The main political events that took place in the twentieth century were of a tragic character. The essence of the problems that they generated, and writers of that time tried to penetrate. The focus of their attention was on the personality and fate of the nation, including during the Second World War. Writers reflected on the nature of man and explored human nature. These works include the story of V. Bykov “Sotnikov”.
main characters
In the story, as in most of his works, the author raises the problem of personal responsibility for the fate of other people, finds out the reasons for the moral decline and betrayal of some and the spiritual greatness and nobility of others. The writer examines and shows what a person is capable of when the possibilities to protect life are exhausted to the end. The writer gives the central place in the story to the partisans Sotnikov and Rybak.
The main characters, Sotnikov and Rybak, are both not new to fighting the enemy. Sotnikov is the son of a Civil War participant, a battery commander who fought at the front and miraculously escaped from captivity. He continued the struggle in the partisan detachment. The fisherman, the foreman of a rifle company, also fought at the front, was surrounded and took part in the partisan movement. But it is important for the writer to test the moral potential of his heroes and their spirit.
Two partisans
The fisherman was born and raised in a peasant family. A sense of duty is characteristic of him, but fragile and spontaneous. The positive principles of this hero exist only on a sensual level and have not become part of his individual ethics. Combining with his love of life, they determine the possibility of betrayal. Fisherman’s consciousness is not developed enough to comprehend the experience and behavior of people with whom he encountered on the path of life. And he is unable to make life choices.
The main character of Sotnikov is a teacher, an intellectual. It differs from the Fisherman in that it has a more developed consciousness, is able to independently analyze various situations and people's behavior. Spiritually Sotnikov is stronger and more resistant. In an extreme situation, this difference should manifest itself. Therefore, the author puts the heroes in the conditions in which their essence is revealed, and they will have to make a moral choice.
The road of war
The heroes of the story were brought together by a common task - to get supplies for the partisans. Going to the task, they differently represent the danger that awaits them. Outwardly, it seems that the sick and weak Sotnikov is not capable of a feat, and the strong, quick-witted and energetic Fisherman is simply created for a heroic act.
Already at the beginning of the story, a contrast was marked between them. The fisherman is an economic, physically strong and courageous person. With his usual cheerfulness, he thinks of girls, sees bread in a dream. The main character, Sotnikov, on the other hand, is physically weak and painful, indifferent to himself - he went on a sick mission, with a temperature, did not even bother to “get hold of a short fur coat”.
They behave differently on the road. The fisherman encourages the sick Sotnikov, shares bread with him. Sotnikov’s entire attention is focused only on not losing the pace that is feasible for him, “not losing one step.” Opposition of heroes in the exhibition of the novel creates an illusion. At first glance, Rybak is more adapted to difficult conditions than Sotnikov.
Last assignment
The author has set a goal - to reveal and understand the internal state of the main characters of Sotnikov. Bykov inexorably leads them to the last refuge - the house of Demchikha - and puts them before the choice that they must make. The heroes of the story could not complete their last task - they stumbled upon a cart with the Germans and came under fire.
Having reached the village, the partisans are hiding in the attic of the house of Demchikha, a mother of many children. The Germans and policemen rushed into the hut in search of vodka with a search. And Sotnikov's cough, heard from the attic, betrays the fugitives. They are captured. Together with them take away and Demchikha. In the basement, where they were thrown, sits the Jewish girl Basia. The elder who hid it in his own home was also thrown there.
In the face of death, Rybak and Sotnikov behave according to their characters and beliefs. Sotnikov remains faithful to his duty to the last breath. But the Fisherman, who managed to find a way out of any situation, was already internally ready for betrayal.
Sotnikov
The protagonist of the story resigned to circumstances only externally. Sotnikov understands that it is not in his power to change something. But internally, he seeks strength to confront. First of all, he recalls and analyzes events from his personal life and the behavior of other people. The writer shows that the strength of this person lies in his ability to introspection and rethinking, with the help of which his moral values were formed.
He is subjected to terrible torture, but Sotnikov withstands the ordeals and remains a person true to his ideals. He certainly would have preferred to die in battle and “already envied” those who found their death on the battlefield. But Sotnikov is not thinking about himself. His thoughts are busy with how to save Demchikha, who because of them ended up in this basement. Sotnikov demands an investigator who says that he is a partisan, and the rest have nothing to do with it. But the executioners did not have his recognition. In the morning, of the five gallows prepared for the captives, only one remained free.
Fisherman
The fisherman, on the contrary, full of desire to survive, seeks to overcome circumstances and therefore compromises, agrees to become a policeman. No, in civilian life he was not a scoundrel, a traitor or an enemy. But now the situation is completely different: in the face of death, he wants to save his life by any possible means. He is sure that having deceived the enemies, he will be able to save his life and go to the partisans in order to continue the struggle with the Nazis there.
However, step by step, he pleases the enemies, cunningly and yulit, and, finally, thinking only of himself, rolls into a spiritual abyss. The fisherman understands the enormity of his act and tries to commit suicide. But circumstances prevented this. And then he justified his actions in every possible way, blaming this for cruel conditions, for the hated war, and even for Sotnikov, whose illness, in his opinion, was the reason for the captivity.
Conclusion
The work of V. Bykov is named after the main character - "Sotnikov". This story is a deep reflection on human duty and humanism, incompatible with any manifestations of egoism. The analysis of actions, thoughts and words of heroes is one of the defining features of a work.
Sotnikov’s spiritual strength lies in the fact that he, faced with a choice, managed to accept death and showed the invincibility of character and the greatness of the human spirit. Without these qualities, it is impossible to overcome circumstances.
Reflecting on the problem of betrayal and heroism, the author is sure that a person needs an individual spiritual culture and morality as a support. Without these principles, a person is not able to distinguish between the boundaries of good and evil. As a result, unnoticed by herself, she will be in the territory of evil. What happened to the Fisherman, one of the main characters of Bykov.
Sotnikov is not exceptional, that is, his ability to sacrifice himself and his behavior, since the mother of many children, Demchikha, the elder, and even the little Jewish girl who refused to give the names of those who hid her made the exact same choice.
Thus, the author rises to a philosophical analysis of the war. First of all, he is not interested in external circumstances, but internal: the state of man and the struggle in his soul. The writer is sure that difficult, inhuman circumstances can be overcome only by relying on moral and spiritual values.