In the piggy bank of literary masterpieces there are many works that capture from the first line and do not let go until the last. The classics left a legacy that many generations have studied on, both young and old are read. Among them, Kamenyar, a great philosopher, a talented writer, poet, enlightener, revolutionary and public figure, occupies an honorable place . And in some way the prophet, since he foresaw much of the life of his people and humanity in general. This is Ivan Franko, a Ukrainian genius who lived at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
One of the best works
Many works were written by Ivan Franko. "Zakhar Berkut" is rightfully considered one of the best. What attracts the reader’s story today? What did people like at the time of its creation? First of all, characters. The image of Zakhar Berkut is central in the work. Its characteristic will be presented below, but for now we will consider other highlights of the story.
The second feature of it is nature, masterfully copied by the writer. In love with his native land, the author paints it like an artist, noticing every detail. But Frank’s nature is not just a background for events, but an active participant in them. Nature helps good heroes as she can: lightning predicts trouble, stones, as if obeying the will of the community, stop the river and turn it into a valley where the enemy lies. And even the large stone Watchman, whom the ancestors of the inhabitants of Tukhli prayed to, seemed like an accomplice of Zakhar.
The third highlight is the amazing and melodic language used by the Tukhol people, whom the author spoke to. Crowded with folk wisdom, proverbs, idioms and archaisms, it takes the reader to those distant times. Well, the fourth feature of the story, of course, is an interesting plot that reflects the struggle of the civilian population with a cruel invader.
"Zakhar Golden Eagle": the plot
Briefly tell the plot of the story, then Franco paints the idyll of the Carpathian village in the distant thirteenth century. The community of Russia still lived according to the laws of the family: all important decisions were made on the council, and the wise old man led social life. The image of Zakhar Berkut is a prefabricated portrait of such an elder.
Despite the fact that Christianity already prevailed in Russia, people worshiped nature, the elements, believed in dreams and signs. They are opposed by a boyar appointed from the capital, who seeks to seize all power into his own hands. At this time, the Tatar-Mongol horde walked the country, bringing war and destruction, tears and rivers of blood. She came to this picturesque place suddenly. Tukholtsy stood up to fight. But the boyar Tugar Wolf volunteered to help the invaders. His daughter Miroslava, in love with Maxim, son of Zakhar, renounces his father and helps the peasants. The image of Zakhar Berkut and the boyar Tugar are extremely opposite, but still the author believed in the best in every person. Otherwise, the Wolf would not have understood his mistake.
Personal and public
The characterization of Zakhar Berkut will be incomplete, if not to mention the struggle of feelings and contradictions in man. When Maxim is captured by the Mongols, the elder refuses categorically to exchange his son for a safe passage of the enemy into the valley. He loves the young man very much, but believes that the safety of Tukhli and neighboring villages (that is, all their native land) is more important than the life of one person.
The same can be said about Miroslav: a noble girl was imbued with love for ordinary people and renounces her father for his vile deed. She asks Zakhar to become her parent and helps the peasants with both deed and wise advice.
Love in the Carpathians
The characteristic of Zakhar Berkut is what the writer focuses on. Ivan Franko draws a brave, wise, honest man who serves society. In parallel, the love line of Maxim and Miroslava, two young people, unfolds. Not opposites, although they grew up in different conditions, but pure-hearted, noble and loyal guys and girls whose hearts beat in unison. They also knew how to separate personal interest from the public and even a minute from death thought about saving the villagers. They understood that they could lose each other, but they had no thought of betrayal.
Epilogue
Tukholtsy won, young people saved - the story is approaching a happy end. But death reminds us that nothing on earth lasts forever. Saving Maxim, Tugar dies, then Zakhar Berkut dies, marking the upcoming changes. It seems as if the writer wants to emphasize that the moment of a turning point in history, the withering away of the public harm, is coming, but human values will never lose their relevance.
The image of Zakhar Berkut is both complex and clear. In his character there are no flaws, contradictions, evil thoughts, he said that he thought, and served people as best he could. However, this simple man understood that the well-being of his land depended on his people, on their cohesion, unity, and rejection. And before his death, he predicted prosperity for his homeland, but on condition that people still cling to each other. And his prophetic words can be repeated again and again, and the story of Ivan Franko wants to read and reread indefinitely.