The image of the mother in the works of V. A. Nikiforov-Volgin
The article is dedicated to the study of the mother image semantics and role in the plot in prosaic works by V.A. Nikiforov-Volgin. In two works about the author's childhood ("Childhood" and "Memories of Childhood"), his mother is represented as a keeper of the home and a craftswoman. She is bringing up her son in the Orthodox Christian tradition acting as a spiritual adviser in respect of him. Owing to her efforts, the faith is kept and godliness observed in their family. The Childhood cycle includes a liturgical paschal scene where the story is focused on the Lord and his Most Holy Mother. Their mutual love, consolation and care about each other set the standard for family relations. Thus, the mother and son here are characters of both spiritual and earthy aspects of the story, the spiritual aspect being taken as a guideline and an example for the family, a small church. Besides the books dedicated to childhood, the mother image is most vividly represented in the Mother Desert story where it is given the semantics of introduction to spiritual life, eternity. In the works of V.A. Nikiforov-Volgin, the mother image has some mythopoetic traits. Moreover, the mother image for him, a Russian Emigre author, also signifies the lost motherland designated, in particular, by a pseudonym referring to a common expression "Mother Volga".