The story of Bykov sotnikov summary. Sotnikov detailed retelling by chapter
Vasil Vladimirovich Bykov
Sotnikov
They walked through the forest along a deaf, snow-covered road, on which there was no longer a trace of horse hooves, runners or human legs. Here, probably, they traveled a little in the summer, and now, after the long February snowstorms, everything was leveled with snow, and, if not for the forest - they ate interspersed with alder, which unevenly parted in both directions, forming a corridor dully whitening in the night - it would be it is difficult to understand that this is the road. And yet they were not wrong. Peering through the bare shrubbery shrouded in twilight, Rybak became more and more aware of the places he had remembered since autumn. Then he and four more from Smolyakov's group, one evening, also made their way to the farm along this road, also with the intention of getting hold of some food. There is just a familiar ravine, on the edge of which the three of them sat and smoked, waiting for the two who had gone ahead to give a signal to everyone to go. Now, however, one could not poke his head into the ravine: a cornice swept by a blizzard hung from its edge, and the bare trees on the slope were buried up to their very tops in snow.
Nearby, above the tops of the firs, the erased half of the moon glided lightly in the sky, which hardly shone - only faintly gleamed in the cold twinkling of the stars. But with him it was not so lonely at night - it seemed like someone alive and kind unobtrusively accompanies them on this journey. Away in the forest it was gloomy from the dark medley of firs, undergrowth, some kind of indistinct shadows, a disorderly tangle of frozen branches; close up, on the pure whiteness of the snow, the road was easily visible. The fact that it lay here on untouched virgin soil, although it made walking difficult, at the same time insured against surprises, and Rybak thought that hardly anyone would lie in wait for them in this wilderness. But still, they had to be on their guard, especially after Glinyan, near which they almost ran into the Germans about two hours ago. Fortunately, an uncle with firewood met on the outskirts of the village, he warned of the danger, and they turned into the forest, where they wandered through the thickets for a long time until they got out onto this road.
However, a random skirmish in the forest or in the field did not frighten Rybak very much: they had weapons. True, there were not enough rounds of ammunition, but there was nothing to be done: those that remained in the Burnt Swamp gave them what they could from their also more than meager stocks. Now, in addition to the five pieces in the carbine, Rybak had three more clips jingling in the pockets of his sheepskin coat, and Sotnikov had the same number. It's a pity they didn't take the grenades, but maybe they won't need the grenades yet, and by morning they'll both be in the camp. At least they should be. True, Rybak felt that after the failure in Glinyany they were a little late, they had to hurry, but their partner let them down.
All the while they were walking through the forest, Rybak heard behind him a dull, cold cough, sometimes closer, sometimes farther. But then he completely calmed down, and Rybak, slowing down his pace, looked around - pretty much lagging behind, Sotnikov was barely dragging himself in the dusk of the night. Suppressing his impatience, Rybak watched for a minute as he rowed wearily through the snow in his clumsy, worn-out cloaks, his head somehow unfamiliarly lowered in a Red Army cap pulled down deeply over his ears. Even from a distance, in the frosty silence of the night, his frequent, labored breathing was heard, with which Sotnikov, even having stopped, still could not cope.
- Well, how? Tolerable?
- A! he vaguely squeezed out and adjusted the rifle on his shoulder. - Is it still far?
Before answering, Rybak hesitated, peering inquisitively at the thin, tightly belted figure of his partner over a short overcoat. He already knew that he would not confess, although he fell ill, would be invigorated: they say, it would cost, - to avoid someone else's participation, or what? Nothing else, but this Sotnikov's pride and stubbornness would be enough for three. He got on the mission partly because of his pride - he was sick, but did not want to tell the commander about it when he was picking up a partner for Rybak by the fire. First, two were called - Vdovets and Glushchenko, but Vdovets had just dismantled and began to clean his machine gun, and Glushchenko referred to wet feet: he went for water and fell knee-deep into a quagmire. Then the commander called Sotnikov, and he silently got up. When they were already on their way and Sotnikov began to cough, Rybak asked why he was silent, while the other two refused, to which Sotnikov replied: "Because he did not refuse, because the others refused." This was not entirely clear to the fisherman, but after a while he thought that in general there was nothing to worry about: a person is on his feet, it’s okay to pay attention to some kind of cough, they don’t die from a cold in a war. He will reach the dwelling, warm himself, eat hot potatoes, and take off all the ailment as if by hand.
Vasil Bykov
Sotnikov
Chapter first
They walked through the forest along a deaf, snow-covered road, on which there was no longer a trace of horse hooves, runners or human legs. Here, probably, they traveled a little in the summer, but now, after the long February snowstorms, everything was leveled with snow, and, if not for the forest - they ate interspersed with alder, which unevenly parted in both directions, forming a corridor dully whitening in the night - it would be it is difficult to understand that this is the road. And yet they were not wrong. Peering through the bare shrubbery shrouded in twilight, Rybak became more and more aware of the places he had remembered since autumn. Then he and four more from Smolyakov's group, one evening, also made their way to the farm along this road, also with the intention of getting hold of some food. There is just a familiar ravine, on the edge of which the three of them sat and smoked, waiting for the two who had gone ahead to give a signal to everyone to go. Now, however, one could not poke his head into the ravine: a cornice swept by a blizzard hung from its edge, and the bare trees on the slope were buried up to their very tops in snow.
