Why did Andrei Sokolov drink? Essay: Dialogue between Andrei Sokolov and Muller as one of the culminating episodes of M’s story

During the Great Patriotic War, Sholokhov, in military correspondence, essays, and the story “The Science of Hate,” exposed the anti-human nature of the war unleashed by the Nazis, revealed the heroism of the Soviet people and love for the Motherland. And in the novel “They Fought for the Motherland” the Russian national character, clearly manifested itself in days of difficult trials. Remembering how during the war the Nazis mockingly called Soviet soldier“Russian Ivan,” Sholokhov wrote in one of his articles: “The symbolic Russian Ivan is this: a man dressed in a gray overcoat, who, without hesitation, gave the last piece of bread and thirty grams of front-line sugar to a child orphaned in the terrible days of the war, a man , who selflessly covered his comrade with his body, saving him from imminent death, a man who, gritting his teeth, endured and will endure all hardships and hardships, going to the feat in the name of the Motherland.”

Andrei Sokolov appears before us as such a modest, ordinary warrior in the story “The Fate of a Man.” Sokolov talks about his courageous actions as if it were a very ordinary matter. He bravely performed his military duty at the front. Near Lozovenki he was tasked with transporting shells to the battery. “We had to hurry, because the battle was approaching us...” says Sokolov. “The commander of our unit asks: “Will you get through, Sokolov?” And there was nothing to ask here. My comrades may be dying there, but I’ll be sick here? What a conversation! - I answer him. “I have to get through and that’s it!” In this episode, Sholokhov noticed the main feature of the hero - a sense of camaraderie, the ability to think about others more than about himself. But, stunned by the explosion of a shell, he woke up already in captivity of the Germans. He watches with pain as the advancing German troops march to the east. Having learned what enemy captivity is, Andrei says with a bitter sigh, turning to his interlocutor: “Oh, brother, it’s not an easy thing to understand that you are not in captivity because of your own water. Anyone who has not experienced this on their own skin will not immediately penetrate into their soul so that they can understand in a human way what this thing means.” His bitter memories speak of what he had to endure in captivity: “It’s hard for me, brother, to remember, and even harder to talk about what I experienced in captivity. When you remember the inhuman torment that you had to endure there in Germany, when you remember all the friends and comrades who died, tortured there in the camps, your heart is no longer in your chest, but in your throat, and it becomes difficult to breathe...”

While in captivity, Andrei Sokolov exerted all his strength to preserve the person within himself, and not to exchange “Russian dignity and pride” for any relief in fate. One of the most striking scenes in the story is the interrogation of the captured Soviet soldier Andrei Sokolov by the professional killer and sadist Muller. When Müller was informed that Andrei had allowed his dissatisfaction with hard labor to show, he summoned him to the commandant’s office for questioning. Andrei knew that he was going to his death, but decided to “gather his courage to look into the hole of the pistol fearlessly, as befits a soldier, so that his enemies would not see at the last minute that it was difficult for him to part with his life...”.

The interrogation scene turns into a spiritual duel between the captured soldier and camp commandant Müller. It would seem that the forces of superiority should be on the side of the well-fed, endowed with the power and opportunity to humiliate and trample the man Muller. Playing with a pistol, he asks Sokolov whether four cubic meters of production is really a lot, and is one enough for a grave? When Sokolov confirms his previously spoken words, Muller offers him a glass of schnapps before the execution: “Before you die, drink, Russian Ivan, to the victory of German weapons.” Sokolov initially refused to drink “for the victory of German weapons,” and then agreed “for his death.” After drinking the first glass, Sokolov refused to take a bite. Then they served him a second one. Only after the third did he bite off a small piece of bread and put the rest on the table. Talking about this, Sokolov says: “I wanted to show them, the damned ones, that although I am perishing from hunger, I am not going to choke on their handouts, that I have my own Russian dignity and pride and that they did not turn me into a beast, no matter how hard we tried.”

