Whoever Alexander Aleksandrovich Blok was - a poet, writer, publicist, playwright, translator, literary critic. In addition, A.A. Blok is one of the classics of Russian literature of the twentieth century. Russian symbolism is inconceivable without this author. He made a huge contribution to its development and is one of its largest representatives. A. A. Blok lived in difficult historical times, which were eventful. One of them was the October Revolution. Blok’s attitude to the revolution cannot be unambiguous, which will be discussed in this article.
Historical Background - October Revolution
The October Revolution did not arise from anywhere, it had its own reasons. People of that time were tired of military operations, utter collapse threatened industry and agriculture, peasants became more and more poor every day in the absence of a solution to the agrarian question. The implementation of social and economic reforms was constantly delayed, a catastrophic financial crisis arose in the country. Owing to what was indicated at the beginning of July 1917, Petrograd is shocked by popular unrest, which demands the overthrow of the Provisional Government. Authorities issue a decree to suppress a peaceful demonstration using weapons. There is a wave of arrests, and the death penalty is everywhere. At this moment, the bourgeoisie is winning. But in August, revolutionaries win back their positions.
Since July, the Bolsheviks carried out great agitation among the working people and the military. And it brought its results. An attitude has taken root in the minds of the people: the Bolshevik party is the only element of the political system that truly stands for the protection of the working people. In September, the Bolsheviks received more than half of the votes in the elections to the Duma of the districts. The bourgeoisie crashes because it did not have mass support. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin begins the development of an armed insurrection plan with the goal of gaining power for the Soviets. The uprising began on October 24, and the armed units loyal to the government were immediately isolated from it. On October 25, in Petrograd, the seizure of bridges, telegraphs, and government offices was successful for the Bolsheviks. On October 26, the Winter Palace is captured and members of the Provisional Government are arrested. The October Revolution of 1917 divided the world into two big sides - the capitalist and the socialist.
Tipping Time, Difficult and Global Change
The 20th century was a difficult period in Russian history. The October Revolution of 1917 shook society. This historical event did not leave anyone indifferent. One of the social groups that responded to what happened was the Russian intelligentsia. In 1918, the famous poem "The Twelve" was written by Alexander Alexandrovich Blok.
The attitude to the 1917 Revolution of the author has been discussed for many generations, and each time there are more and more interpretations of his position. No one can say that A. A. Blok adhered to a specific side (let’s say as simply as possible: "Was rebellion good for the country?"). Let's see what the contradictory attitude of the Bloc towards the revolution is.
A brief plot of the poem "Twelve"
For those who did not study well at school, we recall briefly the plot of the poem. The first chapter presents the plot of action. The author describes the winter snowy streets of Petrograd, engulfed by the revolution (winter 1917-1918). Portraits of passers-by are striking in their brevity, but imaginative. A patrol squad consisting of twelve people is walking along the streets of Petrograd. The revolutionaries are discussing their former comrade Vanka, who threw the revolution for the sake of drunkenness and got along with Katka, an ex-girl of easy virtue. In addition to talking about a comrade, patrolmen sing a song about service in the Red Army.
Suddenly, a patrol collides with a wagon in which Roly and Katka rode. The revolutionaries attacked them, the driver was able to escape, and Katya was killed by the shot of one of the patrolmen. The killer of her regrets what happened, but the rest condemn him for this. The patrol moves further down the street, and a stray dog is attached to them, which was driven off with bayonets. After that, the revolutionaries saw the vague outlines of a figure - Jesus Christ was walking in front of them.
Not Only The Twelve
During the period when Blok created the poem "Twelve", he simultaneously worked on the poem "Scythians" and the article "Intelligentsia and Revolution". Blok's attitude to the October Revolution in these works was very unambiguous. He urged everyone to fully listen and hear the Revolution.
Enthusiasm - this is what the author initially experienced in relation to what happened. The bloc saw the great changes that were supposed to lead Russia to a time of prosperity and a truly better life in the future. However, Blok's attitude toward the Revolution began to change over time. Indeed, sometimes hopes are not destined to be justified.
