Why Pantelei Prokofievich marries his son. The main characters of the "Quiet Flows the Don. Some interesting essays

Preparation for the exam

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov

Part 1.

Specify literary direction, which is characterized by an objective image of reality and in line with which the work of M. A. Sholokhov developed.

Name the literary direction in which the work of M. A. Sholokhov developed and the principles of which were embodied in The Quiet Don.

What kind of literature does “Quiet Flows the Don” by M.A. Sholokhov?

What literary genre does the work of M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don" belong to?

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Indicate the genre to which "The Fate of a Man" by M. A. Sholokhov belongs.

Answer _____________________________

What kind of novel, which includes the image of a large period of historical time or a significant, fateful event in the life of a nation, does “Quiet Flows the Don” by M.A. Sholokhov?

Answer ____________________

Sholokhov depicted the life of one of the estates. Name it.

Answer ___________________

The work reflects an important historical event that took place in Russia from 1918 to 1921. Name it.

Answer _______________________

In the hero’s speech, there are expressions like “even in the booth it’s muffled”, “it spills even more”. What is the name of such speech, which goes beyond the literary norm? (M. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man")

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Panteley Prokofyevich uses phrases like “there was no poppy dew in your mouth”, “what you think about is what you pop”. What is the name of such figurative folk sayings?

Answer ____________________________

Answer __________________________

Name the novel by A. S. Pushkin about the Pugachev uprising, in which, like in The Quiet Don, the elements of the Russian rebellion are depicted.

Answer _________________________________

The internal state of the heroine is conveyed through the description of the movement of the snow mass. What is the description of nature in a work of art called?

Answer ____________________________

What is the name of the expressive evaluative definition (“smiling eyes”, “pleading look”)?

Answer ____________________

What is the artistic technique based on the transfer of the properties of one phenomenon to another by their similarity (“Women’s faces washed with pallor”).

Answer ________________

What is the name of the opposition technique, with the help of which the writer conveys the depth of the hero's feelings ("cold hands of the son" - "frantically burning eyes")?

Answer ____________________________

What is the name of a means of characterizing a character based on a description of his appearance (“one of the old women, tall and black-eyed, with traces of strict icon-painting beauty on her withered face, spoke drawlingly ...”)?

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Behind the external descriptions of the heroes, their inner state is visible (“Grigory blushed deeply, turned away ...”). What is the name of the method of displaying the inner life of the characters, their experiences, doubts, etc. in a work of art?

Answer ____________________________________

Ilyinichna has reason to dislike Mikhail, calling him "anchichrist" and "murderer." What term denotes a sharp clash of views and life principles of literary characters?

Answer _____________________________________

What term denotes a significant detail that carries an artistic function (for example, a half-bucket cast iron of lean cabbage soup, which the hungry Pantelei Prokofievich attacked)?

Answer _______________________________

Indicate the surname of Panteley Prokofievich and his sons.

Answer _________________________

What is the name of the character mentioned in this fragment, who is the main character of The Quiet Flows the Don.

Answer __________________________________

Indicate the name of Grigory - the main character of "The Quiet Flows the Don".

Answer _____________________

Mikhail Koshevoy notes that little Mishatka is strikingly similar to his father: “Well, how similar, imp ... Poured dad! And the eyes, and eyebrows, and the upper lip also raises ... ". Indicate the name and surname of the hero of the novel, which Koshevoy recalls.

Answer ________________

Establish a correspondence between the characters of this episode and the facts of their life: for each position of the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.

Establish a correspondence between the characters appearing in this novel and the facts of their future fate: for each position of the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.

Write down the numbers in response, arranging them in the order corresponding to the letters:

Establish a correspondence between the characters of "The Quiet Flows the Don" and their characteristics. For each position in the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.

CHARACTERS

CHARACTERISTICS

A) Listnitsky Sr.

B) Shtokman

B) Stepan Astakhov

1) Bolshevik agitator

2) gang leader

3) landowner, owner of Yagodny

4) Cossack, husband of Aksinya

Write down the numbers in response, arranging them in the order corresponding to the letters:

Part 2

What gives grounds to consider the act of the hero of "The Fate of a Man" a feat?

On the fourth day, straight from the state farm, laden with bread, I turn to the teahouse. My boy is sitting there on the porch, chatting with his legs and, apparently, hungry. I leaned out the window, shouting to him: “Hey, Vanyushka! Hurry up and get in the car, I’ll drive it to the elevator, and from there we’ll come back here, we’ll have lunch.” He shuddered at my shout, jumped off the porch, climbed onto the step and quietly said: “How do you know, uncle, that my name is Vanya?” And he opened his eyes wide, waiting for me to answer him. Well, I tell him that I am, they say, an experienced person and I know everything.

He came in from the right side, I opened the door, put him next to me, let's go. Such a nimble boy, and suddenly he quieted down, thought, and no, no, yes, and he would look at me from under his long eyelashes bent upwards, sigh. Such a small bird, but already learned to sigh. Is it his business? I ask: “Where is your father, Vanya?” Whispers: "He died at the front." - "And mom?" “Mom was killed by a bomb on the train while we were traveling.” - "Where did you go?" - “I don’t know, I don’t remember ...” - “And you don’t have any relatives here?” - "No one." - "Where do you sleep?" - "Where you have to."

A burning tear boiled up in me, and I immediately decided: “It won’t happen that we disappear separately! I will take him to my children. And immediately my heart felt light and somehow light. I leaned over to him, quietly asking: “Vanyushka, do you know who I am?” He asked as he exhaled: “Who?” I told him just as quietly: "I am your father."

My God, what happened here! He rushed to my neck, kissed me on the cheeks, on the lips, on the forehead, and himself, like a waxwing, shouted so loudly and thinly that even in the booth it was muffled: “Dear folder! I knew! I knew you would find me! You can still find it! I've been waiting so long for you to find me!" He clung to me and trembled all over, like a blade of grass in the wind. And I have fog in my eyes, and I also tremble all over, and my hands are shaking ... How did I not lose the helm then, you can be amazed! But in a ditch still accidentally moved out, turned off the engine. Until the fog in my eyes passed, I was afraid to go, as if I didn’t run into anyone. I stood like that for about five minutes, and my son still clung to me with all his strength, was silent, shuddered. I hugged him with my right hand, slowly pressed him to me, and with my left turned the car around, drove back to my apartment. What kind of elevator is there for me, then I had no time for the elevator.

