Our smaller brothers need care no less than people. And some of them become so attached to their master that they begin to consider him their friend.
We offer the top 10 fascinating books about the friendship of man and animal:
- "", James Bowen. This book is an unusual story of friendship between a man and a cat. Most recently, James wandered the streets of London, earning a living by playing the guitar and selling magazines, using drugs and was in a deep depression. Life seemed to have no meaning. But everything changed when fate brought the guy with a red cat. He was sick and limping, so James decided to help him and took him to the veterinary clinic. After recovery, the guy tried to return the pet to the street, but he clearly did not like this idea. And since then, the two have been inseparable. By the way, Bob became a real talisman for James, because with the advent of a red-haired friend, the guy's income doubled. And recently He published a book about such an unusual and touching friendship.
- "", Vera Chaplin. This book is the story of an unusual friendship between a zoo worker and a lioness. Vera picked up Kinuli as a small and weak lion cub, which was abandoned by her mother (hence the nickname). The woman literally put the animal on its feet, and fed the lioness Scottish Shepherd Peri. For some time, Kinuli lived in a communal apartment, but when she was one year old, she was forced to be transferred to the zoo, and with a shepherd dog, which the lioness considered her mother. During her stay in Kinuli's apartment, she suffered a dangerous disease, and literally all of Chaplina's neighbors nursed her. Many films have been made about this unique lioness and many articles have been written. The book also describes the unusual domestic life of an absolutely wild and dangerous animal, the friendship of a lioness with a woman.
- "", Gavriil Troepolsky. This story literally glorified the author, was published almost immediately, and subsequently even translated into several languages. Beam is a white Scottish setter with a black ear. He lives with a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Ivanovich, who was once a journalist, but now hunts and sometimes plunges into philosophical reflections. He loves his pet and often takes him hunting. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, but suddenly Ivan Ivanovich ended up in the hospital because of a fragment in his heart that remained there from the war. He gives Bim to a neighbor, but the dog runs away and goes in search of the owner. On his way, he meets a variety of people who are described through the eyes of a dog. Some are sweet and kind, others are evil and even cruel. Ivan Ivanovich is discharged and arrives at the shelter where Bim ended up. But two friends are not destined to meet.
- " ", Anton Chekhov. This story is familiar to many since childhood. Kashtanka is a dog that lost its owner Luka Aleksandrovich. She tries to find the one so devoted to the lump, but she is exhausted and falls asleep. A man finds Kashtanka, who turns out to be the circus clown Mr. George. He takes the dog and tries to tame it and teach it different tricks. Kashtanka gets used to the new environment, which includes Mr. Georges, as well as a trained goose, a pig and a cat. And so, the dog finds himself in the circus arena and begins to perform, but suddenly he sees his former owner among the spectators and rushes to him. This is such a simple story of devotion and friendship with a happy ending.
- "Peers", Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. This story was written back in 1931 and became one of the most beloved among young readers. It tells about the childhood of a simple boy who lives with his parents in the dense forests of Florida. He meets his peer - a young deer. Gradually, real feelings arise between the boy and the animal. The deer becomes a real close friend for the hero. There are many other characters in this book, including wolves, bears, and opossums. Living among heavy rains and long droughts is not easy, but the world becomes a little better if there is a faithful comrade nearby.
- "", John Grogan. With this touching story, many managed to get acquainted thanks to the film, but the book is even more penetrating. Marley is a Labrador that appeared with the Grogans almost immediately after their marriage. This dog is an incredible mischievous person who can turn the whole house upside down. But for the spouses, he became a true friend. He taught them to sincerely love, help each other and support in the most difficult situations. Marley became an excellent nanny for the Grogan children, and he also taught them a lot. After reading this touching and funny book, you can be sure that dogs are the most devoted friends for whom appearance, status and financial situation are not important.
