Sholokhov created a whole gallery of images in his novel Quiet Flows the Don. The heroes of the novel have become extraordinary characters in world literature.

The most controversial and attractive hero of the book is Grigory Melekhov. In the image of the hero, the author personified the individual character traits of a simple person. Melekhov is the most common Cossack who was born into a wealthy family. From early childhood, the hero lives a peasant life. It contains love for nature, pity for all living things. In addition, Gregory is very honest and sincere with everyone. After growing up, he falls in love with Aksinya and forever keeps love in his heart. Aksinya was married. Despite her marriage, Gregory did not try to hide his feelings. Melekhov married Natalya and confessed to her that he did not love her.

The hero was distinguished as an economic, brave and hard-working guy. Once in the center of the war, the young Cossack behaved like a staunch and courageous fighter. He was smart, fearless and determined, and proud at the same time. He always acted honorably and adhered to the principles he learned in childhood.

Melekhov joined the ranks of the Red Revolutionaries. However, having learned that the revolutionaries support violence and cruelty, Gregory was greatly disappointed. Before his eyes, the Red Army killed all unarmed prisoners and shot all the Cossacks, plundered the Cossack villages and raped women.

During the battles, the hero constantly saw the ruthlessness and cruelty of the white and red revolutionaries. Therefore, class hatred for him seemed meaningless. In his heart he wanted peace, love and simple work. Gregory did not know how to understand the contradictions of society. He took everything that happened close to his heart, and therefore often changed camp. The hero did not know how to understand his thoughts and began to obey the will of other people.

Melekhov did not want to betray his principles and himself, and therefore became an outcast in the camps of the revolutionaries. To know the truth, he went over to the ranks of the white revolutionaries. He became a stranger to everyone and constantly experienced loneliness.

Some time later, he attempted to escape with Aksinya. But on the way, a misfortune happened to his beloved, which led to her death. Instead of a strong and brave fighter, Gregory turned into a heartbroken man who will suffer until the end of his life.

By the end of the work, Melekhov completely abandoned weapons and war. He returned to his native lands because he could not accept the cruelty of the mortal world.

Option 2

Mikhail Sholokhov wrote the most interesting epic novel Quiet Don. A simple, life story about ordinary people who are destined to experience more than one hardship. Life is difficult, and the author of the Quiet Don wanted to demonstrate this to us.

Quiet Don about ordinary people, one of these was Grigory Melekhov. The fate of Gregory is intertwined with many life events. He is the kind of person who searches for the truth all his life. He is looking for justice, honesty, he wants to know the answers to many life questions. Grigory Melekhov is a controversial personality, certain people condemn him, and many praise him, nevertheless he is a man, and a man is constantly changing.

It was difficult for him to cope with the realization that he had killed a man. He never imagined that the time would come when he would have to kill. He searched for the truth, but did not find it either in the environment of the whites or in the environment of the reds during the civil war. Thus, it can be said that he was not for a certain side, he searched, but did not find those who were right in honor ...

He was often unlucky in life. He encountered difficulties along the way, but always overcame them. It was difficult, but he managed. Grigory Melekhov got along with many, he was surrounded by many of his friends. Grigory's best friend can be considered Mikhail Koshevoy, but it is his best friend who kills Grigory's brother. Is it possible after that to consider Michael a friend?

But the main interweaving in the epic novel was the love story of Grigory Melekhov. He was a free man and no girl was able to rein him in. But he was popular with the girls. He had 2 companions in life, Aksinya and Natalya. Grigory's parents forced Natalya to marry, but he could refuse, but did not do it. He claimed, and everyone knew that he did not love Natalya. They still had two children.

Grigory had a beloved - Aksinya. She was the inspiration for him. In their relationship there was passion, love, mutual attraction. It was a real relationship, but Grigory still could not decide with whom he needed to be - with his wife Natalya or his mistress Aksinya. Gregory even took birth with Aksinya. They worked on the field, being pregnant Aksinya also helped. But suddenly the fights start. He took her in a wagon, went to the village, but did not have time to get there, he had to take delivery himself.

