Composition on the topic: The fate of Grigory Melekhov in the novel Quiet Don, Sholokhov. Grigory Melekhov in search of the truth What did not give Grigory Melekhov peace of mind inside

Speaking about his famous novel, M. Sholokhov himself noted: “I am describing the struggle of the whites against the reds, and not the struggle of the reds against the whites.” This made the task of the writer more difficult. It is no coincidence that literary critics are still arguing about the fate of the protagonist. Who is he, Grigory Melekhov? A "renegade" who went against his own people, or a victim of history, a person who could not find his place in the common struggle?

The action of Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Don" takes place in the most tragic period of the revolution and civil war for the Don Cossacks. At such moments in history, all conflicts of relationships are especially sharply revealed, and society faces a complex philosophical question of the relationship between the personal and the social. In particular, the attitude towards the revolution is not only a question that the protagonist of the novel asks, if you look at it more broadly, it is a question of the whole era.

The action of the first parts of the novel unfolds slowly, which describes the life of the pre-war Cossacks. Life, traditions, mores that have developed over many generations, seem unshakable. Against the background of this calmness, even Aksinya's love for Grigory, ardent and reckless, is perceived by the villagers as a rebellion, as a protest against generally accepted norms of morality.

But already from the second book, social motives sound more and more strongly in the novel, the work already goes beyond the framework of a family and everyday story. Shtokman and his underground circle appear; a fierce fight breaks out at the mill, demonstrating the arrogant arrogance of the Cossacks towards the peasants, the same, in essence, workers as the Cossacks themselves. So, systematically and gradually, Sholokhov debunks the myth of the homogeneity and unity of the Cossacks.

With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Grigory Melekhov comes to the fore in the novel; it is through his fate that Mikhail Sholokhov traces the fate of the front-line Cossacks. It must be said that, describing the war, emphasizing its unfair nature, the writer speaks from anti-militarist positions. This is clearly evidenced by the scene of the murder of an Austrian soldier, the diary of a student.

At the front, and especially in the hospital, Grigory Melekhov comes to understand that the truth, in which he still believed, is illusory. A painful search for another truth begins. In these searches, Melekhov comes to the Bolsheviks, but their rightness turns out to be alien to him, he cannot fully accept it, and there are several reasons for this. First of all, he is repelled by the senseless cruelty and inexplicable bloodthirstiness that he encounters among them. In addition, he, a military officer, at every step feels their distrust; and he himself cannot get rid of the original Cossack disdain for the “bad”.

Melekhov does not stay with the Whites either, since it is not difficult for him to see that behind their loud words about saving the Motherland, self-interest and petty calculation often hide.

What is left for him? In a world that has split into two irreconcilable camps, recognizing only two colors and not distinguishing shades, there is no third way, just as there is no special “Cossack” truth that Melekhov naively believes to find.

After the defeat of the Veshensk uprising, Gregory decides to leave the army and engage in arable farming. But this is not destined to come true. Saving his life and the life of Aksinya, Melekhov is forced to flee from his home, because after meeting and talking with Koshev, he realizes that this fanatic lives with one thought - a thirst for revenge, and will stop at nothing.

He falls into Fomin's gang, as if into a trap, because no matter how loud words Fomin says, his squad is an ordinary criminal gang. And the tragedy is played out: as if in punishment, fate takes away the most precious thing from Grigory Melekhov - Aksinya. “The dazzling black disk of the sun”, which Gregory sees in front of him, is a symbol of the tragic finale.

He does not have to count on either forgiveness or the indulgence of his fellow villagers, but Grigory returns to his native village - he has nowhere else to go. But the situation is not so hopeless, so that a faint ray of hope does not flash in it: the first person Melekhov sees is his son Misha. Life has not ended, it continues in the son, and, perhaps, at least his fate will be more successful.

No, Grigory Melekhov is not a renegade and not a victim of history. Rather, he belongs to the type of people that was so well and fully described in the literature of the 19th century - the type of truth-seekers for whom the process of searching for their own truth sometimes turns out to be the meaning of life. Thus, Sholokhov continues and develops the humanistic traditions of classical Russian literature.

The “Quiet Don” reflects the era of great upheavals of the early 20th century, which had its impact on the fate of many people, which also influenced the fate of the Don Cossacks. Harassment by officials, landowners, the more prosperous part of the population, as well as the inability of the authorities to resolve conflict situations and fairly equip the life of the people, led to popular indignation, riots, and a revolution that turned into a civil war. In addition, the Don Cossacks rebelled against the new government, fought with the Red Army. Gangs of Cossacks dealt with the same poor peasants, with peasants who, like the Cossacks, wanted to work on their land. It was a difficult, troubled time when a brother went against his brother, and the father could turn out to be the murderer of his son.

