The image of Makar Nagulnov in M. Sholokhov’s novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”

In the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned,” Sholokhov reproduces the complex process of the liquidation of the old system in the village in the 30s of the twentieth century and the birth of a new village. The central place in the novel is occupied by the people. The writer describes different destinies, the struggle for and against a new life.

One of the ardent fighters for a bright future in “Virgin Soil Upturned” is Makar Nagulnov, secretary of the Gremyachensk party cell, a Red Banner member. He fought heroically in the civil war, “cut down the reptiles mercilessly,” was shell-shocked, and received an order.

Nagulnov is an ardent opponent of property. Back in 1920, guided by hatred of her, he joined a commune, which disintegrated “from selfishness.” He then gave his bulls to the neighboring commune, but he and his wife have nothing.

Even as a young man, Makar saw the trouble that property brought. He became convinced that the fight for it would discord people, lead them to serious crimes, and disfigure them.

souls.

The creation of a collective farm for Nagulnov is a holy and right thing. “We need to bury ourselves in the ground and lure everyone into the collective farm,” he says. The hero sincerely believes that this will make not only him, Makar, happy, but the whole Gremyachiy Log, the whole country, the whole world. “It will be charm, not life!” - Nagulnov sincerely exclaims.

Already at the very beginning of the novel it is said about him that he is “harsh, all corners, and... all sharp.” In the fight for the idea, Makar really reaches the point of fanaticism, bordering on madness. He is ready to give his life for Soviet power, not only his own, but also that of others: “Yes, I... kill thousands of grandfathers, children, women... Yes, tell me that they need to be sprayed. For the revolution it is necessary.. I will kill them all with a machine gun!” At these words, the hero’s dilated pupils sparkle with rage, foam boils at the corners of his lips.

Nagulnov sacredly and blindly believes in the world revolution, and intends to fight for it by any means necessary. Solving problems with the help of force, a revolver, a gun - this is his fighting style, his way.

Meeting with Titk, who is leading the sale of his bulls, Makar is hot and angry. In this state, he has poor control over his actions and shows lack of restraint. So Nagulnov hits individual farmer Bannik on the head with a revolver, forcing him to take seed grain to the public barn, and with a revolver in his hands he defends the collective farm barn from rebellious women.

Makar has to answer for his actions. In the district committee, his terrible anger disappears without a trace and is replaced by uncertainty and fear. Nagulnov is not afraid of severe punishment, but of exclusion from building a bright future. “Where am I without a party?” - he asks in confusion, killed by the sounded decision and returns to Gremyachiy completely exhausted.

People like Makar are directly affected, although not entirely fair, by Stalin’s article “Dizziness from success.” She “pierced Nagulnov right through”, “combustible blood” boiled in him. The hero is offended because he “grew to the party ... with his heart and with the blood shed.”

Nagulnov evokes conflicting feelings. He is a romantic, dreaming of a world revolution, and many of his mistakes are explained not only by his hot temper, but also by his political illiteracy, lack of experience and basic culture. Makar is no stranger to generosity and the ability to respond to the pain of others. He is straightforward and honest. Having discovered the hiding Ragged, Makar does not shoot him in the back, as would be simpler and safer, but orders him to turn around.

The unsettled nature of his personal life evokes sympathy. Nagulnov’s wife Lushka openly meets with Timofey, the son of Frol Damaskov. And the most offensive and humiliating thing for Makar is that Timofey is a fist. Nagulnov is capable of tender feelings. “I love you,” he says to Lushka, “I would have endured a lot of shame.” And if in the fight for new system Makar is irreconcilable, but in building a relationship with Lushka he does not find such determination in himself. “The woman has smeared you into the board!.. You’re a deck! Bull rennet!” - Davydov tells him incredulously, to which Makar replies: “I can’t beat her.”

Of course, Nagulnov is a man of extreme judgments. His indomitable temperament constantly makes itself felt; in problematic situations, it is not his reason that takes over, but the element of emotion. But listening to a rooster’s singing reveals Makar’s subtle and sensitive nature.

He has a craving for self-education, for growth, for which he sits over books until the morning.

The hero's speech is touching. It organically combines dialectisms with words from political and scientific literature. Makar has a very vague idea of ​​their meaning, so he often uses them distortedly, in non-local combinations, and this combination gives the hero’s language a unique flavor.

The novel ends tragically. Makar Nagulnov dies. I feel sorry for the hero, who gave all the ardor, all the heat of his nature, all the warmth of his feelings to accomplish the fight against dissidents and did not realize this.

