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Bykov's story "Sotnikov": main characters. Sotnikov detailed retelling chapter by chapter. Sotnikov, abbreviated as Sotnikov brief summary

Bykov wrote the story “Sotnikov” in 1969. In the story, Bykov raises the existential problems of heroism and betrayal, the influence of circumstances on a person. On our website you can read online a summary of Sotnikov chapter by chapter. The author reveals the struggle between good and evil in the souls of the heroes, explores the psychological state of people during the war.

Bykov does not give final assessments of the characters, leaving this right to the reader. A brief retelling will help you prepare for a literature lesson and fill out a reading diary. The original title of the work is “Liquidation”.

Main characters of the story

Main characters:

Sotnikov, a former commander of an artillery battalion, graduated from a teacher’s institute before the war; Red Army soldier, partisan; was hanged by the police.
Rybak is a former infantry sergeant major; Red Army soldier, partisan; to avoid death, he agreed to become a policeman.

Other characters:

Pyotr Kachan, the headman of the village of Lyasiny, involuntarily began to serve the Germans.
Avginya Demchikha is the mother of four children; hid Sotinkov and Rybak, which is why she ended up with the police and was hanged.
Portkov is a police investigator who interrogated the prisoners.

Bykov "Sotnikov" very brief summary

Vasil Bykov’s “Sotnikov” summary for a reader’s diary will tell you how the horrors of war destroy not only lives, but also the souls of people and their morality:

Sotnikov and Rybak are sent to a farm to get provisions for a detachment hidden in the forest. The village head gave them a sheep. On the way, they come across the Germans, Sotnikov, who is already sick, is wounded in the leg, but they manage to escape. They find a nearby house and go in and are fed by a girl.

There are two other children in the house with her. Soon their mother, Demchikha, arrives; she is not happy about the partisans, but treats Sotnikov’s wounds. The Germans come and take away not only the men, but also the woman. Sotnikov is trying in every possible way to shield Demchikha, Rybak blames his comrade for everything.

They are interrogated and tortured, Rybak tells everything, Sotnikov and Demchikha hold out. The fisherman is offered to become a policeman, he agrees in order to save himself.

In the morning the execution is scheduled. The fisherman is ordered to lead his comrades to the scaffold; Sotnikov, Demchikha and Starosta are hanged. The fisherman understands that there is no turning back, he wants to hang himself, but he does not have a belt, now he will not return to his people.

Conclusion:

Life is dear to every person, but betraying comrades and destroying the innocent for the sake of one’s own skin is ignoble; a person is unlikely to live the rest of his life without remorse.

Read also: The story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” by Boris Vasiliev is one of the most heartfelt and tragic works about the Great Patriotic War. First published in 1969. To understand the events of the story, you can read the summary of “” chapter by chapter on our website.

A short retelling of "Sotnikov" with quotes

On a winter night, hiding from the Germans, Rybak and Sotnikov circled through the fields and copses, having received the task of obtaining food for the partisans. The fisherman walked easily and quickly, Sotnikov lagged behind. He should not have gone on a mission at all - he fell ill: he had a cough, was dizzy, and was tormented by weakness. He could hardly keep up with the Fisherman.

The farm they were heading to turned out to be burned down. We reached the village and chose the headman's hut.

“Hello,” Rybak said, trying to be polite. - Can you guess who we are?

“Hello,” the elderly man sitting at the table over the Bible responded without a hint of obsequiousness or fear.

- Do you serve the Germans? - continued Rybak. - Aren't you ashamed to be an enemy?

“I’m not an enemy to my people,” the old man responded just as calmly.

- Do you have any cattle? Let's go to the barn.

They took the sheep from the elder and moved on without stopping.

And Rybak increased his running. Sotnikov fell behind. He fell on the slope and became dizzy. Sotnikov was afraid that he would not be able to get up. He fumbled for a rifle in the snow and fired at random. Having been in a dozen hopeless situations, Sotnikov was not afraid of death in battle. I was only afraid of becoming a burden.

He was able to take a few more steps and felt his thigh burn and blood flow down his leg. Shot. Sotnikov lay down again and began to fire at his pursuers, already visible in the darkness. After a few shots, everything became quiet. Sotnikov was able to make out figures returning to the road.

“Sotnikov! - he suddenly heard a whisper. - Sotnikov! It was the Fisherman, who had already gone far away, but returned for him. The two of them reached the next village in the morning. At the house they entered, the partisans were met by a nine-year-old girl.

- What's your mother's name? - asked the Fisherman.

“Demichikha,” answered the girl. - She's at work. And the four of us are sitting here. I'm the oldest.

And the girl hospitably placed a bowl of boiled potatoes on the table.

“I want to leave you here,” Rybak said to Sotnikov. - Lay down.

- Mommy is coming! - the children shouted.

The woman who came in was not surprised or afraid, only something trembled in her face when she saw the empty bowl on the table.

- What else do you need? - she asked. - Of bread? Sala? Eggs?

- We are not Germans.

-Who are you? Red army men? “So they are fighting at the front, and you are roaming around the corners,” the woman reprimanded angrily, but immediately took care of Sotnikov’s wound.

The fisherman looked out the window and recoiled: “Germans!” “Quickly to the attic,” ordered Demichikha. The police were looking for vodka. “I have nothing,” Demichikha scolded angrily. “To kill you.” And then a cough rumbled from above, from the attic. “Who do you have there?” The police were already climbing up. "Hands up! Gotcha, darlings."

The tied up Sotnikov, Rybak and Demichikha were taken to a nearby town to the police. Sotnikov had no doubt that they were missing. He was tormented by the thought that they were the cause of death for this woman and her children... Sotnikov was taken first for interrogation.

- Do you think I'll tell you the truth? - Sotnikov asked investigator Portnov.

“Tell me,” the policeman said quietly. - You can tell me everything. We'll make mincemeat out of you. We will stretch all the veins and break the bones. And then we’ll announce that you gave everyone away... You woke me up! - the investigator ordered, and a buffalo-like fellow appeared in the room, his huge hands tore Sotnikov from the chair...

