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Work on military theme often found in the culture and literature of all countries and nationalities without exception. And this is not surprising, it was the war that became an irrevocable milestone in the lives of many people, radically changing their lives. In most cases, such works are sad and set the reader up for a certain tragedy. However, this does not apply to the work of A. Tvardovsky “Vasily Terkin”.

Collectivity of the image of Vasily Terkin

During the war years, Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky was a correspondent at the front, so he communicated a lot with ordinary soldiers, and accordingly, spent a lot of time on the battlefield. Such activity allowed Tvardovsky to notice character traits soldiers, the characteristics of their behavior, and also learn about some unusual, heroic actions of the defenders of the Motherland.

Soon all these observations and materials were embodied in the image of Vasily Terkin - central character Tvardovsky's poem of the same name.

Biography of Vasily Terkin

Very little is known about Terkin’s biographical data. His name is Vasily Ivanovich. His homeland is Smolensk region. This is where the information ends. Data on the hero’s appearance is also scarce - his appearance was not memorable: he was neither tall nor short, Terkin was neither handsome nor ugly.
Perhaps this is due to the author’s desire to portray a typical soldier from a simple family. It is thanks to such insignificant data that the impression of the hero’s typicality is created - it can be adjusted to any biography of a person who actually took part in military events.

Symbolism of the surname

While it is difficult to talk about the symbolism of the name of the main character of the poem - most likely, it was taken from the category of the most common names, his surname is not without symbolism and subtext.

First of all, the symbolism of Vasily’s surname is explained by his optimistic attitude towards the war and belief in the victory of the troops to which Vasily belongs.

Terkin constantly supports his colleagues, especially those who are at the front for the first time and perceive everything that is happening with horror. He repeatedly says that everything will pass, he will get over it. It is here that the main message is contained, explaining his last name - life “rubs” Vasily all the time, but, despite all the troubles and difficulties, he does not lose optimism and diligence.

Terkin's military service

The bulk of the narrative is occupied by the description of various military situations and the role of Vasily Terkin in their resolution.

Second World War- not the first war in Terkin’s life, before that he had already visited the fronts of the Finnish war, therefore Terkin does not perceive all the hardships, contradictions and difficulties of military life as something terrible and unusual, the life of a military man is already familiar to him.

Apparently, in Finnish war Terkin was a simple, ordinary soldier and was not promoted to officer rank. Terkin also begins World War II with the rank of private, however, thanks to his repeated exploits, he receives significant awards and an officer rank.

Once Terkin managed to shoot down an enemy plane with a rifle. For this act he was awarded the General Order. However, this is not Terkin’s only feat - he also helps his troops cross the river. To do this, he swims across the river in winter, bravely and selflessly fights with his opponents and was even wounded, but he is not going to rest, and immediately after his condition improves he rushes to the front again.

Personality characteristics

The first thing that strikes you about Terkin is his optimism. He is a cheerful person and tries not to lose heart even in the saddest moments of his life. Even when it seems that there is no hope successful outcome no, Terkin finds an opportunity to joke and support his comrades in this way.

Vasily is a kind and selfless person, he has a big heart and generous soul. Terkin remembers everything good deeds towards him and tries to repay kindness in return. For example, he remembers how, after being wounded, he lost his hat, and the nurse gave him hers. Terkin carefully keeps this hat - it reminds him of human responsiveness and kindness. When his colleague loses his pouch, Terkin gives him his. Vasily believes that in war you can lose anything - both material and non-material things, even your own life. The only thing that cannot be lost, according to Terkin, is the Motherland.

Vasily loves life very much, to such an extent that for the sake of the lives of other people he is ready to risk his life. However, he does not miss the opportunity to jokingly answer that he would like to live to be 90 years old.

Terkin is a man of honor; he believes that in war one must forget about personal interests and be guided by the concept of honor.

Terkin can play the harmonica well. With his acting, he knows how to both cheer people up and make them sad.

