood from place to place. Therefore, the meaning of the expression “monkey labor” embodies the ultimate degree of unnecessary work for anyone, which does not bring benefits even to the figure himself, causing only negative feedback from those around him.
Morality
The fable teaches not so much in the spirit of the 19th century (the work was printed in 1811), but in the spirit of the recent Soviet past, when not a person, but society was the measure of everything. I.A. Krylov instructs the readers: do not claim fame and praise if the works are of no use. That phraseology “monkey labor”, which is very closely connected with the work of the Russian classic, turned out to be so complicated.
Phraseological synonym - the myth of Sisyphus
The ancient Greeks had their own symbol of meaningless labor. The embodiment of the groundlessness of efforts is Sisyphus - a divine descendant. He had one misfortune: he was cunning, like a beast, and he wanted more than anything to hold immortal Olympians. Therefore, first he circled the finger of the god of death - Tanat, and then the lord of the underworld - Hades.
And with the gods, as you know, jokes are bad. Sisyphus fully paid for his deception. Now he forever rolls a huge stone on a high mountain: pushes it up, sweating, but each time he does not have enough just a little to finish the job, and the boulder rolls down again. For Sisyphus, this work is endless, aimless and baseless. The monkey, in contrast to the ancient Greek hero, at least not condemned to eternal torment.
Meaningless work as a way to enlightenment or the solution to your own life
Sometimes it’s best not to ask any questions, just do something - that’s all. For example, in the famous film “Route 60”, the main character wanted to get answers to all questions. The genie performed by Gary Oldman responded to his request and gave a deliberately useless work with some secret meaning. As he walked the course, the protagonist Neil Oliver realized that the task assigned to him had nothing to do with the phraseological phrase “monkey labor”.
Buddhists and Pythagoreans tested the applicants who wanted to get into their ranks with work that obviously did not make any sense. According to the rules, this should have lasted about 5 years. Who withstood, that remained.
Not only entire schools, but also individual sages harassed their students with what at first glance strongly contradicts common sense. Then the neophyte understood the deep wisdom of the mentor and, figuratively speaking, turned to his faith.
Sometimes a person needs to rest from meaning
The subtitle seems very strange, because everything should have a purpose. In fact, if a person is an adult and works, in his life there is too much rational, justified, necessary and appropriate. Therefore, during leisure, our contemporary wants to indulge in something meaningless, but pleasant. What for? Immersion in a frivolous and meaningless activity has a huge therapeutic effect, helps a person to endure the excessive rationality of the rest of his life.
A hobby is a haven from the obsession of the outside world. In it, a person hides and acquires the illusion of harmony and peace, calms down. Each person draws strength in something of his own: one reads books, the other collects models of steamboats, the third chases rare brands. From the point of view of an outside observer, a hobby can be absolutely pointless, but for someone who is immersed in it, it is a saving island from the numbers, tasks and goals that have consumed the “adult world”. In other words, a hobby is not pampering and not a monkey at all, but a way to comprehend one’s own essence.