The fisherman was still languishing in the basement, in which he unexpectedly met the headman.

- Why were you imprisoned?

- For not informing on you. There will be no mercy for me,” the old man answered somehow very calmly.

- What humility! - thought Rybak. - No, I’ll still fight for my life.

Returning to the basement and seeing Sotnikov’s broken fingers - with torn out nails, caked in blood clots - Rybak felt a secret joy that he had avoided this. No, he will dodge to the last. There were already five of them in the basement. They brought the Jewish girl Basya, from whom they demanded the names of those who hid her, and Demichikha.

The basement door opened: “Come out: liquidation!” There were already policemen standing in the yard with their guns at the ready. German officers and police authorities came out onto the porch.

“I want to make a message,” Sotnikov shouted. - I'm a partisan. It was I who wounded your policeman. “He,” he nodded at Rybak, “ended up here by accident.”

But the elder just waved his hand: “Lead.”

“Mr. Investigator,” Rybak rushed. - You offered it to me yesterday. I agree.

“Come closer,” they suggested from the porch. - Do you agree to serve in the police?

“I agree,” Rybak answered with all the sincerity of which he was capable.

“You bastard,” Sotnikov’s shout hit him on the back of the head like a blow.

Sotnikov was now painfully ashamed of his naive hopes of saving people in trouble at the cost of his life. The policemen led them to the place of execution, where the inhabitants of the town had already been herded and where five hemp loops were already hanging from above. The condemned were brought to the bench. The fisherman had to help Sotnikov climb it. “Bastard,” Sotnikov thought about him again and immediately reproached himself: where did you get the right to judge... Rybak knocked the support out from under Sotnikov’s feet.

But, meeting the eyes of the man sitting in the sleigh, and feeling how much hatred there was in those eyes, Rybak realized: this would not work. But who will he go out with then? And then the thought struck him like a blow to the head: there was nowhere to escape. After liquidation there is nowhere to go. There was no way to escape from this formation.

Read also: B. Polevoy’s book “The Tale of a Real Man” was written in 1946. On our website you can read a summary of “” chapter by chapter. The prototype of the main character of the work was a real historical character - the hero of the USSR, pilot Alexey Maresyev. Boris Polevoy's book was awarded the Stalin Prize.

The plot of the story "Sotnikov" Bykov

“Sotnikov” Bykov summary of the work:

Rybak and Sotnikov walked through the forest, “along a remote, snow-covered road.” Sotnikov could hardly drag himself: he had a bad cold and was coughing. The fisherman asked why he agreed to go on the mission. Sotnikov replied: “That’s why I didn’t refuse, because others refused.”

After a recent crossing of the highway, when Rybak and Sotnikov had to cover the detachment’s retreat, the Red Army men became close and stayed together for the last few days.

The men went to the village. The woman who lived in the last hut said that the village was called Lyasiny and showed where the local headman, Petr Kachan, lived. Rybak and Sotnikov entered the headman’s house without knocking. The owner was not surprised. When asked by Rybak whether he serves the Germans, Kachan replied that “he has to.” On the wall in the house there was a photograph of the headman’s son, who had gone to the front. The fisherman noted that the headman had disgraced his son, who fought against the Germans.

The headman's wife set the table. Sotnikov refused to eat, he felt very bad. The fisherman ate with pleasure. The Red Army men were surprised that there was a Bible in the headman’s house.

The fisherman told the owner to go outside with him. The hostess began to lament, but Sotnikov did not fall for it. The Red Army soldier remembered how last year “excessive trust in the same woman almost cost him his life”: that woman offered to feed him, and while the soldier was eating, she called the police. The fisherman took the sheep from the elder.

The men moved back. Rybak began to feel slightly dissatisfied with his partner: without him, he would have gone far. The men walked for a long time across the field, but there was still no necessary road. The fisherman noticed the approaching people and ordered Sotnikov to run. The fisherman did not have time to get his bearings and ended up on the road along which the police were driving. With the sheep on his back, he ran forward even faster, overcame the hill, leaving Sotnikov behind.

The pursuers started shooting. The fisherman hurried forward, but at the last moment he came to his senses, abandoned the sheep and decided to return to his friend.

Sotnikov, trying to escape, was shot in the thigh. Sitting down in the snow, the man began shooting at his pursuers, trying to detain them. He was not afraid of death - “I was afraid of becoming a burden to others.” Sotnikov was getting worse when he suddenly heard Rybak’s voice nearby.

The fisherman and Sotnikov crawled towards the bushes. The fisherman, helping his friend, began to lose his strength. They barely reached the road and headed towards the grove.

Sotnikov couldn’t feel his foot, his hip hurt excruciatingly, but he continued to walk. The men went to the village cemetery and went into the nearest hut. There were only four children at home. The owner's daughter said that Demchikha's mother was not at home and treated the men to potatoes and cucumbers.

The fisherman was angry with Sotnikov because he could not leave his wounded comrade with the children, and he had to wait for the mistress to arrive. Returning home, Demchikha was angry at the uninvited guests, but when she saw that Sotnikov was wounded, she bandaged him. The fisherman noticed three policemen through the window. Demchikha told the partisans to hide in the attic.

When the police were searching the hut, Sotnikov began coughing loudly. The partisans had to surrender.

Sotnikov was not afraid that he might be killed, but “he was painfully worried that he had let Rybak and Demchikha down in such a way.” Because the woman hid the “bandits,” the police also arrested her. On the way, Rybak “cursed himself for his imprudence.” He “was already clearly aware that if it weren’t for Sotnikov, his cold, and then his injury, they would probably have reached the forest.”

“Sotnikov did not doubt for a minute that they were missing.” Sotnikov was taken to investigator Portnov and began to be interrogated. The prisoner realized that the police knew about their visit to the headman. Despite the investigator’s pressure, Sotnikov refused to give information about his squad. Then Portkov called Budila, “the local police executioner.”

Rybak and Demchikha were locked in the basement. In the cell where the Red Army soldier was put, there was the elder Peter. The fisherman tried to come up with a way, if not to avoid, then at least to delay the punishment.

