Small in volume, but surprisingly capacious in content, the story of M. Sholokhov, telling about the fate of not only a simple Russian man, Andrei Sokolov, but also about the fate of the whole country. After all, the hero of the story is the same age as the century.
The story begins with the author's story about an accidental acquaintance with an elderly man and his little son. They had several hours to wait, and they decided to pass the time by talking. So the author learned about the life of this seemingly ordinary person. But there was something attractive in this inconspicuousness, and most importantly - in the eyes that saw a lot …
The beginning of the life of Andrei Sokolov
Andrey was born in 1900, in the Voronezh province, in a peasant family. The most ordinary childhood ended with the beginning of global changes in the country and in the world. Civil war, the death of the whole family in a famine year … It was unbearable to remain in an empty village, without a single loved one nearby. In the early twenties, the young man moved to Voronezh, went to work at the plant.
Pre-war life
So began, apparently, the happiest period in the life of the hero. His main luck is a happy marriage to Irina, also a lonely girl, an orphan, who had a chance to see a lot of grief. Irina turned out to be not just a beloved woman, but also a really good wife - smart, caring and understanding. Soon, children, a son and two daughters were born.
In 1929, Andrei decided to change his specialty - he studied and became a driver. Fatherhood, awareness of oneself as the head of the family, responsibility for loved ones, pride in a son, a talented young man, joy for daughters - could one be happier! But the war began …
War, captivity, ruin of life
Andrei was drafted to the front at the very beginning of the war. Farewell to the family was unbearably difficult, Irina could not calm down for a minute, she was sure that she would never see her husband again. Unable to bear her tears, Andrei said goodbye to his beloved colder than it should have been … It turned out to be a heavy burden for the rest of his life.
At the front, Andrei was also a driver, bringing ammunition to the front line. Once he did not take him - a shell fell next to the car, he lost consciousness and was taken prisoner. The horror of bondage began, dreams of liberation from captivity, of escape. But the very first attempt ended in failure and almost cost Andrei his life, but did not extinguish the desire for freedom. The next attempt was more deliberate and was crowned with success - the hero got to his own!
And, of course, first of all I tried to find out about the fate of my relatives. For more than two years, he did not know anything about his wife and children. But what happened to learn could not but terrify … His wife and daughters died - a bomb hit their house. Only the son survived. Upon learning of this, Andrei volunteered for the front, and all the hope was only to meet his son. He found Anatoly, they corresponded, their meeting was already close … His son was killed on May 9, 1945.
Life after the war
Again lonely, having lost everything, Andrei Sokolov was demobilized. There was no strength to go to Voronezh, where everything reminded of past happiness, and he went to Uryupinsk, to a front-line friend. I got a job as a chauffeur, hoping to somehow live out my life. And fate gave him another meeting - with a little homeless orphan Vanya, who became his son. The heart cannot be lonely, a person cannot but want happiness. And Andrei Sokolov, crippled by the war, destitute, decided to make this little man happy.
His troubles did not end there either. At the moment when the author meets his hero, Andrei, who has lost his job due to accident, goes to Kashira, hoping to get a job there. But not only troubles are driving Sokolov from place to place … Longing, wicked longing for the past does not allow him to settle down in one place. But there is also hope - for the sake of the boy to settle down, to put down roots, to live not only in the past, but also in the expectation of the future.
