(materials for discussion with students in grades 5-6).
Librarian's word:
June 22, 1941 is remembered by us as one of the most tragic days in the history of the country. On this day fascist Germany attacked the USSR without declaring war. A mortal danger looms over our Motherland.
The Red Army bravely met the enemy. Thousands of soldiers and commanders, at the cost of their own lives, tried to hold back the onslaught of the Nazis. But the forces were unequal.
In the first days of the war, the Nazis managed to destroy many of our aircraft. Many commanders and political workers have recently begun to command regiments, battalions, and divisions. And Stalin declared the experienced, most trained commanders of the Red Army, loyal to their country, enemies of the people. They were slandered and shot. Of the five marshals of the Soviet Union, three - A.I. Egorov, V.K. Blyukher, M.N. Tukhachevsky - were destroyed.
The Red Army did not have enough new types of equipment in service: tanks, airplanes, artillery pieces, machine guns. Soviet Union has just begun to rearm our army and navy.
For these and some other reasons Soviet troops suffered huge, unjustified losses.
In any war there are prisoners and missing in action. These are her inevitable companions.
By the end of 1941 in German captivity 3.9 million soldiers and commanders of the Red Army were captured. By the spring of 1942, only a fourth of them remained alive.
Of course, the conditions that led the soldier to capture were different. As a rule, this was preceded by injury, physical exhaustion, and lack of ammunition. But everyone knew that voluntary surrender out of cowardice or cowardice was always recognized as a military crime. Almost everyone who fell into fascist captivity experienced a difficult psychological blow, throwing them back from the ranks of Soviet soldiers into a defenseless mass of prisoners of war. Many of them preferred death to painful shame.
J.V. Stalin considered the prisoners to be traitors. Signed Supreme Commander-in-Chief Order No. 270 of August 16, 1941 called the prisoners deserters and traitors. The families of captured commanders and political workers were subject to arrest and exile, and the families of soldiers were deprived of government benefits and assistance.
The situation of the prisoners was aggravated by the fact that the USSR did not sign the Geneva Convention on the Humane Treatment of Prisoners of War, although it announced that it would comply with its main provisions, with the exception of the right to parcels and the exchange of named lists of prisoners. This gave Germany a reason not to comply with the provisions of the convention in relation to captured soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, who also could not receive any help from their homeland.
And the worst thing was that the test-filtration camp and SMERSH (Counterintelligence Directorate “Death to Spies”) were now waiting for those who came from captivity in their homeland,
Mikhail Alexandrovich refuses to recognize the prisoners as traitors. In 1956, he wrote the story “The Fate of Man,” in which he defends those who were captured.
The story tells the fate of a simple Russian soldier Andrei Sokolov. His life is correlated with the biography of the country, with the most important events history. In May 1942 he was captured. In two years he traveled “half of Germany”, escaped from captivity, and lost his entire family during the war. After the war, meeting an orphan boy in a teahouse, Andrei adopted him.
In “The Fate of Man” the condemnation of war and fascism is not only in the story of Andrei Sokolov. It sounds with no less force in the story of Vanyusha. Humanity permeates this short story about a ruined childhood, a childhood that knew grief and separation so early. (We watch the film “The Fate of Man” either in its entirety or from the episode in the teahouse to the end).
Questions for discussion:
1. One of the Christian commandments says: “Thou shalt not kill,” but Andrei Sokolov killed, killed his own, Russian. Why did he do this?
- Read in the test from the words “I touched him with my hand...” to “... strangled the creeping reptile.”
2. What, in your opinion, is the essence of the confrontation between Andrei Sokolov and Commandant Mueller?
- Read from the words: “The commandant is pouring me a drink…” to “... they didn’t turn it, no matter how hard they tried.”
3. What do we know about Vanyushka from the story?
- Read from the words “I ask: “Where is your father, Vanyushka?” to “Where you have to.”
4. Another Christian commandment says: “Do not bear false witness,” that is, do not lie, but Andrei Sokolov told a lie to Vanyushka that he was his father. Why did he do this? Are lies always bad?
- Separately they disappear, together they save each other. Vanyushka now has a father, support and hope, and Andrey now has the meaning of life.
Conclusion:
Almost half a century has passed since the story “The Fate of Man” was published. Farther and farther from us is the war, mercilessly grinding human lives, which brought so much grief and torment.
But every time we meet Sholokhov’s heroes, we are amazed at how generous the human heart is, how inexhaustible kindness is in it, the ineradicable need to protect and protect, even when, it would seem, there is nothing to think about.
Andrei Sokolov seemed to have never accomplished any feats. While at the front, “he was wounded twice, but both times only lightly.” But the chain of episodes created by the writer fully demonstrate the unostentatious courage, human pride and dignity that were so consistent with the entire appearance of this simple, ordinary person.
In the fate of Andrei Sokolov, everything good, peaceful, and human entered into battle with the terrible evil of fascism. A peaceful man turned out to be stronger than war.
It was in Andrei Sokolov’s attitude towards Vanyusha that victory was won over the anti-humanity of fascism, over destruction and loss - the inevitable companions of war.
The end of the story is preceded by the author’s leisurely reflection of a man who has seen and knows a lot in life: “And I would like to think that this Russian man, a man of unbending will, will endure and will grow up near his father’s shoulder, who, having matured, will be able to endure everything, everything overcome on his way if his homeland calls for it.”
This meditation is a glorification of courage, perseverance, a glorification of a man who withstood the blows of a military storm and endured the impossible.
List of used literature:
1. Big school encyclopedia. Literature.- M.: Slovo, 1999.- P. 826.
2. What is it. Who is this: In 3 volumes. - M.: Pedagogika-Press, 1992.- T.1.- P. 204-205.
3. Bangerskaya T. “Near my father’s shoulder...” - Family and school. - 1975. - No. 5. - P. 57-58.
4. Great Patriotic War. Figures and facts: Book. For students st. class and students.- M.: Education, 1995.- P. 90-96.
5. Encyclopedia for children. Vol. 5, part 3: History of Russia and its closest neighbors. XX century.- M.: Avanta+, 1998.- P. 494.