Sokolov’s courage and endurance amazed the German commandant. He not only let him go, but finally gave him a small loaf of bread and a piece of bacon: “That’s it, Sokolov, you are a real Russian soldier. You are a brave soldier. I am also a soldier and I respect worthy opponents. I won't shoot you. In addition, today our valiant troops reached the Volga and completely captured Stalingrad. This is a great joy for us, and therefore I generously give you life. Go to your block..."

Considering the scene of the interrogation of Andrei Sokolov, we can say that it is one of the compositional peaks of the story. It has its own theme - spiritual wealth and moral nobility Soviet man, my own idea: there is no force in the world capable of spiritually breaking true patriot, make him humiliate himself before the enemy.

Andrei Sokolov has overcome a lot on his way. The national pride and dignity of the Russian Soviet man, endurance, spiritual humanity, indomitability and ineradicable faith in life, in his Motherland, in his people - this is what Sholokhov typified in the truly Russian character of Andrei Sokolov. The author showed the unbending will, courage, and heroism of a simple Russian man, who, in the time of the most difficult trials that befell his Motherland and irreparable personal losses, was able to rise above his personal fate, filled with the deepest drama, and managed to overcome death with life and in the name of life. This is the pathos of the story, its main idea.

Sokolov Boris Nikolaevich

There was such a Russia...

These memoirs are very different from everything we have ever read about that war. This does not mean that everything written before was untrue. But in the memoirs of B. N. Sokolov, unexpectedly for the reader, new facets of the military events of 1941-1945 are revealed.

Willingly or unwittingly, in the minds of several generations of Russians, a stable stereotype of the Red Army soldier who fought against German fascism has already developed. Consciousness depicts an honest and persistent soldier, enduring all the hardships of war, who quietly but selflessly loves his country and is ready to give his life for it at any moment. I think that this is largely correct, but a very schematic idea of the front-line soldier of those years. Decades, year after year, have distorted our understanding of the truth of that war. This is how sea waves have been smoothing out sharp corners on stones for centuries, turning them into smoothly polished works of nature that are pleasing to the eye and heart.

Very different people fought in the war against the Nazis. It would be a deep mistake to see them as some kind of monolith, some kind of homogeneous mass. Only death made them the same, regardless of whether it was heroic or treacherous. And the nature of heroism and betrayal in its essence, in its deep structure, is so complex that it does not require sweeping condemnation or frivolous exaltation. We need to think seriously about all this. All this should be studied deeply.

The memoirs of B. N. Sokolov give us an amazing opportunity to plunge into the complex whirlpool of human experiences. Perhaps for the first time in Russian literature, a completely unfamiliar layer of human worldviews is revealed to us. This is the attitude of an honest and educated person who found himself in the epicenter of the terrible events of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

There are no and never will be objective memoirs. All of them cover certain events from the standpoint of upbringing, character, temperament, social status their author. The memoirs of B. N. Sokolov are no exception. The only peculiarity is, perhaps, that their author is not a commander, not a politician, not a recipient of high government awards. The author of memoirs and not an ordinary Red Army soldier, like there were millions. He is quite a rare occurrence. This is a man who grew up under Soviet rule, brought up on the ideas of socialism, and became one of those who represented the first generation of Soviet intellectuals. His distinctive features- this is exceptional honesty with oneself, the absence of even the slightest desire to embellish or, conversely, to denigrate the events that took place. He has an excellent memory, a clear mind and an excellent ability to present both events that took place and his own thoughts.

In June 1941, there were not so many volunteers in the Red Army who had behind them not only a higher educational institution, but also rich experience in management work in production. Thirty-year-old junior lieutenant B.N. Sokolov was just like that. Before volunteering for the front, he worked for a long time as an engineer, chief technologist of one of the Leningrad factories. Throughout the 30s, he underwent military training almost every year for 2-3 months, so he could cope with the duties of an artillery platoon commander (assistant battery commander) quite successfully. This was not a career military man, but at the same time a man worn out by life, who experienced firsthand what responsibility for an assigned task is. He was used to doing everything in his life thoroughly, conscientiously.

