An analysis of the work “Quiet Don” provides an opportunity to understand the novel epic of the writer Mikhail Sholokhov. This is the main work of his life, for which in 1965 the author was given the Nobel Prize in literature. The epic was written from 1925 to 1940, originally published in the magazines October and New World, and then was reprinted several times. In the article we will tell the plot of the novel, analyze the book, as well as the main female and male images.
Epic Creation
To analyze the work "Quiet Flows the Don" you need to understand that this is one of the most significant novels in the history of Russian literature of the XX century. Telling his plot, it should be noted that the pages of the epic depict a panorama of the life of the Don Cossacks during the First World War, the October Revolution and the Civil War.
The author of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" Mikhail Sholokhov admitted that he began to write in October 1925, but soon the work came to a standstill. The writer considered that the novel about the revolution in the Don would remain incomprehensible to the reader, if not to tell the whole history of events. The next year he spent on collecting material and considering the plan.
The final version of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" was begun in November 1926 in the village of Veshenskaya, in which Sholokhov worked for the next nine months. By August 1927, he had completed the first three parts, with them went to Moscow. Publication only began in January 1928. The book quickly became successful, making its author a celebrity.
He worked on the last part of the novel in Veshenskaya in the late 1930s. In letters to Stalin, he explained the constant delays by the unfavorable situation created by the regional NKVD. As a result, it required the intervention of the leader, who ordered the Russian writer to be provided with normal working conditions.
Book one
A summary of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" will help you learn about the main events of the novel, without even reading it. The story begins with the fact that Prokofiy Melekhov brings a Turkish woman to his native Cossack farm from the next war against the Ottoman Empire. Before dying, she manages to give birth to a son, who receives the name Pantele.
Pantelei himself has three children - Gregory, Petro and Dunyasha. Grisha gets notorious for having a relationship with married Aksinya Astakhova, who became a victim of sexual abuse by her father. To hush up this story, Gregory is married to Natalia Korshunova.
After some time, the main character still leaves his wife. Grigory and Aksinya are hired as workers at the estate of a retired General Listnitsky. However, his son shows interest in Aksinya, which provokes Grigory to jealousy. Meanwhile, Natalia cuts her throat oblique, but survives.
World War I
When the war begins, Melekhov gets to the front. He fights with his regiment on the Austrian border. Shtokman, who turns out to be a member of the Bolshevik party, is being arrested in the farm; he has been conducting anti-government campaigning among local residents for several years.
In the war, Gregory for the first time in his life enters the battle against the Austrians near Leshnev. In the next battle, he is injured, but remains alive. He is awarded the rank of officer and St. George's Cross.
Aksinya has been living in Berry all this time. She gives birth to a daughter from Gregory, who in infancy dies of scarlet fever. In desperation, she draws closer to the centurion Eugene, who has long looked after her. Gregory, upon learning of treason, beats his beloved with a whip. After that, he returns to his native farm to his lawful wife.
Second book
A summary of Silent Don will help you prepare for your exam or seminar on this novel. The second volume takes place in Polesie in 1916. Officers discuss in the dugout the foggy future of the Russian army in this war, after which Yesaul Listnitsky writes a denunciation to his colleague Bunchuk.
Bunchuk is a Bolshevik, he is deserting, and anti-war leaflets are being actively distributed at the front.
Melekhov heroes, saves in East Prussia from the death of his foe Stepan Astakhov, the legitimate husband of Aksinya. But he gets wounded and is captured. Gregory’s wife gives birth to twins, but a sense of uncertainty reigns in the world because the Cossacks learn about the king’s abdication from the throne.
Listnitsky is transferred to Petrograd, where he is on the side of Kornilov. Bunchuk also appears, now in the role of a revolutionary agitator. After the October Revolution, the Cossacks returned to the Don.
During the revolution, Gregory cannot find himself in any way; he does not know which side to speak on. The Don Civil War begins. For whites, Kaledin becomes the center of attraction. Melekhov fights on the side of the Red Army, he is depressed by the reprisal over the prisoners. In Rostov, Bunchuk leads mass executions that morally destroy him. The rebellious Cossacks capture him along with Podtelkov, sentencing him to death.
Third volume
By the spring of 1918, the Cossacks were divided into those who support the Bolsheviks, and those who want the independent existence of the Don region. In Millerovo are the Germans. In Novocherkassk, on the Cossack circle, they elected ataman General Krasnov. Pantelei Melekhov also takes part in the elections.
By the end of summer, Gregory is already a platoon commander in the Don army. Now he is fighting against the Reds. Sholokhov pays particular attention to the negotiations between the leadership of the Volunteer Army of Denikin and the Don Army of Krasnov, in order to jointly act against the Reds.
Listnitsky at the front is left without a hand. He marries the widow of his colleague Olga Gorchakova, and then returns to Yagodnoye with his young wife. By December, the Reds go on the counterattack. Cossacks, who began to take the side of the Bolsheviks, create a gap in the defense of the Don region, paving the way for the Eighth Red Army.
