Mikhail Sholokhov met the prototype of the protagonist of his future story in 1946. The fate of the front-line soldier interested him so much that at the same time he promised himself to write a story about him. But Sholokhov returned to this plot only 10 years later.
The main characters of the story "The fate of man":
Andrey Sokolov - front-line soldier, driver, 40 years old. Strong man, hard-working, open and honest. He liked being a driver. He was also a driver during the war. Once in his life, he decided to kill a man - a traitor who was ready to betray his commander. When Müller gave him bread and bacon, he brought everything down to the last crumb to the barracks, where the ration was divided among the prisoners. Deciding to escape from captivity, he grabbed the major, whom he was carrying at that moment. The information contained in the major's briefcase turned out to be very valuable for the Soviet command.
Irina, Andrei's wife, a pupil of an orphanage, wise beyond her years, soft, affectionate. Her kindness pacified her husband. She loved her husband and children. She never allowed her to raise her voice at him, she cured him of a hangover if Andrei had to go through with his friends.
Anatoly- a capable young man, studied well, was capable of mathematics. After the house was bombed, he asked for it to go to the front. He graduated from the artillery school, rose to the rank of captain, had front-line awards. "Darned the parent from all over."
Lagerführer Müller- negative character Camp commandant. Apparently, he was from the Volga Germans. “He spoke Russian, like you and me, and even leaned on the“ o ”as if a native Volga. And he was a terrible master of swearing. It can be assumed that Müller somehow managed to escape to Germany during the period of deportation in 1941. Short, stout, blond. In appearance, Muller was an obvious albino. And a cruel person by nature. He ruthlessly beat the prisoners before work, and called it flu prevention.
Vanyushka- orphan. A smart kid, trusting and naive, like all children. Vanyushka was afraid of losing his father again, so at first he even went to work with him, went to meet him at the elevator. A kind, affectionate child, smart, beyond his age.
In December 1956 and January 1957, the Pravda newspaper published the work of the Soviet writer Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov “The Fate of a Man” about the great trials and great inflexibility of Soviet people in the difficult years of the war.
background
The basis of the story is the fate of the country, the fate of a person, the theme of the Great Patriotic War and the character of a simple Russian soldier.
Immediately after the publication, Sholokhov received an endless stream of letters from Soviet readers. From those who survived the Nazi captivity, from the relatives of the dead soldiers. Everyone wrote: workers, collective farmers, doctors, teachers, scientists. Not only ordinary people wrote, but also eminent writers, both domestic and foreign, among whom were Boris Polevoy, Nikolai Zadornov, Hemingway, Remarque and others.
Film adaptation of the book
The story gained worldwide fame, and in 1959 it was filmed by director Sergei Bondarchuk. He also played the main role in the film.
Bondarchuk believed that everything should be shown on the screen as simply and severely as life itself is, through the understanding of the hero, because the most important thing in this story is the character of a Russian person, his big heart, which did not harden after the trials that fell on him.
The book "The Destiny of Man" was reprinted many times. Both in our country and abroad. This dramatic story found a warm response in all human hearts. "The Fate of a Man", according to foreign readers, is a magnificent, tragic, sad story. Very kind and bright, heartbreaking, causing tears and giving joy from the fact that two orphaned people found happiness, found each other.
The Italian director Rossellini gave this review of the film: "The Destiny of Man is the most powerful, the greatest thing that has been filmed about the war."
How it all started
The plot is based on real events.
Once, in the spring of 1946, two people met on the road, at the crossing. And as happens when meeting strangers, we started talking.
A casual listener, Sholokhov, listened to the bitter confession of a passerby. The fate of a man who survived the terrible blows of the war, but did not become hardened, touched the writer very much. He was amazed.
Sholokhov carried this story within himself for a long time. The fate of a man who lost everything during the war years and regained a little happiness, did not go out of his head.
