Many readers believe that the first lines of the famous “Book about a Fighter” by A. Tvardovsky appeared in 1942 and the image of the main character was caused solely by the events of the Great Patriotic War. Meanwhile, everything is somewhat different, and the first mention of the brave Vasya Terkin dates back to the period Russian-Finnish war. Let us remember, based on the testimony of the author himself, what is the history of the creation of the poem.

"Vasily Terkin" - beginning

In 1939, when the campaign with the Finns began, A. Tvardovsky worked for the newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland.” At this time, it occurs to the creative team of the publishing house to come up with the image of some amusing character - a conventionally daring and cheerful fighter who would appear on the pages of the publication, accompanied by poetic captions. The name of the hero did not appear right away: we went through several options until we settled on the simple and warm Vasya - as he was called at that time. This is how the story of the creation of “Vasily Terkin” began, known to almost every Soviet reader.

Random coincidence

By the way, in his memoirs, Tvardovsky talks about how once, already during the war years, he received a letter, the author of which was interested in why the main character - a glorious warrior - bears the name of another literary character. As it turned out, notes Alexander Trifonovich, P. Boborykin’s novel with the same name appeared even earlier. Only Vasily Terkin in him is a dishonest merchant, a scoundrel and a hypocrite. The poet admits that, having received the letter, he found and read the work in question without much pleasure, but decided not to change the name of his hero. More precisely, he did not attach any significance to such a coincidence - especially since the history of the creation of the poem "Vasily Terkin" really had nothing to do with the novel - and continued his work in the same direction.

But let’s return to “The Book about a Fighter.”

Development of the ideological concept

The poet remembered the brave hero, already loved by the reader from the newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland,” in 1940. It so happened that in 1939 the writers, as planned, wrote one or two feuilletons each, and then moved on to other work. Only for a long time did he turn to this image, to which few people attached serious importance. Now Tvardovsky was thinking about how to combine in his work of art- and this should have been a poem - of that hero of the feuilletons with the seriousness that reality required. And he began to sort through in his memory everything that was connected with the Finnish war, including eyewitness accounts, went to Vyborg, re-read printed articles, etc. However, it was not possible to write the work as planned by the 41st, and then the war began. As a result, the history of the creation of “Vasily Terkin” will for some time be limited to only thinking about the composition, plot, and image of the main character.

1942

From the first days of the war, Tvardovsky was sent to the front as a correspondent. In the first months, the most cruel and hot, there was no time for the poem. The idea that had already arisen in my head for so long was postponed until the summer of 1942, when the story of the creation of A. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin” was continued. But now it was supposed to be a work about another war - the Soviet people against fascist invaders. And the hero from Vasya turned into Vasily, who personified the Russian tiller, the worker, the tireless worker who stood up to defend the Fatherland.

The first chapters of Alexander Trifonovich’s new work appeared in one of the front-line newspapers in September. Then the poem was published in parts in many editions, available to both the fighting soldiers and those who remained behind the lines. She helped some to survive the hardships of life at the front, others - to wait for their relatives with this terrible war. “The Book about a Soldier” was loved by all readers, and everyone was looking forward to new chapters, the hero of which was a soldier with a simple Russian name - it was A. Tvardovsky - Vasily Terkin - who created his new image.

The history of the creation of the poem during the war

The work was written until 1945, although back in 1943, after being wounded, successfully cured, and the hero returning to duty, the author thought that he had reached the end. Readers intervened, demanding the continuation of the poem, with whom it was dishonest to argue, as Tvardovsky noted. Vasily Terkin, the history of whose creation receives further development, again walked through the pages of newspapers and magazines.

The work reflects the main stages of the war: tragic retreats in its first months, battles that became turning points, and the victorious march to the west. There was even a desire to send the hero to the rear of the Germans, but Tvardovsky soon abandoned such a plan, deciding that this would violate the general concept of the work and make the soldier’s story private.

During the war years, the author received many letters, from which it followed that readers were very interested in the history of the creation of “Vasily Terkin,” in particular, whether the person described in the poem actually exists. And although the hero had many namesakes - one of them, Viktor Vasilyevich Terkin, even asked to change his name to his own - the poet’s answer was always categorical: Vasily Terkin is a completely fictitious character and has no real prototype. It was formed from the author’s personal observations and embodied best features Russian defender.

