In the work of Leo Tolstoy Prisoner of the Caucasus, to which the author himself gave the subtitle "reality" Kostylin is a secondary character. His image is introduced for comparison with the main character - Zhilin.
The events described in the work take place in the summer in the Caucasus, during the war. There is a Russian garrison in a remote fortress. You can’t move freely along the roads even during the day - the Tatars will either kill you or take you into captivity. Twice a week, detachments of soldiers passed between the fortresses, under the protection of which other people moved. Kostylin once left with one of these detachments.
Kostylin is an officer in the Russian army. Together with Zhilin, he went ahead of the delayed detachment. Kostylin's physique is full, he is red from the heat, and he is reluctant to wait for the detachment. In addition, he has a gun, and he is on horseback - in the event of a chase, he hopes to escape. When the enemies really turned out to be nearby - about thirty Tatars against two officers - he rushed to his heels, without even thinking to help his comrade, Zhilin, who was in trouble.
Zhilin was caught by the Tatars, but at first he hoped that at least Kostylin had escaped. They met in captivity. It turned out that the horse stopped near Kostylin, and the gun misfired. So he was captured - barefoot and ragged. He did not argue with the Tatars, like Zhilin, but immediately wrote a letter home to send a ransom - five thousand rubles. Kostylin completely lost heart, but Zhilin did not chicken out, managed to insist that he and his friend be fed, given clothes, kept together (at least more fun), and the blocks were removed from their feet at night.
In captivity, Kostylin only counted the days - he waited for him to be released, and slept. But Zhilin did not mess around, he proved himself a jack of all trades, and even a doctor. He was allowed to walk around the aul, and he tried to find the way home, preparing to escape. When he found out where to run, Kostylin refused: they say, we don’t know the road, and we won’t reach it overnight. But still, Zhilin persuaded him - they fled at night. Kostylin quickly began to lag behind, kept walking and groaning, and then completely exhausted. Only Zhilin did not abandon him - he could not leave a comrade in trouble, although he alone would have gone to his own a long time ago: he dragged the fat Kostylin on himself. The Tatars noticed them, caught them, beat them into the stocks and threw them into the pit.
Zhilin managed to persuade the master's daughter Dina to help him escape, and with great difficulty reached his own. But Kostylin did not go with him, he was cowardly - only a month later they bought him for five thousand, and brought him barely alive.
Kostylin from the very beginning showed himself at first to be an arrogant coward and a cowardly person. He left a comrade in trouble, not even trying to help him. Having been taken prisoner, he readily wrote home with a request to send a ransom, although his comrade, pitying his poor mother, did not count on a ransom in advance. A large, strong man, Kostylin let his colleague down during the escape, could not overpower himself and, in essence, showed himself and his comrade to the Tatars. He refused a second escape, even realizing that there was almost no chance of surviving in captivity.
The author treats Kostylin with disapproval, clearly emphasizing the weakness of his spirit. The value of this character emphasizes the courage, ingenuity, strength of mind of the protagonist - Zhilin. After all, in fact, there were two “captives of the Caucasus”, but one overcame difficulties and fled, and the second voluntarily remained in captivity.
Composition Kostylin in the work Prisoner of the Caucasus
Kostylin is one of the two main characters in Leo Tolstoy's story "Prisoner of the Caucasus". He is an officer who, along with his new comrade Zhilin, was taken prisoner by the Tatars. Kostylin is the opposite of him, both in character and in appearance. Outwardly, this is a big, clumsy, tall, fat and clumsy man. He is in poor health.
Once Kostylin was given leave. He drove home. Along the way, he met Zhilin, who was also going to rest. Due to the fact that the roads are not safe, it was decided to go together. Suddenly they were attacked by the Tatars. They wanted to take them prisoner, and then demand a ransom in a rather considerable amount. Zhilin told Kostylin to shoot. He turned out to be a coward. Kostylin betrayed his new comrade and fled. Of course, he did not succeed, the Tatars had horses. Zhilin was tied up, Kostylin was caught up and also neutralized. Both were thrown into the village.
While Kostylin and Zhilin were in captivity, the traitor did not want to show his good side. The Tatars ordered the prisoners to write a ransom letter. Kostylin immediately gave up and wrote a letter. He said that his family was rich, they would find five thousand. Zhilin said to feed them, and only after that he would write a letter. He indicated the wrong address so that it did not reach. He came up with an escape plan. Fortunately, the escape was successful. Kostylin decided to run with him. But, unfortunately, here he also did not show his courage and willpower. He kept saying that his legs hurt a lot, his shoes rubbed badly. As a result, Zhilin had to carry it on himself, as a result of which a Tatar noticed them and returned them to the village. Kostylin was a pessimist, because he did not believe that it was possible to escape.