I left the car near the gate, took my new son in my arms, and carried it into the house. And as he wrapped his arms around my neck, he did not come off to the very place. He pressed his cheek against my unshaven cheek, as if stuck. So I brought it in. The owner and hostess were exactly at home. I entered, blinking both eyes at them, cheerfully saying this: “So I found my Vanyushka! accept us good people!" They, both of my childless, immediately realized what was the matter, fussed, ran. And I will never tear my son away from me. But somehow he persuaded me. I washed his hands with soap and sat him down at the table. The hostess poured some cabbage soup into his plate, and when she looked at how greedily he was eating, she burst into tears. Standing by the stove, crying into his apron. My Vanyushka saw that she was crying, ran up to her, pulled her hem and said: “Aunt, why are you crying? Dad found me near the tea house, everyone should be happy here, but you are crying. And that one - God forbid, it spills even more, it’s just soaked all over!

After dinner, I took him to the hairdresser's, had his hair cut, and at home I bathed him in a trough, wrapped him in a clean sheet. He hugged me and so in my arms and fell asleep.

M. A. Sholokhov "The fate of man"

29. In what works of Russian writers are Russian characters displayed and what brings them closer to the hero of "The Fate of a Man"?

What is the meaning of the neighborhood of two scenes - the “carp battle” and a heart-to-heart talk between father and son?

Forests, piercingly brunzha, traced the water, behind it the water rose in a slanting greenish canvas. Pantelei Prokofievich fingered the scoop handle with his stubbed fingers.

- Wrap it up in the water! Hold on, otherwise it will cut with a saw!

- I bet!

A large yellow-red carp rose to the surface, frothed the water and, bending its blunt-lobed head, again shied away into the depths.

- Presses, already the hand went numb ... No, wait!

- Hold on, Grishka!

- I'm holding it!

- Look under the longboat, don't let it go!.. Look!

Taking a breath, Grigory led the carp lying on its side to the longboat. The old man poked himself with a scoop, but the carp, straining his last strength, again went into the depths.

- Raise his head! Let the wind take a sip, it will calm down.

Leading out, Grigory again pulled the exhausted carp to the longboat. Yawning with a wide-open mouth, he nuzzled against the rough side and stood, pouring the moving orange gold of the fins.

- Reclaimed! grunted Pantelei Prokofievich, poking him with a ladle.

Sat for another half an hour. The sled fight subsided.

Take it off, Grishka. They must have harnessed the last one, we won’t wait.

Gathered. Gregory pushed off from the shore. We went half way. Grigory saw from his father's face that he wanted to say something, but the old man silently glanced at the farmyards scattered under the mountain.

- You, Grigory, that's what ... - he began hesitantly, fiddling with the ties of the bag lying under his feet, - I note that you, in any way, are with Aksinya Astakhova ...

Grigory blushed deeply and turned away. Shirt collar, crashing into a muscular cauterized sun - heating neck, squeezed out a white stripe.

- You look, boy, - the old man continued already harshly and angrily, - I won’t talk like that with you. Stepan is our neighbor, and I won’t allow him to indulge with his woman. Here things can jump up to sin, but I warn you in advance: I’ll note - I’ll screw up!

Pantelei Prokofievich clenched his fingers into a knotted fist, screwing up his bulging eyes, watching the blood drain from his son's face.

- Slander, - muffled, as if from water, grumbled Grigory and looked directly into the bluish bridge of his father.

- You keep quiet.

- Few people are talking...

- Hush, you son of a bitch!

Grigory lay down over the oar. The launch came in in leaps and bounds. The water, lurking behind the stern, danced in curlicues.

Both were silent until the pier. Already approaching the shore, the father reminded:

- Look, do not forget, but no - from today, cover all the games. So that not a step from the base. So that!

Gregory was silent. Adjoining the launch, he asked:

- Give the fish to the women?

- Bring it to the merchants, sell it, - the old man softened, - you will get rich on tobacco.

Biting his lips, Grigory walked behind his father. “Take a bite, dad, even if hobbled, I’ll go away to the game,” he thought, angrily gnawing at the back of his father’s steep head with his eyes.

M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don"

31. What internally distinguishes the Melekhovs in Cossack environment?

Prokofy's wife died in the evening of the same day. The premature baby, taking pity, was taken by the grandmother, Prokofiev's mother.

They overlaid him with steamed bran, gave him mare's milk to drink, and a month later, making sure that the swarthy Turkic boy would survive, they carried him to church and christened him. They named him Pantelei after his grandfather. Prokofy returned from hard labor twelve years later. A trimmed red beard with gray hair and ordinary Russian clothes made him a stranger, unlike a Cossack. He took his son and took charge of the household.

Pantelei grew up black and swarthy, troubled. He looked like his mother in face and stocky figure. Prokofy married him to a Cossack woman - the daughter of a neighbor.

Since then, Turkish blood has gone to interbreed with the Cossack. From here, hook-nosed, wildly beautiful Melekhov Cossacks, and in the street - Turks, led the way in the farm.

After burying his father, Panteley got into the household: he re-covered the house, cut to the estate from half a dozen ghouls of land, built new sheds and a barn under tin. The roofer, on the master's order, cut out a pair of tin roosters from scraps, strengthened them on the roof of the barn. They amused the Melekhovsky base with their carefree appearance, giving it a self-satisfied and prosperous look.

Pantelei Prokofyevich twitched under the slope of his sagging years: he was wider, slightly stooped, but still looked like an old man of good proportions. He was dry in bones, chrome (in his youth he broke his left leg at the imperial review at the races), wore a silver crescent-shaped earring in his left ear, his black beard and hair did not shed until old age, in anger he reached unconsciousness and, apparently, this prematurely aged his once beautiful, and now completely entangled in a web of wrinkles, portly wife.

His eldest, already married son, Petro, resembled his mother: small, snub-nosed, with lush, wheat-colored hair, brown-eyed; and the youngest, Grigory, stomped on his father: half a head taller than Peter, at least six years younger, the same drooping vulture nose as Bati, blue tonsils of hot eyes in slightly slanting slits, sharp slabs of cheekbones covered with brown, ruddy skin. Grigory stooped in the same way as his father, even in the smile they both had something in common, animalistic.

Dunyashka - her father's weakness - a long-armed, big-eyed teenager, and Petrov's wife Daria with a small child - that's the whole Melekhov family.

M. L. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don"

32. How does Grigory characterize his behavior during the singing of the Cossacks?

Nobody walked...