Grigory Melekhov is a controversial character, with a very difficult fate, but personally I respect him for the fact that he never changed his principles. He always sought to achieve truth and justice.

Composition The image and characteristics of Melekhov

In one of Sholokhov's most famous novels, the author, having revealed one of the problems - the relationship between the individual and the people, with special artistic skill showed the tragedy of the life path of Grigory Melekhov. The character and beliefs of the hero are significantly different from Peter. The writer, singling out the 19-year-old Grishka from the Melekhov family, shows his amazing attractiveness. The appearance of Gregory is set off not by what class he belongs to, but by a peculiar character.

Being in his youth, he was a hardworking guy, subtly feeling his native nature. Remarkable abilities, directness and openness are continuously noted by Sholokhov. He opposes the cruelty of his villagers, stands up for Aksinya because of the terrible treatment of her husband, and contemptuously treats the act of Daria, who kills Kotlyarov without a twinge of conscience.

Gregory sympathizes with those who are always courageous and maintain their dignity in the most dangerous life situations. He always denounced cowardice and weak-heartedness, and at various stages of his quest he held firm. Gregory's patriotism is especially clearly shown. So, for example, he cannot see the presence of English troops on the Don and speaks disapprovingly about them. Together with the positive qualities of a gifted person, a self-willed character was early discovered in him. As a worker, he is drawn to the best and new trends, however, his interest in possessiveness draws him back, confuses him in choosing the right path. He hesitates for a long time between the two political camps and searches for his own path in the revolution.

The main character can't figure out his personal relationships either. He is drawn to Natalya by the vein of the owner, home comfort, children. Aksinya is close to him with her ardent love and love of freedom. This position of Gregory between two women is explained by the desire to reconcile love for Aksinya with family traditions. The author showed on the image of Gregory the features characteristic of the middle peasants. He showed his views and moods, which distinguished the small owner. The tragedy of his fate was manifested in the fact that he was completely lost in his quest, opposed historical events, against the people of which he was a native.

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Grigory Melekhov is the most famous and memorable character in Sholokhov's novel The Quiet Flows the Don. But few people know that in the first edition of the work there was no such hero at all. His place was taken by a certain Abram Ermakov, who outwardly looked very much like Grigory. Why the author decided to make changes to the novel is still unknown.

Hero's appearance

Grigory Melekhov (the characterization of the character will be discussed in detail in this article) is endowed by the author with a “wild” beauty, like all the Cossacks of his kind. He was taller than his older brother, black-haired and hook-nosed, which made him look like a gypsy. The eyes are slightly slanted, almond-shaped and “bluish”, and “the sharp slabs of the cheekbones are covered with brown skin.” His smile was "animal", "wolf teeth" snow-white. Hands are stubborn and callous to caress.
In all his appearance, wildness and rudeness are felt, combined with incredible beauty. Even during the war, he did not lose his attractiveness. Although he lost a lot of weight and became more like an Asian.
Grigory Melikhov wore traditional Cossack clothes: wide trousers, woolen white stockings, chiriks (shoes), a zipun, a spacious shirt, and a sheepskin coat. The clothes have a direct indication of nationality. The author emphasizes the Cossack origin of his hero.

Who is the main character of the novel?

Let's start with the fact that the focus of Sholokhov is the people, and not a specific person. And Gregory stands out from the general background only because he is the embodiment of folk traits. It became a reflection of the Cossack prowess and "love for the economy, for work" - the two main commandments of the Cossacks, who were warriors and farmers at the same time.
But Grigory Melekhov (“Quiet Flows the Don”) is famous not only for this. Distinctive features of his character were self-will, the desire for truth and independence in actions. He always seeks to verify everything personally and does not take anyone's word for it. For him, truth is born slowly, from concrete reality, painfully and painfully. His whole life is the search for truth. The same thoughts tormented the Cossacks, who first encountered the new government.