- "The Dog Who Spoke to the Gods" by Diana Jessup. This book is not so much about friendship, but about the devotion of dogs and the fact that they, too, are capable of real feelings. Many believe that animals do not have a soul, and the emotions and experiences inherent in people are alien to them. Some are so accustomed to dogs that they perceive them as a piece of furniture. They are put out the door like unnecessary toys, they are experimented on. But dogs feel everything and can even talk about their feelings. This is what Diana Jessup, who is a professional dog breeder, tells about in her work. She tried to get readers to listen to their pets and try to understand them. And her novel became a love story, proof of human cruelty and a real report from hell.
- "Lassie", Eric Knight. Joe Carraclough is the young son of a miner who is envied by everyone in the neighborhood, because the boy has a purebred collie. But for Joe, the dog has become a true true friend. She met him every day from school and spent all the time with him. But one day Joe came home and didn't find Lassie. The father said that he sold the dog to a wealthy nobleman to pay off debts. The pet is taken to Scotland and, it would seem, the friends will never meet again. But there are no barriers to true friendship.
- "Beethoven", Robert Tyne. Beethoven is a big and very kind St. Bernard, who was adopted as a puppy by a large and friendly family, consisting of a mother, father and three children. The dog immediately won the hearts of almost everyone, and only the head of the family could not come to terms with the antics of the pet. But the younger members of the family are simply delighted with Beethoven, because it is so fun and interesting to play with him. But when a pet gets into trouble, all family members decide to save it, including dad, who realized that without a huge dog in the house it became too boring, and the children managed to become very attached to Beethoven. And he, in turn, will do everything to return to the house, which managed to become so dear.
- Eye of the Wolf, Daniel Pennack. The Arctic Wolf, who once lost his eye, lives in a locked cage at the Paris Zoo. People constantly come to look at him, but he hates them, because they brought only evil. The wolf spends monotonous and boring days, but one day a boy named Africa comes to the zoo. He has a good heart, and he also knows how to tell stories and listen carefully. And this man is not like the others, he will make the wolf, embittered at all people, look at the world with completely different eyes. He will be able to see and feel the good that he so dreamed of.
These were the most interesting books about the friendship of animals and people.
The love of Eugene Onegin and Tatyana Larina is tragic in many ways. Onegin did not take seriously the recognition of the heroine in love, and only a few years later he spoke about his feelings. But by that time Tatyana was already married. The heroine still loved Onegin. It would seem that she waited for reciprocity. But Tatyana Larina is a faithful and devoted wife. She acted according to, remaining faithful to her husband, whom she did not love. Her deed deserves respect.
A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"
Loyalty to one's Motherland is the moral principle of Pyotr Grinev. When Pugachev captured the Belogorsk fortress, the hero had a choice: go over to the side of the enemy, recognizing the sovereign in Pugachev, and save his life or die without betraying his country. Petr Grinev chose the second option. He was ready to give his life, but to keep his dignity. The act of the hero is an example of true loyalty to one's moral principles, military duty and the Motherland.
N.M. Karamzin "Poor Liza"
The feelings of Erast and Lisa were sincere. But, when the girl gave herself to Erast, the feelings began to fade. Lisa is a faithful, devoted girl who knows how to truly love. But Erast was different. He betrayed Lisa. After losing his money, he married a rich widow, and Lisa said that he was leaving for the war. The girl could not survive: not seeing the point in living, she threw herself into the pond.
L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
Natasha Rostova wanted to run away with Anatole Kuragin, although she had a fiancé - Andrei Bolkonsky. The girl was ready for treason because of her inexperience, youth and gullibility. This act does not make her a terrible person. What happened brought Natasha Rostova a lot of torment, she realized the fallacy of her act. Remaining faithful to her lover was a test for the girl.
