What is the meaning of the name hidden man? Analysis of Platonov's story The Hidden Man

What is the meaning of the title of the story?

It is known that the word “intimate” traditionally, following the definition in V. I. Dahl’s dictionary, “hidden, concealed, concealed, secret, hidden or hidden from someone” - means something opposite to the concepts of “frank”, “external” , "visual". In modern Russian, the definition of “secret” - “undetectable, sacredly kept” - is often added with “sincere”, “intimate”, “cordial”. However, in connection with Platonov’s Foma Pukhov, an outspoken mockingbird, subjecting a harsh analysis to the holiness and sinlessness of the revolution itself, looking for this revolution not in posters and slogans, but in something else - in characters, in the structures of the new government, the concept of “hidden”, as always, is sharp modified, enriched. How secretive, “buried”, “closed” this Pukhov is, if... Pukhov reveals himself, opens up at every step, literally provokes dangerous suspicions about himself... He doesn’t want to enroll in the primitive political literacy circle: “Learning dirty your brains, but I want to live fresh." To the proposal of some workers - “You would become a leader now, why are you working?” - he mockingly replies: “There are already so many leaders. But there are no locomotives! I won’t be one of the parasites!” And to the offer to become a hero, to be in the vanguard, he answers even more frankly: “I am a natural fool!”

In addition to the concept of “intimate”, Andrei Platonov was very fond of the word “accidental”.

"I accidentally I began to walk alone and think,” says, for example, the boy in the story “Clay House in the District Garden.” And in “The Hidden Man” there is an identification of the concepts “accidental” and “hidden”: “ Unintentional sympathy for people... manifested itself in Pukhov’s soul, overgrown with life.” We would hardly be mistaken if, based on many of Platonov’s stories for children, his fairy tales, and in general “signs of abandoned childhood,” we say that children or people with an open, childishly spontaneous soul are the most “innermost”, behaving extremely naturally, without pretense, hiding, especially hypocrisy. Children are the most open, artless, and they are also the most “intimate.” All their actions are “accidental,” that is, not prescribed by anyone, sincere, “careless.” Foma Pukhov is constantly told: “You will achieve your goal, Pukhov! You’ll get spanked somewhere!”; “Why are you a grumbler and a non-party member, and not a hero of the era?” etc. And he continues his path as a free contemplator, an ironic spy, who does not fit into any bureaucratic system, hierarchy of positions and slogans. Pukhov’s “intimacy” lies in this freedom self-development, freedom of judgment and assessment of the revolution itself, its saints and angels in the conditions of the revolution stopped in a bureaucratic stupor.

“What are the features of the plot development of Pukhov’s character and what determines them?” - the teacher will ask the class.

Andrei Platonov does not explain the reasons for Pukhov’s continuous, endless wanderings through the revolution (this 1919-1920 gg.), his desire to look for good thoughts (i.e., confidence in the truth of the revolution) “not in comfort, but from intersections with people and events.” He also did not explain the deep autobiographical nature of the entire story (it was created in 1928 and precedes his story “The Doubting Makar,” which caused sharp rejection by the officialdom of Platonov’s entire position).

The story begins with a defiantly stated, visual theme of movement, the hero’s break with peace, with home comfort, with the theme of the onslaught of oncoming life on his soul; from the blows of the wind, storm. He enters a world where “there is wind, wind in the whole wide world” and “man cannot stand on his feet” (A. Blok). Foma Pukhov, still unknown to the reader, does not just go to the depot, to the locomotive, to clear the snow from the tracks for the red trains, - he enters space, into the universe, where “a blizzard unfolded terribly over Pukhov’s very head,” where “he was met by a blow snow in the face and the noise of the storm.” And this makes him happy: the revolution has entered nature, lives in it. Later in the story, the incredibly mobile world of nature and rapidly moving human masses appears more than once - and not at all as a passive background of events, a picturesque landscape.

“The blizzard howled evenly and persistently, stocked up with enormous tension somewhere in the steppes of the southeast."

"Cold Night was pouring storm, and lonely people felt sadness and bitterness.”

"At night, against the stronger wind, the detachment was heading to the port to land.”

« The wind grew hard and destroyed a huge space, going out somewhere hundreds of miles away. Water drops, plucked from the sea, rushed through the shaking air and hit my face like pebbles.”

“Sometimes past the Shani (a ship with a Red amphibious landing force. - V.Ch.) whole columns of water rushed by, engulfed in a whirlwind nor'east. Following them they exposed deep abyss, almost showing bottom seas».

“The train went on all night, rattling, suffering and pretending to be a nightmare into the bony heads of forgotten people... The wind moved the iron on the roof of the carriage, and Pukhov thought about the dreary life of this wind and felt sorry for it.”

Please note that among all the feelings of Foma Pukhov, one thing prevails: if only the storm does not stop, the majesty of contact with people heart to heart does not disappear, stagnation does not set in, “parade and order,” the kingdom of those who have been sitting! And if only he himself, Pukhov, was not placed, like the civil war hero Maxim Pashintsev in “Chevengur”, in a kind of aquarium, a “reserve reserve”!

Platonov himself by 1927-1928 For years, as a former romantic of the revolution (see his 1922 collection of poems, “Blue Depth”), I felt terribly offended, insulted by the era of bureaucratization, the era of “inky darkness,” the kingdom of desks and meetings. He, like Foma Pukhov, asked himself: are those bureaucrats from his satirical story “City of Grads” (1926) right, who “philosophically” deny the very idea of ​​movement, renewal, the idea of ​​a path, saying: “what flows will flow and flow?” and - will stop”? In “The Hidden Man”, many of Pukhov’s contemporaries - both Sharikov and Zvorychny - had already “stopped”, sat down in bureaucratic chairs, and believed, to their advantage, in the “Cathedral of the Revolution”, that is, in the dogmas of the new Bible.

The character of Pukhov, a wanderer, a righteous man, a bearer of the idea of ​​freedom, “accidentality” (i.e., naturalness, non-prescription of thoughts and actions, the naturalness of a person), is complexly unfolded precisely in his movements and meetings with people. He is not afraid of dangers, inconveniences, he is always prickly, unyielding, mocking, and careless. As soon as the dangerous trip with the snowplow ended, Pukhov immediately suggested to his new friend Pyotr Zvorychny: “Let’s get going, Pyotr!.. Let’s go, Petrush!.. The revolution will pass, but there will be nothing left for us!” He needs hot spots of the revolution, without the tutelage of bureaucrats. Subsequently, restless Pukhov, non-believer Foma, a mischievous man, a man of playful behavior, ends up in Novorossiysk, participates (as a mechanic on the landing ship "Shanya") in the liberation of Crimea from Wrangel, moves to Baku (on an empty oil tank), where he meets a curious character - sailor Sharikov.

This hero no longer wants to return to his pre-revolutionary working profession. And to Pukhov’s proposal “take a hammer and patch up the ships personally,” he, “who became a scribe...” being virtually illiterate, proudly declares: “You’re an eccentric, I’m the general leader of the Caspian Sea!”

The meeting with Sharikov did not stop Pukhov in his tracks, did not “get him to work,” although Sharikov offered him... command: “to become the commander of an oil flotilla.” “As if through smoke, Pukhov made his way in the stream of unhappy people towards Tsaritsyn. This always happened to him - almost unconsciously he chased life through all the gorges of the earth, sometimes into oblivion of himself,” writes Platonov, reproducing the confusion of road meetings, Pukhov’s conversations, and finally his arrival in his native Pokharinsk (certainly Platonov’s native Voronezh) . And finally, his participation in the battle with a certain white general Lyuboslavsky (“his cavalry is darkness”).

Of course, one should not look for any correspondence with specific historical situations in the routes of Pukhov’s wanderings and wanderings (albeit extremely active, active, full of dangers), or to look for the sequence of events of the Civil War. The entire space in which Pukhov moves is largely conditional, just like time 1919-1920 gg. Some of the contemporaries and eyewitnesses of the real events of those years, such as Platonov’s friend and patron, editor of the “Voronezh Commune” G. Z. Litvin-Molotov, even reproached the writer for “deviating from the truth of history”: Wrangel was expelled in 1920, then what could the white general then besiege Pokharinsk (Voronezh)? After all, the raid by the corps of Denikin’s white generals Shkuro and Mamontov (they really had a lot of cavalry), which took Voronezh, happened in 1919!

“What made Pukhov happy about the revolution and what saddened him immensely and increased the flow of ironic judgments?” - the teacher will ask a question to the class.

Once in his youth, Andrei Platonov, who came from a large family of a railway foreman in Yamskaya Sloboda, admitted: “The words about the steam locomotive revolution turned the steam locomotive into a feeling of revolution for me.” For all his doubts, Foma Pukhov, although he is by no means a heroic character and not a cold sage, not a conventional mockingbird, still retained the same youthful trait, the romanticism of the author’s own feelings about life. Platonov put into Pukhov’s life perceptions much of his perception of the revolution as the most grandiose event of the 20th century, which changed all history, ending the old, “spoiled” history (or rather, prehistory) that was offensive to people. “Time stood all around like the end of the world,” “deep times breathed over these mountains” - there are a lot of similar assessments of time, of all the events that changed history, the fate of the former little man. From Platonov’s early lyrics, from the book “Blue Depth”, the most important motif about the eternal mystery, the intimacy (freedom) of the human soul passed into the story:

In the story, such “unilluminated”, i.e., those who do not need the granted, prescribed, given from outside “light” (directives, orders, propaganda), are the young Red Army soldiers on the ship “Shanya”:

“They did not yet know the value of life, and therefore cowardice was unknown to them - the pity of losing their body... They were unknown to themselves. Therefore, the Red Army soldiers did not have chains in their souls that chained them to their own personality. Therefore, they lived a full life with nature and with history - and history ran in those years like a locomotive, dragging behind it the worldwide burden of poverty, despair and humble inertia.”