The fisherman was summoned for questioning. He began to lie plausibly, giving the name of the captain of another detachment and saying that their detachment was supposedly in the forest. Satisfied with the interrogation, Portnov said that he might pardon Rybak and help him join the police and serve Germany.

“Sotnikov was saved by his weakness: as soon as Budila began the torture, he quickly lost consciousness.” The prisoner's hand bones were broken and his nails were torn off. After half an hour of torture, Sotnikov was thrown into a cell with the headman and Rybak. Rybak thought that “if Sotnikov dies, then his chances will improve significantly. He can say whatever he wants."

The fisherman tried to negotiate with Sotnikov so that they would give the same testimony, but he refused. Sotnikov, realizing that his comrade was being called to the police, said: “This is a car! Either you will serve her, or she will grind you into powder!

After interrogation, Peter said that he was asked to find out from Rybak and Sotnikov about the detachment, but he refused. After interrogation, a Jewish girl and Demchikha were thrown into their cell.

The fisherman began to understand that “now there was no way out,” although “always and everywhere he managed to find some way out.” “No, he could not agree to die, he would never accept death in submission.”

Sotnikov decided that “tomorrow he will tell the investigator that he went on reconnaissance.” He dreamed of his father, who, as it seemed to Sotnikov, was quoting the Bible.

In the morning, five prisoners were taken out into the street. Sotnikov shouted to the authorities who came out: “I am a partisan. It was I who wounded your policeman.<…>The rest have nothing to do with it. Take me alone." But the police did not react to his words.

Rybak noticed Portnov among his superiors and personally addressed him with the words that he was not guilty of anything. Portnov called Rybak over and asked if he agreed to join the police. The fisherman agreed. "Bastard!" - Sotnikov shouted.

Sotnikov was offended because he was going to save others.

On the crossbar of the street arch hung “five flexible hemp loops.” One by one, the prisoners “began to be led along the gallows.” Sotnikov climbed onto the block of wood standing under the noose. The fisherman was holding the stand at this time. The policeman threw a noose around his neck, and Demchikha was crying loudly nearby. The fisherman said to his comrade: “Forgive me, brother!” - “Go to hell! - Sotnikov said briefly.

“The fisherman let go of the stand and stepped back - Sotnikov’s legs swayed nearby, the hat they had knocked off fell onto the snow.” After the execution, the Germans began to disperse “in a cheerful, high spirits, as if after a successfully completed<…>interesting activity."

Seeing Rybak standing on the sidewalk, the senior policeman ordered him to get into line. Mixed for a minute, Rybak joined the column. He realized that “there was no longer a way to escape from this formation” and “with this liquidation he was tied more securely than with a belt.” “Now he is the enemy of everyone and everywhere. And, apparently, to myself too.”

During a smoke break, Rybak went into the outhouse, hoping to hang himself with a belt, but only now remembered that the belt had been taken away before the interrogation. Yesterday's dream of becoming a policeman turned into a disaster for him. “Such is fate. The insidious fate of a man lost in war.”

Conclusion

In the story “Sotnikov” Vasil Bykov contrasts two main characters - Rybak and Sotnikov. From the first chapters, it seems that the active, cunning Rybak is more adapted to the conditions of war than the sickly, low-initiative Sotnikov.

However, with the revelation of the characters, it becomes clear that Sotnikov has greater morality and spiritual strength. Until his death, he remains true to his principles, unlike the Fisherman, who becomes his own enemy.

This is interesting: The story “Ivan” by Bogomolov was written in 1957. We recommend reading chapter by chapter, which will be useful both for your reading diary and in preparation for a literature lesson. This is a tragic and true story about a boy scout who decided to lay down his own life in the fight against the fascist invaders.

Video summary of Sotnikov

The story “Sotnikov” by V. Bykov- one of the most profound works about the war

Summary of “Sotnikov” by chapters

“Sotnikov” by Bykov summary by chapters should only be done if you do not have enough time to read the story in full. "Sotnikov" in abbreviation will not be able to convey all the small details from the life of the heroes, will not immerse you in the atmosphere of that time. “Sotnikov” a summary is presented below and can be read in 5 minutes.

The farm they were heading to turned out to be burned down. We reached the village and chose the headman's hut.

“Hello,” Rybak said, trying to be polite. - Can you guess who we are?

“Hello,” the elderly man sitting at the table over the Bible responded without a hint of obsequiousness or fear.

Do you serve the Germans? - continued Rybak. - Aren't you ashamed to be an enemy?

“I’m not an enemy to my people,” the old man responded just as calmly.

Do you have any cattle? Let's go to the barn.

They took the sheep from the elder and moved on without stopping.

They were walking across a field towards the road and suddenly heard a noise ahead. Someone was driving along the road. “Let’s run,” Rybak commanded. Two carts with people were already visible. There was still hope that these were peasants, then everything would have worked out. “Well, stop! - came an angry shout. “Stop, we’ll shoot!” And Rybak increased his running. Sotnikov fell behind. He fell on the slope and became dizzy. Sotnikov was afraid that he would not be able to get up. He fumbled for a rifle in the snow and fired at random. Having been in a dozen hopeless situations, Sotnikov was not afraid of death in battle. I was only afraid of becoming a burden. He was able to take a few more steps and felt his thigh burn and blood flow down his leg. Shot. Sotnikov lay down again and began to fire at his pursuers, already visible in the darkness. After a few shots, everything became quiet. Sotnikov was able to make out figures returning to the road.

What's the mother's name? - asked the Fisherman.

“Demichikha,” answered the girl. - She's at work. And the four of us are sitting here. I'm the oldest.

And the girl hospitably placed a bowl of boiled potatoes on the table.

Mommy is coming! - the children shouted.

The woman who came in was not surprised or afraid, only something trembled in her face when she saw the empty bowl on the table.

What else do you need? - she asked. - Of bread? Sala? Eggs?

We are not Germans.

Who are you? Red army men? “So they are fighting at the front, and you are roaming around the corners,” the woman reprimanded angrily, but immediately took care of Sotnikov’s wound.