In addition, Terkin knows a lot of funny stories and has a talent for telling them. Vasily always captivates his colleagues with his story and knows how to keep their attention on his story for a long time.

To dispel the melancholy of his comrades, Terkin funny knows how to distort the singing of the Germans. In a word, Terkin, who himself does not like to be sad and grieve, knows many ways to cheer up soldiers and encourage them. That is why he is the favorite of all soldiers.

However, not only funny stories are in Terkin’s arsenal. So, for example, he tells the story of a soldier who, having come to his village with liberation army discovered that his entire family was killed and his house was destroyed. Terkin says that we need to remember about such people and not forget about them at a time when the enemy army is defeated.
Terkin is a jack of all trades. He can do any job. So, for example, while staying in one of the villages, Terkin repairs watches and saws for old people.

Thus, the image of Vasily Terkin is collective. It is based on many memoirs of soldiers of the Second World War and exposes best characteristics of people.

Vasily is always ready to help others, he is an honest and selfless person. Terkin, in everything that happens, is, first of all, ready to see something positive, this is due to his life-affirming attitude and faith in the restoration of justice and the victory of good.

The image of the Russian soldier Vasily Terkin in Tvardovsky’s poem: characteristics and description of the hero

Alexander Tvardovsky saw the war and the battlefield with his own eyes, as he worked as a war correspondent, so he managed to very accurately bring his work closer to the people and the feelings that gripped the country at that time.

Tvardovsky began writing the poem “Vasily Terkin” during a military campaign, and then the idea for the work arose. The first chapters were published in nineteen forty-two, at the height of hostilities. After the appearance of the first part, the poem becomes the main work at the front. The work was greeted with approval, the image of the hero-soldier Vasily Terkin was liked by the people and was close to them. Tvardovsky worked carefully on each chapter, trying to create complete parts that “could be read from any open page.” Alexander Trifonovich tried to write in an easy, understandable language for people: “I rewrote each chapter many times, checking for sluz, I worked for a long time on any one stanza or line.”

Vasily Terkin is a collective image that has absorbed the characteristics and traits of the Russian people into war time. Terkin is also an image Soviet hero, ready to fight to the death and defend the Motherland.

The main character of the poem is a simple Russian soldier, has a wide range of positive traits, but does not stand out in appearance.

Vasily is brave, courageous, confident, modest, simple, honest, brave, noble, kind, is an image sincere person, who is welcome anywhere and can join any team.

Tyorkin also has unshakable faith and hope. In the chapter “On Reward,” he discusses the world after the war:

Here I come from the stop

To your dear village council.

I came, and there was a party.

No party? Okay, no.

He dreams of meeting a girl:

And I would joke with everyone,

And there would be one between them...

His reverie is interrupted by a colleague:

Where are the girls, where are the parties?

…….Visit your native village

Despite this, Vasily does not lose faith and continues to hope. In the same chapter we learn that Tyorkin is not proud and does not fight for the sake of awards and titles:

No guys, I'm not proud.

Without looking into the distance,

So I’ll say: why do I need an order?

I agree to a medal.

The hero never loses heart, and even on the verge of death is able to laugh it off and not give up until the end. In the chapter “Death and the Warrior” his great love for life is visible.

Fulfilling his duty to the Motherland comes first for Vasily. In the “Crossing” part, he got there by swimming to convey the order that he could save the platoon. The chapter “Who Shot” shows how Tyorkin commits a brave and a brave deed. He shoots down an enemy plane, possibly saving many lives. Like heroic deed requires greatest power will and great courage, which is what Vasily shows. This shows the courage of Russian soldiers who are ready to lie down on the embrasure for the sake of their Motherland.

Everyday life at the front is undoubtedly difficult, and it is necessary to have incredible strength of spirit in order to fight and hold on to the end, to fight and live. From the chapter “Two Soldiers” we can feel the heaviness and mood of everyday days in war.

There is a blizzard in the field,

War is raging three miles away.

