Tvardovsky wrote his poem Vasily Terkin at the height of the Great Patriotic War. His poem is a testimony to history. Getting acquainted with the work, we see that the main character of Tvardovsky’s poem is the most ordinary soldier Vasily Terkin. Tvardovsky in his poem made the main character not commanders or main military leaders, but simple soldier, whose image is a collective image of many characters of ordinary and ordinary Russian people. And today we have to study the image of the hero Vasily Terkin and, having studied the poem, make a description. And to make life easier for schoolchildren, we offer a description of the main character Vasily Terkin for the reader’s diary.

Vasily Terkin characteristics and description of the main character

As we have already said, Tvardovsky in the poem Vasily Terkin created collective image Main character. The writer wanted each soldier in the main character of the poem to recognize himself or his comrade, but it’s true, many soldiers said that their company had its own Terkin. A.T. Tvardovsky in the work Vasily Terkin, in the person of the main character, created a simple soldier, with a good sense of humor, a soldier who was the soul of the company and could amuse and encourage. But he was not only a joker and a merry fellow main character story by Vasily Terkin Tvardovsky. He is also a courageous and resourceful person, a true patriot of his country, who proves his patriotism not in words, but in deeds. Carrying out the task, he swims alone across a cold river, in the fight against the enemy, takes control of the platoon, he fearlessly enters into the fight with the Germans. This is a hero who is ready to repel the enemy’s blow at any moment.

Terkin is brave and courageous, savvy and resourceful, brave and fearless. This is a man whom the author calls a simple and ordinary guy, but at the same time calls him a hero. By creating the image of Terkin, the author showed us how brave the people of the last century were, how selflessly they fought so that we could live in a free country today. The image of Terkin, like the poem itself, is successful, so the work was popular then, and it remains popular today.

