Nosov E.I. is one of the front-line writers. Eighteen-year-old youths he went to war, participated in large-scale battles, was wounded. Until the end of his life, Eugene Ivanovich could not forget the horrors of the past. “The point is in our memory,” he wrote years later. He knew very well the price of the victory achieved by the people in the most bloody war. And even if he wrote a little about it, each work created is riddled with pain for those who sacrificed their lives to save their native country, who were orphaned and knew the terrible reality ahead of time.
The past and the present were combined in a small narrative about seemingly ordinary garden flowers - poppies, reminiscent of their flowering, as E. Nosov emphasizes, a living flame.
Summary of the story: the plot
The plot of the work is simple and at first glance has nothing to do with the war. The writer, who is also a storyteller, rents a room with an elderly, already lonely woman, Aunt Olya. She lives in a quiet old house, keeping the memory of her son. And his room was preserved in the form in which it was with the owner.
In the spring, Aunt Olya was about to plant a flowerbed under the window. I took out from bags and nodules the seeds of aristocratic flowers, pleasing the eye with their beauty throughout the summer. When asked by the writer about why she does not sow poppies, she replied that there was little use from them. They do not bloom for long: buds will be opened for only a couple of days and then fall off. Only “beater” remain from them, which spoil the whole view. But the narrator nevertheless sprinkled secretly from the mistress a pinch of poppy seeds in the center of the flower bed. Thus begins the Nosov "Living Flame." The summary of the story leads the reader to the main storyline, the protagonist of which is the usual "vegetable" - as Aunt Olya calls poppy at the beginning of the story.
Climax
Time has passed. The seeds sprouted, and soon the flowerbed was to bloom in a riotous color. The writer had to leave for a couple of weeks. After returning, he did not recognize the garden. Overgrown flowers transformed a flower bed beyond recognition. It seemed that nothing more beautiful than this picture with matthiols, pansies, snapdragons and other overseas guests can no longer be. And in the center of the flower bed, among the lush beauties and solid green rugs, three buds of poppies were thrown. So continues the story of the Noses.
The "living flame" appeared on the flowerbed the next morning when the poppies blossomed. This day was a real discovery for Aunt Olya and her guest. Bright, fresh flower petals overshadowed by their splendor all the "noble" neighbors. They blinded their eyes and “burned” for two days, and the next evening they fell as fast as they bloomed. And everything around immediately became orphaned and faded ...
Short but vibrant life
Surprisingly describes the flowering of poppies E.I. Nosov. “Living flame” is a name that was not chosen by chance for a story. The bright flowers of blossoming and swaying poppies really resembled a lit torch. For two days they flashed on the flowerbed with a “vibrantly bright fire”, or suddenly “poured a thick crimson”. It seemed that they should touch them, and they will burn the hand. The verbs carry a great semantic load: first they burned, then crumbled and went out.
A contrasting description of the "flower aristocracy" and ordinary poppies helps the author to emphasize the insignificance of the former and the strength, grandeur of the latter.
Life is short, “but without a glance lived”
The petals fell off - and Aunt Olya, who was standing by the flowerbed, suddenly hunched over and, with the words "it happens to people," immediately rushed to leave. She remembered her son who died in the war, the pain of which she never left. This brings the reader to the main idea of the work of E. Nosov. The “Living Flame”, the brief content of which is not really limited to describing the story of the poppies, also talks about the heroic feat of a simple warrior, about his willingness to sacrifice himself for others. That was the heroine’s son, military pilot Alexei. His life ended in his prime when he, on his tiny hawk, fearlessly entered into battle with an enemy bomber. A very short but heroic life. Such as was the case with many defenders of the fatherland in the war years.
Story finale
Soon, the writer moved out of the apartment. But he often visited Aunt Olya, in whose garden now every summer a large carpet of poppies was reddened. An amazing picture was always opened to the guest. Instead of crumbling flowers, all new buds rose, which soon lit their petals, preventing this eternal flame from extinguishing. So ends his work Evgeny Nosov. The living flame of flowers symbolizes human memory in it. For Aunt Olya, this is the memory of her dead son. For all the inhabitants of the country, this is the preservation of the names of millions of people who gave themselves at different times to a great goal - the victory over the enemy and the liberation of the Motherland. This is the solid moral foundation on which all mankind rests.
The image of war in the story
In the work, Nosov E.I. does not give descriptions of battles, bombardments and other heroic scenes. However, a few sentences that speak of Alexei are enough to understand the feelings of a mother who is simultaneously bitter about the loss of her only son and pride in him.
Living for the good of others. Do not be afraid of difficulties and boldly go forward. Make sure that your own life does not become for others just a faceless existence. This is what the reader thinks E. Nosov ("Living Flame").
The summary of the story can be laid out in several lines from the poem of E. Akimova: “And the memory of the past burns in the soul of the earth, like that fire in the grass of red poppies” is an eternal reminder of the experience, which in no case should be forgotten. This is precisely the skill of a true artist.