The novel by M.A. Sholokhov “Quiet Flows the Don” reflects the turning point of wars and revolutions, shows the events that influenced the course of history. The writer depicted the centuries-old traditions of the Don Cossacks and the peculiarities of their life, the system of their moral principles and labor skills that formed the national character, which is most fully embodied by the author in the image of Grigory Melekhov.
The path of Grigory Melekhov is completely special, different from the search for the heroes of previous eras, since Sholokhov showed, firstly, the story of a simple Cossack, a farm boy with little education, not wiser with experience, not understanding politics. Secondly, the author reflected the most difficult time of upheavals and storms for the entire European continent and for Russia in particular.

In the image of Grigory Melekhov, a deeply tragic personality is presented, whose fate is entirely connected with the dramatic events taking place in the country. The character of the hero can be understood only by analyzing his life path, starting from the origins. It must be remembered that the hot blood of a Turkish grandmother was mixed in the Cossack's genes. The Melekhov family, in this regard, was distinguished by its genetic qualities: along with diligence, perseverance, love for the land, Gregory was noticeable, for example, a proud disposition, courage, self-will. Already in his youth, he confidently and firmly objected to Aksinya, who called him to foreign lands: “I won’t touch the earth anywhere. There is a steppe here, there is something to breathe, but there? Grigory thought that his life was forever connected with the peaceful labor of a farmer in his own household. The main values ​​for him are the land, the steppe, the Cossack service and the family. But he could not even imagine how loyalty to the Cossack cause would turn out for him, when the best years would have to be given to the war, the murder of people, ordeal on the fronts, and a lot would have to go through, having experienced various shocks.

Gregory was brought up in the spirit of devotion to Cossack traditions, he did not shy away from service, intending to fulfill his military duty with honor and return to the farm. He, as befits a Cossack, showed courage in battles during the First World War, "risked, went crazy", but very soon realized that it was not easy to get rid of the pain for a person that he sometimes felt. Gregory suffered especially hard the senseless murder of an Austrian who was running away from him. He even, "without knowing why, went up to the Austrian soldier he had hacked." And then, when he was moving away from the corpse, “his step was confusingly heavy, as if he was carrying an unbearable load behind his shoulders; I bend and bewilderment crumpled my soul.

After the first wound, while in the hospital, Grigory learned new truths, listening to how the wounded soldier of Garange "exposed the true causes of the outbreak of war, caustically ridiculed the autocratic power." It was difficult for the Cossack to accept these new concepts about the tsar, the motherland, about military duty: "all those foundations on which the consciousness rested smoked with ashes." But after a visit to his native farm, he again went to the front, remaining a good Cossack: "Grigory firmly cherished the Cossack honor, he caught the opportunity to show selfless courage ...". This was the time when his heart hardened and hardened. However, while remaining courageous and even desperate in battle, Grigory changed internally: he could not laugh carelessly and cheerfully, his eyes sunk in, his cheekbones sharpened, and it became difficult to look into the clear eyes of the child. “With cold contempt, he played with his own and someone else's life, ... he served four St. George's crosses, four medals,” but he could not avoid the mercilessly devastating impact of the war. However, the personality of Gregory was still not destroyed by the war: his soul did not harden to the end, he could not fully come to terms with the need to kill people (even enemies).

In 1917, after being wounded and in the hospital, while at home on vacation, Grigory felt tired, "acquired by the war." “I wanted to turn away from everything seething with hatred, hostile and incomprehensible world. There, behind, everything was confused, contradictory. There was no solid ground under my feet, and there was no certainty which path to follow: “I was drawn to the Bolsheviks - I walked, led others, and then took thought, my heart went cold.” On the farm, the Cossack wanted to return to household chores and stay with his family. But he will not be allowed to calm down, because there will be no peace in the country for a long time. And Melekhov rushes between the "red" and "white". It is difficult for him to find political truth when human values ​​are rapidly changing in the world, and it is difficult for an inexperienced person to understand the essence of events: “Who can I lean against?” Gregory's throwing was not connected with his political moods, but with a lack of understanding of the situation in the country, when numerous participants in the warring forces seized power in turn. Melekhov was ready to fight in the ranks of the Red Army, but war is war, it could not do without cruelty, and wealthy Cossacks did not want to voluntarily give “food” to the Red Army. Melekhov felt the distrust of the Bolsheviks, their hostility towards him, as a former soldier of the tsarist army. And Gregory himself could not understand the uncompromising and ruthless activities of the food detachments that took away the grain. The fanaticism and bitterness of Mikhail Koshevoy were especially repulsed from the communist idea, and there was a desire to get away from the unbearable confusion. I wanted to understand and comprehend everything, to find my own, “real truth”, but, apparently, there is no one truth for everyone: “People have always fought for a piece of bread, for a plot of land, for the right to life ...”. And Gregory decided that "one must fight with those who want to take life, the right to it ...".