Terkin Vasily Ivanovich- the main character of the poem, an ordinary infantryman (then an officer) from the Smolensk peasants (“Just a guy himself / He’s ordinary”); T. embodies the best features of the Russian soldier and the people as a whole. As the name for the character, Tvardovsky used the name of the main character of P. Boborykin’s novel “Vasily Terkin” (1892). A hero named Vasily Terkin appears in the poetic feuilletons of the Tvardov period of the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940); Wed the words of the hero of the poem: “I am fighting the second war, brother, / Forever and ever.” 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. In the chapter “At a Rest,” T. 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 chapter “Before the Battle” talks about how in the first months of the war, in a group of ten fighters emerging from encirclement, T. was “like a political instructor,” repeating one “political conversation”: “Don’t be discouraged.” In the chapter “Crossing” T., in order to restore contact with the advancing units that are on the opposite bank of the river, swims across it twice in ice water . In the chapter “Terkin is wounded,” the hero, while installing a telephone line during the battle, single-handedly occupies a German dugout, but comes under fire from his own artillery; T. is wounded, but the advancing tankers save him, taking him to the medical battalion. In the chapter “About the Reward,” T. comically talks about how he would behave if he returned from the war to his native village; says that for representativeness he absolutely needs a medal. In the chapter “Accordion” T. returns from the hospital after being wounded; on the way he meets the tankers who saved him, plays the accordion that belonged to their killed commander, and they give the accordion to him as they say goodbye. In the chapter “Two Soldiers”, T., on the way to the front, finds himself in the house of old peasants, helps them with the housework, talks with the old owner, who fought in the First World War, and in parting to his question: “We will beat the German / Or maybe won’t we beat you?” - answers: “We’ll beat you, father.” In the chapter “On Loss,” T. tells a soldier who lost his pouch how, when he was brought to the medical battalion by tank crews, he discovered his hat was missing and a young nurse gave him hers; he hopes to meet her and return the hat. T. gives his pouch to the fighter in return for the lost one. In the chapter “Duel,” T. enters into hand-to-hand combat with a German and, with difficulty defeating him, takes him prisoner. In the chapter “Who Shot?” T. is unexpectedly shot down by a German attack aircraft with a rifle; Sergeant T. reassures the envious him: “Don’t worry, this is / Not the German’s last plane.” In the chapter “General,” T. is summoned to the general, who awards him an order and a week’s leave, but it turns out that the hero cannot use it, since his native village is still occupied by the Germans. In the chapter “Battle in the Swamp,” T. jokes and encourages the fighters who are waging a difficult battle for a place called “the settlement of Borki,” of which “one black place” remains. In the chapter “About Love” it turns out that the hero does not have a girlfriend who would accompany him to the war and write him letters to the front; the author jokingly calls: “Turn your gentle gaze, / Girls, to the infantry.” In the chapter “Terkin’s Rest,” normal living conditions seem to the hero to be “paradise”; Having lost the habit of sleeping in bed, he cannot fall asleep until he receives advice - to put a hat on his head to simulate field conditions. In the chapter “On the Offensive,” T., when the platoon commander is killed, takes command and is the first to break into the village; however, the hero is again seriously wounded. In the chapter “Death and the Warrior,” T., lying wounded in a field, talks with Death, who persuades him not to cling to life; in the end he is discovered by the soldiers of the funeral team, and he tells them: “Take away this woman, / I am a soldier still alive”; they take him to the medical battalion. The chapter “Terkin Writes” is a letter from T. from the hospital to his fellow soldiers: he promises to definitely return to them. In the chapter “Terkin - Terkin” the hero meets his namesake - Ivan Terkin; they argue which of them is the “true” Terkin (this name has already become legendary), but cannot determine because they are very similar to each other. The dispute is resolved by the foreman, who explains that “According to the regulations, each company / Will be given its own Terkin.” Further, in the chapter “From the Author,” the process of “mythologizing” the character is depicted; T. is called “a holy and sinful Russian miracle man.” In the chapter "Grandfather and Woman" again we're talking about about old peasants from the chapter “Two Soldiers”; after spending two years under occupation, they are awaiting the advance of the Red Army; the old man recognizes one of the scouts as T., who became an officer. The chapter “On the Dnieper” says that T., together with the advancing army, is getting closer to his native places; troops cross the Dnieper, and, looking at the liberated land, the hero cries. In the chapter “On the Road to Berlin,” T. meets a peasant woman who was once kidnapped to Germany - she returns home on foot; together with the soldiers, T. gives her trophies: a horse and team, a cow, a sheep, household utensils and a bicycle. In the chapter “In the Bath,” the soldier, on whose tunic “Orders, medals in a row / Burn with a hot flame,” is compared by admiring soldiers to Terkin: the hero’s name has already become a household name.

Work:

Vasily Terkin

Terkin Vasily Ivanovich - a soldier (then an officer) from the Smolensk peasants: “... the guy himself is ordinary.”

T. embodies the best features of the Russian soldier and the Russian people. T. has been fighting since the very beginning of the war, was surrounded three times, and was wounded. T.’s motto: “Don’t be discouraged,” despite any difficulties. So, the hero, in order to restore contact with the fighters located on the other side of the river, swims across it twice in icy water. Or, in order to install a telephone line during the battle, T. alone occupies a German dugout, in which he comes under fire. One day T. enters into hand-to-hand combat with a German and, with great difficulty, still takes the enemy prisoner. The hero perceives all these exploits as ordinary actions in war. He does not boast about them, does not demand rewards for them. And he only jokingly says that to be representative, he simply needs a medal. Even in the harsh conditions of war, T. retains everything human qualities. The hero has a great sense of humor, which helps T. himself and everyone around him to survive. Thus, he jokes and encourages fighters fighting a difficult battle. T. is given the accordion of the killed commander, and he plays it, brightening up the soldier’s moments of rest. On the way to the front, the hero helps old peasants with their housework, convincing them of an imminent victory. Having met a captured peasant woman, T. gives her all the trophies. T. does not have a girlfriend who would write letters to him and wait for him from the war. But he does not lose heart, fighting for all Russian girls. Over time, T. becomes an officer. He vacates his native places and, looking at them, cries. The name T. becomes a household name. In the chapter “In the Bath,” a soldier with a huge number of awards is compared to the hero of the poem. Describing his hero, the author in the chapter “From the Author” calls T. “a holy and sinful Russian miracle man.”

