The female images of the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" are unusually expressive: the proud and courageous Aksinya, the hardworking and meek Natalya, the majestic and wise Ilyinichna, the direct and young Dunyasha. This work, created by Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov, came out in parts from 1928 to 1940. The image of Aksinya in the novel "Quiet Don" will be considered in this article.
Briefly about Aksinya
Aksinya in the work was first a mistress, and then the illegitimate wife of Grigory Melekhov. She accompanies him throughout the novel. This girl is a native Cossack who is accustomed to hard peasant labor and was fully exposed to the prejudices of her estate. Aksinya is an integral, strong nature with an emotional, direct character. She is capable of decisive acts, cannot lie and be content with easy relationships. The main thing in her life is the realization of her female essence. Such, in brief, is Aksinya (The Quiet Don). The characteristic can be supplemented with various details. We will present it in more detail.
The appearance of the heroine and her inner essence
Describing the image of Aksinya in the novel "Quiet Don", you should certainly dwell on her appearance. This heroine is a woman of great charm, captivating internal and external beauty. She has puffy, greedy lips, "fiery black eyes", poured shoulders, curly hair, a swarthy chiseled neck. The girl is proud of her alluring, defiantly bright beauty. However, not the outward appearance, but the spiritualized, passionate and strong nature, self-esteem, inner heroine wealth, the great power of her love are poetized in the work of Sholokhov.
Aksigny's family situation
Aksinya is unhappy since childhood. She knew very early the bitterness of the slavish position of a woman in difficult pre-revolutionary times. Life with Stepan Astakhov, an unloved husband, was a continuation of such a bleak share. Given out for beatings and abuse, hard labor and humiliation, the girl did not want to obey her husband’s tyranny.
Beginning of an affair with Gregory
During the first meeting with Don Gregory, and then in an episode of fishing, the heroine removes the man’s affection, fears the stubbornness with which Grigory Melekhov flirts with her. However, he soon discovers, to his horror, that she is drawn to this guy. Axinho was frightened by a new feeling that filled her whole. She is not able to overcome it and therefore comes to Gregory herself. Since then, the girl seemed to be reborn. Love straightened her. She now walks proudly, carrying her happy head high, not lurking and not conscience of people.
Aksigny’s great willpower and determination are combined with wholeness and subtlety of feelings, with human kindness and sensitivity. Aksinya’s image in The Quiet Flows the Don would be incomplete if not to mention how she takes care of the children. She is affectionate towards her little daughter, and is deeply experiencing her death. Maternal care and affection Aksinya bribes Bear. She will truly replace the mother after the death of Natalia, the children of Gregory.
Aksigny's Speech
The image of Aksinya (the novel "Quiet Don") can be supplemented by the characterization of the speech of this heroine. Aksinya's speech is affected by warmth and immense cordiality. It is filled with diminutive words ("my friend", "my little spikelet", "kids", "Teddy bear"). The heroine’s speech dramatically changes when she defends her lover, fighting for Gregory. In a fit of anger Aksinya in the novel "Quiet Don" does not skimp on rude expressions in which one feels her intransigence and perseverance.
Aging Aksinya
Sholokhov speaks with soft lyricism about the experiences of his heroine when she begins to age. The image of Aksinya in the novel "Quiet Don" at this time is changing. The writer compares the heroine with a fading lonely lily of the valley. Aksinya examines through a tear a dying, but suddenly flared up flower under the sun. She inhales the smell of lily of the valley, sees that mortal decay has touched him. The heroine recalls her own youth, a long life poor in joys. Aksinya falls asleep, burying her tear-stained face in her palms.
The writer observes noticeable changes in the appearance of the heroine of the novel "Quiet Don". The image of Aksinya is complemented by new features. Before meeting with Gregory, she examined excitedly her aged, but still beautiful face. The "beckoning beauty" remained, however, the fall of life threw faded colors on her cheeks, yellowed her eyelids, and rare gray hair coiled into her black hair . Sorrowful fatigue stared out of my eyes, as noted by Sholokhov ("Quiet Don"). Aksinya is no longer the blooming girl we meet at the beginning of the novel.
The heroine's attitude to revolutionary events
In her own way, this heroine tried to find a path to a better life. Aksinya was far from participating in revolutionary events. However, her fate depended on their outcome. Aksinya was drawn to freedom. For her sake, she was ready to sacrifice her household, peace, at any time, leave "hell to the ends of the world" from her native places. However, the heroine that interests us was blinded by love. This her limitation, generated by the conditions in which the girl grew up, is reflected in the novel "The Quiet Don". The image of Aksinya is such that she lives outside the interests of society, does not know other ways of fighting for her own happiness, for a fair attitude towards herself, except for consistency and sincerity in love for Grigory Melekhov, faith in him, selfless devotion to her lover. For her there was nothing but Gregory. When he was absent, the world was dying for her and was reborn again when Gregory was nearby. Aksinya, not interested in what Melekhov is fighting for, goes blindly after him, thinks only of him and loves him alone.
Aksinya's devotion
Aksinya with increasing tension was imbued with more anxiety for the person with whom she linked her whole life, all hopes of finding happiness. She shares with Grigory Melekhov all the hardships. Aksinya, in search of "his share," goes recklessly with him into the unknown, beckoning her with "ghostly happiness." The heroine admits honestly that she was "twisted" by longing for her lover. Aksinya, not knowing herself what awaits her ahead, why and where she is going, admits that she is ready to go at least to die with Gregory. She shed many tears on sleepless nights. However, the whole world again seemed bright and jubilant to her after Gregory returned.
The image of Aksinya is such that even the love of a child is for her a continuation of her passion for Melekhov, and not a feeling that is rooted in patriarchal-family relations. The tragedy is aggravated by the death of a child and a misunderstanding of the social upheavals in society. As a result, Aksinya finally loses the possibility of "rooting in the family" - that which is most important for women among her. And this time Aksinya believes that he will “find his share” with his beloved, and he perishes tragically with this faith along the way.
The meaning of the image of Aksinya
A long time in literary criticism established a sympathetic attitude to the passion of Aksigny. Her forbidden love in the 30s was interpreted as a protest against the social norms of the old world, even as a hymn to free love. The image of Aksinya is among the heroines who love wholeheartedly, but due to tragic circumstances who are unable to connect with their beloved. Those that give their lover a sense of the meaning of life and its fullness. Such is Aksinya ("Quiet Don"), the characteristic of which was presented in this article.