Terkin is at war again

The chapter “Harmon” shows respect for the dead, the general spirit and attitude. From the soldiers' dialogue we understand the severity of war days and the sadness of losing a comrade. Simple, human things, atmosphere and general spiritual unity make the soldiers closer and during the cold, snowy winter suddenly become warmer.

And from that old accordion,

That I was left an orphan

Somehow it suddenly became warmer

On the front road.

Vasily Terkin was close to the soldiers of the Second World War, in him they saw their own features, the features of their comrades, in his image there is something dear, pleasant and sincere that reminds of home. Terkin could inspire, support, and amuse. Vasily is a separate person, but at the same time a broad collective image. This is a man of enormous faith and heroism, he is a Russian man, he does not surrender, neither to the enemy nor to death:

I will cry, howl in pain,

Die in the field without a trace,

But of your own free will

Tvardovsky Alexander Trifonovich (1910 - 1971) - Russian poet, editor-in-chief of the magazine " New world"(1950 - 54, 1958 - 70). The poem "Vasily Terkin" (1941 - 45) is a vivid embodiment of the Russian character and popular feelings of the Great era Patriotic War. In the poem "Beyond the Distance - Distance" (1953 - 60, Lenin Prize, 1961) and the lyrics (book "From the lyrics of these years. 1959 - 67)", 1967) - thoughts about the movement of time, the duty of the artist, about life and death . The poem "Terkin in the Other World" (1963) is a satirical image of the bureaucratic death of existence. In the final confessional poem “By the right of memory” (published in 1987) there is the pathos of the uncompromising truth about the time of Stalinism, about the tragic inconsistency spiritual world man of this time. Poems "The Country of Ant" (1936), "House by the Road" (1946); prose, critical articles. Tvardovsky’s lyrical epic enriched and updated the traditions of Russian classical poetry. USSR State Prizes (1941, 1946, 1947, 1971).

Tvardovsky was always interested in the fate of his country at turning points in history. History and people are his main theme. During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), A. T. Tvardovsky writes the poem “Vasily Terkin” about the Great Patriotic War. The fate of the people was being decided. The poem is dedicated to the life of the people during the war.

In “The Country of Ant”, “Vasily Terkin”, large-scale, capacious, collective images are created: the events are enclosed in a very broad plot frame, the poet turns to hyperbole and other means of fairy-tale conventions. In the center of the poem is the image of Terkin, uniting the composition of the work into a single whole. Terkin Vasily Ivanovich - main character poem, an ordinary infantryman from Smolensk peasants. Terkin embodies best features Russian soldier and people as a whole. The poem is structured as a chain of episodes from the military life of the protagonist, which do not always have a direct event connection with each other. Terkin humorously tells young soldiers about the everyday life of war; He says that he has been fighting since the very beginning of the war, he was surrounded three times, and was wounded. The fate of an ordinary soldier, one of those who bore the brunt of the war on their shoulders, becomes the personification of national fortitude and the will to live. Terkin swims twice across the icy river to restore contact with the advancing units; Terkin alone occupies a German dugout, but comes under fire from his own artillery; on the way to the front, Terkin finds himself in the house of old peasants, helping them with the housework; Terkin enters hand-to-hand combat with the German and, with difficulty, defeating him, takes him prisoner. Unexpectedly, Terkin shoots down a German attack aircraft with a rifle; Terkin reassures the envious sergeant: not the last. Terkin takes command of the platoon when the commander is killed, and is the first to break into the village; however, the hero is again seriously wounded. Lying wounded in a field, Terkin talks with Death, who persuades him not to cling to life; in the end, the soldiers discover him, and he tells them: “Take away this woman, I am a soldier still alive.” The image of Vasily Terkin combines the best moral qualities Russian people: patriotism, readiness for heroism, love of work. The character traits of the hero are interpreted by the poet as traits of a collective image: Terkin is inseparable and integral from the militant people. The author also shades the hero’s patriotism and collectivism negatively: he emphasizes the absence in Terkin of the traits of individualism, selfishness, and concern for his own person. Terkin is characterized by the master’s respect and caring attitude towards things as the fruit of labor. It’s not for nothing that he takes away his grandfather’s saw, which he warps, not knowing how to sharpen it. Returning the finished saw to the owner, Vasily says: Here, grandfather, take it, look. It will cut better than a new one, don't waste the tool in vain. Terkin loves work and is not afraid of it. The simplicity of a hero is usually synonymous with his popularity, the absence of exceptional features in him. But this simplicity also has another meaning in the poem: the transparent symbolism of the hero’s surname, the Terkino “we’ll endure it, we’ll endure it” emphasizes his ability to overcome difficulties simply and easily. This is his behavior even when he swims across an icy river or sleeps under a pine tree, quite content with an uncomfortable bed, etc. In this simplicity of the hero, his calmness, sobriety of his outlook on life, important features are expressed folk character. In the poem “Vasily Terkin”, A. T. Tvardovsky’s field of vision includes not only the front, but also those who work in the rear for the sake of victory: women and old people. The characters in the poem not only fight - they laugh, love, talk with each other, and most importantly, they dream of a peaceful life. The reality of war unites what is usually incompatible: tragedy and humor, courage and fear, life and death. The chapter “From the Author” depicts the process of “mythologization” of the main character of the poem. Terkin is called by the author “a holy and sinful Russian miracle man.” The name of Vasily Terkin has become legendary and a household name.