By the actions of this character, you can understand that he is a very unreliable person. Kostylin does not know how to endure, he has no willpower. He is also a coward. Kostylin was not accustomed to difficulties due to the fact that he was already too pampered a gentleman. He does not know how to make important decisions on his own. His surname (Kostylin) comes from the word "crutch". That is, a support for people who have problems with their legs. Apparently, the author hints in this way either that the officer also has problems with his legs, or that he should be a support for a person, that he can be relied upon. But unfortunately the first option will suit this character.
The second time the cowardly officer did not want to run. He preferred to sit quietly and wait for the ransom. Zhilin managed to escape, and a ransom came for Kostylin a month later. They took him barely alive. He was very exhausted.
Option 3
Kostylin is an officer of the Soviet Union and a friend of Zhilin. He served for the benefit of the people for a long time and went on vacation before the start of the Battle of the Caucasus. Deciding to relax in the resort, Kostylin set off. On the way, he met Zhilin, and they decided to go together. Kostylin was the complete opposite of his new friend Kostylin. Outwardly, the officer was a large and clumsy man of high stature. However, he was not distinguished by thinness and had poor health.
On the way, the Tatars attacked Zhilin and Kostylin. Kostylin was cowardly and could not shoot the Tatars. Because of cowardice, Zhilin was the first to be captured. Kostilin did not manage to escape far, and he was captured along with his comrade. Once captured, the officer also showed his cowardice. He did everything the Tatars told him. On their orders, he wrote a letter to his relatives so that they would pay a ransom of 5,000 gold coins for him. At the same time, he gave away all the savings and property of the family. And Zhilin demanded that they be fed, and after that he wrote a letter. To confuse the enemies, he gave the wrong address of relatives.
While in captivity, the officer was looking forward to being released. All his free time he did nothing but sleep. And Zhilin showed his best qualities and became a master, at the same time a doctor in the camp. He was allowed to roam freely around the camp. He entered the notes and looked for ways to escape. After a long search, he found a way to escape. But Kostilin came up with several reasons not to run away, and completely refused to leave the camp.
They managed to escape. Here Kostylin showed himself not from the best side. They had to keep walking to get away. But Kostylin was a pessimist and constantly complained that his legs hurt. With a pessimistic attitude, he kept repeating that shoes rub blisters. To save comrade Zhilin dragged him on himself. So the Tatar noticed them, and they returned to the camp.
Kostylin's actions describe him as an unreliable person who cannot be relied upon. The officer had no willpower, he could not endure difficulties. At the same time, he was a very cowardly person. He was born into a wealthy family. Kostylin was always taken care of, and he was not used to experiencing difficulties. He never took responsibility for his life. At the same time, he was afraid to make important decisions on his own behalf.
Calling him Kostylin, the author wanted the hero to become a support for the common people and be able to help everyone. After tightening measures, Kostylin refused to flee and remained in the camp. And Zhilin was able to make friends with the owner's daughter, who helped him escape. And Kostylin stayed in the camp for another month. A month later, his relatives paid a ransom for him and brought the officer home in poor condition.
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Zhilin and Kostylin - the heroes of the story "Prisoner of the Caucasus" by L.N. Tolstoy. They are both Russian officers. They participate in the war for the annexation of the Caucasus to Russia. Zhilin received a letter from his mother, who asks to come to her before her death, to say goodbye. The loving son set out on the road almost without thought. However, it was impossible to go alone. They could catch and kill the Tatars. We drove in a group, but very slowly. Zhilin and Kostylin decided to go ahead alone. Zhilin was careful and prudent. After making sure that Kostylin had a loaded gun and a saber in his scabbard, he decided to climb the mountain and see if the Tatars were coming. As soon as he rode a horse to the top, he saw those whom he so did not want to see. Not far from him stood the Tatars, who noticed the officer. Zhilin was brave and, thinking that if he reached the gun (Kostylin had it), they would escape, shouted to Kostylin. But the cowardly officer was afraid for his life and ran away. committing a wicked act. Both officers were taken prisoner, where they met. The chief of the Tatars said that a ransom had to be paid in order to release them. (5000 rubles). Kostylin immediately wrote a letter home to send the money. And Zhilin said. that if they kill him they won’t get anything at all, he ordered to wait. He sent a letter to a different address. He felt sorry for his seriously ill mother, but they didn’t have such money. Zhilin had no other relatives. He thought. that he could escape. In captivity, Zhilin dug a tunnel at night, and during the day he made dolls for the girl Dina. In return, the girl brought him cakes and milk. Lazy Kostylin did nothing all day, and slept at night. And then the day came. when everything was ready to escape. They fled with Kostylin. They abraded their legs on the stones and had to carry the weak Kostylin on themselves. Therefore, they were caught. They were put in a large pit, but Dina brought a stick and helped Zhilin escape. This time Kostylin was afraid to run. Zhilin managed to reach his own. Kostylin was bought out for 5,000 rubles only a month later. As a result, in Tolstoy's story "Prisoner of the Caucasus" Zhilin shows courage and bravery, and Kostylin shows laziness, cowardice and weakness.