M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don"

33. What features characterize the inner appearance of Prokofy Melekhov?

Melekhovsky yard - on the very edge of the farm. The gates from the cattle base lead north to the Don. A steep eight-yard descent between moss-covered chalk blocks, and here is the shore: a mother-of-pearl scattering of shells, a gray broken border of pebbles kissed by waves, and further - the stirrup of the Don boiling under the wind with blued ripples. To the east, beyond the reddish hummock wattle fences, there is the Hetman's Way, sagebrush gray, a brown, living roadside trampled by horse hooves, a chapel at a fork; behind it is the steppe, covered with a flowing haze. From the south - the chalk ridge of the mountain. To the west - a street that runs through the square, running to the place of residence.

In the penultimate Turkish campaign, the Cossack Melekhov Prokofy returned to the farm. From the Turet region he brought his wife - a small woman wrapped in a shawl. She hid her face, rarely showing her yearning wild eyes. The silk shawl smelled of distant, unknown smells, its iridescent patterns fed a woman's envy. The captive Turkish woman shunned Prokofy's relatives, and the old man Melekhov soon separated his son. He did not go to his hut until death, not forgetting the insult.

Prokofy quickly settled down: the carpenters cut down the hut, he himself fenced off bases for cattle, and by autumn he took the hunched foreign wife to a new farm. I went with her for a cart with property around the farm - they poured everything into the street, from small to large. The Cossacks chuckled discreetly into their beards, the women vociferously called to one another, a horde of unwashed Cossacks hooted after Prokofiya, but he, opening his chekmen, walked slowly, as if along an arable furrow, clasped the frail hand of his wife’s hand in his black palm, defiantly carried his whitish-forelock head, - only under his cheekbones were swollen and his jaws rolled, and sweat broke out between his stony, always immobile eyebrows.

From that time on, he was rarely seen in the farm, he did not even go to the Maidan. He lived in his kuren, on the outskirts of the Don, a biryuk. Gutar about him on the farm is wonderful. The children who pastured the calves told that they saw how Prokofy in the evenings, when the dawn withered, carried his wife in his arms to the Tatar mound. He planted it there on the top of the mound, with its back to the porous stone, worn down by centuries, sat next to it, and for a long time they looked at the steppe. They looked until the dawn was dying, and then Prokofy wrapped his wife in a zipun and carried her home in his arms. The farm was lost in conjectures, looking for an explanation for such outlandish acts ...

M. A. Sholokhov, Quiet Flows the Don

34. In what works of Russian classics did the theme of "fathers and children" find its reflection, and in what ways do these works echo Sholokhov's "Quiet Don"?

35. In what works of Russian classics does the “family thought” sound, and in what way are these works consonant with Sholokhov’s “Quiet Don”?

36. In what works of Russian writers are folk life and folk characters depicted, and in what ways are these works consonant with Sholokhov's "Quiet Don"?

37. In what works of Russian classics do songs sound and in what ways can the corresponding episodes be compared with the above fragment of The Quiet Flows the Don?

Four saddled horses stood under a shed near a round manger. A teenager came out of the barn with an iron measure filled to the top with oats. He briefly glanced at Grigory, went to the neighing horses. Around the corner of the hut, a song was pouring out. A trembling high tenor brought out:

As it was on that road

Nobody walked...

The thick, smoky bass, repeating the last words, closed with the tenor, then new harmonious voices entered, and the song flowed majestically, expansely and sadly. Gregory did not want to interrupt the songwriters with his appearance; he touched Prokhor by the sleeve, whispered:

- Wait, don't show yourself, let them finish the game.

- These are not wires. The Elans play like this. This is how they sing. And it's great, damn it, pull! - Prokhor responded approvingly and spat sadly: the calculation of drinking, apparently, did not materialize.

The affectionate tenor spoke to the end in the song about the fate of the Cossack who blundered in the war:

There was no footprint or horse trail before.

A Cossack regiment passed along the path.

A good horse runs after the regiment.

He carries a Circassian saddle on his side.

And the bridle hangs on the right ear,

The silk reins confuse the legs.

A young Don Cossack is chasing him,

He shouts to his faithful horse:

“Wait, wait, the soul is a faithful horse,

Don't leave me alone...

Fascinated by the singing, Grigory stood with his back against the whitewashed foundation of the hut, hearing neither the neighing of a horse nor the creak of a cart passing along the alley...

Around the corner, one of the songwriters, having finished the song, coughed, said:

- They didn’t play like they were torn off! Well, okay, as we can, so we can. And you, grandmothers, would give something to the servicemen on the road. We ate well, Christ save us, but we don’t have any food with us on the road ...

Grigory woke up from his thoughts, went around the corner. Four young Cossacks were sitting on the bottom step of the porch; surrounding them in a dense crowd, there were women, old women, and children who had come running from neighboring yards. The listeners, sobbing and blowing their noses, wiped their tears with the tips of their handkerchiefs, one of the old women - tall and black-eyed, with traces of strict icon-painting beauty on her withered face - spoke drawlingly when Grigory approached the porch:

- You are my dear! How well and pitifully you sing! And, I suppose, each of you has a mother, and, I suppose, when she remembers her son, that he is dying in the war, so get down and shed ... - Flashing yellow squirrels at Grigory, who greeted him, she suddenly said angrily: - And such flowers you, your honor, lead to death? Do you lose in the war?

- We ourselves, grandma, are being ruined,” Grigory replied gloomily.

The Cossacks, embarrassed by the arrival of an unfamiliar officer, quickly got up, pushing aside the plates with the remnants of food that stood on the steps with their feet, adjusting their tunics, rifle epaulettes, sword belts.

M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don"

Part 3

38. 17.3. What is the meaning of the title of the story by M.A. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man"

Forests, piercingly brunzha, traced the water, behind it the water rose in a slanting greenish canvas. Pantelei Prokofievich fingered the scoop handle with his stubbed fingers.

“Put him in the water!” Hold on, otherwise it will cut with a saw!

- No way!

A large yellow-red carp rose to the surface, frothed the water and, bending its blunt-lobed head, again shied away into the depths.

- Presses, my hand is already numb ... No, wait!

- Hold on, Grishka!

- Hold-y-y!

- Look under the boat, don't let go! .. Look!

Taking a breath, Grigory led the carp lying on its side to the longboat. The old man poked his head in with a scoop, but the carp, straining his last strength, again went into the depths.

- Raise his head! Let the wind take a sip, it will calm down. Leading out, Grigory again pulled the exhausted carp to the longboat. Yawning with a wide-open mouth, he nuzzled against the rough side and stood, pouring the moving orange gold of the fins.

- Reclaimed! grunted Pantelei Prokofievich, poking him with a ladle.

Sat for another half an hour. The sled fight subsided.