Nearby, above the tops of the firs, the erased half of the moon glided lightly in the sky, which hardly shone - only faintly gleamed in the cold twinkling of the stars. But with him it was not so lonely at night - it seemed like someone alive and kind unobtrusively accompanies them on this journey. Away in the forest it was gloomy from the dark medley of firs, undergrowth, some kind of indistinct shadows, a disorderly tangle of frozen branches; close up, on the pure whiteness of the snow, the road was easily visible. The fact that it lay here on untouched virgin soil, although it made walking difficult, at the same time insured against surprises, and Rybak thought that hardly anyone would lie in wait for them in this wilderness. But still, they had to be on their guard, especially after Glinyan, near which they almost ran into the Germans about two hours ago. Fortunately, an uncle with firewood met on the outskirts of the village, he warned of the danger, and they turned into the forest, where they wandered through the thickets for a long time until they got out onto this road.
However, a random skirmish in the forest or in the field did not frighten Rybak very much: they had weapons. True, there were not enough rounds of ammunition, but there was nothing to be done: those that remained in the Burnt Swamp gave them what they could from their also more than meager stocks. Now, in addition to the five pieces in the carbine, Rybak had three more clips jingling in the pockets of his sheepskin coat, and Sotnikov had the same number. It's a pity they didn't take the grenades, but maybe they won't need the grenades yet, and by morning they'll both be in the camp. At least they should be. True, Rybak felt that after the failure in Glinyany they were a little late, they had to hurry, but their partner let them down.
All the while they were walking through the forest, Rybak heard behind him a dull, cold cough, sometimes closer, sometimes farther. But then he completely calmed down, and Rybak, slowing down his pace, looked around - pretty much lagging behind, Sotnikov was barely dragging himself in the dusk of the night. Suppressing his impatience, Rybak watched for a minute as he rowed wearily through the snow in his clumsy, worn-out cloaks, his head somehow unfamiliarly lowered in a Red Army cap pulled down deeply over his ears. Even from a distance, in the frosty silence of the night, his frequent, labored breathing was heard, with which Sotnikov, even having stopped, still could not cope.
Well, how? Tolerable?
A! - he vaguely squeezed out and adjusted the rifle on his shoulder. - Is it still far?
Before answering, Rybak hesitated, peering inquisitively at the thin, tightly belted figure of his partner over a short overcoat. He already knew that he would not confess, although he fell ill, would be invigorated: they say, it would cost - to avoid someone else's participation, or what? Nothing else, but this Sotnikov's pride and stubbornness would be enough for three. He got on the mission partly because of his pride - he was sick, but did not want to tell the commander about it when he was picking up a partner for Rybak by the fire. At first, two were called - Vdovets and Glushchenko, but Vdovets had just dismantled and began to clean his machine gun, and Glushchenko referred to wet feet: he went for water and fell knee-deep into a quagmire. Then the commander called Sotnikov, and he silently got up. When they were already on their way and Sotnikov began to cough, Rybak asked why he was silent, while the other two refused, to which Sotnikov replied: "Because he did not refuse, because the others refused." This was not entirely clear to the fisherman, but after a while he thought that in general there was nothing to worry about: a person is on his feet, is it worth paying attention to some kind of cough, they don’t die from a cold in war. He will reach the dwelling, warm himself, eat hot potatoes, and take off all the ailment as if by hand.
Nothing, now it's close, - Rybak said encouragingly and turned to continue his journey.
But before he had time to take a step, Sotnikov choked again from behind and went into a long internal cough. Trying to restrain himself, he bent over, covered his mouth with his sleeve, but the cough only intensified because of this.
And you are snow! Take the snow, he interrupts! Fisher suggested.
Struggling with an attack of coughing that ripped through his chest, Sotnikov scooped up a handful of snow, sucked, and the cough really subsided a little.
Crap! Tie down, even break!
The fisherman frowned in concern for the first time, but said nothing, and they walked on.
An even chain of tracks ran out of the ravine onto the road, looking closer at which Rybak realized that a wolf had recently passed here (also, probably, it is drawn to human habitation - it’s not sweet in such a frost in the forest). Both of them took a little to the side and did not leave this track any further, which in the misty gray of the night not only marked the road, but also indicated where there was less snow: the wolf determined this unmistakably. However, their journey was coming to an end, the farm was about to appear, and this set Rybak in a new, more joyful mood.
Lyubka is there, here is the fire girl! he said softly, without turning around.
What? - did not hear Sotnikov.
The girl, I say, is on the farm. You will see, you will forget all the ailment.
Do you still have girls on your mind?