The poem “Vasily Terkin” is distinguished by its peculiar historicism. Conventionally, it can be divided into three parts, coinciding with the beginning, middle and end of the war. Poetic understanding of the stages of the war creates a lyrical chronicle of events from the chronicle. A feeling of bitterness and sorrow fills the first part, faith in victory fills the second, the joy of the liberation of the Fatherland becomes the leitmotif of the third part of the poem. This is explained by the fact that A. T. Tvardovsky created the poem gradually, throughout the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

The composition of the poem is also original. Not only individual chapters, but also periods and stanzas within chapters are distinguished by their completeness. This is due to the fact that the poem was printed in parts. And it should be accessible to the reader from “any place.”

The poet emphasized the truthfulness and reliability of broad pictures of life by calling “Vasily Terkin” not a poem, but “a book about a fighter.” The word “book” in this popular sense sounds somehow specially significant, as an object “serious, reliable, unconditional,” says Tvardovsky. Like all the heroes of the world epic, Terkin was granted immortality (it is no coincidence that in the 1954 poem Terkin in the next world he ends up in afterworld, reminiscent of Soviet reality in its carrion) and at the same time - living optimism, making him the personification of the people's spirit. The poem was a huge success among readers. Vasily Terkin became a folklore character, about which Tvardovsky remarked: “Where he came from is where he goes.” The book received both official recognition (State Prize, 1946) and high praise from contemporaries.

In an infantry company - new guy, Vasily Terkin. He is fighting for the second time in his life (the first war was Finnish). Vasily does not mince his words, he is a good eater. In general, “the guy is anywhere.”

Terkin recalls how he, in a detachment of ten people, during the retreat, made his way from the western, “German” side to the east, to the front. Along the way there was the commander’s native village, and the detachment went to his home. The wife fed the soldiers and put them to bed. The next morning the soldiers left, leaving the village in German captivity. On the way back, Tyorkin would like to go to this hut to bow to the “good simple woman.”

The river is being crossed. Platoons are loaded onto pontoons. Enemy fire disrupted the crossing, but the first platoon managed to move to the right bank. Those who remained on the left are waiting for dawn, do not know what to do next. Terkin swims from the right bank (winter, icy water). He reports that the first platoon is able to ensure the crossing if it is supported by fire.

