Find a fairy tale about a fisherman and a fish. Alexander Pushkin - a fairy tale about a fisherman and a fish

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An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.

The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net -
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net -
A net came with one fish,
With not just a simple fish - a gold one.

How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
"Let me go to sea, old man!
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I'll buy you anything you want."
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.

And he said a kind word to her:
"God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."

He told her a great miracle:
"Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted
I didn’t dare take a ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea."

The old woman scolded the old man:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split."

So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is a little rough.

A fish swam to him and asked:

"What do you want, old man?"

"Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God.
There will be a new trough for you." The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut."
So he went to the blue sea
(The blue sea has become cloudy).
He began to click on the goldfish.

"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God,
So be it: you will have a hut."

He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.

The old woman is sitting under the window,
What the world stands on scolds her husband:
"You're a fool, you're a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl,
I want to be a pillar noblewoman." The old man went to the blue sea
(Restless blue sea).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God."

What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.

Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
"Hello, madam noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy."
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.

gold fish

On the seashore, in a dilapidated hut, a fisherman lived with his wife, and they were very poor. The fisherman made a net and began to catch fish in the sea.
One day he cast a net and began to pull. He looks, and there is only one fish in the net, but not an ordinary one - a gold one. The fish begged in a human voice:
- Don’t destroy me, it’s better to let me into the blue sea, I’ll be useful to you: I’ll do whatever you want. The fisherman thought and thought and said:
- I don’t need anything from you: swim in the sea!
He threw the goldfish into the water and returned home. His wife asks:
- Did you catch a lot of fish?
- Yes, just one goldfish, and he threw it into the sea. I felt sorry for her, did not take a ransom from her, and let her go free.
- Oh, you fool! Happiness fell into your hands, but you couldn’t control it!
The wife got angry, scolds her husband from morning to evening, does not give him peace:
- At least I begged her for bread. After all, soon there will be no dry crust - what are we going to eat?
The fisherman went to the sea, the goldfish asked him:
- What do you want?
- My wife got angry and sent for bread.
- Go home, you will have plenty of bread. The fisherman returned.
- Well, wife, is there any bread?
“There’s plenty of bread, but the problem is: the trough is split, there’s nothing to wash the clothes in.” Go to the goldfish and ask him to give you something new.
The fisherman went to the sea and called the goldfish again.
- What do you want? - asks the goldfish.
- My wife sent it and asks for a new trough.
- Okay, you will have a trough.
The fisherman returned, just through the door - and his wife again attacked him:
“Go,” he says, “to the goldfish, ask him to build a new hut; ours is about to fall apart! The husband became agitated, came to the sea, called a goldfish and asked to build a new hut.
- Don't push! - the fish answers. - Go home, everything will be done. The fisherman returned home - in the yard there was a new hut, made of oak, with carved patterns. His wife runs out to meet him, even more angry than before:
- Oh, you fool, you don’t know how to use happiness! You begged for a hut and, tea, you think - you did the job! No, go back to the goldfish and tell her: I don’t want to be a peasant, I want to be a queen. A fisherman went to the sea, called a goldfish and complained to her:
“My wife is more foolish than ever: she doesn’t want to be a peasant, she wants to be a queen.”
- Don’t worry, go home, everything will be done.
The fisherman returned, and instead of a house there was a tall palace under a golden roof, with sentries walking around. Behind there is a large garden, and in front of the palace there is a green meadow, and in that meadow the troops are gathered. The fisherman dressed up as a queen, stepped out onto the balcony with the boyars and began to review the troops: drums were beating, music was thundering, the soldiers were shouting “hurray.”

No more time passed, the wife got tired of being a queen, she ordered to find her husband and present him before his bright eyes. There was a commotion: the generals were fussing, the boyars were running. They forcibly found the fisherman in the backyard and took him to the queen. They brought the fisherman to the queen, and she said to him:
- Go to the goldfish and tell her: I don’t want to be a queen, I want to be the mistress of the sea, so that all the seas and all the fish will obey me.
The fisherman began to make excuses, but his wife separated: if you don’t go, your head will be off your shoulders!
With a heavy heart, a fisherman came to the sea, called for a fish, but it was not there. I called another time - again no. He called for the third time - the sea began to rustle and get agitated; and a goldfish swam out of the dark waves:
- What do you want?
- The wife has completely lost her mind: she no longer wants to be a queen, she wants to be the mistress of the sea, to rule over all the waters, to command all the fish.
The goldfish said nothing, turned and went into the depths of the sea.
The fisherman turned back, looked and couldn’t believe his eyes: the palace was gone, in its place stood a dilapidated hut, in the hut sat a wife in a tattered sundress, and in front of her was a broken trough. This is how the fisherman was punished for her greed. They began to live as before, the fisherman began to fish again, but he never came across a goldfish again.

