The legend of Danko is one of the three parts of the story "The Old Woman Izergil" by Maxim Gorky. The storyteller meets an old woman during the grape harvest. She has seen a lot in her life, and she has something to tell people.
The work "The Old Woman Isergil" consists of the legend of Larre, the story of the life of the woman herself and the legend of Danko. In this article you will find the story of Danko (summary).
Blue sparks
Against the background of the gloomy landscape of the evening steppe, the narrator notices blue sparks that appear and disappear. Burning with a desire to find out where they are from, he asks Isergil about this. She in response begins her leisurely story.
Brave people
Once upon a time people lived, they were strong and did not know fear. And then one day an enemy tribe attacked them and forced them out of their native steppe places into the swamps that were surrounded by a dark impenetrable forest. Despair took possession of that tribe, and fear fettered their thoughts. They had only two options: either return and surrender to the invaders, or go forward through the fetid swamps and dense forest. Since these people did not know fear, they wanted to rush towards the enemy and conquer their native land at the cost of their own lives, but they could not do this because their covenants would die with them. What happened next, you will find out by reading our summary.
Danko
When people were completely weakened and almost distraught, suddenly the handsome Danko appeared and called the tribe behind him. He said that everything has its end, the forest is also no exception, and that it is not necessary to think, but to act immediately. And people, seeing fire in Danko's eyes, followed him. They had to endure much on their way, blood and death were their constant companions, all the trials and deprivations of people cannot contain a brief summary. Danko did not give up. And when the forces were already running out, people suddenly doubted the young and hot guy. Undoubtedly, a handsome and courageous man is a true romantic hero, it was this image that Maxim Gorky wanted to recreate. "Danko", the brief content of which we are considering, is a work that is a worthy example of the literature of romanticism.
Storm
Suddenly a storm broke out, thunder roared. The trees bent their branches to the ground itself, preventing people from walking and scaring them. But since people considered themselves very brave, it was difficult for them to confess their own fear and helplessness. They decided to blame their leader for everything and kill him. The brave guy faced his tribe, and for a second rage boiled in him, but she quickly went out, she was overpowered by a pity. However, people saw a strange gleam in Danko's eyes and perceived it as a threat. The article provides only a brief summary, the legend of Danko in full exposition describes in more detail the climax of the work.
Heart of Danko
At that moment, when people were ready to tear the brave leader, Danko pulled out a burning heart from his chest, and it dispelled the darkness. Now the path was illuminated and not at all scary. People rushed after their leader. After some time, the forest parted, before them stretched the steppe, bathed in the sun. Danko looked at the free lands for the last time and fell dead. All the experiences of the protagonist reveals in detail the full content. Gorky left Danko's burning heart as a reminder and as a peculiar symbol of love for people.
Cautious man
People, intoxicated with happiness and freedom, did not notice what happened to their savior. And one cautious man took it and for some reason stepped on a burning heart. It scattered into thousands of blue sparks, and then went out. These words conclude the story, a brief summary of which was presented to your attention. Danko died in the name of the people.
Completion of the story
The woman fell asleep, the narrator covered her and lay down next to the ground. And the steppe was very quiet and did not bode well. This concludes the story of Danko. The summary does not contain all the beauty of a description of nature and other details of the work. For a deeper understanding, you must refer to the full version of the book.
The image and character of Danko (summary). Main features
Gorky, not without reason, finishes his work with the legend of Danko. Thus, he praises the courage, kindness and self-sacrifice of the protagonist. A distinctive feature of Danko's character is mercy and the ability to suppress anger in himself. From the very beginning, a brave handsome man stands out among other members of the tribe with his sharp mind. He understands that people will not live in such conditions for a long time, because their strength is running out, and the desire to fight is about to fade. At the same time, Danko does not want a humiliating slave life for his relatives. Therefore, he encourages them to act, and not to hesitate. In Danko, it is precisely leadership qualities that are highly developed , and, most importantly, people see this in his eyes. Initially, they were ready to entrust their lives to the leader and went with him voluntarily, and this is what the summary is reduced to. Danko was guilty without guilt.
The prototype of the brave Danko is the hero of the biblical legend Moses. He also led his people towards freedom. The only difference between the two characters is that God helped Moses, he was the right hand of the Lord, and our hero acted independently, and his action came from a kind and acutely sensitive people’s heart. Summary of “Danko”, or the legend of Danko, or “Burning heart of Danko” (many names can be given, and each will come up with amazing accuracy), of course, cannot convey all the subtleties of the work.
The culmination of the legend is the moment when people, inherently weak-willed and evil, blamed Danko for everything. They wanted to tear him to pieces. But the hero, ready for self-sacrifice for the sake of his comrades, suppressed his anger, and, not thinking about himself, tore his heart out to illuminate the way for people. Here is another point taken from biblical legends. Self-sacrifice is the main feature inherent in real heroes.
The final episode raises the fair question of whether such people are worthy of the sacrifice Danko made? None of them appreciated or even noticed the hero's deed. Not only that, one cautious person even dared, while no one had seen, to step on a burning heart. However, this action was vital for Danko himself, since his heart was filled with love for people, and he could not live, leaving them to certain doom.
"Best of all" - that’s what Maxim Gorky calls his hero. "Danko" (summary) is a work in which, despite the sad end, good conquers evil. The real reward for Danko is a sense of pride in looking at the free land, and he is happy because he died for the sake of people.