Analysis of the work Sholokhov's mole. Linguistic analysis of an excerpt from M. Sholokhov’s story “Birthmark” (grade 11)
Composition
The works of Mikhail Sholokhov, the great Soviet writer, is very different from all the literature that tells us, descendants, about terrible years civil war of the 20s, collectivization, dispossession, white and red resistance. His works are distinguished, first of all, by the fact that he never judged people, did not divide them into good and bad. He considered all the vicissitudes that the country had to go through only from a universal human perspective, that is, he was interested in the person himself, his soul, and not what political system he was fighting for.
Sholokhov did not justify cruelty with an idea, he did not like to talk about beliefs, but showed life as it is. That is why in his works there is no preference for the heroes of the red or white movement. He talks about everyone.
This time can be called one of the most terrible in the history of Russia, since the people did not fight against a foreign invader, as was the case during the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War 1941−45, but fought with himself. The country was divided into three parts: red, white and those who simply found themselves under fire, trying to live their lives.
"Don Stories" is filled bloody pictures reprisals against the rebellious, but, unlike Babel’s stories, they still show the good and eternal, which always attracts people in Sholokhov’s work. The writer, as if by chance, inserts beautiful descriptions nature, as if contrasting the splendor of the world with the vanity of people who are too cruel to solve everything peacefully.
Sholokhov does not focus on the rightness of one side or another, he describes both the Reds and the Whites, allowing the reader to decide for himself who he is for. But still the main idea This collection is that cruelty cannot be justified by anything, and that only kindness matters in this life.
The tragedy of the civil war is revealed through the specific destinies of people. The author puts on different sides barricades of father and son. The younger generation is red, the fathers are white. In the story “The Birthmark,” one of the most heartfelt works of this cycle, the white chieftain kills the red commander by cutting him down with a saber; then he takes off the dead man’s boots, because shoes were an expensive pleasure at that time, and notices a mole with egg. He has the same one.
The moment of recognition is terrible. And now the old Cossack is moaning, seeing a mole on his leg, over his murdered son: “Son!.. Nikolushka!.. Dear!.. My little blood... But say a word? How is this possible, huh?” The chieftain realizes that he killed his own son and puts a bullet in his mouth.
But how did he not recognize his own son? The fact is that fate separated the heroes of the story. According to the author, Nikolka grew up without a father, a difficult fate befell him: his father disappeared in the German war, his mother died, and he was left an orphan. Until he was fifteen, the guy lived doing odd jobs, and then he went to fight the Reds. During the three years that Nikolka served, he received the rank of squadron commander.
The story consists of six parts. Almost every part begins with a description of nature, which helps the reader to see the beauty of the Don region, against the background of which terrible events unfold due to the fault of man.
The plot of the story is so simple, but how much is hidden behind the unspoken words of the author, how much pain and misfortune this murder brought. But this was not the first time that the ataman shot at a person or hacked him to death with a saber. But he never once had the thought of killing himself for this! And why? Because everyone else was not his sons. So here it is, the secret of peaceful and peaceful life, no murders - everyone should treat others in the same way as they treat their children, relatives and loved ones.
But let’s not forget that the Red Commissar, who was killed by the chieftain, tried to kill him too, so it’s unfair to blame anyone alone in this situation. This is how Nikolai’s comrades said about the deceased: “The boy, the boy, is a green nougat, but look for someone else who could eliminate two gangs almost without damage and lead the squadron into battles and battles for six months no worse than any old commander!” And the most interesting thing is that the young man wanted to end the war, he wanted peace, peaceful life. This is what he says before the last battle: “And here is a gang... There’s blood again, and I’m tired of living like this... I’m sick of everything... I should go to the city... I should study...” But he cannot refuse to help the Red Army soldiers.
So Sholokhov on a very small artistic space was able to unfold a colossal picture of human grief. Here he brought into conflict the interests of not only the family, but also of all humanity. What kind of truth is this, that you need to kill your children for it, for whom then should you live if not for them?
Other works on this work
The theme of civil war in the literature of the 20th century (using the example of M. Sholokhov’s story “The Birthmark” and B. Lavrenev’s story “The Forty-First”)M. Sholokhov's story “The Birthmark” is part of the “Don Stories” series and was first published in the newspaper “Young Leninist” in 1924. This is where it actually begins creative biography Sholokhov. The theme of the civil war, relevant at that time, in this story sheds light on another tragic side of it, showing all the cruelty and absurdity. “Mole” is written in a recognizable, stylistically unique “Sholokhov” language.