Illustrations:
1. Father and son. "The Fate of Man." Artist O. G. Vereisky // M. A. Sholokhov [Album] / Comp. S. N. Gromova, T. R. Kurdyumova. - M.: Education, 1982.
2. Andrey Sokolov. “The Fate of Man.” Artist P. N. Pinkisevich // M. A. Sholokhov [Album] / Comp. S. N. Gromova, T. R. Kurdyumova. - M.: Education, 1982.
Movies:
1. “The Fate of Man.” Artist movie. Dir. S. Bondarchuk. - Mosfilm, 1959.
M. A. Sholokhov. The fate of man: how it happened
(Literary investigation)
For working with readers aged 15-17 years
Participating in the investigation:
Presenter - librarian
Independent historian
Witnesses - literary heroes
Leading: 1956 On December 31, Pravda published the story “The Fate of a Man.” This story started with this new stage development of our military literature. And here Sholokhov’s fearlessness and Sholokhov’s ability to show the era in all its complexity and in all its drama through the fate of one person played a role.
The main plot motif of the story is the fate of a simple Russian soldier Andrei Sokolov. His life, the same age as the century, is correlated with the biography of the country, with the most important events in history. In May 1942 he was captured. In two years he traveled “half of Germany” and escaped from captivity. During the war, he lost his entire family. After the war, having accidentally met an orphan boy, Andrei adopted him.
After “The Fate of Man,” omissions about the tragic events of the war, about the bitterness of captivity experienced by many Soviet people, became impossible. Soldiers and officers who were very loyal to their homeland and found themselves in a hopeless situation at the front were also captured, but they were often treated as traitors. Sholokhov's story, as it were, pulled back the veil from much that was hidden by the fear of offending the heroic portrait of Victory.
Let's go back to the years of the Great Patriotic War, to its most tragic period - 1942-1943. A word from an independent historian.
Historian: On August 16, 1941, Stalin signed order No. 270, which stated: “Commanders and political workers who surrender to the enemy during battle are considered malicious deserters, whose families are subject to arrest as families of those who violated the oath and betrayed their homeland. The order demanded that prisoners be destroyed by all “means, both ground and air, and that the families of Red Army soldiers who surrendered be deprived of state benefits and assistance.”
In 1941 alone, according to German data, 3 million 800 thousand were captured. Soviet military personnel. By the spring of 1942, 1 million 100 thousand people remained alive.
In total, out of approximately 6.3 million prisoners of war, about 4 million died during the war.
Leading: The Great Patriotic War ended, the victorious salvos died down, and peaceful life began Soviet people. What was the future fate of people like Andrei Sokolov, who were captured or survived the occupation? How did our society treat such people?
Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko testifies in her book “My Adult Childhood”.
(The girl testifies on behalf of L.M. Gurchenko).
Witness: Not only Kharkiv residents, but also residents of other cities began to return to Kharkov from evacuation. Everyone had to be provided with living space. Those who remained in the occupation were looked at askance. They were primarily moved from apartments and rooms on the floors to basements. We waited our turn.
In the classroom, the new arrivals declared a boycott of those who remained under the Germans. I didn’t understand anything: if I had been through so much, seen so many terrible things, on the contrary, they should understand me, feel sorry for me... I began to be afraid of people who looked at me with contempt and let me go: “shepherd dog.” Oh, if only they knew what a real German Shepherd is. If they had seen how a shepherd dog leads people straight into the gas chamber... these people would not have said that... When films and newsreels appeared on the screen, which showed the horrors of executions and massacres of Germans in the occupied territories, gradually this “disease” began to become a thing of the past .
Leading:... 10 years have passed since the victorious 45th year, Sholokhov’s war did not let go. He worked on the novel “They Fought for the Motherland” and the story “The Fate of a Man.”
According to literary critic V. Osipov, this story could not have been created at any other time. It began to be written when its author finally saw the light and realized: Stalin is not an icon for the people, Stalinism is Stalinism. As soon as the story came out, there was praise from almost every newspaper or magazine. Remarque and Hemingway responded - they sent telegrams. And to this day, not a single anthology of Soviet short stories can do without him.
Leading: You have read this story. Please share your impressions, what touched you about him, what left you indifferent?
(Answers from the guys)
Leading: There are two polar opinions about M.A.’s story. Sholokhov “The Fate of Man”: Alexander Solzhenitsyn and the writer from Alma-Ata Veniamin Larin. Let's listen to them.
(The young man testifies on behalf of A.I. Solzhenitsyna)
Solzhenitsyn A.I.:“The Fate of Man” is a very weak story, where the war pages are pale and unconvincing.
Firstly: the most non-criminal case of captivity was chosen - without memory, in order to make this undeniable, to circumvent the entire severity of the problem. (And if you gave up in memory, as was the case with the majority - what and how then?)
Secondly: main problem is presented not in the fact that our homeland abandoned us, renounced us, cursed us (not a word about this from Sholokhov), and this is precisely what creates hopelessness, but in the fact that traitors were declared among us there...
Thirdly: a fantastic detective escape from captivity was created with a bunch of exaggerations so that the obligatory, unwavering procedure for those who came from captivity did not arise: “SMERSH-testing-filtration camp.”
Leading: SMERSH - what kind of organization is this? A word from an independent historian.