“What upsets Pukhov in the events, in the very atmosphere of time?” - the teacher will ask the children.

He, like the author himself, saw in the era of triumph of bureaucratic forces, the nomenklatura, the corps of all-powerful officials, signs of obvious inhibition, cooling, even “petrification”, petrification of everything - souls, deeds, general inspiration, extermination or vulgarization of the great dream. The engineer sending Pukhov on his flight is a complete fright: “they put him against the wall twice, he quickly turned gray and obeyed everything - without complaint and without reproach. But then he fell silent forever and spoke only orders.”

In Novorossiysk, as Pukhov noted, there were already arrests and defeat of “wealthy people,” and his new friend, sailor Sharikov, already known to himself, realizing his right to proletarian benefits, the benefits of the “rising class,” is trying to turn Pukhov onto the path of careerism. If you are a worker, then... “-then why aren’t you at the forefront of the revolution?”

“Two Sharikovs: what do you think are their similarities and differences?” - the teacher will ask a question to the class.

Fortunately for Platonov, it was not noticed that in “The Hidden Man”... Plato’s own Sharikov had already appeared (after, but independently of Bulgakov’s grotesque story “The Heart of a Dog”, 1925). This yesterday’s sailor, also Platonov’s second “I,” does not yet give rise to the so-called “fear-laughter” (laughter after a forbidden anecdote, a scary allegory, ridicule of an official text, etc.). Sharikov is no longer averse to increasing his revival history, he does not want to remain among those snotty ones, without whom they will do without Wrangel, he does not enter, but intrudes... into power!

As a result, he - and there is no need for any fantastic surgery with the cute dog Sharik! - already with visible pleasure he writes his name on papers, orders for a bag of flour, a piece of textiles, a pile of firewood, and even, like a puppet, he goes to great lengths: “to sign his name so famously and figuratively, so that later the reader of his name will say: Comrade Sharikov is an intelligent man! "

A not idle question arises: what is the difference between Platonov’s Sharikov and his “Sharikovism” from the corresponding hero in M. Bulgakov’s story “The Heart of a Dog” (1925)? Essentially, two Sharikovs appeared in the literature of the 20s. Platonov did not need to seek the services of Professor Preobrazhensky and his assistant Bormental (the heroes of “Heart of a Dog”) to create the phenomenon of Sharikov - a smug, still simple-minded demagogue, a bearer of primitive proletarian swagger. There was no need for “material” in the form of the good-natured stray dog ​​Sharik. Platonov’s Sharikov is not an extraordinary, not speculative and exceptional (like Bulgakov’s) phenomenon: he is simpler, more familiar, more everyday, autobiographical, and therefore probably more terrible. And it’s more painful for Platonov: in “Chevengur” he grows up into Kopenkina, and in “Kotlovan” into Zhachev. It is not the laboratory that grows it, but time. He is preparing a landing party in Crimea and is trying to somehow train the soldiers. At first, he simply “happily rushed around the ship and said something to everyone.” It is curious that he no longer spoke, but constantly agitated, not noticing the poverty of his lectures.

Platonovsky Sharikov, having learned to move “big papers on an expensive table”, becoming the “universal leader of the Caspian Sea,” will very soon learn to “buzz” and fool around in any area.

The ending of “The Hidden Man” as a whole is still optimistic: behind for Pukhov are the episodes of dying - the driver’s assistant, the worker Afonin, and the ghosts of “Sharikovism”, and threats against himself... He “again saw the luxury of life and the fury of bold nature”, “the unexpected returned to him in my soul.” However, these episodes of reconciliation, a kind of harmony between the hero-seeker and the hero-philosopher (the first titles of the story “The Land of Philosophers”), are very fragile and short-lived. A year later, another mockingbird, only more desperate, “doubting Makar”, having come to Moscow, the supreme governing city, will cry out: “Strength is not dear to us - we will put even the little things at home - our soul is dear to us... Give your soul, since you are an inventor " This is perhaps the main, dominant note in Platonov’s entire orchestra: “Everything is possible - and everything succeeds, but the main thing is to sow the soul in people.” Foma Pukhov is the first of the messengers of this Platonic dream-pain.

Questions and topics for review

1. How did Platonov understand the meaning of the word “hidden”?
2. Why did Platonov choose the plot of wandering, pilgrimage to reveal character?
3. What was the autobiographical nature of Pukhov’s image? Wasn’t Platonov himself the same wanderer, full of nostalgia for the revolution?
4. What is the difference between Sharikov and the character of the same name from “The Heart of a Dog” by M. A. Bulgakov? Which writer stood closer to his hero?
5. Can we say that Pukhov is partly of a specifically historical character, and partly a “floating point of view” (E. Tolstaya-Segal) of Platonov himself on the revolution, its ups and downs?

The main character of the work, Foma Pukhov, looks very strange against the background of characters of proletarian origin traditional in Soviet art. Unlike the doubtless heroes A.A. Fadeev and N.A. Ostrovsky, Pukhov does not believe in the revolution, he doubts it. He worries about “where and to what end of the world all the revolutions and all human anxiety are going.” Rooted in his soul is a deep passion for true knowledge of the world, the desire to check everything and see for himself. A parallel arises with the Evangelical Apostle Thomas the Unbeliever. He was not with the other apostles when the resurrected Jesus Christ came to them, and Thomas refuses to believe in the resurrection of the Teacher until he himself touches his wounds. There is an interpretation according to which Thomas was the only apostle who was able to comprehend the secret, hidden meaning of the teachings of Christ.

Platonov’s hero, like Nekrasov’s men in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” is attracted by the eternal mystery of happiness. He is interested not so much in everyday life as in being. The story opens with a very strange scene: a hungry Thomas cuts sausage on his wife’s coffin. In this episode, the eternal and the momentary are expressively correlated with each other, and the full extent of Thomas’s difference from an ordinary person is shown. Thomas is orphaned, but he has to continue living.

Thus, from the first episode, the story intertwines the everyday and philosophical dimensions of life. All the questions that concern Thomas will be of both an abstract spiritual and practical, everyday nature. Why, after all, a revolution, thinks Thomas, if it does not bring the highest justice and does not solve the problem of death? For Foma’s acquaintances, the goal of the revolution is quite specific - material equality, practical improvement in the lives of workers. Pukhov is concerned that, apart from this material goal, there is nothing in the revolution.

Foma Pukhov is an eternal wanderer. At first glance, he travels aimlessly, while everyone around him is busy with very specific things. He does not find a permanent refuge for himself, because there is no place for his soul in the revolution. Others find their place: Zvorychny, becoming the secretary of the party cell; sailor Sharikov, who became a labor recruitment commissioner in Baku, became the foreman of the Perevoshchikov assembly shop. From their point of view, the revolution is fulfilling its promise to bring happiness to everyone. Thomas is looking - alas, to no avail - for confirmation of the revolutionary faith. Only the reality of the revolutionary storm is revealed to him - the reality of dying. Having left the house after the death of his wife, he works on a railway snowplow. Before his eyes, an assistant driver dies in a locomotive accident, a white officer kills an engineer, a red armored train is shot “outright” by a Cossack detachment. And there is no end to this feast of death.

Three deaths are depicted especially vividly in the story. Death of the worker Afonin, who fought on the side of the Reds. The death of the white officer Mayevsky, who shot himself: “and his despair was so great that he died before his shot.” The death of an engineer, the head of the distance, who is “saved” by a Cossack officer’s bullet from execution by decision of the Revolutionary Tribunal. The reality of the revolution that Thomas sees only strengthens his doubts about its holiness.

Does this mean that Pukhov does not find happiness in the world? Not at all. Joy and spiritual peace give him a feeling of communication with the whole world (and not with part of it). Platonov carefully describes Pukhov’s feeling of the fullness of life: “The wind stirred Pukhov, like the living hands of a large unknown body, revealing its virginity to the wanderer and not giving it, and Pukhov made noise with his blood from such happiness. This conjugal love of a whole, immaculate land aroused master's feelings in Pukhov. With homely tenderness he looked at all the accessories of nature and found everything appropriate and living in its essence.” This is Thomas’s happiness - the feeling of the need and relevance of everything in life, the organic connection and cooperation of all beings. It is interconnection and cooperation, not struggle and destruction. Foma is a person to whom all the hardships of the country’s life in conditions of civil war and the “luxury” of “desperate nature” are equally open to him, “Good morning!” - Pukhov says to the driver he replaces at the end of the story. And he answers: “Completely revolutionary.”

Another work in which the holiness of the revolutionary cause is “tested” is the novel “Chevengur” (1929). Chevengur is the name of a small town in which a group of Bolsheviks tried to build communism. In the first part of the novel, its heroes wander in search of happiness in Russia, engulfed in civil war. In the second part, they come to the peculiar city of the Sun - Chevengur, where communism has already come true. In revolutionary fervor, the Chevengurs exterminated most of the population “unworthy” to live under communism. Now they have to confront a regular army sent to pacify the city, which is evading state power. The ending of the novel is tragic: the road to communism ends in death. For the heroes, this death has the character of a collective suicide. The Cheven-Gurs die in battle with a feeling of joyful liberation from the futility of the earthly “paradise” they built. "Chevengur" - awareness of the falsity of the goals proclaimed by the Bolshevik revolution. True, there is no unequivocal condemnation of Platonov’s attitude towards his heroes. The author is on their side in a passionate desire to “make the fairy tale come true”, to bring the age-old dream to life. But he leaves them when they begin to divide people into “clean” and “impure”. Chevengur's heroes appear as victims of an incorrectly set goal, a misunderstood idea. This is their fault and misfortune.

