We often hear these antonyms in life: loyalty and betrayal. And everyone understands these words in their own way. Loyalty is most often associated in people with constancy in feelings, affections, beliefs. But rarely does anyone think about the meaning of the root of the word - faith. Faith is a belief in something that is unshakable in your ideas, understanding. But treason is a violation of fidelity in relation to someone or something. Treason can relate to anything, for example, there is adultery, betrayal of the Motherland, betrayal of beliefs.

I want to touch the topic is adultery and fidelity. First of all, I remember the drama by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm", where this global problem is raised. The main character of the drama, Katerina Kabanova, cheated on her husband with a young man who arrived from the capital. Unusual, not like the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov, Boris in his particular dress seemed to Katerina special, bright and unique. She fell in love with him almost immediately. With his delicacy and tact, the young man differed from the locals, for whom ignorance, rudeness and rudeness are commonplace. Katerina fell in love with Boris at first sight and decided that he was her destiny. Cheating on her husband in her understanding is not cheating at all. But the girl was worried about the fact of the oath during the wedding ceremony. However, Tikhon did not accept Katerina's betrayal, she is his beloved wife, the main thing is that no one knows anything. He beats his wife at the insistence of his mother. So Katerina's betrayal became a symbol of her faith in God, in his blessing. She decided to commit suicide only in order not to change her convictions, her faith.

In the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who should live well in Russia” Matryona Korchagina remains faithful to her husband even in the most difficult life situations. When her wife Philip is recruited, and she remains pregnant in anticipation of a child, without a husband, the heroine goes to the governor for help, trying to find protection. She was lucky: childbirth began, and the governor became the godmother for her child. She assisted in the release of her husband from recruiting duty.

Nowadays, few people invest special deep meaning to the concept of fidelity. Life has not changed for the better, but still, even now there are couples who have been living together for fifty or even more years. There are also people who are true to their cause, their profession, their faith.

Together with the article “An essay on literature on the topic“ Loyalty and betrayal ”they read:

Loyalty and betrayal - arguments

* Loyalty to a friend:

** Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" (Dmitry Razumikhin supports his friend, Rodion Raskolnikov, no matter what)

** Vladimir Korolenko "In bad society"(Children from the dungeon: Valek and Marusya made friends with a boy from the "higher" class Vasya. The guys are so faithful to each other that they are ready not to betray under torture. Vasya even committed an unseemly act: he stole a doll from his own house for the sick Marusya to brighten up last days her life)

* Cheating on a friend:

** Alexander Pushkin " Captain's daughter"(Pyotr Grinev and Shvabrin. The heroes who were once friends turn out to be enemies because of different views on such concepts as honor, loyalty, nobility. Shvabrin eventually betrays Grinev, and because of love for the same girl, Masha Mironova, does everything possible to destroy Grinev, with whom he was once friends)

** Mikhail Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time” (Grushnitsky, out of envy and jealousy, betrays Pechorin, as he turned out to be happier in love. Princess Mary Ligovskaya falls in love with Pechorin, who previously sympathized with Grushnitsky, who had his own plans for the girl. Deprived generosity, Grushnitsky cannot forgive Pechorin for his defeat and decides on a vile step - a dishonorable duel... He slanders Pechorin, accusing him of having close relations with Princess Mary, and during the duel he offers his former friend a pistol loaded with blank cartridges.)

** Haruki Murakami "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his wandering years" ("We don't want to see you anymore" - and no explanation. Four of his best friend suddenly cut him off from himself - and from his former life. After 16 years, the already matured Tsukuru will have to meet his friends again to find out what really happened. It turned out that Belaya accused him of rape and his friends believed it)

* Loyalty to profession/job:

** Boris Polevoy "The Tale of a Real Man" (about the events that took place in the life of the Soviet pilot Alexei Meresyev during the Great Patriotic War. During the battle, the plane was shot down by the Germans. He escaped, but his toes were crushed. For eighteen days Meresyev made his way through the forest. He was amputated in the hospital. As a result of persistent training and great willpower, Alexei achieved the ability to fly, as before. In incredibly difficult conditions of life, he remained devoted to his chosen profession, his chosen cause.)