Wind of change. Blok's new attitude towards revolution
In the poem "Twelve" the author is rethinking the story. There is no past enthusiasm and praise. Objectivity in relation to what is happening is what comes to the fore when determining the attitude of the Bloc towards the Revolution. Historical events begin to be perceived as natural phenomena. He compares them with a storm, a blizzard, which in their movement and action do not have any specific goal and direction.
What is Blok's attitude to revolution now? From the symbol of a new better life, it is transformed into natural will and inevitability. All that accumulated over the years, discontent and claims, at one moment broke free and began to destroy everything that stood in the way. This is the reason why at the beginning of the poem, when describing winter streets, the wind tears off bourgeois posters.
The world that is dying
The symbolism of the Bloc, the personification of which he became, is present in this poem. The pre-Soviet world is dying - it is represented by the "mistress in a karqul", "bourgeois", etc., who feel uncomfortable under the revolutionary wind.
The lady is slipping, and the bourgeois hides his nose in the collar to keep warm. At the same time, the Bloc does not imply the death of the entire large country, but the departure of the old way of life.
Contrasting color of events
The natural contrast of black evening and white snow is also transmitted to people. Their emotions are painted in two contrasting colors: anger is divided into black and holy. Blok’s attitude to the Revolution in the poem Twelve becomes contradictory because he understands the evidence that revolutionary good goals are often achieved by force and oppression.
Everywhere the kingdom of robbery, violence, murder and immorality is established. But at the same time, the whole idea is carried through the whole work, whether there is at least a drop of hope for the creative power of the revolution.
Twelve Red Guards
The main expression of Blok's attitude to the revolution in the poem "12" is the image of the patrol. The purpose of the patrol is to establish order. However, the Red Guards themselves are uncontrollable, like a storm or wind. They act completely unpredictably, their actions cannot be predicted, and emotions and feelings are unknown. This is the tragedy of the situation.
In addition, the outward expression of the image of the patrol does not correlate with a new better life. They are more like prisoners - dented caps, in the teeth of a cigarette roll. On the other hand, for the poet, patrolmen are ordinary Russians who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the Revolution, but specifically for what purpose - this remains unclear.
Questions of morality and holiness
The revolutionaries believed in creating a new world, but which one? Blok’s attitude to the Revolution and the new world is scary. In the newly created state, people rob, engage in looting, bring death not only to the guilty, but also to completely innocent people. This symbolizes the death of Katya, killed in a spontaneous outburst of a patrolman who succumbed to a flash of momentary stormy emotions. Blok cannot but emphasize the tragedy of Katya’s death, since they are killing Blok’s woman. Holiness and sin in the poem are united together. Throughout the whole story, patrolmen constantly talk about renouncing Christ. Russian people have always been characterized by the "holy", a symbol of morality and spiritual purity. But despite everything, the guardsmen are not able to completely renounce Christ. At the end of the poem, they still meet with him, while the patrol officers were waiting for the enemy, and a holy image appeared. The importance of the image of Christ lies in the fact that he steps in a gentle step. Which equals how he came two thousand years ago to save the souls of men. One of the provisions of Blok’s attitude to revolution is that he understood and accepted the inevitability of what was happening around him, but at the same time he did not come to terms with the immoral and inhuman revolutionary methods.
Finally
Considering the twentieth century, its events and the intelligentsia that lived at that time, one can notice how she emotionally and deeply reacted to historical events. A. A. Blok was one of the first to react to revolutionary actions, and at the same time his reaction was complex and mysterious. In the poem The Twelve, this problem reaches its peak. On the one hand, what completes the poem is the image of Christ, who carries the flag, makes it clear to the reader that revolution can be a positive development. But on the other hand, the scene of the murder of a girl is accompanied by real and sincere pity and compassion. Katya is an image of the old, passing world. This leads the reader to the fact that the reinterpretation by the Bloc of revolution becomes less logical, it has more mystical character. From a historical event for the Bloc, the revolution became the process of the transition of society to a new, completely different state, which can lead to the degeneration of the human person. The clash between the two worlds should lead humanity somewhere.