He himself answers the question of why he volunteered for the front, and his motivation is somewhat discouraging. Instead of the expected feeling of hatred towards fascism, indignation at the arrival of foreigners in native land he puts forward completely different reasons. He considers the impetus for volunteering to go to the front to be his internal obedience to the law, ignorance of life “outside the usual circle,” and lack of independent thinking skills. That is, he was called to the front not so much by patriotic feelings as by the force of inertia, the established stereotype of views and actions. This may seem strange to the reader, but it is difficult not to believe it.

The summer days of 1941 found B. N. Sokolov near Leningrad, in the Gatchina region. The environment he depicts as an eyewitness is both familiar and unfamiliar. The author of the memoirs does not emphasize the chaos that was happening around, as has become customary to see in works recent years about the war. There was no panic. Rather, there was some strange combination of confusion and childish curiosity: who are the fascists, and how did they end up here? Everything that B.N. Sokolov lived in those days was not covered by the shroud of fear of death. He writes that there was no paralyzing fear, but not because everyone was a hero. Rather, it resembled the activation of some protective functions of the body, and sometimes it was a simple misunderstanding of the danger of what was happening around.

Much of what the author describes seems completely strange. For example, his statement that in war all the bosses shout and threaten their subordinates with execution. But in this case, and in many others, the reader certainly wants to believe him. And I want to believe because in not a single line of his does B.N. Sokolov become angry, hypocritical, or indiscriminately denigrate his country, its leaders and ordinary residents. He treats his enemy the same way.

He happened to kill an enemy - a young German guy with a machine gun, but it was as if in a fog, without high thoughts about the safety of the Motherland. How similar this is to the plots described by Remarque in the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”! But when he himself was wounded and taken prisoner by a German soldier, everything that happened was ordinary and as if seen from the outside in a slow motion movie. The German soldiers did not beat or torture the wounded Red Army soldier, but treated him rather indifferently, like grass in a clearing in the forest where they were warming themselves by the fire.

A little surprised, but without servility and servility, B. N. Sokolov describes how a German doctor provided him and other Soviet wounded with medical care in the village of Kipeni; how clearly and competently the German orderlies acted. All these events were not imbued with the spirit of mutual hatred familiar to us from books and films. Rather, it looked like some kind of production process, where instead of metal parts there were people.

One of the most striking episodes of the memoirs was the description of the moral and psychological situation that reigned among prisoners of war when they were transported in a freight car to Pskov: they were not thinking about the lofty and eternal. They arranged their life, bought (whoever had money) water from a speculator from among their own. But when B. N. Sokolov suddenly declared publicly that the Nazis would never be able to capture Leningrad, a stream of abuse and threats fell upon him, and only a happy accident saved him from lynching. How this does not fit with our idea of Soviet patriotism! But how similar is this to the truth? This is another confirmation that not everything is so simple in war, that people who fight in war are different and very often different from each other.

M.A. Sholokhov wrote a story about the fate of a former prisoner of war, about the tragedy and strength of character of a man who suffered the most difficult trials. During and immediately after the Great Patriotic War, soldiers returning from captivity were considered traitors, they were not trusted, and a thorough check was carried out to clarify the circumstances. The story “The Fate of Man” has become a work that allows you to see and understand the cruel truth of war.

The word “fate” can be interpreted as “life story” or used in the meaning of “fate, fate, coincidence.” In Sholokhov’s story we find both, but the hero turned out to be not one of those who meekly accepts the fate destined for him.