Farewell to the hero

The history of the creation of “Vasily Terkin” ends with the victorious spring of 1945. In May, Tvardovsky publishes the final chapter “From the Author,” in which he says that he says goodbye to the soldier. And despite the fact that he was again convinced of the need to continue the work, he was unshakable: Terkin’s time had passed. In his opinion, now, in Peaceful time, we need another character.

This is the history of the creation of “Vasily Terkin”, briefly described on the basis of A. Tvardovsky’s article “How “Vasily Terkin (answer to readers)” was written.”

Instead of an afterword

Already in the post-war years, knowing about the incredible popularity of the poem and its main character, many unscrupulous writers created “continuations” of the hero’s adventures and even “imitations” famous book. The answer to them was that the poem - this was repeatedly emphasized by Tvardovsky - "Vasily Terkin", the history of the creation of which is described by the author himself, is definitely over and there is no expectation of returning to it in the future.

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.

Under fire, the platoon goes 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 carry 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.”

Retold

In war, in the dust of the march,
In the summer heat and cold,
There is no better simple, natural -
From the well, from the pond,
From a water pipe,
From a hoof print,
From any river,
From the stream, from under the ice, -
There's no better cold water,
Only water would be water.
In war, in harsh everyday life,
IN difficult life combat,
In the snow, under a pine roof,
At the field parking lot, -
There is nothing better than simple, healthy,
Good food to the front line.
It is only important that the cook
If only there was a cook - a guy;
So that it’s not for nothing that he’s listed
So that sometimes I don’t sleep at night, -
If only she had some broth
Yes, it would be in the heat, in the heat -
Kinder, hotter;
To go into any fight,
Feeling the strength in my shoulders,
Feeling cheerful.
However
It's not just about the cabbage soup.
You can live without food for a day,
More is possible, but sometimes
In a one-minute war
Can't live without a joke
Jokes of the most unwise.
It’s impossible to live without shag,
From bombing to another
Without a good saying
Or some kind of saying -
Without you, Vasily Terkin,
Vasya Terkin is my hero,
And more than anything else
Not to live for sure -
Without which? Without real truth,
Truth that hits right into the soul,
If only it were thicker
No matter how bitter it may be.
What else?.. And that’s all, perhaps.
In short, a book about a fighter
Without beginning, without end.
Why is this without a beginning?
Because time is short
Start it over again.
Why without end?
I just feel sorry for the guy.
From the first days of the bitter year,
In the difficult hour of our native land
Not joking, Vasily Terkin,
You and I became friends
I have no right to forget that
What do I owe to your glory?
How and where did you help me?
Time for business, time for fun,
Dear Turkin in the war.
How can I suddenly leave you?
The account of old friendship is correct.
In short, a book from the middle
And let's begin. And there it will go.