The writer will return to the problems posed in the novel until the end of his creative career. Gradually the range of these problems will narrow, because in the 1930s. It will become more and more difficult to discuss them in print. However, the main result of the time travel undertaken by Platonov in the 20s, the result of the test of the past and the future, is the recognition of the “falseness of the project,” the falsity of the plan for a revolutionary remake of life. In the writer's work of the late 1920s - 1930s. the place of the alluring mirages of utopia will be taken by a formidable reality.

Such works of Platonov as the irony-filled story “City of Gradov” (1927), the “organizational-philosophical” essay “Che-Che-O” (1929), and the story “Doubting Makar” (1929) are devoted to the “test of the present.” Literary scholars sometimes call these works a “philosophical-satirical trilogy.” Platonov’s plays “Fourteen Red Huts” (1937-1938, published in 1987) and “Hurdy Organ” (1933, published in 1988) were created using modern material. The most significant works of this period are the stories “The Pit” (1930, published in 1986), “The Juvenile Sea” (1934, published in 1987) and “Jan” (1934).

This name, like dozens of others disliked by the regime, was consigned to oblivion and was not known to readers for several decades. Andrei Platonov occupies a strong place in the chain of “heretics” of Russian literature of the 19th century. However, he still has a special place here. Unlike Zamyatin, Akhmatova, Bulgakov, Mandelstam, he did not come from the intelligentsia, from the traditions of Silver Age literature. His social origin is proletarian, he himself went through working hardening. Writer Andrei Bitov will say about Platonov: “He was the first to understand everything from the inside.” Bearing in mind the true essence of socialism, I understood everything from my experience, that is, from the working class.

Andrey was the first child in the large family of mechanic Platon Klimentov in Voronezh. Ten more children were born next, so he had to help his father almost from the cradle. He started out as a laborer. The railway workshops instilled in the future great writer some kind of pathological passion for mechanics, perhaps this was a paternal trait in him, since he was not just an ordinary worker, but a talented inventor. Subsequently, Platonov himself would have a designation for this type of personality - a person with “smart” hands.

By the time the revolution took place, Platonov had already firmly recognized himself as the hegemon - the proletariat and firmly believed that socialism is a single system that can make all people in the world happy, therefore the writer’s perception of the revolution is traditionally enthusiastic. In the 20s, he dreams of a grandiose remaking of the world by a community of happy people. About the dissolution of each person in the team, about the social depersonalization of the individual, that is, about what in his mature work will become the subject of colossal, harsh criticism.

Andrei Platonov's first stories represent a utopia. His heroes dream and create a wonderful world of the future. They are, as a rule, creative people, inventors, self-taught people who dream of taming the colossal power of the energy of the sun, water or wind. Platonov himself believed that it was possible to turn the waters of the warm ocean and thereby melt the poles, and then plant them with gardens. He believes that the new system will colossally transform the entire globe and the entire universe. By this time, he graduated from the railway technical school and became a reclamation engineer. In his profiles, until the end of his life, the writer wrote “meliorator” in the “profession” column. And he even published a brochure about land reclamation.

And then suddenly the rethinking began, the euphoria of delight faded away. This process begins from the moment of the story “The Hidden Man”. In Dahl's dictionary, the word “secret” means “hidden, concealed, secret,” but in the context of Plato’s story this concept takes on a different meaning. “Intimate” is unusual, non-standard, falling out of the usual stereotype of perceiving the world.

The image of Foma Pukhov

In the story itself, the expression “hidden man” does not appear even once. It's just in the name. However, it is clear that the main character, Foma Pukhov, became Platonov’s innermost person. Its unusualness and originality are perceived literally from the first pages of the work. The author begins the story with a description of how a hungry Pukhov cuts sausage on the lid of a coffin with his dead wife.

Foma is a man of work morality, a worker with “smart” hands and a “thinking” head. Pukhov perceives everything that happens during the revolutionary period from the position of a working man who is accustomed to doing good and necessary things. He is practical, economical, with a “labor value system.” It is this mentality, this view of the world that is triggered by Pukhov’s perception of the revolution.

He, accustomed to using his head and hands, cannot understand that someone can work with their tongue. He is surprised by speakers who can talk for hours and do nothing but consider it work. He is surprised by the colossal wastefulness of the new government, why “carry a small body on four axles, they should give him a railcar and that’s enough, otherwise they are wasting an American locomotive” - this is how he perceived the commander’s train. Thus, if the revolution coincided with Pukhov’s working worldview, he perceived it, but if it did not coincide, then he was surprised by it and doubted it. It is these doubts of the hero that turn a lot of people away from him; he becomes a kind of social outcast. And among those who experience euphoria from the revolution, he is a black sheep.

It is such a character - thoughtful, doubtful, literally “breaking out” of the usual assessments of the revolution and the regime - that will become the main type of hero in Platonov’s further work. The story “The Hidden Man” was the first signal for the writer’s arrival at social dystopia, and it will also become a signal for “hereticy”, for the consequences that the author had to experience in life.

Images of Makar Ganushkin and Lev Chumovoy

Soon after “The Hidden Man,” the story “Doubting Makar” appeared, where this type receives its further development. The hero of the story, Makar Ganushkin, is a talented man with “clever” hands and a work ethic, who sees a lot of superficial, artificial, and formal things in the revolution. Unlike the previous work, in this story Platonov brings out the antithesis of the innermost person. They are presented with Lev Chumovoy - the complete opposite of Ganushkin, a reasoner, an empty talker, a bureaucrat who was able to climb into leadership. A man with empty hands.

The symbolism of this image is emphasized with the help of the surname. People like Leo are like a plague epidemic in the new government. Trying to escape from Chumovoy, to find the truth, to explain to those at the helm of the state that the “freaky” are interfering with the new system and will destroy it, Ganushkin reaches Moscow. He finds the right office, in which, as it seems to him, the main person of the state sits, capable of hearing and understanding him. But, opening the office door, he sees Chumovoy at the desk. This ending is symbolic. The circle is closed. The entire state is in a web of freaks.

After the story about Makar, who doubted the revolution, the attitude towards Platonov from the state, censorship, and critics changes dramatically. He falls into long and deep disgrace. The bulk of the writer’s works were never published during his lifetime, and even the Khrushchev Thaw returned only some of his texts to readers.

Platonov was not convicted, did not go through Stalin’s purges, he was dealt with differently. Their only son, Plato, was taken through everything possible and impossible. Having fallen ill with consumption in prison and already dying, he was allowed to be taken by his father, who cared for his son himself and could not protect himself from the disease. After the death of his son, A. Platonov did not last long in this world.

Article provided by Elena Antonova.

It is known that the literature exam is one of the most difficult. The examinee must show good knowledge of historical and literary material, command of the Russian language, and the ability to express his thoughts coherently, consistently, logically and clearly. Any essay is written in a specific genre (literary critical article, review, review, essay, diary, etc.). Working on such essays develops students' creativity and independence. Essays of such genres are successful when the student is well acquainted with the material. Therefore, preparation for working on a composition of any of these genres should begin in classes studying the biography and creativity of the author of the work.

So, after studying A. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man,” we invite students to write a review essay describing the main character. But we are preparing for work on the review step by step throughout the entire system of lessons on studying creativity.

A. Platonova.

5 hours are allocated for studying the works of A.P. Platonov and 2 hours for speech development. The following lesson topics are offered:

First lesson:“It’s an incredible opportunity to live...” A. Platonov. The fate of A. Platonov and his books.

Second lesson:“But without a soul and high thoughts, there are no living paths from heart to heart.” E.O. Galitsky. The artistic world of the writer.

Third lesson: The story “The Hidden Man”, history of creation, plot and composition, problems of the work.

Fourth lesson: The character of Foma Pukhov is unique. Understanding the revolutionary reality in the story. Selfless search for truth, the meaning of all things by Plato's heroes

Fifth lesson: The ideological content of the story, the author's style.

Lessons six and seven: Preparation for a review essay based on A.P. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man” and analysis of students’ creative works.

On first lesson We designate a distant goal for the student: preparation for an essay-review based on the memo that they have.

Memo.

1. Read the work carefully. Determine the features of the writer’s work, his worldview, civic position, the place of this work compared to others created by the author; the conditions under which the book was written; when it was published, its path to the reader.

2. Determine the genre of the work, its features, plot and composition, its originality, the author’s intention and its implementation.

3. Determine the problems of the work, its main themes, ideological content, reflection of the past, future and eternity in it.

4. Determine the system of images created by the author. The main and minor characters, the author’s attitude towards them.

5. Determine the artistic features of the work, its style and language, and the power of impact on the reader.

6. Determine the meaning, the role of the work in the historical and literary process, the innovation of the writer.

We set aside a place in the notebook for collecting material and begin to record the necessary information from the teacher’s lecture and student messages.

On first lesson We make notes about the time when A. Platonov created his works, and about the fate of his books.

Records.

1. C .

Fate marked A. Platonov only 51 years old, but all the tragic events of the first half of the 20th century (revolution, civil war, collectivization, the Great Patriotic War) were imprinted in his work. A. Platonov was born into the family of a mechanic at railway workshops. He knew what poverty was, oppression by hard mechanical labor and monotonous life. He acutely felt the great injustice of life, so he perceived the revolution as a path to light. For many years he was on the edge of poverty, suffered the personal hostility of Stalin, the arrest and death of his son, but never adapted.

2. The fate of books.

Platonov’s biographies and works reflected his utopian ideas about revolution and socialism and the overcoming of these utopian views. His work at the turn of the 20s and 30s is a clear confirmation of this. At this time, he wrote the novel “Chevengur” (1929), the stories “The Pit” (1930), “The Juvenile Sea” (1934) and others. All of these works were not published during the writer’s lifetime and were published only in the late 80s. After the publication of the satirical stories "The State Resident",

The story “Return”, published in 1946 in the magazine “New World”, caused a new wave of negative reviews, after which the path to Platonov’s works was practically closed until his death in 1951.