/ / / The image of Makar Nagulnov in Sholokhov’s novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”

Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov's novel "" is replete with diversity unforgettable images, one of these was the portrait of a communist, wholeheartedly devoted to the party, Makar Nagulny.

This hero is distinguished by his blind adherence to the idea of ​​world revolution; he is devoted to the party cause to the marrow of his bones. Harsh and impetuous, Nagulnov shows impatience in all situations. This is due, first of all, to the fact that this person wants to achieve universal happiness and prosperity here and now, and he does not intend to wait for anything.

All enemies of the Soviet regime are his personal enemies, and he feels a burning hatred towards them. And Makar sees the main evil of the current situation in the presence of private property, which is why it is necessary to get rid of it.

Nagulnov perceives the call to unite everything into a collective farm with delight. He considers this idea not just true, but the ultimate truth. Then, Makar thinks, a truly wonderful life will begin.

Nagulnov was a participant civil war, even has an order. Collectivization on the Don is a new battle for Makar, and he rushes into this abyss with courage and determination to complete the job he has started.

Makar Nagulnov is a man with a romantic nature; he is driven by a bright dream of achieving a world revolution. But sometimes this hero forgets about reality, commits unthinkable acts, such as, for example, he is not at all against being shot for slaughtering cattle.

Nagulnov knows no doubts, he acts at the behest of a momentary impulse, therefore he often makes gross mistakes, thereby not helping, but, on the contrary, harming the cause of collectivization.

Makar does not know how to read and write. He is a very impulsive person, reacts sharply and quickly to all provocations from his opponents. So, for example, he rushes into a fight with Bannik, who offers to give the bread to the pigs, and not put it in the barn for public use. And Makar does not tolerate jokes about what is so dear to his heart. Again, he has a quarrel with Bannik because of the latter’s ridicule of socialism.

True, not everything is so simple in the character of Makar Nagulnov. He knows how to admit his mistakes. Over time, the hero understands that it is necessary to strengthen the created collective economy, and not blindly chase percentages and numbers.

As for his personal life, there are scenes in the novel that reflect these moments in Nagulnov’s life. Makar is in love with Lushka, deeply and strongly, although he tries to hide his feelings behind feigned severity. But actions speak louder than words. Nagulnov releases the girl from arrest, allowing her to avoid responsibility.

Makar's death was as quick and chaotic as his whole life. He recklessly rushed at the enemies of Soviet power and died. The author describes this moment sparingly, but bitter and sad notes are still felt in his few words. Now the wheat will rustle along Nagulny and Davydov, and the nameless river, originating from the upper reaches of Gremyachey Log, will ring over the stones. That's all.