The author showed how dignified and courageous the Russians behaved in captivity. There were few traitors “shaking for their own skin.” By the way, they surrendered voluntarily at the first opportunity. The hero of the story “The Fate of Man” was wounded, shell-shocked and taken prisoner by the Germans in a helpless state during the battle. In the prisoner of war camp, Andrei Sokolov endured a lot of suffering: bullying, beatings, hunger, death of his comrades, “inhuman torment.” For example, Commandant Müller, bypassing the line of prisoners, hit every second person in the nose with his fist (or rather, with a piece of lead placed in a glove), “making blood.” This was his way of expressing Aryan superiority, emphasizing the insignificance of human life for representatives of all nations (unlike the Germans).

Andrei Sokolov had a chance to personally confront Muller, and the author showed this “duel” in one of climax episodes story.
The conversation between the captured soldier and the commandant took place because someone informed the Germans about the words Andrei had said the day before about the order in the concentration camp. Barely alive prisoners chiseled stone by hand, and the norm per person was four cubic meters per day. One day after work, wet, exhausted, hungry, Sokolov said: “They need four cubic meters of output, but for the grave of each of us, one cubic meter through the eyes is enough.” For these words he had to answer to the commandant.

In Müller’s office, all the camp authorities were sitting at the table. The Germans celebrated another victory at the front, drank schnapps, snacked on lard and canned food. And Sokolov, when he entered, almost vomited (constant fasting had an effect). Muller, clarifying the words spoken by Sokolov the day before, promised that he would honor him and personally shoot him. In addition, the commandant decided to show generosity and offered the captured soldier a drink and a snack before his death. Andrei had already taken a glass and a snack, but the commandant added that he should drink for the victory of the Germans. This really hurt Sokolov: “So that I, a Russian soldier, would drink German weapons for the victory?!” Andrei was no longer afraid of death, so he put the glass down and said that he was a teetotaler. And Müller, smiling, suggested: “If you don’t want to drink to our victory, then drink to your destruction.” The soldier, who had nothing to lose, boldly declared that he would drink to get rid of his torment. He knocked back the glass in one gulp and put the snack aside, although he was dying to eat.

What willpower this man had! Not only did he not humiliate himself over a crumb of lard or a piece of bread, but he also did not lose his dignity or sense of humor, and this gave him a feeling of superiority over the Germans. He suggested that Muller go to the courtyard, where the German would “sign” him, that is, sign a death warrant and shoot him. Müller allowed Sokolov to have a snack, but the soldier said that he didn’t have a snack after the first one. And after the second glass he announced that he was not having a snack. He himself understood: he was showing this courage not so much to surprise the Germans, but for himself, so that before his death he would not look like a coward. With his behavior, Sokolov made the Germans laugh, and the commandant poured him a third glass. Andrey took a bite as if reluctantly; He really wanted to prove that he had pride, “that the Nazis did not turn him into a beast.”

The Germans surprisingly appreciated the pride, courage and humor of the Russian soldier, and Muller told him that he respected worthy opponents, and therefore would not shoot him. For his courage, Sokolov was given a loaf of bread and a piece of lard. The soldier did not really believe in the generosity of the Nazis, waited for a shot in the back and regretted that he would not bring the unexpectedly dropped treat to his hungry cellmates. And again the soldier did not think about himself, but about those who were dying of hunger. He managed to bring these “gifts” to the prisoners, and they divided everything equally.

In this episode, Sholokhov raised an ordinary person to the pedestal of a hero, despite the fact that he was a prisoner of war. It was not Sokolov’s fault in his captivity; he was not going to give up. And in captivity he did not grovel, did not betray his own, did not change his beliefs. He remained a devoted citizen of his homeland and dreamed of returning to duty to fight against the Nazis again. This incident from the life of a soldier turned out to be decisive in his fate: Sokolov could have been shot, but he saved himself, because he was less afraid of death than shame. So he remained alive.

And the “superman” Muller suddenly saw in the Russian soldier pride, the desire to preserve human dignity, courage and even contempt for death, since the prisoner did not want to grasp for life at the cost of humiliation and cowardice. This was one of Andrei Sokolov’s victories in the circumstances that fate presented.

