Examples Of Nonconformity In Boris Godunov

Nonconformity in Alexander Pushkin’s Boris Godunov

Rita Papadogiannis

MLAL 3402-L01

Nonconformity in Alexander Pushkin’s Boris Godunov

In Scene 6 of Alexander Pushkin’s Boris Godunov, Pushkin emphasizes a severe shift in the play’s plot with the use of imagery, repetition, and contrasts. Using Grigory’s age and the perceived monotony of a life devoted to God, the evil monk succeeds in strategically manipulating Grigory into impersonating the Tsarevich. This dialogue between the monk and Grigory not only reflects Grigory’s desire for change in his own life, but also signifies nonconformism in Russian society at the time.
In Grigory’s first words of the passage, he is miserably complaining about “how wearisome” and “how boring” his “wretched life” is as a monk (Pushkin, Scene VI, 287).
Pushkin further develops Grigory’s tones of weariness and dread with repetition of simple verbs such as “see,” “hear,” “walk,” and “yawn” (287).
The use of very plain words lacking embellishment mixed with sentence structure that contains many commas and dashes display Grigory’s frustration. Grigory describes that although much time has been spent at the monastery, he is limited to very few experiences. He goes on to point out his core feeling of discontent that keeps him awake at night. The account of Grigory’s restless mind that causes him to “toss and turn,” while he is being tormented by “black dreams” earns Grigory the reader’s sympathy (287). Although Grigory is portrayed as a deceitful and villainous character who plans on slyly using a dead man’s status in order to advance his own position, he is a strongly relatable character. These dreams of his not only give us a very strong perception of Grigory’s inner turmoil and insecurities, but they allow the reader to relate to him through our own personal anxieties. Furthermore, Pushkin’s deliberate repetition of
the color black consistently sustains these emotions towards Grigory. By repeating the same dark image throughout a scene with differing contexts, it seems that Pushkin is also trying to convey different meanings for the same term. There are at least two separate connotations associated with this extremely symbolic color that are presented in this scene of Boris Godunov. While it can mean death, the color black also represents the possibilities and potential of change. Applying this more positive definition of the color to Pushkin’s work, Grigory’s black dreams might be about his own personal aspirations that he has previously been unable to pursue.
His inability to bear the path that his life has taken somewhat gives Grigory a justification for his nonconformity and the actions he commits in the remainder of the play. When Grigory makes his big proclamation about going “over the wall” in search of a new direction for his life, it seems as though his mind is made up to escape the monastery (Pg. 287). Although Pushkin labels the man who speaks with Grigory as “an evil monk,” the corrupt monk does actually provide Grigory with a bit of much-needed guidance. He sees that Grigory cannot change his mind in order to stay at the monastery and gives him a clear way to set out on his new journey.
The evil monk persuades Grigory to impersonate Dimitry by comparing his personality with those of the other monks like him. He acknowledges Grigory’s young age by contrasting his “high-spirited and untamed” personality with the wearisome life of a monk (287). He basically relates to Grigory that Grigory should be spending his time in a more adventurous way that is fitting for a youthful man. He even discloses to Grigory his own personal regrets of how his life has panned out, which is crucial to Grigory’s decision. If an older and therefore wiser monk is expressing remorse for choosing to remain a monk, how can Grigory even have any doubts in his decision to leave the monastery?
Aside from the evil monk’s slick persuasive speech that feeds Grigory’s ego and desire, the man blatantly announces that Grigory is the same age as the Tsarevich. Even though he presents Grigory with this information, he does it in a way that plays into Grigory’s pride. The monk reiterates the significance of Grigory’s young age along with an implication that Grigory will take on the role of Dimitry only if he is “bold and cunning” (Pushkin, Scene VI, 289). Therefore, Grigory seems to make this decision to become “Dimitry” on his own. The truth is that the monk was able to deceive Grigory into becoming a deceiver of others solely for personal gain.
In Boris Godunov, perhaps the strongest argument that the monk gives Grigory is his statement about the people of Russia as a whole. The evil monk communicates sentiments of arrogance and disdain towards the people with: “Our people are stupid, they’re easily taken in; They’re quick to believe in miracles- always wondering at some new thing (289).
By portraying Russian society as ignorant and naïve, the evil monk makes it seem like the only correct alternative to Grigory being a monk is to pose himself as the Tsarevich Dimitry. Without a gain of a supreme class status, Grigory would be looked down upon as one of them. The evil monk’s strong influence on Grigory’s decision has much to do with Grigory’s fear of failure once he leaves the monastery. This reason is key in driving the plot of the rest of the play as far as Boris Godunov and Grigory’s actions play out.
Ultimately, Grigory’s decision to impersonate Dimitry is one brought about by a strong sense of disdain towards his way of life, pride, and the keen desire to choose a different path for himself. Pushkin accentuates these sentiments through the utilization of dark imagery, monotonous repetition, and stark contrasts between Grigory’s lackluster life and the fulfilling lives of other men around his own age. In doing so, Pushkin not only highlights the plagues of Grigory being at a crossroad in his life but also stresses a theme of nonconformity, which is prevalent throughout the play. I believe that Pushkin provides Grigory’s internal struggle as a way to relate to rebellions in Russian society as a whole. It seems that many characters we have read about in plays thus far are extremely similar to Grigory in the way that they are fierce opportunists who are somewhat blind-sighted by their desires. These characters exemplify nonconformism in society, which can be seen throughout Russian history. In Boris Godunov, the Grigory’s impersonation can be seen as a justifiable rebellion. Boris Godunov slayed Dimitry as a means of getting the throne, so it is acceptable that Grigory plays dirty in his attempt to steal it from another ruthless man. More so, Boris Godunov is still applicable to modern day society’s struggles with nonconformity. Certain cases such as Prohibition and Abolitionism may also have been slightly influenced by the framework of such revolutions in Russia. The actions committed by members of Pussy Riot were probably also heavily induced by previous Russian rebellions like the one represented in Pushkin’s work. Because of the heavy strategic schemes that Pushkin formulates in the plot of Boris Godunov, this play can then be seen as a timeless production that remains highly influential in politics today.

Works Cited
Mussorgsky, Modest Petrovich, and Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin. Boris Godunov. London: J. Calder, 1982. Web.