Vasily Ivanovich Terkin is the main character of the poem, an ordinary infantryman (then an officer) from the Smolensk peasants (“Just a guy himself / He’s ordinary”); T. embodies the best features of the Russian soldier and the people as a whole. As the name for the character, Tvardovsky used the name of the main character of P. Boborykin’s novel “Vasily Terkin” (1892). A hero named Vasily Terkin appears in the poetic feuilletons of the Tvardov period of the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940); Wed the words of the hero of the poem: “I am fighting the second war, brother, / Forever and ever.” 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. In the chapter “At a Rest,” T. 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 chapter “Before the Battle” talks about how in the first months of the war, in a group of ten fighters emerging from encirclement, T. was “like a political instructor,” repeating one “political conversation”: “Don’t be discouraged.”

In the chapter “Terkin is wounded,” the hero, while installing a telephone line during the battle, single-handedly occupies a German dugout, but comes under fire from his own artillery; T. is wounded, but the advancing tankers save him, taking him to the medical battalion. In the chapter “About the Reward,” T. comically talks about how he would behave if he returned from the war to his native village; says that for representativeness he absolutely needs a medal. In the chapter “Accordion” T. returns from the hospital after being wounded; on the way he meets the tankers who saved him, plays the accordion that belonged to their killed commander, and they give the accordion to him as a farewell. In the chapter “Two Soldiers”, T., on the way to the front, finds himself in the house of old peasants, helps them with the housework, talks with the old owner, who fought in the First World War, and in parting to his question: “We will beat the German / Or maybe won’t we beat you?” replies: “We’ll beat you, father.” In the chapter “On Loss,” T. tells a soldier who lost his pouch how, when he was brought to the medical battalion by tank crews, he discovered his hat was missing and a young nurse gave him hers; he hopes to meet her and return the hat. T. gives his pouch to the fighter in return for the lost one. In the chapter “Duel,” T. enters into hand-to-hand combat with a German and, with difficulty defeating him, takes him prisoner. In the chapter “Who Shot?” T. is unexpectedly shot down by a German attack aircraft with a rifle; Sergeant T. reassures the envious him: “Don’t worry, this is / Not the German’s last plane.” In the chapter “General,” T. is summoned to the general, who awards him an order and a week’s leave, but it turns out that the hero cannot use it, since his native village is still occupied by the Germans. In the chapter “Battle in the Swamp,” T. jokes and encourages the fighters who are waging a difficult battle for a place called “the settlement of Borki,” of which “one black place” remains. In the chapter “About Love” it turns out that the hero does not have a girlfriend who would accompany him to the war and write him letters to the front; the author jokingly calls: “Turn your gentle gaze, / Girls, to the infantry.” In the chapter “Terkin’s Rest,” normal living conditions seem to the hero to be “paradise”; Having lost the habit of sleeping in bed, he cannot fall asleep until he receives advice - to put a hat on his head to simulate field conditions. In the chapter “On the Offensive,” T., when the platoon commander is killed, takes command and is the first to break into the village; however, the hero is again seriously wounded. In the chapter “Death and the Warrior,” T., lying wounded in a field, talks with Death, who persuades him not to cling to life; in the end he is discovered by the soldiers of the funeral team, and he tells them: “Take away this woman, / I am a soldier still alive”; they take him to the medical battalion. The chapter “Terkin Writes” is a letter from T. from the hospital to his fellow soldiers: he promises to definitely return to them. In the chapter “Terkin - Terkin” the hero meets his namesake - Ivan Terkin; they argue which of them is the “true” Terkin (this name has already become legendary), but cannot determine because they are very similar to each other. The dispute is resolved by the foreman, who explains that “According to the regulations, each company / Will be given its own Terkin.” Further, in the chapter “From the Author,” the process of “mythologizing” the character is depicted; T. is called “a holy and sinful Russian miracle man.” In the chapter “Grandfather and Woman” we again talk about the old peasants from the chapter “Two Soldiers”; after spending two years under occupation, they are awaiting the advance of the Red Army; the old man recognizes one of the scouts as T., who became an officer. The chapter “On the Dnieper” says that T., together with the advancing army, is getting closer to his native places; troops cross the Dnieper, and, looking at the liberated land, the hero cries. In the chapter “On the Road to Berlin,” T. meets a peasant woman who was once kidnapped to Germany - she returns home on foot; together with the soldiers, T. gives her trophies: a horse and team, a cow, a sheep, household utensils and a bicycle. In the chapter “In the Bath,” the soldier, on whose tunic “Orders, medals in a row / Burn with a hot flame,” is compared by admiring soldiers to T.: the hero’s name has already become a household name.