What kind of character do you need to have in order not to submit to circumstances? Andrei’s habits, which became character traits, were the most common for people of that time: hard work, generosity, perseverance, courage, the ability to love people and the Motherland, the ability to feel sorry for a person, to have compassion for him. And he was happy with his life, because he had a house, a job, his children grew up and studied. Only the lives and fate of people can be easily ruined by politicians and militarists who need power, money, new territories and income. Is a person able to survive in this meat grinder? It turns out that sometimes this is possible.

Fate was merciless to Sokolov: a bomb hit his house in Voronezh, killing his daughters and wife. He loses his last hope for the future (dreams about his son’s marriage and grandchildren) at the very end of the war, when he learns about the death of his son in Berlin.
Endless blows of fate did not destroy this man. He did not become embittered, did not hate anyone, realizing that one could only curse the fascists who destroyed millions of human lives throughout the earth. Now the enemy has been defeated, and we must move on with our lives. However, the memories were difficult and it was difficult to think about the future. The pain did not go away for a long time, and sometimes there was a desire to forget with the help of vodka, but I coped with this too, overcame the weakness.
Andrei Sokolov's meeting with the boy, a homeless orphan, changed a lot in his life. The man’s heart sank in pain when he saw someone whose life was even more difficult and worse than his own.

The writer not only shows us the twists of fate that either break or strengthen a person, Sholokhov explains why his hero acts in such a way that he can change his life. Andrei Sokolov gives the warmth of his heart to those who need it, and thereby expresses protest against fate, which has sentenced him to loneliness. Hope and the will to live were restored. He can tell himself: throw away your weaknesses, stop feeling sorry for yourself, become a protector and support for the weaker. This is the peculiarity of the image of a man with a strong character created by M.A. Sholokhov. His hero argued with fate and managed to reshape his life, directing it in the right direction.

The writer Sholokhov spoke not only about the life of a specific person, a citizen Soviet Union Andrey Sokolov. He called his work “The Fate of Man,” thereby emphasizing that every person, if he is spiritually rich and strong, like his hero, is able to withstand any test, create a new destiny, new life, where he will have a worthy role. Apparently, this is the meaning of the title of the story.
And in the current aggravated situation, M.A. Sholokhov could remind the current Russophobes and Nazis that the Sokolovs have not disappeared among the Russian people.

Reviews

M. Sholokhov - Great Russian writer, there are no words! "The Fate of Man" is a vivid example of this. Just a story about a simple Russian peasant, but how it’s written! And S. Bondarchuk’s film based on this work is also magnificent! How he played Sokolov! This scene when he drinks vodka with cut glasses is simply incomparable! And a meeting with a homeless boy brought him back to life, when it seemed there was simply no point in living any further... Thank you, Zoya! R.R.

The main character of the story M.A. Sholokhov “The Fate of Man” Andrei Sokolov experienced a lot in his life. History itself, in the form of a bloody war, intervened and broke the hero’s fate. Andrei went to the front in May 1942. Near Lokhovenki, the truck he was working on was hit by a shell. Andrei was picked up by the Germans and captured.

Sholokhov introduced a description of captivity into his story, which was unusual in Soviet literature of that time. The author showed how dignified and heroic the Russian people behaved even in captivity, what they overcame: “As you remember the inhuman torment that you had to endure there in Germany, as you remember all the friends and comrades who died, tortured there in the camps, your heart It’s no longer in the chest, but in the throat, and it becomes difficult to breathe...”

The most important episode showing the life of Andrei Sokolov in captivity is the scene of his interrogation by Mueller. This German was the commandant of the camp, “in their way, a Lagerfuhrer.” He was a ruthless man: “... he lines us up in front of the block - that’s what they called the barracks - he walks in front of the line with his pack of SS men, holding his right hand in flight. He has it in a leather glove, and there is a lead gasket in the glove so as not to damage his fingers. He goes and hits every second person in the nose, drawing blood. He called this “flu prevention.” And so every day... He was a neat bastard, he worked seven days a week.” In addition, Müller spoke excellent Russian, “he even leaned on the “o”, like a native Volga native,” and especially loved Russian swearing.

