Fazil Iskander, "Chika's Childhood": summary, main characters, reviews

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

Fazil Iskander - the greatest writer of modern literature - was born and grew up in Abkhazia. Then he graduated from the Russian gymnasium and soon after graduating from Moscow University. Maxim Gorky plunged headlong into creativity. A series of stories about a boy named Chick is a kind of childhood narrative in which the author presents a vision of a boy of eleven years. "Childhood can be repeated," Fazil shrewdly notes, and it is repeated "not by external phenomena, but by a personal worldview." In particular, because of this, any reader usually compares himself to this child, having read the summary of "Chick's Childhood".

Theme of the work

The theme of childhood raised by Fazil Iskander in his stories is of paramount importance.

"Childhood" for the writer is identical to the study of the world, a fresh, renewed vision. It is from him that he draws that same endless reserve of goodness and determination, which is close to writing. The fun and happiness of childhood is the natural spirited state of man.

However, the main characters of "Chick's Childhood" during their lives often encounter absolutely not children's problems, it falls to their lot to solve completely adult problems. This is how the difficult process of becoming a person's spiritual consciousness proceeds.

What do the stories in the cycle have in common?

All the stories in the story "Chick's Childhood" are united by the area of action, the heroes of the same name, and, of course, by the fact that they have one primary hero - Chick. We will not find one single plot here, however, the vicissitudes described in various stories complement each other and thus form a complete picture.

Chick is far from an obedient child. On the contrary, he is lively, brisk, irreconcilable with anything. However, despite this, he always stands for honesty, does not hurt the "small", appreciates and protects friends. Chik is a child of the people, who has absorbed all his positive features. He is optimistic and firm, objective and honest. Chica's inner world is developed. He, for example, feels ashamed if the fight is not fair, cannot really fight the boy if he is younger or more defenseless.

Summary of "Chica's Childhood"

Keropchik, one of the formidable city mischief-makers, knocked over a basket of sweets that belonged to Uncle Alikhan. Chick was a casual observer of such a nasty case. Motya Pilipenko found out about the incident. Despite his own young years, he managed to carry out not the only robbery of the store. ActionsKeropchik gives rise to his discontent and thirst to settle scores. Chick is glad that the poor hawker will stand up for the one he always characterized positively.

Motya is in no hurry to repay. Chick keeps looking for a meeting with him in order to find out if the bully got what he deserved. Motya carries out an act of revenge in front of the main character. Having forced the offender to strip down to his underpants, he forces the prankster to walk around the city almost naked. Having learned his lesson, the former hooligan decides to give up his past aimless life and becomes a shoemaker. Motya has committed a crime, and he is put in a cell. After these events, Pilipenko ceased to be an authority for young Chick.

Chick on the hunt

The boy was getting ready for his adventure. He borrowed a belt from his brother. The persecution of quails awaited him. Chick imagined that he would tie up his own prey by the belt when he began to move towards the house. Jumping up early and writing a letter to his parents, he rushed to meet his adventures with a dog named Squirrel. Chick was armed with arrows and a bow.

The child recognizes the stragglers of the hunters, among them his namesake will be found. The boy involuntarily thinks that his name has never been taken seriously and every now and then they made fun of him. The hero is offended when acquaintances believe that there is no such name in reality. One fine day, Chick met his namesake, a boy with exactly the same name. The boy imagined that the second Chick would go to study at the same educational institution. After that, classmates will make sure that his namenot invented. But later it became clear that the new acquaintance is not distinguished by intellectual and physical development. Chick fears he will be confused with the other boy who is tarnishing their common name.

Catching quails was not entirely successful. However, the boy still returned home with "prey". He brought a bird and tried to tame it. Failing to fulfill this goal, he released the dove to freedom.

Chick's act

Chick witnessed how the hunter caught the dog and put him in his car. The protagonist perceives such actions of a person towards quadrupeds as undeserved. After all, who else if not them, there are our kind and faithful comrades who are not capable of causing harm. The boy is obliged to put an end to such a monstrous injustice, since the hunters take away not only the homeless, but also those pets who have their own home. Chick has a dog named Squirrel, he worries about her.

Preparing an inventive plan, he frees the pets from the dogcatcher's car. He is chasing the boy in order to send him to the police. Sly Chick manages to break away from the chase. Above all, his friends and family came to his defense. The flayer has no choice but to fall behind the boy and admit defeat.

Character profile

After reviewing the summary of "Chick's Childhood", we can conclude that the little boy was a simple student who loves to have fun with classmates and sandwiches with jam. He is always looking forward toholidays in the summer, however, he also sees a lot of fascinating things in gaining knowledge. Natural curiosity forces Chick to find all sorts of adventures, which fills his life with bright colors. The good nature of the boy does not allow him to endure injustice. He is trying by all means to change what he thinks is wrong.

Like any child, he has his own idols, who he considered Motya. The thief is not only a moral example for Chick, he considers him very beautiful and deep in his soul is envious that he does not have eyes like Moti's. But, as often happens in childhood, the standard very soon falls from its pedestal. Chick was deceived in his expectations to such an extent that he stopped envying Pilipenko's beautiful eyes.

The boy's childhood can be considered carefree. He lives in a spacious house with his parents, who do not have a soul in it. The faithful dog Squirrel follows the boy everywhere. Chik is in continuous communication with the outside world. He loves the city in which he was born and often wanders its streets, enjoying the landscapes of his native places. Loving people brought up a sensitive and gentle character of a young boy.

The main idea of "Chica's Childhood"

Due to the fact that this is a complete collection of stories and there is more than one plot in it, it is not easy to identify the central idea of the story. The author did not just try to explain to his readers that childhood is the most carefree time in life. At this time, the first concepts and beliefs about what is good and bad, what istruth and what a lie. The first meeting with this world is not always joyful. However, despite the fact that the boy notices too much evil and injustice, he does not stop appreciating life, perceiving every new day as a true gift of fate.

Analysis of the product

Observant readers certainly compare Iskander's "Chick's Childhood" with stories about such a mischievous person as Tom Sawyer. Both one and the other have grumpy, but kind aunts. Each of them is constantly looking for some kind of adventure. If they don't find them, they invent them on their own.

If you read the reviews about "Chik's Childhood", you can be sure that Iskander was quite a talented author to appropriate someone's idea. Most likely, he did not seek to write a similar work. And the likeness of the heroes only proves that the young adventurers lived and continue to live to this day. A boy with a good-natured, groovy character can be born on any continent and at any time.

Story Feature

Summary of "Chica's Childhood" will be interesting not only for teenagers, but also for their parents. For the former, stories about a simple boy are a chance to get to know themselves as they are in a particular period. Adult people see themselves in pranksters exactly as they were in their youth. The ordinary life of the protagonist of "Chick's Childhood" Iskander helps to imagine the spiritual world of his baby much better, to understand what is valuable to him and why he is really upset. When they reach maturity, people acquire a number of opportunities that they did not have in childhood.