Historian: From the encyclopedia “The Great Patriotic War”: By the Decree of the State Defense Committee of April 14, 1943, the Main Counterintelligence Directorate “SMERSH” - “Death to Spies” was formed. The intelligence services of Nazi Germany tried to launch widespread subversive activities against the USSR. They created over 130 reconnaissance and sabotage agencies and about 60 special reconnaissance and sabotage schools on the Soviet-German front. In force Soviet Army sabotage units and terrorists were attacked. SMERSH agencies conducted an active search for enemy agents in areas of combat operations, in the locations of military installations, and ensured timely receipt of information about the dispatch of enemy spies and saboteurs. After the war, in May 1946, SMERSH bodies were transformed into special departments and subordinated to the USSR Ministry of State Security.”
Leading: And now the opinion of Veniamin Larin.
(Young man on behalf of V. Larin)
Larin V.: Sholokhov's story is exalted only for one theme of a soldier's feat. But literary critics With this interpretation they kill - safely for themselves - the true meaning of the story. Sholokhov’s truth is broader and does not end with victory in the battle with the fascist captivity machine. They pretend that the big story has no continuation: like a big state, big power belongs to little man, albeit with a great spirit. Sholokhov is torn from his heart by a revelation: look, readers, how the authorities treat people - slogans, slogans, and what the hell care about people! Captivity cut a man to pieces. But there, in captivity, even mutilated, he remained faithful to his country, and returned? Nobody needs it! Orphan! And with the boy there are two orphans... Grains of Sand... And not only under a military hurricane. But Sholokhov is great - he was not tempted by a cheap turn of the topic: he did not invest his hero with either pitiful pleas for sympathy or curses addressed to Stalin. I saw in my Sokolov the eternal essence of the Russian person - patience and perseverance.
Leading: Let's turn to the works of writers who write about captivity, and with their help we will recreate the atmosphere of the difficult war years.
(The hero of the story “The Road to the Father’s House” by Konstantin Vorobyev testifies)
Partisan's story: I was taken prisoner near Volokolamsk in '41, and although sixteen years have passed since then, and I remained alive, and divorced my family, and all that stuff, I don’t know how to tell about how I spent the winter in captivity: I don’t have Russian words for this. No!
The two of us escaped from the camp, and over time a whole detachment of us, former prisoners, was assembled. Klimov... restored us all military ranks. You see, you were, let’s say, a sergeant before you were captured, and you still remain one. You were a soldier - be one to the end!
It used to be...you destroy an enemy truck with bombs, and the soul in you immediately seems to straighten out, and something there rejoices - now I’m not fighting for myself alone, as in the camp! Let’s defeat this bastard, we’ll definitely finish it, and that’s how you get to this place before victory, that is, just stop!
And then, after the war, a questionnaire will be required immediately. And there will be one small question - were you in captivity? In place, this question is just for a one-word answer “yes” or “no”.
And to the one who hands you this questionnaire, it doesn’t matter at all what you did during the war, but what matters is where you were! Oh, in captivity? So... Well, you know what it means. In life and in truth, this situation should have been quite the opposite, but here you go!...
Let me say briefly: exactly three months later we joined a large partisan detachment.
I will tell you another time about how we acted until the arrival of our army. Yes, I don’t think it matters. The important thing is that we not only turned out to be alive, but also entered the human system, that we again turned into fighters, and we remained Russian people in the camps.
Leading: Let's listen to the confession of the partisan and Andrei Sokolov.
Partisan: You were, say, a sergeant before your capture - and remain one. You were a soldier - be one to the end.
Andrey Sokolov: That's why you're a man, that's why you're a soldier, to endure everything, to endure everything, if need calls for it.
For both one and the other, war is hard work that must be done conscientiously, giving one’s all.
Leading: Major Pugachev testifies from the story of V. Shalamov “ Last Stand Major Pugachev"
Reader: Major Pugachev remembered the German camp from which he escaped in 1944. The front was approaching the city. He worked as a truck driver inside a huge cleaning camp. He remembered how he sped up the truck and knocked down the single-strand barbed wire, tearing out hastily placed poles. Shots of sentries, screams, frantic driving around the city in different directions, an abandoned car, driving at night to the front line and meeting - interrogation in a special department. Charged with espionage, sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. Vlasov's emissaries arrived, but he did not believe them until he himself reached the Red Army units. Everything that the Vlasovites said was true. He wasn't needed. The authorities were afraid of him.
Leading: Having listened to the testimony of Major Pugachev, you involuntarily note: his story is straightforward - confirmation of Larin’s rightness: “He was there, in captivity, even mangled, he remained loyal to his country, and returned?.. No one needs him! Orphan!"
Sergeant Alexey Romanov, formerly, testifies school teacher stories from Stalingrad, real hero Sergei Smirnov’s story “The Path to the Motherland” from the book “Heroes of the Great War”.
(The reader testifies on behalf of A. Romanov)
Alexey Romanov: In the spring of 1942, I ended up in the international camp Feddel, on the outskirts of Hamburg. There, in the port of Hamburg, we were prisoners and worked unloading ships. The thought of escaping did not leave me for a minute. My friend Melnikov and I decided to run away, thought out an escape plan, frankly speaking, a fantastic plan. Escape from the camp, enter the port, hide on a Swedish ship and sail with it to one of the ports of Sweden. From there you can get to England with a British ship, and then with some caravan of allied ships come to Murmansk or Arkhangelsk. And then again pick up a machine gun or a machine gun and, at the front, pay back the Nazis for everything that they had to endure in captivity over the years.
On December 25, 1943, we escaped. We were just lucky. Miracle managed to move to the other side of the Elbe, to the port where the Swedish ship was docked. We climbed into the hold with coke, and in this iron coffin, without water, without food, we sailed to our homeland, and for this we were ready to do anything, even death. I woke up a few days later in a Swedish prison hospital: it turned out that we had been discovered by workers unloading coke. The doctor was called. Melnikov was already dead, but I survived. I began to strive to be sent to my homeland, and ended up with Alexandra Mikhailovna Kollontai. She helped me return home in 1944.
