Senseless and useless work has many other names in Russian. One of the most common is monkey labor. We will devote our today's article to this expression.
Source - I. A. Krylova "Monkey"
The work of our famous fabulist is a storehouse of popular expressions. Many phraseological units came out from under his pen and enriched the Russian language through his efforts. "Martyshkin labor" (its meaning will be clear after the presentation of the plot of the fable) is no exception. This is one of the clearest examples of how a successful literary adaptation of a long-known story leads to the popularization of the plot.
Monkeys are wonderful creatures, but in the minds of peoples who are used to living side by side with these tailed poison dart frogs, their image is associated with everything vile and low that is in human nature, such as antics, insolence, meanness and ridicule. Krylov exploits this myth in his fable.
Chump or plow
The peasant got up before the first roosters and set to work. He plowed the field, devoting himself to this difficult task with all the passion of his soul, and fatigue was unknown to him. The sunrose higher and higher, and the first travelers appeared on the road. Whoever passed by the plowman, everyone marveled at his stubbornness. And everyone tried to cheer up with a kind word and praise, at least a little to facilitate his work. He did not answer and continued to work with concentration. In the branches of a green tree that stood at the edge of the field, there was a monkey, and the compliments of people seduced her. She also wanted some fame and recognition for herself. She thought that it was all about the difficulty of the task, and if she did anything with the same diligence, she would get what she wanted. Therefore, she found somewhere a heavy block of wood and began to drag it from place to place, not in the least embarrassed by the emptiness of this occupation. Meanwhile, the peasant continued to painstakingly till the plow, and the praises of passers-by rained down on him.
No one paid any attention to the monkey. Although the work of the two creatures is hard, and the external signs are the same - fatigue and sweat hail - there is a huge difference between them, which is noticed by all who can compare them. The man works for the good, his efforts will feed the family, and the little animal is busy pointlessly dragging a heavy piece of wood from place to place. Therefore, the meaning of the expression "monkey labor" embodies the ultimate degree of unnecessary work for anyone, which does not bring benefits even to the doer himself, causing only negative responses from others.
Moral
The fable teaches not so much in the spirit of the 19th century (the work was published in 1811), but in the spirit of the recent Soviet past, when not the individual, but society was the measure of everything. I. A. Krylov instructs readers: do notto claim glory and praise if there is no profit in the works. This is how difficult the idiom “monkey labor” turned out to be, which is very closely connected with the work of the Russian classic.
Phraseological synonym - the myth of Sisyphus
The ancient Greeks had their own symbol of meaningless labor. The embodiment of the groundlessness of efforts is Sisyphus - a divine descendant. He had one problem: he was cunning, like a beast, and wanted more than anything in the world to deceive the immortal Olympians. Therefore, first he circled the god of death - Tanat, and then the lord of the underworld - Hades.
And, as you know, the gods are not to be trifled with. Sisyphus paid the full price for his deceit. Now he always rolls a huge stone up a high mountain: he pushes it up, drenched in sweat, but every time he lacks quite a bit to finish the job, and the boulder rolls down again. For Sisyphus, this work is endless, aimless and groundless. The monkey, unlike the ancient Greek hero, is at least not condemned to eternal torment.
Senseless work as a path to enlightenment or unraveling one's own life
Sometimes it's best not to ask any questions, just do something and that's it. For example, in the famous film Route 60, the protagonist wanted to get answers to all questions. Genie, played by Gary Oldman, responded to his request and gave a deliberately useless job with some secret meaning. Only while walking the path, the main character Neil Oliver realized that the task assigned to him had nothing to do with the idiom "monkey".labor.”
Buddhists and Pythagoreans tested applicants who wanted to get into their ranks with work that obviously does not make any sense. According to the rules, this should have continued for about 5 years. Who endured, he remained.
Not only entire schools, but also individual sages tormented their students with something that at first glance strongly contradicts common sense. Then the neophyte understood the deep wisdom of the mentor and, figuratively speaking, converted to his faith.
A person sometimes needs a break from meaning
The sub title seems very strange, because everything should have a purpose. In fact, if a person is an adult and works, there is too much rational, justified, necessary and appropriate in his life. Therefore, during leisure, our contemporary wants to indulge in something meaningless, but pleasant. What for? Immersion in frivolous and meaningless activity has a huge therapeutic effect, helps a person to endure the excessive reasonableness of the rest of his life.
A hobby is a refuge from the obsession of the outside world. In it, a person hides and acquires the illusion of harmony and peace, calms down. Each person draws strength from something different: one reads books, another collects models of steamships, the third chases rare brands. From the point of view of an outside observer, a hobby can be absolutely meaningless, but for someone who is immersed in it, it is a saving island from the numbers, tasks and goals that have swallowed up the “adult world”. In other words, a hobby is not pampering and not a monkey's work at all, but a way to comprehend one's own essence.