The story has two main characters, so different, fighting against each other, each for their own truth. This is the red commander Nikolka Koshevoy and the old Cossack chieftain. The author tells the reader the story of their destinies, talking about the past and present. It is interesting that acquaintance begins with everyday life, landscape sketches what surrounds the heroes.
“There are cartridge cases on the table, smelling of burnt gunpowder, lamb bone, field map, a summary, a bridle with a scent of horse sweat, a loaf of bread” - this is the hut where Nikolka lives. She stands above the Don: “From the windows you can see the green splashing Obdon River and the blued steel of the water.” The third part begins with the following description: “Along the hummocky summer grass, along the ruts licked by the winds, the mousey roadside is curled up, the quinoa and puffballs are bursting thickly and terry.”
The ataman leads his gang through this area. Both sketches are far from the aesthetic ideal; they help convey desolation, the everyday life of a war that no one needs.
The young commander is only eighteen years old. His childhood is childhood an ordinary child, but he learned early the bitterness of loss: his father disappeared, his mother died. He has been fighting for three years now, and he has become tired of the war. The only thing that connects the hero with the past is memories and a mole, the same as his father’s, “the size of a pigeon’s egg, on his left leg, above the ankle” - a symbol of kinship, a connection between generations. Nikolka is young, brave and ardent, “spreading out, he gallops alone and waves his saber.” In these lines he is compared to a young bird, at the same time, he is a “neuk, a sucker” (like a foal), his whole life is ahead.
Another main character- ataman. Sholokhov shows his difficult military fate. “The ataman has not seen his native kurens for seven years,” his soul became callous. The whole tragedy of this helps to convey the metaphor: “traces of cloven bull hooves near the muzga,” with which the author compares inner world ataman. That’s why the ataman is never sober for a day, all the coachmen and machine gunners are drunkenly swaying on the spring carts.
The images of animal symbols created by the author are of great importance in the story. The chieftain is compared to a wolf: “...the chieftain leads the gang...like a fed-up wolf.” And then, in the image of a living wolf, we see the image of the ataman: “A wolf, hung with burrs, jumped out of a windfall onto a hillock. He listened, bending his head forward... The wolf stood and slowly, waddled, pulled into the ravine, into the thickets of yellowed, unmown kuga...” A wolf is an unpleasant, negative creature, but at the same time, in the mentality of Russian people there is an image of a lonely, hungry and therefore unhappy wolf.
The chieftain is also angry, angry and unhappy. Another comparison helps to better understand him: “... he let go of the reins and swooped down like a kite.” On the one hand, the kite is a brave, strong bird, but in the last lines of the story Sholokhov calls this bird a vulture. A metaphor is used here: the vulture is the soul of the chieftain, which “reluctantly” leaves the dead body. The bird melts “in the gray, colorless autumn sky,” that is, in this destroyed and boring world.
Both heroes are tired of the war. Nikolki dreams of going to school, the ataman’s petrified soul yearns for the earth.
The old miller Lukich, like the hand of fate, brings two detachments together. And so in battle, father and son meet, full of hatred for each other, not knowing who they are really fighting. The brutal battle is the climax of the story. “At the edge of the forest a machine gun began to hammer desperately, and those on the road quickly, as if in a training exercise, crumbled like lava.” The “hottest” episode is the one-on-one fight.
From the binoculars fluttering on his chest and from his burka, the chieftain guessed that it was not an ordinary Red Army soldier who was galloping, but a commander. Nikolka boldly attacks the chieftain and falls under the blow of his saber. The dramatic confrontation between the Reds and Whites turns family tragedy: father kills son. The most sacred bonds of the family are destroyed. The symbol of blood ties appears again - a mole on Nikolka’s now dead leg. The terrible cry of the ataman who saw her, “Son!.. Nikolushka!.. Dear!.. My little blood…” are the main words in the story. Ataman kills himself. The worst thing is that the culprit of their death is another war - the German one. After all, if my father had not gone to the front, perhaps they would not have ended up on opposite sides, and perhaps this tragedy would not have happened.