Leading: Before we continue our conversation, a word from the historian. What do the numbers tell us about the future fate of former prisoners of war?
Historian: From the book “The Great Patriotic War. Figures and facts." Those who returned from captivity after the war (1 million 836 thousand people) were sent: more than 1 million people - for further service in units of the Red Army, 600 thousand - to work in industry as part of work battalions, and 339 thousand ( including some civilians) as having compromised themselves in captivity - to NKVD camps.
Leading: War is a continent of cruelty. It is sometimes impossible to protect hearts from the madness of hatred, bitterness, and fear in captivity and blockade. Man is literally brought to the gates of the Last Judgment. Sometimes it is more difficult to endure, to live life in war, surrounded, than to endure death.
What is common in the destinies of our witnesses, what makes their souls related? Are the reproaches addressed to Sholokhov fair?
(We listen to the guys’ answers)
Perseverance, tenacity in the struggle for life, the spirit of courage, camaraderie - these qualities come from the tradition of Suvorov’s soldier, they were sung by Lermontov in “Borodino”, Gogol in the story “Taras Bulba”, they were admired by Leo Tolstoy. Andrei Sokolov has all this, the partisan from Vorobyov’s story, Major Pugachev, Alexei Romanov.
Remaining human in war is not just about surviving and “killing him” (i.e. the enemy). This is to keep your heart for good. Sokolov went to the front as a man, and remained so after the war.
Reader: The story on the theme of the tragic destinies of prisoners is the first in Soviet literature. Written in 1955! So why is Sholokhov deprived of the literary and moral right to begin the topic this way and not otherwise?
Solzhenitsyn reproaches Sholokhov for writing not about those who “surrendered” into captivity, but about those who were “trapped” or “captured.” But he did not take into account that Sholokhov could not do otherwise:
Brought up on Cossack traditions. It was no coincidence that he defended Kornilov’s honor before Stalin by the example of escaping from captivity. And in fact, since ancient times of battle, people first of all give sympathy not to those who “surrendered”, but to those who were “captured” due to irresistible hopelessness: injury, encirclement, lack of weapons, betrayal by a commander or betrayal rulers;
He took upon himself the political courage to give up his authority in order to protect from political stigma those who were honest in the performance of military duty and male honor.
Maybe Soviet reality is embellished? Sholokhov’s last lines about the wretches Sokolov and Vanyushka began like this: “With heavy sadness I looked after them...”.
Maybe Sokolov’s behavior in captivity has been embellished? There are no such reproaches.
Leading: Now it is easy to analyze the words and actions of the author. Or maybe it’s worth thinking about: was it easy for him to live his own life? How easy was it for an artist who couldn’t, didn’t have time to say everything he wanted, and, of course, could have said? Subjectively he could (he had enough talent, courage, and material!), but objectively he could not (the time, the era, were such that it was not published, and therefore not written...) How often, how much has our Russia lost at all times: uncreated sculptures, unwritten paintings and books, who knows, maybe the most talented...Great Russian artists were born at the wrong time - either early or late - undesirable to the rulers.
In “Conversation with Father,” M.M. Sholokhov conveys the words of Mikhail Alexandrovich in response to criticism from a reader, a former prisoner of war who survived Stalin’s camps: “What do you think, I don’t know what happened in captivity or after it? What, I don’t know the extreme degrees of human baseness, cruelty, meanness? Or do you think that, knowing this, I am being mean to myself?... How much skill is needed to tell people the truth..."
Could Mikhail Alexandrovich have kept silent about many things in his story? - I could! Time has taught him to remain silent and not say anything: an intelligent reader will understand everything, guess everything.
Many years have passed since, by the will of the writer, more and more new readers meet the heroes of this story. They think. They are sad. They're crying. And they are surprised at how generous the human heart is, how inexhaustible the kindness is in it, the ineradicable need to protect and protect, even when, it would seem, there is nothing to think about.
Literature:
1. Biryukov F.S. Sholokhov: To help teachers, high school students and applicants. -M.: Publishing house Mosk. University, 1998.
2. Zhukov I. The hand of fate: Truth and lies about M. Sholokhov and A. Fadeev. -M.: Sunday, 1994
3. Osipov V.O. The secret life of Mikhail Sholokhov: Doc. chronicle without legends - M.: Liberia, Raritet, 1985.
4. Petelin V.V. Life of Sholokhov. The tragedy of the Russian genius. “Immortal names.” - M.: ZAO Publishing House Tsentrpoligraf, 2002. - 895 p.
5. Russian literature of the 20th century: A manual for high school students, applicants and students. - St. Petersburg: Publishing house. House "Neva", 1998.
6. Chalmaev V.A. Remain human in war: Front-line pages of Russian prose of the 60-90s. To help teachers, high school students and applicants. M.: Publishing house. Moscow University, 1998
7. Sholokhova S.M. The execution plan: On the history of an unwritten story // Peasant. - 1995. - No. 8. - February.
The fate of man in war
The name of M. A. Sholokhov is known all over the world. He wrote about the tragic destinies of people caught in the whirlpool of the 20th century, fraught with tragedies: the writer’s focus is on depicting the difficult and terrible events of the revolution, civil war, and collectivization. Sholokhov did not ignore the period of the Great Patriotic War, when humanity was once again faced with gigantic disaster. The writer is again interested in the fate of a person deprived of terrible historical cataclysms.
Action in Sholokhov's story "The Fate of Man" (1956) begins in March 1946, the first post-war spring. Main character Andrei Sokolov's story is no different from the generation of people who won the war and went through all the trials. He has big ones dark hands hard worker He is poorly dressed and has a skinny duffel bag. However, behind the external inconspicuousness lies a great tragedy: “Have you ever seen eyes, as if sprinkled with ashes, filled with such an inescapable mortal melancholy that it is difficult to look into them?”