Cruelty and violence were manifested by all the warring parties: the White Guards, the rebel Cossacks, various gangs. Melekhov did not want to join them, but Grigory had to fight against the Bolsheviks. Not by conviction, but by forced circumstances, when the Cossacks from the farms were gathered into detachments by opponents of the new government. He had a hard time experiencing the atrocities of the Cossacks, their indomitable vindictiveness. While in the detachment of Fomin, Grigory witnessed the execution of a young non-party Red Army soldier who devotedly served the people's power. The guy refused to go over to the side of the bandits (as he called the Cossack detachment), and they immediately decided to “put him to waste”. "We have a short trial?" - says Fomin, referring to Grigory, who avoided looking into the eyes of the leader, because he himself was against such "courts".
And Grigory's parents are in solidarity with their son in matters of rejection of cruelty, enmity between people. Pantelei Prokofievich kicks out Mitka Korshunov, because he does not want to see the executioner in his house, who killed a woman with children in order to take revenge on the communist Koshevoy. Ilyinichna, Grigory’s mother, says to Natalya: “So the Reds could chop you and Mishatka and Polyushka for Grisha, but they didn’t chop it, they had mercy.” Wise words are also spoken by the old farmer Chumakov when he asks Melekhov: “Will you soon make peace with the Soviet government? They fought with the Circassians, they fought with the Turks, and that pacification came out, and you are all your own people and you don’t collide with each other in any way.

Gregory's life was also complicated by his unstable position everywhere and in everything: he was constantly in a state of search, solving the question "where to lean". Even before serving in the Cossack army, Melekhov failed to choose a life partner for love, since Aksinya was married, and his father married Natalya. And all his short life he was in the “between” position, when he was drawn to his family, to his wife and children, but his heart called to his beloved. The desire to manage the land was no less tore at the soul, although no one exempted him from military duty. The position of an honest, decent man between the new and the old, between peace and war, between Bolshevism and the populism of Izvarin, and, finally, between Natalya and Aksinya, only aggravated, increased the intensity of his throwing.

The need to choose was very exhausting, and, perhaps, the decisions of the Cossack were not always correct, but then who could judge people, pass a fair verdict? G. Melekhov fought earnestly in Budyonny's cavalry and thought that by faithful service he had earned forgiveness from the Bolsheviks for his previous deeds, but during the years of the civil war there were cases of quick reprisals against those who either did not show loyalty to the Soviet government, or rushed from side to side. And in the Fomin gang, already fighting against the Bolsheviks, Grigory saw no way out, how to solve his problem, how to return to civilian life and not be an enemy to anyone. Grigory left the Cossack detachment of Fomin, and, fearing punishment from the Soviet authorities, or even lynching from any side, since he seemed to become an enemy to everyone, he tries to hide with Aksinya, to escape somewhere far away from his native farm. However, this attempt did not bring him salvation: a chance meeting with Red Army soldiers from the food detachment, flight, chase, shots after him - and the tragic death of Aksinya stopped Grigory's throwing forever. There was nowhere to rush, no one to rush to.

The author is far from being indifferent to the fate of his main character. He bitterly writes that, because of homesickness, Grigory can no longer wander and, without waiting for an amnesty, he risks again, returns to the Tatarsky farm: “He stood at the gates of his home, holding his son in his arms ...”. Sholokhov does not end the novel with a message about the future fate of G. Melekhov, probably because he sympathizes with him and would like to finally give a man tired of battles a little peace of mind so that he can live and work on his land, but it is difficult to say whether it is possible This.
The writer's merit also lies in the fact that the author's attitude to the characters, his ability to understand people, to appreciate the honesty and decency of those who sincerely sought to understand the confusion of rebellious events and find the truth, is the author's desire to convey the movement of a person's soul against the backdrop of dramatic changes in the country. appreciated by both critics and readers. One of the former leaders of the rebellious Cossacks, an emigrant P. Kudinov, wrote to the scholar K. Priyma: "The Quiet Don" shook our souls and made us rethink everything, and our longing for Russia became even sharper, and brightened in our head. And those who, while in exile, read the novel by M.A. Sholokhov “The Quiet Don”, “who sobbed over its pages and tore their gray hair, these people in 1941 could not fight against Soviet Russia and did not go ". It should be added: not all, of course, but many of them.

Sholokhov's skill as an artist is also difficult to overestimate: we have a rare example, an almost historical document that depicts the culture of the Cossacks, life, traditions and speech features. It would be impossible to create vivid images (and to present them to the reader) if Grigory, Aksinya and other characters spoke neutrally, in a stylized language close to literary. It would no longer be the Don Cossacks, if we remove their centuries-old peculiarities of speech, their own dialect: “vilyuzhinki”, “crosswise”, “you are my good”. At the same time, representatives of the command staff of the Cossack troops, who have an education and experience in communicating with people from other territories of Russia, speak the language familiar to Russians. And Sholokhov objectively shows this difference, so the picture is reliable.