** Andrei Platonov “The Sandy Teacher” (Maria Nikifirovna Naryshkina chose the difficult profession of a teacher. When she was assigned to the village of Khoshutovo, where the sands “reigned” and there was no vegetation, she did not refuse. In this small settlement, people were dying of hunger , there was poverty and devastation everywhere, but Maria did not give up, but decided to use her gift as a teacher for good: to teach the inhabitants to deal with the sands.Thanks to her labors, vegetation appeared in the village, and on

lessons began to come more peasants. After the work done, she was sent to help the nomadic people. She could refuse, but, remembering the hopeless fate of this people, she decided to put public interests above her own. With her actions and fortitude, she proved that loyalty to her profession is not limited to the walls of the office. Maria Nikiforovna became an excellent example of disinterested professionalism, kindness and responsiveness and showed how difficult and important the path of a teacher is.)

* Loyalty to a loved one

** William Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet" (children of militant clans meet each other against the decrees of their parents. Juliet decides to pretend to be dead and avoid marrying another. Not knowing that his beloved is sleeping, Romeo takes poison. Waking up, Juliet sees dead Romeo and kills himself with a dagger)

** Mikhail Bulgakov "Master and Margarita" (Margarita loved her chosen one so much that she sold her soul to the devil. She was ready to look for him all over the world and beyond. She remained faithful to him, even when there was no hope of finding the Master.)

** Alexander Kuprin "Garnet Bracelet" (Loyalty of love pushes a person to a feat, it can also be fatal. In A.I. Kuprin's story "Garnet Bracelet" unrequited love becomes the meaning of life of a petty official Zheltkov, who remains true to his high feeling for married woman who will never be able to love him back. He does not defile the beloved with the demands of reciprocal feelings. Tortured and suffering, he blesses Vera for a happy future, does not allow vulgarity and everyday life to penetrate into the fragile world of love. In his fidelity there is a tragic doom to death.)

* Infidelity (treason) to a loved one

** Alexander Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" (the main character Katerina fell in love with Boris, cheating on her husband (Kabanov Tikhon), and then commits suicide)

** Nikolay Karamzin " Poor Lisa"(The rich nobleman Erast seduces Lisa, and then, having received what he wants, leaves her, leaving "for the army", but then they meet after 2 months and he announces to her that he is engaged (he had to marry a rich widow, because he lost his fortune in cards. In the finale, the heroine commits suicide)

** Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace" (Natasha Rostova spiritually betrayed Andrei Bolkonsky with Anatole Kuragin) / note: + reasons for betrayal + when betrayal is justified - Rostova, due to her age and inexperience, could not think about the consequences of her choice)

* Keeping your word

** Leonid Panteleev “Honestly” (it is about a boy of seven or eight years old, who, during the game, was entrusted by the older boys to guard an imaginary powder warehouse and took his word of honor from him that he would not leave his post. After playing and forgetting about the sentry, the boys fled a long time ago home, but our hero stayed. It was already getting dark in the park when the narrator saw a little sentry who did not want to leave the post entrusted to him for anything, as he was afraid to break his promise. And only the permission of the major, whom the narrator accidentally finds at the tram stop, releases the boy from his word and allows him to go home.The narrator says that he does not know either the name, or the surname, or the parents of this boy,

but he knows one thing for sure: a real person will grow out of him with a strong will and a sense of loyalty to the word.)

** Alexander Pushkin "Eugene Onegin" (Tatyana Larina was the embodiment of moral strength and sincerity. Therefore, she rejected Onegin's love and remained faithful to her marital oath, despite the fact that she loved him.)

