In the center of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s work “Prisoner of the Caucasus” there are two main characters - Zhilin and Kostylin. The plot of the story contains the relationships between the characters, a comparison of their characters and a comparison of the characters with each other.
The difference in the characters' characters led to the fact that their destinies turned out differently. Zhilin is a “dzhigit”, and Kostylin behaves quietly in the ransom agreement scene. This difference is already evident in the scene of the Tatar attack and the arrest of the heroes. And further, their behavior in captivity also shows Kostylin’s physical and spiritual weakness and concern for his comrade, Zhilin’s fortitude.
Zilina's best qualities are his love of life and worst qualities Kostylin are described in the escape scene. Zhilin walks around looking out, thinking about how to escape, he dug a hole, got out, climbed the mountain, crawls towards the road and at the same time carries Kostylin on him. And how Kostylin behaves - he is indifferent, bored, asleep, and during his escape he caught a stone with his foot, lags behind, groans, fell out of fear. For Zhilin, the concept of mutual assistance is important, and Kostylin does not want to be a burden.
If we briefly describe the characters of the heroes, then Zhilin can be described as a decisive, resourceful hero who knows how to forgive, brave; Kostylin, on the contrary, is meek, weak, betrays, humbles himself, is a coward, and forcibly hobbled home. In a word, Zhilin is a daredevil, and Kostylin is a deck.
Zhilin overcomes the trials in captivity, he managed not only to survive and take root in a hostile environment, but even won over his enemies. He solved his problems himself, without throwing them onto the shoulders of others, and was strong. Kostylin does not withstand the tests sent to him in captivity because of his weakness and selfishness.
Also important role their portraits play a role in comparing the characters. The portrait of Kostylin is described with the words: “... the man is overweight, fat, all red, and sweat is pouring from him.” Contempt and hostility immediately appear from the description of appearance. The image of a pitiful, insignificant person is created; he is weak, ready for a vile act.
Zhilin: “short in stature, but he was brave.” Outwardly, the man is ordinary, but one can feel strength and courage in him.
Comparing the actions, motives of actions and the relationship of the characters, one can also notice the contrast in the characters.
Zhilin loves his old mother, takes care of her, does not bother her, does not demand anything beyond her strength, he relies only on his own strength, and is actively looking for a way out. He says this: “I was not afraid, and I will not be afraid of you dogs.” He knew that his letter would not arrive, but he did not write another.
Kostylin is an egoist, he is sure that his relatives are obliged to ransom him, but he himself does not want to do anything for this, does not fight, and passively submits to circumstances. He sits in the barn all day and counts the days until the letter arrives or sleeps.
I consider Zhilin a real hero who does not submit to circumstances and strives for liberation. His character is characterized by strong will, courage, bravery, nobility and resourcefulness. But Kostylin cares only about himself, about his well-being, he does not know what duty, loyalty to friendship is. He is weak-willed, irresponsible, capable of meanness. He does not commit an act, does not escape from captivity. Kostylin is not a hero, he is not capable of great deeds.
But our heroes have something in common. Both characters served in the Caucasus. Zhilin and Kostylin are noblemen, both officers of the Russian army, both going on vacation and being captured. And how differently they manifest themselves!!! One is a hero, the other is a weak person in body and spirit. Two unlike people in the same situation.
I think that the author, by comparing the characters of the heroes, tried to convey to us the idea of a person, what he should be. How much depends on the person himself. In the same circumstances, one turns out to be a hero, and the other does not deserve to be called a person.
/ / / Why Zhilin and Kostylin different destinies? (based on Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus”)In the story, L. Tolstoy depicts the fate of two Russian soldiers - Zhilin and Kostylin. These heroes are the complete opposite of each other. Zhilin is small in stature, but a dexterous man, and Kostylin is corpulent and clumsy. Appearance is the first thing that catches the reader's eye. Further, the author gradually reveals the characters of Russian soldiers.
During the war with the Tatars, Russians moved long distances under the protection of soldiers, otherwise they could be captured by the enemy. During one of the moves, Zhilin was not on duty: he asked for leave and was returning home. The convoy constantly stopped, and the man got tired of “tragging along.” He decided to get home quickly, continuing his journey alone. Kostylin made the same decision and offered to go together. On the way they were attacked by the Tatars. First they chased after Zhilin. When Kostylin saw that his comrade was in trouble, he rushed not to help him, but to save his own skin. This episode demonstrates the cowardice of the soldier. As a result, both were captured.
