Today in this article we will talk about one famous story about the love of two prisoners of war and provide its summary. Bykov’s “Alpine Ballad” is a famous work of the author, telling us about a real, deep feeling that does not choose the time and conditions for its appearance.
The action takes place in the middle of World War II, in Austria, in a prisoner of war camp near the Lahtal Alps.
Again at night there was a bombing, after which in the morning five prisoners of war in the dilapidated workshop of the plant found an unexploded bomb. Replacing the fuse damaged in it, they began to decide who would hit the striker. Throwing lots, the consumptive prisoner (geftling) fell out to die, but he no longer had the strength to hit him precisely, after which Ivan Tereshka (the main character) took a sledgehammer. Suddenly, a German officer approached the group (mostly Germans stayed away from prisoners who neutralized unexploded ordnance). He called Tereshka and ordered him to clean his dirty boots.
The escape
Captured women worked nearby. Suddenly Ivan caught the scornful glance of one of them on himself, as the story “Alpine Ballad” further tells. The summary is unlikely to accurately convey how Tereshka felt at that moment from this look. This look into his soul seemed to splash boiling water with the piercing pain of reproach. At this moment, the last thing that still allowed itself to be controlled, it suddenly broke off. He abruptly jumped from his knees, after which the German hit in the jaw. He drew his gun, but suddenly an explosion rang out, and the workshop became invisible in a cloud of dust. Ivan pulled out a weapon from the officer’s hands and quickly ran. Miraculously, not falling into the funnel, he jumped over the fence, studded with iron peaks, and ended up on a potato field.
A real thick forest could be seen a little further, if only Tereshka didn’t have time to reach him, because the dogs had overtaken him. But he shot one of them. The gun jammed in the second shot. The dog jumped, but the man managed to grab him by the collar and break the ridge. Everything, the path to the forest turned out to be free.
Meet Julia
Once in the forest, Tereshka suddenly discovered that someone was following him. It was a young, very petite black-eyed girl, Italian Julia. In addition to her, Ivan saw Geftling in the distance. But Tereshka did not need the escort, it was much easier to run away alone, only he could not leave the girl, because she was too careless and naive, as discussed further in the story "Alpine Ballad". A summary of her will tell you more about her.
Even though the weak girl followed, Ivan did not slow down the pace. Only now, making his way up a steep slope through fallen trees and stones, he noticed that a dog had time to bite him . And also the fact that after the explosion he lost the flowerbed (wooden blocks), which served as captive shoes, and now he was making his way through the wilds barefoot. The chase suddenly lagged behind, and Tereshka behind his back heard only the sound of the pads of his insistent companion.
Dream of Ivan
Further, the “Alpine ballad” (a brief summary we are considering in the framework of this publication) tells that the rainy and cold night of the fugitives found in a rocky gorge overgrown with crooked pine. It was very difficult to wade through the Lahtal Alps, although the mountains were a great obstacle between German motorcyclists and fugitives. Ivan, who fell asleep under an overhanging rock, had a constantly recurring dream. In it, he was captured again and again. This happened in a village located near Kharkov, when his detachment was surrounded. Then Tereshka was wounded with a bayonet, and he woke up only in captivity.
Morning in the forest
In the morning, Julia woke Ivan, which is further discussed in the story "Alpine Ballad" (a summary of the book is presented to you in this article). They could communicate in a mixture of German and Russian. The man recognized some German words in Germany, while the girlfriend, also a captive, taught the girl to speak a little Russian. Tereshka had a plan: to cross the Alps and reach Trieste. According to rumors, there were resistance units. The main thing here was not to fall into the hands of the Nazis again, not to let them hang themselves on a silk black noose under a drum battle.
Of course, she will not be able to convey those emotions and feelings that arise when reading a book, its brief content. Bykov’s “Alpine ballad” is filled with despair, hope, faith and amazing fortitude.
After leaving the gorge, they fell into a dense pine forest, in which they met an Austrian, a local resident. Threatening him with a pistol, Tereshka took a loaf of bread and a leather jacket from him. The man was poorly dressed and elderly. Ivan absolutely did not want to become a robber, but he had no other choice, because in order to cross the mountains, he needed clothes and food. In the distance, Tereshka saw a manor, in which, most likely, this Austrian lived.
Meeting with geftling
Further in the story “Alpine Ballad”, the contents of which we are considering, we are talking about the fact that the prisoners ran away from the meeting place with the Austrian and climbed into the cleft, overgrown with rhododendrons, to have a snack. Suddenly they heard the sound of gunfire. Ivan, looking out of the crevice, found a geftling who was following Julia. He fled from the estate in their direction, while the Germans hit him with machine guns. After the prisoner disappeared behind the rock, the shots ceased. Ivan from this place hastened to leave as far as possible.
At this point, the story “Alpine Ballad” takes us back to the past, where it is said that Ivan was not the first to escape from captivity. At the last escape, their company was able to reach Ukraine. Once near a village, the fugitives sent Tereshka for provisions. But the Germans saw him. Despite the fact that Ivan managed to hide in a hut on the way, hiding there under the stove, a policeman “smoked” him from the shelter. He decided to set fire to this house, because of which the spouse of the owner issued the fugitive. He did not have anger at this woman, but he wanted to shoot the traitor-policeman.
