On the question of the main cultural philosophical idea of A. I. Solzhenitsyn's epic «The Red Wheel»

Makarchuk Ivan Yur'evich ORCID: 0000-0003-2632-2772 PhD in Law Deputy head of the Administrative Legal Department at Siberian Federal University 79 Svobodny ave., office 42-20, Krasnoyarsk Territory, 660041, Russia faler2007@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

Significant cultural and philosophical ideas are accumulated in the foundation of culture, and in times of crisis they are able to ensure further socio-cultural development. Literary and artistic works, as an integral part of cultural heritage, also naturally contain great philosophical and cultural ideas, but their scientific extraction "presupposes the fullest possible penetration <...> the plot-event and figuratively metaphorical composition of the text" ^{[24, p. 58]}, since it has "an inner side of the text hidden from the profane eye. This is a mysterious flicker of meaning, the mystery that, like any mystery, enlivens the text" ^{[2, pp. 30-31]}. According to S. A. Nikolsky's apt remark, "among philosophizing writers, an author's statement is not only a separate work (although this also happens), but more often the entire corpus of works. In this text corpus, sometimes connected by one big idea <...> sometimes consisting of ideas that at first glance are heterogeneous, a phenomenon or process is viewed from different sides and therefore eventually turns out to be connected into a certain integrity, interdependent and even complementary" ^{[25, pp. 28-29]}.

It is worth noting that the search for the main cultural philosophical idea has not only theoretical significance, but also applied, because, according to O. A. Zhukova's apt remark, "the request for a great philosophical and cultural idea, based on a truthful and reasoned understanding of national history, will only increase. And here we are talking not only about the "canonical" interpretation of history for schoolchildren, but first of all about the self-determination of the Russian government and society, which set themselves strategic goals of economic development, political and cultural construction" ^{[11, p. 88]}. In this regard, we believe that it is necessary to look for cultural and philosophical ideas for the development of today's society and the state in outstanding, "iconic" literary and artistic works. Culture and art are traditionally recognized as reliable tools for shaping public consciousness, inspiring and enriching the spiritual world of people. One of the conditions for state and social development is its basing on the ideas transmitted in the national fiction. Such works allow us to learn more about the mentality and traditions of our people, develop communication skills, analytical thinking and socio-cultural empathy.

The epic "The Red Wheel" is the main literary work of A. I. Solzhenitsyn, which to one degree or another accumulated the rest of his works and dedicated to the Russian revolution. In this work, the writer reflected on the "eternal" socio-cultural problems through the prism of history, culture and philosophy. As a result, the epic "Red Wheel" contains cultural and philosophical views on the fate of Russia, the distinctive features of the Russian people, the place of Orthodoxy in national life, the affirmation of universal human values, as well as the problems of forming the spiritual culture of society and man. When, in an interview, A. I. Solzhenitsyn was asked to explain the main artistic idea of the work in question, he explained that if the idea were simply explicable, then "there would be no need to write big books. It is impossible to explain the phenomenon of art in one line." Nevertheless, guided by the purpose of this article and based on the research of researchers in this matter, we will try to determine the main idea laid down by the author in the epic.

B. G. Dvernitsky saw Solzhenitsyn's striving for truth as the dominant idea of life, fate, and creativity ^{[9, pp. 46-47]}. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu. S. Osipov attributed to the main ideas of the writer's work "the ideas of saving the people, saving the world from evil, violence and lies" ^{[26, p. 100]}. V. A. Chalmaev calls A. I. Solzhenitsyn a writer "with his own theme" ^{[37, p. 10]}. As such, the writer called the history of the Russian revolution, and his main pain was the victory of the revolution over Russia ^{[21, p. 47]}.

The sphere of ideas of the epic "The Red Wheel" is thoroughly considered by A.V. Urmanov in an article in which the emphasis is placed on the fact that "the key Solzhenitsyn ideologems make it possible to better understand the nature of the author's attitude to reality, <...> the main content of his ethical and philosophical views. A. I. Solzhenitsyn focuses his attention, including on the struggle of philosophical, spiritual, moral, socio-political ideas. All artistic forms “are subordinated to the main task – the task of a three-dimensional reconstruction of the dynamics of the historical movement of Russia in the era of revolutionary cataclysms, as well as the disclosure and evaluation of the main ideas that influenced” this movement. Accordingly, the ideological sphere of the "Red Wheel" is characterized by a synthesis of figurative-artistic and rational-logical thinking ^{[35, pp. 183-184]}, as well as for other spheres of this work (for example, character, event).

