Valentin G. Rasputin is one of the most talented and famous writers of modern Russian literature. Fundamental to many of his works is the theme of moral perception today.
The story "Deadline", the brief content of which we present to your attention, the creator himself called the main work in his work. He began to work on it in 1969, and in 1970, in the journal "Our Contemporary" was published the work "Deadline".
Summary: the beginning of the story
Without opening her eyes, without movement lies the old woman Anna. Life in it is still warming, but the woman herself was almost frozen. Her daughters understand this, bring a piece of the broken mirror to her lips. It fogs up, therefore, the mother is still alive. But Varvara, one of the daughters, believes that one can already mourn, “reject”, and does this selflessly, first at the bed, and then at the table, since it is more convenient there. Lyusya, another daughter, sews a mourning dress tailored in the city at this time. The sewing machine is chattering to the sob of Barbara.
Arrival of children for a funeral
Anna had five children. Two of her sons died, the first-born, who were born one for God, and the second for the king. Varvara came to say goodbye to her parent from the district center, and Ilya and Lucy from the provincial towns nearby.
We continue to describe the work "Deadline". A summary of the following further developments. Anna is waiting for arrival from distant Kiev Tanya. In the village, next to her, was always with his daughter and wife, son Michael. The children, gathered around the old woman the day after arrival, do not know how to react to the revived mother, to her strange rebirth.
Ilya and Mikhail get drunk
Ilya and Mikhail, having dragged the boat, cannot decide now what to do. Compared to the upcoming event, everything else seemed a trifle, and they toiled, passing through themselves every minute. Sons get drunk almost without a snack, hiding in a barn, bite only products that Ninka, the little daughter of Mikhail, drags for them. This circumstance provokes the legitimate anger of women, but piles of vodka give a feeling of celebration to two brothers. Mother, after all, is alive. They no longer understand, not paying attention to the girl collecting the unfinished and empty bottles, what thought they want to drown out this time. Perhaps fear of the knowledge that their parent will die soon. He does not look like other fears, everything is worse, as he comes from death itself, which seemed to notice all of them in the face and will not forget it.
The work "Deadline" continues. A summary of further events is as follows. Feeling bad the next day after drinking, the brothers hang out again. Ilya and Mikhail do not know how to work. They never knew any other joy than from drinking. The common work happened in the village, where once everyone lived together - an avid, friendly, voiced, with a dissonance of axes and drank. She was in the spring, in the season of harvesting firewood. But now people are leaving for the city, a collective farm is falling apart in the village, there is no one to raise and feed cattle.
Lucy's daughter recalls her former life
The townswoman Lyusya, recalling her previous life, recalls with great joy and warmth Igrenka, her beloved horse, who was very weak and eventually died. Igren dragged a lot, but did not master. Lucy, wandering around the arable land and fields around the village, realizes that she does not choose where to go, but some kind of force, an outsider, living in these places leads her. Life seemed to come back, as Lucy lost something valuable, necessary, forgot something, without which it is impossible ...
Anna is recovering
We continue to describe the summary of the book "Deadline". While the children indulge in memories and drink, Anna, having eaten the semolina specially prepared for her, invigorates more and goes out onto the porch. Friend Mironikha visits her. Anna grieves that there is no Tatyana among the children gathered at the bedside, Tanchory, as the old woman calls her. She was sharply different in character from her sisters. Her disposition was somehow special, joyful and gentle, human.
The old woman decides to die
We describe further events, their summary. "Deadline" Rasputin Valentine continues as follows. Anna decides to die, and did not wait for Tatyana, since there is nothing more to do in this world and death began to move to nothing. While the guys are here, let them spend, they will bury, as is customary for people, so that later they will not return to this care. Then, perhaps, Tanchora will come ... Many times the old woman thought about death, she knew it as herself. They have become girlfriends in recent years, the old woman often talked to her, and death listened to her whisper, sitting on the sidelines, and sighed knowingly. They agreed that Anna would depart at night, at first, like all people, she would fall asleep so as not to frighten death with open eyes, and that she would squeeze herself quietly, take a woman's worldly short dream and leave her with eternal rest. And so it happened.
Finishes his work "Deadline" Valentin Rasputin. A summary was presented in our article. It does not describe the details, does not give an idea of the characteristic features of the work. This story, meanwhile, is very interesting. Therefore, we recommend that you refer to the work itself, familiarize yourself with it in the original. We tried to convey only a brief summary. "Deadline" (Rasputin Valentin Grigorievich) - a work, reading which, you will not remain indifferent.