The reason for calling Andrei Sokolov for questioning was his careless statement. The hero was indignant about the hard work in a stone quarry near Dresden. After another working day, he went into the barracks and dropped the following phrase: “They need four cubic meters of output, but for the grave of each of us, one cubic meter through the eyes is enough.”

The next day, Sokolov was summoned to Müller. Realizing that he was going to his death, Andrei said goodbye to his comrades, “... began to gather my courage to look into the hole of the pistol fearlessly, as befits a soldier, so that my enemies would not see at my last minute that I had to give up my life after all.” difficult."

When the hungry Sokolov entered the commandant’s office, the first thing he saw was a table laden with food. But Andrei did not behave like a hungry animal. He found the strength to turn away from the table, and not to prevaricate or try to avoid death by going back on his words. Andrey confirmed that four cubic meters is too much for a hungry and tired person. Müller decided to show Sokolov the “honor” and personally shoot him, but before that he offered him a drink to the German victory. “As soon as I heard these words, it felt like I was burned by fire! I think to myself: “So that I, a Russian soldier, would drink German weapons for the victory?!” Is there something you don't want, Herr Commandant? Damn it, I’m dying, so you’ll go to hell with your vodka!” And Sokolov refused to drink.

But Muller, already accustomed to mocking people, invites Andrei to drink something else: “Would you like to drink to our victory? In that case, drink to your death.” Andrei drank, but, as a truly courageous and proud man, he joked before his death: “I don’t have a snack after the first glass.” So Sokolov drank the second glass, and the third. “I wanted to show them, the damned one, that although I’m dying of hunger, I’m not going to choke on their handouts, that I have my own, Russian dignity and pride, and that they didn’t turn me into a beast, no matter how hard they tried.”

Seeing such remarkable willpower in a physically exhausted man, Muller could not resist sincere delight: “That's it, Sokolov, you are a real Russian soldier. You are a brave soldier. I am also a soldier and respect worthy opponents. I won’t shoot you.”

Why did Mueller spare Andrei? And even gave him some bread and lard, which the prisoners of war then divided among themselves in the barracks?

I think that Muller did not kill Andrei for one simple reason: he was scared. Over the years of working in the camps, he saw many broken souls, saw how people became animals, ready to kill each other for a piece of bread. But he had never seen anything like this before! Muller was scared because the reasons for the hero’s behavior were unclear to him. And he couldn’t understand them. For the first time, among the horrors of war and camp, he saw something pure, big and human - the soul of Andrei Sokolov, which nothing could corrupt. And the German bowed to this soul.

The main motive of this episode is the motive of the test. It sounds throughout the story, but only in this episode does it acquire real power. The test of a hero is a technique actively used in folklore and Russian literature. Let us remember the trials of heroes in Russian folk tales. Andrei Sokolov is invited to drink exactly three times. Depending on how the hero behaved, his fate would be decided. But Sokolov passed the test with honor.

To further reveal the image in this episode, the author uses the hero’s internal monologue. Tracing him, we can say that Andrei behaved heroically not only externally, but also internally. He did not even have the thought of giving in to Müller and showing weakness.

The episode is narrated from the main actor. Since several years have passed between the interrogation scene and the time when Sokolov tells this story, the hero allows himself irony (“he was a neat bastard, he worked seven days a week”). Surprisingly, after so many years, Andrei does not show hatred towards Muller. This characterizes him as truly strong man who knows how to forgive.

In this episode, Sholokhov tells the reader that the most important thing for a person in any, even the most terrible circumstances, is to always remain human! And the fate of the main character of the story, Andrei Sokolov, confirms this idea.