"Prisoner of the Caucasus". A Russian officer serving in the Caucasus is captured by the Tatars along with the main character Zhilin, but due to weakness and indecisiveness of character, he refuses to escape when an opportunity presents itself.
History of creation
Leo Tolstoy prepared a school manual, according to which children were supposed to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. The story "Prisoner of the Caucasus" was written specifically for this manual, and was first published in the literary and political journal Zarya in 1872. The story is named by the author in the same way as one of the poems.
The story is partly based on the personal experience of Tolstoy, who served in the Caucasus in the 50s of the 19th century and almost got captured. Tolstoy rode on horseback with a Chechen who was his great friend. The companions were overtaken by the pursuers, who had some reason to take revenge on Tolstoy's friend, and were going to take both of them prisoner. However, the situation was resolved successfully - the sentry noticed the chase, and Tolstoy and his friend were beaten off. By the writer's own admission, it was a "sensitive" episode in his biography, which, apparently, inspired Tolstoy's story.
"Prisoner of the Caucasus"
The plot of the story is as follows: two Russian officers, Kostylin and, in the Caucasus are captured. The Tatars keep them in a barn, and put blocks on the feet of the heroes so that they do not run away. Both are required to write a letter asking for a ransom.
At the end of the story, Zhilin manages to escape from captivity, while the passive Kostylin refuses to escape. The hero feels bad and says that he has no strength to run. Kostylin does not count on the successful outcome of this enterprise and resigns himself to the fact that he cannot escape. The Tatars release the hero only a month after Zhilin safely escapes, when the Tatars receive a ransom for Kostylin, collected by relatives.
Kostylin is a Russian officer from a wealthy noble family. The hero serves in the Caucasus, but he is not used to military life. This is a pampered person who does not tolerate difficulties and easily gives up. Kostylin's physical preparation leaves much to be desired - during an escape attempt, the hero constantly lags behind and complains about exhausted legs.
Frame from the film "Prisoner of the Caucasus" (1975) The clumsiness of the hero also creates problems - he stumbles on stones, makes noise, allows himself to make screams and does not think that he gives out his own location to his pursuers. The hero justifies his own surname, all the way being a "crutch" for Zhilin - that is, preventing the main character from getting out of trouble.
Outwardly, Kostylin is heavy, red-faced. Because of his extra weight, the hero sweats a lot and is poorly adapted to walking through the forest. In addition, he is also cowardly and, as soon as he sees the Tatars, he strives to hide in the fortress.
As a comrade, Kostylin is unreliable. The heroes leave the fortress with a wagon train, but in the end they decide to break away from the wagon train and ride together in order to get to the place faster. The officers agree not to disperse and stick together. However, at the first sign of danger, Kostylin abandons Zhilin and runs away. The Tatars shot Zhilin's horse, and he is captured because of the betrayal of his comrade. Kostylin himself, however, also soon finds himself in captivity in the same mountain village as Zhilin.
Kostylin is not inclined to fight the circumstances. Once captured, the hero comes to terms with the situation and writes a letter home so that his relatives pay a ransom for him, without any conditions and thoughts of escaping. After that, Kostylin decides that everything necessary has been done, and does nothing more, but only passively waits for money to be sent from home. The hero meets the idea of escape with pessimism. Kostylin is convinced that ignorance of the area and the darkness of the night are obstacles that cannot be overcome.