Dragging behind with noticeable effort, Sotnikov dropped his head and stooped even more. Apparently, all his attention was now focused only on not losing his stride, not losing the pace he could manage.
Well! Just eat...
But even the mention of food had no effect on Sotnikov, who again began to lag behind, and Rybak, slowing down, looked around.
You know, yesterday I took a nap in the swamp - I dreamed about bread. Warm loaf in the bosom. I woke up, and it warmed from the fire. Such an annoyance...
It’s not surprising, I’ll dream, ”Sotnikov agreed deafly. - A week on steamed rye ...
And yes, the chick is over. Yesterday Gronsky distributed the leftovers, - said Rybak and fell silent, trying not to start a conversation about what really interested him this time.
In addition, there was no time for talking: the forest was ending, the road went out into the field. Further along one side of the path stretched small shrubs, thickets of willows across the swamp, the road from which turned sharply onto a hillock. The fisherman was waiting for the holey roof of the punka to appear from behind the alder tree, and there, behind the hedge, there would be a house with sheds and a crane over the well. If the crane sticks out with its end up, then everything is in order, you can go in; if it is hooked in a well frame, then turn back - strangers are in the house. So, at least, once agreed with Uncle Roman. True, that was a long time ago, since autumn they had not looked here - they circled in other places, on the other side of the highway, until hunger and the gendarmes again drove them to where they had driven them out a month ago.
With a quick step, Rybak reached a bend in the road and turned onto a hillock. The wolf's trail in the snow also turned in the direction of the farm. Obviously feeling the proximity of housing, the wolf cautiously and narrowly stepped along the roadside, closely clinging to the bushes. However, Rybak had already ceased to follow the road - all his attention was now directed forward, to where the bushes ended.
Finally, he hurried up the slope to the top of the hillock and immediately thought that he must have been mistaken - probably the farm buildings were a little further. It often happens on an unfamiliar road that some sections of it disappear from memory, and then the whole path seems shorter than it actually is. Rybak hastened his pace yet again, but Sotnikov again began to lag behind. However, Rybak had already ceased to pay attention to Sotnikov - suddenly, and as if for no reason, anxiety seized him.
Punka was still not in the dullness of the night, just as there were no other buildings ahead, but several gusts of wind from there brought the bitterly acrid stench of burning to the travelers. The fisherman at first thought that it seemed to him that it was coming from somewhere in the forest. He walked another hundred paces, trying to see through the thickets of habitually snow-covered roofs of the estate. However, his expectation did not come true - there was no farm. On the other hand, there was still a hint of burning - not fresh, with fire or smoke, but the nasty stench of long-cooled coals and ashes. Realizing that he was not mistaken, Rybak cursed in an undertone and almost ran running in the middle of the road until he stumbled upon a fence.
The post was inspired by the reading of Vasil Bykov's novel "Sotnikov". According to the old tradition, I continue to close school gaps, because "Sotnikov" was in the program, but I, of course, did not read it then :)
Summary of Vasil Bykov's story "Sotnikov"
The story "Sotnikov" by Vasil Bykov tells us about two Soviet partisans who are on the territory of Belarus occupied by the Germans. It's 1942. The weak partisan movement is forced to hide in forests and swamps, there is no ammunition, medicine, uniforms, food. On a cold February night in 1942, partisans Sotnikov and Rybak go for food. Rybak is an experienced strong young man, not deprived of strength and health. Sotnikov went on a mission sick. According to him, he did not refuse the assignment, because several more experienced comrades in the partisan detachment refused him.
The task of finding food did not work out from the very beginning: Sotnikov was exhausted and walked more slowly than necessary. The village they were looking for turned out to be deserted: it was burned by the Germans. At random, the partisans went to a neighboring village. Having reached it, they came to the house of the local headman, appointed by the occupying German troops. The headman turned out to be an old man named Pyotr Sych. Despite the fact that the partisans at first wanted to punish him for collaborating with the Germans, they were satisfied with the sheep they found with him. Having set off on their way back, Rybak and Sotnikov ran into a police patrol. Rybak, being strong and healthy, most likely could have left, but he could not leave the sick Sotnikov, who was also wounded in the leg. After a shootout, in which one of the policemen was wounded, they nevertheless left the fire and tried to hide, hiding in a randomly turned up house in a village unfamiliar to them. There were only small children in the house. There were no adults. Soon the hostess named Demchikha came, and the policemen came up to her house. The partisans hiding in the cherbak were betrayed by Sotnikov's strong cough. Rybak, Sotnikov and the mistress of the house were arrested and taken to prison.
During interrogations, the comrades behaved differently: Sotnikov knew that this time they would not get out, and did not say anything to the policemen, did not betray his comrades, despite the torture. The fisherman, who many times walked under death and being a brave man, could not stand it and wanted to save his life at any cost. He gave confused information to the policeman and was sent to the cell. In the cell were Sotnikov, mutilated by torture, the headman Pyotr Sych, accused of aiding the partisans, the Jewish girl Basya, who took refuge in the headman's house, Demchikha, whom Rybak and Sotnikov let down so much, and Rybak himself.