Great Patriotic War even after many decades remains the greatest blow for the whole world. What a tragedy this is for the fighting Soviet people, who lost the most people in this bloody battle! The lives of many (both military and civilian) were ruined. Sholokhov's story “The Fate of Man” truthfully depicts these sufferings, not of an individual person, but of the entire people who stood up to defend their Motherland.

The story "The Fate of Man" is based on real events: M.A. Sholokhov met a man who told him his tragic biography. This story was almost a ready-made plot, but did not immediately turn into literary work. The writer nurtured his idea for 10 years, but put it on paper in just a few days. And dedicated it to E. Levitskaya, who helped him print main novel his life "Quiet Don".

The story was published in the Pravda newspaper on the eve of the new year, 1957. And soon it was read on All-Union Radio and heard throughout the country. Listeners and readers were shocked by the power and truthfulness of this work, and it gained well-deserved popularity. In literary terms, this book opened up a new way for writers to explore the theme of war - through the fate of a little man.

The essence of the story

The author accidentally meets the main character Andrei Sokolov and his son Vanyushka. During the forced delay at the crossing, the men started talking, and a casual acquaintance told the writer his story. This is what he told him.

Before the war, Andrei lived like everyone else: wife, children, household, work. But then thunder struck, and the hero went to the front, where he served as a driver. One fateful day, Sokolov’s car came under fire and he was shell-shocked. So he was captured.

A group of prisoners was brought to the church for the night, many incidents happened that night: the shooting of a believer who could not desecrate the church (they didn’t even let him out “until the wind”), and with him several people who accidentally fell under machine gun fire, help from a doctor to Sokolov and others wounded. Also, the main character had to strangle another prisoner, since he turned out to be a traitor and was going to hand over the commissioner. Even during the next transfer to the concentration camp, Andrei tried to escape, but was caught by dogs, who stripped him of his last clothes and bit him so much that “the skin and meat flew into shreds.”

Then the concentration camp: inhuman work, almost starvation, beatings, humiliation - that’s what Sokolov had to endure. “They need four cubic meters of production, but for the grave of each of us, one cubic meter through the eyes is enough!” - Andrei said imprudently. And for this he appeared before Lagerführer Müller. They wanted to shoot the main character, but he overcame his fear, bravely drank three glasses of schnapps to his death, for which he earned respect, a loaf of bread and a piece of lard.

Towards the end of hostilities, Sokolov was appointed driver. And finally, an opportunity arose to escape, and even together with the engineer whom the hero was driving. Before the joy of salvation had time to subside, grief arrived: he learned about the death of his family (a shell hit the house), and all this time he lived only in the hope of a meeting. One son survived. Anatoly also defended his homeland, and Sokolov and he simultaneously approached Berlin from different directions. But right on the day of victory, the last hope was killed. Andrey was left all alone.

Subjects

The main theme of the story is a man at war. These tragic events are an indicator of personal qualities: in extreme situations, those character traits that are usually hidden are revealed, it is clear who is who in reality. Before the war, Andrei Sokolov was not particularly different; he was like everyone else. But in battle, having survived captivity and constant danger to life, he proved himself. His truly heroic qualities were revealed: patriotism, courage, perseverance, will. On the other hand, a prisoner like Sokolov, probably also no different in ordinary peaceful life, was going to betray his commissar in order to curry favor with the enemy. Thus, the theme of moral choice is also reflected in the work.

Also M.A. Sholokhov touches on the topic of willpower. The war took away from the main character not only his health and strength, but also his entire family. He has no home, how can he continue to live, what to do next, how to find meaning? This question has interested hundreds of thousands of people who have experienced similar losses. And for Sokolov, caring for the boy Vanyushka, who was also left without a home and family, became a new meaning. And for his sake, for the sake of the future of his country, you need to live on. Here is the disclosure of the theme of the search for the meaning of life - its real person finds love and hope for the future.