* Loyalty to yourself

** Ivan Bunin "Dark Alleys" (the heroine managed to remain faithful in her soul to her first and only love in her life - to Nikolai. Years pass, Nadezhda becomes an independent, firmly standing woman, but she remained alone. Loyalty to her beloved warms the heart of the heroine, although at the meeting she accuses him, not forgiving for betrayal.) / note: loyalty to her principles + loyalty to love + forgiveness of betrayal /

** Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita" (The Master believed in what he was doing so much that he could not betray the work of his whole life. He could not leave it to be torn to pieces by envious critics. To save his work from misinterpretation and condemnation, he even destroyed it.)

* Loyalty/treason

** Alexander Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter" (Pyotr Grinev is faithful to his duty and his state, despite the mortal danger, when Shvabrin betrays the Motherland, the honor of an officer, friends, saving his life) / note: + reasons for betrayal /

** Nikolai Gogol "Taras Bulba" (the youngest son of Taras - Andriy - fell in love with a lady and betrayed his homeland) / note: + unforgiveness of betrayal by Taras)

** Mikhail Sholokhov "The Fate of Man" ( The protagonist Andrey Sokolov showed patriotism, dedication and courage not only during military service but also in captivity. The hero, being very hungry and tired, refuses to eat and drink in honor of the German victory. After all, Andrei is faithful to his Vaughan duty to the end, he is not afraid of being shot for his refusal to the fascist. Andrey Sokolov - a man with capital letter. It was such people, devoted to the Motherland, who saved the country, defended it.)

In the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm", the theme of betrayal and fidelity is revealed with the help of several plans, since it was important for the author to show that the tragedy of the situation he described does not lie only at the everyday level. Therefore, it is important to analyze not only the main plot, but also the images actors trying to understand their motivations and characters.