Do you think I'll tell you the truth? - Sotnikov asked investigator Portnov.

“Tell me,” the policeman said quietly. - You can tell me everything. We'll make mincemeat out of you. We will stretch all the veins and break the bones. And then we’ll announce that you gave everyone away... You woke me up! - the investigator ordered, and a buffalo-like fellow appeared in the room, his huge hands tore Sotnikov from the chair...

The fisherman was still languishing in the basement, in which he unexpectedly met the headman.

Why were you imprisoned?

For not reporting you. There will be no mercy for me,” the old man answered somehow very calmly.

What humility! - thought Rybak. - No, I’ll still fight for my life.

And when he was brought in for interrogation, Rybak tried to be flexible, not to irritate the investigator in vain - he answered in detail and, as it seemed to him, very cunningly. “You seem like a smart guy,” the investigator approved. - We will check your testimony. We might save your life. You will also serve great Germany in the police. Think about it." Returning to the basement and seeing Sotnikov’s broken fingers - with torn out nails, caked in blood clots - Rybak felt a secret joy that he had avoided this. No, he will dodge to the last. There were already five of them in the basement. They brought the Jewish girl Basya, from whom they demanded the names of those who hid her, and Demichikha.

The basement door opened: “Come out: liquidation!” There were already policemen standing in the yard with their guns at the ready. German officers and police authorities came out onto the porch.

“I want to make a message,” Sotnikov shouted. - I'm a partisan. It was I who wounded your policeman. “He,” he nodded at Rybak, “ended up here by accident.”

But the elder just waved his hand: “Lead.”

“Mr. Investigator,” Rybak rushed. - You offered it to me yesterday. I agree.

“Come closer,” they suggested from the porch. - Do you agree to serve in the police?

“I agree,” Rybak answered with all the sincerity he was capable of.

Bastard,” Sotnikov’s shout hit him on the back of the head like a blow.

When it was all over and the people were leaving and the police began to line up, Rybak stood aside, waiting to see what would happen to him. “Come on! - the elder shouted at him. - Get into formation. Step by step!” And this was ordinary and familiar to Rybak; he thoughtlessly stepped into step with the others. What's next? The fisherman looked down the street: he had to run. Now, let’s say, throw yourself into a passing sleigh and hit a horse! But, meeting the eyes of the man sitting in the sleigh, and feeling how much hatred there was in those eyes, Rybak realized: this would not work. But who will he go out with then? And then the thought struck him like a blow to the head: there was nowhere to escape. After liquidation there is nowhere to go. There was no way to escape from this formation.

Bykov's stories about the war are considered the most truthful and psychological in all literature of the 20th century. It was he who managed to show her face like no one else; a significant role was played by the fact that the writer himself was a participant in the war. The story about two partisan friends, which is studied in the 11th grade, is complex and diverse thematically and compositionally. In the story “Sotnikov,” the analysis should begin with the history of creation, which affects the biography of the author. A complete analysis of the work will be useful for preparing for testing and writing creative works.

Brief Analysis

Year of writing– 1969. In 1970, the story was published by the Novy Mir editorial office.

History of creation– the story was written based on Bykov’s meeting with a fellow soldier who was considered dead, but in fact was captured and became a traitor. Twenty years passed from the moment of meeting to the embodiment of the plot in the author’s work.

Subject– the price of choice, life and death, the problem of moral choice and its consequences.

Composition- a two-part composition built on a comparison of the two main characters.

Genre- story.

Direction– realism. Bykov describes the past war, the fate of people, based on real events.

History of creation

The plot of Bykov’s story “Sotnikov” is taken from real life: after the writer’s meeting in 1944 with a fellow soldier who was considered dead. It turns out that his comrade in arms was captured, and then, in order to survive, he agreed to cooperate.

Remembering the past, the author says that this man was considered a model and example for his fellow soldiers; he was “posthumously” awarded as a hero and set as an example for young soldiers. Everyone was sure that he was dead. And at the end of the war he found himself captured as a servant of the Vlasovites, lost and morally oppressed. The comrade honestly told Bykov that at first he thought that he would be able to escape, did not shoot at people, did not show cruelty, and tried to survive. The price of such a choice is too terrible to be a traitor for the rest of your life.

This meeting excited the writer so much that he “copied” the image of Rybak from his fighting friend and tried to show both sides of the choice that a person makes without judging or evaluating other people’s actions. Vasily Bykov often puts his heroes in extreme situations, on the very brink, when a person is forced to make a fateful decision.

A writer who went through the war knows it by sight and writes truthfully and poignantly about what is close to him: heroism and cowardice, danger and betrayal, strength of character and moral choice. The story was originally titled “Liquidation.” However, later the author focused the meaning of the title on the main character. Critics received the story positively; Bykov was known as a master of words, an experienced and talented writer.

Subject

The story of two fellow partisans who go to collect provisions for the detachment develops rapidly. The circumstances that surround the heroes become more complicated with every step: illness, hunger, injury. It is “in trouble” that comrades are known. Therefore, the author chose a situation in which there cannot be a third solution: to be a living traitor or a dead hero.

In a situation that concerns life, “everyone for himself,” this is exactly what Rybak decides, trying to justify his position. The instinct of self-preservation, moral immaturity, thirst for life - something prevents the hero from taking the last step, the one that could save him from his conscience. The author has constructed the narrative in such a way that the reader perceives the situation in detail and does not undertake to condemn Rybak’s betrayal; the thought involuntarily comes: “What choice would I make?”

Judging and evaluating is not what the story teaches us; make a choice and bear responsibility for its consequences, step over the line beyond which a person loses himself or die - that’s the essence and idea of the work.

Bykov shows two young people who were brought up in the same conditions, they grew up and formed their characters, matured and learned about life.

However, in captivity, Sotnikov was able to remain human, withstood torture and accepted death with dignity, while his comrade broke down, betrayed his own, and became the executioner of his comrades. The terrible truth of war, which puts a person in inhuman conditions, is what has always interested the writer. Thus, subject matter stories: human moral choice, war and its role in the destinies of people, the price of human life.