N.V. Gogol "Taras Bulba"
Taras Bulba is a man true to his word, to his state. He does not tolerate betrayal, boldly fights with enemies. Andriy, his youngest son, betrays the Cossacks. The concept of fidelity for Taras Bulba is more important than family ties. He kills his son, not wanting to come to terms with his act. The outlook of Taras Bulba is an example of fidelity to one's moral principles, one's Motherland, one's comrades.
Irina, thank you for the prompt and diplomatic response!
As for Jack London - if I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere in the criticism that he was the first of the classics "in a big way" to get into the "dog's skin", i.e. wrote works of large form, in which the main characters are dogs. In addition to the three stories mentioned, he also has the novel "Michael, Brother Jerry", as well as the cool humorous story "Marked", which will add variety to this list.
2018 is the year of the dog, so this topic is relevant now on the eve of the New Year. I was just looking for lists of the best dog stories and came across this list. At first I was delighted - the list was compiled by the staff of the Pushkin Library of my city! And I've been to this library, read it, maybe I'm still on the list! But I looked at the collection and was a little disappointed.
You say that any list is personal, subjective, but this one is not even rated. And how could you understand that it was not rated? What does the visitor see? This is a blog of the central library of a million-plus city, in which the list of references is numbered from 1 to 22, obviously not in alphabetical order. Here is an example from our Chelyabinsk industrial life - one elderly person decided to make a book (namely, to make, not write: there are more photos) about such and such a plant, and called it loudly: "Such and such a plant." People became interested - what kind of fundamental work is this, since it is called so. And it turned out that he paid more attention to such and such a workshop (where he himself worked), such and such people (with whom he himself communicated) and such and such a period of history - 60-70 years (the period of his youth). Here, you can also say a personal view of the history of the plant, society, country. And people were perplexed, someone was offended: “Why did you bypass me, come on me - but that one, that one - these were the outstanding people of the plant of that time! And why the 60-70s, the plant has existed since the 30s?! About those who built it, it was not necessary to mention at all? In general, this author was advised then to consult with professionals before taking up such work again.
Why am I doing all this? Like I said, I was looking for lists of the best dog stories, and I found others. There, the same works are in a different order, and you wonder in which: "Kashtanka", "White Bim ..." do not find a place in the top ten! Ahead are only foreign works such as Dog Dogs. But there are less solid organizations - and here is the central library of the city! I do not agree that any list is personal, subjective. That's why ratings are created in order to find some kind of objective picture, and one could expect something more from the library than a personal rating. There are indicators by which it was possible to check the popularity of works - for example, the same Jack London during the Soviet era in our country was the second most published foreign writer after G.Kh. Andersen (the total circulation of 956 editions amounted to 77.153 million copies - Wikipedia). It was possible to compare the ratings of the Soviet era, modern Russia, Western countries, etc. That is, to carry out some kind of systematic work and issue an interesting selection, where all these indicators would be indicated. But what, apparently there is no such approach already. Thanks anyway!
based on the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time"
Loyalty of animals to their owners.
It's no secret that animals are distinguished by devotion to their owners. Proof of this can be found in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" by M.Yu. Lermontov. In the chapter "Bela" there is a storyline connected with Kazbich and his horse Karagez. Karagyoz for Kazbich is not just a horse, it is a true friend who was with him in the most difficult moments of his life. When Kazbich was attacked, Karagyoz showed himself very bravely: he distracted the enemies, and then returned for his master. The horse more than once rescued him on campaigns. Kazbich treated Karagez as a close friend, he was the most important being for him. This is how Kazbich describes his attitude towards his comrade-in-arms:
"There are many beauties in our villages,
The stars shine in the darkness of their eyes.
It is sweet to love them, an enviable share;
But valiant will is more fun.
Gold will buy four wives,
The dashing horse has no price:
He will not lag behind the whirlwind in the steppe,
He won't change, he won't cheat."
For Kazbich, the loss of a friend was a huge tragedy. When Azamat stole Karagez, the dashing Circassian was inconsolable: "... fell to the ground and sobbed like a child." So he lay "until late at night and all night ..". Kazbich's relationship to his horse is a vivid example of mutual devotion between man and animal.
