Many writers in all ages have been searching for their idea. In the twentieth century, the main theme of most works was war. Some authors described the horrors of this time, others - the heroism of a Soviet soldier, others tried to reveal the inner world of a person who turned out to be a participant in tragic events. Particularly vividly raises this topic is the epic novel by Sholokhov "Quiet Don". The genius of the author lies in the fact that through the prism of the civil war he was able to show the main thing - the personal drama of man. The work, on the one hand, is patriotic, which allowed censorship at one time, and, on the other, is extremely philosophical. It has a rich subtext, understandable not to everyone and not the first time.
Biography in the work
The writer's life is no less tragic than the fate of his characters. Mikhail's mother, a Cossack by roots, was forcibly married to an unloved man. The marriage did not bring joy, so she decided on an unprecedented act for that time - she left her husband for another. Her companion was Alexander Sholokhov. In 1905, the couple had a son. The illegitimate boy bore the name of his mother from his first marriage until 1912. Because of its origin, the child has repeatedly become the object of ridicule. Later, pain poured on the pages of books. When the parents got married, the baby was given the name of the real father.
The childhood passed in the Rostov region. From infancy, he was surrounded by amazing nature, unusual life, interesting customs. Adults promoted a cult of love for the earth. Subsequently, it was these memories that were included in Sholokhov’s novel “Quiet Don”.
The first years of training fell on the revolution. Then the child felt the injustice of war. This gave rise to a sense of honesty and loyalty in him, which he carried through his whole life.
Further, fate brought him to Moscow. There, the guy joined a literary circle, where he made acquaintances with the geniuses of the then word. Since 1923, the first notes of the writer appear in newspapers. Then he writes stories. Not each of his works was successful, but many of them became a pass to high literature.
From design to implementation
While still working on Don Stories, the author planned a novel that would tell about the difficult life of the Cossacks in one of the most dramatic periods in history. In order to accurately reproduce the characters, the man even returns to the Don. There in October 1925, Mikhail Sholokhov begins an epic.
At first, the writer did not plan to create such an extensive book, but with each new event the author felt a great responsibility. His duty was to explain to the reader the reasons for this or that phenomenon that he described. The key that revealed to the public the nature of the actions of heroes was life, traditions, experiences.
For a whole year the master was looking for ideas. When the main topics were identified, he actively set to work.
The creation of the novel "Quiet Don", as well as its publication, took place in several stages.
Writing process
The novel was supposed to start with a speech by General Kornilov. Subsequently, this scene entered the fourth book. The first year the author worked very fruitfully, three parts immediately came out from under his hand. Published by their magazine in January 1928. In May, the 4th and 5th fragments saw the light. Next come the first two volumes. Books immediately swept off the shelves. The freshness of the idea, the honesty of the author was amazing.
The following March, the 6th section was partially written. Then the activity of the writer falls. When this work was completed, it turned out that the demand for romance fell. The reason was the "wrong" ideological position of the author. Time after time, he receives failures. The case moved only after Stalin intervened. The problems of The Quiet Don are over. The leader himself gave permission to publish.
The author worked on the third book for three years. The fourth took twice as long. Therefore, the finale was written in 1940.
Ovation and slander
Glory came to fame to Sholokhov after the release of the first two volumes. But along with the popularity and popular love of the author, there is a lot of negative criticism. Envious people claimed that such a young writer is not capable of writing such a profound work. Every day the name of a genius poured mud. The ill-wishers even composed a legend about how Sholokhov stole a text from a real author. Friends took the side of the master, who scientifically proved that the novel is actually the work of Mikhail.
Another trouble was the design of the work. Ardent communists were not satisfied with the hero Melikhov in the novel "Quiet Don". His political tastes contradicted the realities of the time. And although Stalin himself stood up for the writer, the work was repeatedly subjected to merciless criticism and change. It hurt the heart of a genius.
The dilemma of the situation and character
The author raises important problems in the work. It also concerns the eternal question of the essence of man. Each of his characters is a unique phenomenon. But throughout the epic, the reader is most concerned about the fate of the protagonist Grigory Melekhov. Sholokhov tried to create the perfect image, superman. The figure of this Cossack in the book is contradictory.
First, it focuses on features that deserve admiration. The man is hardworking, courageous, very handsome. He dreams of children. She loves purely and madly. He has a character of amazing strength. But M. Sholokhov created a difficult fate for his character. Silent Don is a novel that spans two bloody wars. And it is precisely these events that break Gregory. In the course of difficult life situations, a person loses loved ones. His beliefs change repeatedly. He is captured by time. The author compares Melekhov with
the Don River - he is just as strong and powerful. And storms also trouble him. The main theme voiced by the author is the struggle of the individual, his loss to the system.
