In 1927, A. Fadeev’s novel “The rout” was published, in which the author turned to the events of the revolution and civil war. By that time, this topic was already sufficiently covered in the literature. Some writers considered events that completely changed the life of the country as the greatest tragedy of the people, while others depicted everything in a romantic halo.
Alexander Fadeev Alexander Alexandrovich approached the coverage of the revolutionary movement in a somewhat different way. He continued the traditions of L. Tolstoy in the study of the human soul and created a psychological novel that was often blamed on him by “new writers” who rejected classical traditions.
The plot and composition of the work
The action develops in the Far East, where the combined forces of the White Guards and the Japanese fought a fierce battle with the partisans of Primorye. The latter often found themselves in complete isolation and were forced to act independently, without receiving support. It is in this situation that Levinson’s detachment falls, about which Fadeev’s novel The rout is narrated. An analysis of his composition determines the main task that the writer set himself: to create psychological portraits of the people of the revolution.
A novel of 17 chapters can be divided into 3 parts.
- Chapters 1–9 are an extensive exposition introducing the situation and the main characters: Morozka, Mechik, Levinson. The detachment is on vacation, but its commander must maintain discipline in the "combat unit" and be ready to speak at any time. Here the main conflicts are outlined and the action begins.
- 10-13 chapters - the detachment makes endless transitions and enters into minor clashes with the enemy. Fadeev Alexander Alexandrovich pays great attention to the development of the characters of the main characters, who often find themselves in difficult situations.
- Chapters 14-17 are the culmination of action and denouement. Of the entire detachment, forced to fight alone, only 19 people remain alive. But the main emphasis is on the moral choice of Frost and the Sword, who find themselves in equal conditions - in the face of death.
Thus, the novel does not contain a heroic description of the military exploits of people who defend the ideas of the revolution. To show the influence of events on the formation of the human personality - A. Fadeev strove for this. “Defeat” is an analysis of a difficult situation when “selection of human material” occurs. In such circumstances, according to the author, everything “the hostile is swept away”, and “rising from the true roots of the revolution ... hardens, grows, develops”.
Antithesis as the main technique of the novel
The contrast in the work takes place at all levels. It concerns both the position of the warring parties (“red” - “white”), and the moral analysis of the actions of people involved in the events that served as the basis for Fadeev’s novel “rout”.
An analysis of the images of the main characters, Frost and Mechik, makes it clear that they are contrasted in everything: origin and education, appearance, committed acts and their motivation, relationships with people, place in the squad. Thus, the author gives his answer to the question, what is the path of various social groups in the revolution.
Frost
The reader gets acquainted with the “second-generation miner” already in chapter 1. This is a young man who goes through the difficult path of becoming an individual.
At first it seems that Frost consists of only flaws. Rude, uneducated, constantly violating discipline in the squad. He committed all acts rashly, and his life seemed to him "simple, uncomprehensible." At the same time, the reader immediately notices his courage: he, risking his life, saves an absolutely stranger - the Sword.
Frost is given a lot of attention in Fadeev’s novel “The rout”. An analysis of his actions allows us to understand how the hero’s attitude towards himself and others changed. The first significant event for him was the trial for the theft of melons. Frost was shocked and frightened that he could be expelled from the detachment, and for the first time he gave the “miner's” word to be corrected, which he would never break. Gradually, the hero realizes his responsibility to the detachment, learns to live meaningfully.
The advantage of Frost was that he clearly knew why he had come to the squad. He was always attracted only to the best people, who are many in Fadeev’s novel “rout”. An analysis of the actions of Levinson, Baklanov, Goncharenko will become the basis for the formation of the best moral qualities in a former miner. A loyal comrade, a dedicated soldier, a man who feels responsible for his actions - this is how Frost appears in the finals, when at the cost of his own life he saves a detachment.
Sword
A completely different Paul. First appearing in a rushing crowd, he will never find a place for himself until the end of the novel.
The sword is introduced into Fadeev’s novel "The rout" is not accidental. A citizen, educated and well-mannered, clean (in the description of the hero words with diminutive suffixes are often used) is a typical representative of the intelligentsia, whose attitude to revolution has always been controversial.
The sword often causes contempt. He once imagined a romantic, heroic atmosphere that would await him in the war. When the reality turned out to be completely different (“dirtier, lousy, tougher”), I experienced great disappointment. And the more Mechik was in the detachment, the thinner the connection between him and the partisans became. Pavel does not use the opportunities to become part of the "detachment mechanism" - Fadeev gives them more than once. The “rout”, the problems of which are also connected with the role of the intelligentsia divorced from the people's roots in the revolution, ends with the moral fall of the hero. He betrays the detachment, and the condemnation of his own cowardice is quickly replaced by the joy of the fact that for him the "terrible life" has now ended.
Levinson
This character begins and ends the story. The role of Levinson is significant: it contributes to the cohesion of the detachment, unites the partisans into one whole.
The hero is already interesting in that his appearance (due to his short stature and red beard with a wedge, he resembled a gnome's sword) did not match the image of the heroic commander in a leather jacket created in literature. But the plain appearance only emphasized the extraordinary personality. The attitude of all the heroes of Fadeev’s novel “rout” to him, an analysis of actions and thoughts prove that Levinson was an indisputable authority for everyone in the detachment. No one could even imagine the commander doubting, he always served as a model of a "special, regular breed." Even the moment when the last one is taken from the peasants to save the detachment, it seems, for example, to Frost is not a robbery, similar to the theft of melons, but a necessary thing. And only the reader witnesses that Levinson is a living person with fears and insecurities inherent in everyone.
It is also noteworthy that the difficulties only temper the commander, make him stronger. Only such a person, according to the writer, is able to lead people.
The idea of ​​the novel, as Fadeev saw it
The “rout”, the content and theme of which is largely explained by the author himself, shows how the true character of a person is manifested in the process of complex historical events.
“Huge alteration of people” refers to representatives of different ages and social groups. Some come out of the tests with dignity, in the moral form of others, emptiness and worthlessness are exposed.
Today, the work of Fadeev is perceived ambiguously. Thus, the indisputable advantages of the novel include a deep analysis of the psychology of the main characters, especially since this was almost the first attempt in post-revolutionary literature. But at the same time, it is difficult to agree with the opinion that for the sake of the triumph of the idea, all methods are good, even the murder of the mortally wounded Frolov. No goals can justify cruelty and violence - this is the main principle of the indestructible laws of humanism, on which mankind rests.