The enormous grief of the entire country, the civil war, in the story is reduced to the tragedy of a specific family, at the same time becoming more understandable and terrible.
There is nothing more sacred than the love of parents and children. The author in the story takes neither the side of the Reds nor the side of the Whites. He advocates a world devoid of meaningless confrontation.
The years of the First World War, the revolution and especially the civil war became a test for all residents of Russia. The Cossacks felt the consequences of political events very acutely. The freedom-loving people by nature could not come to terms with the fact that the well-established, established life for centuries was collapsing. But that wasn't even the worst thing. The split that occurred between people brought former neighbors, comrades and members of the same family to opposite sides of the barricades.
The writer M. Sholokhov paid a lot of attention to depicting the horrors of the civil war and analyzing its impact on the destinies of people. The work “The Birthmark,” written in 1924 and the beginning of the “Don Stories” series, became the first in his work to show the truth about that terrible time. And for the epic novel " Quiet Don", in which the writer summarized all the material on the topic, the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Features of the image of the Cossacks by Sholokhov
"Don Stories" became an important event in the literature of the twenties. They were not similar to what was created during the formation period Soviet power proletarian writers. A hereditary Cossack and an excellent expert on life on the Don, M. Sholokhov managed to recreate in small works the unique flavor and originality of the way of life of the local population. He paid special attention to moral beliefs and ideals, initially based on kindness and humanism, but crossed out by the fratricidal war.
The attitude towards the stories was ambiguous. Many were confused by the naturalism and unconventional portrayal of the civil war, but this is what allowed the writer to convey the true scale of the tragedy. It was these principles that Sholokhov was guided by when writing the story “The Birthmark”.
Summary of the work: meeting Nikolka
The plot of the story is quite simple and is built in chronological order With small digressions(retrospectives) into the past. Main character- Nikolai Koshevoy, young squadron commander of the Red Army. Nikolka is the name of the eighteen-year-old guy by the experienced Cossacks, who respected him for his courage and bravery. Despite young age, he had already led the squadron for six months and during this time managed to defeat two gangs. The merit of his father, a prominent Cossack, who “disappeared” in the German war, was great for this. It was he who instilled in his son courage, endurance, and a love of horses: already at the age of five or six he taught his son to stay in the saddle. Nikolka also inherited from her father (and Sholokhov’s future will be based on this) a mole on her left leg, the size of a pigeon’s egg.
The plot begins with a letter brought to the commander with the news of the appearance of whites in the area. The need to perform again causes the commander to gloomily reflect on how tired he is of military life: “I’d like to study... but here’s a gang.”
Valiant Ataman
Comparing the two strong characters builds the story “Birthmark” by Sholokhov. Analysis internal state a middle-aged Cossack who has not seen his father’s house for 7 years is the next part of the work. He went through German captivity, served under Wrangel, visited Constantinople, and now he has returned to his native land at the head of a gang. The ataman has become hardened in soul over the years, he feels as if something is sharpening him from the inside, and gives him no peace.
The gang left Nikolka’s squadron for three days, then settled down with the miller, which the latter informed the Red Army soldiers about. And now a brave young Cossack is rushing towards the chieftain. His still beardless face, overcome with anger, and his desire to achieve his goal - even a bullet did not stop him - caused bitterness in the chieftain. In addition, the binoculars on his chest clearly indicated the rank of a warrior. The ataman flew up to him, and from the swing of his sword he went limp. young body. Experience prevailed over youthful prowess. Then the old Cossack pulled the stocking off his leg, and under it (Sholokhov portrays this episode incredibly truthfully and emotionally powerfully) - a mole. The analysis of the story reaches particular sharpness precisely in this scene, which became the culmination of the entire narrative.
The main characters as antipodes of war
At the same moment, the ataman of his son, who had seen a lot, learned, his soul was filled with suffering and pain: “Nikolushka!.. My little blood!..”. The bloody struggle that unfolded scattered relatives on different sides, making them irreconcilable enemies. The father could not forgive himself for killing his son - he clenched his Mauser steel with his teeth and fired. This is how Sholokhov tragically ended the story “Birthmark”.