Grigory Melekhov and Aksinya

The love conflict is one of the main ones in the novel. The relationship of the protagonist with Aksinya runs like a red thread through the entire work. Their feeling was high, but tragic.
Let's talk a little about the heroine. Aksinya is a stately, beautiful and proud Cossack woman, who perceives what is happening very emotionally. A difficult fate fell on her. At the age of sixteen, Aksinya was raped by her father, and a year later they married Stepan Astakhov, who beat her. This was followed by the death of a child. An unloved husband and hard work - that's the whole life of a young woman. Such was the fate of many peasant women and Cossack women, and therefore it is generally accepted that it reflects the whole era of the Quiet Don.
The fate of Grigory Melekhov was closely intertwined with the life of Aksinya. The woman wanted true love, so she so readily responded to the courtship of a neighbor. Passion broke out between the young people, burning fear, shame and doubt.
Even marrying Natalya did not stop Gregory. He continued to meet with Aksinya, for which he was expelled from the house by his father. But even here the lovers did not give up. Their life as workers does not bring happiness. And Aksinya's betrayal with the master's son forces Grigory to return to his wife.
However, the final break does not occur. The lovers start dating again. They carry their feelings through life, despite all the misfortunes and tragedies.

Character

Grigory Melekhov does not run away from reality. He soberly assesses everything that happens around and takes an active part in all events. This is considered the most striking and memorable in his image. He is characterized by breadth of soul and nobility. So, he saves the life of Stepan Astakhov, risking himself, although he does not have any friendly feelings for him. Then he bravely rushes to the rescue of those who killed his brother.
The image of Melekhov is complex and ambiguous. He is characterized by throwing, a feeling of inner dissatisfaction with his actions. That is why he constantly rushes about, for him to make a choice is not an easy task.

Social aspect

The character of the hero is determined by his origin. For example, Listnitsky is a landowner, and Koshevoy is a laborer, so you cannot rely on them. Grigory Melekhov has a completely different origin. "Quiet Don" was written during the heyday of socialist realism and harsh criticism. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main character has a peasant origin, which was considered the most “correct”. However, the fact that he was from the middle peasants became the reason for all his throwing. A worker and an owner coexist in the hero at the same time. This is the cause of internal discord.
Grigory Melekhov in the war practically does not care about his family, even Aksinya fades into the background. At this time, he is trying to understand the social structure and his place in it. In war, the hero does not seek benefits for himself, the main thing is to find the truth. That is why he looks so intently at the world around him. He does not share the enthusiasm of other Cossacks regarding the coming of the revolution. Gregory does not understand why they need her.
Previously, the Cossacks themselves decided who would rule them, chose the ataman, and now they are imprisoned for this. On the Don, neither generals nor peasants are needed, the people will figure it out themselves, as they figured it out before. Yes, and the promises of the Bolsheviks are false. They say that everyone is equal, but here comes the Red Army, chrome boots on the platoon, and the soldiers are all in windings. And where is the equality?

Search

Grigory Melekhov sees reality very clearly and soberly assesses what is happening. In this he is similar to many Cossacks, but there is one difference - the hero is looking for the truth. This is what gives him no rest. Sholokhov himself wrote that the opinion of all the Cossacks was embodied in Melekhov, but his strength was that he was not afraid to speak out and tried to resolve contradictions, and did not humbly accept what was happening, hiding behind words about brotherhood and equality.
Gregory could recognize the correctness of the Reds, but he felt the lie in their slogans and promises. He could not take everything on faith, and when he checked it in practice, it turned out that he was lied to.
Closing one's eyes to lies was tantamount to betraying oneself, one's land and one's people.

How to deal with an unwanted person?