The years of Khrushchev's thaw were the years of the writer's second birth. Separate collections are being published, and a two-volume collection of works is being published.

Since 1986, the “third birth” of the writer begins. “The Juvenile Sea” was published in the July issue of the magazine “Znamya”, “The Pit” was published in “New World” in 1987, and “Chevengur” was published in “Friendship of Peoples” in 1988.

On second lesson When we introduce students to Platonov’s artistic world, we identify the main leitmotifs of the writer’s prose, and pay attention to the features of Plato’s image of the world and man.

Posts

N and the third lesson The most intensive work on preparing for the review begins.

On fourth lesson We practice proper citation of text for an essay. Students find passages in the novel that support their conclusions:

About Foma Pukhov: “The cell decided that Pukhov was not a traitor, but just a stupid guy... But they took a subscription from Pukhov to take evening courses in political literacy,” “... not an enemy, but some kind of wind blowing past the sails of the revolution.” “He jealously followed the revolution, ashamed of its every stupidity, although he had little to do with it.” “If you just think,” he declares, “you won’t get far, you also need to have a feeling.” “They’re okay, guys, Pukhov thought about the communists, although in vain they persecute God: not because Pukhov was a pilgrim, but because people are used to putting their hearts into religion, but in the revolution they didn’t find such a place.”

About the meaninglessness of life: “... the meaninglessness of life, just like hunger and need, has tormented the human heart.”

About the party: “There are already so many leaders, but no locomotives! I will not be a member of the parasites.”

About the people around Pukhov: “They were not interested in mountains, nor peoples, nor constellations, and they did not remember anything from anywhere...”

About the landscape: “And over everything lay a child of vague despair and patient sadness.” “... wild winds rustled over the Volga, and the entire space above the houses was oppressed with anger and boredom.”

On fifth general lesson We are working on the language of a work of art; for this lesson, students select epigraphs for the essay.

Since the central principle in the story is a person with his eternal question: how to live?, the epigraphs independently selected by the students reflect this idea. Here are examples:

The soul of the Universe is truth.

Avicenna

We can only bring salvation to humanity through our own good behavior; otherwise we will rush by like a fatal comet, leaving devastation and death everywhere in our wake.

Erasmus of Rotterdam

As an artist, the citizen (Platonov) did not simplify the picture of life, did not give himself a break from its problems. He certainly went into battle for human happiness in a complex and difficult world to change towards happiness.

V. Akimov

Seeing and feeling is being, thinking, living.

W. Shakespeare

Truth and justice are the only things I worship in

The essence of human nature is movement. Complete rest means death.

B.Pascal

Everything is possible and everything succeeds, but the main thing is to sow souls in people.

A. Platonov

Truth is the fight for love, which embraces the whole world, and it makes everyone feel good.

M. Prishvin

I believe that the time will come, The power of meanness and malice will be overcome by the spirit of goodness.

B. Pasternak

A person is defined by what he is like alone with his conscience.

Hurry up to do good before it's too late.

Only man, and only he alone in the entire universe, feels the need to ask what is the nature around him? Where does all this come from? What is he himself? where? Where? For what? And the higher a person is, the more powerful his moral nature, the more sincerely these questions arise in him

When working on the language of the story, students note that the language is rough, but memorable. Distinctive features are called unusual syntax, a “strange” combination of words, examples are given: “... hungry due to the absence of the hostess.”

“His heart sometimes worried and trembled at the death of a relative and wanted to complain to the entire collective responsibility of people about their general defenselessness.”

Students note that the writer uses various artistic techniques: irony, rethinking of well-known concepts, slogans, cliches, clericalism; “in vain they persecute God”, “people are accustomed to putting their hearts into religion”, “reflected a world orphaned by one person”, “they are wasting the American locomotive”, “it’s a pity to lose your body” and others.

Students notice that Platonov’s abstract concepts are constantly reified: “... and history ran in those years...”, “... he jealously followed the revolution, ashamed of its every stupidity.”

Lessons six and seven- preparation for essay-review and analysis of students’ creative works.

Lesson objectives:

1. Teach how to select and systematize material for working on the text of an essay-review.

2.Develop students’ creative abilities, logic and speech.

3. Contribute to the development of a creative personality.

Lesson method: Conversation with elements of literary analysis.

Lesson equipment:

1.Text of A.P. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man”.

2.Notes made by students in notebooks.

3.Memo “How to work on a book review.”

4. Samples of introduction and conclusion.

During the classes

I. Updating the studied material

Teacher. Completing the study of the story by A.P. Platonov’s “The Hidden Man”, having become acquainted with its hero, having identified the features of the plot, composition, and style of the writer, we will try to prepare for work on a review essay describing the central character. What is a review?

Students. This is a common type of statement about a read work of fiction, film or play. The reviewer must not only express his attitude, but also justify it by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the work, the features of its construction, and the author’s techniques for depicting characters and events.

Teacher. What knowledge is needed to write a review?

Teacher. Why do you need to analyze a work? Pay attention to the epigraphs of the lesson.

Students. Ushinsky and Rybnikova are absolutely right when they say that you need to understand what you are reading, what the author wanted to say with his work, what to teach the reader, what to warn against, that is, make the reader think, seek the truth, understand himself and the world around him.

II. Formation of new knowledge and concepts.

Teacher. A review essay, like any other essay, consists of three parts: introduction, main part and conclusion. Here are three examples of essay introductions. Which one is the most successful, in your opinion?

First introduction

“Face to face, you can’t see the face.

Big things can be seen from a distance.”

How often do we repeat these words of the poet, which seem to us almost an axiom. A. Platonov’s artistic vision of the world is fundamentally different. He has no time to wait! Only face to face can he comprehend the innermost essence of people living, acting, thinking, hoping for happiness today, and through the essence of an individual person - the global meaning of what is happening now, right before his eyes, on a nationwide scale and will, apparently, have far-reaching consequences.

This close, alarming and visionary look of A. Platonov on the life and fate of the people determined his own, personal fate and the fate of his main, secret works.

Although direct parallels between the writer’s life path and his favorite topics bear the stamp of deliberateness, in this case they are appropriate. A. Platonov did not need to observe the life of his heroes - artisans, peasants, Red Army soldiers, he knew it from the inside. And his artistic works embodied all the steps that the people went through in the revolution, in this “beautiful and furious world.” Such a hero, whose life the author knew from the inside, is Foma Pukhov - the central character of the story “The Hidden Man.” (1928)

Second introduction

A. Platonov’s genuine sensitivity to man, to the pain of others, makes his works vital and conveys the humanity of his heroes. Who are they, his favorite heroes? These are the romantics of life in the fullest sense of the word. They are not pretentious, they endure the inconveniences of everyday life easily, as if not noticing them at all. Where these people come from, what their biographical background is, cannot always be established, since for Platonov this is not the most important thing. All of them are world transformers. It is from them that we should expect to achieve our dreams. It is they who will someday be able to turn fantasy into reality and not even notice it themselves. This type of people is represented by engineers, mechanics, inventors, philosophers, dreamers - people of liberated thought. The hero of the story “The Hidden Man” (1928) - Foma Pukhov - belongs to them.

Third introduction

"The Hidden Man" was part of a broader plan to explore the recent past - the events of the revolution and civil war. A. Platonov wrote the stories “The Hidden Man”, “Yamskoye Field” and the novel “Chevengur” in 1927-1929. The first part of the novel is connected with two stories by the time of action, theme, and characters. The stories were published in 1928. The author's understanding of the hero is included in the title - “The Hidden Man”. However, Foma Pukhov causes bewilderment among critics: his social background is impeccable, he takes part in the civil war, but his behavior is strange and he refuses to join the party. The hero is declared "an extra person"

“an adventurer, a bully, a liar”, who was not a “real hero” of those years. What is the reason for such a radical discrepancy in the assessment of Plato's hero by critics and the author? What is unique about the very type of hero created by Platonov?

Students. The third introduction can be considered the most successful, since it contains a specific statement of the topic of the review - a description of the main character, it gives the necessary information about the book, about the time that is depicted in the story. Different points of view on the hero of the author and critics of the late 20s make it necessary to understand these discrepancies and understand the main character

The second introduction is more successful than the first, because it gives a general description of Plato’s favorite heroes, which includes Pukhov, the hero of “The Hidden Man,” but it does not contain information about the work in question.

Teacher. The story has been read. Let's try to summarize what we talked about at

previous lessons. What important issues does the author raise in the story?

Students. The key theme is life and death. What is a person? What is life? What is its meaning? - these questions concern both Platonov and his hero.

No less important is the theme of revolution. Seeing the death of his wife and comrades next to him, the hero not only understood, but rather felt the meaninglessness of a revolution that does not solve the issue of death.

And, of course, understanding these eternal questions leads the hero to search for harmony in life. Hence the peculiarity of the story's construction - the depiction of the hero's wanderings in search of truth and happiness.

Teacher. What is the plot of the work?

(after the students’ answers, we collectively compose a sample plot).

Plot

The hero - wanderer - railway worker Foma Pukhov travels across Russia in search of the meaning of the proletarian revolution and a new world order.

Teacher. The basis of the writer’s artistic world in the story is the main character Foma Pukhov, a railway worker. What are the similarities and differences between Foma Pukhov and the image of the proletarian that emerged in Soviet literature of the 20s?

Students.- With his social origin, Foma Pukhov resembles the traditional type of hero in Soviet literature of the 20s - the proletarian. He is fighting on the side of the Red Army and has no doubt that the workers must win. However, this is where the similarity ends, because in Pukhov’s soul there is no “remaking of people” in the “fire of civil war.” The hero is somewhat reminiscent of the fool from Russian fairy tales, who is not so much stupid as endowed with the ability to understand everything and do things in his own way.