At a rest stop

- Efficient, to be sure,
There was the same old man
What did you come up with to cook soup?
On wheels directly.
Soup first. Secondly,
The porridge is normally strong.
No, he was an old man
Sensitive - that's for sure.
Hey, give me another one
Such a spoon
I am the second, brother, war
I will fight forever.
Rate it, add a little something.
The cook looked sideways:
"Wow eater -
This guy is new."
puts an extra spoon,
He says unkindly:
- You should, you know, join the navy
With your appetite.
That one: - Thank you. I'm just
I haven't been in the navy.
I'd rather be like you
Cook in the infantry. -
And, sitting down under a pine tree,
He eats porridge while slouching.
"Mine?" – fighters among themselves, -
"Mine!" – we looked at each other.
And already, having warmed up, he slept
The regiment is very tired.
In the first platoon, sleep disappeared,
Contrary to the regulations.
Leaning against the trunk of a pine tree,
Not sparing shag,
At war about war
Terkin conducted the conversation.
- You guys from the middle
Start off. And I will say:
I'm not the first shoes
I wear it here without repair.
Now you have arrived at the place,
Take your guns and fight.
And how many of you know
What is Sabantui?
– Is Sabantuy some kind of holiday?
Or what is it - Sabantuy?
– Sabantuy can be different,
If you don’t know, don’t interpret
Here under the first bombing
You'll lie down from hunting,
You're still alive - don't worry:
This is a small Sabantui.
Take a breather, eat a hearty meal,
Light a cigarette and don't blow your nose.
It's worse, brother, like a mortar
Suddenly Sabantuy will begin.
He will penetrate you deeper, -
Kiss Mother Earth.
But keep in mind, my dear,
This is an average Sabantui.
Sabantuy is science for you,
The enemy is fierce - he himself is fierce.
But it's a completely different thing
This is the main Sabantui.
The guy fell silent for a minute,
To clean the mouthpiece,
As if gradually someone
He winked: hang in there, my friend...
- So you went out early,
I looked at your sweat and trembling;
A thousand German tanks…
- A thousand tanks? Well, brother, you're lying.
- Why should I lie, buddy?
Think about it - what is the calculation?
- But why immediately a thousand?
- Fine. Let it be five hundred
- Well, five hundred. Tell me honestly
Don't scare me like old women.
- OK. What's three hundred, two hundred -
At least meet one...
- Well, the slogan in the newspaper is accurate:
Don't run into the bushes and into the bread.
Tank - it looks very formidable,
But in reality he is deaf and blind.
- He's blind. You're lying in a ditch
And there’s a feeling in my heart:
Suddenly he crushes you blindly, -
After all, he doesn’t see a damn thing.
I agree again:
What you don’t know, don’t interpret.
Sabantuy - just one word -
Sabantuy!.. But Sabantuy
It might hit you in the head
Or simply, in the head.
Here we had one guy...
Give me some tobacco.
They look into the joker's mouth,
They catch the word greedily.
It's good when someone lies
Fun and challenging.
To the side of the forest, deaf,
In bad weather,
Okay, as it is
Guy on a hike.
And he hesitated
They ask: - Come on, for the night
Tell me something else
Vasily Ivanovich...
The night is deaf, the earth is damp.
The fire is smoking a little.
- No, guys, it's time to sleep,
Start creeping.
With my face pressed to my sleeve,
On a warm hillock
Between fellow fighters
Vasily Terkin lay down.
The overcoat is heavy and wet,
The rain was good.
The roof is the sky, the hut is spruce,
The roots are pressing under the ribs.
But it is not visible that he
I was saddened by this
So that he can't sleep
Somewhere in the world.
So he pulled up the floors,
Covering your back
I mentioned someone's mother-in-law,
A stove and a feather bed.
And crouched down to the damp ground,
Overcome by languor,
And he lies, my hero,
He sleeps like at home.
He sleeps - even if he’s hungry, even if he’s full,
At least one, at least in a heap.
To sleep for the previous lack of sleep,
Learned to sleep in reserve.
And the hero hardly dreams
Every night a heavy dream:
Like from the western border
He retreated to the east;
How did he go, Vasya Terkin,
From the reserve private,
In a salty gymnast
Hundreds of miles of native land.
How big is the earth?
The greatest land.
And she would be a stranger
Someone else's, or your own.
The hero sleeps, snores – that’s it.
Accepts everything as it is.
Well, my own - that’s for sure.
Well, it’s war – so I’m here.
He sleeps, forgetting about the difficult summer.
Sleep, care, don't rebel.
Maybe tomorrow at dawn
There will be a new Sabantuy.
The soldiers sleep as if caught in a dream,
Under the pine tree
Sentinels at posts
They get wet and lonely.
Zgi is not visible. Night all around.
And the fighter will feel sad.
He just suddenly remembers something,
He will remember and smile.
And it’s as if the dream has disappeared,
Laughter stifled the yawn.
- It's good that he got it,
Terkin, to our company.

"Vasily Terkin"(other name - "Book about a fighter") - a poem by Alexander Tvardovsky, one of the main works in the poet’s work, which has received nationwide recognition. The poem is dedicated to a fictional character - Vasily Terkin, a soldier of the Great Patriotic War.

The poem began to be published with a continuation in a newspaper version in 1942 and was completed in 1945. The first separate edition of the still unfinished work was published in 1942. For the most part, the poem is written in trochaic tetrameter (certain chapters in trochaic trimeter).

According to the results of a study carried out in 2015 by the magazine “Russian Reporter” sociological research, the text of the poem took 28th place in the top 100 most popular poetic lines in Russia, including, among other things, Russian and world classics.

About the product

The coincidence of the name of the main character with the name of the hero of the novel by the 19th century writer P. D. Boborykin turned out to be accidental.

The Red Army soldier Tyorkin had already begun to enjoy a certain popularity among readers of the district newspaper, and Tvardovsky decided that the topic was promising and needed to be developed within the framework of a large-scale work.

