The path of a fisherman from an honest man to a traitor. What is the feat of Sotnikov

THE FEAT OF A MAN IN THE WAR (ON THE STORY OF V. BYKOV "SOTNIKOV)

1. Introduction.

A person's moral choice in war.

2. The main part.

2.1 Scouts Sotnikov and Rybak.

2.2 The main choice is made.

3. Conclusion.

Prize to the writer Bykov. During the war years, History and ourselves have taught us a great lesson in human dignity.

The problem of a person's moral choice in the face of terrible trials is most clearly revealed in literary works dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War. Where, if not in the face of death, a person is able to reveal himself, to show everything that he is capable of and what he values ​​in life. In the story “Sotnikov” by the Belarusian writer Vasil Bykov, the author reflects on true and false heroism. It is not enemies that collide in it, but people fighting on the same side. Perhaps, under normal conditions, the true characters of these heroes would not have appeared. Scouts Sotnikov and Rybak go on a combat mission and react differently to the impending danger. At first glance, it seems that the physically strong and quick-witted Rybak is much more ready for a feat than the frail and weak Sotnikov. But even then, when there was still no danger nearby, Rybak was internally ready to commit betrayal. Before us is a man who all his life "managed to find some way out." This gap was perfectly felt by the German investigator, who invited the hero to serve Germany. German policemen find Russian scouts at the village woman who sheltered them. Once captured and interrogated, the characters behave differently. Sotnikov takes all the blame on himself, protecting the woman who hid them and her daughter, whom the policemen also seized. For this he is subjected to cruel torture by the German executioner. At first, the fisherman is also determined to hold out to the last, but when he sees a wounded comrade who has returned from interrogation, he feels a desperate desire to survive at all costs. Recalling that at the first interrogation, the investigator hinted at him to serve in the police, Rybak, apparently, already at that moment made his choice. When the Germans, having not obtained any information either by interrogation or torture, announce the impending execution to the prisoners, the heroes again show their character in different ways. This news makes the fisherman frantically search

a way to save his life - pushes him to betrayal. He convinces himself that he is not a traitor, that he will run away. Sotnikov, on the other hand, comes to terms with the idea of ​​death, but tries to convince the Germans that he is one partisan, and the rest of the people have nothing to do with him. In the last minutes of his life, Sotnikov lost confidence in his right to demand from people the same as from himself. Even despising Rybak for treason to the Motherland, Sotnikov realizes that he has no right to condemn a person for his endless desire to live. The hero understands that Rybak has always been weaker than himself. Sotnikov leaves life as a completely different person, becoming wiser and more indulgent to the weaknesses of others. Until his last breath, he himself remains true to himself and his duty: “Well, it was necessary to collect the last strength in himself in order to meet death with dignity ... Otherwise, why then life? It is too difficult for a person to carelessly relate to its end. " The immense moral strength of Sotnikov helps him not to break down, accepting suffering. Sotnikov is an image that instills in us the strength of spirit, becomes an example that we want to follow. Bykov reflects not only on life and death, on human duty and betrayal. The writer tries to give a psychological analysis of the actions, thoughts, words of his characters. It is easy to condemn Rybak, and he certainly deserves condemnation. But Bykov tried not only to analyze the actions of this person, but also to understand and explain them. 3a story "Sotnikov" Bykov was awarded a special prize of the Catholic Church, preaching understanding and forgiveness. A work that teaches a person to think and empathize could not be ignored

The story "Sotnikov" was written in 1970. The real heroes of the story never existed in reality, but the incident that formed the basis of this work happened in real life.

This happened in August 1944, when our troops broke through the defenses and surrounded the Germans. Among the prisoners was a man who had long been considered dead. Unable to withstand the terrible tests, he went for betrayal, went for it deliberately. It seemed to him that it was only for a while, that at a convenient moment he would return to his own. But fate did not present him with such an opportunity. Probably, that is why it is a betrayal, so that he would not have an excuse. Vasil Bykov recognized this man, and then wrote a story about him, in which he poses moral problems about the meaning of life, about the spiritual strength of a person who found himself in a hopeless situation. The heroes have a choice - to die with dignity or to survive despicably.

