Leonid Andreev in his story "The Story of the Seven Hanged Men" wrote that it was not death that was terrible, but its knowledge. And with this work, the writer expressed his loud protest against the death penalty.
Seven Fates ... One Death
Today we look at the summary of the "Tale of the Seven Hanged Men." This is an incredibly piercing, touching and subtle work. It is filled with despair and thirst for life, which encompass every person sentenced to death. Heroes cause keen sympathy among the reader. Probably this is exactly what Leonid Andreev wanted. The "Story of the Seven Hanged Men", the brief content of which we are discussing, will not leave anyone indifferent.
At one P.M...
So, we begin to describe the "Story of the seven hanged." A chapter summary will give you a complete overview of this book.
It should have been blown up at one o'clock in the afternoon. However, the conspirators were seized on time. The police prevented the assassination attempt. The minister himself was hastily sent to someone else's hospitable home, before informing him that the attempt was to take place at one o'clock in the afternoon.
The Minister knows - the danger of death has passed. But he will not have rest until this terrible hour of the day, marked with a black mark, passes. A stout man who has survived so much in his long life, ponders the vicissitudes of fate. If he hadn’t known about the impending assassination attempt, he would not have been wrapped in a sticky web by fear for his life. He would calmly drink coffee and dress. And they said: "At one o'clock in the afternoon, Your Excellency!"
But no one knows when he is destined to die. This knowledge is very painful. Ignorance, the minister is sure, is much nicer. Now they saved him from death, but no one knows how much is measured to him. A sudden attack can interrupt his life at any time. So death lurks in the corner of an apartment unfamiliar to him, as if waiting. The Minister feels that it is becoming difficult for him to breathe ...
Sentenced to death
We continue to describe the summary of the "Tale of the Seven Hanged Men." The chapter describes five conspirators who attempted to assassinate the minister.
Three men and one woman were arrested at the entrance. Another was found in a safe house, the owner of which she was. They were all young. The oldest of the team was barely 28.
This 28-year-old boy was Sergei Golovin, the son of a colonel, a former officer. The expectation of death and inner experiences practically do not affect his young, breathing health face. It seems as happy and spiritual as before.
Musya, a 19-year-old girl, is very quiet and pale. In her appearance, the charm of youth fights with severity, amazing for her age. A shadow of fear of imminent death compresses her body into a tight string, makes her sit upright and motionless.
Next to Musya is a short man who, according to the judges, is the main instigator of the assassination attempt. His name is Werner. This short man is very handsome. It feels strength and dignity. Even the judges treat him with some reverence. His face is closed and does not express emotions. Is he afraid of death? Nothing can be read in the serious expression on his face.
Vasily Kashirin, on the contrary, is filled to the brim with horror. All his strength goes to fight him. He tries not to show fear, but the voices of the judges are heard to him as if from a distance. He answers calmly and firmly, but then forgets both someone’s question and his answer.
The fifth terrorist, Tanya Kovalchuk, suffers from pain for every conspirator. She is very young, she has no children. But Tanya looks at everyone with maternal care and love. She is not afraid for her life. She does not care what will happen to her.
The verdict is handed down. The agonizing wait for him is over.
"I do not have to hang"
A few weeks before the capture of the terrorists, another person, a peasant, was sentenced to death by hanging.
Ivan Janson is an Estonian. He worked for two years with the Russian masters as a laborer. The silent and gloomy man often got drunk and became furious, beating the horse with a whip.
Once his mind seemed to be confused. He himself did not expect such an act from himself. He locked the cook in the kitchen, and he himself entered the master’s room and stabbed him several times in the back. I rushed to the mistress to rape. But the woman was stronger and she almost strangled him. Janson fled to the field. An hour later he was caught. He squatted beside the barn, trying to set fire to his damp matches.
The owner died of blood poisoning after 2 days. Janson was sentenced to death for murder and attempted rape.
Judges pronounce sentence to Ivan quickly. However, the man did not seem to understand what was happening around. His look is sleepy, glassy. Only during the announcement of the verdict does he come to life. The scarf around his neck is choking, he frantically unties it.
“I don't have to hang me,” he says confidently.
But the judges are already sending him to the cell.
Janson constantly consults with the guards when he is hanged. The guards are surprised - this ridiculous, insignificant man seems so happy, as if he had not been sentenced to hanging. To Janson, execution seems to be something distant, unrealistic, which you should not worry about. Every day he annoys the guards with his question. And, finally, gets an answer to it - in a week. Now Janson, once again sleepy and slow, really believed in a near demise. He only repeated: "I do not need to hang." However, a week later he, like the rest of the prisoners, will be led to execution.
The death of a robber
Mikhail Golubets, nicknamed Mishka Gypsy, has committed many crimes over his short life. Now, when he was sentenced to death after the murder of three people, Bear retains his inherent insolence and deceit. The 17 days that he spends in prison before execution fly quickly and unnoticed. He is in a hurry to live, realizing what is left for long. His brain works quickly, the body requires movement.
A few days later, the warden visits Mishka, offering him the job of an executioner. But the Gypsy is in no hurry to answer in the affirmative, although the robber really likes the picture that he imagines. Soon they find a new executioner. The chance to escape was lost forever.
Bear falls into despair. In the darkness of the cell, he prostrates himself, howls like a wild beast, prays for mercy. The guard at his door becomes sick of horror. Then the robber jumped up and began to swear.
However, on the day of execution, Bear is becoming himself again. With the usual mockery, going out of the cell, he shouts:
“The Earl of Bengal’s carriage!”
Last meeting
Sentenced allowed last farewell to family. Tanya, Musi and Werner have no one. And Sergei and Vasily should see their parents - the last and most painful meeting.
Sergei's father, Nikolai Sergeyevich, persuades his wife to behave with dignity: "Kiss - and be quiet!" He understands how much pain his visit will cause to his son. However, during the meeting, willpower gives a crack. Father and son cry and cuddle. Nikolai Sergeevich is proud of his son and blesses him with death.
Vasily’s meeting with his mother is even harder. Father, a prosperous merchant who had had disagreements with his son all his life, did not come. An old mother is struggling to keep her feet. She blames Vasily for conspiring with the terrorists, but at the same time does not want to overshadow the last meeting with reproaches. They, as before, do not find a common language. Vasily feels that a long-standing resentment against his parent does not let him go, even though he seems too petty in the face of death.
The old woman finally left. For a long time she wandered around the city, not seeing the road. Grief swept over her head. Having barely realized that they would hang Vasily, she wants to return, but falls to the ground. She no longer has the strength to stand up.
"Death is not the end"
The last chapter of the story "The Story of the Seven Hanged Men." Reading the summary of this chapter, the reader is closer acquainted with the youngest and most dedicated heroine - Musei.
And the prisoners are waiting for their terrible fate. Tanya, worried about others all her life, does not think about herself now. She worries about Musya, who, looking like a boy in a large prison dress, suffers from excruciating expectations. It seems to Musa that she was not allowed to perform a sacrificial act, was not allowed to die the death of a martyr. They were not allowed to elevate themselves to the rank of saints. But if a person is valuable not only in what he does, but also in what he wanted to do ... Is she worthy of the sympathy and respect of other people? Those who will mourn her death. The death that she should take as a punishment for a bold and selfless act? With a blissful smile on his lips, Musya falls asleep ...
Conclusion
So, today we reviewed the "Tale of the Seven Hanged Men." The summary and analysis of this work, alas, cannot accommodate the feelings and emotions of the characters that Andreyev conveyed to readers. This is a subtle psychological story that teaches you to value and love life.