Composition

The composition of the story is two-part: the action is divided into “before” and “after” when the heroes are captured. This is also what is built on problems works: what is a person like when faced with the most terrible choice in his life? The entire composition is built on the opposition of two heroes Sotnikov and Rybak.

Their dialogues, internal monologues, memories from the past are designed to reveal two seemingly similar worldviews, but absolutely divergent moral positions. The narrative, which contains only two days, seems more voluminous and richer thanks to the author’s techniques: dreams, fragments of consciousness, conversations between characters and conscience, scenes from the past.

The writer reveals the characters in a multifaceted and truthful way, sometimes bringing each of them closer, sometimes further away, in order to better understand their character, actions, and philosophy of life. There is neither an assessment of the author, nor a hint of his attitude towards the heroes, only the events in captivity show the essence of the heroes. The pictures that reveal themselves to the reader are subtle and psychologically accurate; the writer has a wonderful gift - to make the characters family, close and piercingly unhappy. This feature is characteristic of all works on military subjects by V. Bykov.

Main characters

Genre

To embody his creative idea, Bykov chose the story. It is most suitable for a realistic plot, a small period of time being described. The events described by the author are worthy of a novel; they are monumental in terms of revealing the characters and destinies of people. But the peculiar genre restriction was completely justified. This is Bykov’s favorite genre, his usual form, it is traditional and universal for the writer. To narrate the war the way Bykov does, on a large scale and truthfully, within the framework of a far from simple story genre, is a special art.

Work test

Rating Analysis

Average rating: 4.4. Total ratings received: 370.

The main political events that occurred in the twentieth century were tragic. The writers of that time tried to delve into the essence of the problems that they gave rise to. Their focus was on individuals and the fate of the nation, including during the Second World War. Writers reflected on human character and explored human nature. Such works include the story “Sotnikov” by V. Bykov.

Main characters

In the story, as in most of his works, the author raises the problem of personal responsibility for the fate of other people, finds out the reasons for the moral decline and betrayal of some and the spiritual greatness and nobility of others. The writer explores and shows what a person is capable of when the possibilities to protect life are exhausted to the end. The writer gives the central place in the story to the partisans Sotnikov and Rybak.

The main characters, Sotnikov and Rybak, are both no strangers to the fight against the enemy. Sotnikov is the son of a battery commander who fought at the front and miraculously escaped captivity. He continued to fight in the partisan detachment. Rybak, a foreman of a rifle company, also fought at the front, was surrounded and took part in the partisan movement. But it is important for a writer to check the moral potential of his characters and their spirit.

Two partisans

Fisherman was born and raised in a peasant family. A sense of duty is characteristic of him, but fragile and spontaneous. The positive principles of this hero exist only on a sensory level and have not become part of his individual ethics. Connecting with his love of life, they predetermine the possibility of betrayal. The Fisherman's consciousness is not developed enough to comprehend the experience and behavior of the people he encountered along the path of life. And he is unable to make life choices.

The main character Sotnikov is a teacher, an intellectual. He differs from Rybak in that he has a more developed consciousness and is able to independently analyze various situations and people’s behavior. Spiritually Sotnikov is stronger and more resilient. In an extreme situation, this difference should appear. Therefore, the author puts the heroes in conditions in which their essence will be revealed, and they will have to do

On the road of war

The heroes of the story were brought together by a common task - to obtain supplies for the partisans. When they go on a mission, they imagine the danger awaiting them in different ways. Outwardly, it seems that the sick and weak Sotnikov is not capable of a feat, but the strong, smart and energetic Rybak is simply created for a heroic act.

Already at the beginning of the story, a contrast is outlined between them. The fisherman is economical, physically strong, and with his characteristic love of life, he thinks about girls and sees bread in his dreams. The main character Sotnikov, on the contrary, is physically weak and sickly, treats himself indifferently - he went on a mission sick, with a fever, and did not even bother to “get hold of a sheepskin coat.”

They behave differently on the road. The fisherman encourages the sick Sotnikov and shares bread with him. Sotnikov’s entire attention is focused only on not losing the pace within his power, “not losing his step.” The contrasts between the characters in the exposition of the story create an illusion. At first glance, Rybak is more adapted to difficult conditions than Sotnikov.

Last task

The author set a goal - to reveal and understand the internal state of the main characters of Sotnikov. Bykov inexorably leads them to the last refuge - Demchikha's house - and confronts them with a choice that they must make. The heroes of the story failed to complete their last task - they came across a cart with Germans and came under fire.

Having reached the village, the partisans hide in the attic of the house of Demchikha, a mother of many children. Germans and policemen raided the house in search of vodka. And Sotnikov’s cough, heard from the attic, betrays the fugitives. They are captured. Demchikha is taken away with them. The Jewish girl Basya is also sitting in the basement where they were thrown. The headman, who hid her with himself, was also thrown there.

In the face of death, Rybak and Sotnikov behave according to their characters and beliefs. Sotnikov remains faithful to his duty until his last breath. And Rybak, who managed to find a way out of any situation, was already internally ready for betrayal.

Sotnikov

The main character of the story resigns himself to circumstances only outwardly. Sotnikov understands that he is not able to change anything. But internally he is looking for strength to resist. First of all, he remembers and analyzes events from his personal life and the behavior of other people. The writer shows that the strength of this person lies in his ability for introspection and rethinking, with the help of which his moral values were formed.

He is subjected to terrible torture, but Sotnikov endures difficult trials with honor and remains a man true to his ideals. He would certainly have preferred to die in battle and was "already jealous" of those who met their death on the battlefield. But Sotnikov is not thinking about himself. His thoughts are busy with how to save Demchikha, who because of them ended up in this basement. Sotnikov demands an investigator, to whom he says that he is a partisan, and the rest have nothing to do with it. But his confession had no effect on the executioners. In the morning, out of five gallows prepared for prisoners, only one remained free.