Do you always have to be true to your principles?
Loyalty to oneself and one's principles is considered a positive quality, but a person who never changes his ideas about life and people is static, he limits himself. The protagonist of the novel M.Yu. Lermontov "The Hero of Our Time" Pechorin is a strong personality with a strong-willed character, a man true to himself. This quality plays a cruel joke with him. Unable to change his ideas about life, he is looking for a catch in everything: he does not believe in friendship, considering it a weakness, and perceives love only as the satisfaction of his pride. Throughout the novel, we see how the hero tries to understand the meaning of life, to find his destiny, but finds only disappointment.
The reason for the disappointment is Pechorin's immunity to the feelings of other people, he cannot forgive them for their weaknesses and open his soul, he is afraid to seem ridiculous to others and even to himself. In the chapter “Princess Mary”, we see how hard Grigory is going through the departure of his beloved woman, he rushes after her, but his horse dies on the road, and he, exhausted, falls to the ground and cries. At this moment, we understand how deeply the hero is able to feel, but even in such a situation, he thinks he looks pathetic.
By morning, he returns to his usual state and attributes the manifestation of humanity to frustrated nerves. Analyzing the behavior of the protagonist of the work, we can conclude that loyalty to one's principles is a positive quality only in a situation where these principles are dictated by philanthropy, and not selfishness. A person must be open to something new, be able to recognize the fallacy of his judgments. Only this will allow a person to become the best version of himself.
Betrayal towards people who trusted you.
The theme of betrayal is reflected in Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time. So, the main character Pechorin is a person who cannot be relied upon. He betrays everyone who had the imprudence to trust him. Comrade Grushnitsky revealed his soul to him, told him that he was secretly in love with Mary, turned to Pechorin for advice, considering him his friend.
Pechorin did not dissuade him, but vilely took advantage of Grushnitsky's openness. Pechorin was annoyed by the young cadet. He did not wish him happiness, on the contrary, he dreamed of seeing him in a wounded state, ridiculed him, belittled him in the eyes of Mary, and, in the end, out of boredom, decided to seduce his beloved “friend”. Pechorin needed Mary to annoy Grushnitsky. Such behavior can be called vile, it deserves only condemnation. It doesn’t matter whether Pechorin Grushnitsky considered his friend or not, he had no right to do this with a person who trusted him.
Pechorin's betrayal of Vera/Vera's loyalty.
Vera sacrificed herself for the sake of Pechorin, abandoned family happiness, and risked losing her reputation. In the depths of her soul, she hoped for their eventual happiness. Pechorin's betrayal consisted in the fact that he accepted this sacrifice, but did not give anything in return. When his beloved woman was going through difficult moments, he was not there, he dragged after Mary, whom he did not even love. Pechorin betrayed the only person who truly loved him and accepted him for who he is. He used it "as a source of joys and anxieties, without which life is boring and monotonous." Vera understood this, but sacrificed herself, hoping that one day he would appreciate this sacrifice. For Vera, Gregory was everything, while for Pechorin she was just an episode, important, but not the only one. Disappointment awaited her, because a person capable of spiritual betrayal cannot bring happiness.
Pechorin's betrayal towards Bela.
The theme of spiritual betrayal is revealed in the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time". So, Grigory Pechorin once meets an unusual girl Bela. She captivates him with her beauty and mystery, so Pechorin decides to steal her. Bela initially resists, but then she herself falls in love with the "thief". Her loyalty to her beloved knows no bounds. She is willing to give up her home, family and traditions to be with her loved one.
