All writers want to create large-scale prose canvases; no one agrees in advance to discuss minor problems in their works. In other words, most writers crave "greatness of purpose."
But sometimes the hardest thing is to write a story or a novel about the simplest, for example, about love (youthful or parental) so that it does not go, is not corny, but, on the contrary, is breathtaking. The story (including a brief summary) of Sholokhov's “Alien Blood” suggests that our classic managed to do it.
Tragedy as a prelude to the story of unrequited parental love
The author focuses on Gavril’s grandfather. He is always waiting for a miracle: the arrival of his son from the civil war of 1917. He does not believe that his son was lost in the fire of a human slaughter. His wife does not believe in this either. Parents are waiting for their son all the time and hope, while preparing a wardrobe for him.
The grandfather’s wife hopes for a miraculous rescue of the son, and the old man, if he believes, is only in the depths of his heart. Insomnia, which torments him every night, whispers something in his decrepit ear, but his grandfather has no strength to hear the voice of silence.
All the life of the old people goes on without ceasing, until Petr (the son of the elderly parents) Prokhor comes home (to the village on the Don). He informs them that Petro is now not on the ground, but underground. He is no more. One can imagine what began here: the old woman began to howl, and Gavril’s grandfather silently took a blow, the bulk of his experiences usually occurred at night, and this happened this time. Of course, this is an emotional moment in the story (which also conveys a brief summary) by Sholokhov, “Alien Blood”.
God sends the elderly one more named son
Times were hard. It was winter. Envoys of the new government walked along the collective farms and took bread from the population under the auspices of the anti-crisis measure - the surplus appraisal. It is for this reason that three young people and a chairman appeared with them in the courtyard of the main character of the story, and they demanded that the grandfather give all the bread that he had. Grandfather argued with the envoys of the Soviet regime for some time. When his grandfather gave up and directed his feet to the house and not only directed, but almost reached him, the rider on a horse with a rifle grew up from the ground, and shot the "troopers" and the chairman.
God did not return the son to the old people, but gave one more. Some time passed after the incident, and Gavril’s grandfather decided to see how those who were shot were there. An amazing thing, but one of them was still breathing. Grandfather faced a difficult choice: either let the surviving boy freeze (he was no more than 19 years old) or despise ideological and moral differences (first, his grandfather was “white”, and secondly, the Soviet government killed his son) and save actually still a child.
This is the moral dilemma that Sholokhov poses for his hero in the Don Stories series. Alien Blood is an extremely powerful work in this respect with well-described character characters.
Fatherly feelings (love) conquer hatred, and Gabriel takes the shot young man home. His act is very frightening to his wife. She thinks that the grandfather went crazy and dragged a corpse into the house. Sholokhov's composition (and its summary) “Alien Blood” is rather scary in this moment, unless, of course, you know that the boy actually survived. The boy is saved.
Hopes for a replacement son did not materialize
Gavrila’s wife was sitting at the boy’s bed and day and night, when she was tired, her grandfather replaced her. They treated the victim of the echo of the civil war as a native person. After some time, the guy came to his senses and told the elderly the details of his biography. His name is Nikolai. He is a convinced communist, he worked all his life at the factory, which is in the Urals. He is an orphan. There are sons of the regiment, and he was the son of a factory.
Grandfather Gavril and his wife felt sorry for the boy, even though he was a communist, and convinced. And they invited him to stay with them, however, they said that now they would call him Petro in honor of their dead son. Nicholas agreed to a name change and a temporary visit to the elderly. The "New Petro" decided to stay with them until the fall, until it gets stronger.
After 3 months of his stay in the hut of the elderly, Nikolai came to his senses, began to walk. Injuries damaged one arm, but he still helped with the housework. Parents could not get enough of their named son. At this point, gives the reader some hope for a positive outcome for the Sholokhov story. “Alien blood”, however, further refutes these expectations.
A sad but natural end
It could not go on forever. Nikolay’s previous life could not simply disappear like snow in the spring. Once, closer to the fall, the old men were reminded: Nikolai is not Petro at all, and he has his own tasks and obligations to society and himself. A letter came from the Ural colleagues of Nikolai. They called him back to his native workshop.
After this letter, the young man lost peace and sleep. He was tormented. I didn’t know what to do. He still had a conscience. He could not let the men out of the factory, but he could not leave the old men.
Grandfather Gavrila for the elapsed time since the injury was very attached to the boy, but understood that he must be released. Nikolay should help his. Grandfather only hoped that at least one of his sons would return to him someday.
On such a sad note, the work from the Don Stories series ends. Sholokhov’s work (“Another Blood” cannot hide this) is a wonderful representative of this series of stories united by one name.