10 years have passed since the meeting. In just seven days, Sholokhov composed the story "The Fate of a Man", the heroes of which are a simple Soviet soldier and an orphan boy Vanya.
The passer-by, who told the writer his story, became the prototype of the main character of the story - Andrei Sokolov. In it, Mikhail Sholokhov brought out the main properties of a real Russian character: steadfastness, patience, modesty, a sense of human dignity, love for the Motherland.
The difficult history of the country also found its response in the life of the protagonist. The fate of a man, Andrei Sokolov, a simple worker, repeats the main milestones of the events of those years - the civil war, the hungry twenties, the work of a farm laborer in the Kuban. So he returned to his native Voronezh, received the profession of a locksmith and went to the factory. He married a wonderful girl, had children. He has a simple life and simple happiness: home, family, work.
But the Great Patriotic War broke out, and Andrei Sokolov went to the front, to fight for his homeland, like many millions of Soviet men. In the first months of the war he was taken prisoner by the Nazis. In captivity, his courage struck a German officer, the camp commandant, and Andrei avoids execution. And soon he escapes.
Returning to his own, he again goes to the front.
But his heroism is manifested not only in a collision with the enemy. No less serious test for Andrey is the loss of loved ones and home, his loneliness.
On a short front-line vacation to his hometown, he learns that his beloved family - his wife Irina and both daughters - died during the bombing.
On the site of a house built with love, a crater from a German air bomb gapes. Shocked, devastated, Andrei returns to the front. There was only one joy left - the son Anatoly, a young officer, he is alive and fighting against the Nazis. But the joyful Victory Day over Nazi Germany is overshadowed by the news of the death of his son.
After demobilization, Andrei Sokolov could not return to his city, where everything reminded him of his dead family. He worked as a driver and one day in Uryupinsk, near a tea house, he met a homeless child - a little orphan boy Vanya. Vanya's mother died, her father went missing.
One fate - many fates
The brutal war could not take away from the hero of the story his main qualities - kindness, trust in people, caring, responsiveness, justice.
The restlessness of the grubby boy found a piercing response in the heart of Andrei Sokolov. a child who lost his childhood, made him decide to deceive and tell the boy that he was his father. Vanya's desperate joy that finally the "dear little folder" found him gave Sokolov a new meaning of life, joy and love.
To live without caring about anyone was meaningless for Andrei, and his whole life now focused on the child. No more troubles could darken his soul, because he had someone to live for.
Typical hero traits
Despite the fact that Andrei Sokolov's life is full of terrible upheavals, he says that it was ordinary and he got no more than others.
In the story of Sholokhov, the life of Andrei Sokolov is a typical fate of a person for the country in those years. The heroes of the war returned home from the front and found terrible devastation in their beloved, native places. But it was necessary to continue to live, build, strengthen the Victory won with such difficulty.
The strong character of Andrei Sokolov is accurately reflected in his reasoning about himself: “That’s why you are a man, that’s why you are a soldier, in order to endure everything, to endure everything, if the need called for it.” His heroism is natural, and modesty, courage and selflessness did not disappear after suffering, but only strengthened in character.
The red thread in the work is the idea of the unusually huge price that the Victory went to, incredible sacrifices and personal losses, tragic upheavals and hardships.
A small but amazingly capacious work concentrated in itself the tragedy of the entire Soviet people, who drank the sorrows of war to the brim, but retained their highest spiritual qualities and defended the freedom of their homeland in an overwhelming duel with the enemy.
Every review of "The Fate of a Man" says that Sholokhov is a great creator. The book cannot be read without tears. This is a work about life, which has a deep meaning, readers say.
The Great Patriotic War, even after many decades, remains the greatest blow to the whole world. What a tragedy this is for the fighting Soviet people, who lost the most people in this bloody duel! The lives of many (both military and civilians) were broken. Sholokhov's story "The Fate of a Man" truthfully depicts these sufferings, not of an individual, but of the entire people who stood up to defend their homeland.
