Spiritual aura of Maryia is more complicated. She can selfishly tempt other men,
but it has more than once turned against her: «betrayed her husband and he rushed
under the german bayonets» [6, 483]. But despite all of this, Mary states that she does
not feel reproach of conscience, because she even likes to be a «devil»: «But I am the
devil, Mufto, I’ll tempt your husband, and he throws himself under a gendarme arrest»
[6, 483]. That is why Maria is surprised at how a monk, killing three people, «thinks
that it is such a sin, which must be begging throughout life» [6, 483]. And her dialogue
with Nina underlines Mary’s assessment of the social atrocities that are being
committed in the war: «
During one hour…– kill, rob, rape, torture there… <...> Men
betray women, women betray men, <...> And most importantly, Muftonko, the main
thing is that there is no sin at all» [6, 484]. She also speaks about her willingness to kill
anyone without any sense of sin. On the other hand, Mariya has the concept of «sin»,
it is intertwined in the mind of a woman in two planes – religious and then secular.
When she was young and pious Mariya the concept of «sin» helped her to be righteous:
«when I was sixteen or seventeen. And especially once, I scold
Mary, mother of Jesus
for not helping me on the exam. When sin still lives in the world. <...> I would like to
put myself to torture, to trample the beasts, stand whole nights with bare knees on the
stones».
[6, 484]. But such a God-fearing state of the girl did not last long - she lost it
with the awareness of her adulthood. And on the transition period when from primitive
fear before possible punishments for sins and acts towards deliberate directing of
thoughts and actions for good, and there is a willingness to give own lives in the name
of the good of the whole society: «I am going to defend my native land» [6, 489]. That
is, Mariya constantly hesitates between good and evil. This we see in the author’s notes:
«thinks, torments, stands up, sits down. Decisively, strictly» [6, 509]. And that is why
when she talks to Ivan, she has to resort to profound psychoanalysis. Only an
irresistible feeling for Ivan occasionally inspires her thoughts and actions. Moreover,
the girl's love also inspires Ivan's thoughts and actions. Her readiness for self-sacrifice
often appears either overestimate or ordinary: «When you need a person to die,
whatever you want, remember me ... <...> I’m not kidding!» [6, 502]. And that’s why,
her altruistic act aimed at the freedom and happiness of like-minded people, not only
did not cause their approval, but also caused the condemnation of many other
characters of the play. As it turned out, her act only complicated the situation of her
beloved Ivan and his friends. And only then, Mariya was convinced that a high goal
could not be achieved throughout the unrighteous way: «laid down the soul, sold it,
pounded, devoured into the dirt, into abusiveness» [6, 519]. As a result, this leads to
even deeper depression: «A traitor cannot have any close friend... ... the traitor cannot
even speak with the person for whom it happened» [6, 518]. Only now Mary realized
that she was like
Stalynskyy. And she really wanted to make «love-feat», and not the
most ordinary «fall from grace».
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