I. L. Galinskaya believed that the writer expressed the meaning of the "Red Wheel" in the title of the actions of the work "Revolution" and "Narodopravstvo" ^{[4, p. 74]}. Continuing the logic of this researcher, we note that three unwritten actions of the epic, but named by the author in an integral part of the epic – "On the edge of the narrative: A summary of unwritten knots" ("Coup", "Ours against ours", "Forging paths") also characterize the ideological and semantic vector of the work. The names of the third, fourth and fifth acts of the narrative, as well as the abstract content of the nodes of their components, not only reflect the course of events – the consequences of the revolution, but also allow you to feel the socio-cultural atmosphere of those years. For example, it was proposed to treat the uprising of the people as an art, and to perceive socialism as a source of higher culture. There were also calls for the creation of an independent culture of the proletariat on a global scale. In the newspaper "New Life" in early November 1917, an appeal by the People's Commissar of Education A.V. Lunacharsky to the population was published with an appeal to protect artistic values suffering from riots, as this would later help in raising the level of education of the poor population. Advertisements were posted in Petrograd in which the commissars for the protection of museums asked the regimental and naval committees to take measures to return to the Winter Palace the disappeared art objects of great historical value.

Russian Russian writer T. V. Kleofastova sees the meta-task of the work from the inner content of the epic, which consists in depicting a counter-dialogue about morality and spirituality within the framework of Russian artistic, religious, scientific, philosophical thought in time and space of Russian and universal culture, since the corresponding powerful streams of energy of this thought intersect ^{[13, pp. 163-164]}. Accordingly, the opinion of one of the readers about "August of the Fourteenth" seems short-sighted, writing: "if Tolstoy in the novel had a concept of history as a movement of the masses, a movement alien to the thinking and doing of individuals, then, apparently, Solzhenitsyn does not have a similar slender and complete idea to contrast it with Tolstoy. <...> Apparently, there is no idea in the novel like Tolstoy's to put it outside the novel and tie the novel to it" ^{[34, p. 83]}, as well as J. Niv's statement that "The Red Wheel" is a work without a core thesis ^{[23, p. 135]}. To refute such rash statements, we further articulate three ideas that we consider to be the main ones in the epic "The Red Wheel".

First, it is the idea of the ruinous nature of the revolution. As T. A. Rodzianko wrote back in the 70s of the XX century, for A. I. Solzhenitsyn, "the continuity of the historical development of the country and the preservation of the traditions of the people" is important ^{[19, p. 13]}. Therefore, the anti-revolutionary discourse of the epic is multifaceted ^{[27, p. 164]} and consists in a detailed narrative about the tragic historical experience of Russia, which survived the revolution ^{[14, 39]}, substantiating the idea of the inexpediency of the revolutionary path of development of Russia ^[1], which led to a socio-political crisis and stopped the course of cultural and historical development that had been debugged for centuries.

The writer consistently develops the idea of the foreignness of the revolution for Russia, because he believes that it was outsiders who staged the revolution in our country, and the Russian people became the main victim ^{[39, p. 113]}. At the same time, A. I. Solzhenitsyn wanted to show collectively the whole of Russia in its "movement towards revolution, towards the fatal feature of its history. Many millions were destined to disappear, perish, and be crushed by the Red Wheel of Russian History" ^{[13, p. 163]}. Russia itself is depicted in the epic as "suffering, almost disappearing from the face of the earth through its own fault, through its own madness" ^{[22, p. 175]}. In other words, the "Red Wheel" tells about the death of Russia, which includes the country's slide into revolution, chaos and fratricide ^{[18, p. 75]}, demonstrates (describes) the victory of the revolution over Russia ^{[21, p. 5]}, depicts the "disintegration of the epic state of the world, <...> the rebirth of the people into a crowd" ^{[16, p. 7]}. Naturally, in the work, the revolution is associated with the transformation of the country into a flame, an event entailing a terrible and painful fall, as a tragic finale, a fatal phenomenon, an abyss, a catastrophe and an apocalypse.

Zh. Niva believes that the work is based on the author's search for answers to the questions: "When did all this begin?", "When did Russia enter the inclined plane, starting to slide along it?", "Why and since when has the country been disintegrating under the onslaught of the revolution?" ^{[22, p. 234]}. A. S. Nemzer also notes similar questions that the author was looking for answers to while working on the Red Wheel.: "Why did the revolution defeat Russia?", "What did the victory of the revolution mean for our country and the whole world?", "Will we be able to stop the all-crushing ruthless roll of the Red Wheel?" ^{[21, pp. 8-9]}.

