M. Sholokhov, "Virgin Soil Upturned": summary and analysis

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

The novel "Virgin Soil Upturned", a summary of which you will find in this article, is one of the most famous works of the classic of Soviet literature Mikhail Sholokhov. It consists of two volumes. At the same time, the first was published in 1932, and the second was published only in 1959. The novel tells about the process of collectivization on the Don, as well as the movement of "25-thousanders".

Start of romance

The novel "Virgin Soil Upturned", a summary will help you quickly remember the plot, begins with the fact that in January 1930 the main character arrives at the Gremyachiy Log farm. He goes to Yakov Ostrovnov. The guest is the former commander of Ostrovnov - Polovtsev, with whom they served in the First World War and the Civil War.

Old comrades have dinner and reminisce. Yakov Lukich is considered a good owner on the farm, smart and careful. guesthe begins to complain about how difficult it was to achieve everything. After the Civil War, he was literally met with bare walls, so he had to work around the clock. And then a new government came, which, according to the surplus appraisal, took away all the grain. I had to pay taxes, hand in more meat, bread, butter.

Summary of book 1 "Virgin Soil Upturned" is given in this article. So, you can find out that the inhabitants of the farm have a new concern. A certain person came from the district who will organize the collective farm. Everyone is wary of this innovation, they suspect that everything that was acquired by overwork will have to be given to a common cauldron. Polovtsev claims that this must be fought against, invites Yakov to join the Union for the Liberation of the Native Don. This is the plot of Sholokhov's novel "Virgin Soil Upturned", a summary of which you are now reading.

Collectivization

The man discussed by the characters in the first chapter turns out to be a former sailor Semyon Davydov, who managed to work as a mechanic at the Putilov factory. He comes to the Gremyachy farm to establish collectivization. In Sholokhov's novel "Virgin Soil Upturned", a summary allows you to quickly recall the plot, the Soviet reality of those years is described in detail.

Davydov starts with meetings of local activists and the poor. All those present sign up for the collective farm and agree on a list of kulaks. The latter are awaiting confiscation of property and eviction from their homes.

Active discussion causescandidacy of Tit Borodin. Makar Nagulnov, secretary of the farm cell of the Communist Party, says that Tit was a red partisan, he himself came out of the poor. But after the Civil War, he wisely took up the household, worked around the clock, acquired many diseases, but began to grow rich. People around him repeatedly suggested that he wait for the world revolution, but he claimed that he had already fought to become everything, being a nobody.

Davydov is strict. He argues that a person should be honored for being a partisan, and by becoming a fist, one should crush him.

The next day begins the mass eviction of we althy peasants, which is described in detail in the novel "Virgin Soil Upturned". The chapter summary gives you an idea.

Women and children are crying, dispossession is underway. The chairman of the village council Andrey Razmetnov is so dumbfounded by what is happening that at first he refuses to participate in this, but Davydov convinces him to change his mind.

Interestingly, even some representatives of the poor, and almost all middle peasants, did not aspire to the collective farm. They meet secretly to discuss the state of affairs. Among the dissatisfied Nikita Khoprov, who is actually blackmailed by the fact that during the Civil War he was a member of the punitive detachment of whites.

Ostrovnov invites him to participate in an armed uprising, but Nikita is against it. Refusing, he begins to ask a lot of unnecessary questions about Ostrovnov. For example, he asks who lives in his house, whether he really incites everyone to rebellion. On the same night, Khoprov and his wife are founddead. Polovtsev, Ostrovnov himself and the accordionist Timofey Rvany, the son of a kulak, take part in this.

An investigator arrives from the area but cannot find any clues or evidence.

Collective farm chairman

Davydov is elected chairman of the educated collective farm, Ostrovnov becomes the head of the farm. Collectivization itself is progressing with difficulty. Not wanting to hand over the cattle to the authorities, they kill it, and hide the seed grain. All these facts are described in Sholokhov's novel Virgin Soil Upturned. A summary of the chapters allows you to thoroughly learn the plot of this work.

Timofey Torn is sent out with his father. This leads to tragedy in the Nagulnov family, whose wife publicly cries over the accordion player. Nagulnov is divorcing Lukerya.

Known for her flightiness, Lushka starts flirting with Davydov.

Meanwhile, Polovtsev and Yakov Lukich are already ripe for an uprising. Its details are described by Sholokhov in Virgin Soil Upturned. A summary of the chapters will help you quickly restore everything in memory. The conspirators inform their accomplices from a neighboring farm that they intend to speak the day after tomorrow.

Finds out that their like-minded people changed their minds after reading Stalin's article "Dizziness from Success". Now they assert that the creation of collective farms is not a decree from the center, and now Stalin declares that one can remain on one's own farm. Therefore, they want to find a common language with the local chief, who is carrying out collectivization, but they are not ready to oppose the Soviet regime.