Analysis of the description and behavior of the heroes shows how disgusting the war was to their nature, especially Nikolka. From the age of fifteen he had to fight, and at eighteen he already looked like a man tired of life: with a network of wrinkles around his eyes, a stooped back. His dream of getting an education was never destined to come true. The only bright moment for Nikolka was the memories of a calm, peaceful life, when her mother was still alive and her father was not listed as missing. These nostalgic pictures make it clear how disgusting he was with the very thought of having to go into battle again. So at the very beginning of the story “Mole” Sholokhov ( summary the hero’s thoughts look most eloquent) makes it clear to the reader that war is something unnatural, alien to human nature. The old chieftain, who was still trying to drown out the melancholy that did not let go of him with hops, dreams of returning to a peaceful life and plowing the land as before.
in the work
Unusual colloquial speech and the expressiveness of the work “Mole” attracts. Sholokhov - the problems of the story are directly related to this - enhances the feeling of tragedy thanks to his appeal to bright folklore images. Thus, a wolf is mentioned twice when describing the chieftain. At first it's bright, figurative comparison an old Cossack with the “convinced” leader of the pack, rapidly moving forward. Spoken word helps you understand better emotional condition hero. Then, on the eve of a mortal battle, the wolf jumps out of the den in front of people, listens and slowly goes back. According to tradition, the wolf symbolized among the people a hungry, angry, usually lonely animal, evoking pity rather than fear. This is exactly how the old chieftain seems in the story.
Another predator is introduced into the story “Birthmark” by Sholokhov. Analysis last scene with a vulture, which, on the evening of the same day when the murder occurred, flies off the chieftain’s head and dissolves in the sky, suggesting the tired, tormented soul of a Cossack leaving the body and ascending upward.
Author's life experience
Sholokhov’s convincingness and naturalism in describing the events of the civil war are explained by the fact that in 1918-19 he found himself at the center of the confrontation between whites and reds in the area of the Yelan capital. The writer witnessed unjustified cruelty and violence on both sides, and once he was even captured by Nestor Makhno, but was released after interrogation. Since 1920, Sholokhov himself “served and roamed around the Don land.” According to him, he and the gangs took turns chasing each other.
Conclusions to which Sholokhov leads the reader
"Mole" - full content the story cannot leave anyone indifferent - it makes you really think about what is in difficult conditions devastation and irreconcilable hostility, people become embittered and forget about humanism and compassion. The author does not name in this, and in other stories, who is right and wrong, since in such a situation they simply cannot exist. has become a universal tragedy that should never be forgotten - Sholokhov wants to draw the reader’s attention to this. The mole (analysis of the story leads to this conclusion) becomes a symbol of an unbreakable blood connection: Nikolka’s is the same as her father’s. Consequently, in the confrontation between the heroes (the father raised worthy son) there are no winners, this is initially contrary to human essence.
The meaning of Sholokhov’s “Don Stories”
Civil War became a real disaster, as a result of which the ties that existed between people were completely destroyed and destroyed. This is emphasized by Sholokhov’s story “The Birthmark”. Analysis of the actions and feelings of the characters confirms this idea. The first work sets the tone for the entire cycle, and one after another comes to life before the reader’s eyes. scary pictures, telling about immeasurable human grief. And I would like to appeal to everyone living on earth: “People, come to your senses! If a brother kills a brother, and a father kills his son, if everything around is drowned in a sea of blood, what is there to live on for?”
1Comprehension artistic meaning story by M. Sholokhov “Birthmark”. impossible without an interpretation of the archetypal conflict between fathers and sons reflected in it, presented not only in the system of characters, but also in numerous details. Pay attention to this side human life accentuated by the title of the story. “A mole is a congenital spot on a person’s skin,” a spot that nature gives to a person regardless of his desire. In works devoted to Sholokhov’s story, it was repeatedly pointed out that “mole” is a word with the same root as “clan”, “people”, “homeland”, “nature”, “harvest”, “spring”. This means that a mole is a sign of the influence of world forces beyond his control on a person and at the same time an indication of a person’s deep connection with the world, the universe.
