Fedor Abramov is a writer who worked in the genre of village prose. This direction was very popular in the second half of the twentieth century. It was easy for him to work to write his works in this direction, It was easy for him to work to write on this topic, since Abramov was born in the Arkhangelsk region. The summary (“Journey into the Past” to that example) of the stories that came out of his pen makes us think about the fate of not only small villages, but of the whole of Russia. Not surprisingly, they have recently been included in a compulsory literature program. More mature readers can be advised to familiarize themselves with the trilogy "Sparrows", which was awarded the State Prize.
Fedor Abramov: “A trip to the past”
Many works of this prose writer were difficult to censor. The story was written back in 1974, and it was published only at the very beginning of perestroika - in 1989. Unfortunately, the author of the publication did not wait. The story was published in the journal New World, and later it was published in the posthumous collected works.
This story differs from similar works in that it focuses not on the events that occurred with the hero, but on social conflicts and the psychology of people in the war and post-war years.
Which, according to the prose writer, negatively affected people
What did Fedor Abramov write about in his works? The “Journey into the Past,” a brief summary of which we are considering, talks about how party politics in the prewar years (approximately 1920-1930) influenced the lives of ordinary people. It was a period of dispossession of wealthy peasants who broke millions of fates. At that time, those who, in the opinion of others, lived better and had more than the others, referred to the north of the country. It was possible to get into the lists of dispossessed for the slightest prosperity.
All this with pain for his people was figuratively described by Abramov. A brief summary (“A trip to the past” in this regard is especially characteristic) of his stories, if they are reviewed, identifies the main problems that arose from the erroneous policy of the party:
• collectivization;
• dispossession;
• the emergence of fanatics, adherents of the revolutionary movement;
• drunkenness of the village lumpen proletarians.
The true guardians of traditional values at the time described by the author were in the minority and this can also be called a tragedy.
The main character and his image in the story
The central plot of Abramov (summary, "A trip to the past") tied around Miksha Kobylin. It would be strange for modern authors to choose such a hero, but in this work he looks organically. Miksha worked as a village groom, loved to drink and was sure that his relatives - the leaders of the revolution, were honest, courageous and noble people. All actions that the hero’s uncles did were perceived by him as reference.
At one time, Miksha denied even his father and changed his surname. This was greatly facilitated by uncles, who set him a different example than his father. Soviet ideology at that time was very strong. The protagonist until the last did not realize with whom he takes an example. They tried to open his eyes to his closest relatives more than once, but he did not delve into what old Fedoseyevna was telling.
What did native Miksha actually do
What is F. Abramov talking about next? “A trip to the past” (short summary) very colorful and emotionally describes the picture of the events of those times. Miksha Kobylin considered his uncles to be the arbiters of the revolution, aided by the propaganda of the regional museum. In fact, Methodius broke many fates. Even his death could not atone for the sins committed during his lifetime. For example, according to the stories of a local resident, they carried out mass executions.
But the truth about his uncle Alexander became more difficult for Miksha. The true cause of his death was hidden for a long time. The truth was revealed to the protagonist quite by accident - he went to a stranger to the abandoned village of Kurzia. His surname was Kudasov, and the family of his fellow traveler Miksha was exiled to the North several years ago. Kudasova’s sister was already working at age 15, and her duty was to clean up the commandant’s office, where she was raped by Alexander. For this reason, he was killed by a fellow traveler Miksha, who at that time was only 14.
The dispossession scenes are the most difficult and vivid in the story
Let us return to the main plot described by Abramov. The summary (“A trip to the past” we are considering) can be continued by the fact that it contains quite a lot of vivid and cruel details about the dispossession process. The author knew firsthand the life of the deprived, he spent his childhood in the Arkhangelsk region, where migrants from the south were often sent. On the streets of villages more than once battles arose between the indigenous inhabitants and the former "fists" sent to them.
Miksha himself, despite his young age, tried to participate in actions conducted by uncles, along with adults. He hated dispossessed people and, despite his young age, helped to dismantle the cross from the chapel. He also participated in fights. In memory of childhood, Miksha left a broken nose, which, as it turned out later, damaged Kudasov. This is the main character understood during the conversation.
How truth has affected Miksha
It is also important what conclusions the main character made after a conversation with Kudasov. Hard choices make the main character Abramov. “A trip to the past” (this brief summary only partially shows) - the story is primarily about the truth and what it can do with a person. Of course, it is important to have a correct idea of the world and the events that have occurred in it, but in the case of Miksha, the truth has become destructive. After he accompanied Kudasov, Miksha could not go home: he was tormented by the truth that he had learned about his relatives. For their sake, he renounced the closest person - his father and, as it turned out, in vain.
Tormented by his thoughts and memories, Miksha went to his father’s grave and froze there. People told him that his father was a true role model - hardworking and honest. Unfortunately, it was too late to change anything. Truth crippled Miksha, killed from within.
The story is easy to read. To learn all the details, to feel the talent of the writer will help only the book itself, its full content. “A trip to the past” (Abramov himself emphasized this more than once) tells about the life of a simple Russian person with knowledge of the issue, this story is interesting primarily from a historical point of view. It describes events without ideological overtones and blocking the actions of representatives of the Soviet government. That is why, during the life of the author, the novel was highly appreciated, but was in no hurry to publish (at that time, pressure on publishers and the media by the official authorities was quite strong). “A trip to the past” is a very modern work that can influence people's feelings and make them rethink their actions. It is worth reading not only in summary.