Comparative characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin
Zhilin is the exact opposite of Kostylin. The hero does not shift the responsibility for his own salvation to the family, and when he is required to write to his mother asking for a ransom, he writes the wrong address on the letter. In captivity, Kostylin behaves passively: he either sleeps or waits for news of a ransom to be sent by his relatives. Zhilin, on the other hand, does not sit in captivity idle and makes dolls for local children.
Zhilin managed to arouse sympathy from Dina, the thirteen-year-old daughter of the man in whose captivity he is. The girl brings cakes and meat to the hero, and later helps to escape. During the day, the heroes' feet are shackled in stocks, but this does not prevent Zhilin from exploring the village and its surroundings. Walking, the hero is trying to figure out in which direction the Russian fortress is located, how best to run. The hero spends his nights digging in the shed.
Zhilin escapes from captivity twice. For the first time through a tunnel. Kostylin goes with him. Zhilin is collected, resolute and ready to go to the end, while the pampered and clumsy Kostylin greatly delays both of them. As a result, the heroes are caught and brought back. After the escape, the heroes are sent not to the barn, but to the pit, and the blocks are no longer removed at night. However, Zhilin manages to escape from there too, while Kostylin surrenders and refuses to escape.
Illustration for the story "Prisoner of the Caucasus" Differences between Zhilin and Kostylin can be traced even in appearance and life circumstances. Zhilin is short, "daring" and dexterous, comes from a poor family, optimistically looks at things and does not accept the circumstances. The difference between the characters is manifested even in relation to the horses. Kostylin, during the chase, severely beats the horse with a whip, like an inanimate object, while Zhilin talks to the horse and asks him to "carry it out."
While Kostylin is waiting for outside help, Zhilin is counting only on his own strength. At the same time, Zhilin does not leave his comrade to the mercy of fate and tries to escape with Kostylin, even carrying him on himself. The hero is not afraid of the Tatars, while Kostylin treats the highlanders with fear. It is not surprising that such different heroes have different fates.
Screen adaptations
In 1975, the film "Prisoner of the Caucasus" directed by Georgy Kalatozishvili was released. The tape was filmed at the film studio "Georgia-film", the role of Kostylin was played by actor Vladimir Solodnikov.
The second film was released in 1996. This is not a literal film adaptation of Tolstoy's story, but a film based on it. Events unfold in the 90s of the last century in the context of the Chechen war. The heroes are captured by a man from a mountain village, whose son is also languishing in captivity. Zhilin and Kostylin are captured in order to organize an exchange of prisoners.
Director -, the role of Ensign Kostylin, who is called "Sanya" in the film, was played by an actor. Filming took place in Kazakhstan and Dagestan, in particular in the city of Derbent and at the Khuchninsky waterfall. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Quotes
“And Kostylin, instead of waiting, only saw the Tatars - rolled up to the fortress. The whip fries the horse from one side, then from the other. Only in the dust you can see how the horse twirls its tail.
“Kostylin wrote home again, kept waiting for the money to be sent and was bored. For whole days he sits in the barn and counts the days when the letter arrives, or sleeps. But Zhilin knew that his letter would not reach, but he did not write another.
From the pen of the brilliant writer Leo Tolstoy, many wonderful works appeared. The story is one of those. Readers and critics greeted this work with interest. And in our time, the story is of genuine interest to lovers of literature.
The main characters are Russian officers with eloquent surnames and. Thanks to this artistic detail, readers can immediately determine the author's attitude towards both characters. The surname Zhilin is associated with a vein that is not so easy to break, which means that the hero is a strong person. And on the contrary, Kostylin appears to be a dependent person, weak, based on the fact that his surname comes from the word crutch.
At the beginning of the story, the characters are positioned as close friends. However, they are rather antagonists. The author compares them, and this comparison is clearly in favor of the Russian officer Zhilin.
Ivan Zhilin was, though not tall, but strong and hardy. Kostylin's appearance is very different: he is tall, but weak. The writer also notes the heaviness of the hero and his extra weight.
Zhilin and Kostylin belong to the nobility. But the first one is not rich, and the second one has some wealth. Therefore, Zhilin cannot pay a ransom for himself, having been captured by the highlanders, and Kostylin easily goes for it. But besides the money problem, Ivan does not want to worry his mother and writes the wrong address on the ransom letter. On the contrary, Kostylin is able to worry only about himself.
