(317 words) N.V. Gogol put into the story “Taras Bulba” a feeling of love for his country, which was given in every corner of his heart. It also became the main theme of his book, where the love of the country replaced the fatherly feeling from the soul of the protagonist. That is why it is so important to understand and evaluate the work through the prism of the subject. This is the only way to understand the main idea of the writer.
Homeland and its interests were the meaning of the life of the old Cossack. He had a low opinion of education and was genuinely happy when his sons returned and became part of a military partnership. Partly, the reader might think that Taras is interested in fame, and he goes to Sich to amuse himself with pride. However, closer to the finale, he realizes that he was mistaken: the hero’s concern for his native country led to all his actions. He longed to mobilize the Cossacks because he foresaw the war with the Poles and did not want his people to be taken by surprise. In such an environment, he could not make any other choice: the Cossack was brought up during the bloody Middle Ages, and his ideas about life were dictated by the environment. But even in such a cruel world, where the truth was on the side of the weapon, he was not a citizen, but a citizen of his country. He boldly took responsibility for her future.
The eldest son of Taras, Ostap, grew equally patriotic. Once captured, he was sentenced to death, but during the sophisticated torture did not utter a groan. Until the last moment, he only thought about what example to set for his comrades. The hero wanted to give them strength so that they dignified and meekly accepted martyrdom for the sake of their native land. In the same scene, touching father and son said goodbye: despite the guard and danger, Taras let Ostap know that he hears and will never forget.
Father and eldest son sacrificed everything in order to save the homeland from foreign danger. Their actions were not always correct and moral, but one modern reader with his ideas about humanism cannot take away from them - a selfless desire to protect his country from external encroachments. The love of the homeland to some extent justifies what the heroes did.