Grigory Melekhov (the characterization confirms this) stood out against the background of other representatives of the Cossacks. This attracted Shtokman's attention to him. This man did not have time to convince people like our hero, so he immediately decided to eliminate him. The innocent Gregory was doomed to arrest and death. And what else to do with unnecessary people who ask unnecessary questions?
The order is given to Koshevoy, who is surprised and embarrassed. Gregory, his friend, is accused of a dangerous way of thinking. Here we see the main conflict of the novel, where two sides clash, each of which is right. Shtokman takes every measure to prevent an uprising that could interfere with the reign of the Soviet power, which he serves. The character of Gregory does not allow him to accept either his fate or the fate of his people.
However, Shtokman's order becomes the beginning of the very uprising that he wanted to prevent. Together with Melekhov, who entered into battle with Koshev, all the Cossacks rise. In this scene, the reader can be convinced with distinct clarity that Gregory is indeed a reflection of the people's will.
Melekhov decides to fight the power of the Reds. And this decision was due to a series of incidents: the arrest of his father, numerous executions in Tatarsky, a threat to the life of the hero himself, insults to the Red Army soldiers stationed at his base.
Gregory has made his choice and is sure of it. However, not all so simple. This is not the last turn in his life.

Throwing

The image of Grigory Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Don" is very ambiguous. He is constantly in throwing and is not sure of the correctness of the choice. So it is with the decision to confront the Red Army. He sees the prisoners and the dead who participated in his uprising, he understands who can benefit from it. The final epiphany comes when Gregory rushes alone to the machine gun and kills the sailors who controlled it. Melekhov then rolls in the snow and exclaims: “Who did I kill!”
The hero again finds himself in conflict with the world. All Melekhov's throwings reflect the fluctuations of the entire Cossacks, which first came from monarchism to Bolshevism, then decided to build autonomy, and then returned to Bolshevism again. Only on the example of Gregory do we see everything more clearly than it happened in reality. This is due to the very character of the hero, with his intransigence, passion, unbridledness. Strictly Melekhov judges himself and those around him. He is ready to answer for his wrong deeds, but he wants others to answer.

Summing up

The image of Grigory Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Don" is full of tragedy. Throughout his life he tried to find the truth, but what did he get in the end? In the last chapter of the book, we see how the hero loses the most precious thing - the woman he loves. The death of Aksinya was the most terrible blow for Melekhov. At that moment, the meaning of life was taken away from him. In this world, he no longer has close people. Spiritual devastation leads him to the forest. He tries to live alone, but cannot stand it and returns to the farm where his son lives - the only thing left of Aksinya and their love.
What is the tragedy of Grigory Melekhov? He came into conflict with the world, could not come to terms with its new laws, attempts to change something ended in failure. But the hero could not come to terms with what was happening. The new era "ground" and distorted his fate. Gregory just turned out to be a man who could not adapt to change.

Introduction

The fate of Grigory Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" by Sholokhov is in the center of the reader's attention. This hero, who, by the will of fate, fell into the thick of complex historical events, has been forced to search for his life path for many years.

Description Grigory Melekhov

Already from the first pages of the novel, Sholokhov introduces us to the unusual fate of grandfather Grigory, explaining why the Melekhovs outwardly differ from the rest of the inhabitants of the farm. Grigory, like his father, had "a drooping vulture nose, blue tonsils of hot eyes in slightly oblique slits, sharp cheekbones." Remembering the origin of Panteley Prokofievich, everyone in the farm called the Melekhovs "Turks".
Life changes the inner world of Gregory. His appearance also changes. From a carefree cheerful guy, he turns into a stern warrior whose heart is hardened. Grigory “knew that he would no longer laugh as before; He knew that his eyes were hollow and his cheekbones were sticking out sharply, ”and in his eyes“ the light of senseless cruelty began to shine through more and more often.

At the end of the novel, a completely different Gregory appears before us. This is a mature man tired of life "with a tired squint of eyes, with reddish tips of a black mustache, with premature gray hair at the temples and hard wrinkles on the forehead."

