WORLDVIEW OF GENERATIONS AS A FACTOR IN SHAPING THE MORAL CHOICE OF HEROES IN FICTION

Abstract

This article examines the problem of moral choice as a reflection of generational differences in views and beliefs, using Nikolai Gogol's novella "Taras Bulba" and Pierre Mérimée's short story "Matteo Falconet" as examples. The author explores how traditional moral values shape the characters' actions, determining their attitudes toward honor, duty, and family. A comparative analysis is provided of the worldviews of representatives of different cultures and eras: the Corsican peasant Matteo and the Zaporozhian Cossack Taras, for whom honor becomes the highest moral norm. The article emphasizes that generational conflict, based on differing notions of good and evil, inevitably leads to tragedy. It concludes that works of art reflect the historically changing moral world of society and serve as a means of understanding eternal moral values.