The story "The Fate of a Man" is based on real events: M.A. Sholokhov met a man who told him his tragic biography. This story was almost a ready-made plot, but it did not immediately turn into a literary work. The writer hatched his idea for 10 years, but put it on paper in just a few days. And he dedicated it to E. Levitskaya, who helped him print the main novel of his life, Quiet Flows the Don.
The story was published in the Pravda newspaper on the eve of the new year, 1957. And soon it was read on the All-Union Radio, heard by the whole country. Listeners and readers were shocked by the power and veracity of this work, it gained well-deserved popularity. In literary terms, this book opened up a new way for writers to reveal the theme of war - through the fate of a little man.
Essence of the story
The author accidentally meets the main character Andrei Sokolov and his son Vanyushka. During the forced delay at the crossing, the men began to talk, and a casual acquaintance told the writer his story. Here is what he told him.
Before the war, Andrei lived like everyone else: wife, children, household, work. But then thunder struck, and the hero went to the front, where he served as a driver. One fateful day, Sokolov's car came under fire, he was shell-shocked. So he was taken prisoner.
A group of prisoners was brought to the church for an overnight stay, many incidents occurred that night: the execution of a believer who could not desecrate the church (they weren’t even released “before the wind”), and with him several people who accidentally fell under machine gun fire, help from doctor Sokolov and others wounded. Also, the main character had to strangle another prisoner, as he turned out to be a traitor and was going to betray the commissioner. Even during the next transfer to the concentration camp, Andrei tried to escape, but was caught by dogs, who stripped him of his last clothes and bit everything that “skin with meat flew to shreds.”
Then the concentration camp: inhuman work, almost starvation, beatings, humiliation - that's what Sokolov had to endure. “They need four cubic meters of output, and for the grave of each of us, even one cubic meter through the eyes is enough!” - Andrey said imprudently. And for this he appeared before the Lagerführer Müller. They wanted to shoot the main character, but he overcame fear, bravely drank three shots of schnapps for his death, for which he earned respect, a loaf of bread and a piece of lard.
Toward the end of hostilities, Sokolov was appointed as a driver. And, finally, there was an opportunity to escape, and even with the engineer, whom the hero drove. The joy of salvation did not have time to subside, grief arrived: he learned about the death of his family (a shell hit the house), and after all, all this time he lived only in the hope of meeting. Only one son survived. Anatoly also defended the Motherland, with Sokolov they simultaneously approached Berlin from different sides. But right on the day of victory, the last hope was killed. Andrew was left all alone.
Subject
The main theme of the story is a man at war. These tragic events are an indicator of personal qualities: in extreme situations, those character traits that are usually hidden are revealed, it is clear who is who in reality. Andrei Sokolov before the war was no different, he was like everyone else. But in battle, having survived captivity, a constant danger to life, he showed himself. His truly heroic qualities were revealed: patriotism, courage, fortitude, will. On the other hand, the same prisoner as Sokolov, probably also no different in ordinary civilian life, was going to betray his commissar in order to curry favor with the enemy. Thus, the theme of moral choice is also reflected in the work.
Also M.A. Sholokhov touches on the theme of willpower. The war took away from the protagonist not only health and strength, but also the whole family. He has no home, how to continue to live, what to do next, how to find meaning? This question interested hundreds of thousands of people who experienced similar losses. And for Sokolov, taking care of the boy Vanyushka, who was also left without a home and family, became a new meaning. And for his sake, for the sake of the future of his country, you need to live on. Here is the disclosure of the theme of the search for the meaning of life - a real person finds it in love and hope for the future.
Issues
- The problem of choice occupies an important place in the story. Every person faces a choice every day. But not everyone has to choose under pain of death, knowing that your fate depends on this decision. So, Andrei had to decide: to betray or remain true to the oath, to bend under the blows of the enemy or to fight. Sokolov was able to remain a worthy person and citizen, because he determined his priorities, guided by honor and morality, and not by the instinct of self-preservation, fear or meanness.