Characteristics of Gregory

At the beginning of the work, Grigory Melekhov is a young Cossack living according to the laws of his ancestors. The main thing for him is the household and the family. He enthusiastically helps his father with mowing and fishing. Unable to argue with his parents when they marry him to the unloved Natalya Korshunova.

But, for all that, Gregory is a passionate, addicted nature. Despite the prohibitions of his father, he continues to go to night games. Meets with Aksinya Astakhova, the neighbor's wife, and then leaves her home with her.

Gregory, like most Cossacks, is inherent in courage, sometimes reaching recklessness. He behaves heroically at the front, participates in the most dangerous sorties. At the same time, the hero is not alien to humanity. He is worried about a gosling that he accidentally slaughtered while mowing. For a long time he suffers because of the murdered unarmed Austrian. “Subjecting to the heart”, Gregory saves his sworn enemy Stepan from death. Goes against a whole platoon of Cossacks, protecting Franya.

In Gregory, passion and obedience, madness and gentleness, kindness and hatred coexist at the same time.

The fate of Grigory Melekhov and his path of quest

The fate of Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Don" is tragic. He is constantly forced to look for a "way out", the right path. It is not easy for him in the war. His personal life is also complicated.

Like the favorite heroes of L.N. Tolstoy, Grigory goes through a difficult path of life quests. In the beginning, everything seemed clear to him. Like other Cossacks, he is called to war. For him there is no doubt that he must defend the Fatherland. But, getting to the front, the hero realizes that his whole nature resists the murder.

Gregory goes from white to red, but here he will be disappointed. Seeing how Podtelkov dealt with the captured young officers, he loses faith in this government and the next year he again finds himself in the white army.

Tossing between the whites and the reds, the hero himself becomes hardened. He loots and kills. Tries to forget himself in drunkenness and fornication. In the end, fleeing from the persecution of the new government, he finds himself among the bandits. Then he becomes a deserter.

Grigory is exhausted by throwing. He wants to live on his own land, raise bread and children. Although life hardens the hero, gives his features something "wolf", in fact, he is not a killer. Having lost everything and never found his way, Grigory returns to his native farm, realizing that, most likely, death awaits him here. But, the son and the house is the only thing that keeps the hero in the world.

Grigory's relationship with Aksinya and Natalya

Fate sends the hero two passionately loving women. But, relations with them are not easy for Gregory. While still single, Grigory falls in love with Aksinya, the wife of Stepan Astakhov, his neighbor. Over time, the woman reciprocates his feelings, and their relationship develops into unbridled passion. “So unusual and obvious was their crazy connection, so frenziedly they burned with one shameless fire, people without conscience and without hiding, losing weight and turning black in their faces in front of their neighbors, that now people were ashamed to look at them when they met for some reason.”

Despite this, he cannot resist the will of his father and marries Natalya Korshunova, promising himself to forget Aksinya and settle down. But, Gregory is not able to keep the oath given to himself. Although Natalya is beautiful and selflessly loves her husband, he again converges with Aksinya and leaves his wife and parental home.

After Aksinya's betrayal, Grigory returns to his wife again. She accepts him and forgives past wrongs. But he was not destined for a quiet family life. The image of Aksinya haunts him. Once again fate brings them together. Unable to bear the shame and betrayal, Natalia has an abortion and dies. Gregory blames himself for the death of his wife, severely experiences this loss.

Now, it would seem, nothing can prevent him from finding happiness with his beloved woman. But, circumstances force him to take off and, together with Aksinya, again set off on the road, the last for his beloved.

With the death of Aksinya, Grigory's life loses all meaning. The hero no longer has even an illusory hope for happiness. “And Gregory, dying of horror, realized that everything was over, that the worst thing that could have happened in his life had already happened.”