- Rewind, Grishka. They must have harnessed the last one, we won't wait.

- You, Grigory, that's what ... - he began hesitantly, fiddling with the ties of the sack that lay under his feet, - I note that you, in any way, are with Aksinya Astakhova ...

Grigory blushed deeply and turned away. The collar of the shirt, crashing into the muscular neck, scorched by the sun, squeezed out a white stripe.

“Look, boy,” the old man continued already harshly and angrily, “I won’t talk like that with you. Stepan is our neighbor, and I won’t allow him to indulge with his woman. Here things can jump up to sin, but I warn you in advance: I’ll note - I’ll screw up!

Pantelei Prokofievich clenched his fingers into a knotted fist, screwing up his bulging eyes, watching the blood drain from his son's face.

“Slander,” Grigory muttered muffledly, as if out of water, and looked straight at his father’s bluish bridge of the nose.

- You shut up.

- Few people are talking ...

"Push, you son of a bitch!"

Grigory lay down over the oar. The launch came in in leaps and bounds. The water, lurking behind the stern, danced in curlicues.

Both were silent until the pier. Already approaching the shore, the father reminded:

- Look, do not forget, but no - from today, cover all the games. So that not a step from the base. So that!

Gregory was silent. Adjoining the launch, he asked:

- Give the fish to the women?

“Take it to the merchants, sell it,” the old man softened, “you’ll get rich on tobacco.”

(M. A. Sholokhov, Quiet Flows the Don.)

In order to find out what human qualities and properties Pantelei Prokofievich discovers. It needs to be analysed. How he treats the family, how he behaves in it, what likes and dislikes he experiences.

The image of Panteley Prokofievich is given primarily in order to understand in which family he grew up main character"Quiet Flows the Don", in what conditions, under whose influence.

From the smallest everyday details, we learn that the Melekhovs were distinguished by strong prosperity, in all this one can feel the firm master's hand of Panteley Prokofievich. From the portrait description - that the head of the family was quick-tempered to the point of unconsciousness, did not tolerate the slightest objection or disobedience. On occasion, without hesitation, Pantelei Prokofievich Gregory was beaten on the back with a crutch, flogged Daria, who had gone on a spree without a husband, with the reins. Hot temper and dominance - his characteristic, which Sholokhov reveals through the behavior of the hero.

So, for example, having learned about the connection between Grigory and Aksinya, Pantelei Prokofievich shouts:

“- I’ll constipate at the gathering! ... Ah, you fucking seed! He wiggled his legs, intending to kick again. - On Marfushka - fool Zhenya! ... I will emasculate those! ...

The mother ran to the noise.

Prokofich, Prokofich! ... Chill the crumbs! ... Wait a minute! ...

But the old man sold out in earnest: once he brought it to his wife, knocking over a table with a sewing machine and, having fought, flew to the base. Before Grishka had time to throw off his shirt with a sleeve torn in a fight, the door slammed hard and Pantelei Prokofievich again strengthened himself on the threshold like a storm cloud.

Marry the son of a bitch! ... ". Sholokhov M. A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - T. 1. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - S. 47.

He himself chose a bride for Gregory, and it was too harsh even for a patriarchal, peasant family of the beginning of the century. It is characteristic that the youngest son (a man also wayward and selfish - a trait that makes him related to his father) resignedly obeys the decision and choice of Panteley Prokofievich. And it is understandable: in his heart he himself, obviously, understands that he is to blame for his scandalous affair with Aksinya before his family.

The elder Melekhov is burdened by the fact that Natalya in their family has become an unloved wife, he helps her in every possible way, shows tenderness and delicacy. Through the attitude towards the daughter-in-law, the author shows all the ambiguity of this image.

For Pantelei Prokofievich, the head of the family, the existing way of life was illuminated by time and custom. He made a lot of efforts in order to return Grigory to his wife, for him the opinion of the farm was the law, and the farm believed that Grigory had dishonored the Melekhovs by leaving Aksinya from his lawful wife. The old man was very upset by the misfortune, and when Grigory returned to his parents' house, to his wife, Pantelei Prokofievich could not restrain his joy.

He is very proud of his sons, who have risen to the ranks of officers at the front, cannot resist ridiculous boasting, diligently paints the merits of Gregory, Peter. The youngest son, who came on a visit, is being driven through the farm. “I escorted my sons to the war as ordinary Cossacks, but they curry favor with officers, well, shouldn’t I be proud to ride my son around the farm? Let them walk and envy. And my heart, brother, is poured with oil! Sholokhov M. A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - T. 3. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - S. 272. - Pantelei Prokofievich is innocently attached.

The death of Peter was the first blow for Melekhov. The writer portrays him as a strong old man, angry, quick-tempered to the point of tyranny. The war, anxiety for the sons who are fighting on the fronts, the news of the death of Gregory, turns out to be false, knocked down Panteley Prokofievich, made him old. He turned gray, "weak to a tear became." Life either beat him mercilessly, or pardoned him with joy, and the old man, unable to stand it, is changing before his eyes.

Stern, holding earlier with great dignity. Pantelei Prokofievich becomes over time fussy, talkative, loving to brag. When the merchant Mokhov, having learned that Grigory was awarded the St. George Cross, hands over gifts to the hero, the old man boasts uncontrollably: “Come on, grit, bow and gifts to your hero from me, let him be the same in future times. Azhnik broke through his tears, do you understand, matchmaker? Sholokhov M. A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - T. 2. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - S. 359.

This boastfulness runs through the whole novel as one of the comic features of the image of Panteley Prokofievich. Sholokhov showed that this trait arose in the difficult, changing circumstances of life. The old man boasted of the heroism of his son, as if rewarding himself for the grief that he experienced. This reveals the tragicomic nature of the image of Pantelei Prokofievich.

He uses the civil war for personal enrichment. “Yes, and why not take from the entih, which ones went to the Reds? It’s a sin not to take from them!” Sholokhov M.A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - T. 4. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - P.93. - Pantelei Prokofievich argued to the indignant Grigory.

All his life Pantelei Prokofievich strove for prosperity and wealth. He worked himself, did not spare his family, dragged everything into the house. But the civil war began, and I had to leave my house, go to the “retreat”. But an even greater misfortune was the destruction of a strong, friendly family. No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep the indestructible ancient order in the house. Along with this, the character of Panteley Prokofievich is changing. He still makes noise at home, but he knows well that he does not have the former power. Daria constantly argues with him, Dunyashka does not obey, his temper now causes only laughter.

The comical image of Panteley Prokofievich grows out of the discrepancy between what he was quite recently and what this hero has become, he increasingly finds himself in a ridiculous position.