Even the title of the story Platonov points to the unusualness of his hero, to the special, unique world hidden in his soul. Unlike other heroes of the civil war, whose sophisticated goals are dictated by ideological guidelines, Foma Pukhov strives for genuine knowledge of the world, to verify everything personally, to find out “where and to what end all revolutions and all human anxiety are going.”

Teacher. What demands does Thomas make for the revolution?

Students. Pukhov expects from the revolution what religion previously promised people: instilling hope for immortality, it filled his earthly existence with meaning. Pukhov’s reasoning “people are used to placing their hearts in religion, but in the revolution they did not find such a place” convinces us that he doubts the sanctity of the revolution, its ability to bring happiness to people.

Teacher. What position does Pukhov take in relation to the events described?

Students. The wanderer's position. True, this word in the story has multiple meanings. It denotes a wandering person. It is consonant with the word “strange” - this is how Pukhov seems to those around him. Finally, a wanderer is a person who not only participates in events, but also observes from the side, with a detached gaze. This look allows Pukhov to see the strangeness of the revolution itself.

And in the end, Platonov’s hero comes to the conclusion that in the revolution, every person must find the meaning of existence. But meeting people, communicating with them leads him to sad reflections: “They were not interested in mountains, nations, or constellations, and they did not remember anything from anywhere.”

Platonov's landscapes also help to understand the world in which the hero lives. The landscapes are united by the motif of death. Foma Pukhov sees the same thing: the death of trees, locomotives, people. Pukhov sees that people do not value their lives, therefore, they do not value the lives of other people. The hero becomes convinced that the civil war leads to death. Pukhov did not find a higher goal in the revolution, so he is not ready to give his life for it.

Teacher. So where does Foma Pukhov find happiness?

Students. In communication with the machine, because he sees in it a harmonious combination of parts working in mutual agreement. Then he discovers the same harmony in the natural world. It is no coincidence that the hero feels calm and happy when he moves in space.

Teacher. But why does the ending of the work remain open?

Students. Apparently because Platonov was not sure that such a revolution would bring happiness to humanity.

(After the students’ answers, we draw a conclusion.)

Conclusion. In Platonov’s prose there are practically no portrait characteristics; the characters live in a world devoid of interiors and material details. Therefore, the meaning of the name occupies a very important place in Platonov’s poetics, since this is almost the only source of information about the hero. Thus, in “The Hidden Man” the writer chooses for his hero a name that closely fits the character: Thomas does not believe the words, and like an apostle, puts his fingers into the wounds to make sure of their authenticity. So Pukhov is not convinced by other people’s attitudes and political literacy courses; he needs to be personally convinced of the holiness of the revolution, of its ability to overcome death. All of Platonov’s main works are built on the same model - this is a journey in search of happiness and into the depths of oneself. The writer uses almost fairy-tale images: the search is carried out by “fools” (like the fairytale Ivanushka the Fool); the goal of their search is happiness.

Teacher. The essay ends with a conclusion. Read your conclusion options. Which of them is the most successful, in your opinion?

Conclusion samples

First conclusion

In the last chapter of the story, after everything he experienced in the civil war, Thomas suddenly “saw the luxury of life again.” However, the ending of the work remains open:

"- Good morning! - he said to the driver.

He stretched, went outside and indifferently examined:

Quite revolutionary."

It is unlikely that Pukhov will find peace in a world where the beauty of the morning is determined by its “revolutionism,” which means that the search for it does not end and Pukhov is destined to be an eternal wanderer.

Second conclusion

Since the thirties, Platonov has been calling out to us with his special, honest and bitter, talented voice, reminding us that the path of a person, no matter what social and political system it takes, is always difficult, full of gains and losses. For Platonov, it is important that a person is not destroyed. The writer believed that one must experience someone else’s misfortune in the same way as one’s own, remembering one thing: “Humanity is one breath, one living warm being. It hurts one, it hurts everyone. If one dies, everyone dies. Down with humanity - dust, long live humanity - organism... Let us be humanity, and not a person of reality.” Truly, the words of A. S. Pushkin can rightfully be attributed to Andrei Platonov and his heroes: “I want to live in order to think and suffer...”

Third conclusion

So, from the very first sentence of A. Platonov’s story, we are presented with the image of a man who has not lost his personality, has not dissolved in the mass, a strange, “single” person, painfully thinking and seeking harmony in the world and in himself. The entire path of Foma Pukhov is an expression of protest against violence, expressed with the genius of Dostoevsky: if people are “sent in whole echelons” to the revolution, and the result of their struggle is death, if people are exiled on rafts into the ocean, and the wind is blowing in their houses, they are empty , and children - a symbol of the future - die from fatigue, homelessness, loneliness, then “no!” such a path and such a future.

Students. The most successful is the last conclusion, since it is thematically similar to the introduction and the main part.

Sh. I tog of the lesson. Today we worked on the genre of essay-review, we remembered its characteristic semantic and compositional means

IV. Homework. Write a review essay based on A. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man” with a description of the central character.

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System of working on an essay-review (based on the story by A.P. Platonov “The Hidden Man”)

The work was carried out by: the leading teacher of Russian language and literature of the Arsk secondary school No. 1 named after V.F. Ezhkov Gerasimova Elena Semenovna.

It is known that the literature exam is one of the most difficult. The examinee must show good knowledge of historical and literary material, command of the Russian language, and the ability to express his thoughts coherently, consistently, logically and clearly. Any essay is written in a specific genre (literary critical article, review, review, essay, diary, etc.). Working on such essays develops students' creativity and independence. Essays of such genres are successful when the student is well acquainted with the material. Therefore, preparation for working on a composition of any of these genres should begin in classes studying the biography and creativity of the author of the work.

So, after studying A. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man,” we invite students to write a review essay describing the main character. But we are preparing for work on the review step by step throughout the entire system of lessons on studying creativity.

A. Platonova.

5 hours are allocated for studying the works of A.P. Platonov and 2 hours for speech development. The following lesson topics are offered:

First lesson: “It’s an incredible opportunity to live...” A. Platonov. The fate of A. Platonov and his books.

Second lesson: “But without a soul and high thoughts, there are no living paths from heart to heart.” E.O. Galitsky. The artistic world of the writer.

Third lesson: The story “The Hidden Man”, history of creation, plot And composition, problems of the work.

Fourth lesson: The character of Foma Pukhov is unique. Understanding the revolutionary reality in the story. Selfless search for truth, the meaning of all things by Plato's heroes

Fifth lesson: The ideological content of the story, the author's style.

Lessons six and seven:Preparation for a review essay based on A.P. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man” and analysis of students’ creative works.

At the first lesson We designate a distant goal for the student: preparation for an essay-review based on the memo that they have.

Memo.

1. Read the work carefully. Determine the features of the writer’s creativity, his worldview, civic position, the place of this work ina number of others created by the author; the conditions under which the book was written; when it was published, its path to the reader.

2. Determine the genre of the work, its features, plot and composition, its originality, the author’s intention and its implementation.

3. Determine the problems of the work, its main themes, ideological content, reflection of the past, future and eternity in it.

4. Determine the system of images created by the author. The main and minor characters, the author’s attitude towards them.

5. Determine the artistic features of the work, its style and language, and the power of impact on the reader.

6. Determine the meaning, the role of the work in the historical and literary process, the innovation of the writer.

We set aside a place in the notebook for collecting material and begin to record the necessary information from the teacher’s lecture and student messages.

At the first lesson We make notes about the time when A. Platonov created his works, and about the fate of his books.

Records.

1. C the fate of A. Platonov, the time in which his works were created.

Fate marked A. Platonov only 51 years old, but all the tragic events of the first half of the 20th century (revolution, civil war, collectivization, the Great Patriotic War) were imprinted in his work. A. Platonov was born into the family of a mechanic at railway workshops. He knew what poverty was, oppression by hard mechanical labor and monotonous life. He acutely felt the great injustice of life, so he perceived the revolution as a path to light. For many years he was on the edge of poverty, suffered the personal hostility of Stalin, the arrest and death of his son, but never adapted.

2. The fate of books.

Platonov’s biographies and works reflected his utopian ideas about revolution and socialism and the overcoming of these utopian views. His work at the turn of the 20s and 30s is a clear confirmation of this. At this time, he wrote the novel “Chevengur” (1929), the stories “The Pit” (1930), “The Juvenile Sea” (1934) and others. All of these works were not published during the writer’s lifetime and were published only in the late 80s. After the publication of the satirical stories "The State Resident",

The story “Return”, published in 1946 in the magazine “New World”, caused a new wave of negative reviews, after which the path to Platonov’s works was practically closed until his death in 1951.

The years of Khrushchev's thaw were the years of the writer's second birth. Separate collections are being published, and a two-volume collection of works is being published.

Since 1986, the “third birth” of the writer begins. “The Juvenile Sea” was published in the July issue of the magazine “Znamya”, “The Pit” was published in “New World” in 1987, and “Chevengur” was published in “Friendship of Peoples” in 1988.

In the second lesson When we introduce students to Platonov’s artistic world, we identify the main leitmotifs of the writer’s prose, and pay attention to the features of Plato’s image of the world and man.

Posts

In the third lesson The most intensive work on preparing for the review begins.

In the fourth lesson We practice proper citation of text for an essay. Students find passages in the novel that support their conclusions:

About Foma Pukhov : “The cell decided that Pukhov was not a traitor, but just a stupid guy... But they took a subscription from Pukhov to take evening courses in political literacy,” “... not an enemy, but some kind of wind blowing past the sails of the revolution.” “He jealously followed the revolution, ashamed of its every stupidity, although he had little to do with it.” “If you just think,” he declares, “you won’t get far, you also need to have a feeling.” “They’re okay, guys, Pukhov thought about the communists, although in vain they persecute God: not because Pukhov was a pilgrim, but because people are used to putting their hearts into religion, but in the revolution they didn’t find such a place.”