• Change that can be justified. Reflecting on devotion and betrayal, first of all, the reader immediately draws attention to Katerina, as she violates marital fidelity. Being married to Tikhon, the heroine never had strong feelings for him. But Boris, young, handsome, intelligent, seemed to her ideal, especially in comparison with her husband, and she fell in love, strongly and sincerely. And this love, although it was seen as criminal by the timid and very pious Katerina, eventually won: after painful throwing, the girl succumbs to it and decides to commit treason. At least, in her judgments, the mere thought of feelings for another man was identical to treason. But in fact, the strong desire for love in the heroine is closely intertwined with the dream of regaining freedom lost after marriage, with a sense of liberation from the weak-willed Tikhon, from endless family oppression, from an unfair, tough and grouchy mother-in-law. It is not surprising that Katerina, who had not previously reacted to the attention of fans, falls in love with Boris, because in him she saw a person freer than the inhabitants of the "dark kingdom". Thus, her betrayal can be justified, because she initially entered into marriage against her will, and new family only put pressure on the woman, never becoming her home.
• Loyalty to yourself and your beliefs. Violating marital fidelity, Katerina remains true to herself. Imprisoned in the chains of an ignorant society, she does not become stale in her soul, but still continues to dream about how she would fly if she were a bird. She is capable of deep and all-consuming feelings. The heroine, almost at the beginning of the work, is already talking about her death: “I will throw myself out the window, I will rush into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, so I won’t, even if you cut me! And rightly so - Katerina does not agree to endure the suffocating, slavish way of society, which is firmly established in Kalinov. That is why she has a conflict with her mother-in-law, who is trying to accustom her to the way of life of the "dark kingdom", which seems to the inhabitants of Kalinov to be the only correct one. Thus, the last choice of the heroine is a proof of loyalty to her ideals and principles. If she accepted the cruel customs from Domostroy, it would mean betraying herself.
• Treason to your word and beloved woman. The traitor in the play was Boris, Katerina's lover. The young man seems to be different from the inhabitants of the "dark kingdom", but is it? The hero works for his tyrant uncle, who must leave him an inheritance, but Boris has no confidence, because he is not even paid. However, he tolerates and does not show any resistance, referring to the fact that he needs to take care of his sister. In the scene of Katerina's last meeting with her lover, Boris tells her that he is a "free bird", but leaves her for Siberia on behalf of his uncle and cannot take the poor girl with him. It is interesting that earlier he said that he loved Katerina more than life, but in a difficult period for the heroine, he escapes; at parting, he constantly repeats that he does not have time, and it is time for him to go, although he sees that his beloved is suffering. Katerina knew at once that he was leaving her, but she was not angry; her feelings are strong and sublime, but, unfortunately, Boris betrays her anyway.
• Loyalty to self. One of the reasons for Katerina's unhappy life is the loyalty of the townspeople of Kalinov to their way of life. Here there is a place for tyranny, cruelty, slave labor, slander - in general, a suffocating, rotten place. The older generation, presented by Kabanova and Diky, oppresses the young in the person of Katerina, Boris and Varvara. Tikhon also gets it - he is too weak and weak-willed to try to resist his mother. Kabanova throughout the work put pressure on her son and his wife, taught them, indicated what kind of relationship should be between spouses. But she did this not only out of her whims - Kabanova firmly believes in what she says. She herself was raised this way and believes that this way of life should remain. Ignorance, rudeness and oppression reign in the city of Kalinov, but many residents are sure that this is how it should be, and contribute to the preservation of the “dark kingdom”. Unfortunately, loyalty to one's convictions is not always a positive quality, because time is passing, the world is changing, and each person must develop, and not stagnate on one principle that life itself refutes over the years.
• Loyalty is to your detriment. In the drama N.A. Ostrovsky has another hero who remains true to himself. This is Tikhon Kabanov. He lives in the "kingdom of tyrants" and understands this, but does not make any attempts to change anything. He has learned to survive in such a society, and if he feels that he has no more strength to endure, then he will go for a drink with friends, and then continue to live as he did before. Tikhon does not contradict his mother, in the play there is even a scene that is humiliating for him and Katerina, when Kabanova tells him that he must tell his wife before his departure, what instructions to give her. And he dutifully repeats everything after her. At the end of the work, when Katerina was found drowned, Tikhon throws himself at his mother and blames her for the death of his wife, to which Kabanova replies that she will talk to him at home. It is unlikely that the accusatory phrases of the hero mean that he has changed: the final remark belongs to Tikhon, but it is clear that he pities only himself: “Good for you, Katya! And why did I stay in the world to live and suffer.
• Loyalty to your beliefs. The mechanic Kuligin also coexists with the Kabanovs and the Wilds, but in his heart he remains a staunch supporter of progress and enlightenment. He is the only warrior in the field, and yet he is trying to change the life of the city, to introduce new trends and discoveries of science into it. He is not afraid to contradict the powerful of this world and says that a thunderstorm is just electricity, and not Elijah the prophet in a chariot. The hero understands that no one supports him, and the inhabitants do not need changes, and yet he does not betray himself, but follows his thorny path to help society begin to develop.

Thus, the conflict in the play "Thunderstorm" is a conflict of different times and generations. The tragedy lies in the fact that young people do not want and can no longer live the way their elders teach, as it is written in Domostroy, but they will not be able to live “in a new way” either: the old laws are too strong, too strong the convictions of their defenders, oppression is too heavy. It is interesting that in the work such concepts as fidelity and betrayal, which usually have a certain connotation, acquire a double meaning: betrayal is not always from sinful thoughts, loyalty to oneself is not always evidence of a persistent character.

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One of the topics of the final essay on literature for 2020 graduates may be the topic “Loyalty and betrayal”.

By mistake, when writing a work, schoolchildren begin to consider and compare these two concepts - fidelity and betrayal - exclusively from the point of view of romantic relationships. In fact, they are very broad and versatile. Loyalty is not only steadfastness in feelings, but also the fulfillment of one's duties and duty, responsibility, steadfastness, devotion and constancy. And betrayal is not only a violation of fidelity to a loved one, but in general betrayal, infidelity, treachery, apostasy.