One of the most colorful and memorable images described in M. Sholokhov’s novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” is the image of Makar Nagulnov, a former Red partisan, secretary of the Gremyachen party cell. The only purpose of his, Nagulnov’s, existence is the “world revolution”.
Many residents of Gremyachey Log do not like and are even afraid of Makar, who is very intemperate with his tongue and, on occasion, may well use his fist, or even a revolver. Having received a shell shock during the war, Nagulnov is susceptible to nervous attacks - needless to say, it’s really better to stay on your guard with such things.
But at the same time, Makar Nagulnov’s nature is also characterized by some specific idealism, which is not immediately visible behind his gloomy appearance, harsh statements and sometimes unpredictable behavior. It’s as if he was created entirely from contradictions... “from sharp corners.”
At the beginning of the novel, after the scenes of dispossession, Davydov, Nagulnov and Razmetnov discuss the results of the “events taken.” When Razmetnov admitted that he was painfully sorry for the children of the dispossessed Gaev, Nagulnov flew into a rage and screamed hysterically that if for the sake of the revolution he was ordered to machine-gun crowds of women, old people and children, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger. After this, Nagulnov has a seizure.
But the same Nagulnov frees his ex-wife Lushka immediately after he killed her lover - the dispossessed Timofey Rvany, who escaped from exile. What's the matter here? Even Davydov, I think, would have acted differently in this situation. He lets go because he loves her; lets him go, despite the fact that she caused him a lot of mental suffering with her behavior; releases him, knowing full well that he may well be punished for this.
Makar Nagulnov sincerely considers himself a communist. But with all this, he often does not agree with the line pursued by the party, for which he receives a scolding from Davydov. When the district authorities decide to “sacrifice” Makar by expelling him from the party ranks, it seems to him that his life is over. Having set off from the district back to the farm after the ill-fated meeting, Nagulnov firmly decides that when he arrives home he will wear military uniform and shoot himself with his revolver.
But on the way to Gremyachiy he changed his mind. Lying near the mound on the grass, looking into the bottomless sky, Makar suddenly imagines how his enemies will gloat at his funeral, and his train of thoughts completely changes. The enemies will not wait for him, Makar Nagulnov, to take his own life. Previously, he would put them all to the grave first.
Nagulnov is undoubtedly a brave man, even brave to the point of recklessness. When men and women began to rob the collective farm barns, he alone stood up against the angry crowd and, threatening with a revolver, prevented the theft of collective farm property.
In order to find and kill Timofey Rvany, he begins to follow him alone. After all, when they learned that the escaped Timofey had shown up in their area, Davydov first suggested reporting him to the regional OGPU. But Nagulnov is adamant - there is no need to call the security officers, otherwise their arrival could “scare off the wolf.”
The scene of the murder of Timofey Rvany is also noteworthy. After all, he came out of the darkness towards Makar in such a way that he could only press the trigger. But nevertheless, Nagulnov calls out to the enemy so that he looks into the eyes of his death. In this case, there is every reason to say that Makar’s nature is characterized by genuine, natural, or something like, nobility. And it seems that he would not have fired a machine gun at children and women, as he threatened on the eve of the seizure. He obviously said this in the heat of the moment.
Nagulnov’s personal life is very peculiar. Knowing full well that his wife Lushka is confused with Timofey Rvany, and in general strict behavior no different, Makar, however, allows her to do whatever her heart desires. The only condition: do not spoil the child and do not bring a “bad disease” into the house. It seems that not every man could do this.
When Makar finally kicks Lushka out of the house, it turns out that he did this because she was shouting in front of all the honest people about Timofey, who was being sent into exile. Nagulnov can no longer forgive her for such public disgrace.
And then, when Lushka lured Davydov into her network, Makar is not at all jealous and has no claims against Semyon. He is only sorry that he ex-wife chose his comrade as the next “victim”. But even after this, as it turned out later, Nagulnov did not stop loving Lushka, letting her go on the night of Timofey’s death.
Makar Nagulnov also has other, more harmless eccentricities. The first is, of course, a passion for the English language. In almost four months, Makar learned... eight English words, moreover, the words, from his point of view, are “particularly revolutionary”: “revolutionary”, “communistic”, etc.
According to Makar, knowledge foreign language he needed it in order to take the most active and active part in the world revolution at the first opportunity. As soon as the English, “Indian” and other proletarians overthrow the capitalists, he, Makar, will immediately go to his class brothers and explain to them what needs to be done so as not to repeat the mistakes of their Russian comrades.
It is quite clear that this “Sisyphean labor”, which Nagulnov voluntarily shouldered, will never bring results either for objective or subjective reasons. And the very idea of ​​a world revolution, which occupied the minds of the Bolsheviks, ultimately turned out to be untenable and was removed from the agenda, although Makar did not live to see this time and did not experience disappointment, did not see the collapse of the goal he was striving for. After all, it was with her that he connected his entire life and all his hopes, quite sincerely sacrificing all of himself and his human feelings to the idol of the world revolution.
Another sincere hobby of Nagulnov is also noteworthy: at night, studying English language, he listened to the roosters crowing. It would seem a rather strange occupation for a “knight of the world revolution,” but let’s try to figure out what the reason is.
Perhaps, in Nagulnov’s passion for cock crowing, his subconscious craving for nothing more nor less than Harmony with a capital “H” found a way out. In fact, the contradictory world in which he lives did not suit Makar: some want to create a collective farm, others do not want to and, moreover, actively oppose it. But the cock choir sings solemnly and smoothly, regardless of what political regime is established in the country.
True, among the roosters there was an “opportunist” who introduced disharmony into the harmonious choir of the Gremyachen roosters. And Makar immediately pronounces his verdict: like any “disagreeer” with the general line, a rooster that spoils the general singing must be destroyed. It seems that this act of Nagulnov also reveals the secrets of his soul.
Makar is generally a rather rude person when dealing with people. He is especially rude when communicating with grandfather Shchukar. True, the grandfather himself also often gets carried away in his stories and reasoning, and then Nagulnov immediately tries to shut up the old man, who is intemperate in his speeches.
Shchukar is indeed quite capable of disrupting the smooth flow of a collective farm meeting: when, for example, the question of the production rate of collective farmers is on the agenda, the grandfather, as if nothing had happened, begins to talk in great detail about how a Cossack nicknamed Silent drove even priest in confession... Of course, Shchukar is not a rooster, and cutting off his head, at least at a meeting, is not possible, but Nagulnov again, as in the case of the “opportunist rooster,” is tormented by a feeling of disharmony.
And then Makar turns out to be, in fact, the only participant in the meeting who wants to shut up the talkative grandfather. Even Davydov, who was initially angry with Shchukar, laughs like a child. Makar finds himself alone again.
And yet, it was idealists like Nagulnov who made the revolution, sacrificing themselves in the most literal sense. And then, following their bones, party functionaries came to power.