The fate of Andrei Sokolov is the glorious and heroic fate of a generation Soviet people who went through the torment and horrors of war and retained their humanity and nobility. The pre-war life of Andrei Sokolov was happy: he loved his wife and children, and this love awakened the best feelings in him. But the war came and took away this happiness. Andrei Sokolov went to the front. Injuries, captivity, the murder of a traitor, an unsuccessful escape from captivity, bullying by the Nazis - these are the main milestones in the front-line biography of a person in the war. Each time, going through the trials of fate, Andrei Sokolov remained a real person, a man with a capital letter.
The scene of the confrontation with Muller is the climax of this story. This is a duel between enemies, a kind of psychological duel that requires incredible willpower and all physical and mental strength from the hero. On the one hand - an armed, well-fed, smug and powerful fascist, on the other - an unarmed, powerless, barely standing, deprived of even his name, prisoner of war No. 331. Hungry and exhausted, he refuses to drink German weapons for the victory, and when he does agree drink “for my death and deliverance from torment,” then he does not touch the bread: “I wanted to show them, damned, that although I am perishing from hunger, I am not going to choke on their handout, that I have my own, Russian dignity and pride and that they did not turn me into a beast, no matter how hard they tried.” Even Müller could not help but admire the courage and steadfastness of the Russian soldier. The lines about how the prisoners dying of hunger shared the bread and lard brought by Andrei touch to the depths of the soul.
The news of the death of the family, complete loneliness - the last, most terrible tests of Andrei Sokolov. This was supposed to break a person, deprive him of the meaning of life. After all, his heart was petrified with grief.
Why did Andrei adopt Vanyushka? He was deeply hurt tragic fate child. His heart has not stopped loving, and his soul continues to feel human suffering and pain. Having adopted an orphan, Andrei Sokolov once again accomplishes a feat. He consciously takes responsibility for raising a child, even without a permanent home.
This is the unnoticed heroism that Andrei Sokolov demonstrates every day, every hour, overcoming his tragedy and the tragedy of the boy.
“Two orphaned people, two grains of sand, thrown into foreign lands by a military hurricane of unprecedented force... does something await them ahead?” - the author asks this question. And he himself answers it: “I would like to think that this Russian man, a man of unbending will, will endure and grow up next to his father’s shoulder, who, having matured, will be able to endure everything, overcome everything on his way, if his Motherland calls him to this.” .
Expressive Reading by heart an excerpt from the novel by A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” (student’s choice).
Ticket number 17
The meaning of the title of the story by M.A. Bulgakov "Heart of a Dog".
Bulgakov's story “The Heart of a Dog” caused a hail of attacks from critics. Sharp disapproval of the work by the authorities and writers even led to the termination of the contract for the production of the story and its publication. The manuscript, along with Bulgakov's diaries, was confiscated. And only relatively recently this work was published and became available to a wide range of readers.
The unusual construction of the work - from the general to the specific - conveys the idea of the work unusually clearly. At the center of it is the incredible case of a dog turning into a human. The fantastic plot is based on the depiction of the experiment of the brilliant medical scientist Preobrazhensky. Having transplanted the seminal glands and pituitary gland of the brain of the thief and drunkard Klim Chugunkin into the dog, Preobrazhensky, to everyone’s amazement, gets a man out of the dog.
Homeless Sharik turns into Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. However, he still has dog habits and bad habits Klima Chugunkina. The professor, together with Dr. Bormenthal, is trying to educate him, but all efforts are in vain. Therefore, the professor returns the dog to its original state. The fantastic incident ends idyllically: Preobrazhensky goes about his direct business, and the subdued dog lies on the carpet and indulges in sweet thoughts.
Bulgakov expands the biography of Sharikov to the level of social generalization. The writer gives a picture modern reality, revealing its imperfect structure. The narrative in “Heart of a Dog” is constructed in close connection with the reality of the 20s and social issues. Fiction in the work does not play the main role, but an auxiliary one.
In the story, Sharikov again turned into a dog, but in life he walked a long and, as it seemed to him, and it was suggested to others, a glorious path: in the 30s - 50s he poisoned people, as he once did in the line of duty of stray cats and dogs. Throughout his life, the hero carried dog’s anger and suspicion, replacing with them the dog’s loyalty that had become unnecessary. Having entered intelligent life, Sharikov remained at the level of instincts and was ready to change the entire country, the entire world, the entire universe so that these animal instincts would be easier to satisfy.
The hero is proud of his low birth, is proud of his low education. In general, he is proud of everything low, because only this raises him high above those who are high in spirit and mind. People like Preobrazhensky must be trampled into the dirt so that Sharikov can rise above them.
This is the story not only of Sharikov’s transformations, but, above all, the story of a society developing according to absurd, irrational laws. If the fantastic plan of the story is completed in plot, then the moral and philosophical one remains open: the Sharikovs continue to be fruitful, multiply and establish themselves in life, which means, “ terrible story» society continues. Bulgakov's tragic forecasts, unfortunately, came true, which was confirmed in the 30-50s, during the formation of Stalinism, and later.
The meaning of the title of the work can be interpreted in two ways. The first option lies on the surface - the story could be named so in honor of the experiment itself carried out by Professor Preobrazhensky: he transplanted a human heart into the body of a dog.
Also, the meaning of the name may lie in the people themselves, such as Shvonder. No one has transplanted dog hearts into them; they have had them since birth. Shvonder is a man without his own spiritual world, slacker, boor. We can say that it was created artificially. Shvonder does not have own opinion. All views were forced on him. Shvonder is a student of the proletariat - a group of people, according to Bulgakov, who sing about a bright future, but do nothing all day long.
It is precisely such people who know neither pity, nor sorrow, nor sympathy. They are uncultured and stupid. They have dog hearts from birth, although not all dogs have the same hearts.