They spent their last night together, the next morning they were to be executed. Everyone resigned themselves to their fate, except for Rybak, who passionately wanted to live. The next morning, when they were taken to the place of execution, Rybak turned to the German authorities and expressed his desire to become a policeman. He was accepted and ordered to help Sotnikov reach the gallows. The fisherman also had to knock the block out from under Sotnikov's feet.
Some time after the execution, Rybak realized that now he had nowhere to run from the Germans, since the execution of his comrades kept him from the Germans much stronger than prison walls or ropes. Realizing that he was a traitor, he decided to commit suicide, but he did not have a belt. In the end, he realized that you couldn’t get away from fate and went to the German authorities who were already waiting for him ...
Meaning
The main characters of Vasil Bykov's story "Sotnikov" face a difficult choice: to save their lives by betraying, or to die with dignity, keeping their friends, colleagues, brothers in arms safe and sound. The hero makes different decisions:
1) Grandfather Petr Sych, who at first seems like an ordinary traitor, turns out to be a strong man and able to take responsibility. He became a headman so that his friends and relatives could live better. He also hid a Jewish girl in his house at his own peril and risk.
2) Demchikha, trying to hide partisans at home, greatly risked the lives of her children;
3) Sotnikov was able to find the strength in himself to hold on to the end, without changing his views;
4) A strong, brave and dexterous Rybak, who seemed almost a model soldier, broke down and crossed the line before which other heroes of the story "Sotnikov" could stop.
Each hero of the story pays his own price for the decisions made. All but one: the little Jewish girl Basya was hanged simply because she belonged to a nationality that the German troops sought to destroy.
Conclusion
The story "Sotnikov" by Vasil Bykov raises a very important question for me personally: what can a person do under the most terrible burden that one can imagine. Will he remain loyal to the Motherland, family, friends under the threat of death? What choice will he make in a difficult situation for him?
PS. According to the book by Vasil Bykov "Sotnikov" directed by Larisa Shapitko, the film "Ascent" was also made.
Reviews of books by Vasil Bykov:
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I also recommend reading book reviews (and the books themselves, of course):
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once the most popular post
Images of Sotnikov and Rybak in V. Bykov's story "Sotnikov"
V. Bykov's stories about the war are considered the most truthful and psychological in all the literature of the 20th century. It was he who managed to show her "face" like no other. A significant role was played by the fact that the writer himself was a participant in the war. The story about two 26-year-old fighters of the same partisan detachment, which is studied in the 11th grade, is complex and diverse thematically and compositionally. It is advisable to start the analysis of the ideological content, the main images of the story "Sotnikov" with the history of the creation of the work, which affects the biography of the author himself.
The story "Sotnikov" Vasil Bykov wrote in 1969. The plot was based on the real story of Bykov's meeting with a fellow soldier who was considered dead, but in fact was captured and became a traitor. Twenty years have passed since the meeting until the embodiment of the plot in the author's work.
In August 1944, passing by a Romanian village, Lieutenant Vasil Bykov saw in a group of captured Germans a man with whom he had once served in the same regiment. In the course of a conversation with the prisoner, it was possible to find out that after being wounded, he ended up in a concentration camp, where - temporarily, as it seemed to him - he agreed to cooperate with the Vlasovites and lived all these years waiting for an opportunity, hoping to escape.
The opportunity never presented itself, and the former brother-soldier “got bogged down in apostasy” day after day. This meeting made the future writer think about what a person is capable of "in the face of the crushing force of inhuman circumstances."
In a letter to Ales Adamovich, Bykov said that, having “felt with his skin and nerves” a story in which people are completely deprived of the opportunity to influence the situation, he chose “a similar model based on the material of guerrilla warfare (or rather, life under occupation)”: “.... I took Sotnikov and Rybak and showed how both are doomed, although both are polar opposite people - such is the power of circumstances. I will not hide, the idea here is from existentialism, as I imagine it.
Initially, the story was called “Liquidation”, but later the author emphasized the meaning of the title on the main character.
The plot of Bykov's story "Sotnikov" is taken from real life: after the writer's meeting in 1944 with a fellow soldier who was considered dead. It turns out that his comrade-in-arms was captured, and then, in order to survive, he agreed to cooperate.
Recalling the past, the author tells that this man was considered a model and an example for fellow soldiers, “posthumously” he was awarded as a hero and set as an example to young soldiers. Everyone was sure that he was dead. And at the end of the war, he was captured, as a servant of the Vlasovites, lost and morally oppressed. The comrade honestly told Bykov that at first he thought that he would be able to escape, did not shoot at people, did not show cruelty, tried to survive. The price of such a choice is too terrible to be a traitor for the rest of your life.
This meeting excited the writer so much that he “copied” the image of Rybak from a fighting friend and tried to show both facets of the choice that a person makes, without judging, without evaluating other people's actions. Vasily Bykov often puts his heroes in extreme situations, on the very brink, when a person is forced to make a fateful decision.