So, for example, when, after the retreat of the Red Army, Pantelei Prokofievich returns to the farm, Grigory arrives, the whole family gathers at the table. Grigory says to Dunyashka: "Forget about Mishka Koshevoy from today and forget." Dunyashka objects to him. Panteley Prokofyevich shouts at his daughter: “You son of a bitch, poof! I’ll write you such a heart that you won’t even pick a hair from your head! Oh, you are such a bastard! Here I go at once, I will take the reins ... "

The situation is discharged by a sharp-tongued Daria: “My friend! We don't have any reins left. They've all been taken!" she interrupts Pantelei Prokofievich with a humble air.

“Pantelei Prokofievich flashed his eyes furiously and, without lowering his voice, continued to withdraw his soul:

I'll take a saddle - so I give you such, devils ...

And they took the red saddle too! Darya interjected louder, still looking at her father-in-law with innocent eyes. Pantelei Prokofievich could no longer bear this. For a second he looked at his daughter-in-law, turning purple in mute fury, silently yawning with his mouth wide open (at that moment he looked like a pike perch pulled out of the water), and then shouted hoarsely:

Shut up, damn, a hundred devils in your soul! Words do not give to say! Yes, what is it?

Daria is not only not afraid of the old man, she enters into a duel with him, teases him, maintaining outward respect. The very word "humble" carries irony, and under the "humble appearance" Daria hides completely different feelings. And the old man is defeated in a skirmish with his daughter-in-law. In his last words: "Shut up damned ..." one can hear obvious impotence and confusion.

Then Sholokhov strengthens the comic beginning: Pantelei Prokofievich again falls on Dunyashka: “... it’s not enough to kill you! Found dry! The hanged man baked her soul! Yes, nothing is this man? Yes, for such a Christ-seller to be my son-in-law?! If he gets me at once, I will betray death with my own hand! Just sip isho, I’ll take the sheluzhin, so I’ll tell you ... ”Here Ilyinichna finally struck down the old man:“ You can’t find them, sheluzhins, at the base during the day with fire ... You won’t find twigs for kindling at the base even with a rolling ball, kindling . Here's what we've come up with!

Pantelei Prokofievich saw malicious intent in this simple confusion. He looked at the old woman with fixed eyes, jumped up like a madman, ran out to the bases.

Grigory threw down the spoon, covered his face with his hands and shook with soundless laughter... Everyone laughed except Dunyashka. There was a cheerful animation at the table. Sholokhov M. A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - T. 2. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - S. 69-70.

The comedy arises from the fact that Pantelei Prokofievich seems to be unable to carry out his threats due to the absence of the usual instruments of punishment in his ruined economy. The writer compares Panteley Prokofievich with a pike perch, which was pulled out of the water, and this ridiculous comparison perfectly conveys the deafness that the old man experienced, his impotence and irritation. The portrait characteristic helps to reveal the comic. A remark made in passing about twigs, which “you won’t find in the daytime with fire,” finally struck down Pantelei Prokofievich. He is beside himself with anger and indignation. He has "stopped eyes", he jumps up "like crazy". Sholokhov resorts to exaggeration in his portraiture in order to make Panteley Prokofievich's anger ridiculous.

But the comic in the image of this hero borders on the tragic. It is on the example of this hero that the author shows all the tragedy of time. Pantelei Prokofievich cannot find himself in it. Without hard work, constant concern for the harvest, running around the base, the hero does not think of his existence.

The constant feeling of danger, longing worsens the situation. This state of Panteley Prokofievich Sholokhov expresses through the author's and improperly direct speech. So, for example, the old man, having learned that the murdered Christonya and Anikushka had been brought to the farm, fearing unrest, suffering, did not go to the funeral, went to the forest.

“The death knell made him take off his hat in the forest, cross himself, and then he even got annoyed with the priest: is it conceivable to call for so long. Well, I would have struck the bell, once - and that's all, otherwise they announced the good news for a whole hour. And what's the use of this ringing? They will only irritate people's hearts and make them once again remember death. And everything reminds of her in the fall even without it: both the falling leaf and the screaming flying in blue sky geese stations. And deadly fallen grass ... "Sholokhov M. A. Collected Works: In 8 volumes - Vol. 4. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - S. 235.

But no matter how great the confusion before historical events, no matter how far the internecine war goes, Panteley Prokofievich knows that it is impossible to act like the Mitka Korshunov cartel does, which spares neither the old nor the young. After Mitka brutally cracks down on Mikhail Koshevoy's elderly mother, Melekhov does not let him into the house:

"Turn back! ...

I don't want you to trash my house! the old man repeated decisively. - And more so that your foot does not set foot on me. We, the Melekhovs, are not akin to executioners, that's it! Sholokhov M. A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - T. 3. - M .: Pravda, 1975. - S. 16.

The turmoil of time did not allow the old man to sit quietly at home, he had to go "in retreat", where he fell ill with a typical disease of disorder - typhus. In the turmoil of panic and general confusion, they buried Pantelei Prokofievich in a strange, far from home side, where he had never been before.

“Gregory, leaning forward, looked at his father. The features of the native face were changed by the disease, made them strangely dissimilar, alien. Pale, haggard cheeks of Panteley Prokofievich were overgrown with gray stubble, his mustache hung low over his sunken mouth, his eyes were half closed, and the bluish enamel of the whites had already lost its sparkling liveliness and luster. The old man's drooping lower jaw was tied up with a red neckerchief, and against the background of the red cloth, the gray curly hair of his beard seemed even silverier, whiter. Grigory knelt down to take a closer look at and remember his own face for the last time, and involuntarily shuddered with fear and disgust: on the gray, waxy face of Pantelei Prokofievich, filling the hollows of the eyes, wrinkles on the cheeks, lice crawled. They covered the face with a living, moving veil, swarmed in the beard, lay in a gray layer on the standing collar of the blue chekmen ... ”Sholokhov M.A. Collected works: In 8 volumes - Vol. 4. - M .: Pravda, 1975 - P. 523. Sholokhov's skill is manifested here in the opposition: "the former Pantelei Prokofievich" and "the dead Pantelei Prokofievich." This antithesis is sharpened by the perception of Gregory, the way he saw his father for the last time, and the way we see him throughout the novel: a tough, harsh, but fair person.

By depicting the death of Panteley Prokofievich, Sholokhov sets off the further tragic fate of the protagonist.

The image of Panteley Prokofievich is given primarily in order to understand in which family the protagonist of The Quiet Flows the Don grew up, in what conditions, under whose influence.