Outwardly, the Sharikovs are no different from people, but they are always among us. Their inhuman nature is just waiting to emerge. And then the judge, in the interests of his career and the implementation of the plan to solve crimes, condemns the innocent, the doctor turns away from the patient, the mother abandons her child, various officials, for whom bribes have become the order of the day, drop their mask and show their true essence. Everything that is lofty and sacred turns into its opposite, because the inhuman has awakened in these people. When they come to power, they try to dehumanize everyone around them, because non-humans are easier to control, and for them all human feelings are replaced by the instinct of self-preservation.
In our country, after the revolution, all conditions were created for the appearance of a huge number of balls with dog hearts. The totalitarian system greatly contributes to this. Probably due to the fact that these monsters have penetrated into all areas of life, Russia is still going through difficult times.
Mikhail Sholokhov's story “The Fate of a Man” tells the story of the life of a Great Patriotic War soldier, Andrei Sokolov. The coming war took everything from the man: family, home, faith in a bright future. His strong-willed character and fortitude did not allow Andrey to break. A meeting with the orphaned boy Vanyushka brought new meaning to Sokolov’s life.
This story is included in curriculum 9th grade literature. Before you get acquainted with the full version of the work, you can read online summary“The Fate of Man” by Sholokhov, which will introduce the reader to the most important episodes of “The Fate of Man.”
Main characters
Andrey Sokolov- the main character of the story. He worked as a driver during wartime until the Krauts took him prisoner, where he spent 2 years. In captivity he was listed as number 331.
Anatoly- the son of Andrei and Irina, who went to the front during the war. Becomes battery commander. Anatoly died on Victory Day, he was killed by a German sniper.
Vanyushka- orphan, adopted son of Andrei.
Other characters
Irina- Andrey's wife
Kryzhnev- traitor
Ivan Timofeevich- Andrey's neighbor
Nastenka and Olyushka- Sokolov's daughters
The first spring after the war has arrived on the Upper Don. The hot sun touched the ice on the river and a flood began, turning the roads into a washed-out, impassable slurry.
The author of the story at this time of impassability needed to get to the Bukanovskaya station, which was about 60 km away. He reached the crossing of the Elanka River and, together with the driver accompanying him, swam on a boat, leaky from old age, to the other side. The driver sailed away again, and the narrator remained waiting for him. Since the driver promised to return only after 2 hours, the narrator decided to take a smoke break. He took out the cigarettes that had gotten wet during the crossing and laid them out to dry in the sun. The narrator sat down on the fence and became thoughtful.
Soon he was distracted from his thoughts by a man and a boy who were moving towards the crossing. The man approached the narrator, greeted him and asked how long it would take to wait for the boat. We decided to have a smoke together. The narrator wanted to ask his interlocutor where he was going with his little son in such off-road conditions. But the man got ahead of him and started talking about the past war.
This is how the narrator met a brief retelling life story a man whose name was Andrei Sokolov.
Life before the war
Andrei had a hard time even before the war. As a young boy, he went to the Kuban to work for the kulaks (wealthy peasants). It was a harsh period for the country: it was 1922, a time of famine. So Andrei’s mother, father and sister died of hunger. He was left completely alone. He returned to his homeland only a year later and sold parents' house and married the orphan Irina. Andrey got a good wife, obedient and not grumpy. Irina loved and respected her husband.
Soon the young couple had children: first a son, Anatoly, and then daughters Olyushka and Nastenka. The family settled down well: they lived in abundance, they rebuilt their house. If earlier Sokolov would drink with friends after work, now he was in a hurry home to his beloved wife and children. In 1929, Andrei left the factory and began working as a driver. Another 10 years flew by unnoticed for Andrey.
The war came unexpectedly. Andrei Sokolov received a summons from the military registration and enlistment office, and he is leaving for the front.
Wartime
The whole family accompanied Sokolov to the front. A bad feeling tormented Irina: as if last time she sees her husband.
During the distribution, Andrei received a military truck and went to the front to get its steering wheel. But he didn’t have to fight for long. During the German offensive, Sokolov was given the task of delivering ammunition to soldiers in a hot spot. But it was not possible to bring the shells to their own - the Nazis blew up the truck.
When Andrei, who miraculously survived, woke up, he saw an overturned truck and exploded ammunition. And the battle was already going on somewhere behind. Then Andrei realized that he was directly surrounded by the Germans. The Nazis immediately noticed the Russian soldier, but did not kill him - they needed labor. This is how Sokolov ended up in captivity along with his fellow soldiers.
The prisoners were driven into a local church to spend the night. Among those arrested was a military doctor who made his way in the dark and questioned each soldier about the presence of wounds. Sokolov was very worried about his arm, which was dislocated during the explosion when he was thrown out of the truck. The doctor set Andrei’s limb, for which the soldier was very grateful to him.
The night turned out to be restless. Soon one of the prisoners began to ask the Germans to let him out to relieve himself. But the senior guard forbade anyone from leaving the church. The prisoner could not stand it and cried: “I can’t,” he says, “desecrate the holy temple! I’m a believer, I’m a Christian!” . The Germans shot the annoying pilgrim and several other prisoners.
After this, the arrested became quiet for a while. Then conversations began in whispers: they began to ask each other where they were from and how they were captured.
Sokolov heard a quiet conversation next to him: one of the soldiers threatened the platoon commander that he would tell the Germans that he was not an ordinary private, but a communist. The threat, as it turned out, was called Kryzhnev. The platoon commander begged Kryzhnev not to hand him over to the Germans, but he stood his ground, arguing “that his own shirt is closer to his body.”
After hearing what Andrei heard, he began to shake with rage. He decided to help the platoon commander and kill the vile party member. For the first time in his life, Sokolov killed a person, and he felt so disgusted, as if he was “strangling some creeping reptile.”