The Melekhovs are considering retreating to the south, but they are sorry to leave the farm. The Reds do not like Gregory: they stick to the Cossacks, select horses, rumors are circulating about the execution of former officers. One of the first victims is the father-in-law of the protagonist Miron Korshunov.
Gregory himself avoids arrest by hiding with his friend. In the spring of 1919, the Veshensky uprising begins. The Reds leave the farm, and the rebels release Pantelei Melekhov. A platoon led by Grigory is attacked by a punitive detachment of the Reds, commander Likhachev captured. But already in the next battle the Bolsheviks recoup. The captive Peter Melekhov is killed by Mishka Kosheva, who sided with the new government.
Gregory leads the Veshensky rebel regiment. Brother's death hardens him. He reluctantly leaves prisoners alive, obeying only requests from the rebel headquarters. The detachment of the protagonist smashes a large unit of the Red Army in Kargaly. Intoxicated by temporary successes, Melekhov is increasingly being applied to the bottle, and he is having problems with alcohol.
Among the reds, unrest begins. The Bolshevik Shtokman was killed. The rebels are negotiating with the Don army to join forces against the Bolsheviks. From the lower Don they receive shells and ammunition on airplanes. However, the Red Army manages to gather significant forces for a decisive blow. The rebels are being squeezed from their position.
Mishka Kosheva, who turned out to be on the side of the Soviet regime, burns the houses of the rich, wooed to Duna Melekhova.
Fourth volume
Melekhov is now fighting on the side of the Don army. In his heart, he always remained a free Cossack. Therefore, he does not like the old regime, discipline and officer shouts that are being revived in these military units. As a result, he even goes into direct conflict with General Fitzkhelaurov. Do not like the protagonist and the presence of foreign military on his land. The personification of the intervention is a smug British officer who does not remove his cork helmet.
At this time, Dmitry Korshunov, brother of Melekhov’s wife, leads a punitive Cossack detachment. He deals with the family of Mishka Koshevy, wanting to avenge the death of his relatives.
The leadership of the Don Army, led by General Sidorin, arrives in the farm. Daria Melekhova awarded for the reprisal of captured Red Army soldiers. But the Cossack does not feel like a heroine. Due to the rampant life that she led in recent years, the woman contracted syphilis. And because of the material prize, which she is entitled to along with the award, she quarreled with her father-in-law Pantelei. In the summer of 1919, Daria drowns in the river.
Natalya Melekhova also has a hard time. Gregory with her remains only formally, he himself still loves Axinho. With her father-in-law, she curses her husband, and then dies during an unsuccessful abortion.
The White Command disbands the rebel division in which Melekhov fought. Gregory himself is appointed a centurion, sending him to fight against the Bolsheviks in the Saratov province. At the front line, he meets Lieutenant Campbell, a British tank driving instructor. In the evening, after cognac, through an interpreter, he admits that it is impossible to defeat the Reds.
Panteleia is mobilized into the White Army, but from there he deserts. He is caught by punishers from the Kalmyk Cossack detachment. Only thanks to the glory of his sons can he escape punishment.
In the fall of 1919, the Reds occupied the village of Veshenskaya. In autumn, Gregory, who is sick with typhus, is brought to the farm. By November, he manages to get better. In December, the Tatar farm begins the evacuation, unable to withstand the pressure of the Reds. Gregory and Aksinya also go south. On the road, a woman gets typhoid. The main character has to leave her in Novo-Mikhailovsky.
At the beginning of 1920, Melekhov fled to White Clay, where by that time several thousand refugees were gathering. In this place he meets a father dying of typhoid. His flight continues. Gregory himself is re-infected with this disease, this time he is cured by the orderly Prokhor. In the spring, Gregory is already in Novorossiysk, where he oversees the evacuation of the Volunteer Army.
The finale of the novel
At the end of the novel, recovering Aksinya returns to her native farm. Prokhor arrives, who lost his hand in the Civil War. He says that Melekhov after Novorossiysk went to serve in the Budyonny army, fought with the Polish Lancers.
Mishka Kosheva, who begins to look after the sister of the main character Dunyasha, also arrives at the farm. Her mother Ilyinichna reproaches the man for murder, but allows him to start helping with the housework. As a result, she forgives the murderer of her son, blessing her daughter for an alliance with him. Soon, Ilyinichna dies, and then the children of Melekhov are taken away by Aksinya.
Kosheva gets the place of chairman of the farm revolutionary committee. But soon he was demobilized from the Red Army due to malaria.
Gregory comes to his native home after the defeat of the army of Baron Wrangel. Peaceful life does not stick to him, all the time old insults and disagreements pop up in his memory.
Prokhor retells the story of the family of General Listnitsky. The old officer died of typhus in Morozovskaya, and his son shot himself due to the infidelity of his wife in Yekaterinodar.
At this time, Fomin is at the head of a rebellion against the food surplus system. In his "gang" is also Gregory, they are hiding from the Reds. Coming out of his influence, the main character secretly returns to the farm and takes Axinho. But on the banks of the Chir River, they run into a food detachment. Aksinya dies. After wandering around the steppe for some time, Gregory returns to his home. He drowns his rifle. In the finale of the novel, the protagonist hugs his beloved son, whom Mishutka affectionately testifies.