From the smallest everyday details, we learn that the Melekhovs were distinguished by strong prosperity, in all this one can feel the firm master's hand of Panteley Prokofievich. From the portrait description - that the head of the family was quick-tempered to the point of unconsciousness, did not tolerate the slightest objection or disobedience. On occasion, without hesitation, Pantelei Prokofievich Gregory was beaten on the back with a crutch, flogged Daria, who had gone on a spree without a husband, with the reins. Hot temper and dominance are his characteristic features, which Sholokhov reveals through the behavior of the hero.

So, for example, having learned about the connection between Grigory and Aksinya, Pantelei Prokofievich shouts:

"- I'll screw up at the gathering! ... Oh, you damn seed! - He wiggled his legs, intending to hit again. - On Marfushka - fool Zhenya! ... I'll emasculate them! ...

The mother ran to the noise.

Prokofich, Prokofich! ... Chill the crumbs! ... Wait a minute! ...

Marry the son of a bitch! ... ".

He is very proud of his sons, who have risen to the ranks of officers at the front, cannot resist ridiculous boasting, diligently paints the merits of Gregory, Peter. The youngest son, who came on a visit, is being driven through the farm. "I saw off my sons to the war as ordinary Cossacks, but they have earned the rank of officer, well, al am I not proud to ride my son around the farm? Let them walk and envy. And my heart, brother, is pouring with oil!" - Panteley Prokofievich is innocently attached.

Stern, holding earlier with great dignity. Pantelei Prokofievich becomes over time fussy, talkative, loving to brag. When the merchant Mokhov, having learned that Grigory was awarded the St. George Cross, gives gifts to the hero, the old man boasts uncontrollably: “Come on, grit, bow and gifts to your hero from me, let him be just as different in future times. matchmaker?"

He uses the civil war for personal enrichment. "Yes, and why not take from the entih, which ones went to the Reds? It's a sin not to take from them!" - Pantelei Prokofievich argued to the indignant Grigory.

All his life Pantelei Prokofievich strove for prosperity and wealth. He worked himself, did not spare his family, dragged everything into the house. But the civil war began, and I had to leave my house, go to the "retreat". But an even greater misfortune was the destruction of a strong, friendly family. No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep the indestructible ancient order in the house. Along with this, the character of Panteley Prokofievich is changing. He still makes noise at home, but he knows well that he does not have the former power. Daria constantly argues with him, Dunyashka does not obey, his temper now causes only laughter.

The comical image of Panteley Prokofievich grows out of the discrepancy between what he was quite recently and what this hero has become, he increasingly finds himself in a ridiculous position.

So, for example, when, after the retreat of the Red Army, Pantelei Prokofievich returns to the farm, Grigory arrives, the whole family gathers at the table. Grigory says to Dunyashka: "Forget about Mishka Koshevoy from now on." Dunyashka objects to him. Pantelei Prokofievich shouts at his daughter: “You, you son of a bitch, poof! I’ll write you such a heart that you won’t even pick a hair from your head!

The situation is discharged by the sharp-tongued Daria: "My friend! We don't have any reins left. They took everything!" she interrupts Pantelei Prokofievich with a humble air.

Pantelei Prokofievich's eyes flashed furiously and, without lowering his voice, he continued to withdraw his soul:

I'll take a saddle - so I give you such, devils ...

Shut up, damn, a hundred devils in your soul! Words do not give to say! Yes, what is it?"

Then Sholokhov reinforces the comic beginning: Pantelei Prokofievich again falls upon Dunyashka: “... it’s not enough to kill you! I'll put death to death with my own hand! you can't even find kindling.

Pantelei Prokofievich saw malicious intent in this simple confusion. He looked at the old woman with fixed eyes, jumped up like a madman, ran out to the bases.

Grigory threw down the spoon, covered his face with his hands and shook with soundless laughter... Everyone laughed except Dunyashka. There was a cheerful animation around the table.

The comedy arises from the fact that Pantelei Prokofievich seems to be unable to carry out his threats due to the absence of the usual instruments of punishment in his ruined economy. The writer compares Panteley Prokofievich with a pike perch, which was pulled out of the water, and this ridiculous comparison perfectly conveys the deafness that the old man experienced, his impotence and irritation. The portrait characteristic helps to reveal the comic. A remark made in passing about twigs, which "you won't find in the daytime with fire," finally struck down Pantelei Prokofievich. He is beside himself with anger and indignation. He has "stopped eyes", he jumps up "like crazy". Sholokhov resorts to exaggeration in his portraiture in order to make Panteley Prokofievich's anger ridiculous.

But the comic in the image of this hero borders on the tragic. It is on the example of this hero that the author shows all the tragedy of time. Pantelei Prokofievich cannot find himself in it. Without hard work, constant care for the harvest, running around the base, the hero cannot imagine his existence.

“The funeral ringing made him take off his hat in the forest, cross himself, and then he even got annoyed with the priest: is it conceivable to ring for so long. from this ringing? It will only stir people's hearts and make them once again remember death. And in the autumn everything reminds of it even without it: the falling leaf, and the villages of geese flying screaming in the blue sky. And the deadly fallen grass ... "

But no matter how great the confusion before historical events, no matter how far the internecine war goes, Pantelei Prokofievich knows that it is impossible to act like the Mitka Korshunov cartel does, which spares neither the old nor the young. After Mitka brutally cracks down on Mikhail Koshevoy's elderly mother, Melekhov does not let him into the house:

"Turn back! ...

I don't want you to trash my house! the old man repeated decisively. - And more so that your foot does not set foot on me. We, the Melekhovs, are not akin to executioners, that's right!

“Grigory, leaning forward, looked at his father. The illness changed the features of his native face, made them strangely dissimilar, alien. The pale, haggard cheeks of Panteley Prokofievich were overgrown with gray stubble, his mustache hung low over his sunken mouth, his eyes were half closed, and the bluish enamel of the whites had already lost The old man's drooping lower jaw was tied with a red neckerchief, and against the background of the red cloth, the gray, curly hair of his beard seemed even silverier, whiter.

Grigory knelt down to take a closer look at and remember his own face for the last time, and involuntarily shuddered with fear and disgust: on the gray, waxy face of Pantelei Prokofievich, filling the hollows of the eyes, wrinkles on the cheeks, lice crawled. They covered the face with a living, moving veil, swarmed in the beard, lay in a gray layer on the standing collar of the blue chekmen ... "

Sholokhov's skill is manifested here in the opposition: "the former Pantelei Prokofievich" and "the dead Pantelei Prokofievich." This antithesis is sharpened by the perception of Gregory, the way he saw his father for the last time, and the way we see him throughout the novel: a tough, harsh, but fair person.

