The story of V. Zheleznikov "Scarecrow". Summary

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

In 1981, a story was published that shocked Soviet readers, because the events described in it looked like real nonsense: young Leninist pioneers rot a new student. The author of the work is Vladimir Zheleznikov. “Scarecrow” (a brief summary is given below) - this is how he called his story, the idea of which he took from life: similar events happened to his granddaughter. The work shocked the actor and director Rolan Bykov so much that already in 1983 a feature film shot by him with the same name was released on the screens of Soviet cinemas.

So, a summary of "Scarecrow". The action takes place in a small provincial town. The local eccentric old man Nikolai Nikolaevich Bessoltsev, who collects paintings, is visited by his 12-year-old granddaughter Lena. She enrolls in a local school, absolutely sincerely hoping to make new friends here. But classmates almost immediately begin to mock her. They are amused by herspontaneity and naivety, combined with an awkward appearance: long, thin arms and legs, a big mouth with an eternal smile and two pigtails. Before she even spent five minutes in a new class, she gets the nickname "Scarecrow". The summary of this story is not able to convey those negative emotions that their new classmate caused in schoolchildren.

Only one boy didn't laugh at her. It was Dima Somov, who enjoyed the authority of the whole class, since he was considered handsome and smart, and was also the son of we althy parents. But Lena Bessoltseva is alien to any selfish thoughts. She just wants to be friends. Dima accepts her friendship and tries to protect her as much as possible from the attacks of her classmates. And when he saved the dog that Valka's classmate wanted to hand over to the knacker, he became a real hero for the girl. But soon the friendship cracked because of Somov's act. He told the teacher that the whole class ran away to the cinema. Lena heard this conversation, but she was firmly convinced that Dima would admit to his classmates that it was because of him that now they would not all go on vacation to Moscow. But he did not confess, and the girl took his guilt upon herself. Somov's conversation with the teacher was heard by two more classmates, but they preferred to remain silent in order to see how he would get out. Lena, as a traitor, has been boycotted.

Once Valka the flayer ran into the courtyard of the house where the Scarecrow lived (the summary is not able to convey all the details), and stole her from the clotheslinedress. In addition, he saw Somov there. He chased after Valka to take away the dress. Lena ran after them and ended up at a dilapidated church, near which the whole class had gathered. The boys and girls made a scarecrow out of straw (the summary does not allow describing the whole enormity of the further action), put a stolen dress on him and arranged for him to be burned. Bessoltseva rushes to a burning branch with a dress and, having untied it from a pole, disperses her blasphemous classmates with it. She understands that everyone hates her for the betrayal she did not commit, but she remains silent.

Somova betrays one of his classmates who heard his confession to the teacher, but

Lena doesn't care anymore. She wants to leave this town and persuades her grandfather to let her go or go with her. Grandpa hesitates. Lena comes to Somov's birthday, shaved bald, and in the very charred dress that was put on the scarecrow. A brief summary will never convey all the emotions, so it would be better to read a book or watch a movie. The girl defiantly plays the fool and with a fake smile proclaims herself a scarecrow, a freak and a nonentity. Classmates are shocked, but everyone suddenly understands in the depths of their souls that each of them is a freak and a nonentity. They leave Somov's house, and the next day they are finally convinced that he is the traitor. They are ready to ask for forgiveness from Lena, but it's too late: she's leaving. Her grandfather travels with her, but before leaving, he donates his house, along with a priceless collection of paintings, to the city. He presented the school with a portrait of his grandmother. When the children saw the picture, they were stunned: from an old portrait, more like an icon, a young woman looked at them, exactly like Bessoltseva.