Pechorin becomes bored over time. He comes to the conclusion that all women are the same, and is no longer happy with the love that Bela gives him. He does not cheat on her physically, but in his heart he refuses her, dreaming of travel. The girl understands this, but cannot leave Gregory, because she is true to her choice. Even before her death, she only cares that they cannot be together in heaven, because Bela belongs to a different faith. From the relationship between Bela and Pechorin, we can conclude that the worst betrayal is not associated with external manifestations, it is deep inside a person, but can do much more harm. Spiritual betrayal hurts just like physical betrayal, sometimes even more.
Treason of the Faith (marriage without love).
People cheat for a variety of reasons, but the most common betrayal happens when people marry for reasons other than love. Such an example can be seen in the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time". One of the main characters, Vera, marries an unloved person, therefore, having met true love, she cheats on her husband. Vera cares little about the feelings of her unloved husband; she does not consider herself obliged to be faithful to him. The novel does not tell what circumstances forced her to marry, but it led to the misfortune of both spouses. Living with an unloved person is unbearable, but even worse is the one who is being deceived.
The dog is the only animal
whose loyalty is unshakable.
J. Buffon
"A dog is a man's best friend" - absolutely every person is familiar with this expression. We are so accustomed to this that we don’t even think since when and why a dog is considered a devoted friend. Dogs become attached to their owners and do not leave them at a difficult moment in life. If a person feels bad, she will definitely feel it, come up, put her muzzle on his knees and make it clear with a look that she is nearby and everything will be fine. She will listen, but she will do it the way she knows how to do it - silently. But despite the fact that the dog is silent, we always feel understanding and support from her side. Dogs are amazingly loyal animals. Everyone knows the touching stories of dog loyalty and love, which formed the basis of many books and films. Such as Hachiko, Greyfriars Bobby and many others.
Let us recall the fate of a four-legged friend named Bim, in the story "White Bim Black Ear". Every person should read this story, because this book makes us understand that dogs remain faithful even after the owner is not around. In this story, we see how Bim overcomes many difficulties when he tries to find his master. He goes through everything: separation from his beloved owner, longing, beating, starvation, life with strangers, pinching his paw on the rails, but this does not stop him from going towards his goal. Bim is a very strong-willed dog. She did not break, but continued to move forward. His task is to find a beloved owner. This speaks of the devotion of the dog to the person. Bim loved Ivan Ivanovich so much that he overcomes all difficulties and hardships just to see him. Bim did not replace Ivan with another person, because Ivan is all he has. This is where Beam's devotion lies. In loyalty and love, which are manifested even in difficult circumstances. But despite the fact that Beam never realized his dream, we see how he tried to do everything possible to make it happen. This book makes you cry, it will not leave anyone indifferent. Reading is not the most important thing. The main thing is to feel the emotions that Bim experienced.
Another example of the love and devotion of a dog to a person is the story "Kashtanka" by A.P. Chekhov. Kashtanka is a young red dog who is trying to find her beloved person - Luka. Having found himself another home, a new owner, Kashtanka does not cease to love Luka Alexandrovich. She didn't betray him. Although Kashtanka was an obedient dog, and did everything that her new owner would tell her, she kept only him in her little heart - Luka. After all, despite the fact that she did not find him and lives with another person, her devotion remains. This once again proves that the dog loves a person more than himself, and is ready to be faithful to him under any circumstances. "All's well that ends well" is probably the motto of this book. One can easily understand what emotions and feelings Kashtanka experienced when she saw her best friend. We cannot hear all her joy, all her emotions, but we can see one thing - the way her tail dangles from side to side, saying that she is extremely happy to meet him.
In conclusion, I emphasize once again that dogs are very smart animals that are ready to come to the aid of a person in difficult times. Dogs are always loyal, and their love knows no bounds. Even when the owner's behavior towards his dog leaves much to be desired, the dog continues to wag his tail when looking at him and consider him the best person on earth. We must understand that animals also have feelings and emotions. They will never love another person the way they love you. And this applies to all animals, not just dogs. Love them! After all, more devoted to these creatures, we can not find anywhere else!
Visit my page and read other works.
The text is large so it is divided into pages.