Terkin establishes communication. A shell explodes nearby. Seeing a German cellar, Tyorkin takes it. There, in ambush, the enemy is waiting. He kills a German officer, but he manages to wound him. Our people start hitting the cellar. And Tyorkin is discovered by tank crews and taken to the medical battalion...

Terkin jokingly argues that it would be nice to receive a medal and come with it to a party in the village council after the war.

Leaving the hospital, Tyorkin catches up with his company. He is transported by truck. Ahead is a stopped column of transport. Freezing. And there is only one accordion - the tankers. It belonged to their fallen commander. The tankers give the accordion to Tyorkin. He plays first a sad melody, then a cheerful one, and the dancing begins. The tankers remember that it was they who delivered the wounded Tyorkin to the medical battalion, and give him an accordion.

There is a grandfather (an old soldier) and a grandmother in the hut. Terkin comes to see them. He repairs saws and watches for old people. He guesses that the grandmother has hidden lard... The grandmother treats Tyorkin. And the grandfather asks: “Shall we beat the German?” Tyorkin answers, already leaving, from the threshold: “We’ll beat you, father.”

The bearded fighter lost his pouch. Terkin recalls that when he was wounded, he lost his hat, and the girl nurse gave him hers. He still keeps this hat. Terkin gives the bearded man his tobacco pouch and explains: in war you can lose anything (even life and family), but not Russia.

Terkin fights hand-to-hand with a German. Wins. Returns from reconnaissance, bringing “tongue” with him.

It's spring at the front. The buzz of the cockchafer gives way to the roar of a bomber. The soldiers are lying prone. Only Terkin gets up, fires at the plane with a rifle and shoots it down. Tyorkin is given an order.

Terkin recalls how in the hospital he met a boy who had already become a hero. He proudly emphasized that he was from near Tambov. And his native Smolensk region seemed like an “orphan” to Tyorkin. That's why he wanted to become a hero.

The general lets Tyorkin go home for a week. But the Germans still have his village... And the general advises him to wait for his vacation: “You and I are on the same path.”

The battle in the swamp for the small village of Borki, of which nothing remains. Terkin encourages his comrades.

Tyorkin is sent to rest for a week. This is “paradise” - a hut where you can eat four times a day and sleep as much as you like, on the bed, in the bed. At the end of the first day, Terkin begins to think... he catches a passing truck and goes to his home company.

The platoon is under fire, going to take the village. the “dapper” lieutenant leads everyone. They kill him. Then Terkin understands that “it’s his turn to lead.” The village has been taken. And Terkin himself is seriously wounded. Terkin lies in the snow. Death persuades him to submit to her. But Vasily does not agree. People from the funeral team find him and take him to the medical battalion.

After the hospital, Terkin returns to his company, and there everything is different, the people are different. There... a new Terkin appeared. Only not Vasily, but Ivan. They are arguing who is the real Terkin? We are already ready to concede this honor to each other. But the foreman announces that each company “will be assigned its own Terkin.”

The village where Tyorkin repaired his saw and watch is under the Germans. The German took the watch from his grandfather and grandmother. The front line ran through the village. The old people had to move into the cellar. Our scouts come to them, among them is Terkin. He is already an officer. Turkin promises to bring new watches from Berlin.

With the advance, Tyorkin passes by his native Smolensk village. Others take it. There is a crossing across the Dnieper. Terkin says goodbye to his native side, which remains no longer in captivity, but in the rear.

Vasily talks about an orphan soldier who came to his native village on leave, and there was nothing left there, the whole family died. The soldier needs to continue to fight. And we need to remember about him, about his grief. Don't forget about this when victory comes.

Road to Berlin. The grandmother returns home from captivity. The soldiers give her a horse, a cart, things... “Tell her what Vasily Terkin supplied.”

A bathhouse in the depths of Germany, in some German house. The soldiers are steaming. Among them is one - he has a lot of scars from wounds, he knows how to steam very well, he doesn’t mince his words, he dresses like a tunic with orders and medals. The soldiers say about him: “It’s the same as Terkin.”

