Platonov’s language is called “awkward,” “primitive,” “self-made.” This writer had an original manner of writing. His works abound in grammatical, lexical errors, but this is what makes the dialogues lively, real. The article will talk about the story "Dry bread", reflecting the life of rural residents.
Heroes of Platonov are ordinary people, as a rule, uneducated. They cannot imagine their life without hard physical labor.
The key motive in the work of Andrei Platonov is the theme of death and its overcoming. The writer expressed deep philosophical thought in the story Dry Bread. However, here the theme of death is revealed through the prism of children's perception.
Rogachevka
The writer often visited this village of the Voronezh region. It is here that the events of the story “Dry bread” by Platonov take place, a summary of which is presented below.
Rogachevka is located 30 km from Voronezh. In 1924, a power station was built in the village, in which Andrei Platonov, who held the post of provincial reclamator at that time, was directly involved.
Heroes of the story
The main character of the book “Dry bread” is Mitya Klimov. The author does not name his age, but at the end of the work he says: "Mother promised to send him to school in the fall." That is, the boy is about seven years old. The action of the story "Dry bread" Platonov takes place in the summer.
The boy lives in the village with his mother. His father died during the war. Grandfather Mitya does not remember at all. However, he remembers a dull, sad voice and the warmth that came from this person. In the work "Dry Bread" Platonov surprisingly managed to convey the inner world of the child.
Other characters of the work are Mitina's mother, teacher Elena Petrovna. In the story of Platonov there are only three characters.
Death theme
The boy is just beginning to learn this world. And every subject arouses interest in him. And he often thinks of death. What she is, Mitya does not know, because he had never seen her.
He asks his mother: "Does grandpa sleep in the ground?" She answers in the affirmative. The boy now thinks that grandfather is sleeping because he is tired. He is trying in every possible way to help his mother in order to preserve her strength. After all, if she gets tired, she too will fall asleep, disappear ...
Drought
In the story "Dry Bread" Platonov depicted rural life. Mitina mother works in the field. Platonov, in his characteristic bright, lively style, paints a picture of village life: "A hot wind blows from morning to evening, he blows fire from the sun and carries it on the ground."
“Dry bread” is a work that is written in a very poetic language, however, like other stories and tales of Andrei Platonov. In addition, “Dry Bread” feels optimistic notes. The boy sees how hard his mother is and tries to help her. She, in a simple, rustic language, explains to him why drought is dangerous. If there is no rain, there will be no bread.
The creation of the work “Dry Bread” by Platonov was inspired by the tragic events of the post-war years.
In 1946, a famine began in the country. Its occurrence was influenced by several factors, including drought. The crop has fallen dramatically. The newspapers later wrote that the lack of rain was to blame. Modern scholars argue that the cause of the famine was not so much in the drought as in the politics of the authorities. But of course, nothing was said about this in Dry Bread. Events are shown through the eyes of a child. Yes, and there is no talk of hunger in the story - only about the scorching hot sun and hard peasant labor, which in such conditions becomes completely overwhelming.
Mother
The heroine of the story "Dry bread" is a classic image of a Russian village woman. She works hard, not sparing herself. Labor is the basis of her life. The main task of this woman is to raise a son.
Mitya's mother seems big and strong. Nevertheless, he often asks: "And you do not scuffle?" (that is, you get tired and die). And she replies: "No, I'm healthy, not old, I still have to raise you."
Become big
Mitya wants to work, but her mother does not allow it. He says that he is still small and cannot work on a par with her. Then the boy decides to become big by all means. How to do it? You need to eat a lot of bread. So Mitya thinks and begins to absorb the bread flesh, washed down with water. He eats almost the entire mat, and the next day he suffers from a stomach ache.
The boy goes to the arable land to his mother, and looks around on the way. But none of the passersby notice changes in him. He remained a little boy who is still too early to work. "Come and your time to plow!" - mother tells him.
The boy is angry - he does not want to be small. He became angry with everyone who is bigger and stronger than him. Even to the mother. But she smiled, and all around suddenly became kind: the gray earth, and the hot wind, and the blade of grass.
Old barn
The experiences of the little boy, the hero of the work “Dry Bread,” Platonov conveys through the description of various objects and Mitya’s relationship to them.
He has no one but his mother. Mitya has not yet gone to school. His social circle is very narrow. He hardly remembers his dead relatives. But in their yard there is an old barn, and there are many interesting objects in it. These items for Mitya serve as a kind of connection with the father and grandfather.
In the shed, which the author calls the "old man shed", lies an ax belonging to Mitya’s grandfather. There is wooden gear, a wheel from a spinning wheel. The barn also contains old tools that his father used. Once a boy finds an oak chopper and realizes that with the help of this item he will finally be able to help his mother.
Field
Why did Platonov call his work “Dry bread”? Every day the boy comes to the field where his mother works. Here he sees a picture that yearns for any villager. The author describes the dry bread field so colorfully that the reader who has never been in the village pervades the experiences of the hero of the story.
“Rye is dying, small blades of grass are occasionally alive” - such is the picture Mitya sees daily. Mother explains to the boy that the bread is alive, and he cannot live without moisture. Mitya realizes that without rain the field will fall asleep. Just as his father and grandfather fell asleep. He takes a wooden chopper and begins to loosen the ground. Mitya believes that if he starts doing this every day, then the dew that gathers in the morning will penetrate deep into the ground.
Teacher
Mitya works long, selflessly. He sees nothing but dormant blades of grass. And suddenly he hears someone's voice. This is a teacher who knows every village boy. She was at war, there she lost her hand.
Elena Petrovna never felt sorry for herself. She smiled at everyone, despite being crippled. Approaching the boy, the teacher asked what he was doing. Mitya replied: "I help the bread so that it survives."
Elena Petrovna was touched by this hardworking, serious boy over the years. The next day, she was supposed to go on an excursion with her students. Invited and Mitya. But the boy refused. “The bread is dying, we have no time” - that was his answer.
Elena Petrovna began to help Mita, although she had only one arm, and it was very difficult for her to work. The next day, she came to the field with her students. They did not go on an excursion. They took narrow choppers on the collective farm, and Elena Petrovna showed them how to work in order to grow dry bread. That day it seemed to Mitya that the blade of grass came to life.
Such is the content of Platonov’s story “Dry bread”. The main idea of ​​the work is as follows: only love, understanding, caring for each other can save from trouble. The protagonist of the story, despite his young age, shows responsibility, which not every adult is capable of. His serious outlook on life impresses the teacher. And he himself serves as an example for other children.
It is worth saying that the drought in 1946 was so severe that no collective labor could save the country from hunger. In addition, a lot of grain was exported that year. The work of A.P. Platonov is not without romanticism and faith in communist ideals.
The writer's worldview was formed in his youth, but later on he lost faith in Soviet ideology. His fate was tragic. It is worth quoting some facts from the biography of this remarkable writer.
About the author of the story "Dry bread"
A.P. Platonov was born in a simple working-class family. His father was a steam engine driver. The family had ten children. The future writer, as a senior, actively helped parents. From an early age he was accustomed to work. He worked as a day laborer, assistant driver, foundry worker.
During the Civil War, Platonov served as a front-line correspondent, at the same time he was engaged in literary work. He wrote the most significant works in the late twenties.
In 1931, Platonov published The Future, which provoked an angry reaction from critics. From that moment in the life of the writer serious problems began that subsided for a time only during the years of World War II. Andrei Platonov wrote true works that could not be approved by the Soviet censors.