Issues

The problem of choice occupies an important place in the story. Every person faces a choice every day. But not everyone has to choose on pain of death, knowing that your fate depends on this decision. So, Andrei had to decide: to betray or remain faithful to the oath, to bend under the blows of the enemy or to fight. Sokolov was able to remain a worthy person and citizen because he determined his priorities, guided by honor and morality, and not by the instinct of self-preservation, fear or meanness.
The whole fate of the hero, in his life trials, reflects the problem of the defenselessness of the common man in the face of war. Little depends on him; circumstances are falling on him, from which he is trying to get out at least alive. And if Andrei was able to save himself, then his family was not. And he feels guilty about it, even though he isn't.
The problem of cowardice is realized in the work through minor characters. The image of a traitor who, for the sake of immediate gain, is ready to sacrifice the life of a fellow soldier, becomes a counterweight to the image of the brave and strong-willed Sokolov. And there were such people in the war, says the author, but there were fewer of them, that’s the only reason we won.
The tragedy of war. Numerous losses were suffered not only by the military units, but also by civilians who could not defend themselves in any way.

Characteristics of the main characters

Andrei Sokolov is an ordinary person, one of many who had to leave their peaceful existence in order to defend their homeland. He exchanges a simple and happy life for the dangers of war, without even imagining how he can remain on the sidelines. In extreme circumstances, he maintains spiritual nobility, shows willpower and perseverance. Under the blows of fate, he managed not to break. And find a new meaning in life, which reveals his kindness and responsiveness, because he sheltered an orphan.
Vanyushka is a lonely boy who has to spend the night wherever he can. His mother was killed during the evacuation, his father at the front. Tattered, dusty, covered in watermelon juice - this is how he appeared before Sokolov. And Andrei could not leave the child, introduced himself as his father, giving a chance for further normal life both for myself and for him.

What is the meaning of the work?

One of the main ideas of the story is the need to take into account the lessons of the war. The example of Andrei Sokolov shows not what war can do to a person, but what it can do to all of humanity. Prisoners tortured in concentration camps, orphaned children, destroyed families, scorched fields - this should never be repeated, and therefore should not be forgotten.

No less important is the idea that in any, even the most terrible situation, one must remain human, and not become like an animal that, out of fear, acts only on the basis of instincts. Survival is the main thing for anyone, but if this comes at the cost of betraying oneself, one’s comrades, one’s Motherland, then the surviving soldier is no longer a person, he is not worthy of this title. Sokolov did not betray his ideals, did not break, although he went through what to the modern reader It’s hard to even imagine.

Genre

The story is short literary genre, revealing one storyline and several images of heroes. “The Fate of Man” refers specifically to him.

However, if you take a closer look at the composition of the work, you can clarify the general definition, because this is a story within a story. First, the story is narrated by the author, who, by the will of fate, met and talked with his character. Andrei Sokolov himself describes his difficult life; the first-person narration allows readers to better understand the hero’s feelings and understand him. The author's remarks are introduced to characterize the hero from the outside (“eyes, as if sprinkled with ashes,” “I didn’t see a single tear in his seemingly dead, extinct eyes... only his large, limply lowered hands trembled slightly, his chin trembled, his hard lips trembled”) and show how deeply this strong man suffers.

What values does Sholokhov promote?

The main value for the author (and for readers) is peace. Peace between states, peace in society, peace in the human soul. The war destroyed the happy life of Andrei Sokolov, as well as many people. The echo of the war still does not subside, so its lessons must not be forgotten (although often in lately this event is overestimated for political purposes that are far from the ideals of humanism).

Also, the writer does not forget about the eternal values of the individual: nobility, courage, will, desire to help. The time of knights and noble dignity has long passed, but true nobility does not depend on origin, it is in the soul, expressed in its ability to show mercy and empathy, even if the world around it is collapsing. This story is a great lesson in courage and morality for modern readers.