The poem "Vasily Terkin" is dated 1941-1945 - the difficult, terrible and heroic years of the struggle of the Soviet people with German fascist invaders. In this work, Alexander Tvardovsky created an immortal image of a simple Soviet soldier, a defender of the Fatherland, who became a kind of personification of deep patriotism and love for his Motherland.

History of creation

The poem began to be written in 1941. Selected excerpts were published in newspaper versions between 1942 and 1945. Also in 1942, the still unfinished work was published separately.

Oddly enough, work on the poem was started by Tvardovsky back in 1939. It was then that he already worked as a war correspondent and covered the progress of the Finnish military campaign in the newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland.” The name was coined in collaboration with members of the newspaper's editorial board. In 1940, a small brochure “Vasya Terkin at the Front” was published, which was considered a great reward among the soldiers.

The newspaper's readers liked the image of the Red Army soldier from the very beginning. Realizing this, Tvardovsky decided that this topic was promising and began to develop it.

From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, being at the front as a war correspondent, he found himself in the hottest battles. He gets surrounded with soldiers, gets out of it, retreats and goes on the attack, experiencing first-hand everything that he would like to write about.

In the spring of 1942, Tvardovsky arrived in Moscow, where he wrote the first chapters “From the Author” and “At a Rest”, and they were immediately published in the newspaper “Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda”.

Tvardovsky could not have imagined such an explosion of popularity even in his wildest dreams. The central publications “Pravda”, “Izvestia”, “Znamya” reprint excerpts from the poem. On the radio, texts are read by Orlov and Levitan. The artist Orest Vereisky creates illustrations that finally formulate the image of a fighter. Tvardovsky spends in hospitals creative evenings, and also meets with labor collectives in the rear, raising morale.

As always, what the common people liked did not receive the support of the party. Tvardovsky was criticized for pessimism, for the lack of mention that the party is in charge of all accomplishments and achievements. In this regard, the author wanted to finish the poem in 1943, but grateful readers did not allow him to do this. Tvardovsky had to agree to censorship edits, in return he was awarded the Stalin Prize for his now immortal work. The poem was completed in March 1945 - it was then that the author wrote the chapter “In the Bath”.

Description of the work

The poem has 30 chapters, which can be roughly divided into 3 parts. In four chapters, Tvardovsky does not talk about the hero, but simply talks about the war, about how much ordinary Soviet men who stood up to defend their Motherland had to endure, and hints at the progress of work on the book. The role of these digressions cannot be downplayed - this is a dialogue between the author and the readers, which he conducts directly, even bypassing his hero.

There is no clear chronological sequence in the course of the story. Moreover, the author does not name specific battles and battles, however, individual battles and operations highlighted in the history of the Great Patriotic War are discernible in the poem: retreats Soviet troops, so common in 1941 and 1942, the Battle of the Volga, and, of course, the capture of Berlin.

There is no strict plot in the poem - and the author did not have the task of conveying the course of the war. The central chapter is “Crossing”. The main idea of ​​the work is clearly visible there - a military road. It is along this path that Terkin and his comrades move towards achieving their goal - complete victory over the Nazi invaders, and therefore, towards a new, better and free life.

Hero of the work

The main character is Vasily Terkin. Fictional character, cheerful, cheerful, straightforward, despite the difficult circumstances in which he lives during the war.

We are watching Vasily in different situations- and we can celebrate it everywhere positive traits. Among his brothers-in-arms, he is the life of the party, a jokester who always finds an opportunity to joke and make others laugh. When he goes on the attack, he is an example for other fighters, showing his qualities such as resourcefulness, courage, and endurance. When he rests after a fight, he can sing, he plays the accordion, but at the same time he can answer quite harshly and with humor. When soldiers meet civilians, Vasily is all charm and modesty.

Courage and dignity, shown in all, even the most hopeless situations, are the main features that distinguish the main character of the work and form his image.