Conclusion

In conclusion of my essay on the topic “The Fate of Grigory Melekhov in the Novel “Quiet Flows the Don””, I want to fully agree with the critics who believe that in “The Quiet Don” the fate of Grigory Melekhov is the most difficult and one of the most tragic. Using the example of Grigory Sholokhov, he showed how the whirlpool of political events breaks human destiny. And the one who sees his destiny in peaceful labor suddenly becomes a cruel killer with a devastated soul.

Artwork test

Introduction

The fate of Grigory Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" by Sholokhov is in the center of the reader's attention. This hero, who, by the will of fate, fell into the thick of complex historical events, has been forced to search for his life path for many years.

Description Grigory Melekhov

Already from the first pages of the novel, Sholokhov introduces us to the unusual fate of grandfather Grigory, explaining why the Melekhovs outwardly differ from the rest of the inhabitants of the farm. Grigory, like his father, had "a drooping vulture nose, blue tonsils of hot eyes in slightly oblique slits, sharp cheekbones." Remembering the origin of Panteley Prokofievich, everyone in the farm called the Melekhovs "Turks".
Life changes the inner world of Gregory. His appearance also changes. From a carefree cheerful guy, he turns into a stern warrior whose heart is hardened. Grigory “knew that he would no longer laugh as before; He knew that his eyes were hollow and his cheekbones were sticking out sharply, ”and in his eyes“ the light of senseless cruelty began to shine through more and more often.

At the end of the novel, a completely different Gregory appears before us. This is a mature man tired of life "with a tired squint of eyes, with reddish tips of a black mustache, with premature gray hair at the temples and hard wrinkles on the forehead."

Characteristics of Gregory

At the beginning of the work, Grigory Melekhov is a young Cossack living according to the laws of his ancestors. The main thing for him is the household and the family. He enthusiastically helps his father with mowing and fishing. Unable to argue with his parents when they marry him to the unloved Natalya Korshunova.

But, for all that, Gregory is a passionate, addicted nature. Despite the prohibitions of his father, he continues to go to night games. Meets with Aksinya Astakhova, the neighbor's wife, and then leaves her home with her.

Gregory, like most Cossacks, is inherent in courage, sometimes reaching recklessness. He behaves heroically at the front, participates in the most dangerous sorties. At the same time, the hero is not alien to humanity. He is worried about a gosling that he accidentally slaughtered while mowing. For a long time he suffers because of the murdered unarmed Austrian. “Subjecting to the heart”, Gregory saves his sworn enemy Stepan from death. Goes against a whole platoon of Cossacks, protecting Franya.

In Gregory, passion and obedience, madness and gentleness, kindness and hatred coexist at the same time.

The fate of Grigory Melekhov and his path of quest

The fate of Melekhov in the novel "Quiet Don" is tragic. He is constantly forced to look for a "way out", the right path. It is not easy for him in the war. His personal life is also complicated.

Like the favorite heroes of L.N. Tolstoy, Grigory goes through a difficult path of life quests. In the beginning, everything seemed clear to him. Like other Cossacks, he is called to war. For him there is no doubt that he must defend the Fatherland. But, getting to the front, the hero realizes that his whole nature resists the murder.

Gregory goes from white to red, but here he will be disappointed. Seeing how Podtelkov dealt with the captured young officers, he loses faith in this government and the next year he again finds himself in the white army.

Tossing between the whites and the reds, the hero himself becomes hardened. He loots and kills. Tries to forget himself in drunkenness and fornication. In the end, fleeing from the persecution of the new government, he finds himself among the bandits. Then he becomes a deserter.

Grigory is exhausted by throwing. He wants to live on his own land, raise bread and children. Although life hardens the hero, gives his features something "wolf", in fact, he is not a killer. Having lost everything and never found his way, Grigory returns to his native farm, realizing that, most likely, death awaits him here. But, the son and the house is the only thing that keeps the hero in the world.

