Read in brief the Caucasian prisoner. Prisoner of the Caucasus, Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich

While in the middle of the 19th century in the Caucasus, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy became participants in a dangerous event that inspired him to write The Prisoner of the Caucasus. While escorting the convoy to the Groznaya fortress, he and a friend fell into a trap for the Chechens. The life of the great writer was saved by the fact that the highlanders did not want to kill his companion, so they did not shoot. Tolstoy and his partner managed to ride to the fortress, where they were covered by the Cossacks.

The key idea of ​​the work is the opposition of an optimistic and strong-willed person to another - sluggish, lack of initiative, grouchy and compassionate. The first character retains courage, honor, courage and achieves release from captivity. The main message: in no case should you give up and give up, there are hopeless situations only for those who do not want to act.

Analysis of the work

Story line

The events of the story unfold in parallel with the Caucasian War and tell about the officer Zhilin, who at the beginning of the work, at the written request of his mother, leaves with a convoy to visit her. On the way, he meets another officer - Kostylin - and continues on his way with him. Having met the highlanders, Zhilin's fellow traveler runs away, and the main character is captured and sold to the rich Abdul-Marat from the mountain village. The fugitive officer is caught later and the prisoners are kept together in a barn.

The highlanders seek to get a ransom for Russian officers and force them to write letters home, but Zhilin writes a false address so that his mother, who cannot collect so much money, does not find out about anything. During the day, prisoners are allowed to walk around the village in stocks and the main character makes dolls for local children, thanks to which he wins the favor of 13-year-old Dina, the daughter of Abdul-Marat. In parallel, he plans an escape and prepares a tunnel from the barn.

Upon learning that the villagers are worried about the death of one of the mountaineers in battle, the officers decide to flee. They exit through the tunnel and go towards the Russian positions, but the highlanders quickly discover and return the fugitives, throwing them into the pit. Now the captives are forced to sit in stocks around the clock, but from time to time Dina brings Zhilin mutton and cakes. Kostylin finally loses heart, begins to get sick.

One night, the main character, with the help of a long stick brought by Dina, gets out of the pit and, right in the stocks, runs away through the forest to the Russians. Kostylin remains in captivity until the end, until the highlanders receive a ransom for him.

Main characters

Tolstoy portrayed the main character as an honest and authoritative person who treats his subordinates, relatives and even those who captivated him with respect and responsibility. Despite obstinacy and initiative, he is cautious, prudent and cold-blooded, has an inquisitive mind (he navigates by the stars, learns the language of the highlanders). He has self-respect and demands from the "Tatars" respect for the captives. A jack-of-all-trades, he repairs guns, watches and even makes dolls.

Despite the meanness of Kostylin, because of which Ivan was captured, he does not hold a grudge and does not blame his prisoner, plans to run away together and does not leave him after the first almost successful attempt. Zhilin is a hero, noble in relation to enemies and allies, who retains a human face and honor even in the most difficult and insurmountable circumstances.

Kostylin is a wealthy, overweight and clumsy officer, portrayed by Tolstoy as weak both physically and mentally. Because of his cowardice and meanness, the heroes are captured and fail the first attempt to escape. He meekly and unquestioningly accepts the fate of a prisoner, agrees to any conditions of detention and does not even believe Zhilin's words that it is possible to escape. For days on end, he complains about his situation, sits idle, and becomes more and more “limp” from his own pity. As a result, Kostylin is overtaken by illness, and at the time of Zhilin's second attempt to escape, he refuses, saying that he does not even have the strength to turn around. Barely alive, he is brought from captivity a month after the ransom comes from his relatives.

Kostylin in the story of Leo Tolstoy is a reflection of cowardice, meanness and weakness of will. This is a person who is not able, under the yoke of circumstances, to show respect for himself and, moreover, for others. He is afraid only for himself, not thinking about risk and brave actions, because of which he becomes a burden for the active and energetic Zhilin, prolonging the joint imprisonment.

General analysis

One of the most famous stories by Leo Tolstoy, “The Prisoner of the Caucasus,” is based on a comparison of two extremely opposite characters. The author makes them antagonists not only in character, but even in appearance:

1. Zhilin is not tall, but has great strength and dexterity, while Kostylin is fat, clumsy, overweight.
2. Kostylin is rich, and Zhilin, although he lives in abundance, cannot (and does not want to) pay ransoms to the highlanders.
3. Abdul-Marat himself speaks about the obstinacy of Zhilin and the meekness of his partner in a conversation with the main character. The first is an optimist, from the very beginning he expects to run, and the second says that it is reckless to run away, because they do not know the terrain.
4. Kostylin sleeps for days on end and waits for a response letter, while Zhilin does needlework and repairs.
5. Kostylin leaves Zhilin at their first meeting and runs away to the fortress, but during the first attempt to escape, he drags a comrade with wounded legs on himself.

