The story "Science of Hatred": a brief summary (Sholokhova MA)

The subject of this article is a story written in the war years "Science of Hatred" (short content).

Sholokhov's critics do not favor this work, which was first published in the Pravda newspaper on May 22, 1942. It is very much inferior to his level of the true mastery of the classic, which was clearly manifested in the "Quiet Don".

Accordingly, we are forced to highlight its weak spots. There is no dialectic of the disclosure of the personality, there is no "second bottom".

The difference in the style of writing the two above-mentioned works of a different genre is striking. It is so significant, as if they were created by two different people.

Because the Nobel Prize winner in literature, writer Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, in his later works has never been able to rise to the level of the "Quiet Don", evil tongues accuse him of forgery, stating that the author of this novel is not the real author at all . How can one not recall the lines of Pushkin: "An artist-barbarian with a brush sleepy picture of a genius black?"

The proposal of David Ortenberg, from which Sholokhov could not refuse

Unfortunately, such a derogatory conclusion is not at all refuted by the simple story of Sholokhov's "Science of Hatred." The summary of the work is reduced to uncivilized and insistent call "Kill the German!". The whole composition is constructed in such a way that the reader inevitably comes to this conclusion himself. Why did the classic agree to create such a work? To begin with, Mikhail Alexandrovich did not voluntarily undertake writing a story, conceived in the genre of reporting.

The discerning reader will feel that the author of the "Quiet Don" wrote "The Science of Hatred" not at will. The conjecture confirms the historical fact: the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Pravda in the war years, David Ortenberg, offered Sholokhov journalism work on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. The classic, who used to desperately maneuver to save the image of Grigory Melekhov, went on the occasion of propaganda.

Study the plot

From the NKVD-shnogo protocol of interrogation, the idea of the story "Science of Hatred" by Sholokhov was born. His summary was in the testimony of Ferdman's political instructor Zinovy Yakovlevich. The prototype of the main hero of the story was captured on September 21, 1941, fled on September 26, 1941 and returned to the Red Army's location on November 21, 1941. After a short investigation, the political instructor continued his service. The officers of the special department took into account the nationality of the escaped from captivity. Since the Nazis were shooting Jews, he did not have the motivation to surrender intentionally.

Zinoviy Yakovlevich's testimony testified to the atrocities committed by the Germans. They did not take officers into captivity. Seeing the captive officers' skits, they were immediately shot. He also managed to tear off his insignia from his tunic unnoticed.

According to Ferdman, the captured prisoners were kept in the open air, and they fed millet and sunflower. In the concentration camp there were about 20,000 of them. The unfortunate stomachs could not stand, they were dying. The dead were thrown out at the behest of the overseers for the fence.

Propaganda cliches in the plot and the beginning of the narrative

The story of the captivity and escape of the officer formed the basis of the story "The Science of Hatred" by Sholokhov. The summary of the work differed from the original events. The composition of the story is quite traditional. The one on behalf of whom the narrative is being conducted, came to the frontside, where Lieutenant Gromov, a mechanic of one of the Siberian plants, was mobilized to the front. As you can see, Sholokhov changed the nationality of the protagonist in favor of propaganda cliches. The narrator drew attention to the fact that at the sight of prisoners in the eyes of an officer, the fire of hatred ignited.

He gets to know the lieutenant after learning that he was in captivity. Twice they meet for conversation and Lieutenant Gromov tells his story. Let us note that Sholokhov personally did not communicate with Ferdman Zinovy Yakovlevich.

According to the legend of Mikhail Alexandrovich, Gromov was married, had two children. In his family also lived a disabled father. With patriotic instructions, his relatives escorted him to the front. Came to send the warrior to the road and the secretary of the district committee. Usually business and official, he, accompanying fighters to the front, also felt.

Lieutenant Gromov arrives at the front

Since July 1941, Lieutenant Gerasimov participated in the battles. The Red Army retreats, but at the same time the unit, where the main character serves, manages to capture 15 Germans. The humane treatment of the Red Army soldiers with the captive lips of the lieutenant tells us the story of Sholokhov, The Science of Hatred. The summary of the work in the future is based on the principle of the antithesis "humanity - inhumanity". First, we hear from the personnel officer part of the phrase that the Germans with Soviet prisoners and civilians are treated differently.