Already at the very beginning of the story, an abyss is revealed between the heroes of the story. The fisherman cannot understand why the sick Sotnikov goes on a mission, because he had the opportunity to refuse. And "that's why he did not refuse, because others refused." This is what Rybak cannot understand, he does not understand this, because he does not have that sense of duty that is so necessary in a war.

The energetic and decisive nature of Rybak is opposed to the exhausted Sotnikov. But how did it happen that it was Rybak who became a traitor? Bykov takes the reader along the entire path of Rybak's moral searches. His choice is the result of moving towards betrayal. Once captured, it experiences a panic fear of death. Can we blame him for hoping to survive until the last moment? After all, he did not want to be a traitor, did not want to betray his comrades, but only tried to deceive the Germans. However, he betrayed, without noticing it, he ended up in the camp of policemen. Nothing made him stop before betrayal: neither the life of Peter, nor the Dyomchikha, who had children. For the sake of his own salvation, he is ready to sacrifice everyone. The fisherman seeks benefits even in the death of a friend with whom he has traveled so much. The execution of Sotnikov becomes the last stage on the path of betrayal Until the last moment, Sotnikov cannot believe in the betrayal of Rybak. “Of course, out of fear and hatred, people are capable of any betrayal, but Rybak, it seems, was not a traitor, nor was he a coward. How many opportunities he had to run over to the police, and there were plenty of cases to get cold feet, but he behaved with dignity. At least not worse than others. " And in the shootout with the policemen Rybak does not leave a friend, something made him return to the wounded Sotnikov. But this is something, probably too little to preserve human dignity in oneself, to walk with dignity along the path of life.

In this story we see not only a traitor, but also a person whose name, selfless feeling and courage cannot leave readers indifferent. If Rybak was only worried about how to save his own skin, then Sotnikov thinks about how “to meet his death, whatever it may be… with soldier's dignity, this became the main goal of his last minutes”. Not only Rybak wants to live, but also Sotnikov, but for him there are higher values: civic duty, human dignity. Facing death, Sotnikov wants to save people doomed to death with him, trying to take all the blame on himself. This state of the hero is accurately reflected in the title of the feature film based on this story. "Ascent" - this is how the director L. Shepitko called this film. Indeed, Sotnikov is making an ascent to moral heights. His actions are a path, an ascent to a heroic deed.

It is rather difficult to predict the outcome of the story from the very beginning. Sometimes it seems that Rybak deserves more sympathy than Sotnikov. But gradually, in the unfolding events, we see how their characters are revealed in the actions of the heroes. Rybak's betrayal evokes hatred and contempt. The feat of Sotnikov gives rise to admiration and pride in the heart.

In the story "Sotnikov" Vasil Bykov gives us a lesson in humanity, teaches us to be true to ourselves, our conscience, even in the most difficult and difficult situations in life. The story of Sotnikov and Rybak is a story about what a relaxation in matters of principle leads to, the absence of important moral foundations in relations with the outside world. This is a harsh and honest reflection of the writer on the life choices of each person. The situation of war only more sharply exposes this eternal problem: how a person should live his life. Thanks to the writer for his tutorial.

Can betrayal be forgiven

Based on the story "Sotnikov" by Vasil Bykov

The military past did not let go of the famous Belarusian writer Vasil Bykov for a long time. Bykov repeatedly returned in his work to the theme of the Great Patriotic War, creating impressive works in which he not only showed the true face of the war, but also tried to solve many philosophical questions, raising important and deep problems of moral choice in emergency situations.

The most significant ideological work of Bykov was the small story "Sotnikov", written in 1969.

In the story, two people are involved in a common cause - Sotnikov and Rybak. In wartime, they were able to each show their true face in their own way, which in ordinary life, perhaps, would not have had the opportunity to demonstrate. War opens the souls of people forcing them to take exactly the path they choose on their own. Sotnikov proved to be an honest man who with dignity passed through inhuman trials and even in the face of imminent death did not renounce his beliefs in order to save his life. The fisherman, who at first was shown to be a knowledgeable, experienced and strong person, turned out to be weak in soul and betrayed his homeland, fearing death. He saves his life at the cost of betrayal and thus devalued it completely. He became an enemy, went into another plane of being, where for the sake of his own life you can take the path of murder and betrayal. Bykov studies the old truth that on the threshold of death a person shows himself as he is in reality, without the deceitful and comfortable masks that he wore in everyday life. Only in a situation of difficult moral choice can one see what a person has for his soul, how strong his convictions and civic position are.