Tolstoy acts in his story as a bearer of justice, telling a parable about how fate rewards an enterprising and brave person with salvation.

An important idea lies in the title of the work. Kostylin is a prisoner of the Caucasus in the literal sense of the word, even after the ransom, because he did nothing to deserve freedom. However, Tolstoy seems to be ironic about Zhilin - he showed his will and escaped from captivity, but does not leave the region, because he considers his service to be fate and duty. The Caucasus will captivate not only Russian officers who are forced to fight for their homeland, but also mountaineers, who also have no moral right to give up this land. In a certain sense, all the actors here remain Caucasian captives, even the generous Dina, who is destined to continue to live in her native society.

Audio story by Leo Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus", included in the "Fourth Russian book for reading". Chapter 1, which gives comparative characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin, a description of household items, men's and women's clothing of the Tatars (Muslims) of the Caucasus, jewelry, customs.
“One gentleman served in the Caucasus as an officer. His name was Zhilin. Once a letter came to him from home. The old mother writes to him: “... Come to say goodbye to me, bury ... And I’ve found a bride for you: smart, and good, and there is an estate. You will fall in love, maybe you will get married and stay completely "... He went to the colonel, straightened out his vacation ... There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no passage on the roads day or night ... Under him a good horse, and under those even kinder, and they gallop in opposition ... The Tatars grabbed him ... put on a block and took him to the barn ...
Chapter 2 Kazi-Muhamed took Zhilin, gave the captive to Abdul-Murat for debts. Abdul-Murat forced Zhilin to write a ransom letter to his homeland. I wanted to take 3,000 rubles, but Zhilin negotiated 500 rubles + good clothes and food. I wrote the wrong address on the envelope so that the letter would not reach, because I knew that my mother did not have money to pay for it. Kostylin also ended up here, behaved calmly, wrote home to send 5,000 rubles a ransom for himself. In the chapter, life, clothing, customs of the Tatars of that time are described vividly, in detail with respect and accurate awe.
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"Prisoner of the Caucasus"

(Story)

retelling

In the Caucasus, a gentleman named Zhilin serves as an officer. He receives a letter from his mother, in which she writes that she wants to see her son before her death and, in addition, found him a good bride. He decides to go to his mother.

At that time there was a war in the Caucasus, so the Russians traveled only with escorted soldiers. It was summer. Zhilin, along with the convoy, drove very slowly, so he decided that he would go alone. Kostylin, a heavy and fat man, stuck up to him, and they drove off together. Kostylin had a loaded gun, so Zhilin decided to go with him. At this time, they are attacked by the Tatars. Zhilin does not have a gun, he shouts to Kostylin to shoot. But, seeing the Tatars, Kostylin began to run away. Zhilin was captured. They brought him to the village, put stocks on him and put him in a barn.

Almost all night Zhilin does not sleep. When dawn comes, he begins to look through the crack at the place where he has landed. He is terribly thirsty.

Two Tatars come to him, one is angry, swears in his own language, and the second begins to mutter something in his own way to Zhilin. Zhilin shows that he is thirsty. The Tatar called his daughter Dina. She brought Zhilin to drink, and she herself sat down and watched him drink, as if at a wild beast. Zhilin gives her the jug, and she jumps like a wild goat. The Tatars left, locking Zhilin alone again.

After some time, a Nogai comes to Zhilin and says that he must go. They brought Zhilin to the house of one of the Tatars. There were a lot of them there.

One Tatar tells Zhilin in Russian to write a letter home, asking for a ransom of three thousand coins, and when the ransom comes, he, Zhilin, will be released. But Zhilin says that he does not have so much money, he can only pay five hundred rubles.

Tatars began to swear among themselves. The translator tells Zhilin that only three thousand, no less, should be a ransom, and Zhilin stands his ground: five hundred rubles and that's it. And if you kill, you won't get anything at all.

The Tatars began to swear again, and one came up to Zhilin and said to him: "Urus, horseman." Dzhigit in Tatar means well done.

Here they bring Kostylin to the house, the Tatars also took him prisoner: the horse stopped under him and the gun stopped, so they took him.

The Tatars tell Zhilin that his friend wrote home a long time ago asking for a ransom in the amount of five thousand. That is why Kostylin will be fed and will not be offended. But Zhilin stands his ground, even kill.

The Tatar, who was the owner of Zhilin, got angry, gave him a paper, told him to write - he agrees to five hundred rubles. Zhilin, before writing, demands that they feed them well, give them clothes, put them together and remove the stocks. The Tatars agreed to everything, except for the stocks. Zhilin wrote a letter, but indicated the wrong address so that it would not come through.

