In 1938, in the literary magazine "New World" Platonov's story "Olga" was published. Later, the author gave this work a different name - "At the dawn of foggy youth." This story is the story of an orphan girl during the Civil War. In this difficult period, hunger and need hardened the souls of people. But Olga - the heroine of this story - despite the heartlessness and cruelty of those around her, did not get angry. She, on the contrary, became a strong and kind person. Summary “At the dawn of foggy youth”, as well as the image of the main character - the theme of this article.
In the parental home
The story begins with a description of the day when, after the death of her parents, Olga was completely alone in the house. Summary “At the dawn of foggy youth” you can start, of course, with a short trip to the aunt, on whom the girl had hopes. However, the heroine’s thoughts play an important role in the work, which the author conveys briefly and concisely, but this is enough for the reader to understand Olya’s strength and extraordinary optimism. It is these qualities that help her withstand all the difficulties that have befallen her.
The girl becomes an orphan at fourteen. The summary “At the dawn of foggy youth” can be stated in a short text, which will depict the main events over a three-year period in her life. In order to reveal the image of the heroine, a few words should be said about how she perceived the death of her relatives.
Need to live on
Olga got up in the morning, was rubbing the linen of the dead parents and began to cook dinner. There were no products in the house at all. But she still put the pot of water on the fire. The girl remembered the words of her mother: "We need to live on." And this statement gave her strength. In addition, she always seemed that if she would repeat the actions of her mother (cook, clean, wash), then she would not be alone. By evening, she was waiting for someone to come. But in the neighborhood, each family had its own grief: typhoid claimed the lives of both adults and children. And the girl decided that she needed to go to her aunt - a kind and cheerful woman. At least, this was her representation of Olga.
Tatyana Vasilievna
The summary “At the dawn of foggy youth” can be summarized as follows: the story of a girl who believed in goodness, but did not disappoint in people, even despite their anger and heartlessness. Olga believed that her mother’s sister, Tatyana Vasilievna, would be glad to see her. Indeed, all over the world this woman was the only soul mate. In childhood memories, Olya kept the image of a good cheerful aunt. But reality turned out to be completely different. Olga saw a woman greedy, embittered, unable to see anything but her own misfortune. Tatyana Vasilievna’s husband worked hard (like all the main and secondary characters of the story), was a callous, cold person.
In the house of an aunt
Aunt Olga is not the only selfish and hardened person whom Platonov portrayed in his work. “At the dawn of foggy youth” (summary) - the topic of the article. But you should not focus on the plot, but you should consider in more detail the characteristics of some heroes. And its author almost does not. The character of the hero is revealed in the course of the story.
At the first meeting with her aunt, Olga realizes that she will not stay in her house. A woman begins to reproach her niece with a piece of bread, which has not yet been eaten. And when the girl goes to bed, she sits down next to her bed and begins to talk about the insidiousness of the unexpected guest, who came from nowhere, and "now feed her, dress, put on her shoes, and she will wait for the aunt to die and leave her home." With these words, this unsympathetic heroine from the story “At the dawn of foggy youth” meets her orphan niece.
Reading the summary of this work is not enough to understand the characters. In difficult times, people often show their worst qualities. This topic was dedicated by Andrei Platonov “At the dawn of foggy youth”. But to know the depth of his idea is possible only after reading the work in full.
Liza
During her studies, Olga meets another girl - Lisa. Their fates are alike, and they become close friends. But girls look at life very differently. When food ceases to be delivered to the dining room, Lisa begins to cry. But Olga does not give up and goes to look for work, skipping lessons. Even after a hard day, the heroine of the story finds the strength to learn, she realizes that she needs knowledge. On the example of Olga and Lisa, the reader sees two different patterns of behavior of people who find themselves in difficult conditions. The girlfriend of the main character thinks only of herself, often cries. Lisa shows her infantility and weakness. But Olga, on the contrary, grows up very quickly. She learns to make decisions and not despair even, it would seem, in hopeless situations.
Yushka
Olga is very attached to Yushka, a boy who has lost his mother and is being watched by a girl at a time when her father is on shift. By this period, the heroine of the story is already 16-17 years old. And the ability to care and love a little man is already beginning to emerge in her, which is inherent only to mothers. Even after she rescues the Red Army train while near death, she recalls first and foremost Yushka.
To whom did A. Platonov “At the dawn of foggy youth” dedicate? Perhaps the main theme is faith in a bright future, which helps the heroine to endure hunger. When Olga settles in the hostel, she finds out who Lenin is. Hope for this old man (and the communist leader in the eyes of Olga is wise and middle-aged) gives her extraordinary strength. She begins to believe in him and henceforth considers it her duty to take care not only of herself, but also of her friend.
This is not to say that this story was created by Andrei Platonov at the dawn of a foggy youth. A summary of one of the most optimistic works is outlined in this article. And despite the fact that the story was written after many difficulties suffered by the author, the work is saturated with pure faith in a person and hope for happiness.