Biography of Andrei Sokolov from the story of the fate of man. The life path of Andrei Sokolov in the story "The Fate of a Man" by M. Sholokhov

The literary work of M. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man" is a story about the Great Patriotic War. This tragic milestone in the history of mankind caused the loss of lives for millions of people. The central character of the work, Andrei Sokolov, worked as a driver before the war, had a meek and gentle wife, as well as three children. Experienced a lot of hardship main character for a difficult period of captivity, but retained the human appearance and title of a Russian warrior, who, even being on the verge of death, did not lose loyalty to his homeland and did not drink with an enemy officer for the superiority of the “weapons of Germany”.

Characteristics of the heroes "The Fate of Man"

main characters

Minor characters

The list of the main characters of "The Fate of a Man" is an example of personalities corresponding to the spirit of the time. Sholokhov himself is to some extent an indirect hero of his own story. The common misfortune rallied the people and made them stronger. Both Andrei Sokolov and Vanyusha, despite their age, appear before the reader as strong-willed and persistent people. The list of heroes is also symbolic in that it reflects the social diversity of people. A picture is being formed that everyone is equal before the war. And the moment where the camp commandant refuses to shoot Sokolov demonstrates military solidarity and respect for the enemy. This part of the story contains the most accurate and succinct description of the resilience of the Soviet and Russian soldiers, even in the face of danger and imminent death. The true essence of the image of the moral commandant Muller, his weakness, insignificance and helplessness, is manifested.

“The Fate of a Man” by M.A. Sholokhov is one of the most soul-stirring works about the Great Patriotic War. In this story, the author conveyed the whole harsh truth of the life of the war years, all the hardships and losses. Sholokhov tells us about the fate of an unusually courageous man who went through the whole war, lost his family, but managed to maintain his human dignity.

The main character is Andrei Sokolov, a native of the Voronezh province, an ordinary hard worker.

In peacetime, he worked at a factory, then as a driver. He had a family, a house - everything you need for happiness. Sokolov loved his wife and children, saw in them the meaning of life. But the family idyll was destroyed by the unexpectedly looming war. She separated Andrei from the most important thing that he had.

At the front, many difficult, painful trials fell on the hero. He was wounded twice. When trying to deliver shells for an artillery unit, he fell into the rear of the enemy army and was taken prisoner. The hero was brought to Poznan, placed in a camp, where they were obliged to dig graves for the dead soldiers. But even in captivity, Andrei did not lose heart. He behaved courageously and honorably. The nature of a real Russian man allowed him to endure all the trials, not to break. Once, while digging a grave, Andrei managed to escape, but, unfortunately, without success. He was found by detective dogs in the field. For the escape, the hero was severely punished: he was beaten, bitten by dogs and transferred to the camp's isolation ward for a month. But even in such terrible situations, Sokolov was able to survive without losing his humanity.

The hero was driven around Germany for a long time: he worked in inhuman conditions at a silicate plant in Saxony, in a coal mine in the Ruhr region, in earthworks in Bavaria and in an infinite number of other places. The prisoners of war were terribly fed, constantly beaten. By the autumn of 1942, Sokolov had lost more than 36 kilograms.

The author vividly shows the courage of the hero in the scene of interrogation by his head of the camp, Muller. The German promised to personally shoot Sokolov for a terrible statement: "They need four cubic meters of output, but for the grave of each of us, even one cubic meter through the eyes is enough." Being on the verge of death, the hero openly expresses his opinion about the very difficult working and living conditions for prisoners. He had already prepared for death, gathered his courage, but the mood of the executioner changed dramatically in a more loyal direction. Muller was amazed at the bravery of the Russian soldier and saved his life, also giving a small loaf of bread and a piece of lard to the block.

After some time, Andrei was appointed the driver of a major engineer in the German army. On one of the assignments, Sokolov managed to escape to his own, taking the "fat man" with him. In this situation, the soldier showed resourcefulness and ingenuity. He delivered the major's documents to headquarters, for which he was promised a reward.

After the end of the war, the life of the protagonist did not become easier. He lost his family: during the bombing of an aircraft factory, a bomb hit the Sokolovs' house, and his wife and daughters were at home at that moment, his son Anatoly died from an enemy bullet on the last day of the war. Andrei Sokolov, having lost the meaning of life, returned to Russia, went to Uryupinsk to visit a demobilized friend, where he settled, found a job and at least somehow began to live like a human being. Finally, a white streak began to appear in the life of the hero: fate sent the man a little orphan, a ragged Vanyushka, who also lost all his loved ones during the war.