Russian folk tale retold

About the fairy tale

The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish - an eternal story with instructive content

The great Russian poet, playwright and prose writer, one of the most authoritative literary figures of the 19th century, left his native country a rich fairy-tale heritage. Among the popular and beloved works of the people, the fairy tale about the fisherman and the fish comes first. The manuscript with an instructive story was ready in 1833, and was first published in 1835 in the magazine “Library for Reading”.

The author was well acquainted with the work of the German writers the Brothers Grimm and his works often echoed the legends and tales of the German people. The tale of the fisherman and the fish has a common plot line with the Russian folk tale about a greedy old woman and is similar to the Pomeranian fairy tale “About a Fisherman and His Wife.”

A truly folk work is always divided into proverbs and quotes. The saying “staying with nothing” comes from Pushkin’s favorite work and means that you can have everything, but foolishly end up with nothing!

Alexander Sergeevich's heroes are always very remarkable, memorable and characteristic. It is recommended that you get to know them better before you start reading the tale:

Old man - a simple illiterate fisherman who lived on the seashore for thirty years and three years and lived on a meager catch. Out of the goodness of his heart, he released the fish and did not ask for anything as a ransom, but he could not control his grumpy old woman and fulfilled all her whimsical whims.

Old woman - the wife of an old fisherman. She scolded her husband, shut him up for letting go of the goldfish, and forced the poor fellow to beg from the sorceress for more and more miracles. The old woman’s appetites grew, and the queen’s soft chair was already too cramped for her. The granny decided to become the mistress of the sea and subjugate the generous fish.

gold fish - a mythical character and a magical collective image. It can be called a lucky ticket that the old man pulled out as a reward for years of hard work and Christian humility. Neither the old fisherman nor the stupid old woman could properly manage the chance that Mother Nature gave them. They could have received everything they needed for a prosperous old age, but both were left broke.

Every child should know Pushkin’s fairy tales from childhood, and parents, through bedtime reading, can instill the main human values ​​in the child’s developing character. The works of the great writer will help fathers and mothers, grandparents, in poetic form, to convey to children the richness of the Russian language and the versatility of the literary heritage.

Living lacquer miniature in illustrations for a fairy tale story

Folk artists from the villages of Palekh and Fedoskino drew ideas for creativity from the works of national poets. Ordinary papier-mâché bases were covered with varnish paints and, with the help of filigree painting, scenes from Russian national fairy tales were conveyed. A high degree of craftsmanship made it possible to display the authors' fantasies and handmade wonders on a simple piece of pressed paper.

It will be very difficult to find a person who has not heard (at least out of the corner of his ear) what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” is about. After all, almost everyone gets to know her in childhood. When parents, grandparents read this work of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin to their beloved child at night, so that he falls asleep as quickly as possible.

But do you understand the plot of this fairy tale correctly, do you correctly interpret its moral? An analysis of “Tales of the Fisherman and the Fish” will help you figure this out.

Author of the work

Of course, it is impossible to begin an analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” without mentioning the author of this work, who is Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, a very popular Russian writer and poet. His work is equally loved by both adults and children. He has a lot of fairy tales and children's stories, but also no less serious (intended for an adult audience) works.

“Eugene Onegin” alone - his legendary novel in verse is worth something! After all, this story has been translated into many languages ​​of the world. And two love letters from Tatiana to Onegin and his answer to the girl are considered one of the most romantic and tragic confessions in the world.

Pushkin was born in 1789 on June 6th. And he died in 1837, on February 10. The death of the literary genius occurred as a result of an unsuccessful duel, where Alexander Sergeevich was wounded - mortally for that time.

During his short (by modern standards) life, Pushkin wrote countless poems, stories, articles, reflections, as well as many major works that still resonate in the hearts of people.