Fisherman

The fisherman, on the contrary, full of the desire to survive, strives to overcome circumstances and therefore makes a compromise - he agrees to become a policeman. No, in peaceful life he was not a scoundrel, a traitor or an enemy. But now the situation is completely different: in the face of death, he wants to save his life by any means possible. He is confident that by deceiving his enemies, he will be able to save his life and go to the partisans to continue the fight against the Nazis there.

However, step by step, he pleases his enemies, deceives and fusses, and, finally, thinking only about himself, slides into the spiritual abyss. The fisherman realizes the enormity of his act and tries to commit suicide. But circumstances prevented this. And then he justifies his actions in every possible way, blaming the cruel conditions, the hated war, and even Sotnikov, whose illness, in his opinion, was the reason for his captivity.

Conclusion

The work of V. Bykov is named after the main character - “Sotnikov”. This story is a deep reflection on human duty and humanism, incompatible with any manifestations of selfishness. Analysis of the actions, thoughts and words of the characters is one of the defining features of the work.

Sotnikov’s spiritual strength lies in the fact that, given a choice, he managed to accept death and showed the indestructibility of character and the greatness of the human spirit. Without these qualities it is impossible to overcome circumstances.

Reflecting on the problem of betrayal and heroism, the author is sure that a person needs individual spiritual culture and morality as support. Without these principles, a person is not able to distinguish between the boundaries of good and evil. As a result, unbeknownst to herself, she will find herself in the territory of evil. This is what happened to Rybak, one of Bykov’s main characters.

Sotnikov is not exceptional, that is, his ability to self-sacrifice and his behavior, since exactly the same choice was made by the mother of many children Demchikha, and the headman, and even the little Jewish girl who refused to name the names of those who hid her.

Thus, the author rises to a philosophical analysis of war. First of all, he is not interested in its external circumstances, but in its internal ones: the state of a person and the struggle in his soul. The writer is confident that difficult, inhuman circumstances can only be overcome by relying on moral and spiritual values.

Images of Sotnikov and Fisherman in V. Bykov’s story “Sotnikov”