Camp work
In the morning, the fascists began to find out which of the prisoners were communists, commissars and Jews in order to shoot them on the spot. But there were no such people, as well as traitors who could betray them.
When the arrested were driven to the camp, Sokolov began to think about how he could break out to his own people. Once such an opportunity presented itself to the prisoner, he managed to escape and break away from the camp by 40 km. Only the dogs followed Andrei's tracks, and he was soon caught. The poisoned dogs tore all his clothes and bit him until he bled. Sokolov was placed in a punishment cell for a month. After the punishment cell followed 2 years of hard work, hunger, and abuse.
Sokolov ended up working in a stone quarry, where the prisoners “manually chiseled, cut, and crushed German stone.” More than half of the workers died from hard work. Andrei somehow could not stand it, and uttered rash words towards the cruel Germans: “They need four cubic meters of production, but for the grave of each of us, one cubic meter through the eyes is enough.”
A traitor was found among his own, and he reported this to the Fritz. The next day, Sokolov was asked by the German authorities. But before leading the soldier to be shot, the block commandant Müller offered him a drink and snack for the German victory.
Almost looking death in the eye, the brave fighter refused such an offer. Muller just smiled and ordered Andrei to drink for his death. The prisoner had nothing left to lose, and he drank to escape his torment. Despite the fact that the fighter was very hungry, he never touched the Nazis’ snack. The Germans poured a second glass for the arrested man and again offered him a snack, to which Andrei replied to the German: “Sorry, Herr Commandant, I’m not used to having a snack even after the second glass.” The Nazis laughed, poured Sokolov a third glass and decided not to kill him, because he showed himself to be a real soldier loyal to his homeland. He was released to the camp, and for his courage he was given a loaf of bread and a piece of lard. Provisions in the block were divided equally.
Escape
Soon Andrei ends up working in the mines in the Ruhr region. It was 1944, Germany began to lose ground.
By chance, the Germans find out that Sokolov is a former driver, and he enters the service of the German Todte office. There he becomes the personal driver of a fat Fritz, an army major. After some time, the German major is sent to the front line, and Andrei with him.
Once again the prisoner began to have thoughts of escaping to his own people. One day Sokolov noticed a drunken non-commissioned officer, took him around the corner and took off all his uniform. Andrei hid the uniform under the seat in the car, and also hid a weight and a telephone wire. Everything was ready to carry out the plan.
One morning the major ordered Andrey to take him out of town, where he was in charge of the construction. On the way, the German dozed off, and as soon as we left the city, Sokolov took out a weight and stunned the German. Afterwards, the hero took out his hidden uniform, quickly changed clothes and rode at full speed towards the front.
This time the brave soldier managed to reach his own people with a German “gift”. They greeted him like a real hero and promised to state award introduce.
They gave the fighter a month off to get medical treatment, rest, and see his family.
Sokolov was first sent to the hospital, from where he immediately wrote a letter to his wife. 2 weeks have passed. An answer comes from home, but not from Irina. The letter was written by their neighbor, Ivan Timofeevich. This message turned out to be not joyful: Andrei’s wife and daughters died back in 1942. The Germans blew up the house where they lived. All that was left of their hut was a deep hole. Only the eldest son, Anatoly, survived, who after the death of his relatives asked to go to the front.
Andrei came to Voronezh, looked at the place where his house used to stand, and now a pit filled with rusty water, and on the same day he went back to the division.
Waiting to meet my son
For a long time Sokolov did not believe his misfortune and grieved. Andrei lived only with the hope of meeting his son. Correspondence began between them from the front and the father learns that Anatoly became the division commander and received many awards. Andrei was filled with pride for his son, and in his thoughts he already began to imagine how he and his son would live after the war, how he would become a grandfather and nurse his grandchildren, having met a calm old age.
At this time, Russian troops were rapidly advancing and pushing the Nazis back to the German border. Now it was no longer possible to correspond, and only towards the end of spring did my father receive news from Anatoly. The soldiers came close to the German border - on May 9 the end of the war came.
Excited, happy Andrei was looking forward to meeting his son. But his joy was short-lived: Sokolov was informed that the battery commander was shot by a German sniper on May 9, 1945, Victory Day. Conducted by Anatoly's father last path, burying his son on German soil.
Post-war time
Soon Sokolov was demobilized, but he did not want to return to Voronezh because of difficult memories. Then he remembered a military friend from Uryupinsk, who invited him to his place. The veteran headed there.
A friend lived with his wife on the outskirts of the city; they had no children. A friend of Andrei’s got him a job as a driver. After work, Sokolov often went to the teahouse to have a glass or two. Near the teahouse, Sokolov noticed a homeless boy about 5-6 years old. Andrei learned that the homeless child's name was Vanyushka. The child was left without parents: his mother died during a bombing, and his father was killed at the front. Andrey decided to adopt a child.
Sokolov brought Vanya to the house where he lived with a married couple. The boy was washed, fed and dressed. The child began to accompany his father on every flight and never agreed to stay at home without him.
So the little son and his father would have lived for a long time in Uryupinsk, if not for one incident. Once Andrei was driving a truck in bad weather, the car skidded and he knocked over a cow. The animal remained unharmed, but Sokolov was deprived of his driver's license. The man then signed up with another colleague from Kashara. He invited him to work with him and promised that he would help him get new licenses. So they are now on their way with their son to the Kashar region. Andrei admitted to the narrator that he still couldn’t stand it for long in Uryupinsk: melancholy does not allow him to sit in one place.
Everything would be fine, but Andrei’s heart began to play pranks, he’s afraid he won’t be able to stand it, and his little son will be left alone. Every day, the man began to see his deceased relatives as if they were calling him to them: “I talk about everything with Irina and with the kids, but as soon as I want to push the wire with my hands, they leave me as if they are melting before my eyes... And here’s an amazing thing: During the day I always hold myself tightly, you can’t squeeze a single “ooh” or a sigh out of me, but at night I wake up and the whole pillow is wet with tears...”
