"Chapaev" - a novel by Dmitry Furmanov about the life and death of the hero of the Civil War commander Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev

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

Roman Furmanov "Chapaev" is a famous work dedicated to the hero of the Civil War. It became one of the most famous novels in Soviet literature. In 1934, a historical drama by the Vasiliev brothers was released, in which Boris Babochkin played the main role. In this article, we will give a summary of the work, talk about its features.

Author

The novel "Chapaev" was written by a young 32-year-old revolutionary and Soviet prose writer. Furmanov was of peasant origin. At school, he decided to devote his life to literature. He entered the philological faculty of Moscow University. He graduated in 1915, but did not have time to pass the exams, as he went to the First World War.

In 1917, Dmitry Furmanov was first on the side of the Socialist-Revolutionaries, then the anarchists. Then he went over to the Bolsheviks. He took part in the suppression of the Yaroslavl uprising, becoming close to Frunze.

In 1919, Furmanov went to Vostochnyfront as a political worker. There he meets Chapaev. A few months later he was transferred to Turkestan due to a conflict with the divisional commander. Chapaev had an affair with Furmanov's wife. After he served in the Kuban army, where he received a severe shell shock.

He died in Moscow in 1926 from meningitis at the age of 34.

Summary

The novel "Chapaev" begins with a description of the working detachment under the command of Frunze, who is sent to fight Kolchak. On behalf of the detachment, Fyodor Klychkov says goodbye to the weavers. Yesterday's student, when the revolution began, proved himself to be an experienced organizer. Knows how to find a common language with workers who consider him theirs.

The train gets to Samara about two weeks. At this time, Klychkov receives a note from Frunze with an order to immediately arrive in Uralsk before the main detachment. The political workers are sent on their way on the messengers.

Already in the city of Klychkov, he constantly hears stories about division commander Chapaev, who is described as a folk hero. In Uralsk, he is appointed commissar to a group led by the same division commander.

At the front

The continuous battles in which the Red Army participates do not allow the hero of D. A. Furmanov's novel "Chapaev" to establish political and organizational work. The structure of the units themselves turns out to be so confusing that it is not clear how far the power of this or that commander extends.

The political commissar looks closely at the militaryspecialists who went over to the side of the Red Army. He cannot understand in any way whether they honestly serve the new government. Klychkov is waiting for Chapaev to arrive, as after that much should become clear.

In the diary kept by Fedor, he describes in detail the first impressions that the meeting with the divisional commander makes on him. He strikes him with the appearance of the most ordinary person, with relatively little physical strength. But at the same time, he has a unique opportunity to attract the views of others. In Chapaev, everyone around feels the inner strength that unites people.

At the first meeting, after listening to all the commanders, he makes his own conclusion, which turns out to be surprisingly accurate. Klychkov sees how much Chapaev is irresistible and spontaneous. He believes that his role is to exert ideological influence on the People's Commissar.

First fight

The novel "Chapaev" describes the first battle, during which Klychkov watches the commander. This is the battle for the village of Slomikhinskaya. Chapaev on horseback rushes along the entire front line, encouraging the fighters and giving the necessary orders. In the hottest spots, he always appears at the right moment.

Klychkov is delighted with this commander. In addition, due to his own inexperience, he lags behind the Red Army soldiers who broke into the village. Looting and riots begin in Slomikhinskaya. Chapaev stops them with his speech alone. He orders the soldiers not to rob anymore, everyone unquestioningly obeys him. True, the loot is returnedonly to the poor, and what was taken from the rich is divided among themselves.

Call to Frunze

At this time, Frunze calls Klychkov and Chapaev to Samara, where he is. Ordering the political commissar to cool the partisan ardor of the commander, he promotes him in the service. Fedor emphasizes that he is working in this direction.

On the way back Chapaev tells his biography. It turns out that he was born from a gypsy artist and the daughter of the Kazan governor. Klychkov doubts this, attributing the information to the account of the excessive fantasy of the hero of the Civil War.

Otherwise, there is nothing unusual about his fate. As a child, he grazed cattle, after that he traded with a merchant, worked as a carpenter, and even walked with a hurdy-gurdy along the Volga. Went to serve when the war started. His wife cheated on him, then Vasily Ivanovich took the children, who now live with a widow. He himself wanted to study all the time, tried to read as much as possible, however, he still painfully feels the lack of his education, admitting that he is a dark person.

Fight against Kolchak

The division led by Furmanov, the protagonist of the novel "Chapaev", is fighting against Kolchak. Successes alternate with failures, after which the political instructor strongly advises the divisional commander to start mastering strategy and tactics.

Between them periodically there are sharp disputes, in which Chapaev begins to listen to the Commissioner more and more often. Milestones of the heroic path of the division - Belebey, Buguruslan, Uralsk, Ufa. The main characters are approaching each other, Klychkov is watchingthe formation of the military talent of the division commander. His authority in the army is simply huge.

Decoupling

In the finale of the novel "Chapaev" in 1923, the division moves to Lbischensk, from here to Uralsk about a hundred kilometers. All around is steppe. The population hostilely meets the red regiments. Scouts are sent to the Chapaevs, who inform Kolchak about the poor supply of the Red Army. They do not have enough ammunition, shells and food. The whites literally take the hungry and exhausted troops by surprise. The divisional commander is forced to wander around the steppe in order to issue orders to his units as quickly as possible. Klychkov is called to Samara, even though he asked to leave him, despite the difficulties surrounding the division.

The headquarters of the division is located in Lbischensk, from where the main character of the novel "Chapaev" Furmanova travels around the units every day. Intelligence informs that no Cossacks were found in the area of the railway station. At night, for some unknown reason, a reinforced guard is removed, although Chapaev himself did not give such an order. At dawn, the whites attack the division by surprise. In a terrible and fast-paced battle, almost everyone dies. The commander himself was wounded in the arm. Next to him is his faithful messenger Petka Isaev, who is being killed on the banks of the Urals. The divisional commander tries to swim across the river, but when he is almost at the opposite bank, he is killed with a bullet in the head.

The remaining units from the division fight their way out of the encirclement.

Analysis

When analyzing the novel "Chapaev" it is worth noting that this is a classic novel in the spirit ofsocial realism. In it, the author clearly paints a picture of the Civil War, depicting the process of forming the consciousness of the people, the victory of the new over the old.

The book shows how the type of Civil War commander who is ready to give all his strength for victory is formed.

The main character Klychkov is of great importance - a faithful comrade who helps Chapaev cope with all the difficulties. In the image of this character, Furmanov portrayed himself. He admires the divisional commander, but at the same time dominates him, striving to gain authority and help in the implementation of the great historical task facing the Red Army.