39 Even during sowing, Lushka Nagulnova, a divorced wife and a cheerful, dissolute woman, began working in the field. She was assigned to the third brigade, and she willingly settled in the brigade booth. During the day she worked as a driver in Afanasy Krasnokutov’s harness, and at night, near the red field hut in which she lived, the balalaika rang until dawn, the bass sighed and subtly pronounced the lower frets of the two-row, boys and girls danced and sang; and Lushka was in charge of this whole merry party. The world for her has always been bright and simple. There was not a single wrinkle of concern or anxiety on Lushkin’s thoughtless face. She walked through life easily, confidently, walking with her gentle eyebrows raised expectantly, as if hoping to meet joy any minute. The very next day after the divorce, she didn’t even think about Makar. Timofey Rvany was somewhere far away, but did Lushka grieve for his lost loved ones? “These males are enough for my lifetime!” - she said contemptuously to the girls and women who pointed out her semi-widow status. And there really were plenty of them. Guys and young married Cossacks from the third brigade vied with each other to covet Lushkina’s love. On the camp next to the booth at night, under the blue and twilight light of the month, the soles of Cossack boots and boots, knocking out “Krakovyaki” and “poles with heels,” flew off with a crash. But often between the plowmen, gardeners and harrowers who danced and sought Lushka’s proximity, a thick mix of swearing and swearing broke out, turning into brutal fights. And all because of Lushka. She seemed painfully approachable in appearance; especially since the whole village knew her shameful connection with Timofey Rvany, and everyone was flattered to take the place involuntarily vacated by Timofey and willingly by Nagulnov. Agathon Dubtsov tried to reason with Lushka, but failed miserably. - I’m good at work, but no one will order me to dance and love to twirl. You, Uncle Agathon, don’t be too angry, cover yourself with your zipun and sleep. And if you are envious and want to take part in the games yourself, come. We also accept pockmarked people. Those who are pockmarked with love, they say, are very angry! - Lushka scoffed laughing. Then, upon his first arrival in Gremyachiy, Agafon turned to Davydov for assistance. - You are setting up strange practices, Comrade Davydov! - he said indignantly. - Lyubishkin’s grandfather Shchukar was thrust into the brigade, for me - Lushka Nagulnova... Are you putting them in for sabotage or for what? Come one night and see what's going on at the camp. Lushka pissed off all the guys. She smiles at everyone, seems to make promises, well, and they fight for her like young cochet. And they dance at night so that everyone groans and feels sorry for their heels: so much so that they, not sparing their lives, dance on the ground with them! The spot near the booth was knocked out like nothing else! The workers are dying out, and in our camp there is a noise like at a fair... I was wounded in the hospital in Kharkov during the German war, and after recovery, the merciful sisters took us to the opera to hear... And there is a terrible mess going on: who is speaking in a bad voice? howls, who dances, and who plays the violin. You won't understand anything! The kind of music that will grab you by the collar! It’s the same with us: they play songs, play music, and dance... What a pure dog wedding! They rage until dawn, but during the day, what a job with him! She walks and sleeps as she goes, lies down under the bull... You, Comrade Davydov, either remove this infection Lushka from the brigade, or tell her to behave like a husband's woman. - What do you want me to do? - Davydov became furious. - I what? a mentor to her?.. Get away from me to hell!.. They are messing around with all sorts of dirt... Am I going to teach her modesty behavior? If it doesn't work well, get kicked out of the team, it's a fact! What kind of habit is this: just a little - to the board. “Comrade Davydov, the plow is broken!”, “Comrade Davydov, the mare is sick!” Or with this matter: a woman’s tail is trembling, and, in your opinion, I should train her? To hell! To repair the plow, go to the blacksmith! For the horse part, go to the vet! When will you learn to show your own initiative? How long will I be leading you around? Go!.. Agafon left, deeply dissatisfied with Davydov, and after his departure he smoked two cigarettes in a row, slammed the door with thunder, and locked it with a hook. Dubtsov’s story excited Davydov. It was not because he became angry and shouted that the foremen, who had not mastered their duties, really overpowered him, asking for resolution of all sorts of petty economic issues, but because Lushka, according to Dubtsov, “smiled at everyone and made promises.” After that playful conversation with Lushka, when he bumped into her near the boardroom and she, hiding a grin under the eyelashes of her half-lowered eyes, asked to find her some “little groom”, and then she offered herself as a wife, Davydov, unnoticed by himself, changed in attitude towards her. IN Lately More and more often he caught himself thinking about this essentially absurd and extremely trifling woman. If earlier he treated her with a slight touch of disgusting pity and indifference, now he felt completely different... And the fact that Dubtsov came with an absurd complaint about Lushka served Davydov only as a purely external excuse for scolding. He was drawn to Lushka, but at the wrong time, just at the moment of greatest tension in the sowing. The newly emerging feeling was probably facilitated by the fact that Davydov lived all winter in a “bishop’s position,” as Andrei Razmetnov joked, and perhaps the spring pressed imperiously on the mortal flesh of the impeccable chairman of the Gremyachen collective farm, who had coped with all the economic and political campaigns. More and more often at night, he woke up for no reason, smoked, winced painfully, listening to the melodious whistles and choking clicking of the nightingales, then he furiously slammed the window, wrapped his head in a flannel blanket and lay there until the white dawn, without