The work "The Fate of a Man" by Sholokhov was first published ten years after the Great Patriotic War ended, in 1956-1957. The subject of the story is not typical for the literature of that time devoted to the war. The author first spoke about the soldiers who were captured by the Nazis.
In this article we will analyze the work "The Fate of a Man" by M. Sholokhov, and also describe its brief content.
The fate of soldiers captured by the Nazis
The fate of these people, as is now well known, was no less tragic than the fate of the soldiers who had visited the front. Not only fascists brutally mocked the prisoners. They were betrayed by the motherland itself - in the USSR they were treated as spies, enemies of the people. Upon returning home, prisoners of war were mainly exiled to various Gulag camps. Here they continued to endure the same torment as that captured by the Germans.
But this is not what Sholokhov tells ("The Fate of Man"). The theme of war in his work is primarily associated with the image of the protagonist. The author focuses on the typical fate of a soldier who participated in the Great Patriotic War.
Summary: the beginning of the story
The war was ending. Spring bloomed. Andrei Sokolov, a soldier, a native of Voronezh province, recalling his past, talks about his former life. He participated in the civil war on the side of the Reds, worked in the Kuban in the famine of 1922. Then Andrei returned to Voronezh and was a carpenter, as well as a driver. He married the girl he loved, raised three children with her. But 1941, the fateful year struck, and Andrei Sokolov was called up for military service.
How Andrew was captured
Working as a driver at the front, he carried ammunition to the front line. After the bomb exploded and his car was wrecked, Andrei was shell-shocked and captured. Here, together with other Russians, he lived in a dilapidated church. The circumstances were such that Andrei needed to kill one prisoner who wanted to extradite his platoon commander to the Germans. The war is cruel, and Sokolov is now already in a concentration camp, but the idea of escaping does not leave him here either.
Unsuccessful and successful escape
They manage to escape, but they eventually catch him. Despite the fact that the dogs set against him bit Andrey, he manages to survive. Again bullying, hunger, hard work. In 1944, he made a new escape, taking with him a captured German officer who had documents. This time he managed to get to his.
Scary news
After Andrei Sokolov was cured in the hospital, he returns to his hometown of Voronezh, where he finds out that his family is no longer here: his daughter and wife died when there was a bombing, and Anatoly, the son, went to the front. The happy news that Germany had surrendered was overshadowed for the main character by the news that his son Anatoly had died.
The new meaning of life
Demobilized, Andrei Sokolov does not return to Voronezh anymore. He is near a teahouse in the city of Uryupinsk meets one homeless child. The sad eyes of the boy Vanya are sympathetic to the protagonist. Knowing that the boy, like him, has no relatives, he decides to take the orphan to him and become a father for him.
Narrator and protagonist
We begin our analysis of Sholokhov’s Destiny of a Man with the images of the narrator and the protagonist, as the narrative seems to be divided between them, and in the center of it is the fate of Andrei Sokolov. In addition to Sholokhov, this narrative device in his work used, for example, Lermontov in his work “The Hero of Our Time”, as well as Gorky in romantic stories.
The narrator, as we learn from the exposition, is a hero who is close to the writer. He makes his way to the Don village, but is forced to linger due to the spill of the river, waiting for a boat on the shore.
Awakening spring nature is rampant around, and this picture pleases the narrator, since it is a symbol of the rebirth of all life after a devastating war. The narrator enjoys loneliness and silence, but suddenly he notices a man and a boy who are tiredly wandering towards. So we get acquainted with the main character - Andrei Sokolov.
The image of Andrei Sokolov
In his portrait, the worker’s callous, rude, stressed hands are emphasized, as well as eyes filled with longing, as if sprinkled with ashes.
We understand, having analyzed the work “The Destiny of a Man” by Sholokhov, that the whole purpose of life for this character, battered by the war, lies in his adopted son. It is no coincidence that Vanyusha’s clothes are much neater than his father’s. The hero takes care first of all of the boy, not paying attention to himself.
Then we learn the fate of this character from his lips. Andrei with a random interlocutor is extremely frank - he does not hide personal details.
We can safely say that the life of this hero was happy. After all, he had a loving wife, children, he was engaged in his favorite business. Moreover, Andrei’s life is typical for that time. Sokolov is a simple Russian man, of which there were millions in our country at that time.
Feat of Andrei ("The fate of man", Sholokhov)
The composition "War in the life of the protagonist" can be built on the contrast of the attitude of Andrei and other people who meet on his life path. In comparison with them, it seems to us an even greater and more terrible feat, which, in fact, is his whole life.
The hero, unlike others, shows patriotism, courage. This confirms the analysis of the work "The Fate of Man" by Sholokhov. So, during the battle, he plans to accomplish the almost impossible - to deliver shells to the Russian troops, breaking through the enemy’s barrier. At this moment, he does not think about impending danger, about his own life. But the plan could not be implemented - Andrei is captured by the Nazis. But here he does not lose heart, retains a sense of humor, self-esteem, calm. So, when a German soldier ordered him to remove his boots, which he liked, Sokolov, as if mocking him, takes off his footcloths as well.
The work reveals the various problems of the Sholokhov. The fate of man, anyone, not only Andrei, was tragic at that time. However, in her face, different people behave differently. Sholokhov shows the horrors occurring in captivity with the Germans. Many people lost their face in inhuman conditions: for the sake of saving a life or a piece of bread, they were ready to go to any betrayal, humiliation, even murder. The stronger, cleaner, higher is the personality of Sokolov, his actions and thoughts. Problems of character, courage, perseverance, honor - this is what interests the writer.
Conversation with Muller
And in the face of mortal danger that threatens Andrei (a conversation with Muller), he behaves very dignifiedly, which is even respected by the enemy. In the end, the Germans recognize the unbending character of this warrior.
It is interesting that the "confrontation" of Müller and Sokolov took place just at the moment when fighting was under way near Stalingrad. Andrey’s moral victory in this context becomes a symbol of the victory of the Russian troops.
Raises other problems Sholokhov ("The fate of man"). One of them is the problem of the meaning of life. The hero fully experienced the echoes of the war: he learned that he had lost his entire family. Hopes for a happy life have faded. He remains completely alone, having lost the meaning of existence, devastated. The meeting with Vanyusha did not allow the hero to die, to fall. In this boy, the hero found a son, a new incentive to live.
Mikhail Alexandrovich believes that stamina, humanism, and self-esteem are features typical of a Russian character. Therefore, our people managed to win this great and terrible war, as Sholokhov believes ("The fate of man"). The subject of man is described in detail by the writer, it is reflected even in the title of the story. We turn to him.
The meaning of the title of the story
The story "The fate of man" is not named so by chance. This name, on the one hand, convinces us that the character of Andrei Sokolov is typical, and on the other hand, also emphasizes his greatness, since Sokolov has every right to be called a Man. This work gave an impetus to the revival of the classical tradition in Soviet literature. It is characterized by attention to the fate of a simple, “little man,” worthy of full respect.
With the help of various techniques - a confession, portrait, speech characteristics - the author reveals the character of the hero as fully as possible. This is a simple man, majestic and beautiful, with dignity, strong. His fate can be called tragic, since Andrei Sokolov suffered serious trials, but we still admire him. Could not break it, neither the death of loved ones, nor the war. "The fate of man" (M. Sholokhov) is a very humanistic work. The main character finds the meaning of life in helping another. This is what, above all, demanded by the harsh post-war period.