Ideological and thematic originality of M. Pavlov’s novel «Fate»

This article presents an analysis of the novel «Fate» by one of the talented prose writers of Mari literature of the beginning of the 21st century Mikhail Prokopyevich Pavlov. In 1999, for his publication, he became the laureate of the republican periodical magazine «Onchyko» prize. And in 2011, the Council of the Program of Related Peoples of Estonia, together with the Association of Finno-Ugric Literatures, awarded Mikhail Prokopyevich Pavlov the Literary Prize in the category of prose fiction for the collection «The silhouette of the lattice», which included this novel. Despite the high estimation, the work of the national prose writer remains poorly studied. The writer reveals the dramatic events of this period: the repressions of the 1937 and the plight of family members of the repressed, life “behind bars”, the tragic events of the Great Patriotic War, the difficult post-war years and the time of socio-economic restructuring period (1970-1990s). The use of the cultural-historical research method made it possible to analyze the history of the Mari people of the 20th century through the prism of the fates of its heroes. The external and internal struggle of the characters for a free and happy life is convincingly shown, the characters and circumstances born and conditioned by a certain socio-historical situation are well revealed, and the mentality of the people is shown. The writer’s focus is on the hero’s ideological and moral search for truth, goodness, justice, personal happiness and well-being. Therefore, the narrative is very psychological. The writer leads to the idea that such qualities as a sense of justice, kindness, hard work, mutual assistance and mutual understanding, the ability to love and sacrifice themselves in the name of this feeling remain the main measures of human life and the foundations of society.

Mari literature, novel, idea, theme, problems, characters system, Mikhail Pavlov, repressions, banishment, Great Patriotic War