Already the sentence that begins the text helps us create a primary idea of the main conflict of the work and gives rise to a kind of “anticipation” of the meaning of the whole in the reader. This process of understanding the text, as scientists rightly point out, is determined by the mythopoetic model of the world, which “assumes the identity of the macrocosm and the microcosm.” The presented images are extremely important, as they “correct” the range of reader expectations: “ On the table(hereinafter it is emphasized by us - T.B.) sleeves cartridges, smelling of burnt gunpowder, lamb bone, field map, summary, bridle with a scent of horse sweat, crust of bread. All this on the table... ". The field map and summary lying on the table make the theme of war dominant. The edge of bread that completes this description (it is not the main one on this table) is an image of everyday peaceful life. So already in the first sentence, combining cartridges and bread, the reader feels the drama of this everyday life, its internal inconsistency, realizing the universal antinomy of life: war - peace. And the world here is not opposed to war, but is drawn into it.
But one cannot help but see another meaning of the images presented in the first sentence. They are intended to highlight the most important topics works, to connect seemingly disparate pictures of life. Thus, the cartridge cases indicated at the beginning of the story, “smelling of burnt gunpowder,” correlate both with Nikolka’s empty clip, which predetermined the outcome of his duel with his father, and with that Mauser shot with which the ataman himself summed up his life. The “composite bridle with the scent of horse sweat” mentioned in the first sentence links into one whole the death of a horse driven by a special purpose, and the death of Nikolka’s horse from the ataman’s bullet.
Among the items located on the table in Nikolai Koshevoy’s room, a mutton bone is indicated as a sign sacred sacrifice. In the context of the plot about a son-killer, realized in the story “The Birthmark,” this image is associated with the biblical hero Abraham, who was ready to sacrifice his only son Isaac to God. By the will of the Lord, the lamb turned out to be the sacrifice (Gen. 22:12-13). Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac is proof of the old man's deep faith and his "most complete obedience" to the Lord. The ataman’s “soul has become callous..., just as in the summer in the hot weather the traces of cloven bull hooves turn stale near the steppe muzga.” Not for a moment did he have a feeling of pity for his young opponent: “Nuk, sucker, hot, and through this death will lay his hands on him here.” Associations of this kind clearly reflect author's assessment events that formed the basis of the story.
The death of Nikolai Koshevoy as a climax external conflict, concrete historical, embodying the struggle of the two sides in the civil war, is the most important event internal conflict, embodying in the broadest sense the interaction of man and nature, the world as a whole, represented in archetypal images.
When creating a picture of the death of a young squadron commander, M. Sholokhov follows the traditions of folklore and ancient Russian literature: “The sun was covered by a cloud, and floating shadows fell on the steppe, on the roads, on the forest, worn out by the winds and in the fall.” This is, for example, the description of nature the day before last battle Russians with the Polovtsians in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”: “...black clouds are coming from the sea, they want to cover the four suns...”.
Not only the son and father met in mortal combat, but everything that was next to them perishes. We see this in the scene of the death of a horse driven by purpose, which left the surrounding people indifferent: Nikolka only “looked at the black ribbon of blood running from the dusty nostrils” of the horse and turned away. The episode at the mill tells us the same thing, when gang members sprinkled golden grain under the horses’ feet and covered the yard. Ataman, himself a native Don Cossack, I didn’t think about how the land would be in the spring without sowing. Thus, the war is artistically interpreted in the story as a crime against the earth, its life-giving force.
The story of the duel between father and son also refers us to the famous epic “The Fight of Ilya Muromets with his Son,” where the opposition “friend or foe,” characteristic of the mythopoetic model of the world, is realized. A negative character (stranger) who abused mother Zlatygorka (mother earth, her creative power), here Sokolnik appears, who is treacherously ready to kill his sleeping unarmed father, Ilya Muromets (his own). In the story by M. Sholokhov negative character(stranger) the narrator is the ataman. Like Sokolnik, who in the epic had no respect for either his homeland or old people, the ataman prevents the earth from showing its life-creative power: by his order, at the mill, “barley and wheat are poured under the feet of the horses and the yard is covered with golden grain.” The similarity with Sokolnik, who humiliates Russian heroes, is also manifested in the Cossack chieftain’s mockery of the miller Lukich, who, fearing death, “with his toothless mouth chews sand from the chieftain’s handfuls” and kisses his boots.
What brings Sokolnik closer to the ataman is the desire to achieve victory through cunning. So, after waiting until Nikolka’s clip ran out, the chieftain “flew like a kite” on him.
