Alexander Trifonovich Twardowski - the famous Soviet writer, journalist and poet. The image of Vasily Terkin, created by him in the most difficult years for our country, is familiar to everyone since childhood. The brave, cheerful and resourceful soldier still retains his appeal. Therefore, it was Twardowski’s poem and its main character that became the topic of this article.
Vasya Terkin and The Book of the Fighter
A hero named Vasya Terkin was created before the Great Patriotic War by a team of journalists, one of which was Twardowski. The character was an invincible fighter, lucky and strong, somewhat reminiscent of an epic hero.
In the Finnish War, the journalist, who was Twardowski, the image of Vasily Terkin inspires the idea of creating a full-fledged work in verse. Returning, the writer begins work and expects to complete the book already in 1941 and call it “The Book of the Fighter”. However, a new war mixed plans; Twardowski goes to the front. In the difficult first months, he simply does not have time to think about the work, together with the army he retreats, leaves the encirclement.
Creating the image of the protagonist
In 1942, the writer returns to the conceived poem. But now her hero is not fighting in the past, but in the current war. The image of Vasily Terkin in the poem is also changing. Before that, he was a jolly and joker Vasya, now he is a completely different person. The fate of other people, the outcome of the war, depend on him. June 22, 1942 Twardowski announces a new name for the future poem - "Vasily Terkin."
The work was written during the war, almost in parallel with it. The poet was able to quickly reflect front-line changes and preserve the artistry and beauty of the language. The chapters of the poem were printed in the newspaper, and the soldiers looked forward to the new issue. The success of the work is explained by the fact that Vasily Terkin is the image of a Russian soldier, that is, collective, and therefore close to every soldier. Therefore, this character was so encouraging and encouraging, gave strength to fight.
Theme of the poem
The main theme of Twardowski's poem is the life of people at the front. No matter how fun and fervently, with humor and irony, the writer did not describe events and heroes, he at the same time did not let us forget that the war was a tragic and severe test. And the image of Vasily Terkin helps to reveal this idea.
The poet describes both the joy of victory and the bitterness of retreat, soldier's life, death, fear, everything that fell to the lot of the people. And these tests were passed by people for the sake of one: “Mortal combat is not for glory, for life on earth!”
But Twardowski permeates the problems of not only the Great Patriotic War, he talks about the war in general. Raises philosophical questions about life and death, peaceful life and battles. Through the prism of the main human values, the writer looks at the war.
Symbols in the name of the protagonist
The image of Vasily Terkin is noteworthy in terms of symbolism. An essay dedicated to this hero can begin just from this, and then go on to a detailed characterization of the hero, which will be presented in detail below. So, as noted above, the hero of Twardowski has changed dramatically, he is not the same joke Vasya. His place is taken by a real fighter, a Russian soldier with his biography. He participated in the Finnish campaign, then returned to the army in 1941, retreated, was surrounded, then, together with the whole army, goes on the offensive and ends his journey in Germany.
The image of Vasily Terkin is multifaceted, symbolic, embodying the people, the Russian type of man. It is no coincidence that there is not a single mention of his family or personal relationships in the poem. He is described as a civilian, forced to become a soldier. Before the war, Vasily lived on a collective farm. Therefore, he perceives the war as an ordinary civilian: for him, it is an unimaginable grief, akin to natural disaster. He lives the dream of a peaceful life. That is, Twardowski creates in Terkin the character of an ordinary villager.
The hero has a speaking surname - Terkin, that is, a seasoned man, experienced in life, the poem says about him: "Life is shredded."
The image of Vasily Terkin
Often the theme of creative work is the image of Vasily Terkin. The essay about this character should be supplemented with a little help on the creation of a poem.
The fragmented composition of the work is united into one whole by the main character, a participant in all the events described - Vasily Ivanovich Terkin. He himself is from the Smolensk peasants. Good-natured, easy to communicate, trying to maintain morale, for which he often tells soldiers funny stories from his military life.
Terkin was wounded from the first days at the front. But his fate, the fate of a simple person who could bear all the hardships of the war, personifies the strength of the Russian people, the will of its spirit and thirst for life. The most important thing in the image of Terkin is that he does not stand out in anything, he is neither smarter, nor stronger, nor more talented than others, he, like everyone else: "Just a guy by himself / He is ordinary ... A guy like that / There is always in every company" .
However, this ordinary person is endowed with such qualities as courage, courage, simplicity, sense of humor. By this, Twardowski emphasizes that all these qualities are inherent in all Russian people. And this is precisely the reason for our victory over the ruthless enemy.
But Terkin is not only a seasoned soldier, he is also a craftsman, a jack of all trades. Despite the severity of wartime, he fixes his watch, sharpens his saw, and plays harmonies in between battles.
To emphasize the collective character of the image, Twardowski allows the hero to speak about himself in the plural.
Noteworthy is the talk of Terkin with Death. The soldier lies wounded, his life ends, and behind him is Bony. But the hero agrees with her to leave only if she gives him a one-day delay so that he can "hear the victory salute." Then Death is surprised at this dedication and backslides.
Conclusion
So, the image of Vasily Terkin is a collective image designed to emphasize the heroism and courage of the Russian people. However, this character also has individual traits: dexterity, ingenuity, wit, and the ability not to lose heart even in the face of death.