By depicting the death of Panteley Prokofievich, Sholokhov sets off the further tragic fate of the protagonist.

Melekhov family

Description of family members

Grigory Melekhov - the protagonist of the novel, the youngest son in the family of the Don Cossack Melekhov: “... He hit his father: half a head taller than Peter, at least six years younger, the same drooping kite nose as Bati, blue tonsils of hot eyes in slightly oblique slits, sharp slabs of cheekbones covered with brown, ruddy skin. Grigory stooped in the same way as his father, even in a smile both had something in common, animalistic.

Prokofy - the ancestor of the Melekhov family, Grigory's grandfather: "... Defiantly carried a whitish-forelock head, - only under his cheekbones his jaws swelled and rolled, and sweat appeared between the stone, always immobile, eyebrows."

Turk - Prokofy's wife, Grigory's grandmother: “... He brought his wife from the Turet region - a small woman wrapped in a shawl. She hid her face, rarely showing her yearning wild eyes. The silk shawl smelled of distant, unknown odors, its iridescent patterns fed a woman's envy. From here the hook-nosed, wildly beautiful Cossacks Melekhovs were taken to the farm.

Panteley Prokofievich - Grigory's father: “Under the slope of the slipping years, Pantelei Prokofievich began to spin: he was wider, slightly hunched, but still looked like an old man of folding. He was dry in bones, chrome (in his youth he broke his left leg at the imperial review at the races), wore a silver crescent-shaped earring in his left ear, his black beard and hair did not shed until old age, in anger he reached unconsciousness and, apparently, this prematurely aged /…/ wife.”

Ilyinichna - Gregory's mother is a Cossack: "... Once beautiful, now completely entangled in a web of wrinkles, portly."

Peter - Gregory's older brother: "... He reminded me of his mother: small, snub-nosed, in a lush white hair, brown-eyed."

Daria - Peter's wife: "...Steep black arches of eyebrows"; "A smooth mare ... she just has in her mind - games and street."

Dunyasha - Gregory's younger sister: "... In the long, slightly slanting sections of the eyes, black sparkled, in the blue of whites, shy and mischievous tonsils"; "father's weakness"

Natalia - Gregory's wife: "... Bold gray eyes ... from thinness seemed excessively large, shone with a twin brilliance"; “On an elastic cheek, a shallow pinking hole trembled with embarrassment and a restrained smile”; “... A tight body, high beautiful legs, an ingenuous, slightly embarrassed, truthful look.”

Aksinya - beloved Grigory, wife of Stepan Astakhov: "... A heavy knot of hair, a chiseled neck with curly fluffy curls of hair"; "shamelessly greedy, puffy lips"; “a stately figure, a steep back and poured shoulders”; "warmly prettier eyes shone with crazy happiness, defiantly laughed."

Mikhail Koshevoy - a friend of Grigory, then (in civilian life) an enemy, at the end of the novel - the husband of Grigory Dunyasha's sister: "... Smiling eyes, an indifferent, exhausted look"; "hard, waxy face."

Tanya - the daughter of Grigory and Aksinya, who died in early childhood from "glottis" (scarlet fever): "... A dark head, all in Grigory", "Grigory's eyes looked with meaningful curiosity from the child's face."

polyushka - the daughter of Grigory and Natalya, who died in childhood from a "glottis": "... Brilliant black eyes, all a bit like a dad."

Mishatka - the son of Grigory and Natalia: "...Glumpy, with an unkind Melekhov look."

The Melekhov family in the novel "The Quiet Flows the Don" by Sholokhov is in the center of the reader's attention from the first lines. The last pages of the work are dedicated to her. The story opens with a story about the tragic fate of Prokofy Melekhov and his Turkish wife, slandered by her fellow villagers. The novel ends with the picture of the return home of Grigory Melekhov, who buried Aksinya.

Characteristics of the Melekhovs

The Melekhovs initially stand out among other residents of the Tatarsky farm. Prokofy, who wore a beard and Russian clothes, was "a stranger, unlike a Cossack." His son Pantelei is also growing "darkly swarthy" and "troubled". The neighbors of the Melekhovs called them "Turks" for their hooked nose and "wild" beauty.

The Melekhovs' house looked "smug and prosperous", thanks to the efforts of Pantelei Prokofievich. The elder Melekhov, his wife, two sons with their wives, a daughter, and then grandchildren - these are the inhabitants of the Melekhov house.

But, the peaceful life of the farm is violated first by the World, and then Civil War. The usual Cossack way of life is being destroyed, families are falling apart. The trouble does not bypass the Melekhovs either. Pantelei Prokofievich and both of his sons find themselves caught in a maelstrom of terrible events. The fate of other members of the once strong family is tragic.

The older generation of the Melekhovs

The characterization of the Melekhovs in the novel will be incomplete if you do not turn to the image of each family member.

Pantelei Prokofievich, the head of the Melekhov family, was born prematurely. But he survived, got on his feet, got a family and a household. He was “dry in bones, chrome ..., wore a silver crescent-shaped earring in his left ear, his black beard and hair did not fade until old age.” looked like an old man folding. He was dry in bones, chrome (in his youth he broke his leg at the imperial review at the races), wore a silver crescent-shaped earring in his left ear, until old age his beard and hair did not fade on him, in anger he reached unconsciousness ... "

Pantelei Prokofievich is a true Cossack, brought up on the traditions of valor and honor. On the same traditions, he raised his children, sometimes showing traits of a tough character. The head of the Melekhov family does not tolerate disobedience, but at heart he is kind and sensitive. He is a skilled and industrious owner, he knows how to manage the economy diligently, he works from dawn to dusk. On him, and even more so on his son Grigory, falls a reflection of the noble and proud nature of grandfather Prokofy, who once challenged the patriarchal customs of the Tatarsky farm.

Senior Melekhov is a quick-tempered and domineering nature. He beats Gregory with a crutch for disobedience, "teaches" the reins to the spree Daria, often "brings" to his wife. Having learned about the connection of the youngest son with Aksinya, he marries him with his power to Natalya Korshunova, regardless of the desires of the groom himself.

On the other hand, Pantelei Prokofievich sincerely loves his family, worries about their fate. So, he returns Natalia, who has gone to her parents, to her family, treats her with emphatic attention. Brings uniforms to Grigory in Yagodnoe, although he left with Aksinya from his home. He is proud of his sons who have received the rank of officer. Only worries about the death of his sons could break the strong old man, for whom the family was the meaning of life.