In the story, Bykov raises the existential problems of heroism and betrayal, the influence of circumstances on a person. The author reveals the struggle between good and evil in the souls of the heroes, explores the psychological state of people during the war. Bykov does not give final estimates to the characters, leaving this right to the reader…….
In the story "Sotnikov" Vasil Bykov contrasts the two main characters - Rybak and Sotnikov.
Rybak is a former army sergeant major who looks more equipped to fight than his partner. There is nothing in his memories of the past that foreshadows the possibility of betrayal in the face of death. The essence of the character is revealed gradually, gradually, in the "process of self-manifestations". So, Rybak does not understand the logic of Sotnikov, who, despite a cold, still went on a mission; The fisherman, after a shootout with the policemen, returns to his wounded partner not according to the law of mutual assistance, but because of thoughts about answering to the partisans; he secretly harbors the hope that, while in police dungeons, Sotnikov will die and then "his, Rybak's, chances will improve significantly."
Sotnikov worked as a school teacher until 1939; in the army he was a battery commander. Critics, assessing the intelligence of the hero, see in the story a correspondence polemic with Fadeev's novel "The Rout".
The ending of the story is indicative: the exhausted Sotnikov, with difficulty climbing the stand under the gallows, feels the last feeling of guilt before those whom he brought under the noose: the headman Peter and Demchikha. He also regretted Rybak for the fact that "a good guy rolled into the abyss, failed to die, retaining his dignity and honor."
For the writer, that unexpected feeling with which Sotnikov passed away was the discovery of a new, higher level of humanity. Thinking about the nature of this feeling, Bykov naturally came to the conclusion that even the readiness for self-sacrifice does not give the right not to reckon with someone else's life, that human life is an absolute value.
Vasil Bykov, answering the question of why, when he saw the policemen approaching Demchikha's house, Sotnikov did not behave as decisively as before, he answered that his hero was broken by the first battle; only in the police he "finds the strength to die with dignity."
The “process of self-manifestations” concerns not only Sotnikov and Rybak - it also affects Demchikha, who is forced to “overstep her mother’s natural sense of self-preservation”, and the headman Peter, who is executed not only because of the sheep carcass issued to the partisans, but also because of handed over to the police of the Jewish girl Basya.
From the first chapters, it seems that the active, cunning Rybak is more adapted to the conditions of war than the sickly, low-initiative Sotnikov. However, with the disclosure of the characters, it becomes clear that Sotnikov has greater morality, spiritual strength. Until his death, he remains true to his principles, unlike Rybak, who becomes an enemy to himself.
In a situation that concerns life, “every man for himself”, this is exactly what Rybak decides, trying to justify his position. The instinct of self-preservation, moral immaturity, lust for life - something prevents the hero from taking the last step, one that could save him from his conscience. The author built the story in such a way that the reader perceives the situation in detail and does not undertake to condemn the betrayal of Rybak, the thought involuntarily comes: “What choice would I make?”.
Judging and judging is not what the story teaches us; to make a choice and bear responsibility for its consequences, to step over the line beyond which a person loses himself or perishes - this is the essence and idea of the work. Bykov shows two young people who were brought up in the same conditions, they grew up and formed their characters, matured and learned life.
In some critical articles to the story, one can find the following interpretation of the images: "... in captivity, Sotnikov was able to remain a man, withstood torture and accepted death with dignity, and his comrade broke down, betrayed his comrades, became the executioner of his comrades." However, the problem itself and the situation of moral choice are much more complicated. And even the author of the work himself, perhaps precisely because he is a Writer with a capital letter (unlike many superficial critics and even director Larisa Shepitko, who made the film “Ascent” by Larisa Shepitko based on this story) does not draw unambiguous conclusions, does not dot all the "I".
In this context, the words of the Strugatsky brothers writers at the end of the 20th century are recalled that the writer cannot and should not be engaged in the correction, treatment of the moral problems of society, he only reveals, shows in his work the most acute of them. This master of words is more akin to an artist than a moral philosopher. Pointing to topical problems, revealing the ulcers of modern society, the writer makes the reader, first of all, think independently, refracting the plot thread of the work through his own emotional and moral component. Vasil Bykov in the story "Sotnikov" leaves the reader in just such a situation, without attaching unambiguous labels to the rather complex characters of the characters, without idealizing one as a hero and without trampling the other into the dirt as a traitor. The complexity and ambiguity of both the characters' characters and the development of the situation itself, which eventually led to a tragic end, can be traced through the entire narrative.
The main characters of the story - the partisans Sotnikov and Rybak - under normal conditions (even in a real battle), perhaps they would never have faced such a problem of moral choice, and Rybak would have remained an honest courageous person, a good comrade and an excellent fighter. At the same time, there is no frank idealization of the image of Sotnikov in the story, and it cannot be said, as it is defined in a number of critical assessments, that Rybak committed several minor betrayals throughout the plot. Until they grew into one big one, after which there is no turning back.
