Vasil Bykov wrote his story Obelisk in 1971. Three years later, for this and another work, "Live Until Dawn", the writer received the USSR State Prize. In this article we will retell the storyline of the story, that is, we will describe its brief content. Vasil Bykov "Obelisk" wrote in Belarusian. Then this story was translated into Russian and other languages. Its action takes place in a Belarusian village.
Obelisk
The summary of the book Obelisk by Vasil Bykov begins as follows. In the village of Seltso, Miklashevich, still an old teacher, died. As a teenager, he took part in the affairs of partisans. His school friends in 1942 were shot by the Germans. Miklashevich ensured that a small monument was erected in their honor in Selce. Five names of his comrades are written on the obelisk. And below the oil paint is added: "Frost A.I."
Wake
The summary of the story "Obelisk" (Vasil Bykov) continues. At the wake remember Frost. Different people talk about him. It was a teacher who was very loved by the guys. One of the last is Miklashevich. Later, he also became a teacher and also attracted children. They complained about Moroz that he behaves with his students as an equal, does not support discipline, and teaches without rigor. Ales Ivanovich lived at school, in a side wall at a class. This teacher taught children by example. So, together with the guys, he chopped a fallen tree for firewood. Pani Yadia, a teacher, believes that this can drop credibility.
Ales Ivanovich had many conflicts. For example, he allowed students to keep dogs in the yard, one of which had three legs. Then a starling appeared - also from goners. There lived a blind cat. So Frost taught the guys kindness.
In the evenings, he himself escorts girls through the forest, and also lingers - helps with the cow, which has been divorced, their mothers. With his small teacher's salary, he bought a pair of shoes for the girls, as his mother decided not to let them go to school in cold weather. He left the boy Pavlik Miklashevich to live with him, as his drunken father beat him. This parent filed a complaint with the prosecutor, as the child is legally required to live in the family. The father began to beat his son with a belt in front of the school. Then Ales Ivanovich almost got into a fight, did not let this man pick up the kid. The commission decided to send the guy to the orphanage. But Frost was in no hurry with this.
Books for the school library Frost got, where possible. He carried them from an old manor on ice across the river. Along the shore, he fell through the ice and lay sick for a month. But lying in his closet, he read aloud to the children of Tolstoy.
Frost also helped the peasants - he gave advice, fussed in Grodno or the region, traveling on the way. And so the war began. Three days later, there were Germans in Selce. Frost remained at school, some believed that he was fawning on them. For partisans, Ales Ivanovich became the most expensive assistant, took out a receiver, wrote down everything he heard.
Two policeman
There were two policemen in Selce. The first, Lavchenya, did a lot of good to people in this rank. And another was christened Cain, and he earned this nickname: he shot the wounded commanders hiding in the forest, burned the liaison manor, and shot him his wife, children, parents. He mocked Jews, organized raids. Cain suspected something around the Frost School. Interrogated, searched. Borodich, a pupil of Ales Ivanovich, hinted to him that he could hit this policeman. But he forbade self-will.
We continue to talk about the events of the story, to describe the summary. Vasil Bykov "Obelisk" continues with the following events.
By the spring of 1942, a devoted group of children had formed around the teacher in Selce. These were Pavel Miklashevich (14 years old), Kolya Borodich (17 years old), the Kozhan brothers - Ostap and Timka, Nikolai Smurny (13 years old, the youngest) and Andrei Smurny - namesakes. These guys decided to destroy Cain in secret from the teacher. At night, Frost came to the partisans and found out that they had been taken. He himself barely got out - the police officer Lavchenya warned him.
Sabotage
Cain rolled onto a farm in a German car with a soldier, a German sergeant major, and two other policemen. Pigs were taken in Selce, they were taken home from chickens. The guys decided to file a bridge along which the policeman with his people had to go back. The car rolled over, but only the German, crushed by it, died. The rest saw the boy running away.
A summary of Bykov’s novel Obelisk continues. Lavchenya knocked at Frost at night to warn that the "lads had been taken away" and were following him. The police and the Germans correctly figured out which of the guys could commit sabotage. Ales Ivanovich took refuge at the partisans. But Ulyana, a messenger, came running with a message that the Nazis were demanding that a teacher come, otherwise they would threaten to shoot the students. It is clear that both teachers will be killed and children will not be released. Frost is about to give up. Meanwhile, the guys were locked up in a barn, beaten, dragged to interrogations. In the midst of torture, a teacher appears. He is being arrested. Cain writes a report to his superiors, saying that they caught the leader of the gang of partisans - Moroz.
Execution
Sadly ends the story, which compiled a brief summary. Vasil Bykov (Obelisk) further describes the following events. Guys lead to death. The eldest of the twins, Ivan, asks to be released, because the Germans promised. But they only beat him in the teeth. Then the boy does not stand up and kicks the fascist in the stomach. They shoot him immediately.
How Pavlik survived
Frost knew that Pavlik runs well, and tells him to run when the teacher says. Frost screams the fascists' attention, and Pavlik tries to do it, but they shoot him. Considering the dead, the boy is thrown into melt water. The grandmother, whom Frost lived with, picks him up at night, takes him to his father, who mercilessly quilted his son with a belt. He brings a doctor from the city, hides, treats his son, and in the end the boy survives.
The rest of the guys were hanged on Easter Sunday. Of the seven boys, only Miklashevich survived. But he was constantly ill: his chest was shot through right through. Tuberculosis started, then my heart sank, and he almost died.
After the funeral, disputes flare up whether Ales Ivanovich accomplished a feat or not. He voluntarily “put on the block” for his students, and this is more than if he had killed a hundred Germans.
This concludes the summary. Vasil Bykov (Obelisk) depicted the events in much more detail, with a lot of details that we did not mention.
Therefore, we recommend that you turn to the work itself in order to get a complete picture of it. Very deeply shows the essence of the teacher’s action Vasil Bykov ("Obelisk"). Brief contents of the works of this author cannot replace the original versions.