They took Zhilin and Kostylin to a barn, gave them shabby clothes, water and bread, and for the night they took off the stocks and locked them up.

So Zhilin and Kostylin lived for a month. They are poorly fed. Kostylin is still waiting for money from the house, and Zhilin thinks about how to get out himself, walks around the village, looks out, sculpts clay dolls. It was such a doll that Dina saw one day, grabbed it and ran away with it. The next morning, she put red shreds on her and shakes her like a child.

Yes, only the old Tatar woman broke this doll, and sent Dina to work somewhere.

Then Zhilin made another doll, gave it to Dina, and she brought milk for it. And so Dina began to bring him either milk, or cheese cakes, or once brought a piece of meat. Then Zhilin repaired a clock for some Tatar, and the glory of the master went about him. The Tatars fell in love with Zhilin, although some still looked askance, especially the red Tatar and one old man. That old man was once the best horseman, he had eight sons, seven of whom were killed by the Russians, for which he now hates the Russians.

So Zhilin lived for another month. He walks around the village during the day, and digs in the barn in the evening. He just doesn't know which way to go. Once he decided to go up the mountain to see where the Russians were, and the fellow was spying on him. Zhilin barely persuaded him to go to the mountain, he says that the grass must be collected in order to heal the people. The little one agreed. Zhilin looked where to run, he saw his side. Zhilin decides to run away that same night. But to his misfortune, the Tatars returned early that day, angry, brought with them the murdered Tatar. The Tatars buried the dead, they commemorated him for three days. Only then did they pack up and leave. Zhilin thinks that today it is necessary to run. Offers Kostylin, but he is afraid, refuses. Finally, Zhilin persuaded Kostylin.

As soon as everything was quiet in the village, Zhilin and Kostylin got out of the barn. The dog Ulyashin began to bark, but Zhilin had tamed her long ago, fed her, stroked her, and she calmed down. Zhilin ran quickly, and Kostylin barely followed him, only groaning. They took it a little more to the right than they should, they almost got into a strange village. Then they went into the forest, attacked the path, they go. We came to a clearing. Kostylin sat down in the clearing and said that he could no longer walk. Zhilin began to persuade him to go further, but he did not. Zhilin says that then he will go alone. Kostylin was frightened, jumped up and went on.

Suddenly, a Tartar rides past, they waited. Zhilin gets up to go on, but Kostylin cannot: his legs are skinned. Zhilin lifts him by force, and he screams, so after all, the Tatar can hear. Zhilin Kostylin took it upon himself and carried it. And the Tatar heard Kostylin shouting and went for help. Zhilin Kostylin could not carry them far, they were caught.

They brought them to the village, they beat them with stones and whips. The Tatars gathered in a circle, discussing what to do with the prisoners. The old man offers to kill, but Zhilin's owner says that he will help out the money for him. Finally, they came to the conclusion that if money was not sent for the prisoners in a week, they would be killed. She forced the Tatars to write letters to Zhilin and Kostylin again, and then put them in a deep pit behind the mosque.

Now they are not let out into the world and they do not remove the blocks, they only give water. Kostylin howled like a dog, all swollen. And Zhilin became despondent: he couldn't get out of here.

Once a cake fell on top of him, then cherries. And it was Dina who brought the food. Zhilin thinks that maybe Dina will help him escape. I made her dolls, dogs, horses from clay.

The next day, Dina came and said that they wanted to kill Zhilin, but she felt sorry for him. And Zhilin tells her that if it's a pity, then bring a long pole. Dina shook her head and left. Zhilin was upset, he thinks that the girl will not do this, and then at night Dina brings a pole.

Zhilin called Kostylin to get out, but he says that now his fate is here, he will not go anywhere. Zhilin said goodbye to Kostylin, crawled upstairs.

Zhilin ran downhill to remove the blocks. The lock is strong and doesn't come off. Dina tries to help him, but she is still small, she has little strength. Then the moon began to rise. Zhilin said goodbye to Dina, she burst into tears, gave him cakes and ran away. Zhilin went like this, in stocks.

Zhilin goes quickly, the month has already illuminated everything around. He walked all night. He reached the end of the forest, he sees guns, Cossacks. And from the other end of the Tatars. They saw Zhilin, set off to him.

His heart skipped a beat. He screamed with all his might. The Cossacks heard and set off to cut across the Tatars. They got scared and stopped. So Zhilin ran to the Cossacks. They recognized him and took him to the fortress. Zhilin told everything that happened to him.

And Zhilin remained after this incident to serve in the Caucasus. And Kostylin was redeemed only a month later for five thousand. They brought him barely alive.