Platonov, "Little Soldier": a brief summary and main characters

A remarkable work "Little Soldier", whose brief content will acquaint the reader with his story, was written by the Russian novelist Andrei Platonov. The real name of the author is Klimentov. He was born in a working village near Voronezh in 1899.

History of creation of the work

Andrei Platonov himself knew all the hardships of wartime, and, of course, could not help but touch upon this topic in his works. It was in the 1940s that the author begins to devote his work entirely to children who survived the events of the war. Platonov becomes popular not only with his stories, but also with a collection of fairy tales, which is called "The Magic Ring".

The writer was very warm about those children, who were called "little soldiers". These are the guys who know about the war firsthand. They fought alongside the adult fighters and also contributed to the long-awaited victory over the German invaders. Often hearing about such feats, and perhaps becoming an eyewitness, Andrei Platonovich wanted to express in his works how this time was reflected in the souls of children.

How did the soldiers survive the war? What did these guys have to experience, which were sometimes close enough to the battle line? In 1943 appeared the story "Little Soldier", a brief description of which will describe a small fragment of the life of the child, who learned from their own experience what war is.

The first pages of the work, or Acquaintance with Sergei

A small structure of the station, which miraculously survived after the air raid of German aircraft. Right on the floor lie the tired fighters. Who put a bag under his head, who is just a warm palm. Everyone sleeps, using such rare hours for rest. Somewhere else there was a disturbed whisper of people who tried to calm each other. But soon they also calmed down. Only on the roads from time to time the steam locomotive hissed, violating peaceful silence.

And in the other part of the surviving station there were two officers who held the little boy's hands. The child was about ten years old. The palm of one of the majors boy tightened somehow especially tightly, and even from time to time he pressed his cheek to her. This was a small soldier. The summary of the story describes several fragments from his difficult life.

The main character of the work

The boy was dressed like a real Red Army man. A worn overcoat, which already fit tightly to the child's body, on the head of a pilot's cap, boots that were obviously sewn to order, since they were not great for a child, but were just right. His baby face was weather-beaten, but still did not look emaciated or drained. It seemed to have become adapted to all the hardships of life.

The child's bright eyes, which looked at the officer holding his small hand, were full of entreaty. As if he wanted to ask for something with all his heart. But he could not put it into words by a small soldier. Analysis of the first lines of the work shows that the boy says goodbye to this person, who is either his father or a very close friend.

Farewell to the Major and Tears of the Boy

Another man in military uniform could try to comfort the child, but he did not even notice his caresses. The kid listened to that officer, who had not been eyeing. The major promised him that they would part for a little while, and soon they would meet, and then they would always remain together, and would never part. But the boy knew what war was. Many, parting, promised to return to each other. But this cruel time often prevented people from fulfilling these promises, no matter how hard they tried.

The baby's heart could not stand the impending separation. The child cried. The major took him in his arms, kissed the tear-stained face and carried it to the platform. Some time passed, the boy returned to the station building already in the hands of another man dressed in military uniform. He still tried to calm and caress little Seryozha, but the child withdrew into himself.

Story Platonov "Little Soldier". Description of the fate of the boy

The train on which they had to travel to their destination arrived only the next day. Therefore, the man went with the child to the hostel to spend the night. There he fed Seryozha and put him to sleep. And then the major, whose surname was Bakhichev, told his random companion about the fate of this baby. As it turned out, Sergei's father was a military doctor, and together with the boy's mother he served in the same regiment. In order not to be separated from an only child, the parents took him with them.

So a small soldier appeared in the regiment. A brief description will describe several of his exploits. Once Sergei heard his father talk about the fact that the Germans must necessarily blow up before their retreat a warehouse with ammunition belonging to the regiment in which the boy grew up. And then the clever child made his way to this room at night and cut the wire, which was supposed to activate the explosive mechanism. Moreover, he remained in the warehouse for another day, fearing that the fascists would return and fix everything.

Another feat of little Seryozha

After some time the boy made his way to the rear of the Germans and remembered quite precisely where the fascist command post and enemy batteries were located. Returning to his father in the regiment, Sergei described everything very accurately. The memory of the boy was beautiful.

The man gave the child under constant supervision to the orderly and decided to open fire on all those positions of the enemy, pointed out by his young son. The information that Sergei had found out proved to be correct. The boy really could remember everything correctly and helped the adult fighters.

The first misfortunes that the child brought to war

Serezha's mother, seeing such a relationship of his son to the war, watching his brave character, understood that it could not continue for so long. The woman was worried about her son. She decided to send the child to the rear. But the little soldier was obstinate. He was already accustomed to the hardships of military life. Moreover, the child was drawn in and could no longer imagine his life without battles and assistance to the soldiers.

Unfortunately, the mother did not keep her promise. Father Seryozha was very seriously wounded in the next battle, and he, without recovering, died in the hospital. And then the boy's mother fell ill. Before these events, she had already been repeatedly injured. Apparently, nervous feelings and pain for the deceased spouse affected. The woman went blind. It took only a month, and she went after her husband. Sergei was left without a mother and father.

The fate of a small soldier

Now, instead of Sergei's father, his deputy Saveliev began to command the regiment. This was the major with whom the boy said goodbye on the platform. After the death of Sergei's parents, the man took him to his care. Savelyev so genuinely cared about the child that the little soldier also reciprocated and became attached to him with all his childish heart.

After a while, it was instructed to send Savelyev to military retraining courses. Then he asked his friend the officer to take care of the boy before returning. And when Savelyev returns and where he will be sent after that, it was not yet known. So how many more boy is forced to stay with a stranger, no one knew. And Seryozha himself, apparently, understood this perfectly.

Frozen interlocutors, or Where has the boy gone

This continues the narrative of the story "The Little Soldier", whose main characters pass through the difficult trials of World War II, participating in battles and defending their homeland. Having described to the casual interlocutor destiny of the ward, the major fell asleep. And after a while the listener himself dozed off. Waking up at the end of the day, the men found that they were alone.

At first, Bakhichev was not particularly worried, thinking that the boy was away for a little while. But time passed, and the little soldier did not return. Then the man went to the station and asked the military commandant if he had seen the child. But with such a congestion of people during this troubled time, of course, no one noticed Sergei - a small and brisk boy who had a huge experience of a skilful scout.

The baby did not return the next day. Even a careful analysis of the work "Little Soldier" can not answer the question about where Serezha went. Maybe he returned to his native regiment, and maybe went to find Saveliev, who became no less close to him than his mother and father. Thus ends the work "Little Soldier".

Platonov (an essay on the described story schoolchildren write in the fifth grade) created many works devoted to the difficult fate of children who have passed through wartime. And neither can leave an adult or a small reader indifferent.