VASILY TERKIN is the hero of A.T. Tvardovsky’s poems “Vasily Terkin” (1941-1945) and “Terkin in the Other World” (1954-1963). Image of V.T. Tvardovsky developed as a result of observing real military everyday life at the front, where he was present as a war correspondent. This is a realistic image of great generalizing power, an “ordinary” hero, according to Tvardovsky, born in the special, unique atmosphere of the war years; image-type Soviet soldier, organically entered into the soldier environment, close to his collective prototype in his biography, way of thinking, actions and language. According to A.M. Turkov, V.T, “having lost his heroic physique,” ​​“gained a heroic soul.” This is an amazingly correctly understood Russian national character, taken in its best features. Behind the illusion of simplicity, buffoonery, and mischief lie moral sensitivity and an organically inherent sense of filial duty to the Motherland, the ability to accomplish a feat at any moment without phrases or poses. Behind the experience and love of life is a dramatic duel with the death of a person who finds himself in war. Developed as the poem was written and simultaneously published, the image of V.T. acquired the scale of a hero epic work about the fate of the Soviet soldier and his homeland. The generalized type of Soviet warrior became identified with the image of the entire warring people, concretized in the living, psychologically rich character of V.T., in whom each front-line soldier recognized himself and his comrade. V.T. became a household name, ranking with such heroes as Till Eulenspiegel by S. de Coster and Cola Brunyon by R. Rolland.

After the end of the war and the publication of the first poem about V.T. readers asked Tvardovsky to write a continuation about the life of V.T. V Peaceful time. Tvardovsky himself considered V.T. belonging to wartime. However, the author needed his image when writing a satirical poem about the essence of the bureaucratic world of a totalitarian system, which was called “Terkin in the Other World.” Personifying the vitality of the Russian national character, V.T. demonstrates that “the most terrible thing for the state of the dead is a living person” (S. Lesnevsky).

After the publication of the second poem, Tvardovsky was accused of betraying his hero, who became “submissive” and “lethargic.” However, V.T. in the second poem he continues his dispute with death, begun in the first, but according to the laws of the genre in fairy tales about a journey to the underworld, the hero is required not to actively fight, which is impossible among the dead, but to be able to go through trials and withstand them. The positive beginning in satire is laughter, not the hero. Tvardovsky follows the traditions of the works of Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Dostoevsky (“Bobok”), Blok (“Dances of Death”).

Post-war V.T. brought to life with triumphant success on the stage of the Moscow Theater of Satire by A.D. Papanov (director V. Pluchek).

The reader asked Tvardovsky for a continuation of V.T. “Our Vasily,” reports Tvardovsky, “arrived in the next world, but in this world he departed.” The poem ends with a hint-address to the reader: “I gave you a task.” Both V.T. and Tvardovsky remained true to themselves - the battle “for the sake of life on earth” continues.