History of creation

Since childhood, the literary genius showed a love for Russian folk art. Pushkin’s famous nanny, Arina Rodionovna, especially contributed to this. She told her charge fairy tales, and he, like any other child, listened to them with a special awe in his eyes, which happens, perhaps, only in smart children.

When Alexander Sergeevich grew up, he began to independently study Russian folklore. Many researchers and Pushkinists believe that it was during this period that the writer created the first drafts of future fairy tales. And after some time, around the 30s of the 19th century, Pushkin began to write the fairy tales we now know.

The first of them were the works “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” (the analysis of which is presented before you), as well as the fairy tales “About the Pope and his worker Balda” and “About the Golden Cockerel”, etc.

The plot of the tale

When writing the fairy tale about the Golden Fish, Pushkin set himself the task of showing the nationality of Russian literature. Therefore, this work is not only light children's reading with a moral at the end. This is an example of life, the traditions of the great Russia of those times, a demonstration of what ordinary peasants believed in then and how they lived.

However, an analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” will help you understand and understand that in fact the plot of this work is not based on Russian folklore. After all, the German brothers Grimm have “The Tale of the Fisherman and His Wife,” which in its content is very reminiscent of Pushkin’s Russian creation.

But the work of Alexander Sergeevich was published in 1833, and the fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm was presented to readers in 1812.

Why Pushkin's fairy tale is more suitable for children's audiences

It's no secret that the original works of the Brothers Grimm are aimed more at an adult audience. This perfectly proves the original content of the fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood, which has not yet been adapted for children. After all, it is clearly erotic in nature! It is completely unwise to read such reading to a child at night or at any other time, and therefore many of the stories of the Brothers Grimm have been altered to suit the age category of readers.

Therefore, “The Tale of the Fisherman and His Wife” will not be as interesting to children as the usual plot of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” (a psychological analysis of which is presented in the article).

Similarities between Pushkin's fairy tales and the Brothers Grimm

The fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm begins almost the same way, only the fisherman catches not a Goldfish, but a magic flounder. And it is she who asks for a luxurious house, a wonderful castle, after which the grumpy wife (according to the usual scenario) begins to demand that the fish make her a queen, and then an empress (in Pushkin’s fairy tale - “Mistress of the Sea”).

Up to this point, everything seems familiar and similar, but further events (and the demands of the restless fisherman’s wife continue, unlike Pushkin’s interpretation) develop somewhat unexpectedly.

The fundamental difference between the two fairy tales

After some time, the newly-crowned empress in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale ceases to be satisfied with her new role. And she demands that the fish make her Pope. Goldfish agrees to this too.

But this status also pleases the insatiable fisherman’s wife for only a short time. And finally she announces her last demand, expressing her desire to become God.

Overall ending and moral

The fish's patience reaches its limit, and it returns everything to normal. And before us is again a familiar picture: a poor fisherman and his insatiable wife are sitting in a broken hut and regretting the past.

This work, like “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” (an analysis of Pushkin’s work is given in this article), ends with a moral. The main idea of ​​both fairy tales is how important it is to learn to be content with what you have and not to demand too much.

Main characters

Further analysis of the literary “Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” is impossible without studying the direct participants in the story. There are three of them in this tale:

• old man;
• old woman;
• Gold fish.

There seem to be few main characters. However, this does not interfere at all, and even, on the contrary, contributes to a better disclosure and subsequent memorization of the plot and its instructive thoughts.

Many researchers believe that the opposing images of an old man and an old woman embody a single person. Only the old man is his spirit, and the old woman is his body.

Religious overtones of the tale

Remember how many years Jesus Christ lived on earth? How long did he live “an old man with his old woman by the blue sea”?

"Exactly thirty years and three years". What is this magical period of time? And why did Pushkin choose exactly this figure for his story about the Golden Fish?

The Lord went through such a life path that prepared him for a special outcome. This artistic analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” shows that this is why the old man lived for so many years before he first met the fish. After all, this meeting is a kind of test that determines the further development of the old man’s life.

The image of an old man

Based on the title of the fairy tale, its main character is an old man. In addition, the narrative of this work also begins with this character. Therefore, the analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” should examine him first of all the characters.