June 22, 1941 Tvardovsky ends the peace literary activity and the next day he leaves for the front. He becomes a war correspondent for the Southwestern and then the 3rd Belorussian Front. In 1941-1942, together with the editorial staff, Tvardovsky found himself in the hottest spots of the war. Retreats, finds himself surrounded and leaves it.

In the spring of 1942, Tvardovsky returned to Moscow. Having collected scattered notes and sketches, he again sits down to work on the poem. “War is serious, and poetry must be serious”- he writes in his diary. On September 4, 1942, the publication of the first chapters of the poem (introductory “From the Author” and “At a Rest”) began in the Western Front newspaper Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda.

The poem gains fame, it is reprinted by the central publications “Pravda”, “Izvestia”, “Znamya”. Excerpts from the poem are read on the radio by Orlov and Levitan. Then they began to appear famous illustrations, created by the artist Orest Vereisky. Tvardovsky himself reads his work, meets with soldiers, visits with creative evenings hospitals and labor collectives.

The work was a great success among readers. When Tvardovsky wanted to finish the poem in 1943, he received many letters in which readers demanded a continuation. In 1942-1943, the poet experienced a severe creative crisis. In the army and among the civilian readership, “The Book about a Fighter” was received with a bang, but the party leadership criticized it for its pessimism and lack of reference to the leading role of the party. Secretary of the Union of Writers of the USSR Alexander Fadeev admitted: "the poem answers his heart", But “...we must follow not the inclinations of the heart, but the party guidelines”. Nevertheless, Tvardovsky continues to work, extremely reluctantly agreeing to censorship edits and cuts of the text. As a result, the poem was completed in 1945 along with the end of the war. The last chapter (“In the Bath”) was completed in March 1945. Even before finishing work on the work, Tvardovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Finishing work on the poem, Tvardovsky, back in 1944, simultaneously began the next poem, “Terkin in the Other World.” Initially, he planned to write it as the last chapter of the poem, but the idea grew into an independent work, which also included some uncensored excerpts from Vasily Terkin. “Terkin in the Next World” was prepared for publication in the mid-1950s and became another programmatic work of Tvardovsky - a vivid anti-Stalin pamphlet. On July 23, the Secretariat of the Central Committee, chaired by N. S. Khrushchev, adopted a resolution condemning Tvardovsky for the poem “Terkin in the Next World” prepared for publication. During the campaign to “expose Stalin,” on August 17, 1963, the poem was first published in the newspaper Izvestia. During wartime, the poem (more precisely, its excerpts) was memorized by heart, newspaper clippings were passed on to each other, considering its main character a role model.

Criticism and artistic features

There is no plot as such in the poem ( “There is no plot in war”), but it is built around the connecting idea of ​​a military road along which Tyorkin, together with all Soviet army goes to the goal. It is not for nothing that most critics consider the chapter “The Crossing” to be the central chapter. At the beginning of the poem, the continuity with Tvardovsky’s previous work is clearly visible - the utopian poem “The Country of Ant”, which also begins with a story about the road along which the hero has to go. The role of authorial digressions in the narrative is also very important. The peculiar dialogue between the author and the main character occupies a significant place in the text of the poem.

Terkin appears in the poem as collective image, embodying the best features inherent Soviet soldier. The heroes surrounding Tyorkin are nameless and abstract: the soldier’s colleagues, the general, the old man and the old woman, Death - as if borrowed from a folk tale ( in fact, this is a complete rethinking of the poem “Anika the Warrior” with the opposite outcome: even the angels serving Death - who took on the everyday appearance of a funeral team - are on the side of the Warrior [ ]). The language of the poem, despite its apparent simplicity, is an example of the poet’s recognizable style. He eats from the people, oral speech. The intonationally rich text of the work is interspersed with phrases that sound like sayings and lines of ditties (“It’s good when someone lies cheerfully and smoothly”, “Well done, but there will be a lot - two at once. - So there are two ends ...”). The author conveys in an accurate and balanced style Tyorkin’s speech, a lyrically sublime description of nature and the harsh truth of war.

The choice of trochaic tetrameter as the size of the poem is not accidental. It is this size that is characteristic of the Russian ditty and fits well with the narrative rhythm of the poem. Critics also believe that in the poem “Vasily Terkin” the influence of Russians is clearly felt folk tales, in particular, “The Little Humpbacked Horse” by Ershov.