- In the whole fate of the hero, in his life trials, the problem of defenselessness of the common man in the face of war is reflected. Little depends on him, circumstances pile on him, from which he tries to get out at least alive. And if Andrei could save himself, then his family could not. And he feels guilty about it, even though he isn't.
- The problem of cowardice is realized in the work through minor characters. The image of a traitor who is ready to sacrifice the life of a fellow soldier for the sake of momentary gain becomes a counterbalance to the image of the brave and strong-willed Sokolov. And such people were in the war, says the author, but there were fewer of them, that's why we won.
- The tragedy of war. Numerous losses were suffered not only by soldiers, but also by civilians who could not defend themselves in any way.
- Andrei Sokolov is an ordinary person, one of many who had to leave a peaceful existence in order to defend their homeland. He exchanges a simple and happy life for the dangers of war, not even imagining how to stay away. In extreme circumstances, he maintains spiritual nobility, shows willpower and stamina. Under the blows of fate, he managed not to break. And to find a new meaning of life, which betrays kindness and responsiveness in him, because he sheltered an orphan.
- Vanyushka is a lonely boy who has to spend the night wherever he has to. His mother was killed during the evacuation, his father at the front. Ragged, dusty, in watermelon juice - this is how he appeared before Sokolov. And Andrei could not leave the child, introduced himself as his father, giving a chance for a further normal life for himself and him.
Characteristics of the main characters
What was the point of the work?
One of the main ideas of the story is the need to take into account the lessons of the war. The example of Andrei Sokolov shows not what war can do to a person, but what it can do to all of humanity. Prisoners tortured by the concentration camp, orphaned children, destroyed families, scorched fields - this should never be repeated, and therefore should not be forgotten.
No less important is the idea that in any, even the most terrible situation, one must remain a man, not be like an animal, which, out of fear, acts only on the basis of instincts. Survival is the main thing for anyone, but if this is given at the cost of betraying oneself, one's comrades, the Motherland, then the surviving soldier is no longer a person, he is not worthy of this title. Sokolov did not betray his ideals, did not break down, although he went through something that is difficult for a modern reader to even imagine.
Genre
A story is a short literary genre that reveals one storyline and several characters. "The fate of man" refers specifically to him.
However, if you look closely at the composition of the work, you can clarify the general definition, because this is a story within a story. At the beginning, the author narrates, who, by the will of fate, met and talked with his character. Andrei Sokolov himself describes his difficult life, the first-person narrative allows readers to better feel the feelings of the hero and understand him. Author's remarks are introduced to characterize the hero from the outside ("eyes, as if sprinkled with ashes", "I did not see a single tear in his as if dead, extinct eyes ... only large, limply lowered hands trembled finely, chin trembled, firm lips trembled") and show how deeply this strong man suffers.
What values does Sholokhov promote?
The main value for the author (and for readers) is the world. Peace between states, peace in society, peace in the human soul. The war destroyed the happy life of Andrei Sokolov, as well as many people. The echo of the war still does not subside, so its lessons must not be forgotten (although often in recent times this event has been overestimated for political purposes far from the ideals of humanism).
Also, the writer does not forget about the eternal values of the individual: nobility, courage, will, desire to help. The time of knights, noble dignity has long passed, but true nobility does not depend on origin, it is in the soul, expressed in its ability for mercy and empathy, even if the world around is collapsing. This story is an excellent lesson in courage and morality for modern readers.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!There are many works in Russian literature that tell about the Great Patriotic War. A vivid example is Mikhail Sholokhov's story "The Fate of a Man", where the author gives us not so much a description of the war as a description of the life of an ordinary person in the difficult war years. In the story "The Fate of a Man" the main characters are not historical figures, not titled officials, nor famous officers. They are ordinary people, but with a very difficult fate.
main characters
Sholokhov's story is small in size, it occupies only ten pages of text. And there are not so many heroes in it. The main character of the story is a Soviet soldier - Andrei Sokolov. Everything that happens to him in life, we hear from his lips. Sokolov is the narrator of the whole story. His named son, the boy Vanyusha, plays an important role in the story. He completes the sad story of Sokolov and opens a new page in his life. They become inseparable from each other, so we will attribute Vanyusha to the group of main characters.