Religious teachings often speak of the triumph of the spirit over the flesh. Perhaps this is why an old man who catches a goldfish is given a choice: eat it or let it go. Thus, choose between the needs of the body and the triumph of the spirit (spiritual development). And the old man makes the right choice.

In addition, he releases the fish just like that, without asking for anything in return. This also demonstrates that the old man's spirit is becoming stronger.

Image of an old woman

The next figure that the psychological analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Little Fish” should touch upon is the old woman.

As you remember, after the old man caught and released the fish again, he returns home. Where the spirit (the old man) meets his body (the old woman). Figuratively, this means that reason fades into the background, giving way to emotions, for which pressing problems are of great importance. And then the process of rethinking what happened begins, on the basis of which desires and demands arise.

The triumph of flesh over body

Further literary analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” shows that the old woman (emotions, body) completely suppressed the old man (mind, spirit). That is why he meekly runs to the fish, asking him to fulfill all the desires and demands of his restless wife. And the fish, which in this fairy tale personifies a higher power, ready to come to the rescue or give what it deserves, does everything the old woman asks.

Many researchers believe that in this way she continues to test the old man. Gives the spirit the opportunity to come to its senses and resist the desires of the body. But the old man doesn’t even think about saying a word against the old woman’s demands.

This lasts as long as the desires of the body (the old woman) relate exclusively to material goods. When they move to the spiritual sphere of life - the old woman wants the Golden Fish to make her the “Mistress of the Sea” (for Pushkin) or God (for the Brothers Grimm), the tests of the spirit (of the old man) stop. And he again returns to the beginning of his journey.

Brief analysis of “Tales of the Fisherman and the Fish”

The most important thing to take away from the result of any human activity (it doesn’t matter so much what it is: a work, a film, music, a painting, study, raising children, etc.) is its meaning.

Therefore, a brief analysis of the fairy tale discussed in this article should directly relate to the meaning of this work, the influence it had on people.

So, the article already mentioned earlier that Pushkin wrote his works primarily for an adult audience. However, the kids immediately fell in love with the fairy tales that came from the pen of Alexander Sergeevich. Although they understand them in their own way, in a childish way.

Analysis of “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” shows that the moral that the younger generation of readers sees is that every person:

You shouldn't be greedy.

It is important to be happy with what you have.

Thank fate for its gifts.

Achieve everything on your own, because the gift you receive can be taken away at any time.

And adults, if they think a little about the content of the fairy tale analyzed in this article, will see that its true meaning is much greater:

The example of an old man, who personifies the spirit of a person, and an old woman - the body, forms an important idea that people should live not only by feelings, emotions and desires, but also by reason.

Unquestioning indulgence (the behavior of the old man - spirit, mind) to his own egoism (the old woman - body, emotions), which is clearly demonstrated in this fairy tale, has a destructive effect on a person.

A person’s primary importance should be his spirit, because only spiritual wealth really means something in the world. Material wealth is secondary; in most cases, it is not capable of making people happy. And their loss can literally leave a person with nothing.

The analysis carried out in the article clearly proves how important it is to read Russian fairy tales. After all, they are a real storehouse of wisdom!

An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea, -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net,
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net, -
A net came with one fish,
With a difficult fish - gold.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
“You, elder, let me go to sea,
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I’ll pay you back with whatever you want.”
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
He released the goldfish
And he said a kind word to her:
“God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."

The old man returned to the old woman,
He told her a great miracle.
“Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted.
I did not dare take a ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea.”
The old woman scolded the old man:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split.”

So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is playing up a little.

A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”

“Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split.”
The goldfish answers:

There will be a new trough for you."
The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut.”

So he went to the blue sea,
There will be a new trough for you."
The old man returned to the old woman,
He began to click on the goldfish,

“What do you want, elder?”

“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God,
So be it: you’ll have a hut.”
He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
For what it's worth, she scolds her husband.
“You are a fool, you are a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl
I want to be a pillar noblewoman.”

The old man went to the blue sea;
(The blue sea is not calm.)

A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God.”

The old man returned to the old woman.
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
“Hello, madam, noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
Again he sends the old man to the fish.
“Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a pillar noblewoman,
But I want to be a free queen.”
The old man got scared and prayed:
“What, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?
You can neither step nor speak,
You will make the whole kingdom laugh."
The old woman became even more angry,
She hit her husband on the cheek.
“How dare you, man, argue with me,
With me, a pillar noblewoman? —
Go to the sea, they tell you with honor,
If you don’t go, they will lead you willy-nilly.”