Let's take a look at this in terms of the story itself.
Initially, Sotnikov went on a mission to the village for provisions and medicines for the detachment, not only because everyone else refused (as he answered Rybak’s question, why did the patient go with him), but also, according to the author, “... learning that I have to go to the village for groceries, I was even delighted, because I was hungry all these days, and besides, I was attracted by the opportunity to bask in the warmth of the house for an hour.
Further, as it was repeatedly said throughout the story, “Most of all, he (Sotnikov) was afraid of turning from a partner into a burden, although he knew that if the worst happened, he would find a way out for himself, without burdening anyone.” As a result, in the first half of the story, he only did what he was a burden and burdened. It was because of him that Rybak could not complete the task (bring provisions to the detachment), it was his morbid condition that led to the need to seek refuge in the village, thereby burdening and exposing its inhabitants to death (Demchikha and her children, and, possibly, the whole village). It was because of Sotnikov's cough that they were discovered by the police. The headman also suffered because of Sotnikov. If not for his morbid condition, he and Rybak would have been able not to catch the eye of the police squad, or at least get away from them along with the carcass of a ram. But because of his weakness, he had to shoot back, kill a policeman (according to the film - a German), which led to a massive search for partisans in the village and the discovery of a Jewess Basya in the headman's house (in addition to the carcass of a ram, which also had to be abandoned and which was identified as the property of the headman) . That is, as we see, Sotnikov in the first half of the story was by no means idealized. Moreover, the image of Rybak seems, if not better, then more adapted to the war. While Sotnikov is only a burden and the cause of the misfortunes of Rybak himself, the headman, Demchikha and her children, left without a mother, the Jewish girl Basya. Just what he feared internally, while not having the moral strength to solve the problem: to return to the detachment after the burned farm, so as not to slow down and let Rybak down (since what would he say in the detachment then ?!); refuse to enter the village and stay in Demchikha’s hut (he knew, after all, that he was endangering them ... To Rybak’s words: “We can’t go further with him,” Demchikha answered: “Well, somehow they came here”).
Rybak tried his best to deal with the current situation, but the existential doom of the heroes of the story was based on the situation of moral zugzwang. So, Rybak had to go on a mission with the ailing Sotnikov, because the rest refused (one got wet, the others also had objective reasons). On the burned farm, they were forced to go further into the village, although it was obvious that Sotnikov was no help. Illness led to Sotnikov's inability to hide from the police, as a result of which he was wounded. In turn, Rybak also could not leave the wounded Sotnikov. Then everything developed like a snowball. The wounded Sotnikov had to be left somewhere for a while, and they were forced to seek refuge in Demchikha's hut, where Sotnikov's cough betrayed their location in the attic, and so on.
But before liquidation, during a conscious moral choice, Sotnikov goes through difficult trials with honor and accepts death without renouncing his convictions, and Rybak, in the face of death, due to his weakness of character, gets confused and begins to deceive himself, betraying his wounded comrade, and thereby Motherland ... for the sake of saving his life, which, after betrayal, loses all value. He actually becomes an enemy to his people and himself. Personal well-being is put above everything, where fear for one's life makes one kill and betray. His courage during a real battle, where in fact there is no place and time for moral hesitation, yields to the instinct of self-preservation, without passing the test of his honor and civic conscience.
Initially, going on a mission, they react differently to the impending danger, and it seems that the strong and quick-witted Rybak is more prepared for the feat than the Centuries, weakened by illness. But if Rybak, who “managed to find some way out” all his life, is inwardly ready for a compromise with his conscience, then Sotnikov remains true to the duty of a person and citizen to the last breath. “Well, it was necessary to gather the last strength in oneself in order to face death with dignity ... Otherwise, why then life? It is too difficult for a person to be carefree about its end.
In Bykov's story, everyone took his place among the victims. All, except Rybak, went through their mortal path to the end. The fisherman took the path of betrayal only in the name of saving his own life. The investigator-traitor felt a thirst for the continuation of life, a passionate desire to live, and, almost without hesitation, stunned Rybak point-blank: “Let's save life. You will serve great Germany.” Rybak has not yet agreed to go to the police, but he has already been spared from torture. Rybak did not want to die and blurted something out to the investigator, again compromising with his conscience: "Allegedly, the location and strength of Dubovitsky's detachment is already known to everyone."
Sotnikov, even during the torture, did not lose his human appearance (as the investigator predicted, especially not in the story itself, but in the film "Resurrection" based on his motives), he lost consciousness all the time (due to the weakness that he had due to illness , this saved him in many ways), but did not say anything.
