"Don't shoot white swans" main characters. Essay on Don't Shoot White Swans

Analysis of "Don't Shoot White Swans" by Boris Vasiliev Boris Vasiliev became the exponent of Orthodox morality in Soviet literature. He expressed his position not declaratively, but as the holy fathers did in their parables. The examples of the non-acquisitive attitude towards life of the heroes of this Russian writer are not edifying and moralizing - even the positive characters are by no means ideal. But they carry within themselves a righteous lifestyle. The simplest analysis leads to this idea. “Don’t Shoot White Swans” is one of the works that illustrates the Orthodox idea in Vasiliev’s work. About the author The writer of the Russian land was born in Smolensk in 1924. His parents were nobles, his father was an officer who served in the Tsarist and then in the Red Army. When the war began, Boris Vasiliev volunteered for the front, served in a destroyer battalion, then in the airborne troops. After the shell shock, he studied at the military academy and tested new models of armored vehicles. In 1954, he realized that his calling was literature, he left the army and began writing, at first only scripts. The play "Officer" - the first attempt at writing - turned out to be too bold for its time and was banned. However, morals were not as cruel as just recently: the front-line author was given a chance. After the feature films “Another Flight” and “Long Day,” there was a long, almost ten-year pause, and then the film “Officers” won the hearts of viewers. They still love her today. The time of long creative downtime was difficult, the writer earned extra money as best he could (scripts for KVN, film magazines, etc.), but he never hacked and was true to his life principles. The most striking pages of his military prose were the play “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet...”. The story “Don't Shoot White Swans” is dedicated to peaceful life. Analysis of the work speaks of a single ideological line that pierces the entire work of this wonderful author. The main character Egor Polushkin is a romantic by nature. In the village, with its practical life, this bright character trait is not valued. It seems that it was precisely about the contradiction between utilitarianism and the irrational desire for beauty that Vasiliev wrote his work (“Don’t Shoot White Swans”). A more detailed analysis, however, suggests a deeper artistic goal of the author. Egor is not just a romantic - he is opposed to money-grubbing. He hates making money at any cost, and this manifests itself in all his actions. Such people may often be considered clueless, but in reality this person cannot do a job without putting his whole soul into it. Analysis of the story “Don’t Shoot White Swans” directly indicates that before us is a talented person who differs from those around him in his desire for creativity. The priority of self-expression over profit is quite natural for Yegor, which is why he looks like a person “not of this world.” Whatever he undertakes, he tries to do everything in his own way, unconventionally and beautifully. Instead of approved numbers on the boats there are animals and flowers. Now each watercraft can be distinguished, but the authorities do not like this method of marking, and all pictures were ordered to be painted over. Yegor's name is "Poor Bearer", and he really has a lot of troubles. Egor's relatives Polushkin's wife has an unusual name - Kharitina (that's the name she was given at baptism). Everything would be fine if it were not for the need to use an abbreviated form in everyday communication. Unkind neighbors call her Kharey, and her sister prefers to use the pseudo-foreign “Tina” to refer to her. She is not a bad woman, but she does not understand her husband and even decides to break up with him. However, later she realizes what kind of person she lives next to. Sister, Maryitsa, was the initiator of the Polushkin family moving to the village, where her husband received an enviable position as a forester. Fyodor Ipatovich Buryanov is an important person, the distribution of wood depends on him, and he does not forget about his interests. The image of a money-grubber was brought out in his face by Boris Vasiliev (“Don’t shoot white swans”). An analysis of his personality leads to the depressing conclusion that he does not know such a concept as conscience. He mercilessly exploits his brother-in-law: he builds a strong house for him, receiving in return a dilapidated hut. The forest is stolen by the "big boss". Sons Polushkin has a son, Kolya, who fits the definition of “clean-eyed.” The guy looks like his father, but he is more vulnerable; he has a highly developed sense of empathy. The boy shows creative inclinations: he writes poetry, which his father uses to unobtrusively campaign for respect for nature. The complete antipode to him is Buryanov’s “heir” Vovka, who never suffers from empathy, strives to snatch his own benefit and often cries from the insults inflicted on him, real and imaginary. The analysis of the novel “Don’t Shoot White Swans” from the point of view of generational continuity is clear; no “conflict between fathers and sons” is foreseen. However, it occurs in Kolka and Yegor, but it is due to the fact that the main character once drank too much and behaved unworthily. The son is so honest that he is not afraid to express his view on the situation, for which he receives a slap in the neck. Vovka is obviously not capable of such an act. He is very enterprising and even - not unsuccessfully - tries to sell a puppy that he was going to drown. Colleagues and bosses Polushkin is surrounded by strangers who do not understand him and are insignificant - the simplest analysis suggests this. “Don't Shoot White Swans” is a story about the struggle between cunning and wisdom, acquisitiveness and selflessness, stupid practicality and the desire for beauty. In addition to the aforementioned roguish Buryanov, the plot includes Filya and Cherepok - “friends” who are involved in scheming, they willingly drink with the main character, but just as quickly take up arms against him when Egor, driven by compassion, prevents the extortionate conditions imposed on a rural teacher for repairing her poor house. dwellings. Sazanov, who served as the head of the boat station, treats Polushkin tolerantly, but to a certain extent, until he crosses the boundaries formed in his mind by “life fatigue.” In other words, he is a narrow-minded person. Conflict Without conflict there is no plot, and, of course, it arose, all that remains is to analyze it. “Don’t shoot white swans” is the title of the story, and it is not for the sake of a catchphrase that beautiful white birds are mentioned in it. They became a symbol of the desecrated good that the main character wanted to bring to people. To return Swan Lake to its beautiful inhabitants, he buys birds. His opponents, or rather enemies, cannot think of a better use for them other than gastronomic ones. They stifle fish, kill swans and do not stop before eliminating such an insignificant obstacle, in their opinion, as “some kind of” Polushkin. This “bulldozer” psychology is also expressed in the previous conflict that broke out over a burned anthill, during which Yegor behaved unworthily. Nadezhda There are two more important characters that B. Vasiliev brought out in his story (“Don’t shoot white swans”). Analysis of the images of Yuri Petrovich Chuvalov and the rural teacher Nonna Yuryevna speaks of the high decency of both heroes. Each of them honestly goes about their business, they meet, and a serious relationship begins between them. They develop not without problems, but in the end everything ends well. It is characteristic that both Yuri and Nonna develop friendships with Yegor. He serves as a kind of touchstone, although the guy himself is not inclined to confrontation, but, on the contrary, shows truly Christian humility in his opposition to evil. The images of two young people living in harmony with their own souls and the world around them create a joyful background, without which the ending of the work would look too pessimistic. Final Egor again acted irrationally, entering into a conflict and going alone against drunken and violent poachers (he was not capable of any situational analysis). “Don’t shoot white swans” is a title-call with which the author addresses all people, warning them against cruelty. The main character paid for his love for beauty with his life. Before his death, in a hospital bed, he forgives Fyodor Ipatovich, who absurdly came to him to “make peace” with a bottle of expensive French cognac. Out of the kindness of his heart, he did not reveal his killers to the investigator. There is no vindictiveness in Polushkin’s character. The image of Fili, who goes to his grave and looks after it, is indicative. Will the lake be Swan Lake again? The son Kolka remained on earth, loving all living and beautiful things. All hope lies in him.