Then a boat appeared. This is where the story of Andrei Sokolov ended. He said goodbye to the author, and they moved towards the boat. With sadness, the narrator looked after these two close, orphaned people. He wanted to believe in the best, in the best future fate these strangers to him, who became close to him in a couple of hours.
Vanyushka turned and waved goodbye to the narrator.
Conclusion
In the work, Sholokhov raises the problem of humanity, loyalty and betrayal, courage and cowardice in war. The conditions in which Andrei Sokolov’s life placed him did not break him as a person. And the meeting with Vanya gave him hope and purpose in life.
Having become acquainted with the short story “The Fate of Man”, we recommend that you read full version works.
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War is a terrible and tragic event in people's lives. When pronouncing this word, a person’s mind flashes with the most scary pictures, terrifying. War is the theme of the works of many authors. The writers wanted to convey to every reader the deep imprint the war left on people’s lives. Such an author was M.A. Sholokhov. His historical work “The Fate of Man” reflects the difficult fate of the Russian people during the Great Patriotic War.
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The story is about common man, who had lost all his relatives and comrades, but he did not break - he survived!
Another incident, which occurred in a church where Russian prisoners were held, reveals Sokolov as a fair, moral hero. Having learned that there was a traitor next to him who was going to hand over the Russian platoon commander to the Nazis, Andrei strangled him, after which he said: “Before that, I felt unwell after that, and I really wanted to wash my hands, as if I was not a person, but some kind of creeping reptile. ..." Thanks to the strength of his character, Sokolov even managed to escape from captivity. Once on his native side, the main character rejoiced for a long, long time and cherished the Russian land. Andrey recalls: “I fell to the ground and kissed it, and I couldn’t breathe…”
The war took away from Sokolov the most important thing in his life, the most precious thing - his family: parents, wife, children. A lot of sorrows and trials fell on the shoulders of the main character, but he did not give up, did not lose heart, but lived on. The only ray of happiness for him was Vanyusha. An orphan boy, as lonely as Sokolov. Andrei gave him his care, affection and love, like his own. What enormous spiritual strength a person must have in order to commit such actions!
Having gone through a long series of trials, the main character did not lose heart, did not give up, he honestly and courageously fought for his Motherland, performed incredible feats in the name of the Fatherland. Here he is, a real hero!
Updated: 2017-10-22
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Mikhail Sholokhov's story “The Fate of a Man” is dedicated to the theme of the Patriotic War, in particular the fate of a person who survived this difficult time. The composition of the work fulfills a certain setting: the author makes a short introduction, talking about how he met his hero, how they got into conversation, and ends with a description of his impressions of what he heard. Thus, each reader seems to personally listen to the narrator - Andrei Sokolov. Already from the first lines it becomes clear what a difficult fate this man has, since the writer makes the remark: “Have you ever seen eyes that seemed sprinkled with ashes, filled with such inexpressible melancholy that it’s hard to look into them?”
The main character, at first glance, is an ordinary person with a simple fate, which millions of people had, - he fought in the ranks of the Red Army during Civil War, worked for the rich to help his family not die of hunger, but death still took all his relatives. Then he worked in an artel, at a factory, trained as a mechanic, over time came to admire cars, and became a driver. AND family life, like many others, he married a beautiful girl Irina (orphan), and children were born. Andrei had three children: Nastunya, Olechka and son Anatoly. He was especially proud of his son, as he was persistent in learning and capable of mathematics. And it’s not without reason that they say that happy people are all the same, but everyone has their own grief. It came to Andrei's house with a declaration of war.
During the war, Sokolov had to experience grief “up to the nostrils and above,” and endure incredible trials on the verge of life and death. During the battle he was seriously wounded, he was captured, he tried to escape several times, worked hard in a quarry, and escaped, taking a German engineer with him. Hope for something better flashed, and just as suddenly faded away, as two terrible news arrived: a wife and girls died from a bomb explosion, and on the last day of the war, their son died. Sokolov survived these terrible trials that fate sent him. He had wisdom and courage in life, which were based on human dignity, which can neither be destroyed nor tamed. Even when he was a moment away from death, he still remained worthy high rank man, did not yield to his conscience. Even the German officer Muller recognized this: “That’s it, Sokolov, you are a real Russian soldier. You are a brave soldier. I am also a soldier and respect worthy enemies. I won’t shoot at you.” This was a victory for the principles of life, since the war burned his fate and could not burn his soul.
For his enemies, Andrei was terrible and indestructible, and he appears completely different next to the little orphan Vanya, whom he met after the war. Sokolov was struck by the boy’s fate, since he himself had so much pain in his heart. Andrei decided to shelter this child, who did not even remember his own father, except for his leather coat. He becomes a natural father for Vanya - a caring, loving one, which he could no longer be for his children.
An ordinary person- this is probably said too simplistically about the hero of the work; it would be more accurate to indicate - a full-fledged person for whom life is inner harmony, which is based on truthful, pure and bright life principles. Sokolov never stooped to opportunism, this was contrary to his nature, however, as a self-sufficient person, he had a sensitive and kind heart, and this did not add to the leniency, since he went through all the horrors of the war. But even after what he experienced, you won’t hear any complaints from him, only “... his heart is no longer in his chest, but in a gourd, and it becomes hard to breathe.”
Mikhail Sholokhov solved the problem of thousands of people - young and old - who became orphans after the war, having lost their loved ones. Main idea the work is formed during the acquaintance with the main character - people should help each other in any trouble that happens on the path of life, this is precisely the real meaning of life.
Essay on literature on the topic: Hard times of war and the fate of man (based on the work “The Fate of Man”)
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