House as an axiological concept in V.G. Korolenko's novella “In a bad society”

The focus of the research is dictated by the ontological significance of the house for each person and society as a whole in any era, which determines the relevance of the stated topic. The axiological approach dominating in this study makes it possible to examine the famous work of an outstanding Russian writer of the second half of the 19th century from an unexpected side and reveal some hidden meanings. The plot basis of the story is the events that occurred in the life of a six-year-old boy and radically changed his inner world. The main point of attention is given to the personality of the narrator and other characters, the differences in their moral and ethical coordinate system are revealed. The artistic realization of the true and false house in the perception of the main character is analyzed. The semantics of artistic images is studied at the plot structure, mythopoetic and symbolic levels. It is established that the motif of alienation plays an important role in the plot organization, and the central oppositions are life - death, heaven - earth, heaven - underground, with the help of which the most important moral and psychological characteristics of the characters are revealed. A special place in the artistic structure of the work is given to the metaphorical image of a bird, actualizing the motif of the sky. According to the conclusions, the open ending of the story allows the reader to determine the narrator and his sister’s further life path: the value attitudes formed in their minds suggest that the vows given shall not be forgotten, and the spiritual home that was found in childhood will remain with them forever.