Good books about sincere people, ready for self-sacrifice, touch the soul, teach decency and compassion. Such is the story of A.P. Platonov "Yushka". The summary of a small story will introduce readers to this extraordinary creation.
The protagonist of the story
Andrei Platonovich Platonov wrote this amazing story in 1935. The author narrates in the first person, so it seems to the reader that he knew the main character of the work well.
His name was Yefim, but everyone called him Yushka. In appearance, this man was old. There was already little power in his hands, and his vision was failing - the man saw poorly. He worked in a forge on a large road that stretched towards Moscow - he performed all feasible tasks. Yefim carried coal, water, sand, and fanned the forge with furs. He also had other duties under the forge. That's how Yushka worked.
The summary of the story goes on to describe the appearance of this person. He was small in stature and lean in physique. Only gray, sparse hair grew in place of a beard and mustache. The eyes of an old man were white, like a blind man.
He lived with the owner of the forge in the apartment. He went to work early in the morning, and returned back late in the evening. For the good performance of his duties, the owner fed him porridge, cabbage soup, bread. Yushka had to buy tea, sugar, clothes for his salary, which amounted to 7 rubles 60 kopecks.
How did the assistant blacksmith dress
He did not allow himself to spend money. Why? You will find out about this at the very end of the story "Yushka". The summary of the work makes it possible to better examine the entire depth of the soul of this person. An older man drank water instead of sweet tea. He constantly refused to buy new clothes, so he always went the same way. In the summer, his poor wardrobe consisted of a blouse and trousers, which in time became very smoky and were burned with sparks. The hero didn’t have summer shoes, so in the warm season he always walked barefoot.
The winter wardrobe was the same, only on top of the shirt the assistant of the blacksmith put on an old coat, inherited from his father. On his feet were boots, which also made holes from time to time. But tireless Yushka sutured them every autumn.
The summary of the story tells how cruel people can be, regardless of age. It is precisely such heroes that we meet in this story of A.P. Platonov.
Bullying a Resigned Man
Perhaps, only the blacksmith and his daughter were kind to Yefim. The remaining inhabitants of the town took out all their accumulated anger on a magnanimous person. Children were also unkind, either out of boredom or because they learned this from adults. Such scenes are described in his work by Andrey Platonov ("Yushka"). The summary of the story, namely the episodes presented below, draw the reader's attention to this bleak moment.
When Yefim passed children and adolescents to work or back, they ran up to him and began throwing earth, sticks, pebbles at a middle-aged man. They were surprised that he never scolded them for what they had done, so they tried their best to get Yushka mad.
The old man was silent. When people inflicted severe pain on him, he spoke kindly to them, calling them “dear” and “family”. He was sure that they love him, they need him, since they attract attention in this way. Yefim thought that children simply do not know how to express their love in a different way, and so they do this.
Adults who met Yushka on the street called him blessed, often beat him for nothing. He fell to the ground and for a long time could not rise. After some time, the daughter of a blacksmith came for Yefim, helped to get up and took her home. Here is a hero who makes compassion and reconsider their views on life, the reader can meet in the story "Yushka" (Platonov). The summary of the work goes on to pleasant episodes of the life of this harmless person.
Yefim and nature
To understand how sincere, sincere, capable of loving the living was the main character of the work, the next part of the story helps.
Efim walked for a long time, through forests, rivers and fields. When he found himself in nature, he was transformed. After all, Yushka suffered from consumption (tuberculosis), so he was so thin and exhausted. But, dozing on a stump in the shade of trees, he woke up rested. It seemed to him that the disease had receded, and this man went on already with brisk steps.
It turns out that Yefim was only 40 years old, he looked so bad because of the disease. Once a year, Yushka was on vacation, so in July or August he took a bag of bread and went somewhere for a month, saying that he was going to his relatives in a distant village or going to Moscow itself.
About how reverently a person can relate to all living things, tells the story of "Yushka". A brief summary, namely, some of the most striking episodes of the work, acquaints readers with this so rare phenomenon today.
Knowing that no one sees him, Yefim knelt down on the ground and kissed it, breathing in full breast the unique fragrance of flowers. He picked up insects that did not move, looked at them and was sad that they were inanimate.
But the forests and fields were full of sounds. Insects chirped here, birds sang. It was so good that the man stopped upset and moved on. It should be noted that such touching moments make the reader better understand the wide soul of such an unusual person as Yushka.
Platonov (the summary of the story will also not be silent about this) decides to end his work with a rather tragic moment, which makes many of us rethink our whole life.
Killed Yushka
A month later, Yefim returned to the city, continued to work. One evening he was going home. He met a man who began to pester with stupid conversations. Probably for the first time in his life, the assistant blacksmith decided to answer the stranger. But the interlocutor did not like his words, although they were harmless, and a passerby hit Yushka in the chest, and he went home to drink tea.
The fallen man never got up. A furniture workshop worker walked past, leaned over Yushka and realized that he had died.
The owner of the forge and his daughter buried Efim with dignity, in a Christian way.
Named daughter
So Yushka died. A very brief summary of the story continues with an unexpected visit to the girl’s forge. She came in the fall and asked to call Efim Dmitrievich. The blacksmith did not immediately understand what she was talking about Yushka. He told the girl what had happened. He asked who she had to this person.
The girl replied that she was an orphan, and Yefim Dmitrievich was not related to her. He took care of the girl from childhood, once a year brought her accumulated money for life and study.
Thanks to him, she graduated from the university, became a doctor. And now she came to cure a person dear to her, but it was too late.
However, the girl did not leave the city, she began to work here in a tuberculosis hospital, came to all people in need for free, and treated them.
Even when she was old, she did not stop helping people. In the city, she was nicknamed the daughter of the good Yushka, realizing too late what an unusual and pure soul the man they had destroyed was.