Issue
An analysis of Sholokhov's work “Quiet Don” needs to start with the fact that his problems are vast and complex. The book touches on the universal human problems of the people against the backdrop of colossal historical events.
Sholokhov's work “Quiet Don” depicts the life of the Russian Don Cossacks. This estate, which always considered itself special, lived isolated from landless peasants and peasants, and was constantly supported by the highest ranks.
Giving a brief analysis of the work "Quiet Flows the Don", we emphasize that it describes the problems associated with the revolution and the First World War. Realizing the inconsistency of these events, the author demonstrates the cruelty and meaninglessness of war. Important events are presented to them through the fate of the main characters.
An analysis of Sholokhov’s work “The Quiet Don” shows how war and revolution affected the fate of a single family. The Melekhovs were a strong and large family, in which, before the war, everyone respected their father. He was considered the master of the house. But the revolution takes the lives of many members of this family. By the beginning of peacetime, only Gregory with his young son and his sister Dunya survived. A large family is destroyed and almost destroyed by the war. So it was with hundreds and thousands of other families. This is the essence of the work "Quiet Don".
The contradictions of the troubled times affect the lives of the heroes. In the analysis of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" it is necessary to tell that the central character of the novel Grigory Melekhov does not know whom to listen to, whom to follow. Even in the finale, he remains at a crossroads, lonely and abandoned by all. This is one of the themes of Sholokhov’s work “The Quiet Don” - this is the connection of the fate of an individual with historical events in the whole country.
An important place in the novel is occupied by the problem of maternal feelings. Ilyinichna forgives Michael, who killed her son, taking him to his family as a son-in-law.
When analyzing the work "Quiet Flows the Don", it is important to dwell on the problem of female fidelity, love and passion. Its author demonstrates on the example of the relations of Gregory and Aksinya, Mishka and Dunyashka, Gregory and Natalia. All these are vivid examples of the devotion and loyalty of the Cossacks. But there are completely different heroes, for example, the wife of the elder brother of the protagonist Daria, who, during her lifetime, deceived her husband, and after death does not honor his memory. Fate punishes her for this - she commits herself after learning that she has contracted a "bad disease". Understanding how they will relate to her, she drowns in the river.
An important theme of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" is social stratification. This is a problem of the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich. The author claims that all wars begin solely because of human ambitions, for the sake of the right to be called strong. As a result, thousands of innocent people die.
Finally, this is a novel about the eternal pursuit of every person for happiness, as well as the sufferings that fall to the lot of heroes. Especially a lot of suffering and upheaval during the wars and great upheavals, which were many in Russia at the beginning of the XX century.
Speaking briefly about the analysis of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" by Sholokhov, it should be noted that the author raises such global problems as the collapse of the old world and the birth of a new one. Many of his characters are typed. For example, in the image of Ilyinichna the best features of the Russian Cossack and the real mother are embodied. By her example, we understand what the female share is when a mother loses her entire family.
The main male image
Among the main characters of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" there are many bright male images. The key one is Grigory Melekhov. This is a Cossack, on the example of which the author demonstrates the difficult fate of the Russians who lived on the Don.
In Melekhov, we see the hero of the work "Quiet Don", which is not capable of leaving his usual way of life without mental torment. What he did every day. Such a life exhausts him, as it requires a lot of work, but on the other hand, he continues to feel closer to his native land.
At the beginning of the work “Silent Don”, Melekhov is a Cossack who stands firmly on his land, he plans to become a good and responsible family man, loves to work. But inside he has an explosive character, due to the lack of experience in life, he makes many mistakes.
Leaving his spouse, he succumbs to feelings for the married neighbor Aksinya. Young people leave Tatar, going to the service of a landowner. After that, Gregory blows one blow of fate after another. The main character is constantly rushing around in life, unable to find the only right solution. After all the horrors of the Civil War, which he witnesses, Melekhov still does not know who is right and what to do next.
In the finale, he arrives home where his sister and son live. Gregory becomes the embodiment of not only the ordinary representative of the Don Cossacks, but also all those who have experienced the hardships of the revolution and the Civil War.
Female images
The female images in the work of Quiet Don are vividly represented. One of the central characters in the novel is the image of Aksinya, it attracts readers with willpower, independence, self-esteem. It combines nobility and pride, the beauty of an independent Cossack character with a willingness to sacrifice oneself.
Opposed to her in the novel is Natalya, in whose character the features of a true Cossack woman also emerge. But she is a representative of a fundamentally different type of woman - a patriarchal guardian of the hearth, a faithful wife and a loving mother. Children and husband are the main happiness for her. That is why she could never understand the emotional throwings of her husband, there was always an insurmountable wall between them. Although the author herself draws Natalia herself a closed and limited church and moral law on her side.
Female images help Sholokhov to comprehend a new era, which is coming in the fate of the Cossacks. With their help, he reveals its essence.