It should be noted the author's ability to combine the epic depiction of historical events with the lyricism of the narrative, especially those moments in which the personal experiences of the characters are reported. The writer uses the technique of psychologism, revealing the inner state of a person, showing the spiritual movements of a person. One of the features of this technique is the ability to give an individual characterization of the hero, combining it with external data, with a portrait. So, for example, the changes that happened to Grigory as a result of his service, participation in battles look very memorable: “... he knew that he would no longer laugh at him, as before; I knew that his eyes were hollow and his cheekbones were sharply sticking out ... ”.
The author's empathy for the heroes of the work is felt in everything, and the reader's opinion coincides with the words of Y. Ivashkevich that the novel by M.A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don" has "deep inner content - and its content is love for a person."

Reviews

It's amazing how this novel (certainly not socialist realism) was not banned in Soviet times. For Melekhov did not find the truth either among the Reds or the Whites.
There were many pseudo-innovative fabrications about this, such as "Cossack Hamlet". But Chekhov said it rightly: no one knows the real truth.
The best thing I read on the topic of the Civil War is Veresaev's "At a Dead End". There, too, "not for the Reds and not for the Whites." An honest and objective understanding of that time (the novel was written in 1923).

I do not accept extreme points of view in assessing such a global event as the Civil War. Dovlatov was right: after the communists, most of all I hate anti-communists.

Thanks for posting, Zoya. Makes you think about real literature. Do not forget to write about the work of worthy authors. And then many on the site are all about themselves, but about themselves. Yes, about their incorruptibles.
My respect.

Sergey Solomonov 03.03.2018 11:35 .

The daily audience of the Proza.ru portal is about 100 thousand visitors, who in total view more than half a million pages according to the traffic counter, which is located to the right of this text. Each column contains two numbers: the number of views and the number of visitors.

Among books about revolutionary events and the civil war, Quiet Don stands out for its original uniqueness. What captivates readers this book? I think, first of all, the significance and scale of the events described in it, the depth and realism of the characters' characters, which allows us to think about the moral and philosophical issues raised in the novel. The writer unfolded before us, the readers, a picture of the life of the Cossack Don, with its features, traditions, its own figurative way of life, which unfolds against the backdrop of historical life. In the intersection of individual human destinies with social upheavals - the real truth, a look at the revolution and the civil war, not from one side, as was the case in most books of that time, but from both. Narrating the merciless clash of classes in the bloody civil war, the author expressed with unique force the thoughts and feelings of the people, of all mankind. He did not try to hide or muffle the bitterness of the tragedy born of the revolution. Therefore, the “Quiet Don” was drawn, first of all, by contemporary readers, regardless of their “class” affiliation, since everyone found in it something of their own, personally experienced, felt, and common to all, global, philosophical.

The war with Germany invaded the life of the Cossacks of the Tatarsky farm with great national grief. In the spirit of old beliefs, the writer draws a gloomy landscape, foreshadowing trouble: “At night, clouds thickened behind the Don, burst dry and resounding thunderclaps, but did not fall on the ground, bursting with feverish heat, rain, lightning fired in vain. At night, an owl roared in the bell tower. Unsteady and terrible cries hung over the farm, and the owl flew from the bell tower to the cemetery ... - To be thin, - the old people prophesied. “War is coming.” And now the settled peaceful way of life is sharply violated, events are developing more and more disturbingly and rapidly. In their formidable whirlpool, people whirl like chips in a flood, and the peaceful, quiet Don is shrouded in gunpowder smoke and the burning of conflagrations. History inevitably “walks” through the pages of The Quiet Flows the Don, the fates of dozens of characters who find themselves at the crossroads of the war are drawn into the epic action. Thunderstorms rumble, warring parties clash in bloody battles, and against this background, the tragedy of spiritual trials of Grigory Melekhov, who turns out to be a hostage of war, is played out: he is always at the center of terrible events. It is impossible to fully understand the humanistic content of the book without understanding the complexity of the path of the protagonist, generalizing the artistic power of this image.

Gregory did not come into this world for bloodshed. From his youth he was kind, sympathetic to someone else's misfortune, in love with all living things in nature. Once, in a hayfield, he accidentally slaughtered a wild duckling and, with a sudden feeling of acute pity, looked at the dead lump lying in his palm. The writer makes us remember Gregory in harmonious fusion with the natural world, sensitive. But the harsh life put a saber into his hardworking hands. As a tragedy, Gregory experiences the first human blood shed by him. In the attack, he killed two Austrian soldiers, and one kill could have been avoided. The realization of this was a terrible burden on the soul of the hero. The mournful appearance of the dead man appeared to him later in his sleep, causing "internal pain." Describing the faces of the young Cossacks who got to the front, the writer found an expressive comparison: they resembled "stalks of mowed, withering and changing grass." Melekhov also became such a beveled withering stem - the need to kill deprived his soul of moral support in life.