V. Bykov's stories about war are considered the most truthful and psychological in all literature of the 20th century. It was he who managed to show her “face” like no one else. A significant role was played by the fact that the writer himself was a participant in the war. The story about two 26-year-old fighters of one partisan detachment, which is studied in the 11th grade, is complex and diverse thematically and compositionally. It is advisable to begin the analysis of the ideological content and main images of the story “Sotnikov” with the history of the creation of the work, which affects the biography of the author himself.
Vasil Bykov wrote the story “Sotnikov” in 1969. The plot was based on the real story of Bykov’s meeting with a fellow soldier who was considered dead, but was actually captured and became a traitor. Twenty years passed from the moment of meeting to the embodiment of the plot in the author’s work.
In August 1944, driving past a Romanian village, Lieutenant Vasil Bykov saw in a group of captured Germans a man with whom he had once served in the same regiment. During a conversation with the prisoner, it was possible to find out that after being wounded he ended up in a concentration camp, there - temporarily, as it seemed to him - he agreed to cooperate with the Vlasovites and lived all these years waiting for an opportunity, hoping to escape.
The opportunity never presented itself, and the former fellow soldier was “bogged down in apostasy” day after day. This meeting made the future writer think about what a person is capable of “in the face of the crushing force of inhumane circumstances.”
In a letter to Ales Adamovich, Bykov said that, having felt “with his skin and nerves” a story in which people were completely deprived of the opportunity to influence the situation, he chose “a similar model based on the material of guerrilla warfare (or rather, life under occupation)”: “….I took Sotnikov and Rybak and showed how both are doomed, although both are polar opposite people - such is the force of circumstances. I won’t hide that the idea here is from existentialism, as I imagine it.”
Initially, the story was called “Liquidation,” but later the author emphasized the meaning of the title on the main character.
The plot of Bykov’s story “Sotnikov” is taken from real life: after the writer’s meeting in 1944 with a fellow soldier who was considered dead. It turns out that his comrade in arms was captured, and then, in order to survive, he agreed to cooperate.
Remembering the past, the author says that this man was considered a model and example for his fellow soldiers; he was “posthumously” awarded as a hero and set as an example for young soldiers. Everyone was sure that he was dead. And at the end of the war he found himself captured as a servant of the Vlasovites, lost and morally oppressed. The comrade honestly told Bykov that at first he thought that he would be able to escape, did not shoot at people, did not show cruelty, and tried to survive. The price of such a choice is too terrible to be a traitor for the rest of your life.
This meeting excited the writer so much that he “copied” the image of Rybak from his fighting friend and tried to show both sides of the choice that a person makes without judging or evaluating other people’s actions. Vasily Bykov often puts his heroes in extreme situations, on the very brink, when a person is forced to make a fateful decision.
In the story, Bykov raises the existential problems of heroism and betrayal, the influence of circumstances on a person. The author reveals the struggle between good and evil in the souls of the heroes, explores the psychological state of people during the war. Bykov does not give final assessments of the characters, leaving this right to the reader.......
In the story “Sotnikov” Vasil Bykov contrasts two main characters - Rybak and Sotnikov.
Rybak is a former army sergeant major who seems better suited to fighting than his partner. There is nothing in his memories of the past that would foreshadow the possibility of betrayal in the face of death. The essence of the character is revealed gradually, gradually, in the “process of self-manifestation.” So, Rybak does not understand the logic of Sotnikov, who, despite having a cold, still went on a mission; The fisherman, after a shootout with the police, returns to his wounded partner not according to the law of mutual assistance, but because of thoughts of answering to the partisans; he secretly harbors the hope that, while in police dungeons, Sotnikov will die and then “his, Rybak’s, chances will improve significantly.”
Sotnikov worked as a school teacher until 1939; in the army he was a battery commander. Critics, assessing the hero’s intelligence, see in the story an absentee polemic with Fadeev’s novel “Destruction”.
The ending of the story is indicative: the exhausted Sotnikov, with difficulty climbing onto the stand under the gallows, experiences a final feeling of guilt before those whom he brought under the noose: the elder Peter and Demchikha. He also regretted Rybak because “a good guy fell into the abyss and failed to die while maintaining his dignity and honor.”
For the writer, the unexpected feeling with which Sotnikov passed away was the discovery of a new, higher level of humanity. Having thought about the nature of this feeling, Bykov naturally came to the idea that even the readiness for self-sacrifice does not give the right not to take into account someone else’s life, that human life is of absolute value.
Vasil Bykov, answering the question of why, when he saw the police approaching Demchikha’s house, Sotnikov did not behave as decisively as before, replied that his hero was broken by the first battle; Only in the police does he “find the strength to die with dignity.”
The “process of self-manifestation” concerns not only Sotnikov and Rybak - it also affects Demchikha, who is forced to “step over her natural maternal sense of self-preservation,” and the elder Peter, who is executed not only because of the sheep carcass given to the partisans, but also because of Jewish girl Basya, handed over to the police.
From the first chapters, it seems that the active, cunning Rybak is more adapted to the conditions of war than the sickly, low-initiative Sotnikov. However, with the revelation of the characters, it becomes clear that Sotnikov has greater morality and spiritual strength. Until his death, he remains true to his principles, unlike the Fisherman, who becomes his own enemy.
In a situation that concerns life, “everyone for himself,” this is exactly what Rybak decides, trying to justify his position. The instinct of self-preservation, moral immaturity, thirst for life - something prevents the hero from taking the last step, the one that could save him from his conscience. The author has structured the narrative in such a way that the reader perceives the situation in detail and does not undertake to condemn Rybak’s betrayal; the thought involuntarily comes: “What choice would I make?”
Judging and evaluating is not what the story teaches us; to make a choice and bear responsibility for its consequences, to step over the line beyond which a person loses himself or die - this is the essence and idea of the work. Bykov shows two young people who were brought up in the same conditions, they grew up and formed their characters, matured and learned about life.
In some critical articles on the story, you can find the following interpretation of the images: “...in captivity, Sotnikov was able to remain human, withstood torture and accepted death with dignity, but his comrade broke down, betrayed his own, and became the executioner of his comrades.” However, the problem itself and the situation of moral choice are much more complex. And even the author of the work himself, perhaps precisely because he is a Writer with a capital “W” (unlike many superficial critics and even the director Larisa Shepitko, who made the film “The Ascent” of Larisa Shepitko based on this story) does not make clear conclusions, does not dot all the points. "I".
In this context, I recall the words of the writers of the Strugatsky brothers at the end of the 20th century that a writer cannot and should not engage in correction, treatment of moral problems of society, he only reveals and shows in his work the most acute of them. This master of words is more akin to an artist than a moral philosopher. Pointing out topical problems, revealing the ulcers of modern society, the writer forces the reader, first of all, to think for himself, refracting the plot thread of the work through his own emotional and moral component. Vasil Bykov in the story “Sotnikov” leaves the reader in precisely this situation, without attaching unambiguous labels to the rather complex characters of the characters, without idealizing one as a hero and without trampling the other into the mud as a traitor. The complexity and ambiguity of both the characters' characters and the development of the situation itself, which ultimately led to a tragic end, can be traced throughout the entire narrative.
The main characters of the story - partisans Sotnikov and Rybak - under normal conditions (even in a real battle), perhaps would never have faced such a problem of moral choice, and Rybak would have remained an honest, courageous man, a good comrade and an excellent fighter. At the same time, in the story there is no overt idealization of the image of Sotnikov and it cannot be said, as is defined in a number of critical assessments, that Rybak committed several minor betrayals throughout the plot. Until they grow into one big one, after which there is no turning back.
Let's look at this using the text of the story itself as an example.
Initially, Sotnikov went on a mission to the village to get provisions and medicine for the detachment, not only because everyone else refused (as he answered Rybak’s question why the sick man went with him), but also, according to the author, “... having learned that I have to go to the village for food, I was even happy, because I had been hungry all these days, and besides, I was attracted by the opportunity to bask in the warmth of home for an hour.”