Having got out on a bare slope from a crevice, Ivan unexpectedly discovered that the same geftling, which the Italian called crazy, was still alive. He wandered after them, demanding food. I had to share a piece of precious bread with him, because Tereshka was afraid that this terrible geftling would give them out. Ivan, of course, understood that he needed to be killed, but only the insane was completely defenseless, so the man did not raise his hand. He later regretted it very bitterly.
Bykov, Alpine Ballad (summary): Julia
They found a path on the slope and went along it. It was very cold, the camp clothes did not warm them at all. Julia told Ivan about herself on the way. As it turned out, she grew up in a very rich family. Having fallen in love with a communist, she left everything for him. The girl considered the USSR a fabulous country in which everyone is happy and equal. Ivan decided not to persuade her, not going to tell how life is really hard there.
It snowed in the evening. Tereshka stubbornly walked forward, he wanted to get through the mountain range as quickly as possible, only Julia was out of strength. And again, he could not abandon this defenseless girl. He shouldered her and walked along the slippery narrow path. Only in the morning they crossed the pass and ended up in the zone of meadows.
Ivan still did not have a girlfriend. After his father died of starvation, he had to raise his family. Clear business, then it was not up to love. The only example of such a relationship for him was the love between a young nurse and a senior lieutenant (he served as an orderly for Ivan). The feelings of this couple were serious and strong, but, after the young man died, the girl quickly switched to another. After that, the girls seemed to Ivan treacherous and unstable. He decided for himself that love was not for him. This is stated in the story "Alpine Ballad." The analysis of the work makes us understand how much he was afraid of deep affection and how passionately he desired it.
Ivan's story about himself
In the amazing alpine meadow, in which the fugitives ended up, a huge amount of wild strawberries grew. In the story “Alpine Ballad”, the author says that for the first time in a lot of time, Julia and Ivan were able to eat. The man tried to tell the girl the truth about life in the USSR, but she was offended by him, withdrawing into herself. It should be noted that she did not want to lose her illusions, this was the only thing left for her. She considered Tereshka a hero, but Ivan himself had a different opinion. He thought that he needed to commit suicide instead of being captured by the Germans. He also considered his country fair, and he tried to explain this to the girl. In Belarusian villages, hunger was temporary for him, while depression was completely random errors.
Love of Ivan and Julia
Further, you can read about the suddenly flashed feeling in the story "Alpine Ballad." An analysis of the love between Julia and Ivan suggests that she arose unexpectedly and was captured without a trace. In these terrible conditions, in deprivations, left alone with hope, young people were able to awaken in their hearts a real deep feeling, which they had never experienced before. Something secondary, unsaid, which kept them at a distance all the time, was unexpectedly happily experienced, overcome. Among the pristine nature of the surrounding mountains, a step away from a terrible death, an imperious, mysterious and unknown was born, it thirsted, lived, called and scared. Lovers in the meadow spent a day, that was all that they measured in this life.
Alpine Ballad, heroes: geftling
Crazy geftling again overtook them here. He had to give more bread. Ivan began to bleed again, the ragged dog bite did not heal. Geftling temporarily disappeared, but appeared again in a day, more than one. He led the Germans along, saying that they would give the Russian a lot of bread. The Nazis spread a narrow chain in the meadow, and again the young people had to flee.
Blood poisoning
The wound made itself known, and Tereshka could no longer run, he only moved in leaps, dragging a swollen and heavy leg behind him, which is described later in his book “Alpine Ballad” by Bykov. An analysis of the work makes it clear to us how valuable, selfless and rare true love is. Ivan understood that he began to get blood poisoning from a wound. The fugitives tried to climb as high as possible to where the German bullets could not get them. Julia crawled to the edge of a scree covered with dwarfs and dragged Ivan with her difficulty. Then I had to make my way through the thorny thickets. They had to get to the saddle. The Nazis overtook, and Tereshka began to shoot back. Julia asked all the cartridges not to spend, leave at least 2: for him and for herself.
Breaking through the elf, the lovers reached the saddle. Here they saw that the chase was left behind, as if the Germans had decided to let them go. Ivan was in no hurry to rejoice. The Germans lagged behind only because the young people fled into the trap themselves. The gorge, where they ended up, ended in an abyss. The fugitives were already on the edge when the Nazis lowered their dogs. Here Ivan saw a snowdrift of snow on a slope far below. He grabbed a girl in an armful and threw him with all his might into a snowdrift. Itself could not jump, a sore leg interfered. Dogs attacked him.
Instead of an epilogue
Many years later, Ivan's family received a letter from Julia Novelli, an Italian Communist. Partisans then picked her up, saved her and warmed her up. During the war, the girl joined them, after which she began to serve in the Union for the Struggle for Peace. She raised a son named Giovanni, who was already 18. The woman insisted that the boy learn Russian, the language of his father. She herself did not forget for a moment her lover.