In the essay, as recommended by FIPI, loyalty and betrayal should be compared as opposites, and they can be considered from any point of view: ethical, philosophical, psychological. Those students who do not confine themselves to meager reasoning, but also give a variety of life, historical and literary examples in the essay, have a chance to increase their grade. The latter will be simple: loyalty and betrayal are found in the plots of many works. Will increase appreciation and use of citations. Moreover, you can quote both the thinkers of antiquity (“Only once do we lose life and trust” - the ancient Roman poet Publius Sir), and modern authors. For example, we can cite the words of the bard Vladimir Vysotsky: “In this world, I value only loyalty. Without it, you are nobody and you have nobody. In life, this is the only currency that will never depreciate.”

What could be your essay on the topic “Loyalty and betrayal”? You can consider these two concepts in the broadest sense, but you can only refer to the love sphere. Perhaps someone will want to write about loyalty to their homeland and treason, while another will decide to describe these feelings towards friends or just a person who has trusted you. The specific topics of such an essay can be as narrow as possible: about loyalty and betrayal in relation to oneself, one's goals, moral principles, religious beliefs, and also, for example, about the loyalty of pets to their owners.

An approximate list of literary works and carriers of problems in the direction of "Loyalty and treason"

Other directions of the final essay.

In the play, "Thunderstorm" is so ambiguous that it still causes conflicting opinions and disputes among critics. Some call her "a bright ray in a dark kingdom", "a decisive nature." Others, on the contrary, reproach the heroine for her weakness, her inability to stand up for her own happiness. Who Katerina really is is difficult to answer unequivocally, and even impossible. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the main character had them too.

The desire to create a happy family

Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" tells about the confrontation between light and darkness, good and evil, new and old. The characteristic of Katerina allows the reader to understand how much a girl brought up in loving family, where warmth and mutual understanding have always reigned, it is hard to be in a house where everyone lives in fear. The main character wanted with all her heart to love her husband, to create happy family, give birth to children and live a long life, but, unfortunately, all her hopes went to dust.

Katerina's mother-in-law kept the whole city in fear, what can we say about relatives who were afraid to take a step without her knowledge. The boar constantly humiliated and insulted her daughter-in-law, set her son against her. Tikhon treated his wife well, but could not protect her from the arbitrariness of his mother, to whom he unconditionally obeyed. The characterization of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" shows how disgusting she is to perform certain "rituals" in public, meaningless and no longer relevant.

Finding Happiness

It is clear that the main character could not live long in such an environment that Kabanikha created, so the tragic ending was obvious from the very beginning. The description of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" creates the image of a pure and bright girl, very kind and reverent about religion. She cannot endure oppression, and when her husband leaves for a trip, she decides to find happiness on the side. Katerina starts an affair with Boris Grigorievich, but going on a date with him she already understands that she does not have long to live.

The time spent with her lover is the best in the life of the heroine, she seems to be on a holiday. The characterization of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" shows that Boris Grigoryevich becomes for a woman a dream and an outlet, about which she dreamed all the time. The heroine understood that she would never be forgiven for treason, and her mother-in-law would die in general, and she herself could not live with such a grave sin.

Confession

The characterization of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" makes it possible to understand that the heroine cannot live a lie, constantly deceive others. A woman confesses her infidelity to her husband and mother-in-law "in front of all honest people." Kabanikha could not endure such a shame. If Katerina had not died, then she would have had to live under eternal arrest, her mother-in-law would not have let her breathe freely.

It was not worth hoping that Boris would save his beloved and take him away from the city. This man chose money, thereby leaving Katerina to her death. Suicide does not justify a woman, but this step was taken out of desperation. The heroine is a bright nature, she could not take root in the kingdom of darkness.