In this article, we describe the plot of a work by D.V. Grigorovich. The Gutta-Percha Boy, a summary of which we will consider, is a novel created in 1883. It is included in the school curriculum in literature.
Clown edwards
What does Grigorovich ("Gutta-percha Boy") tell us about? A summary of the main events is as follows. Artists crowd behind the curtains of a circus. These are cheerful and careless people. One bald man, already not quite young, stands out among them. His face is thickly covered with red and white paint. This is a clown named Edwards. He entered his "period of longing." This period is followed by another - severe binge. The clown Edwards is the main decoration of the circus, a kind of its bait. However, his behavior is unreliable. He can drink any day.
The director asks the clown not to drink at least until the end of Shrovetide, after which the circus should close, since it does not work during the post. He gets off the director with meaningless phrases.
Acrobat Becker and boy Petya
Further, Grigorovich ("Gutta-percha Boy") introduces us to other characters in the story. The main characters of the work are Edwards, Becker and Petya. We have already met the first of them. In order to introduce the reader to the other two, the author describes the following scene.
Edwards peeks into Becker's restroom, an acrobat. This is a muscular and rude giant. It’s not Becker himself who is interested in Edwards, but the “gutta-percha boy” Petya, his pet, the acrobat's assistant. Edwards asks if you can take a walk with him. He proves to Becker that a small artist will work better after entertainment and relaxation. The acrobat, always annoyed by something, does not even want to hear about it. He threatens the boy with a whip.
How Petya began to work in the circus
The story of this quiet boy is sad and simple. At the age of five, he lost his mother, an overly loving and jolly cook. With her, he often had to freeze and starve. However, the boy still did not feel loneliness.
After the mother died, the laundress Varvara, her fellow countrywoman, arranged the fate of the child. The boy was assigned to Becker in training. When he first met Petya, Karl Bogdanovich felt painfully and rudely, naked undressed, frozen from horror and pain. The boy was crying, did not want to go to Becker, but Barbara gave him to an acrobat, no matter how he clung to her hem.
Petya's life in the circus
The impressions of meeting the circus with its noise and motley shocked Petya very much. So much so that the boy screamed all night and woke up several times. It was not easy for Petya, a frail child, to learn various acrobatic tricks. He often fell, hurt himself. At the same time, the harsh acrobat never approved him, did not caress him. But Pete was only seven years old. Only the clown Edwards treated him favorably. He showed the boy how to perform various exercises. And the child was drawn to Edwards.
Clown gift
Further, D. V. Grigorovich tells us about one sad event in the life of a child. Gutta-percha boy received a gift from a clown. Once he brought him a puppy and gave it to a child. However, happiness was short-lived. The acrobat grabbed the puppy against the wall, and he immediately died. At the same time, the boy got a slap in the face. Petya was, one might say, not so much a gutta-percha child, as unhappy.
Children of Count Listomirov
A completely different atmosphere reigned in the children's rooms belonging to Count Listomirov. They are described in detail by Dmitry Grigorovich. A gutta-percha boy could not even dream of such conditions. Everything in these rooms was adapted for the fun and convenience of children. The hired governess carefully watched their mood and health. Count children were especially lively on one of the last Pancake days. Their mother’s sister, Aunt Sonya, promised them that she would take them to the circus. It was only necessary to wait until Friday.
Eight-year-old girl Vera, six-year-old Zina and a chubby five-year-old butuz (his nickname is Puff) tried to earn a trip to the circus with their exemplary behavior. They could not think of anything other than the upcoming entertainment. Literacy Vera read a circus poster to her brother and sister. Especially the children were intrigued by the gutta-percha boy. They could not wait to see him soon. For them, time dragged on very slowly, which was noted by D. V. Grigorovich ("Gutta-percha boy").
Representation
Finally, it was Friday. All fears and worries are already behind. Children take their seats long before the start of the performance. They enthusiastically look at clowns, a juggler and a horsewoman. Children can't wait to see a gutta-percha boy.
The exit of Petit and Becker begins the second branch. The acrobat attaches a gilded pole to his belt, at the top of which is a small crossbeam. Under the dome rushes the end of this pole. He hesitates, and viewers see how difficult it is for Becker to hold him back.
Circus incident
The story created by Grigorovich ("Gutta-percha Boy") is already approaching the finale. A summary of further events is as follows. Boy Petya climbs up a pole. The child is almost invisible. The audience applauded and shouted that it was time to stop such a dangerous number. However, the boy has yet to catch on the crossbar with his legs and hang upside down.
Petya copes with this. But then a gutta-percha boy breaks down and falls down into the arena. Artists and ministers pick up Petya and quickly carry him away. In order to hush up this incident, the orchestra begins to play a cheerful motive. Tumbling, clowns run out onto the stage.
The audience is upset. People make their way to the exits. Verochka screams and cries. She is sorry for the boy. Children are returning home. Great work was to reassure the guys and put them to bed. Aunt Sonya looks at Vera at night. She sees that the girl’s sleep is restless. A tear has dried on Verochka’s cheek.
Final events
Meanwhile, a child with broken breasts and broken ribs lies on a mattress in a deserted dark circus. Gutta-percha boy tied with rags. From the darkness from time to time a clown Edwards appears. He leans over the child. It can be seen that Edwards has already entered the binge. On the table is a decanter, almost empty.
Everything plunges into silence and darkness. The next morning, the number of the "gutta-percha boy" was no longer indicated on the poster. The child had died by then.
Such a sad ending was prepared for us by Grigorovich. The Gutta-Percha Boy, the summary of which we have just outlined, makes us think a lot.