Andrey Sokolov
Andrey Sokolov is the main character of the story "The Fate of a Man" by Sholokhov. His character is truly Russian. How many troubles he endured, what torments he endured, only he himself knows. The hero speaks about this on the pages of the story: “Why did you, life, cripple me like that?
Why so distorted? He slowly tells his life from beginning to end to an oncoming fellow traveler, with whom he sat down to light a cigarette by the road.
Sokolov had to go through a lot: hunger, and captivity, and the loss of his family, and the death of his son on the day the war ended. But he endured everything, survived everything, because he had a strong character and iron fortitude. “That’s why you are a man, that’s why you’re a soldier, to endure everything, to demolish everything, if the need called for it,” Andrei Sokolov himself said. His Russian character did not allow him to break down, to retreat in the face of difficulties, to surrender to the enemy. He wrested life from death itself.
All the hardships and cruelties of the war that Andrei Sokolov endured did not kill human feelings in him, did not harden his heart. When he met little Vanyusha, just as lonely as he was, just as unhappy and useless, he realized that he could become his family. “It will not happen that we disappear separately! I will take him to my children, ”Sokolov decided. And he became a father to a homeless boy.
Sholokhov very accurately revealed the character of a Russian man, a simple soldier who fought not for titles and orders, but for his homeland. Sokolov is one of those many who fought for the country, not sparing their lives. It embodied the whole spirit of the Russian people - steadfast, strong, invincible. The characterization of the hero of the story “The Fate of a Man” was given by Sholokhov through the speech of the character himself, through his thoughts, feelings, and actions. We walk with him through the pages of his life. Sokolov goes through a difficult path, but remains a man. A kind, sympathetic person who extends a helping hand to little Vanyusha.
Vanyusha
Boy five or six years old. He was left without parents, without a home. His father died at the front, and his mother was killed by a bomb while riding a train. Vanyusha walked around in tattered dirty clothes, and ate what people would serve. When he met Andrei Sokolov, he reached out to him with all his heart. “Folder dear! I knew! I knew you would find me! You can still find it! I've waited so long for you to find me!" Vanyusha shouted with tears in his eyes. For a long time he could not tear himself away from his father, apparently, he was afraid that he would lose him again. But in Vanyusha's memory the image of the real father was preserved, he remembered the leather cloak that he wore. And Sokolov told Vanyusha that he probably lost him in the war.
Two loneliness, two fates are now intertwined so tightly that they will never be separated. The heroes of "The Fate of a Man" Andrey Sokolov and Vanyusha are now together, they are one family. And we understand that they will live according to their conscience, in truth. They will all survive, all will survive, all will be able to.
Minor Heroes
There are also a number of minor characters in the story. This is Sokolov's wife Irina, his children are daughters Nastenka and Olyushka, son Anatoly. They do not speak in the story, they are invisible to us, Andrei recalls them. The commander of the auto company, the dark-haired German, the military doctor, the traitor Kryzhnev, the Lagerführer Müller, the Russian colonel, Andrei's Uryupin friend - all these are the heroes of the story of Sokolov himself. Some have neither a name nor a surname, because they are episodic heroes in Sokolov's life.
The real, audible hero here is the author. He meets Andrei Sokolov at the crossing and listens to his life story. It is with him that our hero talks, he tells him his fate.
Artwork test
Introduction Main characters Andrey Sokolov Vanyusha Secondary characters
Introduction
There are many works in Russian literature that tell about the Great Patriotic War. A striking example is Mikhail Sholokhov's story "The Fate of a Man", where the author gives us not so much a description of the war as a description of the life of an ordinary person in the difficult war years. In the story “The Fate of a Man”, the main characters are not historical figures, not titled officials, nor glorified officers. They are ordinary people, but with a very difficult fate.