Grigory's relationship with Aksinya and Natalya

Fate sends the hero two passionately loving women. But, relations with them are not easy for Gregory. While still single, Grigory falls in love with Aksinya, the wife of Stepan Astakhov, his neighbor. Over time, the woman reciprocates his feelings, and their relationship develops into unbridled passion. “So unusual and obvious was their crazy connection, so frenziedly they burned with one shameless fire, people without conscience and without hiding, losing weight and turning black in their faces in front of their neighbors, that now people were ashamed to look at them when they met for some reason.”

Despite this, he cannot resist the will of his father and marries Natalya Korshunova, promising himself to forget Aksinya and settle down. But, Gregory is not able to keep the oath given to himself. Although Natalya is beautiful and selflessly loves her husband, he again converges with Aksinya and leaves his wife and parental home.

After Aksinya's betrayal, Grigory returns to his wife again. She accepts him and forgives past wrongs. But he was not destined for a quiet family life. The image of Aksinya haunts him. Once again fate brings them together. Unable to bear the shame and betrayal, Natalia has an abortion and dies. Gregory blames himself for the death of his wife, severely experiences this loss.

Now, it would seem, nothing can prevent him from finding happiness with his beloved woman. But, circumstances force him to take off and, together with Aksinya, again set off on the road, the last for his beloved.

With the death of Aksinya, Grigory's life loses all meaning. The hero no longer has even an illusory hope for happiness. “And Gregory, dying of horror, realized that everything was over, that the worst thing that could have happened in his life had already happened.”

Conclusion

In conclusion of my essay on the topic “The Fate of Grigory Melekhov in the Novel “Quiet Flows the Don””, I want to fully agree with the critics who believe that in “The Quiet Don” the fate of Grigory Melekhov is the most difficult and one of the most tragic. Using the example of Grigory Sholokhov, he showed how the whirlpool of political events breaks human destiny. And the one who sees his destiny in peaceful labor suddenly becomes a cruel killer with a devastated soul.

Artwork test

The immortal work of M.A. Sholokhov's "Quiet Don" reveals the essence of the Cossack soul and the Russian people without embellishment and reticence. Love for the land and loyalty to one's traditions, along with betrayal, courage in the struggle and cowardice, love and betrayal, hope and loss of faith - all these contradictions are organically intertwined in the images of the novel. By this, the author achieved such sincerity, truthfulness and vitality of the image of the people in the abyss of the terrible reality of the first third of the twentieth century, thanks to which the work still causes discussions and different opinions, but does not lose its popularity and relevance. Contradictions are the main feature that characterizes the image of Grigory Melekhov in the novel “Quiet Flows the Don” by Sholokhov.

The inconsistency of the character of the hero

The author depicts the life path of the protagonist using the method of parallel storytelling. One line is the love story of Gregory, the second is family and domestic, the third is civil history. In each of his social roles: son, husband, father, brother, lover, he retained his ardor, inconsistency, sincerity of feelings and the steadfastness of a steel character.

The duality of nature, perhaps, is explained by the peculiarities of the origin of Grigory Melekhov. "Quiet Don" begins with a story about his ancestors. His grandfather Prokofy Melekhov was a true Don Cossack, and his grandmother was a captured Turkish woman, whom he brought from the last military campaign. Cossack roots endowed Grishka with perseverance, strength and persistent life principles, and eastern blood endowed him with a special wild beauty, made him passionate in nature, prone to desperate and often rash acts. Throughout his life's journey, he rushes about, doubts and repeatedly changes his decisions. However, the rebellious image of the protagonist is explained by his desire to find the truth.

Youth and despair

At the beginning of the work, the protagonist of the novel appears before the reader in the form of a hot young nature, a beautiful and free Don lad. He falls in love with his neighbor Aksinya and begins to actively and boldly conquer her, despite her marital status. The stormy romance that began between them, he does not hide too much, thanks to which the fame of a local ladies' man was entrenched in him.