It remains only to hope that Andrei's future life improved. The protagonist of the work "The Fate of a Man" deserves infinite respect, love and admiration.

Updated: 2018-02-25

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Audio story by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov "The Fate of Man". The history of the family of Andrei Sokolov before the war, the beginning of the story.
The author's meeting in the first post-war spring on the Upper Don, at the crossing over the Elanka River on the way to the village of Bukanovskaya, against the Mokhovsky farm, with the main character of the story "The Fate of a Man". Andrei Sokolov was a tall, round-shouldered man, his eyes "as if sprinkled with ashes" and filled with "inescapable mortal anguish." Andrei Sokolov was walking with a boy of 5-6 years old, whom he called son. The boat had to wait two hours. So Andrey Sokolov told the story of his life, painful. He himself is a native of the Voronezh province, born in 1900. During the civil war he was in the Red Army, in the Kikvidze division. In the hungry 1922, he lost all his relatives. He began his life again in Voronezh, in a carpentry artel, then went to the factory, learned to be a locksmith. Married. His wife, Irinka, was an orphan from an orphanage. Good. Humble, funny, obliging and smart. They had three children. The eldest son Anatoly, then the daughters of the weather Nastenka and Olyushka. The children were excellent students. Anatoly was gifted in mathematics, they even wrote about him in the central newspaper. For ten years they saved up for a new house. Irina bought two goats. Everything was fine. Here the war began. Irina very bitterly said goodbye to her husband, at parting she said that they would not see each other in this world.

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

The story "The Fate of a 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 hatched his idea for 10 years, but put it on paper in just a few days. And dedicated to E. Levitskaya, who helped him print main novel his life "Quiet Flows the Don".

The story was published in the Pravda newspaper on the eve of the new year, 1957. And soon it was read on the All-Union Radio, heard by the whole country. Listeners and readers were shocked by the power and veracity of this work, it gained well-deserved popularity. Literally, this book opened for writers new way to reveal the theme of war - through the fate of a small person.

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 began to talk, and a casual acquaintance told the writer his story. Here 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, he was shell-shocked. So he was taken prisoner.

A group of prisoners was brought to the church for an overnight stay, many incidents occurred that night: the execution of a believer who could not desecrate the church (they weren’t even released “before the wind”), and with him several people who accidentally fell under machine gun fire, help from doctor Sokolov and others wounded. Also, the main character had to strangle another prisoner, as he turned out to be a traitor and was going to betray 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 everything that “skin with meat flew to shreds.”

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

Toward the end of hostilities, Sokolov was appointed as a driver. And, finally, there was an opportunity to escape, and even with the engineer, whom the hero drove. The joy of salvation did not have time to subside, grief arrived: he learned about the death of his family (a shell hit the house), and after all, all this time he lived only in the hope of meeting. Only one son survived. Anatoly also defended the Motherland, with Sokolov they simultaneously approached Berlin from different sides. But right on the day of victory, the last hope was killed. Andrew was left all alone.

Subject

The main theme of the story is a man at war. These tragic events are an indicator personal qualities: in extreme situations, those character traits that are usually hidden are revealed, it is clear who is who in reality. Andrei Sokolov before the war was no different, he was like everyone else. But in battle, having survived captivity, a constant danger to life, he showed himself. His truly heroic qualities were revealed: patriotism, courage, fortitude, will. On the other hand, the same prisoner as Sokolov, probably also no different in ordinary civilian 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 theme of willpower. The war took away from the protagonist not only health and strength, but also the whole family. He has no home, how to continue to live, what to do next, how to find meaning? This question interested hundreds of thousands of people who experienced similar losses. And for Sokolov, taking care of 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 - a real person finds it in love and hope for the future.

Issues

1. The problem of choice occupies an important place in the story. Every person faces a choice every day. But not everyone has to choose under pain of death, knowing that your fate depends on this decision. So, Andrei had to decide: to betray or remain true 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.
2. In the whole fate of the hero, in his life trials, the problem of defenselessness of the common man in the face of war is reflected. Little depends on him, circumstances pile on him, from which he tries to get out at least alive. And if Andrei could save himself, then his family could not. And he feels guilty about it, even though he isn't.
3. The problem of cowardice is realized in the work through secondary characters. The image of a traitor who is ready to sacrifice the life of a fellow soldier for the sake of momentary gain becomes a counterbalance to the image of the brave and strong-willed Sokolov. And such people were in the war, says the author, but there were fewer of them, that's why we won.
4. The tragedy of war. Numerous losses were suffered not only by soldiers, but also by civilians who could not defend themselves in any way.