Ivan Zhilin always goes against evil circumstances, does not want to come to terms with them. When the highlanders surrounded him, unarmed, he fought back with all his might. And once captured, he continued to hope that he could escape. Even being a prisoner, Zhilin does not sit idle, but makes toys for the daughter of the main Tatar in the village. His attention to the girl pays off with a tori. She brings the prisoners food and even helps them escape.
Kostylin shows cowardice and runs away when Zhilin was surrounded by mountaineers. However, he is also captured. While there, he humbly accepts his fate and waits for a ransom to be sent for him.
Zhilin, even in difficult times, remains an optimist. He believes that it is possible to escape from the village. And not only believes, but prepares to escape. And Kostylin is pessimistic about the possibility of escape. And therefore does not take part in organizing the escape. Kostylin does not know how to make independent decisions, but simply goes with the flow. Being in captivity, Kostylin does nothing, but simply waits for a ransom, counting the days, or sleeps.
Kostylin grew up as a pampered man, not accustomed to difficulties. He had to run away from the village barefoot - and after a while he rubbed his feet badly. Kostylin begins to lag behind Zhilin, constantly complaining of pain. Zhilin also felt severe pain, but he endured and tried to go faster, because he understood what the price of their delay was. Most likely, he would have managed to avoid re-captivity if he had left Kostylin, but the hero could not do that. Zhilin is dragging Kostylin on him, and now he is moving much more slowly. As a result, they are again captured.
Comparative characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin - the heroes of L. N. Tolstoy's story "Prisoner of the Caucasus"
In the story "Prisoner of the Caucasus" Leo Tolstoy introduces us to two Russian officers - Zhilin and Kostylin. The author builds his work on the opposition of these heroes. By showing us how they behave in the same situations, Tolstoy expresses his idea of what a person should be like.
At the beginning of the story, the writer brings these characters together. We learn that Zhilin decides on a dangerous act, because he is in a hurry to his mother, and Kostylin - only because "I want to eat, and it's hot." The author describes Zhilin as follows: "... although he is small in stature, he was daring." “And Kostylin is a heavy, fat man, all red, and the sweat is pouring from him.” Such a difference in the external description is further enhanced by the meaning of the names of the characters. After all, the surname Zhilin echoes the word "lived", and the hero can be called a wiry person, that is, strong, strong and hardy. And in the name Kostylin the word “crutch” sounds: indeed, he needs support and support, but he himself can’t do anything.
The writer depicts Zhilin as a decisive, but at the same time very prudent person: “We must go to the mountain, have a look ...”. He knows how to assess the danger and calculate his strength. Unlike him, Kostylin is very frivolous: “What to watch? let's go ahead." Frightened by the Tatars, he behaved like a coward.
Even the horses are treated differently by the characters. Zhilin calls her "mother", and Kostylin mercilessly "fries" her with a whip. But most clearly, the difference in the characters of the heroes manifests itself when they both find themselves in Tatar captivity.
Once captured, Zhilin immediately manifests himself as a courageous, strong man, refusing to pay "three thousand coins": "... with them what is shy is worse." Moreover, pitying his mother, he deliberately writes the address “wrongly” so that the letter does not reach. And Kostylin, on the contrary, writes home several times and asks to send money for ransom.
Zhilin set himself a goal: "I will leave." He does not waste time in vain, he observes the life, way of life and habits of the Tatars. The hero learned to "understand in their language", began to needlework, make toys, and heal people. By this he managed to win them over and even won the love of the owner. It is especially touching to read about Zhilin's friendship with Dina, who saved him in the end. On the example of this friendship, Tolstoy shows us his rejection of self-interest and enmity between peoples.
And Kostylin “sits in the barn for whole days and counts the days when the letter arrives, or sleeps.” Thanks to his intelligence and ingenuity, Zhilin was able to organize an escape and, as a friend, took Kostylin with him. We see that Zhilin courageously endures pain, and "Kostylin is still lagging behind and groaning." But Zhilin does not leave him, but carries him.
Being captured for the second time, Zhilin still does not give up and runs. But Kostylin is passively waiting for money and is not at all looking for a way out.
At the end of the story, both heroes escaped. But the actions of Kostylin, his cowardice, weakness, betrayal in relation to Zhilin cause condemnation. Only Zhilin deserves respect, because he got out of captivity thanks to his human qualities. Tolstoy has a special sympathy for him, admires his perseverance, fearlessness and sense of humor: “So I went home, got married!” We can say that the writer dedicated his story to Zhilin, because he called him “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, and not “Prisoners of the Caucasus”.
