And again, before us is the Russian classic - Leskov, “The Man on the Clock” (a brief summary follows). The work was written and published in 1887, but its name sounded differently - "The Salvation of the Perished." Subsequently, the author changed the title in order to show the reader that the story told is not just an entertaining, sometimes even curious case from everyday life that can be forgotten over time, but a deep question about what is a person’s duty and for whom or what his need to be performed, or maybe not at all ...
Summary: “The man on the watch” N. Leskova
It was the 1839th. Winter was warm that year. The snow was gradually melting, drops were heard during the day, and the ice on the Neva became very thin.
The guard at the Winter Palace, where Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich lived, occupied a company of Izmailovites under the command of Miller. The time was quiet, serene, so it was not difficult to carry out the patrol. The only thing that was required to be carried out scrupulously was to stand at the post.
There was a quiet good night. The palace fell asleep. The guards are deployed. But suddenly the silence was broken by the distant cry of a man drowning in a river. What to do? The simple soldier Postnikov did not dare to leave the post. This was a terrible violation of the Charter, and threatened with serious punishment until the execution. But the moaning did not stop, and the sentinel was stunned. He was a sensitive man, and could not help but give a helping hand to the afflicted, but at the same time, the arguments of his reason said the opposite - he is a soldier and his duty is to completely obey the order. But the groans from the side of the river floated closer and closer, the desperate floundering of the dying was already heard. Postnikov again turned around - not a soul around, could not bear it and left his post.
The summary of “Man on the Clock” does not end there. The rescued and the savior were completely wet. Here, by the way, an officer drove along the embankment. Having barely explained what had happened, Plotnikov handed the misunderstood victim into the hands of the master, took the gun and quickly went back to the booth.
The officer, realizing that the saved man from fear does not remember and does not understand, decided to take him to the bailiff and say that he saved the drowning man with a risk to his life. The police officers drew up a report, but were surprised with their characteristic suspicion, how did the mister officer himself out of the water dry?
Duty or honor?
Continuing with a brief summary of The Man on the Clock, let us return to the main character: the wet, trembling Postnikov was replaced from his post and assigned to Commander Miller. There he confessed everything, and in the end added that the officer had taken the rescued man to the Admiralty part. Nikolai Ivanovich Miller realized that a terrible misfortune loomed over him: the officer will tell the details of the night incident to the bailiff, and the bailiff will immediately report the incident to Chief Police Officer Kokoshkin, who, in turn, will inform the sovereign and the fever will go, and the “heads” of those who committed a violation of the Charter will fly.
There was no time to argue for a long time, and he sent an alarming note to Lt. Col. Svinin ... The battalion commander was desperate. The only thing he could do in such a situation was to immediately put Postnikov in a punishment cell and go to bow to General Kokoshkin.
But the chief police officer did not know anything. The bailiff decided not to disturb the general. The incident was commonplace, and besides, he was unpleasant that the drowned man was not pulled out of his unit, but by a palace officer.
Kokoshkin was flattered that Svinin came to him for advice and decided to help him. He took advantage of the bragging officer, handed him a medal, and the case was closed. But what to do with Postnikov? They decided to punish him with more than one hundred rods in order to "protect themselves just in case later."
When the sentence was carried out, Svinin visited the soldier in the infirmary, and ordered him to bring some sugar and tea. The compassionate sentry was glad, because sitting under arrest for three days, he expected much worse ...
Summary of The Man on the Watch: Conclusion
At the end of the story, the author discusses the justice of God and the earthly. The soul of a simple soldier Postnikov is humble. He faced a difficult choice, which of the confused "hierarchy" of debts should be fulfilled in the first place: the duty of a soldier or the duty of a person? He chose the latter, and did good for the sake of good, without waiting for any reward. But Leskov regrets that earthly justice is on the opposite shore from God's sight, and that he lacks faith in this case to accept the joy of God from "the behavior of the humble soul of Postnikov created by him ...". The summary of “The Man on the Clock” (Leskova N. S.), of course, cannot convey the entire subtlety and depth of the plot, so reading the original is strongly recommended.