Sotnikov reconciled with death. He would like to die in battle, but it became impossible for him. The only thing left for him was to decide in relation to the people who were nearby. Before the execution, Sotnikov demanded an investigator and, having received a refusal, turned to the head of the police, stating: “I am a partisan. It was I who wounded your policeman, - Sotnikov said not very loudly and nodded towards Rybak. - He was here by accident - if necessary, I can explain. The rest are nothing. Take me alone." But this confession had no effect, and they were taken further to the place of execution. In the version of the film, this looked more vivid and heroic from Sotnikov's part, when he declares himself a commander, takes everything upon himself, asks him to be shot alone, since the others have nothing to do with it, even Rybak is accidental. But all this turns out to be meaningless .. And to the vile, tailor-like “what the hell is it,” Sotnikov’s last attempt to reach out to the investigator’s human soul: “Do something for them” to his grin and a similar question “That’s all ... , citizen Ivanov? Sotnikov answered brightly, boldly and boldly:
- No-no. Not Ivanov. I am Sotnikov. Commander of the Red Army. Born in the 17th year. Bolshevik. Member of the party since the 35th year. I am a teacher by profession. From the beginning of the war he commanded a battery. Beat you bastards! Too bad it's not enough. My name is Sotnikov, Boris Andreevich. I have a father, mother, Motherland. It was a kind of response to Portnov's monologue about the human essence, about that petty, according to the investigator, insignificant scum, sitting in everyone and grasping at the straw of life. So it’s not Sotnikov who turns out to be such an insignificant scum, as Portnov predicted before his torture. After these words of Sotnikova, the former music teacher and Soviet agitator slowly turns his face away, suppressing the remnants of the human in himself ... "Here major, nothing significant." And somehow the image of Rybak looks more petty and disgusting in the film, who, after these words, almost on his knees began to beg the investigator to take him to the police.
None of this is in the book itself. Neither Sotnikov's request, nor his dying slogan about himself. Everything is simpler and more realistic. Rybak is not so pathetic in his betrayal, while Sotnikov remains ill, barely audible speaking and barely on his feet, clearly incapable of hitting Rybak with his bound hands and knocking him down.
When analyzing the images of Sotnikov and Rybak, it is not by chance that so much attention is paid in this work to comparing the story with the version proposed in the film by director Larisya Shepitko. The film more clearly spells out the strength of Sotnikov's character, his humanity, as well as the chain of petty betrayals of Rybak, which ultimately lead him to the last line, when he loses himself, loses his people, his homeland.
The images in the book are not so simple and unilinear, and perhaps that is why they do not have such a strong emotional impact. Therefore, their evaluation for the reader, and especially for high school students, seems more difficult.
If in the story, in the last minutes of his life, Sotnikov suddenly lost his confidence in the right to demand from others the same thing that he demands from himself. The fisherman became for him not a bastard, but simply a foreman who, as a citizen and a person, did not get something. Exhausted by torture and illness, the practically dying Sotnikov in the film finds the strength to strike the one who betrayed his moral principles and violated human ideals, knocking him into the snow with his hands tied like the very scum that Portnov spoke about during interrogation.
What happened to Rybak? He did not overcome the fate of a man who got lost in the war. He sincerely wanted to hang himself. But circumstances interfered (during the interrogation, his belt was removed), and there was a chance to survive. But how to survive? The police chief believed he had "picked up another traitor." It is unlikely that the chief of police understood what was going on in the soul of this man, confused, but shocked by the example of Sotnikov, who was crystal honest, who fulfilled the duty of a man and a citizen to the end. The chief saw the future of Rybak in serving the invaders. But the writer left him the possibility of a different path: the continuation of the fight against the enemy, the possible recognition of his fall to his comrades and, ultimately, the atonement for guilt. But here is the question of the moral choice of the reader himself. For the author of the story, who wrote the image from the prototype, which remained to the end with the policemen, the decision of Rybak's fate is obvious. He has already calmed down. He has already betrayed not only his comrade, his Motherland, but also himself.
The main political events that took place in the twentieth century were tragic. The writers of that time tried to penetrate into the essence of the problems that they gave rise to. The focus of their attention was the personality and the fate of the nation, including during the Second World War. The writers reflected on the character of man and explored human nature. Such works include the story of V. Bykov "Sotnikov".
Main characters
In the story, as in most of his works, the author raises the problem of personal responsibility for the fate of other people, finds out the reasons for the moral fall and betrayal of some and the spiritual greatness and nobility of others. The writer explores and shows what a person is capable of when the possibilities to protect life are exhausted to the end. The writer assigns the central place in the story to the partisans Sotnikov and Rybak.
The main characters, Sotnikov and Rybak, are both no strangers to fighting the enemy. Sotnikov is the son of a battery commander who fought at the front, miraculously escaped from captivity. He continued to fight in the partisan detachment. Rybak, a foreman of a rifle company, also fought at the front, was surrounded and took part in the partisan movement. But it is important for a writer to check the moral potential of his characters and their spirit.
Two partisans
Rybak was born and raised in a peasant family. A sense of duty is characteristic of him, but fragile and spontaneous. The positive beginnings of this hero exist only on a sensual level and have not become part of his individual ethics. Connecting with his love of life, they predetermine the possibility of betrayal. Rybak's consciousness is not sufficiently developed to comprehend the experience and behavior of the people he encountered on his life path. And he is unable to make a life choice.
