The epic novel "Quiet Flows the Don": a summary of the chapters

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the village of Veshenskaya, on the Don land, the Soviet writer Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was born. "Quiet Don", a summary of which will be presented in the article, he wrote about this region, the homeland of proud and freedom-loving workers. About 800 characters are involved in the work. The novel reflects the real fate of the Cossack families, twisted by the iron whirlwind of the First World War and the Civil War. Let's present a summary of the novel "Quiet Don".

More than two hundred characters are shown under their real names, real events are woven into the plot. Sholokhov, who had a phenomenal memory, with the scrupulousness of an artist for about twenty years, stroke after stroke, created his Quiet Flows the Don. The summary of the chapters was supplemented with thousands of details. The archives were available to the writer: from statistics to protocols of interrogations of White Guard generals. Most of the characters in the book appear under fictitious, but recognizable surnames. For example, the Shamili brothers (in reality, this is not a surname, but a street nickname) are the Drozdovs from the Pleshaki farm. But the Veshensky Cossack Chernichkin, who killed the commissar,shown in the novel under a false name, and for good reason. In fact, his surname is Borshchov, and the act is retribution for the execution of arrested Cossacks. If the actual course of things had surfaced, the man would have been shot. The prototype of Grigory Melekhov was Kharlampiy Vasilyevich Ermakov, whom the writer knew personally.

Let's try to describe fragmentarily the novel "Quiet Flows the Don". A summary of the chapters opens with a description of the family of Gregory, starting with Porfiry Melekhov, his grandfather, who married a Turkish woman. His father, Pantelei Prokofievich, is also shown as a zealous owner, and his mother, Vasilisa Ilyinichna, is attentive and homely. Parents raised sons Gregory, Peter and daughter Dunyasha. Young Grigory falls in love with the wife of his neighbor Stepan Astakhov - Aksinya, the same, knowing that her husband is cheating on her with zholmerki, reciprocates Grigory.

Panteley Prokofievich decides to separate the lovers by marrying his son to Cossack Natalya Korshunova. With this crushed love, Gregory's knowledge of life begins.

In the second part of the novel, Gregory leaves his wife, despite the protests of his parents, who liked his daughter-in-law. She and Aksinya leave the farm and get a job as a landowner's worker. Aksinya gives birth to a daughter. Grigory calls for service, for his money he buys a horse, Pantelei Prokofievich gives the rest of the equipment. The abandoned wife Natalya tries to stab herself with a scythe, but after more than six months between life and death, she remains to live. This ends the "peaceful" "Quiet Don". The summary, starting from the third chapter, is front-linecharacter, the protagonist painfully gets used to the bloody life of the war. The inherent personal moral principles do not allow Gregory to commit low deeds. He fearlessly rebels against the Cossacks, brutalized by idleness, who raped the maid Franya, tries to shoot Cossack Chubaty for senseless cruelty to prisoners.

In the battle, Melekhov is seriously wounded, and a funeral comes to his parents' house. But two weeks later, a letter follows from the front from brother Peter, telling that Grigory is alive and awarded for saving the officer. At this time, Grigory's daughter, Tatyana, dies in Aksinya's arms from scarlet fever. The son of the landowner, Yevgeny Listnitsky, sent on leave due to injury, enters into a relationship with her. Returning on a visit, Grigory beats him with a whip and, leaving Aksinya, returns to Natalya.

The fourth part of the novel is also front-line. The virtuoso machine-gunner Bunchuk, a secret member of the RSDLP, serves in the regiment; for military merit, he receives an officer rank. The front-line heroism of Grigory Melekhov deserves special coverage. His place in the ranks of the regiment is now near the banner. A full bow of St. George's crosses and four medals adorn the hero's chest. The honor of the Cossack for him now is the main thing, he boldly penetrates and smashes the Austrian rear, horseback riding, going wild. At the same time, he feels that the war has stolen his former smile from him, he understands that after the bloody military craft it will be difficult for him to look into the pure eyes of a child. The army is dissatisfied with the leadership of the Kerensky government. happening in Petrogradrevolution.

The fifth part is post-war. The Cossacks are returning to the village. But among them there is no former unity. Gregory at first joins the sympathetic Bolsheviks. In the battle for the village, thanks to the actions of two hundred horsemen led by Gregory, the Reds win, capturing forty people. But Podtelkov, chairman of the revolutionary committee, shoots them. The truth-seeker Grigory after that speaks out against the Bolsheviks. In the spring of 1918, a split arose among the Cossacks: the Verkhodontsy were in favor of the Reds, the Nizovites were against it.

The Melekhov brothers serve in the army of General Kornilov. Quiet Don has risen. A summary of the chapters below is documentary objectivity. The Cossack general does not receive support from the arrogant Denikin, Kornilov's army is doomed. We leaf through the novel. Its sixth-eighth parts reflect the picture of the civil war on the Don. Brother Peter is dying. Pantelei Prokofievich dies of typhus. Ilyinichna, in the last year of her life, accepts Aksinya as the wife of her son Grigory. The younger Melekhov, fighting the Reds, skillfully commands an entire Cossack division. Returning to the family, he finds himself persecuted by the husband of Dunyashka's sister, the chairman of the revolutionary committee, fleeing the reprisals of the Reds, joins the gang. After its defeat, he decides to run away with Aksinya, but they stumble upon a red food detachment. A stray bullet kills Aksinya.

The scene of grief experienced by Gregory, in which he saw a dazzling black sun, is one of the most convincing in world literature. Returning to the threshold of the house, he raisesthe hands of the son Mishatka - the only remaining kindred soul.

Only a child and love for the native land can save this man, who lost his family and loved ones, crippled by the Iron Age. On such a piercing note, Quiet Flows the Don ends. A summary of the chapters will give a greater effect of understanding if it is supplemented with quotes. But ideally, of course, you still need to read the book.

In the novel, there is a breakdown in the commonality of the Cossacks - the centuries-old mechanism for maintaining Christian statehood. The protagonist of the novel - Grigory Melekhov - is certainly a bright character, he is whole, sincere, both a hard worker and a knight are felt in him, the true character of the Don Cossack is visible. With a different turn of history, people like Gregory would have been the stronghold of the Russian state, the miners of its new glory. But Sholokhov the artist introduces him to the iron 20th century, cruel, trampling people, their feelings, breaking hopes. The work of Mikhail Sholokhov is so multifaceted that from an attempt to draw a conclusion from a mile away it is inconsistency. Here the conclusions are like in a forest of mushrooms. Everyone can find something for themselves. We recommend that readers do not stop at reading The Quiet Flows the Don. After all, such events, only occurring among the townspeople, are covered by Muscovite Boris Leonidovich Pasternak in the novel Doctor Zhivago. Both of these books, echoing each other in the era covered in them, displaying a realistic picture of suffering and misfortune, nevertheless teach love for the motherland. After all, how intelligibly sound the words of Doctor Zhivago aboutthat a real man must share the fate of his land!