Polovtsev is convinced that the article is a hoax. Stalin's statement had an effect on people. Only in Gremyachy itself, in one week, dozens of applications for leaving the collective farm were submitted. Among others, Razmetnov's mistress Marina Poyarkova, who harnesses herself to the shafts, taking the harrow and plow from the common yard.

The situation escalates when carts arrive from Yarsky. People say that they came for seed grain. A riot begins in Gremyachy. A summary of "Virgin Soil Upturned" describes how it all happened.

People beat Davydov, knock down locks from barns, grain goes from hand to hand. It is not without difficulty that the rebellion can be suppressed. Davydov decides not to take any administrative action against those who have temporarily become deluded.

Communication with Lushka

Lushka still manages to fool Davydov. She constantly went to his house, took newspapers, asked if he missed her. As a result, Davydov surrendered, and the entire district became aware of their connection. Good news is coming. By May 15, the collective farm fulfills the annual plan.

At this time, the opponents of collectivization do not give up. Sholokhov in "Virgin Soil Upturned", a summary of the chapters will help you prepare for the exam or test for this work, talks about Ostrovnov's meeting with Timofey, who fled from exile. They secretly see each other in the forest. Timofey asks to tell Lukerya what awaits her. At home, Ostrovnov finds one more piece of news. Polovtsev arrived with his comrades. They decide to quietly hide at homeLukich.

Davydov is worried that his relationship with Lushka is seriously undermining his authority. Therefore, he invites her to formalize the relationship and get married. Suddenly, this leads to a serious quarrel. Davydov is left alone, is very worried about this, entrusts all the affairs to Razmetnov, and he leaves to work with the second team.

In the brigade everyone is discussing the exorbitant thickness of the cook Daria, the workers are constantly scoffing about this. And with the advent of Davydov, another topic for constant jokes appears - young Varya Kharlamova falls in love with the chairman of the collective farm. She always communicates with a burning face, but Davydov does not want this connection, claiming that he is twice as old as the girl, besides, he is not handsome, injured, it is better for her to grow up without him. Sholokhov in "Virgin Soil Upturned", the content of the novel will confirm this, pays attention not only to social processes, but also to the personal lives of the characters.

Somehow a rider arrives at the brigade. He jokes with Daria, helps her in the kitchen, peels potatoes, and then tells her to wake Davydov. It turns out that a new secretary of the district committee by the name of Nesterenko has arrived. His duties are to check the quality of plowing, as well as to sort out collective farm affairs. In these matters, Nesterenko is unusually knowledgeable. He criticizes Chairman Davydov for the mistakes and omissions that appear in his work. The sailor understands that he needs to return to the farm to restore business, moreover, it became known that the day before someone shot at Makar.

Attempt on Makar

From the summary of "Raisedvirgin lands", as well as from the novel, you can find out the circumstances of what happened. Razmetnov says that in the dead of night Makar was sitting at an open window with his new friend grandfather Shchukar, a noble joker and joker. At that moment, unknown people shot at him from a rifle.

The next morning, using the shell casing found, it was possible to establish that the shooter was a man who was not at war, because he managed to miss from a distance of 30 meters, which does not look like a soldier. Because of the shot, the secretary of the party did not receive any injuries, but he developed a severe runny nose, which was now heard throughout the farm.

Detailed summary of "Virgin Soil Upturned" describes in detail the events that took place in the novel. Davydov is preparing for sowing. To do this, he goes to the forge to inspect inventory. The blacksmith Ippolit Shaly works there, who warns the chairman that he must leave Lukerya, otherwise he also risks getting a bullet. After all, Lushka meets not only with him alone. It turns out that Timofey Rvany shot unsuccessfully at Makar.

Davydov on the same day passes the conversation with the blacksmith to Razmetnov and Makar. He proposes to resort to urgent measures - to report the incident to the GPU. Makar is categorically against it, he suspects that as soon as the operatives appear on the farm, Timofey will immediately disappear. Makar decides to set up an ambush on his own near Lukerya's house. The woman herself is locked up for this time. Three days later, Timothy finally appears, whom Makar kills with the first shot. He gives Lushka the opportunity to say goodbye to him and lets go.

Search for Polovtsev

Summary of "Virgin Soil Upturned" is given in this article. From the novel, you can learn that new people appear on the farm, who present themselves as cattle procurers. Razmetnov immediately feels something is wrong, he draws attention to the fact that they do not have village faces, and their hands are too clean and white. Razmetnov detains new people who turn out to be employees of the GPU. They came from the regional administration to find a dangerous enemy of Polovtsev, according to them, he was a captain in the White Army during the Civil War, and now he is secretly acting against the Soviet government.