The protagonist Sotnikov is a teacher, an intellectual. He differs from Rybak in that he has a more developed consciousness, is able to independently analyze various situations and people's behavior. Spiritually, Sotnikov is stronger and more persistent. In an extreme situation, this difference should manifest itself. Therefore, the author puts the heroes in conditions in which their essence will be revealed, and they will have to do
By the road of war
The heroes of the story were brought together by a common task - to get supplies for the partisans. Going on a mission, they differently represent the danger that awaits them. Outwardly, it seems that the sick and weak Sotnikov is not capable of a feat, and the strong, quick-witted and energetic Rybak is simply created for a heroic deed.
Already at the beginning of the story, a contrast is drawn between them. The fisherman is economic, physically strong and With his inherent love of life, he thinks about girls, sees bread in a dream. The protagonist Sotnikov, on the contrary, is physically weak and sickly, treats himself indifferently - he went on a mission sick, with a temperature, did not even bother to "get hold of a sheepskin coat."
They behave differently on the road. The fisherman encourages the sick Sotnikov, shares bread with him. All Sotnikov's attention is focused only on not losing the pace that is feasible for him, "not losing his stride." The opposition of the characters in the exposition of the story creates an illusion. At first glance, Rybak is more adapted to difficult conditions than Sotnikov.
Last task
The author set a goal - to reveal and understand the inner state of the main characters of "Sotnikov". Bykov inexorably leads them to their final resting place - Demchikha's house - and confronts them with a choice that they must make. The heroes of the story failed to complete their last task - they stumbled upon a cart with the Germans and came under fire.
Having reached the village, the partisans hide in the attic of the house of Demchikha, a mother of many children. Germans and policemen raided the house in search of vodka. And Sotnikov's cough, heard from the attic, betrays the fugitives. They are captured. Demchikha is taken along with them. In the basement where they were thrown, the Jewish girl Basya is also sitting. The headman, who hid her at home, was also thrown there.
In the face of death, Rybak and Sotnikov behave according to their characters and beliefs. Sotnikov remains true to his duty until his last breath. And Rybak, who managed to find a way out of any situation, was already internally ready for betrayal.
Sotnikov
The protagonist of the story comes to terms with the circumstances only outwardly. Sotnikov understands that it is not in his power to change something. But internally he is looking for strength to resist. First of all, he remembers and analyzes events from his personal life and the behavior of other people. The writer shows that the strength of this person lies in his ability to introspection and rethinking, with the help of which his moral values were formed.
He is subjected to terrible tortures, but Sotnikov endures difficult trials with honor and remains a man true to his ideals. He certainly would have preferred to die in battle and was "already envious" of those who found their death on the battlefield. But Sotnikov does not think about himself. His thoughts are occupied with how to save Demchikha, who ended up in this basement because of them. Sotnikov demands an investigator, to whom he says that he is a partisan, and the rest have nothing to do with it. But his confession had no effect on the executioners. In the morning, of the five gallows prepared for the prisoners, only one remained free.
Fisherman
The fisherman, on the contrary, full of desire to survive, seeks to overcome circumstances and therefore compromises - he agrees to become a policeman. No, in a peaceful life he was not a scoundrel, a traitor or an enemy. But now the situation is completely different: in the face of death, he wants to save his life by any means possible. He is sure that by deceiving the enemies, he will be able to save his life and go to the partisans in order to continue the fight against the Nazis there.
However, step by step, he pleases his enemies, he is cunning and playful, and, finally, thinking only of himself, he slides into the spiritual abyss. The fisherman understands the enormity of his act and tries to commit suicide. But circumstances prevented this. And then he justifies his actions in every possible way, blaming the harsh conditions, the hated war, and even Sotnikov, whose illness, in his opinion, was the reason for captivity.
Conclusion
The work of V. Bykov is named after the main character - "Sotnikov". This story is a deep reflection on human duty and humanism, incompatible with any manifestations of selfishness. Analysis of the actions, thoughts and words of the characters is one of the defining features of the work.
Sotnikov's spiritual strength lies in the fact that, faced with a choice, he managed to accept death and showed the invincibility of character and the greatness of the human spirit. Without these qualities it is impossible to overcome circumstances.
Reflecting on the problem of betrayal and heroism, the author is sure that a person needs individual spiritual culture and morality as a support. Without these beginnings, a person is not able to distinguish between the boundaries of good and evil. As a result, imperceptibly for herself, she will find herself in the territory of evil. What happened to Rybak, one of Bykov's main characters.
Sotnikov is not exceptional, that is, his ability for self-sacrifice and his behavior, since Demchikha, the mother of many children, and the headman, and even the little Jewish girl who refused to name the names of those who hid her, made exactly the same choice.
Thus, the author rises to a philosophical analysis of the war. First of all, he is interested not in its external circumstances, but in its internal ones: the state of a person and the struggle in his soul. The writer is sure that difficult, inhuman circumstances can only be overcome by relying on moral and spiritual values.