The first meetings with the Bolsheviks (Garanzha, Podtelkov) set Grigory to accept the ideas of class hatred: they seem to him fair. However, with a sensitive mind, he also discerns in the actions of the Bolsheviks something that distorts the idea of ​​people's liberation. Being the chairman of the Don Revolutionary Committee, Podtelkov became arrogant, cruel, the power hit him in the head like a hop. By his order and with his personal participation, the prisoners of Chernetsov's detachment were beaten without trial. This unjustified inhumanity pushed Melekhov away from the Bolsheviks, as it contradicted his ideas of conscience and honor. Grigory many times had to observe the cruelty of both whites and reds, so the slogans of the class struggle began to seem fruitless to him: “I wanted to turn away from everything seething with hatred, hostile and incomprehensible world ... I was drawn to the Bolsheviks - I walked, led others, and then took thought, cold at heart." Kotlyarov, enthusiastically arguing that the new government gave the poor Cossacks rights and equality, Grigory objects: “This government, apart from ruin, does not give anything to the Cossacks! Where does this equation go? Take the Red Army. The platoon commander is in chrome boots, and Vanek is in windings. I saw the commissar, he was all covered in leather, both trousers and a jacket, while another did not have enough leather for boots. Yes, this year of their power has passed, and they will take root - where will equality go? Melekhov's soul suffers "because he stood on the verge of a struggle between two principles, denying both of them." Judging by his thoughts and actions, he was inclined to look for peaceful ways to resolve life's contradictions. Justifying the “Upper Don Vendée” that arose as a result of the Bolshevik policy of “decossacking the Don”, he nevertheless did not want to respond with cruelty for cruelty: he ordered the release of the captive Cossack Khoper, released those arrested from prison, rushed to save the communists Kotlyarov and Koshevoy.

Civil strife exhausted Melekhov, but the human feelings in him did not fade away. Here he was, smiling, listening to the cheerful chirping of children for a long time. “How the hair of these kids smells! The sun, grass, a warm pillow and something else infinitely dear. And they themselves - this flesh of his flesh - are like tiny steppe birds ... Gregory's eyes were covered with a foggy haze of tears ... "This is universal - the most precious in the Quiet Don, his living soul. The more Melekhov was drawn in by the whirlpool of the civil war, the more desirable his dream of peaceful labor became: “... Walking along a soft arable furrow with a plow, whistling at bulls, listening to a crane’s blue trumpet call, gently removing the alluvial silver cobwebs from your cheeks and inseparably drinking the wine smell of autumn, earth raised by a plow, and in return for this - bread cut by the blades of the roads. After seven years of war, after another injury while serving in the Red Army, which gave him the moral right to fulfill a peaceful dream, Grigory made plans for the future: “... He will take off his overcoat and boots at home, put on spacious tweets ... and go along the wet furrow behind the plow, greedily absorbing with his nostrils the damp and insipid smell of loosened earth ... "Escaped from Fomin's gang and going to the Kuban, he repeated his cherished to Aksinya:" I will not disdain any work. My hands need to work, not fight. My whole soul hurts…”

From grief, loss, wounds, throwing in search of social justice, Melekhov aged early, lost his former prowess. However, he did not lose the "human in man", his feelings and experiences - always sincere - were not dulled, but, perhaps, only aggravated. The manifestations of his responsiveness and sympathy for people are especially expressed in the final parts of the work. The hero is shocked by the spectacle of the dead: "baring his head, trying not to breathe, carefully" he goes around the dead old man, stretched out on the scattered golden wheat. Passing through the places where the chariot of War rolled, he sadly stops in front of the corpse of a tortured woman, straightens her clothes, and invites Prokhor to bury her. He buried the innocently killed, kind and hardworking grandfather Sashka under the same poplar tree where the latter had buried him and Aksinya's daughter. “... Gregory lay down on the grass not far from this small cemetery, dear to his heart, and for a long time looked at the blue sky that was majestically spread over him. Somewhere out there, in the upper boundless expanses, the winds were blowing, cold clouds shone with the sun were floating, and on the earth, which had just received a cheerful horseman and drunkard grandfather Sasha, life still boiled furiously ... ”This picture, filled with sadness and deep philosophical content, mood resonates with an episode from "War and Peace" by L. N. Tolstoy, when the wounded Andrei Bolkonsky sees above him the bottomless, calm sky of Austerlitz.

In the stunning scene of Aksinya's funeral, we see a grief-stricken man who has drunk a full cup of suffering to the brim, a man who has grown old before his time, and we understand that only a great, albeit wounded heart could feel the grief of loss with such deep strength. Grigory Melekhov showed extraordinary courage in the search for the truth. But for him, she is not just an idea, some distant symbol of a better human existence. He is looking for her embodiment in life. Coming into contact with many small private truths, and ready to accept each one, he discovers their failure when confronted with life. The internal conflict is resolved for Gregory by the rejection of war and weapons. Heading to his native farm, he threw it away, "thoroughly wiped his hands on the floor of his greatcoat." What will happen to the man, Grigory Melekhov, who did not accept this hostile world, this "bewildered existence"? What will happen to him if he, like a female little bustard, which is not able to frighten off volleys of guns, having passed all the roads of war, stubbornly strives for peace, for life, for work on earth? The author does not answer these questions. Melekhov was not trusted when he could still count on it. The truthful artist M. Sholokhov could not change anything in his fate, he did not succumb to the temptation to embellish the finale. The tragedy of Melekhov, intensified in the novel by the tragedy of almost all his relatives and dear people, reflects the drama of the whole region, which has undergone a violent "class alteration". With his novel, M. Sholokhov also addresses our time, teaches us to seek moral and aesthetic values ​​not along the paths of class intolerance and war, but along the paths of peace and humanism, brotherhood and mercy.