Distinctive feature The lack of an ideological principle has become a feature of a work reminiscent of a legend about a folk hero. The poem does not contain the usual glorifications of Stalin for works of those years. The author himself noted that a ritual mention of the leading and guiding role of the party “would destroy both the concept and the figurative structure of the poem about people's war" This circumstance subsequently created great problems for publication and delayed the publication of the final version of the poem.

The secret of Tvardovsky’s creativity is not only in the ease of rhythm and masterly use spoken language, but also in the writer’s unmistakable instinct, which allowed him to stay on on the right side in the propaganda war, without succumbing to the temptation of lies. The book tells as much truth as circumstances allowed.

Original text (English)

The secret of Tvardovsky's, besides his easy rhythms is his virtuosic command of colloquial Russian and his unerring tact in staying on the “right” side of the propaganda line of the moment without telling outright lie, while also propounding as much of the truth as was at all possible under the current circumstances.

Cultural significance

The poem "Vasily Terkin" is one of the most famous works created during the Great Patriotic War, glorifying the feat of an unnamed Russian soldier. The poem was published in large numbers, translated into many languages, and was included in school curriculum USSR and Russia and was well known to any schoolchild.

Tvardovsky, who himself went through the front, absorbed sharp and accurate soldier observations, phrases and sayings into the language of the poem. Phrases from the poem became catchphrases and entered oral speech.

Solzhenitsyn spoke highly of Tvardovsky’s work [ ] . Boris Pasternak considered "Torkin" the highest achievement of literature about the war, which had an impact big influence on his work. Ivan Bunin spoke about the poem like this:

This is a truly rare book: what freedom, what wonderful prowess, what accuracy, precision in everything and what an extraordinary folk soldier’s language - not a hitch, not a single false, ready-made, that is, literary-vulgar word!

Monuments

In addition to the monument in Smolensk, there is also a monument to Vasily Terkin in Orekhovo-Zuevo: a golden-colored figure in the form of a man with an accordion. On the day of the opening of the monument, the famous harmonica player Sergei Boriskin wrote a poem. Another monument to Terkin was erected in the city of Satka. Located in the old part of the city of Satka, in the park near the Metallurg Palace of Culture, on the square bounded by Bocharova and Komsomolskaya streets. Distance from Chelyabinsk – 180 km, from Ufa – 240 km, from Bakal – 22 km. [ ] In 2017, a monument to Vasily Terkin was also erected in the city of Gvardeysk (until 1946 Tapiau) in the Kaliningrad region, where he met A.T. Tvardovsky Victory Day May 9, 1945

Composition

The poem by A. T. Tvardovsky “Vasily Terkin” is a folk, or rather a soldier’s poem. Her main idea is to show the struggle of people for the sake of peace, for the sake of life. It represents a whole encyclopedia of a fighter’s life. And in the words of the writer himself, “this book is about a fighter, without beginning or end.” Main character- people embodied in the image of Vasily Terkin at war in a wide variety of situations and episodes. Tvardovsky was able to create a typical image of a Russian soldier, with its pros and cons. Before us appears a man who loves his Motherland and does not spare his blood for its sake, who can find a way out of a difficult situation and brighten up the difficulties at the front with a joke, who loved to play the accordion and listen to music at a rest stop. Terkin is a funny guy, he doesn’t mince words.

In my opinion, main feature His character is love for his native country. The hero constantly remembers his native places, which are so sweet and dear to his heart. One cannot help but be attracted to Terkin by his mercy and greatness of soul: he finds himself in war not because of military instinct, but “for the sake of life on earth”; the defeated enemy evokes in him only a feeling of pity (Terkin’s appeal to the German). He is modest, although he can sometimes boast, telling his friends that he does not need an order, he “agrees to a medal.”
But what attracts me most in this man is his love of life, worldly ingenuity, mockery of the enemy and of any difficulties.

Just look how Terkin lives and enjoys life at the front, where every day threatens to be the last, where no one is “bewitched from a fool’s fragment, from any stupid bullet”:

After all, he is in the kitchen - from his place,
From place to battle,
Smokes, eats and drinks with gusto
For any position...

But we already see the hero when he swims across the icy river, dragging, straining, the “tongue”. But you have to stop, “and the frost means you can’t stand or sit down.” And then Terkin does not lose heart, he begins to play the accordion:

And from that old accordion,
That I was left an orphan
Somehow it suddenly became warmer
On the front road.