About the meaninglessness of life: “... the meaninglessness of life, just like hunger and need, has tormented the human heart.”

About the party : “There are already so many leaders, but no locomotives! I will not be a member of the parasites.”

About the people around Pukhov: “They were not interested in mountains, nor peoples, nor constellations, and they did not remember anything from anywhere...”

About the landscape : “And over everything lay a child of vague despair and patient sadness.” “... wild winds rustled over the Volga, and the entire space above the houses was oppressed with anger and boredom.”

On fifth general lessonWe are working on the language of a work of art; for this lesson, students select epigraphs for the essay.

Since the central principle in the story is a person with his eternal question: how to live?, the epigraphs independently selected by the students reflect this idea. Here are examples:

The soul of the Universe is truth.

Avicenna

We can only bring salvation to humanity through our own good behavior; otherwise we will rush by like a fatal comet, leaving devastation and death everywhere in our wake.

Erasmus of Rotterdam

As an artist and citizen he (Platonov) did not simplify the picture of life, did not give himself a break from its problems. He certainly went into battle for human happiness in a complex and difficult world to change towards happiness.

V. Akimov

Seeing and feeling is being, thinking, living.

W. Shakespeare

Truth and justice are the only things I worship in

earth.

M. Luther

The essence of human nature is movement. Complete rest means death.

B.Pascal

A. Platonov

Truth is the fight for love, which embraces the whole world, and it makes everyone feel good.

M. Prishvin

I believe that the time will come, The power of meanness and malice will be overcome by the spirit of goodness.

B. Pasternak

A person is defined by what he is like alone with his conscience.

O.Volkov

Hurry up to do good before it's too late.

F.P. Gaaz

Only man, and only he alone in the entire universe, feels the need to ask what is the nature around him? Where does all this come from? What is he himself? where? Where? For what? And the higher a person is, the more powerful his moral nature, the more sincerely these questions arise in him

A. Fet

When working on the language of the story, students note that the language is rough, but memorable. Distinctive features are called unusual syntax, a “strange” combination of words, examples are given: “... hungry due to the absence of the hostess.”

“His heart sometimes worried and trembled at the death of a relative and wanted to complain to the entire collective responsibility of people about their general defenselessness.”

Students note that the writer uses various artistic techniques: irony, rethinking of well-known concepts, slogans, cliches, clericalism; “in vain they persecute God”, “people are accustomed to putting their hearts into religion”, “reflected a world orphaned by one person”, “they are wasting the American locomotive”, “it’s a pity to lose your body” and others.

Students notice that Platonov’s abstract concepts are constantly reified: “... and history ran in those years...”, “... he jealously followed the revolution, ashamed of its every stupidity.”

Lessons six and seven- preparation for essay-review and analysis of students’ creative works.

Lesson topic: Preparation for a review essay based on A.P. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man” with a description of the central character.

Lesson objectives:

1. Teach how to select and systematize material for working on the text of an essay-review.

2.Develop students’ creative abilities, logic and speech.

3. Contribute to the development of a creative personality.

Lesson method: Conversation with elements of literary analysis.

Lesson equipment:

1.Text of A.P. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man”.

2.Notes made by students in notebooks.

3.Memo “How to work on a book review.”

4. Samples of introduction and conclusion.

During the classes

I. Updating the studied material

Teacher. Completing the study of the story by A.P. Platonov’s “The Hidden Man”, having become acquainted with its hero, having identified the features of the plot, composition, and style of the writer, we will try to prepare for work on a review essay describing the central character. What is a review?

Students . This is a common type of statement about a read work of fiction, film or play. The reviewer must not only express his attitude, but also justify it by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the work, the features of its construction, and the author’s techniques for depicting characters and events.

Teacher. What knowledge is needed to write a review?

Teacher . Why do you need to analyze a work? Pay attention to the epigraphs of the lesson.

Students . Ushinsky and Rybnikova are absolutely right when they say that you need to understand what you are reading, what the author wanted to say with his work, what to teach the reader, what to warn against, that is, make the reader think, seek the truth, understand himself and the world around him.

II. Formation of new knowledge and concepts.

Teacher . A review essay, like any other essay, consists of three parts: introduction, main part and conclusion. Here are three examples of essay introductions. Which one is the most successful, in your opinion?

First introduction

“Face to face, you can’t see the face.

Big things can be seen from a distance.”

How often do we repeat these words of the poet, which seem to us almost an axiom. A. Platonov’s artistic vision of the world is fundamentally different. He has no time to wait! Only face to face can he comprehend the innermost essence of people living, acting, thinking, hoping for happiness today, and through the essence of an individual person - the global meaning of what is happening now, right before his eyes, on a nationwide scale and will, apparently, have far-reaching consequences.

This close, alarming and visionary look of A. Platonov on the life and fate of the people determined his own, personal fate and the fate of his main, secret works.

Although direct parallels between the writer’s life path and his favorite topics bear the stamp of deliberateness, in this case they are appropriate. A. Platonov did not need to observe the life of his heroes - artisans, peasants, Red Army soldiers, he knew it from the inside. And his artistic works embodied all the steps that the people went through in the revolution, in this “beautiful and furious world.” Such a hero, whose life the author knew from the inside, is Foma Pukhov - the central character of the story “The Hidden Man.” (1928)

Second introduction

A. Platonov’s genuine sensitivity to man, to the pain of others, makes his works vital and conveys the humanity of his heroes. Who are they, his favorite heroes? These are the romantics of life in the fullest sense of the word. They are not pretentious, they endure the inconveniences of everyday life easily, as if not noticing them at all. Where these people come from, what their biographical background is, cannot always be established, since for Platonov this is not the most important thing. All of them are world transformers. It is from them that we should expect to achieve our dreams. It is they who will someday be able to turn fantasy into reality and not even notice it themselves. This type of people is represented by engineers, mechanics, inventors, philosophers, dreamers - people of liberated thought. The hero of the story “The Hidden Man” (1928) - Foma Pukhov - belongs to them.

Third introduction

"The Hidden Man" was part of a broader plan to explore the recent past - the events of the revolution and civil war. A. Platonov wrote the stories “The Hidden Man”, “Yamskoye Field” and the novel “Chevengur” in 1927-1929. The first part of the novel is connected with two stories by the time of action, theme, and characters. The stories were published in 1928. The author's understanding of the hero is included in the title - “The Hidden Man”. However, Foma Pukhov causes bewilderment among critics: his social background is impeccable, he takes part in the civil war, but his behavior is strange and he refuses to join the party. The hero is declared "an extra person"

“an adventurer, a bully, a liar”, who was not a “real hero” of those years. What is the reason for such a radical discrepancy in the assessment of Plato's hero by critics and the author? What is unique about the very type of hero created by Platonov?

Students. The third introduction can be considered the most successful, since it contains a specific statement of the topic of the review - a description of the main character, it gives the necessary information about the book, about the time that is depicted in the story. Different points of view on the hero of the author and critics of the late 20s make it necessary to understand these discrepancies and understand the main character

The second introduction is more successful than the first, because it gives a general description of Plato’s favorite heroes, which includes Pukhov, the hero of “The Hidden Man,” but it does not contain information about the work in question.

Teacher. The story has been read. Let's try to summarize what we talked about at

previous lessons. What important issues does the author raise in the story?

Students. The key theme is life and death. What is a person? What is life? What is its meaning? - these questions concern both Platonov and his hero.

No less important is the theme of revolution. Seeing the death of his wife and comrades next to him, the hero not only understood, but rather felt the meaninglessness of a revolution that does not solve the issue of death.

And, of course, understanding these eternal questions leads the hero to search for harmony in life. Hence the peculiarity of the story's construction - the depiction of the hero's wanderings in search of truth and happiness.

Teacher. What is the plot of the work?

(after the students’ answers, we collectively compose a sample plot).

Plot

The hero - wanderer - railway worker Foma Pukhov travels across Russia in search of the meaning of the proletarian revolution and a new world order.

Teacher. The basis of the writer’s artistic world in the story is the main character Foma Pukhov, a railway worker. What are the similarities and differences between Foma Pukhov and the image of the proletarian that emerged in Soviet literature of the 20s?

Students. - With his social origin, Foma Pukhov resembles the traditional type of hero in Soviet literature of the 20s - the proletarian. He is fighting on the side of the Red Army and has no doubt that the workers must win. However, this is where the similarity ends, because in Pukhov’s soul there is no “remaking of people” in the “fire of civil war.” The hero is somewhat reminiscent of the fool from Russian fairy tales, who is not so much stupid as endowed with the ability to understand everything and do things in his own way.

Even the title of the story Platonov points to the unusualness of his hero, to the special, unique world hidden in his soul. Unlike other heroes of the civil war, whose sophisticated goals are dictated by ideological guidelines, Foma Pukhov strives for genuine knowledge of the world, to verify everything personally, to find out “where and to what end all revolutions and all human anxiety are going.”

Teacher. What demands does Thomas make for the revolution?

Students. Pukhov expects from the revolution what religion previously promised people: instilling hope for immortality, it filled his earthly existence with meaning. Pukhov’s reasoning “people are used to placing their hearts in religion, but in the revolution they did not find such a place” convinces us that he doubts the sanctity of the revolution, its ability to bring happiness to people.

Teacher. What position does Pukhov take in relation to the events described?

Students. The wanderer's position. True, this word in the story has multiple meanings. It denotes a wandering person. It is consonant with the word “strange” - this is how Pukhov seems to those around him. Finally, a wanderer is a person who not only participates in events, but also observes from the side, with a detached gaze. This look allows Pukhov to see the strangeness of the revolution itself.