Unaeva Gulzida Kuspangaleevna,

teacher of Russian language and literature,

MBOU "Novouspenovskaya secondary school

Akbulak region

Orenburg region"

Item nameLiterature

Class11

WMCRussian literature of the 20th century. Textbook for 11 cells. in 2 hours / ed. V.P. Zhuravleva. - M .: Education, 2012

Level of studybase

Lesson topic: The tragedy of the people and the fate of Grigory Melekhov in the novel Quiet Flows the Don.

The total number of hours devoted to the study of the topic2 hours

The place of the lesson in the system of lessons on the topic3-4 lesson

The purpose of the lesson: to show the inevitability of the tragic fate of Grigory Melekhov, the connection of this tragedy with the fate of society.

Tasks:

to show the relationship between the fate of Grigory Melekhov and the fate of Russian society, to prove the inevitability of the tragedy of the life of the protagonist;

to synthesize students' knowledge about the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" in the anthropological aspect (the character of the protagonist, universal ideals and values);

evaluate the results of mastering this topic (knowledge of the text, ability to analyze, etc.).

Lesson type:combined.

Type of lesson:conversation lesson.

Methods:

By source of knowledge:

verbal (conversation, story);

visual (illustrative).

Theoretical and conceptual apparatus:

Consolidation: epic novel, image of the hero, character.

Introduction of the term: catharsis.

Advanced homework in groups:

Define:

Group 1 - CHARACTER

Group 2 - TEMPERAMENT

Group 3 - VOLUNTEER QUALITIES (LEADER and LEADER)

During the classes.

1. Organizational moment.

Today in the lesson we will continue the conversation about the artistic originality of Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Flows the Don". We will talk about how the novel reveals the features of that era, that time, not only in historical events, but also in the facts of private life, using the example of the writer's portrayal of individuals, in particular the main character Grigory Melekhov.

Let's write the topic of the lesson:The tragedy of the people and the fate of Grigory Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Flows the Don"

Try to formulate the purpose of the lesson:the formation of an idea about the characteristics of the character and the vicissitudes of the fate of the protagonist.

Well done! Now let’s take a look at the fundamentals of literature:

What is a novel?Novel - a large narrative work of art with a complex plot, in the center of which is the fate of the individual.

What is an epic?epic - a major work of fiction that tells about significant historical events.

In the literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, such a genre appears as epic novel - This is a work in which the formation of the characters of the main characters occurs in the course of their participation in historical events. Well done!

In previous lessons, we got acquainted with how Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov worked on his works, found out that his work “Quiet Flows the Don” is an epic novel.

- Name another major work you studied in 10th grade that belongs to the same genre.("War and Peace".)

- Does Sholokhov's epic novel "Quiet Don" differ from the novel "War and Peace" by L. Tolstoy?

(- The absence of philosophical generalizations, reasoning about the force that “drives peoples”;

- There is no theoretical substantiation of their own historical concept;

- Monocentric epic (one main character - Grigory Melekhov ).

2. Conversation.

In the last lesson, we tried to answer the following question:

- How does Grigory Melekhov appear before the readers of the novel?

(“Young, dark-haired, a Turk, like all Melekhovs”, proud, independent, capable of great feeling. The main features of Grigory (as well as members of the Melekhov family) are goodwill, responsiveness, generosity, hard work.).

How do other characters feel about him?

("In the showerGrishka was liked for his Cossack prowess, for his love for housekeeping and work."(Miron Grigorievich Korshunov).

"They arefianceno matter where, and their family is helluva lothardworking… A working family with plenty” (Natalia’s mother).

"Melekhovglorious Cossacks"(grandfather Grishak)).

Right. Sholokhov calls Grigory "The Good Cossack". What meaning does he put into these words and in what episodes is the personality of Grigory Melekhov most fully revealed?

(Grigory Melekhov is the brightest personality among the heroes of The Quiet Flows the Don, a unique individuality, a whole, extraordinary nature. He is sincere and honest in his thoughts and actions (see episodes: the last meeting with Natalya -part 7, chapter 7 ; Natalia's deathpart 7, chapters 16-18 ; death of Aksinya). The most striking feature of Gregory is sincerity. He never lied to himself, he was always true to himself.

Gregory reacts very emotionally to everything that happens, he has a sympathetic heart. A sense of pity and compassion is developed in him, this can be judged by such scenes as, for example, “On the hayfield”, when Grigory accidentally cut a wild duckling(part one, ch. 9 ), an episode with Franya(part two, ch. 11).