I think we can say that Terkin is the soul of the soldier’s company. It is no coincidence that his comrades listen to his humorous and sometimes serious stories with great interest. And let us remember how the wet company lay in the swamps and the soldiers dreamed of “at least death, but on dry land.” They couldn’t even light a cigarette: the matches were wet. And now it seems to all the soldiers that “there is no worse trouble.” But Terkin, as always, does not despair, grins and begins a long argument that as long as a soldier feels his comrade’s elbow, he is strong. And, lying in a wet swamp, he was able to cheer up his friends, they laughed. In my opinion, this is an extraordinary talent for cheering people up in difficult times. life situations. And Terkin possessed this talent.

And how interesting is the hero’s appeal to Death in the chapter “Death and the Warrior,” when the wounded man lies and freezes, and it seems to him that Kosaya has come to him:

I will cry, howl in pain,
Die in the field without a trace,
But of your own free will
I will never give up.

And Terkin does not submit to fate, he conquers death. A. T. Tvardovsky in his work showed vitality man, strength folk character, and also led the reader to an awareness of the moral greatness of the Russian warrior.

The main character of the poem, embodied in the image of Vasily Terkin. - people at war in a wide variety of situations and episodes. Tvardovsky managed to create a typical image of a Russian soldier, with its pros and cons. He created living man. Before us appears a warrior who loves his people, his homeland. He does not spare his blood for her. Terkin can find a way out of the most difficult situation and brighten up front-line difficulties with a joke. He loves to play the accordion and listen to music himself at rest. There were always Terkins, in any war. It was on such soldiers that the spirit of the Russian army rested.

Terkin - Russian, recognizable character, workmate, roommate. Now he is a comrade in war and trenches. He shaves with an awl and warms himself with smoke. In any situation, he tries to remain human, wants to preserve the human, the good in himself, and not become embittered, not become bitter. In his character, a fusion of life and folklore principles is formed. While working on the image of Terkin, the poet tried to maintain objectivity and not impose his views and sympathies. The poem is surprisingly not ideological.

Speaking about the destruction of the tank, Terkin fears:
What if he crushes you blindly?
After all, he doesn’t see a damn thing.

By the standards of that time, according to the ideas of some writers of that time, Soviet people were just waiting to give their lives for Stalin, for the Motherland. Terkin looks at all this more simply, in a folk way. And you begin to trust him. The hero simply comes to life before our eyes:

If we don't explode, we'll break through.
We will live, we will not die...

Terkin uses the normal vernacular language that all the soldiers spoke.
The poem does not have a single compositional basis. It is collected from separate chapters. Each chapter is a complete work. And the chapters were published separately in each issue of the front-line newspaper. The unity of the poem is given by a common theme - the life of a fighting man, an ordinary, earthly man, but also a “miracle man” who does not lose faith in himself, in his comrades, in the coming victory:

They go the hard way.
Same as two hundred years ago
A rogue with a flintlock gun
Russian worker-soldier.

Repeatedly in the poem the idea is heard that war is work. The work is hard, deadly, but necessary and honorable:

The battle is holy and right,
Mortal combat is not for glory,
For the sake of life on earth.

Terkin in the poem is given in different situations. He is at a rest stop, in battle, in a Russian bathhouse, getting food. But he is always a recognizable person, like there are many around. Thanks to them, simple infantry soldiers who did not spare themselves and gave their lives for their Motherland, Russia defended peace on earth:

The soldier walked like the others,
To unknown lands:
What is it, where is it, Russia,
Which line: ours?”

The poem does not contain loud phrases or any out-of-the-ordinary actions. War is blood, pain, loss. To win, you need to approach everything philosophically and patiently. Speaking about the hero of the poem, it is necessary to say about his last name. Terkin - grated, patient. But this is the strength of the Russian man: he is patient, seasoned, and capable of much. And therefore - a winner. Tvardovsky deliberately reduces Terkin’s heroism and selflessness:

In general, beaten
grated, burnt,
Wound marked double,
Surrounded in 1941,
He walked on the earth as a native.

The poem was a kind of chronicle of the war. It was written for fighters and about fighters. It also includes a chapter where the author tells the reader about death (“Death and the Warrior”). In it, Terkin heroically endures the coming of death. What saves him is his extraordinary fortitude and ingenuity. He conquers death. Tvardovsky showed in his work the moral strength of the Russian soldier, the strength of the people's character, and led the reader to realize the greatness of the Russian warrior. The poem will forever remain one of best works about the Great Patriotic War.

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