To avoid a scandal with a neighbor and distract Grigory from a dangerous relationship, his parents decide to marry him, to which he easily agrees and leaves Aksinya. Future wife Natalia falls in love at the first meeting. Although her father doubted this hot free Cossack, the wedding nevertheless took place. But could the bonds of marriage change the fiery character of Gregory?

On the contrary, the desire for forbidden love only flared up in his soul more strongly. “So extraordinary and obvious was their crazy connection, so frenziedly they burned with one shameless fire, people not ashamed and not hiding, losing weight and turning black in their faces in front of their neighbors.”

Young Grishka Melekhov is distinguished by such a trait as carelessness. He lives easily and playfully, as if by inertia. He does his homework automatically, flirts with Aksinya without thinking about the consequences, obediently marries at the behest of his father, is going to work, in general, calmly drifts with the flow of a carefree young life.

Civic duty and responsibility

Grishka takes the sudden news of the war and the call to the front with honor and tries not to shame the old Cossack family. This is how the author conveys his prowess and courage in the battles of the First World War: “Grigory firmly protected the Cossack honor, seized the opportunity to show selfless courage, took risks, went wild, went disguised to the rear of the Austrians, removed outposts without bloodshed, a Cossack jigged ... ". However, staying at the front cannot pass without leaving a trace. A lot of human lives on his own conscience, albeit enemies, but still people, blood, groans and death that surrounded him, made Gregory's soul callous, despite the high merits to the sovereign. He himself understood at what cost he got four St. George Crosses for courage: “The war has drained everything from me. I became terrible myself. Look into my soul, and there is blackness, as in an empty well ... "

The main feature that characterizes the image of Gregory in The Quiet Don is the persistence that he will carry through the years of anxiety, loss and defeat. His ability not to give up and fight, even when his soul was black with anger and numerous deaths, which he had to not only see, but also bear sin on his soul, allowed him to withstand all adversity.

Ideological search

With the onset of the Revolution, the hero tries to figure out which side to take, where is the truth. On the one hand, he swore allegiance to the sovereign, who was overthrown. On the other hand, the Bolsheviks promise equality. He, at first, began to share the ideas of equality and people's freedom, but when he did not see either one or the other in the actions of the red activists, he led the Cossack division, which fought on the side of the whites. The search for truth and doubt is the basis of the characterization of Grigory Melekhov. The only truth that he accepted was the struggle for the possibility of a peaceful and calm life on his land, growing bread, raising children. He believed that it is necessary to fight with those who take away this opportunity.

But in the whirlpool of events of the Civil War, he became more and more disappointed in the ideas of certain representatives of the military-political movements. He saw that everyone has their own truth, and everyone uses it as they please, and the fate of the Don and the people living there did not bother anyone. When the Cossack troops were disbanded, and the white movement more and more resembled gangs, the retreat began. Then Grigory decided to take the side of the Reds and even led a cavalry squadron. However, when he returned home at the end of the Civil War, he became an outcast, a stranger among his own, since local Soviet activists, in particular, in the person of his son-in-law Mikhail Koshevoy, did not forget about his white past and threatened to be shot.

Awareness of core values

In the work of Mikhail Sholokhov, the central attention is paid to the problem of a person's search for his place in the world, where everything familiar and dear suddenly changed its appearance, turning into the most severe conditions of life. In the novel, the author affirms a simple truth: even in inhuman conditions, one must remain human. However, not everyone was able to realize this covenant at that difficult time.

The difficult trials that befell Gregory, such as the loss of loved ones and loved ones, the struggle for his land and freedom, changed him, formed a new person. The once carefree and daring boy realized the true value of life, peace and happiness. He returned to his roots, to his home, holding in his arms the most valuable thing he had left - his son. He realized what price was paid for standing on the threshold of his native home with his son in his arms under a peaceful sky, and he understood that there is nothing more expensive and more important than this opportunity.

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