All the other characters in the poem are abstract - they don’t even have names. The brothers-in-arms, the general, the old man and the old woman - they all just play along, helping to reveal the image of the main character - Vasily Terkin.

Analysis of the work

Since Vasily Terkin does not have real prototype, then we can safely say that this is a kind of collective image that was created by the author, based on his real observations of the soldiers.

The work has one distinctive feature, which distinguishes it from similar works of that time, is the absence of an ideological principle. The poem contains no praise for the party or Comrade Stalin personally. This, according to the author, “would destroy the idea and figurative structure of the poem.”

The work uses two poetic meters: tetrameter and trimeter trochee. The first dimension occurs much more often, the second - only in certain chapters. The language of the poem became a kind of Tvardovsky card. Some moments that look like sayings and lines from funny songs, as they say, “went among the people” and began to be used in everyday speech. For example, the phrase “No, guys, I’m not proud, I agree to a medal” or “Soldiers surrender cities, generals take them from them” are used by many today.

It was on people like the main character of this poem in verse that all the hardships of the war fell. And only them human qualities- fortitude, optimism, humor, the ability to laugh at others and at themselves, in time to defuse a tense situation to the limit - helped them not only win, but also survive in this terrible and merciless war.

The poem is still alive and loved by the people. In 2015, the Russian Reporter magazine conducted sociological research regarding hundreds of the most popular poems in Russia. Lines from “Vasily Terkin” took 28th place, which suggests that the memory of the events of 70 years ago and the feat of those heroes is still alive in our memory.

At the very height of the Great Patriotic War, when our entire country was defending its homeland, the first chapters of A.T.’s poem appeared in print. Tvardovsky’s “Vasily Terkin,” where the main character was portrayed as a simple Russian soldier, “an ordinary guy.”

The writer himself recalled that the beginning of work on “Vasily Terkin” was accompanied by difficulties: it was not easy to find the required art form, determine the composition and it is especially difficult to choose a main character who would be understandable not only to the wartime reader, but would also remain modern for many years. Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky found his hero - Vasily Terkin, whose image helped both the soldiers at the front and their wives and children in the rear, is also interesting to the modern reader. What did literary image Terkina so popular for so many years?

Any artistic image possesses not only individualistic, personal traits, but also carries something collective, general, is an exponent, a characteristic hero of his time. On the one hand, Vasily Terkin is unlike the rest of the soldiers in the company: he is a cheerful fellow, he is distinguished by a peculiar sense of humor, he is not afraid of danger, but at the same time, Tvardovsky, when creating his hero, did not take any specific person as a model, so the writer came up with a collective image of a soldier, a defender of the Russian land, ready at any moment to repel an enemy attack:

However, what to think, brothers,

We must hurry to beat the German.

That's all Terkin in a nutshell

I have something to report to you.

Terkin is brave, courageous, he is not afraid of bullets, or enemy bombing, or ice water. In any situation, the hero knows how to stand up for himself and not let others down. Terkin is a friend to a fighter at a rest stop, a son to an old man and an old woman in a dilapidated hut, a brother to a young woman who sent all her loved ones to the front. The character of the hero is woven from dozens and hundreds of characters of ordinary Russian soldiers, endowed universal human traits: kindness, respect for people, decency.

A.T. Tvardovsky gives his hero a telling surname - Terkin, not without reason the most common phrase in the poem: “We’ll endure it. Let's talk." The strength of the Russian spirit is such that a person can endure anything, can survive a lot, but this does not make him angrier, more intolerant, but on the contrary, he strives to help people, tries to make them believe in their own strength:

He sighed right at the door

And said:

- We'll beat you, father...

Terkin is a savvy and resourceful not only in war, during battle, but also in ordinary life. Thus, peaceful and military life merge into one. The hero seems to live in war, constantly dreaming of victory, of simple village work.

The writer calls Vasily Terkin differently in the poem, either he is an “ordinary guy”, with the weaknesses inherent in any person, or a hero.