closing his eyes, pressing his broad, tattooed chest to the pillow. And the spring of 1930 - swift and early ripening - settled so many nightingales in the gardens and levadas that with thunderous peals they filled not only the dull emptiness of the night, but also daylight they couldn't calm down. The short spring night was not enough for the love pleasures of the nightingales. “They blow in two shifts, scoundrels!” - Davydov whispered at dawn, overwhelmed by tedious languor, courageously struggling with insomnia. Lushka Nagulnova was in the brigade until the end of sowing, but as soon as the brigade, having finished tilling, moved out of the field, she came to Davydov that same day in the evening. After dinner, he lay in his little room, reading Pravda. In the entryway, subtly, like a mouse, someone scratched the door, and then - quietly female voice : - Can I go up? - Can. - Davydov jumped out of his bed and threw on his jacket. Lushka entered and quietly closed the door behind her. The black shawl made her weather-beaten, darkened face look older. Thick and small freckles, sun-burnt, appeared more clearly on her cheeks. But the eyes, under the dark canopy of the pulled-down shawl, laughed and sparkled more and more brightly. - I came to visit... - Come in, sit down. Davydov, surprised and delighted by her arrival, moved a stool, buttoned his jacket, and sat down on the bed. He was silent expectantly, feeling anxious and awkward. And Lushka walked freely to the table, with a deft and imperceptible movement she turned up her skirt (so as not to wrinkle) and sat down. - How are you, collective farm chairman? - I live okay. - Don't you miss it? - There is no time to be bored and there is nothing to worry about. - And about me? Never lost, Davydov turned pink and frowned. Lushka lowered her eyelashes with feigned humility, and a smile trembled uncontrollably at the corners of her lips. “I made up the devil knows what,” he answered somewhat hesitantly. -You weren’t really bored? - No, it’s a fact! Do you have business with me? - Yes... What's new in the newspapers? What have you heard about the world revolution? - Lushka leaned her elbows and gave her face a serious expression appropriate to the conversation. It was as if the recent demonic smile was not on her lips. - They write different things... What business do you have with me? - Davydov strengthened himself. Their conversation was probably overheard by the hostess. Davydov sat as if on hot coals. His situation was completely unthinkable, downright intolerable! Tomorrow the landlady will spread throughout Gremyachey that Makarov’s ex-wife goes to her tenant at night, and Davydov’s untarnished reputation has disappeared! Women greedy for gossip will tirelessly gossip in the alleys and at wells, collective farmers will chuckle knowingly when they meet. Razmetnov will begin to sneer at the address of a comrade who has fallen into Pushkin’s snare, and then he will reach the district, and in the regional field water union - what the hell - they will sew up the case, they will say: “That’s why he finished sowing only on the tenth, because the women ran to him. He, apparently , was more involved in love affairs than sowing!” And it was not for nothing that the secretary of the district committee said, before sending twenty-five thousand people to the regions: “The authority of the working class - the vanguard of the revolution - in the countryside must be kept at the highest level. Comrades, we must behave with extreme caution. I’m not talking about big things, but even in everyday life You have to be prudent in little things. In the village you can drink for a penny, but the conversations will cost a hundred political rubles..." Davydov even began to sweat, instantly changing his mind about all the consequences of visiting Lushka and freely talking with her. There was a clear threat of compromise. And Lushka sat, completely unaware of Davydov’s painful experiences. And he, wheezing a little from excitement, asked again sternly: “What’s the matter?” Talk and leave, I don’t have time to deal with trifles with you, well, that’s a fact! - Do you remember what you told me then? I didn’t ask Makar, but I already know: he’s the opposite... Davydov jumped up and waved his hands: “I have no time!” After! After! At that moment he was ready to cover her laughing mouth with his palm, if only she would shut up. And she understood and wiggled her eyebrows contemptuously. - Oh you! And isho... Well, okay. Give me a newspaper, which one is more interesting. Apart from that, I have no business with you. Sorry to bother you... She left, and Davydov breathed a sigh of relief. But a minute later he was already sitting at the table, fiercely clutching his hair and thinking: “What a boot I am, I have no strength! Just think, it’s very important what they would say about this. Well, a woman can’t come to me, or what? Am I a monk, or what? And who cares? I like her, therefore, I can spend time with her... As long as there is no damage to the work, and don’t care about the rest! And now she won’t come, that’s a fact. Very me I was rude to her, and she noticed that I was somewhat frightened... Damn you, how stupid it turned out!” But his fears were in vain: Lushka did not at all belong to that category of people who easily deviate from their plans. And her plans included the conquest of Davydov. In fact, shouldn’t she have connected her life with the life of some Gremyachen guy? And why? To dry out by the stove until old age and disappear in the steppe near the bulls and plowing? And Davydov would have been a simple, broad-shouldered and sweet guy, not at all like Makar, who was callous in business and waiting for the world revolution, not like Timofey... He had one small flaw: a chip in his mouth, and even in the most visible place - in the front ; but Lushka came to terms with this flaw in the appearance of her beloved. In her short but rich life of experience, she learned that teeth are not the main thing when assessing a man... The next day at dusk she came again, this time dressed up and even more provocative. The excuse for visiting was newspapers. - I brought your newspaper... Can I take it? Don't