Valentin Grigoryevich Rasputin has long been recognized by the public and earned the title of one of the best writers in the country. The main problem that the writer raised in his work is the destructive attitude of man towards nature and the loss of moral values under the influence of civilization. Rasputin remained faithful to his priorities in the novel “The Deadline”. A summary of this work we will consider.
The work of Rasputin
Valentin Rasputin is a writer who knows how to convey the national spirit of his people, working within the framework of the traditional school of Russian literature. That is what he earned recognition both at home and abroad.
Rasputin owes his love to nature and understanding of its subtle beauty to his place of birth (the writer's hometown was located on the banks of the Angara River). The prose writer always saw the task of his work as the preservation of the natural wealth and spiritual morality of people, because the connection between man and nature is inextricable.
The themes of the continuity of generations, morality and the relationship of man with nature are reflected in the novel “The Deadline”. Rasputin reduced the summary of this work to the eternal problem of life and death.
Theme of the story
The fundamental theme on which the whole narrative is built was the problem of morality, or rather its modern understanding. Rasputin considered this story the most important in his work. The “deadline” (a summary of the chapters can be read below) reflected the changes taking place in the thoughts and soul of modern man.
But the theme of the story is much wider and more diverse, it is not limited to just one. Rasputin raises the following problems in the work: relations between relatives, old age, causes of alcoholism, attitude to honor and conscience, fear of death.
Rasputin's idea
He sees the main task of his story “The Deadline” by Rasputin in exposing the moral decline of modern society. With the advent of progress, the egoism, heartlessness, cruelty and callousness began to take hold of the souls of modern people. Rasputin wanted to draw the attention of his readers to this. Modern man has lost touch with his roots and nature, has lost the meaning of life, moral guidelines, spiritual wealth.
The image of Anna
In short, “The Deadline,” Valentin Rasputin appears as a writer struggling to preserve the human soul. And an example of worthy people in his works are representatives of the older generation.
Anna is a dying old woman, but she is not afraid of death. She lived a worthy life, was a good mother, was happy, and sorrows were in her life, but she takes them for granted. The main character is endowed with incredible moral strength, which stems from Anna's confidence that a person should be responsible for the life lived.
The image of Anna is idealized by a writer who sees in ordinary women incredible spiritual strength, the ability to be a real mother and a worthy person.
“Deadline” (Rasputin): summary
Anna is an old woman, her life is barely warm, she is no longer even able to move. Daughters, to check if their mother is dead, bring a mirror to her face. Barbara, one of Anna’s daughters, considers it possible to begin to mourn the dying mother, and the other daughter, Lucy, is already sewing a black dress.
Anna has five children, but now she has only Varvara, Lyusya with Ilya, and her son Mikhail, who lives in the village with his mother. The main character is waiting for the arrival of Tanya, who lives in Kiev. As soon as all the children, except Tatyana, gather around the dying, she seems to be reborn, and the children immediately fall into bewilderment.
Men, not knowing what to do, go into the barn and get drunk there. Gradually, fun embraces them - the mother is still alive. But the more they drink, the more they are overcome by fear - the fear of losing Anna, the fear of imminent death: "death has already noticed everyone in the face and will not forget it."
The summary of the book “Deadline” by Valentin Rasputin can be continued with the next morning’s description scene. Ilya and Mikhail feel bad and decide to get hangover to get rid of this condition. They compare the drink with the acquisition of will, because in a drunken state they are no longer restrained: neither home nor work. They did not always find joy in alcohol; there were days when the collective farm existed, when the whole village worked on the preparation of firewood. That kind of work was to their liking and brought pleasure.
Lucy recalls her former life. There used to be a horse in the family - Igren, whom the girl loved very much, but from dead heavy work he died. Wandering around the surrounding fields, Lucy recalls that earlier she seemed to feel some direction of her life, as if someone’s hand led her, but in the city this feeling disappeared. Rasputin invested a lot of thought about his former well-being in the novel “The Deadline”. In the words of the heroes weeping for an irrevocable life, when everyone lived in harmony with each other and nature.
Anna gradually comes to life and already can independently rise and go out onto the porch. Comes to visit his girlfriend Mironikha. But the old woman’s heart is still full of sadness because Tanya will not come. Tanchora, as they called her, differed from her brothers and sisters in her mild human character. But the daughter does not go, and Anna decides to die. In recent years, the old woman has come to terms with the inevitable and even made friends with death. She agrees with her to take her in a dream. And so it happens.
Conclusion
So, the story “Deadline” (Rasputin), the brief summary of which we cited above, is a vivid illustration of the writer's work and the key to understanding his moral and spiritual ideals. The greatest value of Rasputin, therefore, is the homeland and the connection of man with his roots.