In the novel “Don't Shoot White Swans,” the heroes, ordinary people, show an example of the eternal struggle against evil. The main character, a worthless Russian man, dies in a battle with enemies, but remains a real person until the end of his life. He is left with a son who has absorbed all the good qualities of his father, and I want to believe that he will become a worthy successor of the righteous struggle against the shortcomings that prevent him from building a happy future. Among the main characters of “Don’t Shoot White Swans,” we can confidently include wildlife, which has played an important role in people’s lives.

Characteristics of the characters “Don’t Shoot White Swans”

Main characters

Minor characters

This was a brief description of the characters in Boris Vasiliev’s novel “Don’t Shoot White Swans,” which makes it possible to better understand the inner essence of each of the characters.

Work test

A resident of the village, Yegor Polushkin, was nicknamed the “poor bearer,” and even his wife Kharitina called him that. Kharitina’s sister, Maryitsa, lured the Polushkins to this village. Once upon a time there were endless forests here, but now only one single grove remains near the Black Pond, and it has become a protected area. They even assigned forester Fyodor Buryanov, Polushkin’s cousin and Maryitsa’s husband, to her. Since then he has become the most respected man in the area. With the help of the golden hands of his brother Yegor, he built himself a carved mansion, and gave the old hut to the Polushkin family.

Summary of "Don't shoot white swans." Vasiliev

Egor was in good standing on his native collective farm, but here everything didn’t work out right away, because he didn’t know how to be cunning and worked slowly, but with soul. He began working in a carpenter's team, where, due to his slowness, he ruined the plan. Then he was a laborer and once dug a trench for a sewer pipe. In order not to damage the anthill, he made a detour around his trench. Well, he didn’t realize that no one would lay a crooked pipe. Then Yegor began working at a boat station that took tourists to the reserve on vacation, but even here he did not stay long, and again because of an anthill that drunken tourists burned with gasoline in front of his eyes.