If Zhilin managed to free himself, thanks to Dina, Kostylin barely waited for the ransom money. He was lucky that the money was sent before his death. Why did the fate of the soldiers turn out differently? Why didn’t Kostylin run away with his comrade? I think it's about the characters' personalities.
He had fierce fortitude. He did not bend either to people or to circumstances. The first clear demonstration of this quality is the episode in which a soldier was forced to write a ransom letter. The Tatar demanded 3,000 rubles, but the prisoner agreed only to 500. He knew that his mother had no money. Even under the threat of death, the soldier insisted on his own.
Zhilin never despaired. He believed that higher power help him escape, so he carefully prepared for his escape: he found out the way, dug a passage in the barn. The fate of the officer was also decided by his kindness. He helped the Tatars and thanks to this he found a savior.
Finally, the hero was helped by his endurance. He stubbornly walked towards his goal, not paying attention to wounds or hunger. Zhilin did not spare himself, so he was able to free himself.
I couldn't brag about this strong character. He relied on others. The soldier sent a letter home, and then passively waited until he was ransomed. While waiting for release, the hero only ate and slept. He did not immediately agree to escape with Zhilin, as he succumbed to fear. His comrade managed to persuade him, but they did not go far.
Kostylin felt very sorry for himself. While escaping, he complained about worn-out boots and body aches. He refused to walk because of the wounds on his legs. Selfishness and weakness blocked the path to salvation not only for him, but also for Zhilin. After the corpulent officer tested his strength in escaping, he abandoned the attempt again and doomed himself to suffering for another month. But at the same time, he made sure that his friend would no longer put himself in danger because of him.
Thus, the destinies of the heroes turned out differently, due to the fact that they had different attitudes towards difficulties and themselves. The fate of Zhilin, who knew how to pull himself together and look for a way out of the situation, was more successful. The image of Kostylin proves that manifestations of physical and internal weakness can play a cruel joke on a person.
In the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” which serves partly as an autobiography of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, there are two main characters. These are colleagues: Zhilin and Kostylin. Lev Nikolaevich himself became the prototype of Zhilin, and Kostylin’s hero was invented by him as a contrast to Zhilin.
Zhilin is described by Tolstoy as a strong-willed character, with strong spirit, and not wanting to lay down their heads before the trials that befall them. His colleague, on the contrary, is cowardly and lazy person, patiently awaiting the verdict of fate, and not wanting to decide it themselves.
The attentive reader will immediately notice that, despite the presence of two main characters, the story is called “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” I think: why? The fact is that Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, as a writer who knows how to convey the mood and essence of a story in a few words, called the work that way because he did not consider Kostylin a person worthy of being mentioned in history.
After being captured, Kostylin immediately, unconditionally, agrees to write a letter to his relatives. This means that he does not have his own goals, but hopes for his relatives and that they will ransom him. Zhilin, realizing that his mother will not collect enough money, indicates the wrong address in the letter, hoping to get out later, which he later succeeds. Zhilin does not run away just like that, he foresees all possible outcomes, plans his escape down to the smallest detail. And, being already ready, he also takes Kostylin, who at that time was not doing anything, but was only eating and sleeping. Zhilin is a purposeful person, ready to make sacrifices for the sake of friends and colleagues. Kostylin is a pampered egoist, incapable of anything. After the first unsuccessful attempt, which failed because of Kostylin, Zhilin still ran away, demonstrating his love of life and resilience, but Kostylin did not succeed because of his laziness.
The story ends with Lev Nikolaevich talking about the further fate of Zhilin. Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus, as befits a brave officer. About future fate Kostylin, except that he was bought out, nothing is known.
It is noteworthy that Lev Nikolaevich uses the names of the characters to describe their characters. Zhilin is associated with a strong man, strong in soul, not in body, which is clear to readers of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” from the beginning of the story to the end. The surname Kostylin, so similar to a crutch, indicates the laziness and cowardice of the character.
Thus, Lev Nikolaevich placed two opposing heroes in one story. He did this to educate future generations. So that in the future there will be no people like Kostylin, but only people like Zhilin.
And Kostylin are both in charge actors story by L. N. Tolstoy “Prisoner of the Caucasus”. The author wrote this work during the period Caucasian War, more precisely at the very last years war, when one day he himself almost became prey to the enemy. Tolstoy, together with his friend named Sado, barely managed to ride horses to the border so as not to be captured by the Tatars. This incident prompted the writer to create the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (1872).