When the heroes went to carry out the task, at first it seems that the more prepared and savvy Rybak is an example of a real Soviet soldier, capable of feat. Sotnikov is shown frail, sickly, however, their inner world is completely opposite. A fisherman, who could always find a way out of a dangerous situation, can morally betray, and Sotnikov stands his ground until his last breath, remaining faithful to the highest duty - to the Motherland, his people, to himself: “Well, I had to collect in oneself the last strength to meet death with dignity ... Otherwise, why then life? "

The fisherman does not want to die and agrees to the conditions of the policemen, and Sotnikov, losing consciousness from savage torture, did not say a word. He not only was not afraid of death, he resigned himself to it. Yes, his death will not be the death of a hero, but it will be an honest death of an honest man who has not broken. Sotnikov understands that he can at least somehow help other victims of the policemen, so before the execution he told the investigator: "I am a partisan, the rest have nothing to do with it." The fisherman made a deal with his conscience, but left a small loophole, deciding that he would run away at the first opportunity.

How does Sotnikov feel about his former comrade? Shortly before his death, he realizes that he cannot demand from another person what he demands from himself. He overestimated his opinion about Rybak, believing that he was a simple person with a lack of important things in his soul. However, he gave vent to emotions when, in response to Rybak's awkward apology, he could not restrain himself and sent him to hell.

The fisherman could not overcome himself when fate presented him with a tough choice. Yes, in a fit of despair, he was ready to hang himself, but then a ghostly opportunity to survive appeared, which Rybak did not fail to take advantage of. The choice of Sotnikov, whom he did not really respect for his feebleness and soreness, literally amazed him. The fisherman chose the path of a traitor, although he justified himself with the prospect of escaping at an opportunity.

Can betrayal be forgiven? There are things in the world that cannot be forgiven. The betrayal of the Motherland, his people, himself is not just a difficult moral choice and an eternal cross, it is a soul soiled forever, a warped life, in which there is no longer anything of the person who was a traitor before. You can understand, you cannot forgive.

Bykov's story "Sotnikov" is filled with deep thoughts about eternal problems - life, death, duty, humanism, loyalty, betrayal. The author skillfully draws psychological portraits of heroes with the help of gestures, facial expressions, short remarks, creating a vivid, strong and integral picture that tells about universal, moral and moral themes. This incredibly emotional work makes us think about our own life, gives an impetus to reassess our values ​​and beliefs.

The newest period in the work of V. Bykov was revealed by his wonderful work "Sotnikov" - the deepest of the works about the war, not only of the author himself, but also in the entire Soviet multinational literature. "Sotnikov" is firmly connected with the previous stories of the writer. Well-known critics A. Adamovich, Naumova, Lazarev noticed the connection between Sotnikov and Kruglyanskiy Bridge.

An inhuman choice arises for Sotnikov: "It is better to die as a man than to live as a cattle." About the idea of ​​"Sotnikov" V. Bykov wrote: "First of all, and mainly I was interested in two moral problems, which can be formulated as follows:" What is a man before the destructive force of inhuman circumstances? What is he capable of when he has exhausted the possibilities to protect his life to the end and it is impossible to prevent death? "Both front-line soldiers and partisans remember these questions alike from their combat experience, when they had to be solved not mentally, but practically, at the cost of blood, putting at stake life. But no one wanted to lose their one and therefore dear life. And only the need to remain human to the end forced him to die. At the same time, there were people who tried to combine the incompatible: to save life and sin against humanity, which in a tragic situation turned out to be incredibly difficult, if not completely hopeless.

In many ways, Sotnikov is an ordinary war worker. He is actually one of the rank and file representatives of the multimillion army. Sotnikov is by nature not a hero at all, and when he dies, it is, first of all, because his moral foundation in such circumstances does not allow him to do otherwise, to look for another end. Sotnikov's mistrust, even cruelty, is noticeable. Only towards the end of the work Sotnikov overcomes straightforwardness in himself, becomes much higher.