Further, as it was repeatedly said throughout the story, “Most of all, he (Sotnikov) was afraid of turning from a partner into a burden, although he knew that if the worst happened, he would find a way out for himself, without burdening anyone.” As a result, in the first half of the story all he did was be a burden and a burden. It was because of him that Rybak was unable to complete the task (bring provisions to the detachment), it was his painful condition that led to the need to seek refuge in the village, thereby burdening and exposing its inhabitants (Demchikha and her children, and, possibly, the whole village). It was because of Sotnikov’s cough that they were discovered by the police. The headman also suffered because of Sotnikov. If not for his painful condition, he and Rybak would have been able to avoid being caught by the police squad, or at least escape from them along with the carcass of the ram. But because of his weakness, he had to shoot back and kill a policeman (a German in the film), which led to a massive search for partisans in the village and the discovery of the Jewish woman Basya in the headman’s house (in addition to the carcass of a ram, which also had to be thrown away and which was identified as the property of the headman) . That is, as we see, Sotnikov was by no means idealized in the first half of the story. Moreover, the image of the Fisherman seems, if not better, then more adapted to war. While Sotnikov is only a burden and the cause of the misfortunes of Rybak himself, the headman, Demchikha and her children, left without a mother, the Jewish girl Basya. Exactly what he was internally afraid of, while not having the moral strength to solve the problem: to return to the detachment after the burned farm, so as not to slow down and not let Rybak down (since what would he then say to the detachment?!); refuse to enter the village and stay in Demchikha’s hut (he knew that he was putting them at risk... To Rybak’s words: “He and I can’t go any further,” Demchikha’s answer was: “Well, they somehow came here”).
The fisherman tried as best he could to fight the current situation, but the existential doom of the heroes of the story was based on a situation of moral zugzwang. So, Rybak had to go on a mission with the sick Sotnikov, because the others refused (one got wet, the others also had objective reasons). At the burned farm, they were forced to go further into the village, although it was obvious that Sotnikov was no help. The illness resulted in Sotnikov's inability to escape from the police, resulting in him being wounded. In turn, Rybak also could not abandon the wounded Sotnikov. Then everything developed like a snowball. The wounded Sotnikov had to be left somewhere for a while, and they were forced to seek refuge in Demchikha’s hut, where Sotnikov’s cough revealed their location in the attic, etc.
But before liquidation, during a conscious moral choice, Sotnikov honorably goes through difficult trials and accepts death, without renouncing his convictions, and Rybak, in the face of death, due to his weakness of character, becomes confused and begins to deceive himself, betraying his wounded comrade, and thereby Homeland... for the sake of saving his life, which after betrayal loses all value. He actually becomes an enemy of his people and himself. Personal well-being is placed above all else, where fear for one’s life forces one to kill and betray. His courage during a real battle, where there is virtually no place and time for moral hesitation, gives way to the instinct of self-preservation, without passing the test of his honor and civic conscience.
Initially, when going on a mission, they react differently to the upcoming danger, and it seems that the strong and quick-witted Rybak is more prepared for the feat than Sotnikov, weakened by illness. But if Rybak, who all his life “managed to find some way out,” is internally ready to compromise with his conscience, then Sotnikov remains faithful to the duty of a man and citizen until his last breath. “Well, I had to muster the last of my strength to face death with dignity... Otherwise, why would there be life? It is too difficult for a person to be careless about its end.”
In Bykov's story, everyone took their place among the victims. Everyone except Rybak completed their mortal journey to the end. The fisherman took the path of betrayal only in the name of saving his own life. The traitor investigator felt the thirst for continuation of life, the passionate desire to live and, almost without hesitation, stunned Rybak point-blank: “Let’s save life. You will serve great Germany." The fisherman had not yet agreed to join the police, but he had already been spared torture. The fisherman did not want to die and blurted out something to the investigator, again compromising with his conscience: “supposedly the location and size of Dubovitsky’s detachment is already known to everyone.”
Sotnikov, even during the torture, did not lose his human appearance (as the investigator predicted especially not in the story itself, but in the film “Resurrection” based on it), he lost consciousness all the time (due to the weakness that he had due to illness , this saved him in many ways), but did not say anything.
Sotnikov came to terms with death. He would like to die in battle, but this has become impossible for him. The only thing that remained for him was to decide on his attitude towards the people who were nearby. Before the execution, Sotnikov demanded an investigator and, having received a refusal, turned to the chief of police, declaring: “I am a partisan. “I was the one who wounded your policeman,” Sotnikov said not very loudly and nodded towards Rybak. - He ended up here by accident - if necessary, I can explain. The rest have nothing to do with it. Take me alone.” But this confession had no effect and they were taken further to the place of execution. In the film version, it looked more bright and heroic on Sotnikov’s part, when he declares himself a commander, takes everything upon himself, asks him to shoot him alone, since others have nothing to do with it, even Rybak is an accident. But all this turns out to be meaningless.. And in response to the vile, tailor-like “what’s next” approaching him closely, Sotnikov’s last attempt to reach the human investigator in his soul: “Do something for them” to his grin and a similar question “That’s all... , citizen Ivanov? Sotnikov answered brightly, boldly and boldly:
- Noooo. Not Ivanov. I'm Sotnikov. Commander of the Red Army. Born in 17th year. Bolshevik. Member of the party since 1935. I am a teacher by profession. From the beginning of the war he commanded a battery. Beat you, you bastards! It's a pity that it's not enough. My name is Sotnikov, Boris Andreevich. I have a father, a mother, a homeland.” This was a kind of response to Portnov’s monologue about human essence, about that petty, in the investigator’s words, insignificant scum that sits in everyone and clutches at the straw of life. So it turns out that this insignificant scum is not Sotnikov, as Portnov predicted before his torture. After these words, Sotnikova, a former music teacher and Soviet agitator, slowly moves his face to the side, suppressing the remnants of humanity in himself... “Ger Major, nothing significant.” And somehow the image of Rybak in the film looks more petty and disgusting, who after these words began, almost on his knees, to beg the investigator to take him as a policeman.
All this is not in the book itself. Neither Sotnikov’s request, nor his dying slogan about himself. Everything is more simple and realistic. Rybak is not so pathetic in his betrayal, but Sotnikov remains sick, barely audible and barely able to stand on his feet, clearly unable to hit Rybak with his bound hands and knock him down.
When analyzing the images of Sotnikov and Rybak, it is no coincidence that this work pays so much attention to comparing the story with the version proposed in the film by director Larisya Shepitko. The film more clearly depicts Sotnikov’s strength of character, his humanity, as well as the chain of small betrayals of Rybak, which ultimately lead him to the final brink, when he loses himself, loses his people, his Motherland.
The images in the book are not so simple and one-line and, perhaps, that is why they do not have such a strong emotional impact. Therefore, assessing them for the reader, and especially for high school students, seems more difficult.
If in the story, in the last minutes of his life, Sotnikov suddenly lost his confidence in the right to demand from others the same thing that he demands from himself. The fisherman became for him not a bastard, but simply a foreman who, as a citizen and a person, did not achieve something. Then, exhausted by torture and illness, the practically dying Sotnikov in the film finds the strength to hit the one who betrayed his moral principles and trampled on human ideals, knocking him into the snow with his hands tied, like the very scum that Portnov spoke about during interrogation.
What happened to Rybak? He did not overcome the fate of a man lost in war. He sincerely wanted to hang himself. But circumstances got in the way (his belt was removed during interrogation), and there was still a chance to survive. But how to survive? The police chief believed that he had “picked up another traitor.” It is unlikely that the police chief understood what was going on in the soul of this man, confused, but shocked by the example of Sotnikov, who was crystal honest, fulfilling his duty as a man and citizen to the end. The boss saw Rybak's future in serving the occupiers. But the writer left him the possibility of a different path: continuing the fight against the enemy, possibly confessing his fall to his comrades and, ultimately, atonement. But here there is a question of the moral choice of the reader himself. For the author of the story, who wrote the character from a prototype that remained with the police until the end, the solution to Rybak’s fate is obvious. He has already resigned himself. He has already betrayed not only his comrade, his homeland, but also himself.