you have any books? I would like something enticing, about love. - Take the newspapers, but there are no books, I don’t have a reading room. Lushka, without waiting for an invitation, sat down and began a serious conversation about sowing in the third brigade, about the disorders she noticed at the dairy farm that had been organized in Gremyachiy Log. With naive ingenuousness she adapted to Davydov, to the circle of interests in which, it seemed to her, he should live. Davydov at first listened to her incredulously, but then got carried away by the conversation, talked about his plans to set up a dairy farm, simultaneously reported on the latest technical achievements in processing dairy products that had appeared abroad, and in the end, not without chagrin, he said: “We need a lot of money.” We need to buy several heifers from cows that give high milk yield, we need to get a breeding bull... All this needs to be done as soon as possible. After all, a properly managed dairy farm will generate huge income! The fact is that in this case the collective farm will improve its budget. Well, what do they have there now? An old separatist who is worth nothing, who can’t miss the spring milk yield, and that’s all. But there are not a single cans, and the milk is poured into troughs in the old fashioned way. What is this? So you say that their milk goes sour, but why does it go sour? They probably poured it into dirty dishes. - The crusts are not fried well, and that’s what causes them to turn sour. - Well, that’s what I’m saying: they don’t keep the dishes well. You take this matter and put it in order. Whatever needs to be done, do it, the board will always help. So what? The milk will always perish if there is no supervision over the dishes, if the milkmaids milk like this, as I recently saw: sitting under a cow, the udder is not washed, the teats are all dirty, covered in manure... and the milkmaid’s hands are actually unwashed. She may have taken on God knows what before and is crawling under the cow with with dirty hands . I didn't have time to take on this matter. And I'll take it! And you, instead of putting on powder and making yourself beautiful, would take care of the farm, eh? We’ll appoint you as the head, you’ll go to courses, learn how to be a scientific manager, and you’ll be a qualified woman. “No, let them manage without me,” sighed Lushka, “there is someone there to put everything in order even without me.” But I don’t want to be a manager. And I don’t want to go to courses. A lot of tights. I like to work easily so that I can live more spaciously, but so what?.. Work, it loves fools. - Again you are talking all sorts of nonsense! - Davydov said annoyedly, but did not convince. Soon Lushka got ready to go home. Davydov went to see her off. They walked side by side along a dark alley, were silent for a long time, then Lushka, who unusually quickly became aware of all Davydov’s worries, asked: “Did you go to see the Kubanka today?” - I went. - Well, how? - Badly! If it doesn't rain this week... I'm afraid it won't rise. And do you understand how all this, damn it, comes together? The old men who came to me for permission to pray will gloat, it’s a fact! “Yeah,” they’ll say, “I didn’t allow the prayer service to be served, and God didn’t give me rain!” And God has absolutely nothing to do with them, since the barometer is ossified in a variable position. But they will become stronger in their stupid faith. It's a real disaster, that's a fact! In part, we ourselves made a few mistakes... We should spit on the melons, on some of the row crops and sow the wheat as soon as possible, that’s what the mistake turned out to be! And the same thing with Melionopus: I actually proved to this cudgel - Lyubishkin that in our conditions this breed, according to all agronomic data, is the most suitable... - Davydov perked up again and, having found his “horse”, would have spoken for a long time and with enthusiasm, but Lushka interrupted him with obvious impatience: “Come on, talk about bread!” Let’s sit down and sit,” and she pointed to the blue ridge of the ditch in the moonlight. Come over. Lushka picked up the skirts and economically suggested: “You should lay out your jacket, otherwise I’m afraid to stain my skirt.” It’s festive for me... And when they sat down next to each other on a spread out jacket, she brought her strangely prettier face, which had become stern, closer to Davydov’s grinning face and said: “Enough about bread and about the collective farm!” This is not what we need to talk about now... Do you smell the smell of a young leaf on a poplar?.. ...That was the end of Davydov’s hesitation, who was drawn to Lushka and was afraid that a connection with her would lower his authority... After, when he stood up and from under his feet, rustling, a dry scree of clay rolled into the ditch. Lushka was still lying on her back, arms outstretched, eyes closed wearily. They were silent for a minute. Then she stood up with unexpected liveliness, wrapped her arms around her bent knees and began to shake with a fit of silent laughter. She laughed as if she was being tickled. - What are you... why is this? - Davydov asked perplexed and offended. But Lushka just as unexpectedly stopped laughing, stretched out her legs and, stroking her thighs and stomach with her palms, said thoughtfully, in a slightly hoarse and happy voice: “That’s how easy it is for me now!”.. “Insert a feather and will you fly?” - Davydov became embittered. - No, no, you’re in vain... you’re being angry in vain. My stomach immediately became somehow painless... somehow empty and light, that’s why I laughed. Why should I, weirdo, cry, or what? Sit down, why did you jump up? Davydov reluctantly obeyed. “How to deal with her now? We’ll have to actually formalize this somehow, otherwise it’s awkward both in front of Makar and in general... There was no sadness, so the devils pumped it up!” - he thought, looking sideways at Lushka’s greenish face in the moonlight. And she, without touching the ground with her hands, stood up flexibly, smiling, squinting her eyes, asking: “Am I good?” A? “How can I tell you...” Davydov answered vaguely, hugging Pushkin’s narrow shoulders.