The old man went to the sea,
(The blue sea has turned black.)
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
My old woman is rebelling again:
She doesn't want to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God!
Good! the old woman will be a queen!”

The old man returned to the old woman.
Well? before him are the royal chambers.
In the chambers he sees his old woman,
She sits at the table like a queen,
Boyars and nobles serve her,
They pour her foreign wines;
She eats printed gingerbread;
A formidable guard stands around her,
They hold axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw it, he was scared!
He bowed to the old woman's feet,
He said: “Hello, formidable queen!
Well, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman did not look at him,
She just ordered him to be driven out of sight.
The boyars and nobles ran up,
They pushed the old man backwards.
And the guards ran up at the door,
Almost chopped her up with axes.
And the people laughed at him:
“Serves you right, you old ignoramus!
From now on, science for you, ignoramus:
Don’t sit in the wrong sleigh!”

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
The courtiers send for her husband,
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman says to the old man:
“Turn back, bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
So that I can live in Okiyan-Sea,
So that the goldfish may serve me
And she would be on my errands.”

The old man did not dare to contradict
I didn’t dare to say a word.
Here he goes to the blue sea,
He sees a black storm at sea:
So the angry waves swelled,
That's how they walk and howl and howl.
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
What should I do with the damned woman?
She doesn't want to be a queen,
Wants to be the mistress of the sea;
So that she can live in Okiyan-Sea,
So that you yourself serve her
And I would have been on her errands.”
The fish didn't say anything
Just splashed her tail in the water
And went into the deep sea.
He waited for a long time by the sea for an answer,
He didn’t wait, he returned to the old woman -
Lo and behold, there was a dugout in front of him again;
His old woman is sitting on the threshold,
And in front of her is a broken trough.

Analysis of Pushkin’s “Tales of the Fisherman and the Fish”

“The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” is the simplest and most edifying of all Pushkin’s fairy tales. He wrote it in 1833 in Boldino. The poet took one of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm as a basis, but seriously revised it in the spirit of Russian national traditions.

The main meaning of the tale of the goldfish is to condemn human greed. Pushkin shows that this negative quality is inherent in all people, regardless of financial or social status. In the center of the plot are a poor old man and an old woman who have lived by the sea all their lives. Despite the fact that both worked hard, they never made any fortune. The old man continues to fish for food, and the old woman sits all day long at “her yarn.” Pushkin does not indicate the reason, but the poor old people have no children, or they left their parents long ago. This further increases their suffering, since they have no one else to rely on.

The old man is often left without a catch, but one day luck smiles on him. The net brings a magical goldfish, which in exchange for freedom offers the old man to fulfill any of his wishes. Even poverty is not capable of destroying the feelings of kindness and compassion in an old man. He just lets the fish go, saying “God be with you.”

Completely different feelings are born in the old woman’s soul at the news of her husband’s catch. She attacks him with furious abuse, accusing the old man of stupidity. But she herself, apparently, does not fully believe in the magical promise, since she only asks for a new trough to test it.

After fulfilling her wish, the old woman begins to taste it. Her appetite flares up, and each time she sends the old man with even greater requests. Moreover, the wretchedness of the thinking of a person whose entire life was spent in poverty becomes noticeable. She is not smart enough to immediately ask, for example, for a lot of money, which would save the old man from constantly turning to the fish for a long time. The old woman gradually asks for a new home, nobility, and royal power. The highest limit of her dreams is the desire to become a sea queen.

The old man meekly fulfills every wish of the old woman. He feels guilty before her for all the years of his joyless life. At the same time, he is ashamed in front of the fish, which does not show dissatisfaction with new requests. The fish feels sorry for the old man; she understands his dependence on the old woman. But the last crazy desire brings her patience to the end. She does not punish the old woman, who has gone crazy with greed, in any way, but simply returns everything to the broken trough.

For the old man, this is even the best way out, since he again becomes the master of his house. And the old woman learned a serious lesson. For the rest of her short life, she will remember how, because of greed, she destroyed with her own hands the power and wealth that were floating in her hands.