Or you can remember the scene with the murdered Austrian, who appears to Melekhov in a dream, causing mental anguish(part three, ch. 10).

deepGregory's attachment to the house, to the ground remains one ofstrongest feelingsthroughout the book: “I won’t touch the ground anywhere. There is a steppe here, there is something to breathe ... ". This confession of Aksinye echoes another: “My hands need to work, not fight. The whole soul was sick during these months. Behind these words is the mood not only of Grigory Melekhov, but also of other Cossacks. Emphasizing the drama of this situation, the author adds on his own behalf: “The time has come to plow, harrow, sow; the earth called to itself, called tirelessly day and night, and here it was necessary to fight, to die on other people's farms ... ".

The main character of Sholokhov -simple cossackwhich in itself is a remarkable new phenomenon in the literature. Gregory's mentality, his character is, first of all, the character of a Cossack, although the author claimed: "Melekhov has a very individual fate, in him I do not try to personify the average Cossacks."

- Let's look at the cluster compiled according to your statements, reflecting the character of Grigory Melekhov.

c

- Our lesson today will be somewhat unusual. We will try not only to consider the artistic image of Grigory Melekhov, but also to draw up his psychological portrait.It is important for each of us to be able to reveal our inner psychological reserves. But for this you need to learn to know yourself and other people, to identify the temperament, character, orientation of the personality for the most comfortable interaction with the people around you at home, at school, in your future professional activity.So, based on the assessment of personality traits, it is possible to draw up her psychological portrait, which includes the following components:

1. temperament;

2. character;

3. ability;

5. intelligence;

6. emotionality;

7. strong-willed qualities;

8. ability to communicate;

9. self-esteem;

10. level of self-control;

11. Interoperability

Of course, we simply won’t have time to consider all the components of a psychological portrait, so I suggest you work with a few of them:

Temperament -1 group - 2 min.

Character -Group 2 - 2 min.

Volitional qualities -Group 3 - 2 min.

At home, you should have found material on these issues. Please, representatives of the first group…. Second…. Third…

Thank you. I think that knowledge of the theoretical material will help you in practice. Please determine the features of the psychological portrait of Grigory Melekhov by groups:

Temperament -Group 2 - 3 min.

Character -Group 3 - 3 min.

Volitional qualities - 1group - 3 min.

Well done! This psychological portrait is laid down by nature itself, life, family traditions, etc.(The conditions that shaped the character of the protagonist of the novel:Land and work on it, military duty, family, farm, kuren are the most important components of the Cossack's spiritual world.)

- Now let's work with the text.

Emphasize the manifested traits of Gregory's character in certain circumstances.:

1. Group - “Fight with Stepan Astakhov because of Aksinya” (part one, ch. 12),

   Group - Gregory in the hospital.

   Group - "The moment of the massacre of Yevgeny Listnitsky."

It seems to me that now we can add some more traits of the hero to our cluster compiled earlier:

embittered

restless

internal monologues

violent to the point

natural nature.

So, guys, you correctly and quite fully analyzed the character of Grigory Melekhov. Let's look at the main character traits of the hero recorded by us. It is these features of the hero, the moral values ​​that he professes, the peculiarities of his emotional and psychological make-up that explain why Grigory Sholokhov makes the main character. Have you noticed that he is the only character who is given the right to monologues - "thoughts" that reveal his spiritual beginning. Let's think about what role his internal monologues play in the characterization of the hero?

( Sholokhov conveys the innermost thoughts of the hero in his internal monologues. Especially a lot of them in the third volume. The monologues of the hero are diverse. Most often, the author introduces these inner reflections into the text of the novel just at the turning point, key moments in the life of Gregory).

Right, but who can give an example?

(1. During the battles with the Red Army, Grigory thinks: “What kind of people? And what are they?” He is curious, wants to know these people, who are essentially the same as him, and he also does not want to fight with them, does not understand why shed blood.

2. The same thoughts visit him when he takes command of a hundred: “And most importantly, against whom am I leading? Against the people… Who is right?” This shows us Melekhov both as a brave warrior and as a very humane, quick-thinking, reasonable person.

3. Another reflection of Melekhov about the war, the revolution: “The paths of the Cossacks crossed with the paths of landless peasant Russia, with the paths of the factory people. Fight them to the death! To tear from under their feet the Don soil, soaked with Cossack blood. Drive them like Tatars out of the region! Shake Moscow, impose a shameful world on it! .. And now - for a saber! In these thoughts, one can see the uncompromising nature of a person who never knew the middle. It had nothing to do with political pursuits.

4. Melekhov yearns for such a truth, "under the wing of which everyone could warm up." And, from his point of view, neither the Whites nor the Reds have such a truth: “There is no one truth in life. It can be seen whoever defeats whom will devour him ... And I was looking for the bad truth. My soul ached, it swayed back and forth ... ”These searches, according to him, turned out to be“ in vain and empty. And this also determined the tragedy of his fate).

Note for yourself, guys, that similar thoughts, similar searches were characteristic of many people during the civil war. A bloody, destructive, fratricidal, long war... It devastated the souls of people, forced them to bear death, and not to create life - to start families, to plow the land, to run a household. Sholokhov tells us that man was created for life, not for war. What conclusion does the writer lead us to?

