The opposition of homeland — foreign country in “american” novels “For Daily Bread” by H. Sienkewicz and V.G. Korolenko’s “Without Language”
- Pages
- 72-77
Abstract
The article deals with the peasant emigration to America in the novels of Henryk Sienkiewicz “For Daily Bread” and Vladimir Korolenko “Without Language”. The plot structure of the stories and the system of characters are contrasted for spatial oppositions “close — far” and “homeland — foreign land”. It is demonstrated that the peasant traditional patriarchal picture of the world is in conflict with the image of America as an urban civilization of modern times. The authors reveal the specifics of Sienkiewicz’s and Korolenko’s disclosure of American themes. It is emphasized that the vision of America by both writers is ambivalent. From the point of view of Polish and Russian writers, America gives a chance for individual fulfillment, but the positions of both authors indicate their patriotism. This is confirmed, in particular, by nostalgic motifs in the novels “For Daily Bread” and “Without Language”.