“The strong are always to blame for the powerless” - morality and fable by Krylov

Who does not know Krylov I.A.? Everyone knows this author - from young to old. In our minds, he merged with his fables - poetic lessons of wisdom. One of these wisdoms - “The strong are always to blame for the powerless”, otherwise “The Wolf and the Lamb”, will be discussed in this article.

Krylov's fables

It is one of the genres of literature that came to us from Ancient Greece. A fable can be written both in poetic form and in prose, but is always presented in a satirical and moralizing manner. The main characters, as a rule, are animals, less often - plants and things. One of the main features is morality, a moralizing conclusion.

Everyone is familiar with the phrase that Krylov gave to the world - “The strong are always to blame for the powerless.” With his work, the writer marked the peak of the development of this genre in Russia. The structure of fables is varied, but most often they are built in the form of dialogue. The author speaks in his own language, and the characters speak in a bright, lively language, more reminiscent of a casual conversation. At the same time, the fabulist always places himself next to the characters, but not above us. Therefore, his morality is an integral component of the genre; it does not condemn any of the heroes, but brings to the reader a sober judgment about the essence of the problem.

Morality

“The Wolf and the Lamb” is a rare fable in its construction, the first line of which is an instructive, moral conclusion - the powerful are always to blame for the powerless. Thus, from the very beginning, the author wants to set the reader in the right mood and at the same time present himself in the role of a narrator, standing not above the events, but observing what is happening from the inside. Krylov was not a compiler of moral laws, he wrote history. For the reader’s judgment, the author only brought up the topic - “The strong are always to blame for the powerless,” and then decide for yourself who you sincerely sympathize with and whom you openly condemn.

Main characters

Next comes an introduction to the two main characters - the Wolf and the Lamb. At first glance, their relationship is the most natural. The first is a predator, prowling hungry. The second is a tasty trophy. Their meeting in the forest, on the one hand, is accidental, and on the other hand, it is natural, since it is prescribed by the laws of nature. Since the Wolf is not far from the watering hole, the Lamb cannot escape reprisals.

But as soon as a conversation begins between them, it becomes obvious that their natural opposition is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the dark waters lies another, deeper contradiction. It will not be enough for the wolf to simply swallow the Lamb. He wants, according to the wolf law of lawlessness, to give a more attractive appearance, to legitimize his bloodthirstiness and enjoy the power given to him by Nature: “But, to give the matter at least a legal look and feel, he shouts:...” It is the verb “shouts” that reveals in him not just a predator, but some person with great power. And from this moment on, a different distance is established between the interlocutors - a moral abyss.

One after another, accusations are poured against the Lamb. They are just a pretext that hides the true intentions of the Wolf. The Lamb takes them at face value and quite smoothly and deftly refutes them. But the more skillful his excuses, the greater the Wolf’s anger, and the faster the tragic outcome approaches. The dialogue is out of order. But it is precisely in this dissonance that the satirical tone of the narration manifests itself.

Conclusion

“The powerful are always to blame for the powerless” - the law of eternal confrontation and at the same time the unity of two opposites. Wolf - external force, unlimited power, lawlessness, permissiveness, cynicism. The lamb is morality, but physical weakness.

They are in endless confrontation and at the same time cannot live one without the other, since they are equally important. Thus, “The Wolf and the Lamb,” or “The strong are always to blame for the powerless,” is a fable that is rare in its construction.