And in the end, Platonov’s hero comes to the conclusion that in the revolution, every person must find the meaning of existence. But meeting people, communicating with them leads him to sad reflections: “They were not interested in mountains, nations, or constellations, and they did not remember anything from anywhere.”

Platonov's landscapes also help to understand the world in which the hero lives. The landscapes are united by the motif of death. Foma Pukhov sees the same thing: the death of trees, locomotives, people. Pukhov sees that people do not value their lives, therefore, they do not value the lives of other people. The hero becomes convinced that the civil war leads to death. Pukhov did not find a higher goal in the revolution, so he is not ready to give his life for it.

Teacher . So where does Foma Pukhov find happiness?

Students . In communication with the machine, because he sees in it a harmonious combination of parts working in mutual agreement. Then he discovers the same harmony in the natural world. It is no coincidence that the hero feels calm and happy when he moves in space.

Teacher . But why does the ending of the work remain open?

Students. Apparently because Platonov was not sure that such a revolution would bring happiness to humanity.

(After the students’ answers, we draw a conclusion.)

Conclusion. In Platonov’s prose there are practically no portrait characteristics; the characters live in a world devoid of interiors and material details. Therefore, the meaning of the name occupies a very important place in Platonov’s poetics, since this is almost the only source of information about the hero. Thus, in “The Hidden Man” the writer chooses for his hero a name that closely fits the character: Thomas does not believe the words, and like an apostle, puts his fingers into the wounds to make sure of their authenticity. So Pukhov is not convinced by other people’s attitudes and political literacy courses; he needs to be personally convinced of the holiness of the revolution, of its ability to overcome death. All of Platonov’s main works are built on the same model - this is a journey in search of happiness and into the depths of oneself. The writer uses almost fairy-tale images: the search is carried out by “fools” (like the fairytale Ivanushka the Fool); the goal of their search is happiness.

Teacher. The essay ends with a conclusion. Read your conclusion options. Which of them is the most successful, in your opinion?

Conclusion samples

First conclusion

In the last chapter of the story, after everything he experienced in the civil war, Thomas suddenly “saw the luxury of life again.” However, the ending of the work remains open:

"- Good morning! - he said to the driver.

He stretched, went outside and indifferently examined:

Quite revolutionary."

It is unlikely that Pukhov will find peace in a world where the beauty of the morning is determined by its “revolutionism,” which means that the search for it does not end and Pukhov is destined to be an eternal wanderer.

Second conclusion

Since the thirties, Platonov has been calling out to us with his special, honest and bitter, talented voice, reminding us that the path of a person, no matter what social and political system it takes, is always difficult, full of gains and losses. For Platonov, it is important that a person is not destroyed. The writer believed that one must experience someone else’s misfortune in the same way as one’s own, remembering one thing: “Humanity is one breath, one living warm being. It hurts one, it hurts everyone. If one dies, everyone dies. Down with humanity - dust, long live humanity - organism... Let us be humanity, and not a person of reality.” Truly, the words of A. S. Pushkin can rightfully be attributed to Andrei Platonov and his heroes: “I want to live in order to think and suffer...”

Third conclusion

So, from the very first sentence of A. Platonov’s story, we are presented with the image of a man who has not lost his personality, has not dissolved in the mass, a strange, “single” person, painfully thinking and seeking harmony in the world and in himself. The entire path of Foma Pukhov is an expression of protest against violence, expressed with the genius of Dostoevsky: if people are “sent in whole echelons” to the revolution, and the result of their struggle is death, if people are exiled on rafts into the ocean, and the wind is blowing in their houses, they are empty , and children - a symbol of the future - die from fatigue, homelessness, loneliness, then “no!” such a path and such a future.

Students. The most successful is the last conclusion, since it is thematically similar to the introduction and the main part.

Sh. And then the lesson . Today we worked on the genre of essay-review, we remembered its characteristic semantic and compositional means

IV. Homework. Write a review essay based on A. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man” with a description of the central character.

Review of A. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man”.

The hero-wanderer in A. Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man”.

A person wants to understand himself in order to free himself from the false concepts of sin and debt, possible and impossible, truth and lies, harm and benefit, etc. When a person understands himself, he will understand everything and will be free forever. All the walls fall before him, and he will finally rise again, for there is no real life yet.

APlatonov.

The place of a writer in literature is determined by his ability to create his own special world. Plato's world is a reflection of the era of revolution and construction of socialism. The central place in this world is occupied by a person seeking happiness. The writer chooses as his hero a man who has nothing - poor, dark, but obsessed with the dream of reaching the heights of happiness. Plato's hero is looking for a solution to the mystery of existence, believing that revolution will bring happiness.

Foma Pukhov, the central character of the story “The Hidden Man,” is such a hero. The story was part of a broad plan to explore the recent past - the tragic events of the revolution and civil war. Published in 1928, it attracted the attention of critics with its unusual hero. Although the author’s understanding of the hero is included in the title, in literary criticism of the late 20s Foma Pukhov was characterized as “an extra person,” “an adventurer, a liar, a bully,” and “a petty person.” What is the reason for such a radical discrepancy in the assessment of Plato's hero by critics and the author? What is unique about the very type of hero created by Platonov?

With his social origin, Foma Pukhov resembles the type of proletarian hero traditional in Soviet literature of the 20s. He also fights on the side of the Red Army, and also knows that the workers must win. However, this is where the similarity ends, because the psychological process that became the subject of depiction in the prose of socialist realism - the “remaking of people” “in the fire of civil war” - does not take place in Pukhov’s soul. Rather, Platonov’s hero is somewhat reminiscent of a fool from Russian fairy tales, who understands everything and does everything in his own way, and is not guided by generally accepted ideas about life.

The story begins with Foma Pukhov “cutting boiled sausage on his wife’s coffin.” The writer explains Thomas’s action by saying that the hero is “not gifted with sensitivity,” but he immediately points out another reason: Thomas was hungry. It is difficult to believe in the hero’s insensitivity, since more than once throughout the story he will remember his dead wife. Pukhov's gesture, which seems blasphemous at first glance, is connected primarily with the need to move on with life. But is it worth living if death is the only outcome of life? So already on the first page one of the main themes of the story is indicated - life and death. The second will be a revolution.

The plot of the story is very simple - the hero-wanderer-railroad worker Foma Pukhov travels across Russia in search of the meaning of the proletarian revolution and a new world order. But everywhere he finds death. Pukhov's journey through a country engulfed in civil war is a journey from death to death. Leaving the house after his wife's funeral, he gets on a snowplow: the driver's assistant dies in a locomotive accident; a white officer kills the engineer-chief of the range; a red armored train is shot by a Cossack detachment. People die in battles, from disease, hunger, or shoot themselves. Involuntarily, Pukhov has a question: what is a revolution that does not solve the issue of death? The hero approaches the revolution with demands for supreme justice; he expects from her what religion previously promised people: instilling hope for immortality, filling his earthly existence with meaning. However, reality, according to Pukhov’s observations, states the opposite: “People are used to placing their hearts in religion, but in the revolution they did not find such a place.” The hero is not convinced by other people's attitudes; he needs to personally convince himself of the sanctity of the revolution, of its ability to overcome death. In this, he is similar to his biblical namesake, the Apostle Thomas (hence the name of the main character), who refuses to believe in the resurrection of the teacher until he himself sees the wounds from the nails and puts his fingers into them.

The peculiarity of the composition of the story is connected with the plot: the journey presupposes the obligatory presence of a road, which connects the seemingly chaotic, logically unmotivated movements of the hero across the expanses of Russia together. Like the Russian classics, Platonov’s road is a plot-forming element. The plot of the story does not consist in the hero’s confrontation with hostile forces, but in the intense life quest of Foma Pukhov, therefore plot movement is only possible when the hero is on the road.

Consequently, Pukhov’s position in the story is that of a wanderer. This word has multiple meanings: it means a wandering person, consonant with the word strange (that’s how Pukhov seems to those around him). Finally, a wanderer is a person who not only participates in events, but also observes them from the outside. Peering into the faces of people meeting on his way. Pukhov is trying to understand whether the revolution changed their lives. But Thomas sees that “they were not interested in mountains, nor peoples, nor constellations, and they did not remember anything from anywhere...” Loss of meaning, loss of feeling, loss of meaningful movement - these are the results of tragic historical transformations. The symbolic image of a train “of an unknown route and direction, the image of a story compared to a steam locomotive that drags a load of poverty and despair, landscapes united by the motif of death - all this confirms the hero’s sad conclusions.

And even in the language of the story, Platonov managed to reflect that transitional stage when the living language of the people was broken by clericalism, ideological cliches, and bureaucratic sterilization. Hence the roughness, clumsiness, and combination of incompatible words and expressions of different styles into one whole. Therefore, Platonov’s word is a word of warning, a word of prophecy.

And yet, is the problem of happiness solved in the story? Partially. Foma Pukhov feels the fullness and joy of life in his communication with the machine, because he sees in the mechanism a harmonious combination of parts, gradually he discovers the same harmony in the natural world, which is why he is so calm and happy, moving in space. However, the ending of the work remains open. Why? Apparently, neither the author nor the hero were able to find the same harmony in the revolution.

So, from the very first sentence of A. Platonov’s story, we see the image of a man who has not lost his personality, who has not dissolved into the mass, a strange man, who thinks painfully and seeks harmony in the world and in himself. The entire path of Foma Pukhov is an expression of protest against violence, expressed with the genius of Dostoevsky: if people are sent “in whole echelons” to the revolution, and the result of their struggle is death, if people are exiled on rafts into the ocean, and the wind is blowing in their houses, they are empty , if children - a symbol of the future - die from fatigue, homelessness, loneliness, then “no!” such a path and such a future.