One of the most colorful and memorable images described in M. Sholokhov’s novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” is the image of Makar Nagulnov, a former Red partisan, secretary of the Gremyachen party cell. The only purpose of his, Nagulnov’s, existence is the “world revolution”.

Many residents of Gremyachey Log do not like and are even afraid of Makar, who is very intemperate with his tongue and, on occasion, may well use his fist, or even a revolver. Having received a shell shock during the war, Nagulnov is susceptible to nervous attacks - needless to say, it’s really better to stay on your guard with such things.

But at the same time, Makar Nagulnov’s nature is also characterized by some specific idealism, which is not immediately visible behind his gloomy appearance, harsh statements and sometimes unpredictable behavior. It’s as if he was created entirely from contradictions “from sharp corners.”

At the beginning of the novel, after the scenes of dispossession, Davydov, Nagulnov and Razmetnov discuss the results of the “events taken.” When Razmetnov admitted that he was painfully sorry for the children of the dispossessed Gaev, Nagulnov flew into a rage and screamed hysterically that if for the sake of the revolution he was ordered to machine-gun crowds of women, old people and children, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger. After this, Nagulnov has a seizure.

But the same Nagulnov frees his ex-wife Lushka immediately after he killed her lover - the dispossessed Timofey Rvany, who escaped from exile. What's the matter here? Even Davydov, I think, would have acted differently in this situation. He lets go because he loves her; lets him go, despite the fact that she caused him a lot of mental suffering with her behavior; releases him, knowing full well that he may well be punished for this.

Makar Nagulnov sincerely considers himself a communist. But with all this, he often does not agree with the line pursued by the party, for which he receives a scolding from Davydov. When the district authorities decide to “sacrifice” Makar by expelling him from the party ranks, it seems to him that his life is over. Having set off from the district back to the farm after the ill-fated meeting, Nagulnov firmly decides that, upon arriving home, he will put on a military uniform and shoot himself with his revolver.

But on the way to Gremyachiy he changed his mind. Lying near the mound on the grass, looking into the bottomless sky, Makar suddenly imagines how his enemies will gloat at his funeral, and his train of thoughts completely changes. The enemies will not wait for him, Makar Nagulnov, to take his own life. Previously, he would put them all to the grave first.