The feat of Sotnikov, which has, above all, a moral, spiritual meaning, lies in this: humanity, high spirituality, in which, as an unconditional value, devotion to the Motherland is necessarily included, and Sotnikov defends it to the very end, to the last breath, confirming the ideals death itself. "For me, Sotnikov is a hero. Yes, he did not defeat the enemy, but he remained a man in the most inhuman situation." His stamina is also viewed as a feat by those several dozen people who witnessed his last minutes.

Sotnikov also "sometimes feared for his life, when he could easily and imperceptibly die in battle." "Coming out of the battle alive, he concealed in himself a quiet joy that the bullet had passed him." All this was humanly understandable and natural. It is known that Sotnikov, like other heroes of V. Bykov, knew how to fight the enemy "until the last minute." In the partisans, he ceased to be afraid of death. It was important for him to live when he was an army commander. Once captured by the Nazis, he thinks of death in arms as a great luxury. Here he almost envied the thousands of those lucky ones who found their end on numerous battlefields.

Before being hanged, Sotnikov reappears a hatred of death, very natural for a person, an unwillingness to say goodbye to life. Before his death, Sotnikov wanted to laugh, but he grinned at last with his tortured, pitiful smile. Going to his death, Sotnikov is not so much thinking about himself as concerned about "doing something for others." And also, so that death is not dirty.

The fisherman is a former comrade in the partisan struggle, and now a traitor. The fisherman in the first sections is shown to us as a good partisan, who behaves in a very comradely manner with Sotnikov, thinks about other partisans. In the army, Rybak, thanks to his quickness from a private, reached the position of a foreman. In a word, he is a very good person, if you take him at the everyday level, in ordinary, human circumstances. We can say that there is no price for him here. But the fact is that the war made its cruel demands, very often it offered inhuman ones. The fisherman understood this and tried to hold on. He, when he got into a shootout with Sotnikov, and then, when it calmed down for a while, sighs with relief, thinks that everything is over, that Sotnikov died. This means that it was not the pain for his death that arose in Rybak in the first place, but the feeling of relief caused by the fact that in this case it is definitely not necessary to risk yourself again.

The author connects the betrayal with the insignificance of Rybak's moral and ethical ideas, with the insufficient development of his spiritual world. He turned out to have a very small human, spiritual potential, he did not have enough moral height to be not only a good partisan, but also to endure to the end in difficult circumstances. The fisherman could not pay such a price for his life, because it was more important for him to survive, no matter what. Bykov wrote: “The fisherman is not a wicked person either: if the circumstances were different, perhaps a completely different side of his character manifested itself, and he would appear before people in a different light. But the inexorable force of military situations forced everyone to make the most decisive choice in human life - better die or stay to live meanly. And each chose his own. " Spiritual deafness does not allow him to understand the depth of his fall. Only at the end does he see with an irreparable delay that in some cases, surviving is no better than dying. In captivity, Rybak begins to carefully approach the policemen, cheat with them and get out. And it rolls, rolls downward, losing more and more human in itself, giving up one position after another. Already inexorably sliding into the abyss of betrayal, Rybak all the time reassures himself that this is not the end, that he will still be able to fool the policemen.

Bykov depicts Sotnikov's latest action: "Before punishment, he knocks the support out from under his feet in order to prevent Rybak from doing this, who betrayed him." Sotnikov would very much like Rybak, who has not yet smeared his hands with anyone's blood, had the opportunity to come to his senses, not to lose completely and irrevocably his own soul. The national ethics of philanthropic decency constantly made strict requirements, in particular, it categorically condemned the betrayal, which dragged along the death of innocent people.

Writing-review on the story "Sotnikov" by V. Bykov

A life! We praise her greatness.

Live! - this is human blessing and happiness!

For him, for my happiness and yours.

The heroes gave their lives.