Summary of "Virgin Soil Upturned" by M. Sholokhov gives an idea of how the opponents of the regime were working at that time. It was not in vain that the GPU officers came to the Gremyachy farm, indirect evidence and professional instinct tell them that Polovtsev is hiding somewhere nearby.

In Davydov's personal life, everything is restless again. After the party meeting, Varya is waiting for him, who says that her mother wants to marry her, and she loves only him. Davydov is tormented all night by thoughts, and in the morning he decides to marry her. But a little later, for now, he sends him to study as an agronomist.

Killing operatives

According to the summary of "Virgin Soil Upturned" by Mikhail Sholokhov, one can get a full impression of this novel without even reading it. It has a lot of unexpected and exciting plot twists. For example, a few days after the events describedit becomes known that both harvesters were found killed on the road.

Davydov, Nagulnov and Razmetnov, who know that they were actually employees of the GPU, establish surveillance over the houses where cattle was purchased. Surveillance leads them to Ostrovnov's home.

You can read a summary of the chapters of "Virgin Soil Upturned" right in this article. So you will know that Makar offers a plan to capture. They are going to burst through the door with Davydov, Andrey at this time must guard near the window so that the intruders do not hide.

After short-term negotiations, the owner himself opens them. Makar, with a strong kick of his foot, knocks out the door, which is locked only with a latch, but does not have time to shoot. Near the threshold of the house, first a hand grenade explodes, and then they start firing from a machine gun. Nagulnova is disfigured by fragments after the explosion, he dies on the spot. Davydov was seriously wounded by a machine gun. He died the next day in the hospital.

Virgin Soil Upturned Summary lets you know what it's about without even reading it. The novel ends with the funeral of Nagulnov and Davydov. During the shootout, Razmetnov manages to kill one of the intruders. It turns out to be Lyatevsky, the GPU officers who arrived to figure out what was happening on the farm come to this conclusion.

Polovtsev manages to be arrested three weeks later, not far from Tashkent. After that, arrests begin all over the region. In total, about six hundred participants in the anti-Soviet conspiracy are uncovered and neutralized.

Analysis of the novel

IdeologicalThe artistic content of the novel "Virgin Soil Upturned" lies in a detailed description of the formation of the collective farm system in the Soviet countryside. An important place in this work is occupied by the Don Cossacks. The writer shows a sincere interest in the fate of the masses during the revolution.

The novel describes in detail the transition to collectivization, when the Cossacks, together with the peasants, moved to a new form of social life. The central place is occupied by the confrontation between the supporters of socialism and the counter-revolutionaries.

Two characters representing the opposing camps - Davydov and Polovtsev. They almost simultaneously arrive at Gremyachiy Log. One should organize a collective farm, and the second should oppose it in every possible way.

Collective farm builders

The novel describes many characters who enthusiastically get down to business and build a collective farm. They are led by the communist Davydov. The kulaks and the White Guards oppose this in every possible way.

It is interesting that the creation of a new life is connected with overcoming the possessive ideas that have been cultivated among the peasants for centuries.

There are a lot of mass scenes in the novel. Sholokhov depicts the difficult process of eliminating the old system in the countryside, the birth of collective farms. The main role here is given to Davydov, who became one of the 25,000 communists whom the party sent to head the collective farms and establish a new life in the localities.

Davydov immediately finds a common language with the people, while often making mistakes, like an ordinary person. For example, he fails to immediately recognize the enemy in Ostrovnov. He always strivesto demonstrate by his own example how to live and act, this disposes many people to him, he finds such necessary support from them. A city man, a worker at the Putilov factory, who has never driven a plow, undertakes to plow in order to inspire those around him by his own example. He manages to get what he wants. People around start working.

Political Education

Great attention is paid to the Davydovs and political education. He patiently explains the policy of the party to the inhabitants of the farm. At the same time, he retains his presence of mind, even when he is threatened with death from an angry mob. It happened during the women's rebellion.

Davydov is distinguished by an amazing feature - faith in the future. And these are not illusions and not ghostly dreams. So, he talks about the Cossack Fedotka, whom he promises to soon build a good life. In twenty years, he promises him to work with an electric plow, he will be happy, says Davydov.

Sholokhov demonstrates cheerfulness, charm and tenderness in Davydov. On the pages of the novel appears as the leader of the masses, a whole nature. Together with Davydov, Makar Nagulnov and Andrey Razmetnov are depicted in the work. The latter grew up in poverty, so he aspired to serve in the Red Army and was devoted to the Soviet regime. But at the same time, he is not literate enough, it is difficult for him to understand the surrounding reality, but he constantly strives to learn, wants to learn new things.

Sholokhov's novel was very popular, becoming one of the author's main works.