We believe that the author really asked the above questions in one form or another in order to warn future generations against a repeat of the revolutionary catastrophe. Therefore, the work in question is distinguished by its "aspiration to the future" ^{[29, pp. 30-31]}, orientation towards the formation of "moral imperatives and a new model of being for Russia and for all mankind", taking into account the tragic experience experienced ^{[14, pp. 288-289]}. Y. M. Kublanovsky called A. I. Solzhenitsyn a writer of the future, because "it is impossible without knowledge and understanding of historical truth" ^{[17, p. 293]}. This preventive and protective potential of the work allowed E. S. Tikhomirova to define the "Red Wheel" as an epic warning ^[32] against the socio-cultural upheavals of the future.

The work in question presents the tragic Russian experience "in order to learn lessons" ^{[40, p. 9]}, as well as to comprehend history and find ways out of the historical impasse ^{[18, p. 81-82]}. The epic demonstrates how the "fatal wheel was spinning", while the writer gives living and future generations algorithms for moving in the opposite, saving direction ^{[5, p. 218]}. Thanks to the narrative, "you can see what can happen to the world if you follow this path" ^{[20, p. 38]}. For example, in The Red Wheel, the writer emphasizes the importance of preserving cultural heritage and demonstrates the scale of destruction of the shrines of folk art. So, in the "Summary of unwritten nodes", shelling and destruction of monuments such as the Kremlin are mentioned (the main dome of the Assumption Cathedral was pierced, the porch was destroyed, the walls were ulcerated, the frescoes of the portal of the Annunciation Cathedral were damaged, the corner of the bell tower of Ivan the Great was beaten off, several dozen shells hit the Chudov Monastery; there is almost no intact church, iconostases are broken, there are facts looting of altars and sacristy; the Nikolskaya Tower with a large icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was shot), the Alexander School, the Metropol, Gostiny Dvor.

M. J. Geller believed that the writer in the work under consideration "asserts loyalty to himself and Home as genuine values," in contrast to loyalty to political institutions. At the same time, the narrative is "addressed to today and tomorrow: it is necessary to understand what happened and understand that a person must make a choice for himself" ^{[6, p. 19]}. As noted by D. M. Navigator, although the writer does not draw obvious parallels between the described period and modernity, but "in the mind of the reader, chained to modernity, these parallels work continuously," and the February Revolution is seen as a proto-model not only of the post-Soviet period, but of all mankind ^{[38, pp. 144-145]}.

Russian Russian idea, which in the epic is inextricably linked with the culture and history of the Russian people. So, M. M. Dunaev sees the central idea of the epic in the words expressed by Sanya Lazhenitsyn on the first pages of the narrative: "Russia... It's a pity ...". The red wheel of history rolls through Russia "and even when it is not visible, it always feels like a lurking threat" ^[10], therefore "under the colossal arches of the epic novel "The Red Wheel" we hear the trembling heartbeat of transcendent Russia" ^{[13, pp. 163-164]}. It is no coincidence that R. B. Gul, analyzing "August of the Fourteenth", called A. I. Solzhenitsyn a writer-soil scientist, because he has a special gift of love "for everything Russian and for Russia, as the place of development of this special spirituality" ^{[8, pp. 27-30]}.

Indeed, the analysis of the epic text allows you to selectively present the words used in the corresponding phrases in various semantic contexts with the adjective "Russian" (-th, -th, -oh, -th): determination, originality, patience, breadth, spirit, soul, mind, will, life, vitality, imagination, peacefulness, freedom, traditions, customs, foundations, future, reality, nature, possibilities, character, landscape, sky, antiquity, bell tower, bell ringing, church, shrine, society, people, people, common cause, fate, girl, female face, man, family, language, word, concept, national interest, national consciousness, national feeling, path, city, province, province, village, land, peasant, plowman, statehood, border, territory, national construction, peasant community, historical beginning, coat of arms, flag, throne, throne, tsar, autocrat, monarchy, dynasty, national policy, culture, art, literature, reader, intelligentsia, high school, students. Russian grave names related to military subjects are also used in the context of "Russian": patriotism, military spirit, army (detachments, troops, unit, regiment), navy, soldier, officer, warrior, mass graves, weapons, cavalry, cannons, artillery, defense, glory, victory.