Poem by A.T. Tvardovsky “Vasily Terkin” is a testimony of history. The writer himself was a war correspondent; military life was close to him. The work shows the clarity of what is happening, imagery, accuracy, which makes us truly believe the poem.

The main character of the work, Vasily Terkin, is a simple Russian soldier. His very name speaks of the generality of his image. He was close to the soldiers, he was one of them. Many even, reading the poem, said that the real Terkin was in their company, that he was fighting with them. The image of Terkin also has folk roots. In one of the chapters, Tvardovsky compares him with a soldier from famous fairy tale"Porridge from an axe." The author presents Terkin as a resourceful soldier who knows how to find a way out of any situation and show intelligence and ingenuity. In other chapters, the hero appears to us as a mighty hero from ancient epics, strong and fearless.

What can we say about Terkin’s qualities? All of them are certainly worthy of respect. One can easily say about Vasily Terkin: “he does not drown in water and does not burn in fire,” and this will be the pure truth. The hero exhibits such qualities as courage, bravery, and courage, and the proof of this is in chapters such as “The Crossing” and “Death and the Warrior.” He never loses heart, jokes (for example, in the chapters “Terkin-Terkin”, “In the bathhouse”). He shows his love for life in "Death and the Warrior". He does not fall into the hands of death, resists it and survives. And, of course, Terkin contains such qualities as great patriotism, humanism and a sense of military duty.

Vasily Terkin was very close to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War; he reminded them of themselves. The soldiers eagerly awaited the publication of newspapers with new chapters of the poem, and wrote to Tvardovsky with gratitude and devotion. Terkin inspired soldiers to heroic deeds, helped them during the war, and maybe even, to some extent, the war was won thanks to him.

Quoted description of Vasily Terkin

They look into the joker's mouth,

They catch the word greedily.

It's good when someone lies

Fun and challenging.

Just a guy himself

He's ordinary.

Not tall, not that small,

But a hero is a hero.

I'm a big hunter to live

About ninety years old.

And, save the crust

Having broken off the ice,

He is like him, Vasily Terkin,

I got up alive and got there by swimming.

And with a timid smile

The fighter then says:

Could I also have a stack?

Because well done?

No guys, I'm not proud.

Without thinking into the distance,

So I’ll say: why do I need an order?

I agree to a medal.

Terkin, Terkin, kind fellow...

Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky - the most famous Soviet writer, journalist and poet. The image of Vasily Terkin, created by him in the most difficult years for our country, is familiar to everyone since childhood. The brave, resilient and resourceful soldier still retains his attractiveness today. Therefore, it was Tvardovsky’s poem and its main character that became the topic of this article.

Vasya Terkin and “The Book about a Fighter”

A hero named Vasya Terkin was created even before the Great Patriotic War by a team of journalists, one of whom was Tvardovsky. The character was an invincible fighter, successful and strong, somewhat reminiscent of an epic hero.

For the journalist, who Tvardovsky was, the image of Vasily Terkin evokes the idea of ​​​​creating a full-fledged work in verse. Having returned, the writer begins work and plans to complete the book in 1941 and call it “A Book about a Soldier.” However new war mixed up plans, Tvardovsky goes to the front. In the difficult first months, he simply does not have time to think about the work; together with the army, he retreats and leaves the encirclement.

Creating the image of the main character

In 1942, the writer returned to his planned poem. But now her hero is fighting not in the past, but in the current war. The very image of Vasily Terkin in the poem also changes. Before that, he was a merry fellow and joker Vasya, now he is a completely different person. The fate of other people and the outcome of the war depend on him. On June 22, 1942, Tvardovsky announced the new title of the future poem - “Vasily Terkin.”