Nagulnov is undoubtedly a brave man, even brave to the point of recklessness. When men and women began to rob the collective farm barns, he alone stood up against the angry crowd and, threatening with a revolver, prevented the theft of collective farm property.

In order to find and kill Timofey Rvany, he begins to follow him alone. After all, when they learned that the escaped Timofey had shown up in their area, Davydov first suggested reporting him to the regional OGPU. But Nagulnov is adamant - there is no need to call the security officers, otherwise their arrival could “scare off the wolf.”

The scene of the murder of Timofey Rvany is also noteworthy. After all, he came out of the darkness towards Makar in such a way that he could only press the trigger. But nevertheless, Nagulnov calls out to the enemy so that he looks into the eyes of his death. In this case, there is every reason to say that Makar’s nature is characterized by genuine, natural, or something like, nobility. And it seems that he would not have fired a machine gun at children and women, as he had threatened on the eve of the seizure. He obviously said this in the heat of the moment.

Nagulnov’s personal life is very peculiar. Knowing full well that his wife Lushka is confused with Timofey Rvany, and in general does not differ in strict behavior, Makar, nevertheless, allows her to do whatever her heart desires. The only condition: do not spoil the child and do not bring a “bad disease” into the house. It seems that not every man could do this.

When Makar finally kicks Lushka out of the house, it turns out that he did this because she was shouting in front of all the honest people about Timofey, who was being sent into exile. Nagulnov can no longer forgive her for such public disgrace.

And then, when Lushka lured Davydov into her network, Makar is not at all jealous and has no claims against Semyon. He is only sorry that his ex-wife chose his comrade as the next “victim”. But even after this, as it turned out later, Nagulnov did not stop loving Lushka, letting her go on the night of Timofey’s death.

Makar Nagulnov also has other, more harmless eccentricities. The first is, of course, a passion for the English language. In almost four months, Makar learned eight English words, moreover, words, from his point of view, “especially revolutionary”: “revolutionary”, “communistic”, etc.

According to Makar, he needed knowledge of a foreign language in order to take the most active and active part in the world revolution at the first opportunity. As soon as the English, “Indian” and other proletarians overthrow the capitalists, he, Makar, will immediately go to his class brothers and explain to them what needs to be done so as not to repeat the mistakes of their Russian comrades.

It is quite clear that this “Sisyphean labor”, which Nagulnov voluntarily shouldered, will never bring results either for objective or subjective reasons. And the very idea of ​​a world revolution, which occupied the minds of the Bolsheviks, ultimately turned out to be untenable and was removed from the agenda, although Makar did not live to see this time and did not experience disappointment, did not see the collapse of the goal he was striving for. After all, it was with her that he connected his entire life and all his hopes, quite sincerely sacrificing all of himself and his human feelings to the idol of the world revolution.

Another sincere hobby of Nagulnov is also noteworthy: at night, while studying English, he listened to the crowing of roosters. It would seem a rather strange occupation for a “knight of the world revolution,” but let’s try to figure out what the reason is.

Perhaps, in Nagulnov’s passion for cock crowing, his subconscious craving for nothing more nor less than Harmony with a capital “H” found a way out. In fact, the contradictory world in which he lives did not suit Makar: some want to create a collective farm, others do not want to and, moreover, actively oppose it. But the cock choir sings solemnly and smoothly, regardless of what political regime is established in the country.

True, among the roosters there was an “opportunist” who introduced disharmony into the harmonious choir of the Gremyachen roosters. And Makar immediately pronounces his verdict: like any “disagreeer” with the general line, a rooster that spoils the general singing must be destroyed. It seems that this act of Nagulnov also reveals the secrets of his soul.

Makar is generally a rather rude person when dealing with people. He is especially rude when communicating with grandfather Shchukar. True, the grandfather himself also often gets carried away in his stories and reasoning, and then Nagulnov immediately tries to shut up the old man, who is intemperate in his speeches.

Shchukar is indeed quite capable of disrupting the smooth flow of a collective farm meeting: when, for example, the question of the production rate of collective farmers is on the agenda, the grandfather, as if nothing had happened, begins to talk in great detail about how a Cossack nicknamed Silent drove even butt in confession. Of course, Shchukar is not a rooster, and cutting off his head, at least at a meeting, is not possible, but Nagulnov again, as in the case of the “opportunist rooster,” is tormented by a feeling of disharmony. And then Makar turns out to be, in fact, the only participant in the meeting who wants to shut up the talkative grandfather. Even Davydov, who was initially angry with Shchukar, laughs like a child. Makar finds himself alone again.

And yet, it was idealists like Nagulnov who made the revolution, sacrificing themselves in the most literal sense. And then, following their bones, party functionaries came to power.

Return