From the above-mentioned verbal series, it follows that the writer focused on the phenomenon of the life of Russia and its people, including representatives of all strata of society, the identity of the Russian national character, the "spirit of the nation" placed in revolutionary events ^[39]. He invariably demonstrates faith in the people, their talents, and spiritual strength ^{[28, p. 155]}. Speaking generally, it can be noted that in the "Red Wheel" A. I. Solzhenitsyn, following the tasks of art, explored the soul of the people and the souls of its individual representatives ^{[30, p. 102]}. Through the idea of the Russian people, T. V. Kleofastova reveals the cultural and philosophical significance of the work, which "fills the moral vacuum that has formed in Russian culture since 1917." This idea should be recognized as "a link with the entire historical retrospective of Russian culture, it is a reflection of the deep essence of the people, at the center of which is the inner life of a person." The peculiarity of the perception of the world by the Russian people is spiritual wisdom, the victory of morality and goodness ^{[13, p. 164]}.

These features of the perception of the world by the Russian people can be illustrated by the dialogue between Sani Lazhenitsyn and L. N. Tolstoy. Lazhenitsyn goes to the writer to resolve the question of a person's life purpose that worries him, and receives an answer: service to goodness and, as a result, the creation of the Kingdom of God on earth. Then he asks the thinker: what to serve, is it only love? And he gets an affirmative answer two times, because there is nothing more true than love. At the same time, Sanya, due to his age and youthful pursuits, tries to find out from the writer: is love alone enough? Maybe we should start with general benevolence? How can one truly distinguish good from evil? Next, the young man appeals to the views of Leo Tolstoy himself, saying that in his works he identifies good and reason (moral and reasonable), and sees the source of evil not in vicious human nature, but in ignorance. Lazhenitsyn, on the contrary, believed that truth is alien to evil, since evil people are conscious opponents of the latter. To this, the writer replied that it is necessary to educate people more patiently and more accessible, since everyone is born with reason.

Literary critic A. E. Klimov interprets the main thematic message of the work in an original way. In his opinion, it consists in answering the question: does this or that person love or dislike Russia? Depending on the answer to it, on the one hand, we see those who in times of trouble are inextricably linked with the Russian land and people, helping compatriots and protecting the motherland, and on the other hand, we see those seized with revolutionary passion and contributing to the approach of disaster ^{[15, pp. 618-619]}. M. J. Geller adheres to a similar vision, fixing the following: "For or against Russia, loyalty or treason to Russia – this ultimately boils down to the choice that all the actors of the Red Wheel must make ^{[6, p. 17]}. Here it is appropriate to give an example of a military and public figure, writer A. D. Nechvolodov, who was distinguished by his firmness and bravery, and also admitted that all his thoughts were only within the borders of Russia. From a very young age, he wanted to serve the Russian monarchy and Russia without the goal of obtaining personal benefit.

Russian Russian Russian Russian history A.D. Nechvolodov prepared four–part "Tales of the Russian Land", addressed for instructive and necessary study to every Russian person, so that the latter could preserve for posterity the Russian Land - the sacred heritage of his ancestors, respectively, Russian history for him was nothing more than a common tradition belonging to the people. The general saw the primary task in returning the role of a national personality to the people and believed that forces united from the sources of Russian folk history could stop the impending revolution. He saw the basis of the nature of Russia in the monarchy, respectively, the tsar as an expression of the aspirations of the people. To the remarks that the current monarch can be excessively soft and inconsistent, he replied that a true monarchist is not a blind executor of the emperor's will (although the head of state is always right), but a subject responsible for everything that happens in his Homeland and thereby demonstrating loyalty to the monarch.

And finally, thirdly, the idea of God. As applied to all the artistic works of A. I. Solzhenitsyn, – I. I. Vinogradov notes, – his central spiritual situation is focused not on the search and acquisition of faith, but on life in faith ^{[3, pp. 277-278]}. Therefore, E. S. Tikhomirova recognizes that all the writer's work "is built on the strongest foundation in the world – the Orthodox one," and the general idea of his work should be recognized as the Christian idea of a free personality. As a result, the triad "life – death – Sunday" is constantly at the center of the characters' thoughts, and the plot is based on the evangelical drama of spiritual choice and the sacrifice of the cross" ^{[33, pp. 170-171]}. So, in chapter 31 of "August the Fourteenth", the prayer of General A. V. Samsonov is described, who regularly prayed for the purification of the soul. At the same time, considering that prayer, concentrated and felt like thirst, when it is unbearable without it and nothing can be replaced, is able to transform and strengthen a person. This episode is addressed to a situation when, during a difficult situation at the front, a general prays in front of a marching Cossack fold with a crucifix and two icons of the fold – George the Victorious and Nicholas the Saint. This prayer is depicted in the work as tenderness, a wordless contemplative action, a gentle conversation of the soul with God, during which the general spiritually felt the presence of God and his grace. He appealed to the Creator with a petition for the grant of success to his troops, for the non-futility of sacrifices, but not for his own salvation, but in the name of the power and salvation of Russia.