The actions of Nikolai Koshevoy reveal the traits of a defender of the Russian land and the Russian people, i.e. "yours." This can be seen in the fact that he “managed to eliminate two gangs almost without damage and lead a squadron into battle for six months,” and in the fact that people turn to him offended people with a request to “find justice” for the gang.
The reader does not know what happened to the body of commander Koshevoy, but the ending of the life of the suicide chieftain is clearly defined: in the evening... “a vulture kite reluctantly fell from the chieftain’s shaggy head.” This episode also makes us remember the ending of the epic. Ilya Muromets throws the murdered Sokolnik “to the magpies, to the crows to be pecked, // Yes to the gray wolves and to be torn to pieces.”
Thus, determining the mythopoetic context of the story “The Birthmark” allows the writer to interpret the main conflict of the civil war as unnatural, in conflict with the entire course of human development.
Bibliography
Sholokhov M. Stories. - L., 1983.
Ozhegov S.I. Dictionary of the Russian language. - 16th ed. - M., 1984.
Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia: in 2 volumes - M., 1997. - Vol.2.
The Explanatory Bible, or Commentaries on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments: In 12 volumes. T. 1 / ed. A.P. Lopukhina. - M.: Terra, 1997.
A Word about Igor's Campaign / Enter. article and preparation of ancient Russian. text by D. Likhachev; Comp. and comment. L. Dmitrieva. - M., 1985.
Russian folk poetry: Epic poetry: collection. - L., 1984.
Bibliographic link
Bakhor T.A. CONFLICT OF GENERATIONS IN M. SHOLOKHOV’S STORY “THE MOTHERLAND” // Successes modern natural science. – 2011. – No. 12. – P. 85-87;URL: http://natural-sciences.ru/ru/article/view?id=29029 (access date: 04/02/2019). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"
Chelyshev Stanislav, Kapustina Alina
Sholokhov’s early stories are very relevant in our time. The presentation on the story “Birthmark” contains not only an analysis of the story, but also immerses you in the writer’s creative laboratory, notes artistic features works.
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STORY BY M.A. SHOLOKHOV “BIRTHWAY”.
The twenties, as depicted by Sholokhov, are a time that irreversibly split the Russian world; This is an era of great national grief. T.R.Gavrish
In the story "Mole" the tragedy is revealed not in a social-class sense, but in a universal sense; it is largely accidental: the father does not know that he is chasing his son.
EPISODE FROM THE STORY "BIRTH".
SUMMARY OF THE STORY. Scattered on the table are cartridges, a lamb bone, a field map, a report, a bridle, and a loaf of bread. Nikolka Koshevoy, the squadron commander, is sitting at the table, filling out a form. “The rough leaf says sparingly: Nikolai Koshevoy. Squadron commander. Earth worker Member of the RKSM, age - 18 years old.” He looked like a green boy, but he managed to eliminate two gangs almost without damage and for six months led the squadron into battles and battles no worse than any old commander. Nikolka hates her age and is ashamed of it. Nikolka's father is a Cossack, and Nikolka himself is also a Cossack. He recalls how, at the age of five or six, his father put him on a horse and taught him to ride. During the “German” era, my father disappeared. Mother died. From his father, Nikolka inherited a love of horses, incredible courage and a mole the size of a pigeon’s egg on his left leg above the ankle. At the age of fifteen, Nikolka left with the Reds against Wrangel. Nikolka lives in a hut right above the Don. In the morning he went out into the yard and lay down in the dewy grass. A Cossack came for him and reported that a messenger had arrived, reporting about a new gang from the Salsky district, which had already occupied the Grushinsky state farm. The messenger galloped forty miles without rest and drove his horse to death. Nikolka read the order to go to the rescue. He began to get ready, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to study somewhere, and then the gang showed up.