Pantelei Prokofievich dies in a foreign land, far from his native home, to whom he gave all his strength and endless love, and this is the tragedy of a man whose time has taken away the most precious thing - family and shelter.

Vasilisa Ilyinichna, the wife of the elder Melekhov, keeps the hearth in her own way. She treats the whole family with extraordinary warmth and understanding. Ilyinichna infinitely loves her children, often protecting them from the wrath of her unrestrained husband. The death of Peter, who was killed near the house, becomes a huge tragedy for her. Only the expectation of Gregory gives her the strength to live after the loss of almost all her relatives. Vasilisa Ilyinichna Natalya accepts as her own daughter. Supports her, realizing how hard life is for a daughter-in-law, an unloved husband. He hides Daria's illness from Panteley Prokofievich so that he does not drive her out of the yard. She even finds the strength to get close to Aksinya, with whom they are waiting together from the front of Gregory, and to accept Mishka Koshevoy, the murderer of her son and matchmaker, as her son-in-law.

Gregory and Peter

Pyotr Melekhov is the eldest son of Panteley Prkofievich and Vasilisa Ilyinichna. Outwardly, he was very similar to his mother "small, snub-nosed, in a lush, wheat-colored hair, brown-eyed." He also inherited a gentle nature from his mother. He sincerely loves his family, especially his brother, supports him in everything. At the same time, Peter is ready, without hesitation, to stand up for justice. So, together with Grigory, he rushes to save Aksinya from her husband who is beating her, stands up for fellow villagers at the mill.

But during the war, completely different sides of Peter's personality suddenly appear. Unlike Gregory, Peter quickly adapts, does not think at all about someone else's life. "The war made me happy, because it opened up extraordinary prospects." Peter “quickly and smoothly” rises to the rank, and then, to the delight of his father, sends home whole carts of the loot. But, the war, on which the hero places such hopes, leads him to death. Peter dies at the hands of Koshevoy, humbly asking for mercy from former fellow villagers.

Grigory Melekhov is the complete opposite of his older brother. His appearance is reminiscent of his father. He has "a drooping vulture nose, blue tonsils of hot eyes in slightly slanting slits, sharp slabs of cheekbones covered with brown ruddy skin." Gregory went to his father and an explosive character. Unlike his brother, Gregory cannot accept violence. An innate sense of justice makes the hero rush between whites and reds. Seeing that all talk of a bright future ends in bloodshed, Gregory cannot take any side. Devastated, he tries to leave with Aksinya for the Kuban to find peace. But fate deprives him of his beloved and hope for happiness.

Dunyasha, Natalia and Daria

Dunyasha Melekhova, like Grigory, took after her father not only in appearance, but also in character. Her father's firmness is especially evident in her when she decides to marry Mikhail Koshevoy, her brother's murderer. On the other hand, Dunyasha is characterized by tenderness and warmth. It is they who encourage the girl to take the children of Gregory to her, to replace their mother. Dunyasha, and even the son of Mishatka, are the only close people who remained with Grigory, who returned to his native farm.

Natalya, Grigory's wife, is one of the most striking female characters in the novel. A wonderful beauty, she was created in order to love and be loved. But, having married Gregory, the girl does not find family happiness. The husband could not love her, and Natalia is doomed to suffering. Only the love and sympathy of the older Melekhovs give her strength. And then she finds solace in children. All her life fighting for her husband, proud Natalya, however, cannot forgive him for the last betrayal and gets rid of the last child at the cost of her own life.

Daria, Peter's wife, is not at all like Natalia. “With laziness, a spoiled woman ... blushes, and blackens her eyebrows,” says Pantelei Prokofievich about her. Daria goes through life easily, without thinking too much about morality. Emotional experiences left their mark on all members of the Melekhov family, but not on Daria. After mourning her husband, she quickly recovered and blossomed again "flexible, beautiful and approachable". Daria's life ends dramatically. She becomes infected with syphilis and decides to take her own life by drowning herself in the Don.

Patriarchy and traditions in the Melekhov family

In the Melekhov family, there is great patriarchal power - the omnipotence of the father in the house.

Let the actions be abrupt, the tone of the elders resolute and adamant (the younger ones endure this patiently and restrainedly, even hot and impetuous Grigory), but does Pantelei Prokofievich always abuse his power, is assault always unnecessary?

Panteley Prokofievich marries Grigory, and he does not argue not only from filial obedience: Grishka has disgraced the family with his shameless affair with a married neighbor. By the way, Grishka submitted not only to his father, but also to his mother - it was Ilyinichna who decided to marry Grigory to Natalya and persuaded her husband: "... she sharpened him like rusty iron, and in the end broke his stubbornness." In a word, there was a lot of commanding tone, rudeness - but there was never violence in a patriarchal family.

Rudeness was largely due to the influence of barracks army mores, but not patriarchy. Pantelei Prokofievich especially loved the “strong word”. So, he caressed his own wife more than once with the words: “old hag”, “shut up, fool”, and the wife, loving, devoted, “rinsed her half”: “What are you doing, old hook! He is ugly by nature, but under old age he has gone crazy. ” “Turkish blood” boiled in Prokofievich, but it was he who was one of the centers that united the family.

Another center of the patriarchal family was religion, the great Christian faith, the family image - the icon in the red corner.

The Cossack family acts as the guardian of faith in the novel, especially in the person of its older representatives. Black news came about the death of Gregory, in those days of mourning, when "he grew old day by day," when "his memory was weakening and his mind was clouded," only a conversation with Father Vissarion enlightened the old man: "From that day on, he broke himself and spiritually recovered."

I want to talk about divorce in particular. The concept itself did not even exist in the Cossack lexicon. The family was blessed by God! Marriage was indissoluble, but, like everything earthly, it was not unshakable. Having met Grigory not far from Yagodnoye, where his son had gone with Aksinya, Pantelei Prokofievich asked: “And God?” Gregory, who did not believe so sacredly, still remembers Him in his subconscious. It is no coincidence that “thoughts about Aksinya and his wife” suddenly flare up in his head during the oath, when he “approached the cross.”

The crisis of faith had a disastrous effect on the whole of Russia, especially on the family: the “double law of self-preservation” ceased to operate, when the family kept the faith, and the faith protected the unity of the family.

Conclusion

If there is a war around, the power changes, no one can stay away. In the novel "Quiet Flows the Don", the Melekhov family is a vivid example of this. Almost no one survives to the end of the work. Only Gregory remains, his little son and sister, who married an enemy.