65 years have passed since the day when salutes of victorious fireworks were fired over Russian soil. But to this day, the memory of those famous and unknown heroes lives in the hearts of people who survived, despite the loss, death of loved ones, and won a victory in this terrible and cruel war. Pain and grief for fathers and brothers, husbands and sons who did not return from the war still live in the memory of people. Books about the war, books designed to tell about the terrible fateful days of the Great Patriotic War have become an eternal monument to the heroism of our people. This topic has entered the literature for a long time. Many writers themselves have gone through the difficult path of war, having become witnesses and participants in a great tragedy and a great feat. Yes, many books have been written about the war. These are the works of Y. Bondarev and G. Baklanov, K. Vorobyov and S. Nikitin, and many others. The authors tried to understand and tell us, the readers, what those who stood up to defend their native land were like.

The stories of V. Bykov became the most interesting for me. "Obelisk", "Sotnikov", "Until Dawn" are a kind of trilogy dedicated to the problem of a person's moral choice in tragic situations of war. In his story V. Bykov depicts war and a man in war, depicts truthfully, without embellishment.

The story "Sotnikov" was written in 1970. The real heroes of the story never existed in reality, but the incident that formed the basis of this work happened in real life.

This happened in August 1944, when our troops broke through the defenses and surrounded the Germans. Among the prisoners was a man who had long been considered dead. Unable to withstand the terrible tests, he went for betrayal, went for it deliberately. It seemed to him that it was only for a while, that at a convenient moment he would return to his own. But fate did not present him with such an opportunity. Probably, that is why it is a betrayal, so that he would not have an excuse. Vasil Bykov recognized this man, and then wrote a story about him, in which he raises moral problems about the meaning of life, about the spiritual strength of a person who found himself in a hopeless situation. The heroes have a choice - to die with dignity or to survive despicably.

Already at the very beginning of the story, an abyss is revealed between the heroes. The fisherman cannot understand why the sick Sotnikov goes on a mission, because he had the opportunity to refuse. And "that's why he did not refuse, because others refused." This is what Rybak cannot understand, he does not understand this, because he does not have that patriotic sense of duty, which is so necessary in a war.

The energetic and decisive nature of Rybak is opposed to the exhausted Sotnikov. But how did it happen that it was Rybak who became a traitor. When he is in captivity, he is possessed by panic fear, fear of death. Can we blame him for hoping to survive until the last moment? After all, he didn’t want to be a traitor, he didn’t want to betray his comrades, but only tried to deceive the Germans, but for some reason betrayed, betrayed, without noticing it, he ended up in the camp of policemen. Nothing stopped him from betraying. And what to say about the fact that for the sake of his own salvation he is ready to sacrifice the lives of Peter and the Dyomchikha, who has children, Rybak is looking for benefits even in the death of a friend with whom he has gone so much. Until the last moment, Sotnikov cannot believe in betrayal. “Of course, out of fear and hatred, people are capable of any betrayal, but Rybak, it seems, was not a traitor, nor was he a coward. How many opportunities he had to run over to the police, and there were plenty of cases to get cold feet, but he behaved with dignity. At least not worse than others. " And in the shootout with the policemen Rybak does not leave a friend, something made him return to the wounded Sotnikov. But this is something, probably too little to preserve human dignity.

In this story we see not only a traitor, but also a person whose name, selfless feeling and courage cannot leave readers indifferent. If Rybak was only worried about how to save his own skin, then Sotnikov thinks about how “to meet his death, whatever it may be… with soldier's dignity, this became the main goal of his last minutes”. Not only Rybak wants to live, but also Sotnikov, but for him there are higher values: civic duty, human dignity. Facing death, Sotnikov wants to save people doomed to death with him, trying to take all the blame on himself. Probably the most difficult and expensive thing in the war was to preserve humanity and conscientiousness. It is rather difficult to predict the outcome of the story from the very beginning. Sometimes it seems that Rybak deserves more sympathy than Sotnikov. But gradually, in the unfolding events, we see how their characters are revealed in the actions of the heroes. Rybak's betrayal evokes hatred and contempt. The feat of Sotnikov gives rise to admiration and pride in the heart.

In the story "Sotnikov" Vasil Bykov gives us a lesson in humanity, teaches us to be true to ourselves, our conscience, even in the most difficult and difficult situations in life. Grief, pride seize the reader when reading the story "Sotnikov". Thanks to the writer for his tutorial.

Let us always remember our famous and unknown heroes who withstood and won victory in this terrible and cruel Great Patriotic War. They gave us the happiness to live.