Summary: "Don't shoot white swans." Continuation of the story

And then Buryanov began to have serious problems; his superiors demanded from him certificates for cutting down forests for his house, which did not exist. The new chief forester Chuvalov forced them to pay for the logs. Fedor did not dare to part with the money. Therefore, I looked for other ways to make money. Polushkin was one of those victims chosen by an insidious relative. Further, the summary of “Don’t Shoot White Swans” twists with intrigue.

After a series of money hits, poor Yegor was completely lost in life, he even had friends - Cherepok and Filya, who taught him how to cheat and deceive people.

One day he, together with Chuvalov and teacher Nona Yuryevna, went to the reserve on Black Lake. The chief forester was already familiar with Buryanov’s insidious plans. And Fyodor Ipatovich himself, when he learned about their campaign, harbored even more anger against Polushkin, thinking that he was aiming for his place.

During the campaign, Chuvalov saw how Polushkin treated nature like a master, then he decided to put Yegor in Buryanov’s place.

Swans

Once Yegor was invited to the All-Union Meeting of Foresters in Moscow, from where he returned with a pair of live swans, purchased with money that his fellow villagers gave him for all sorts of purchases.

The summary of “Don’t Shoot White Swans” further tells that Buryanov by that time was already interested in the criminal investigation department. And Polushkin arranged his swans near the Black Lake. But late at night the forester suddenly heard a strange noise; it was gunfire. Jumping on his horse, Yegor rushed into the forest and saw that the poachers had killed the swans and were cooking their own stew.

The summary of “Don’t Shoot White Swans” ends with the fact that in the evening of the next day Polushkin was found bloodied, he was crawling towards his house. He never gave up to the investigator those whom he saw on the pond. And he recognized his friends there, and his brother Fyodor, who later came to ask his forgiveness at the hospital, and he forgave him, of course, because he had a good heart and was not vindictive.

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Boris Vasiliev’s novel “Don’t Shoot the White Swans” (in some publications – “Don’t Shoot the White Swans”) was first published in the magazine “Yunost” in 1973. In 1980, director Rodion Nakhapetov made a film of the same name.

The Buryanov family moved to live in a remote village built near a woodworking factory. The head of the family, Fyodor Ipatovich, received a job as a forester and very quickly became the richest and most respected person in the village. Fyodor Maryitsa's wife has a married sister, Kharitina. Maryitsa persuaded her sister to move to the same locality to be closer to relatives.

Kharitina, her husband and children move to the village. However, instead of helping close relatives get a good job, Fyodor Ipatovich tries in every possible way to take advantage of his kind and simple-minded brother-in-law Yegor Polushkin. At this time, Yuri Petrovich Chuvalov was appointed to the post of forester. The new forester discovered that Buryanov's house was built from state forest. Seeing that the forester is a dishonest person, Chuvalov appoints Yegor Polushkin to this position.

Fyodor Ipatovich decided to take revenge on his brother-in-law. Hearing someone killing fish in a local lake at night, Yegor hurried to the reservoir. The poachers attacked the new forester and severely beat him. Polushkin recognized his offenders, among whom was his brother-in-law Fyodor, but never betrayed anyone to the police. Buryanov came to Yegor’s hospital to ask for his forgiveness. The forester forgave his brother-in-law and soon died.

Buryanov family

The head of the family, Fyodor Ipatovich, is characterized as a cunning and ruthless man, capable of doing anything to achieve his own goals. Buryanov treats even a close relative as free labor. Having moved to a new house built by Yegor, Fyodor “mercifully” left his brother-in-law’s family an old hut, from which he even took the floors. Knowing that Polushkin would forgive him, Buryanov organized an attack on his relative.

Vovka's son is a match for his father. Already in his young years, the boy knows how to manipulate others, playing on their weaknesses. To get her cousin Kolka Polushkin's new compass, Vovka threatens to drown the puppy. The compass should be a ransom. However, even after receiving the desired item, the boy does not stop there. Vovka continues to keep the puppy, claiming that he is not worth one compass. Something else needs to be given.

Polushkin family

Polushkin received his name in honor of Yegor (George) the Victorious. His friends call him a poor man because Yegor constantly finds himself in unpleasant situations. Most of these situations arise only because Polushkin is a kind and honest person who does not tolerate violence even towards insects. Indicative is the case of Yegor’s refusal to dig a ditch for sewerage in a straight line, as was necessary. While working, Polushkin noticed an anthill and did not want to destroy it.