Naturally, in ideological terms, the "Red Wheel" is involved in the sacred, deep primordial reality emanating from the christocentric model of being ^{[12, p. 313]}. The epic clearly shows the meaning of faith and ritual ^{[28, p. 143]}, as well as Providence, which a person should correlate with his freedom ^{[31, p. 66-67]} and accept in the fullness of God's will ^[10]. Thus, the meaning of faith and ritual is spiritually and sensually described by the author in chapter 390 of "March of the Seventeenth", when Alexandra Feodorovna did not yet know about her husband's abdication and had no news from him. During these weary hours, a large icon of the Mother of God was brought to the bedroom where the sick children of the imperial couple lay, and the priest who came served a prayer service with an akathist. Then the icon was carried with singing and incense through all the rooms, taken out into the courtyard, walked around it singing, "incense to the sky, the gold of the icon under the sun." Here, the writer very briefly, without deciphering, mentions the incense and gold of the icon, immersing in this space a family that does not yet know that its head has abdicated. The smoke of incense, aspiring to heaven, symbolizes the tears and prayers of believers carried to God and heaven, their gratitude to God, and the gold of the icon, shining under the sun, is the Divine light, the invisible Divine presence. The author-narrator testifies that God is above us and we are not given to know either his ways or whether our prayers will be heard; we only have to live with boundless faith in him.

It is worth noting that the tragic fate of the family of the last Emperor Nicholas II is generally associated with Fishing in the narrative. For example, chapter 639 of "March the Seventeenth" begins with an appeal to the Almighty with a request to keep the children alive. Further, the author states that all five children of the royal family were seriously ill, providentially, but also explanatory in the days fatal to the throne and the royal couple.

In the above-mentioned prayer, General A.V. Samsonov, completely surrendering to God's will, understands that all military efforts are insignificant in comparison with the Supreme Will, because if the Lord had been pleased to intervene in the course of the battle, it would have been miraculously won despite mistakes and miscalculations. And a few days later, when retreating, he will think that Christ and the Mother of God have turned away from Russia, and he will perceive the catastrophe of his army as God's plan.

According to L. E. Gerasimova's fair conclusion, the writer's spiritual experience led him to the following conclusion: the revolutionary catastrophe that befell the country does not mean that "God has left us! God has given us free will, and we have the right to do one way or another," and if humanity makes mistakes, "then it's not God who is wrong with us, it's us who are wrong." Therefore, the work in question is an epic of misconceptions, mistakes, and tragic blindness of the Russian people ^{[7, pp. 58-59]}. A.V. Urmanov comes to a similar conclusion, noting that one of the main questions of the "Red Wheel" is "where did the numerous "erysipelas demons" come from in Russia, destroying and tearing the state to pieces?" ^{[36, p. 457]}. In other words, the author of the epic "wrote about those who put God's name into oblivion and threw the country into the abyss of revolution" ^{[39, p. 70]}. Such can be considered the generals who spoke out for the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II from the throne, including: M. V. Alekseev, A. A. Brusilov, A. I. Nepenin, V. V. Sakharov, A. E. Evert. A special role among them belongs to N. V. Ruzsky, who "extracted" the abdication. In this context, the forgetfulness of God is clearly evidenced by the episode described in chapter 383 of "March the Seventeenth", dedicated to the preparation and signing of the act of abdication of M. A. Romanov from the throne. After reading one of the editions, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, along with other remarks, drew attention to the fact that there was no mention of God. Further, the author-narrator states: "The compilers' heads were not busy with that, they were not only in a hurry, but simply forgot: God? <...> And inserted: "Invoking the blessing of God...".

Russian Russian epic thus demonstrates the importance and uniqueness of the Russian cultural and historical heritage, traditions and values of the Russian people. The preservation and development of the latter should be based on the principles of truth, justice and morality, which are inherent in the Russian mentality. These principles also include the Christian faith, which plays an important role in the personal and national identity of the Russian people. At the same time, revolutionary breakdowns interrupt the measured and regular course of progressive socio-cultural development of Russia, which negatively affects all spheres of life of the Russian people. Accordingly, the main cultural and philosophical idea of A. I. Solzhenitsyn's epic "The Red Wheel" is presented in three parts, since it is formed by an inseparable combination of three vectors of the writer's philosophical and cultural thought: the idea of the ruinous revolution, the Russian idea, as well as the idea of God.