(That the tragedy of Grigory Melekhov is the tragedy of an entire people, of an entire era.)

Well done! Now let's move on to the end of the novel. A.K. Tolstoy called the finale of Sholokhov's novel a "mistake". What happens to the hero at the end of the book?

(At the end of the novel, Grigory returns to the Tatarsky farm. He lost everything, everything was taken from him by war and death. Approaching the house, he throws away his weapons, cartridges - the hero no longer wants to fight).

- Does the hero despair or does he have hope for something?

( The hero has hope - his children. He doesn't know about Polyushka's death yet. But Gregory already feels that he will finally find peace, happiness, that he will no longer live like a hunted animal. Even from a distance, Grigory saw Mishatka - and, finally, what he had dreamed of for so long came true: “He stood at the gates of his native house, holding his son in his arms ... This was all that remained in his life, which still made him related to earth and with all this huge world shining under the cold sun”).

What does this ending of the book tell us? Is the "path of searching" of the protagonist finished?

(I think yes, it’s finished. Because Grigory Melekhov throughout the whole novel is constantly forced to make a choice between passions and peace. The most terrible, turning point - the death of Aksinya - again confronts him with the need to make a choice, this time a decisive one. Difficult, intense This choice determines the path of his fate through tragic events: constantly experiencing mental upheavals, the hero gradually approaches the decision to live with his children, to live in peace.)

- That's right, guys, well done!Always remaining honest, independent in character, Gregory is a person capable of action. Make a conclusion whether the psychological portrait of the main character has changed in connection with the events that happened to him.Based on psychological analysis, we can think about where Grigory feels harmony. (see Cluster 1).

In the second psychological portrait (see Cluster 2), the versatility of Gregory's character is obvious. Here we see the moments of the most powerful emotional experience. In science, there is a special term for such experiences and related changes in life, destiny, and the inner world of a person. Let's write it down and remember it.

Catharsis(Greek - exaltation, purification) - a category of philosophy and aesthetics, denoting the essence and effect of emotional experience associated with the purification of the soul ("purification through suffering").

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov himself defined the main idea of ​​his book as follows: “The main thing for a writer is what he himself needs -movement of the human soul. .. I wanted to talk about itthe charm of man in Grigory Melekhov ... "

Now let's conclude - what is Sholokhov's novel about? What is the main idea of ​​the novel?

(1. The main idea of ​​Sholokhov, in my opinion, was to show a person in a specific period of history. The novel is based on real, documentary events: World War I, revolutions, civil war.

2. Sholokhov wanted to show the tragedy of one Russian character. The tragedy of Grigory Melekhov is the tragedy of a man whom time and circumstances put before the need for a sharp turn in his fate.

3. Sholokhov, using the example of the fate of Grigory Melekhov, tells us that a person was created for life, for a family, and not for war.

5. I think Sholokhov, with his novel and his main character, showed us what a person should be - sincere, honest, decisive, capable of action and strong, not breaking under the yoke of circumstances.)

That's right, guys, well done! Now let's define the most important qualities of Melekhov's character, noted by us in the cluster, which should determine the qualities of any of us.

(1. And I think that it was the integrity and harmony of his nature that helped Grigory Melekhov to maintain his human appearance, which, despite the onslaught of such serious and destructive events, did not break the very character of the protagonist.

2. It is impossible not to note the ability for compassion, which is inherent in the hero. Only by imbued with a sense of empathy and compassion for the fate of another person, you can understand and feel the significance of yourself in this world, understand that you have the right to be called a man!).

Indeed, the image of Gregory is a kind of discovery by Sholokhov. This is a holistic, lively and vivid character, inseparable from its era. "Hero and time", "hero and circumstances", the search for oneself as a person - the eternal theme of art has become the main one in "Quiet Don". In this search - the meaning of the existence of Grigory Melekhov in the novel. “I am looking for a way out,” he says of himself. At the same time, he always faces the need for a choice that was not easy and simple.

3. Conclusion:

Grigory Melekhov - natural nature; a person acting under the influence of momentary desires or under the pressure of external circumstances. He is not able to assess the consequences of his actions, but, committing reprehensible ones, he remains honest and sincere.It is these features of the hero, the moral values ​​that he professes, the peculiarities of his emotional and psychological make-up that explain why Grigory Sholokhov makes the main character.

4. Lesson summary :

Today at the lesson we not only examined the literary image of Grigory Melekhov, but also made up his psychological portrait. Based on the knowledge gained in the lesson, you can now evaluate your actions, the actions of your friends. But besides, now you understand that everything that happens in our life should reflect the MOVEMENT of our SOUL.

5. Homework: Prepare messages

Portrait, character of Daria.

The origin and development of Aksinya and Grigory's love.

Dunyasha Melekhova

Maternal love of Ilyinichna

The image and tragedy of Natalia

6. Evaluation.