Characteristics of the main characters

1. Andrei Sokolov is an ordinary person, one of many who had to leave a peaceful existence in order to defend their homeland. He exchanges a simple and happy life for the dangers of war, not even imagining how to stay away. In extreme circumstances, he maintains spiritual nobility, shows willpower and stamina. Under the blows of fate, he managed not to break. And to find a new meaning of life, which betrays kindness and responsiveness in him, because he sheltered an orphan.
2. Vanyushka is a lonely boy who has to spend the night wherever he has to. His mother was killed during the evacuation, his father at the front. Ragged, dusty, 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 a further normal life for himself and him.

What was the point 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 by the concentration camp, 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 a man, not be like an animal, which, out of fear, acts only on the basis of instincts. Survival is the main thing for anyone, but if this is given at the cost of betraying oneself, one's comrades, the 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 down, although he went through what modern reader even hard to imagine.

genre

Story is short literary genre, revealing one storyline and several images of heroes. "The fate of man" refers specifically to him.

However, if you look closely at the composition of the work, you can clarify the general definition, because this is a story within a story. At the beginning, the author narrates, who, by the will of fate, met and talked with his character. Andrei Sokolov himself describes his difficult life, the first-person narrative allows readers to better feel the feelings of the hero and understand him. Author's remarks are introduced to characterize the hero from the outside ("eyes, as if sprinkled with ashes", "I did not see a single tear in his as if dead, extinct eyes ... only large, limply lowered hands trembled finely, chin trembled, 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 the world. 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, far from the ideals of humanism).

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

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What character traits should a person have in order to adequately withstand the trials sent by fate? Mikhail Sholokhov asks readers such a question in his story “The Fate of a Man”.

Since ancient times best qualities character were considered: honesty, loyalty, hard work, perseverance, generosity, patriotism, selflessness and the ability to love. All these qualities are possessed by the protagonist of the work Andrei Sokolov. His whole life is proof of this.

Andrey, having managed to push around the wide world, eventually settled in Voronezh, married his beloved girl Irina. The young family lived happily ever after. From great love, children were born who always pleased their parents.

The eldest son Anatoly turned out to be very capable of mathematics, they even wrote about him in the newspaper. The hero sees true happiness in simple but very important things: a home, peace in the family, healthy children, a loving and understanding wife. Harmony reigns in his life, and the future seems clear and definite. But suddenly war bursts into this carefully built world. Everything that was created with such love is crumbling. Andrei Sokolov begins his story-confession with memories of pre-war life, because over time, what seemed simple and ordinary became even more expensive.

The scene of the hero's farewell to his family is very touching. She reveals to the reader the loving and sensitive soul of Sokolov. He calls his daughters affectionately: "Nastenka and Olushka." Andrei Sokolov proves his love and loyalty to his only wife even after her death. After all, several years have passed, and he is still alone. Andrei bitterly recalls the discontent that he once showed in relation to his wife.

The fate of Andrei at the front was difficult. It didn't take him long to fight. In May 1942, Andrei was captured by the Nazis near Lozovenki. He was ready to face death courageously, but he was not shot, but taken prisoner. But even in captivity, Sokolov demonstrates the best human qualities: fearlessness, responsiveness, sincerity.

In the scene of Andrey's interrogation by Muller, the character of the hero is especially clearly shown. He spoke openly to the cruel camp commandant about the unbearable living conditions of the prisoners. Andrei behaved very dignified, although his life completely depended on the commandant at that moment. The latter appreciated the courage of the prisoner, called him "a real Russian soldier." And the respect of the enemy is worth a lot. Andrei, despite his fatigue and hunger, is very brave and keeps his honor.

The hotel, which Andrei received from the commandant, he honestly divided into all prisoners of war. This act characterizes him as a kind and generous person.

Having escaped from captivity, Andrei Sokolov dreams of returning to his family in Voronezh, but he learns the terrible news about the tragic death of the people dearest to him.

The life of the hero lost its meaning after the loss of relatives. A ray of hope for the revival of the family flashed in Andrei's soul when he received news from his son. But this hope was dashed. The son died on Victory Day ...

A person who finds himself in such a situation can become embittered and hate everyone around. But this does not happen with Andrei Sokolov. Misfortune and deprivation did not harden him. He continues to live and work, although it is not easy for him. One day, Andrei accidentally met Vanyusha, an orphan boy, to whom he quickly became attached and soon adopted. The hero had enough warmth to warm the orphan and make the boy happier. In return, he found the meaning of life, he realized that it goes on, no matter what. This shows the unprecedented strength of his character.

Updated: 2012-04-24

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