Main
Sholokhov's story is small in size, it occupies only ten pages of text. And there are not so many heroes in it. The main character of the story is a Soviet soldier - Andrei Sokolov. Everything that happens to him in life, we hear from his lips. Sokolov is the narrator of the whole story. His named son, the boy Vanyusha, plays an important role in the story. He completes the sad story of Sokolov and opens a new page in his life. They become inseparable from each other, so we will attribute Vanyusha to the group of main characters.
Andrey Sokolov
Andrey Sokolov - the main character of the story "Fate
man" Sholokhov.
His character is truly Russian. How many troubles he endured, what torments he endured, only he himself knows. The hero speaks about this on the pages of the story: “Why did you, life, cripple me like that? Why so distorted? He slowly tells his life from beginning to end to an oncoming fellow traveler, with whom he sat down to light a cigarette by the road.
Sokolov had to go through a lot: hunger, and captivity, and the loss of his family, and the death of his son on the day the war ended. But he endured everything, survived everything, because he had a strong character and iron fortitude. “That’s why you are a man, that’s why you are a soldier, to endure everything, to demolish everything, if the need called for it,” Andrei Sokolov himself said. His Russian character did not allow him to break down, to retreat in the face of difficulties, to surrender to the enemy. He wrested life from death itself.
All the hardships and cruelties of the war that Andrei Sokolov endured did not kill human feelings in him, did not harden his heart. When he met little Vanyusha, just as lonely as he was, just as unhappy and useless, he realized that he could become his family. “It will not happen that we disappear separately! I will take him to my children, ”Sokolov decided. And he became a father to a homeless boy.
Sholokhov very accurately revealed the character of a Russian man, a simple soldier who fought not for titles and orders, but for his homeland. Sokolov is one of those many who fought for the country, not sparing their lives. It embodied the whole spirit of the Russian people - steadfast, strong, invincible. The characterization of the hero of the story “The Fate of a Man” was given by Sholokhov through the speech of the character himself, through his thoughts, feelings, and actions. We walk with him through the pages of his life. Sokolov goes through a difficult path, but remains a man. A kind, sympathetic person who extends a helping hand to little Vanyusha.
Vanyusha
Boy five or six years old. He was left without parents, without a home. His father died at the front, and his mother was killed by a bomb while riding a train. Vanyusha walked around in tattered dirty clothes, and ate what people would serve. When he met Andrei Sokolov, he reached out to him with all his heart. “Folder dear! I knew! I knew you would find me! You can still find it! I've waited so long for you to find me!" Vanyusha shouted with tears in his eyes. For a long time he could not tear himself away from his father, apparently, he was afraid that he would lose him again. But in Vanyusha's memory the image of the real father was preserved, he remembered the leather cloak that he wore. And Sokolov told Vanyusha that he probably lost him in the war.
Two loneliness, two fates are now intertwined so tightly that they will never be separated. The heroes of "The Fate of Man" Andrey Sokolov and Vanyusha are now together, they are one family. And we understand that they will live according to their conscience, in truth. They will all survive, all will survive, all will be able to.
Minor Heroes
There are also a number of minor characters in the story. This is Sokolov's wife Irina, his children are daughters Nastenka and Olyushka, son Anatoly. They do not speak in the story, they are invisible to us, Andrei recalls them. The commander of the auto company, the dark-haired German, the military doctor, the traitor Kryzhnev, the Lagerführer Müller, the Russian colonel, Andrei's Uryupin friend - all these are the heroes of the story of Sokolov himself. Some have neither a name nor a surname, because they are episodic heroes in Sokolov's life.
The real, audible hero here is the author. He meets Andrei Sokolov at the crossing and listens to his life story. It is with him that our hero talks, he tells him his fate.
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