Zhilin and Kostylin became friends during their service; both were officers. It so happened that on the way to their native lands they were both captured by the Tatars. And this happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was a man of weak character and undecided. When he saw the Tatars running towards them, he immediately abandoned his friend in trouble and began to run away. However, nothing worked out for him. Both were captured and locked in shackles in the barn. All further actions as if they revealed the characters’ character even more.
The author deliberately focuses on the difference between these heroes, because he wants to show what cowardice and weakness are fraught with. If you think about it, he also came up with “speaking” surnames. One is made of a “vein,” that is, of strength and will, and the other is associated with a “crutch,” that is, with weakness and the absence of an internal core. When the Tatars order each of them to write home a letter asking for a ransom, Zhilin, unlike his friend, writes the wrong address so as not to frighten the old mother, who does not have that kind of money.
The next time the characters' character is revealed is when they plan to escape. They managed to escape in the dark, but in the forest, due to Kostylin’s fault, they again ended up in the hands of the Tatars. Zhilin made his second attempt to escape without his friend. They were put in deep hole and put heavy stocks on his feet. Kostylin was unable to escape. Firstly, after the first unsuccessful attempt, he immediately gave up. Secondly, he did not have enough strength and will to take this decisive step.
As a result, Zhilin fled alone. Thirteen-year-old Dina helped him, who brought a long stick to pull her friend out of the hole. She was always kind to him. She brought food and water at the request of the officer, and for this he made her clay dolls. The second escape was more successful. Despite the difficulties that Zhilin encountered along the way, he was able to reach the border, and in the end he crawled. There he was picked up by the Cossacks.
Zhilin changed his mind about going home and remained to serve in the Caucasus. Kostylin had to remain in captivity for another month. He was released for a large ransom, barely alive. This is the result of his cowardice, weakness and unreliability. If he had been stronger in spirit, they would have escaped together long ago, and maybe they would not have been captured. So L.N. Tolstoy showed how people who find themselves in the same situation behave completely differently due to differences in character. Such is the character, such is the destiny.
In literature lessons we got acquainted with the story of L.N. Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus". The main character of this work is the Russian officer Zhilin, who was accidentally captured by the Tatars.
There is another hero in the story, also an officer of the Russian army, Kostylin. Tolstoy talks about the captivity of these people in his work. Zhilin and Kostylin are completely different in character. Their destinies are different. They also differ in appearance. Kostylin is overweight and fat. He was sweating as the convoy moved towards the fortress. And I imagine Zhilin as slender, very active.
From the very first events, Tolstoy shows how different his heroes are from each other. When they drove ahead of the convoy, Kostylin had a loaded gun. But as soon as he saw the Tatars, he immediately forgot about him. He took to his heels and didn’t think at all that Zhilin was in great danger and that he with a gun can at least help him in some way. Zhilin, on the contrary, when he realized that he could not escape the pursuit, decided to kill at least one Tatar with a saber.
Heroes behave differently even in captivity. Kostylin immediately writes a letter home asking for a ransom to be sent. Zhilin is bargaining. He thinks about his mother, who will not be able to find not only three thousand, but also five hundred rubles. Therefore, he writes the address on the letter incorrectly. He relies only on himself. Zhilin immediately decided to escape from captivity.
He is very active. Always making something or walking around the village. But for a reason. Zhilin is looking for a way to escape. He makes a hole in the barn. At the same time, Kostylit only sleeps or “sits in the barn all day long and counts the days until the letter arrives.” He does not try to do anything on his own to save himself. He just hopes for others.
During his escape, Kostylin let down both himself and his comrade. He didn't think about being careful. When his legs began to hurt, Kostylin screamed, although he knew that a Tatar had recently passed by them, and with his scream he could attract his attention. And so it happened. And Zhilin again thinks not only about himself but also about his comrade. He does not escape from captivity alone, but calls Kostylin with him. When Kostylin can no longer walk from the pain in his legs, Zhilin carries him on himself, because “it’s not good to abandon a comrade.”
Despite any difficulties, Zhilin still escapes from captivity. He knows that he has no one to rely on. Therefore, he must save himself. He is a strong character person. He succeeds in everything. And Kostylin is weak-willed. He relies on others. Therefore, he almost dies in captivity. They ransomed him alive. This is how different characters influence the fate of each of the heroes.