Polarity of feelings
Throughout the entire work, the main characters are hostages of their choice. It is worth noting that usually the two options that fate offers them are the absolute opposite of each other. The plot is built not only on the history of the civil war, where the minds of the characters fought between white and red, but also on the line of love, kinship, friendship. Often the situations of the first line became an obstacle for the second and vice versa.
The characteristic of the novel “Quiet Don” is a reflection of the human experience of the beginning of the twentieth century. Along with the usual ups and downs associated with love, family, work, new, completely alien, unpleasant landmarks of war appeared. The struggle of two forces does not allow to build happiness, breaks already created.
Sholokhov is not the first to reflect human psychology during the turbulent years, but it was his work that gained such popularity among readers around the world. The secret of genius is openness. He equally honestly portrayed both low and high feelings. For him there are no white and red ones, but there is a man and his soul.
Name secret
At first, the author planned to christen the novel the title “Donetschina”. Under this name, he wrote the first few sections. But later, when the work expanded, the name changed.
The epic starts with unusual epigraphs, which the author borrowed from folk art. Short verses became a summary, the essence of books. Through these lines opens the image of Don in the novel "Quiet Don". Unknown leads a conversation with the river, asks why it became muddy. The answer was unequivocal - the cause of sadness is the loss of sons, grief of widows, orphans and parents.
And in fact, the difficult fate befell the Cossacks. The writer saw fratricide with his own eyes. He could not fail to reveal to the world the history of his land.
What is hiding behind Don?
Cossack farms were scattered throughout Russia. But for several centuries in a row, the Don River has been associated with these glorious, powerful warriors. After the release of the novel, the world became more interested in the history of this people.
Books talk about ordinary people who want to work. They love their land for the fertility caused by the river. The image of Don in the novel "Quiet Don" is an allegory. The author plays with the imagination of the reader. On the one hand, he talks about a peaceful, calm life. Further the plot changes. War, struggle comes to this land. The blue surface begins to worry. As the wind awakens water, so riots raise the Cossacks. The river is the soul of this people. The name itself suggests that the mighty Don can be quiet only until the storm that the war embodies in the novel.
Invisible character
Nature in the works of the classics occupies an important place. After all, it does not just complement the work, and sometimes it seems to affect the characters. So, for example, in the novel “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, the enduring earth of Tara reflects Scarlett’s obstinacy. The harsh territories of England in Emily Bronte's book Wuthering Heights is a reflection of Heathcliff's brutality. In Russian literature, the master of symbolism was Mikhail Sholokhov. The main character of the novel was the river.
The image of Don in the novel “Quiet Don” changed with time and characters, evolved, supplemented. At first, the landscape became a reflection of the feelings and characters of the heroes. But the author of this immortal work went further. He not only through the prism of a calm river showed the experiences of the characters. Towards the end of the book, the writer creates a contrast effect, and the reader sees how some faces degrade. The mud that the war poured on them, even the clear waters of the Don, cannot wash away.
Wave power
Landscapes occupy a special place in the work. The words that the author selected to depict nature showed his skill. Even through space and time, the reader feels the author's boundless love for his homeland. Extremely strong was the writer’s image of Don in the novel "Quiet Don".
Heroes are proud to live on Cossack land. They draw their energy and desire to continue to fight for happiness from a large river. In these parts, man is inextricably linked with the natural world. Each of the characters at one time turned to the waves in difficult moments. So, for example, Aksinya came to Don for help. When a woman found out that Gregory would marry another girl, her heart was beating painfully. Together with the local fortuneteller, she went to the high banks and asked the water to take her feelings.
A rhetorical question
The topics that the author touched on remain open. He did not create the ideal person, but as close as possible to the goal. Perhaps if Grigory Melekhov was born at another time, he would have lived an easy, happy life.
Mikhail Sholokhov finishes the novel unexpectedly. He leaves the reader a choice: give in to time and break down or continue to fight for good. After analyzing the novel, we understand that in reality a strong person cannot break any circumstances. No matter how much pain in your past, if you believe in a good future. The light that henceforth will warm the Cossack will be his son. He is the embodiment of hope, dream, river.
Russian bestseller
Despite the fact that the writer knew well the life, customs and psychology of the Don Cossacks, from which he himself came from, he felt a great responsibility for the image that he would create. That is why the work took so much time. But the plan was a success. The book has been on the list of favorite works for several generations. Quotes have long been popular from her. "Quiet Don" repeatedly filmed.
The work is the winner of two famous literary prizes: Stalin and Nobel. For decades, they have been staging productions under this scenario, tickets for which are immediately being sold out. And the main character Grigory Melekhov liked the readers so much that other writers used his image in their works. The simplicity, sincerity, lightness of the characters of Sholokhov will always remain in fashion.