Sholokhov's study of the idea of hatred of enemies

Further, the part where the lieutenant serves serves as an offensive. Frankly, this is not typical for 1941. The author's fiction is obvious.

Gromov tells of the corpse he saw, a fifth-grader, a contemporary of his daughter, raped and murdered by fascists. Near the unfortunate lay the textbook of geography. Shook him and the sight of the place of execution of Soviet soldiers, where he lay a pile of meat cut from them, next to which lay the pilasters murdered savagely. The lieutenant understands that he is fighting against nonhumans, besieged sadists. The writer, loved by the people, is concentrating in trying to arouse the readers' feelings of hatred for the Germans.

Captivity

The further plot of the story explains why he gave it the name of Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov "The Science of Hatred". Gromov himself passes through the circles of hell of the German captivity. He is wounded in battle, and he falls into the hands of the invaders. Those, having captured the Soviet soldiers, first of all shot the Jews out of their number. Then their motorcyclists from the machine guns killed the stragglers behind the column.

Above the captive Red Army men were mocked primitively and constantly. They, suffering from thirst, were given water, mixed with mud, because tanks passed through it.

When a panzer column of fascists came towards the column of prisoners of war, the head tank "accidentally" crushed several people who were heading the march. The escorts not only did not prevent the incident, but also laughed at the incident.

At last this deadly stage ended, and the column arrived at the concentration camp. Despite the approach of autumn, the prisoners were not even kept in barracks. They were not equipped with places to sleep, people just slept on the ground, in the mud. They were fed meagerly, the entire diet consisted of a handful of cereals and unboiled water. The prisoners were constantly beaten with sticks and rifle butts.

The escape

Gerasimov's wounds started to fester, and he went to the barracks for the wounded. All medical aid was limited to the fact that the bandages were removed and the wounds were covered with ashes. Sholokhov ("The Science of Hatred") narrates the inhuman conditions of captivity. The summary of it, according to the author's intention, can be expressed by a single thought: the enemies should be destroyed. The logic is simple. It is consonant with the phrase of the Orthodox saint, the pious Prince Alexander Nevsky. He, as you know, belongs to the words: "Whoever comes with the sword will come down from the sword!"

When the exhausted, sleeping on the ground in October, the prisoners were sent to the construction of earth fortifications, Lieutenant Gerasimov made a desperate escape. He killed a convoy with a shovel and, armed with his machine gun, disappeared into the forest. The exhausted, emaciated lieutenant was barely walking, while realizing that it was dangerous to go out to the villages. The next day he was discovered and rescued by partisans.

Image of a lieutenant

The modern man is surprised at the reaction of Lieutenant Gerasimov to his salvation. He has no other emotions than hatred. And his desire is only one thing: "to return to the system of fighters for the Motherland" and "revenge until the end." Agree, it is difficult even to compare this man with Grigory Melekhov!

How can we in general evaluate the story written by the regimental commissar, and then by Colonel MA Sholokhov ("The Science of Hatred")? The summary, stated by us, reveals that, according to his artistic merits, he, unfortunately, is inferior to the Don narratives by several orders of magnitude.

However, the publication of the writer was approved by "himself" JV Stalin. At the same time, the leader of the peoples wished the writer to create new novels "in the same vein." And the writer really followed the recommendation. In the years 1943-1944. He publishes the chapters of the novel "They fought for their country", in which he repeats the attempt to introduce the main idea - hatred for the enemies. What was the result of this? Despite the writer's attempts to bring elements of vitality into him through humor, the novel did not become a favorite book for readers.

Conclusion

This story is an illustration of what happens if the conjuncture book is written even by the classic Sholokhov (Science of Hatred). The brief content of the briefing library does exist on the Internet. However, its availability and accessibility for readers should not be correlated with the artistic value of the story itself.

Most likely, we can conclude that the literature can not be created "to order" and "by the deadline", because in this case the product is unlikely to greatly interest the reader.

In a word, Sholokhov (The Science of Hatred) wrote such a story at the time. The summary and analysis of this work were presented by us in this article.