IT TAKES THREE DAYS FOR THE GANG TO LEAVE FROM PURSUITING NIKOLKA KOSHEVY'S SQUAD. THE PEOPLE IN THE GANG ARE EXPERIENCED AND LEAVE LIKE WOLFS. ATAMAN IS DRUNK, AND ALL THE COACHMAN AND MACHINE GUNNERS ARE DRUNK. THE ATAMAN WAS NOT IN HIS NATIVE LANDS FOR SEVEN YEARS: FIRST HE WAS IN GERMAN CAPTIVITY, THEN WITH WRANGEL, WENT TO THE TURETCHINA, BUT THEN RETURNED WITH A GANG. “THIS IS ATAMAN’S LIFE, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK OVER YOUR SHOULDER. HIS SOUL HAS CARDENED, LIKE IN THE SUMMER IN THE HEAT THE TRACES IN THE STEPPE CALLED... THE PAIN IS WONDERFUL AND INCOMPLETE, ACHING FROM INSIDE, FILLING MUSCLES WITH NAUSEA, AND THE ATAMAN FEEL: DO NOT FORGET IT AND DO NOT FILL FEVER WITH ANY MOONHOON.” THE DAWN HAS BEEN FROSTED. MELNIK LUKICH FELL ILL, HE LIEEN UP ON THE BEE PLANT TO REST; WHEN HE WOKE UP, HE WAS CALLED BY TWO MILITARY MARRIERS COMING OUT OF THE FOREST. THE ATAMAN PRETENDED TO BE RED AND STARTED TO ASK THE MILLER IF THERE ARE ANY STRANGERS NEARBY. HE GOT OFF HIS HORSE AND ADMITTED THAT HE WAS ELIMINATING THE REDS, THEN DEMANDED GRAIN FOR THE HORSES. THE MILLER IS SORRY FOR THE GRAIN THAT IS COLLECTED BIT by BITCH, THE MILLER DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE AWAY; ATAMAN THREATENS TO KILL HIM FOR SUPPORTING THE REDS. THE OLD MAN WAS ROLLING AT MY FEET, BEGGING FOR SERVY. ATAMAN LAUGHING FORGIVED THE OLD MAN. AND THE BANDITS ARRIVED ARE ALREADY FEEDING GRAIN TO THE HORSES, SPILLING GOLDEN GRAINS UNDER THEIR FEET.
Through the fog at dawn, Lukich moved to the farm and came upon a horseman, who led him to the commander. Lukich was brought into Nikolka’s house. The miller was glad that he ended up with the Reds. He recalled to Nikolka how he had recently given him milk when his detachment passed by the mill. The miller complains about the bandits who poisoned all his grain. He reports that they are still at the mill, drunk, sleeping. Nikolka orders to saddle the horses and attack the gang, which was already marching along the shlyakh (road). The chieftain saw a commander with a saber galloping towards him, whom he identified by the binoculars hanging on the young soldier’s chest. The chieftain took aim angrily and fired. The horse fell under Nikolka, and he himself, shooting, ran closer to the chieftain. The chieftain waited for Nikolka to shoot the clip, and then flew at the guy like a kite. He waved his saber, and Nikolka’s body went limp and slid to the ground. The chieftain took the binoculars and chrome boots from the dead man. Having pulled off his boots with difficulty along with his socks, the chieftain saw a mole. He turned Nikolka over to face him and cried: “Son! Nikolushka! Native! My little blood..." The chieftain, realizing that he had killed his son, took out a revolver and shot himself in the mouth. And in the evening, when the horsemen loomed over the copse, a vulture-kite fell from the chieftain’s shaggy head.
Showing that the class struggle that has engulfed the Don is destroying family foundations, Sholokhov portrays reality as contrary to the norm human relations, and resolves this contradiction between the ideal and the real absolute negation of the latter.
IMAGE OF NIKOLKA KOSHEVY Squadron commander, although he is 18 years old. Fearless (as his father taught him), Nikolka is a broad-shouldered guy who looks beyond his years. Immeasurable love for horses (from my father). Dreams about studying. A mole, the same as my father's.
IMAGE OF THE ATAMAN I haven’t seen my native kurens for seven years. He drinks because the pain, wonderful and incomprehensible, sharpens from within. The soul has become hardened. Attentive. Strong. A mole the size of a pigeon's egg, on the left leg, above the ankle.
CONCLUSION. An acute class struggle divided not only the Don, the village, the farm, but also Cossack families. Father and son find themselves on opposite sides of the barricade. The conflict between reds and whites gives way to a conflict between the norms of human life and the inhumanity of a fratricidal war. For M. Sholokhov, the civil war is a catastrophe in which human ties are destroyed. There are no right and wrong here, which means there can be no winners.