The work was written during the war, almost in parallel with it. The poet managed to quickly reflect front-line changes and preserve the artistry and beauty of the language. The chapters of the poem were published in the newspaper, and the soldiers eagerly awaited the new issue. The success of the work is explained by the fact that Vasily Terkin is the image of a Russian soldier, that is, a collective image, and therefore close to every soldier. That’s why this character was so inspiring and encouraging, giving me strength to fight.

Theme of the poem

The main theme of Tvardovsky's poem is the life of people at the front. No matter how cheerfully and fervently, with humor and irony the writer described the events and heroes, at the same time he did not let us forget that war is a tragic and severe test. And the image of Vasily Terkin helps to reveal this idea.

The poet describes both the joy of victory and the bitterness of retreat, soldier’s life, everything that befell the people. And people passed these tests for the sake of one thing: “Combat to the death is not for the sake of glory, for the sake of life on earth!”

But Tvardovsky understands the problems, not only does he talk about the war in general. Raises philosophical questions about life and death, peaceful life and battles. The writer looks at war through the prism of basic human values.

Symbolism in the name of the main character

The image of Vasily Terkin is noteworthy from a symbolic point of view. An essay dedicated to this hero can start with just this, and then move on to detailed description hero, which will be presented in detail below. So, as noted above, Tvardovsky’s hero has changed dramatically, he is no longer the same joker Vasya. His place is taken by a real fighter, a Russian soldier with his own biography. He took part in the Finnish campaign, then returned to the army in 1941, retreated, was surrounded, then, together with the entire army, went on the offensive and ended up in Germany.

The image of Vasily Terkin is multifaceted, symbolic, embodying the people, the Russian type of person. It is no coincidence that there is not a single mention of his family or personal relationships in the poem. He is described as a civilian forced to become a soldier. Before the war, Vasily lived on a collective farm. Therefore, he perceives the war as an ordinary civilian: for him it is an unimaginable grief, akin to He lives the dream of a peaceful life. That is, Tvardovsky creates in Terkin the type of an ordinary peasant.

At the hero's speaking surname- Terkin, that is, a seasoned man, a seasoned man; the poem says about him: “Grated by life.”

Image of Vasily Terkin

Often becomes a topic creative works image of Vasily Terkin. An essay about this character should be supplemented with a short note about the creation of the poem.

The disparate composition of the work is united into one whole by the main character, a participant in all the events described, Vasily Ivanovich Terkin. He himself is from Smolensk peasants. He is good-natured, easy to communicate, tries to maintain morale, for which he often tells soldiers funny stories from his military life.

Terkin was wounded from the first days at the front. But his destiny, destiny common man, who was able to endure all the hardships of the war, personifies the strength of the Russian people, the will of its spirit and thirst in the image of Terkin - that he does not stand out in any way, he is neither smarter, nor stronger, nor more talented than others, he is like everyone else: “Just a guy himself / He’s ordinary... There’s always a guy like that / There’s always one in every company.”

However this a common person endowed with such qualities as courage, courage, simplicity. By this, Tvardovsky emphasizes that all these qualities are inherent in all Russian people. And this is precisely the reason for our victory over a ruthless enemy.

But Terkin is not only a seasoned soldier, he is also a craftsman, a jack of all trades. Despite the harshness of wartime, he repairs watches, sharpens a saw, and plays the accordion in between battles.

To emphasize the collective nature of the image, Tvardovsky allows the hero to speak about himself in the plural.

Terkin’s conversation with Death is noteworthy. The fighter lies wounded, his life ends, and Bones appears behind him. But the hero agrees to leave with her only if she gives him a one-day reprieve so that he can “hear the victorious fireworks.” Then Death is surprised by this dedication and retreats.

Conclusion

So, the image of Vasily Terkin is a collective image designed to emphasize the heroism and courage of the Russian people. However, this hero also contains individual traits: dexterity, ingenuity, wit, the ability not to lose heart even in the face of death.

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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. 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.