Egor is a talented carpenter. He knows how not only to build, but also to decorate and carve fancy figures from wood. However, the master does not stay at any of the jobs for long. He works with all his heart on every detail, which means he always spends a lot of time on his work. Not a single carpentry team wants to cooperate with such a carpenter. Polushkin misses deadlines, which leads to conflicts with customers. Egor never sees his own benefit and does not try to look for it. The desire for beauty makes the carpenter forget about everything in the world. Once in the capital, he first of all goes to the zoo, and not to the shops, as visitors from the outback usually do. Struck by the beauty of the swans, Yegor could not help but buy beautiful birds to settle on the lake.

Not only the head of the Polushkin family is distinguished by kindness, but also his wife and son. Kharitina is a grumpy woman. She believes that her life has not worked out since childhood, since during her baptism a drunken priest gave her a strange name. The most important test for Kharitina was her husband. A wonderful family man and faithful husband, Yegor, however, cannot get along well in life. Despite the constant discontent and grumbling, Kharitina is able to give her last, just like her husband. The Polushkins' son Kolka madly loves his loser father and is always offended when Yegor is called a poor man. Kolka spared neither a compass nor a spinning rod to save the puppy.

Yuri Chuvalov

The secondary character of the novel, thanks to whom Polushkin received the position of forester, appears as a positive hero. He denounces the dishonest Buryanov and removes him from his position.

Gradually, the image of Chuvalov begins to “blacken” and is finally revealed after the forester spent the night with the village teacher Nonna Yuryevna. Only in the morning did Chuvalov admit that he was not free. Once upon a time he seduced a girl named Marina. After the wedding, Marina left her husband for Moscow, where she “lost” her passport and received a new one, which did not have a stamp about marriage.

At the end of the novel, Chuvalov managed to rehabilitate himself. He married the pregnant Nonna Yuryevna. By that time, the forester’s ex-wife had already had another family for a long time.

main idea

A moral act does not always receive material reward. However, a much higher reward awaits those who act according to their conscience - the right to feel like a Human.

Analysis of the work

Even a summary of “Don’t Shoot White Swans” can make a lasting impression on the reader. The author uses images that “catch” the audience, holding their attention for a long time, forcing them to follow the course of the story and empathize with the characters.

Living and inanimate nature helps draw the line between the kindness and callousness of the characters. If for the Polushkin family the life of a puppy and an ant is precious, then the other heroes of the novel do not consider either animals or insects to be living beings at all. Tourists who were bothered by the anthill simply doused it with gasoline and set it on fire. Yegor was so amazed by the sight of the burning ants that he allowed himself to drink too much.

It is unlikely that the story will leave anyone indifferent

The main character of the work is Yegor Polushkin, a simple, hard-working middle-aged man. Yegor was considered a loser in his village, and the residents even mockingly nicknamed him “poor bearer.” He lived not richly, with his wife Khariton, son Kolya and daughter Olga.

The hero’s cousin, Fedor Buryanov, gave his old house to Polushkin and his family to live in. Egor built a new home for Buryanov for this, despite the fact that he was quite upset by the cutting down of trees in the protected area for timber.

The building turned out to be very beautiful and strong, for which Polushkin was accepted into the construction team. However, they are dissatisfied with the new location due to the slowness in the delivery of buildings. Then Yegor began working as a digger, but one day he did not destroy an anthill standing in the way, but went around it with a ditch. Such compassion for insects led to the fact that the entire village began to make fun of Polushkin, and his peers began to mock his son Kolya.

Soon, in the reserve where Buryanov cut down trees for his house, a new forester appears - Chuvalov, who demands payment for the damage caused.

At this time, Polushkin goes to work at the boat station. The new boss, Sazanov, turns out to be a kind person, and Yegor really likes his work. The boat station accommodated tourists, and one day one of them set fire to an anthill in the clearing. Yegor saw this, and out of worry he got drunk in front of Kolka. While getting home in a drunken state, Polushkin accidentally lost the motor from the boat and the oar, for which he later paid a large fine.

After what happened, the son was very offended by Yegor and went to live with his teacher, Nonna Yuryevna, for several days.
The events that take place break Polushkin, and he begins to drink, getting by with part-time jobs. One day he is renovating the house of teacher Kolya, and the forester, seeing the extremely conscientious work, invites Polushkin and his son to Black Lake. Near the pond, the forester says that swans once lived here, but poachers killed them.

After communicating, the forester realized that Polushkin loved nature very much, so he gave up his position to him. Yegor was very happy about his new job, and even soon earned a trip to the capital’s foresters’ congress. Returning from Moscow, he buys two swans to release on Black Lake.

Soon, shots are heard in the forest at night, and Yegor arrives at the scene. The picture that opened shocked him - vacationing tourists were roasting dead swans on a fire. Polushkin tried to stand up for the birds, for which the tourists severely beat him. The injuries led to Yegor's death in hospital.

Chuvalov, who courted Nonna Yuryevna, marries her. Kolka never came to Black Lake again.