The student coped with the task assigned to him - to write a review essay describing the main character. The work is deep, meaningful, and illustrates the author’s desire to penetrate the world of the hero’s spiritual experiences. The writer is well versed in the peculiarities of the genre of this work, therefore the work gives a general description of the work, determines its relevance, notes the artistic features of the story, its difference from the works of other writers about the revolution. Taking into account the peculiarity of the topic, the author analyzes in sufficient detail the image of the main character, notes those methods and techniques with the help of which he reveals the character of the hero.

The student knows the content of the story well, skillfully selects material and comments on it, presenting thoughts logically and consistently.

The introduction and conclusion are organically connected with the main part, their proportionality is maintained, and the logic of connections is thought out.

The work demonstrates good command of the correct literary language, the author’s ability to select the necessary vocabulary, and use the intonation and punctuation richness of speech.

Essay-review.

Everything is possible and everything succeeds, but the main thing is to sow souls in people.

A.Platonov.

Our recognition of Platonov was long: from the 20s to the present day. There is an opinion that the long-awaited, when it appears, tends to disappoint. The same cannot be said about Platonov. His work is rather a mystery; it is unlike anything that was known before, and in many ways it is even inexplicable.

Why were many of Andrei Platonov’s works not published at all during his lifetime, and those that were published aroused sharply critical attitudes? Why did Stalin, having read the poor peasants’ chronicle “For Future Use,” not spare the most abusive expressions; Gorky, having highly praised “Chevengur”, believed that this novel would not be published; the central character of “The Hidden Man”, published in 1928, would be declared by critics to be a “superfluous person”?

Platonov’s paradox lies in the fact that he was a genuine proletarian writer, an ideal model of the writer that the creators of the new socialist culture dreamed of in the first years after October. The son of a worker, a worker himself, who without hesitation believed that the revolution would realize humanity’s dream of universal happiness, an inventor and poet, a builder of village power plants and a publicist, the author of stories about a bright future, a dark past and the everyday work of today, it would seem that firmly count on an honorable place in Soviet literature. But he turned out to be unsuitable for her. Boris Pasternak wrote about the 30s: “It was a misfortune so inhuman, so unimaginable, a catastrophe so terrible...” A. Platonov managed to portray this catastrophe, which could not but lead to a clash between Platonov and the state.

A. Platonov is one of those writers of the 20th century whose works are characterized by a system of stable, cross-cutting motifs that run through their entire work. And one of the key images in his works is the image of a wanderer. So Foma Pukhov, the hero of the story “The Hidden Man,” sets off on a journey to search for the meaning of the proletarian revolution and eternal truth.

The writer called his favorite hero a “hidden man,” spiritually gifted, “hidden,” that is, outwardly seemingly simple, even indifferent, some kind of Ivan the Fool, but in reality a deep philosopher and truth-seeker. “Without me, the people are incomplete,” he says, making it clear that he is connected with the nation by blood and flesh. He is used to traveling, this Pukhov, and if the people go on a campaign for the Golden Fleece, then he also leaves his home. "Do you agree You, Comrade Pukhov, lay down your life for the proletariat?” - the commissioner asked him. “I agree to shed blood, as long as I don’t act like a fool,” answered Pukhov sternly, who perceived the revolutionary idea as a distant rumble, because the main thing for him was to be with his own people. He knew and did not consider it a special heroism that his generation was working for the future, drawing an analogy between human life and nature: “The leaves were compacted by rain into the soil and melted there for fertilizer, and seeds were also placed there for preservation. This is how life sparingly and firmly prepares for future use.”

Thomas is a “hidden man”; a soul is hidden in him, for which he finds no place in the revolution. Everywhere he finds death. The Civil War is portrayed in the story as a murderous war. The writer sympathizes with the young Red Army soldiers, “full of courage and the last courage,” because they strive for happiness, “which they were taught by the political instructor.” But Foma Pukhov did not want to take the political instructor’s word. He wanted to test the “dream of happiness”. Hence his name. Thomas does not believe the words and, like the apostle, puts fingers into the wounds to make sure of their authenticity.

Pukhov’s attitude towards the revolution and its leaders is a model of the relationship between “fools” and “smart guys”, which are considered by the writer in all his works of the 20s - the first half of the 30s. Pukhov is a fool, because he does not want power, and the Communist Party for him is synonymous with power. Self-interest or grief can lead a working person to the party, that is, to power - this is how the proletarian Pukhov argues. But he is not an enemy of the revolution, he just wants to understand its meaning. He asks her moral questions, to which she answers him, from his point of view, unsatisfactorily. Pukhov does not want to limit himself to love for the proletariat; he sympathizes with all those who suffer. Thomas does not believe in the possibility of changing a person in a revolutionary way. He saw it, the Revolution, and did not believe in it. I doubted her.

But Pukhov reaches “happiness”. His happiness is a working machine, life without bosses, male friendship. But joy turns out to be a mirage, and the writer knows this well.

With his works, Platonov wanted to warn: hatred and anger destroy, not create; people have a business - life. A life worthy of a person is deciphered by the writer as follows: “Everything is possible and everything succeeds, but the main thing is to sow souls in people.”

Review of essay-review.

The essay seems to turn over the pages of history and the story “The Hidden Man.” The author shares his impressions of what he read and connects literature with life. The student demonstrated knowledge of the content of the story and skillfully selected episodes for analysis. In the course of presenting the material, the necessary conclusions were drawn. Good epigraph.

The conclusion is organically connected with the main part, its proportionality is maintained. However, there are shortcomings in the work. Firstly, the introduction is too lengthy; it contains many general phrases that are not related in topic to the main part. Secondly, in this work there is a deviation from the given genre: the work is written in the genre of a literary critical article. The work lacks the necessary information about the book and the author, its relevance is not noted, and there is no description of the author’s artistic style.

The work is written correctly, without speech and grammatical errors.

Literature.

1. M. Gedler. "Andrey Platonov in search of happiness." Publishing house MIK, M., 2000.

2. L.A. Trubina. "Russian literature of the 20th century." M. Flint Publishing House, Science Publishing House, 1999.

3. V.DSerafnmovich. "Russian literature (1st half of the 20th century)." M., “Humanitarian Publishing Center VLADOS”, 1997.

4. “Russian writers. XX century.” Bibliographical dictionary. 4.2. M, "Enlightenment", 1998.

5. T.O. Skirgailo. "Works of different genres." Kazan. 2001

6. G. A. Koteliikova “Abstract - review - review - essay.” Magazine “Russian language at school”, 1998, No. 1.

7. “Russian literature from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” to the present day.” Kazan University Publishing House, 1995.

8. E. Gorbunova. “My heart is welded to everyone...” "Literature". Supplement to the newspaper “First of September”, 2000, No. 5.

Foma Pukhov, and this is the name of Platonov’s hero, is really not prone to sentimentality. And he also has a special vision of what is happening. What's going on? Revolution, Civil War. Before presenting a brief summary of Platonov’s “The Hidden Man,” it is worth citing a few facts from the biography of the Soviet writer. He, like many, suffered from post-revolutionary events. And he reflected his experiences in books.

Creativity of Platonov

“The Hidden Man”, a brief summary of which is given below, the story “Markun”, the collection “Blue Depth”, “Epiphanian Gateways”, “Ethereal Path”, “Yamskaya Sloboda” - all this was published in the twenties. Platonov was already widely known at that time. But in the early thirties he increasingly began to come under attack from critics.

In 1918, Platonov entered the Voronezh Technical School. He then served in the revolutionary railway committee. During the Civil War he worked as a correspondent. In 1922, the collection “Blue Depth” was published. And three years later, Platonov wrote such works as “Ethereal Route”, “Epiphanian Gateways”, “City of Grads”.

The most significant stories were created in the late thirties: “The Pit”, “Chevengur”. None of these works were published during the author's lifetime. After all, they talk about the construction of a communist society in a utopian spirit.

Stalin valued the creativity of Platonov ("The Hidden Man", a summary of which we are considering is no exception), as he valued the books of many writers who were subjected to repression. In 1931, Platonov wrote the story “For Future Use.” This work caused sharp criticism from Fadeev, a prose writer who wrote poorly, but “correctly.” Then problems began in Platonov’s life. His works were no longer published.

In 1934, Pravda published a devastating article, after which publishing houses did not publish Plato’s works for a long time. In 1938, the writer's son was arrested. He was soon released. But in prison, the young man fell ill with tuberculosis and soon died. Platonov contracted an incurable disease from his son. He passed away in 1951.

In Platonov's early works one can feel faith in revolutionary ideas. But by the beginning of the thirties, he doubted more and more, which is easy to notice when reading the stories of those years. The Hidden Man was first published in 1927. Today it is difficult to understand what Soviet critics might not have liked about this story. The fact is that the heroes, although representatives of the proletariat, are dubious personalities. And most importantly, doubters. During the years of building communism, such characters were unpopular.

“The Hidden Man” by Platonov: summary

The text consists of nine chapters. But it is better to present a brief summary of Platonov’s work “The Hidden Man” according to the following plan:

1. Work trip.
2. Accident.
3. Liski station.
4. On the ship.
5. Homecoming.
6. Bad plan.
7. Baku.

Work permit

Pukhov buried his wife. Returning from the cemetery, he felt a little sad. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The main character, shouting in his heart: “They don’t let you grieve!” - the door still opened. The watchman of the distance office stood on the threshold - he brought a ticket for snow removal work.

Foma came to the station. Here I signed the order. Platonov supplemented the text with his own remarks. So, he says: “At that time, try not to sign.” Pukhov, along with other workers, sets off to clear the way for the Red Army soldiers. The front is very close - sixty kilometers away.

Accident

Is it worth reading “The Hidden Man” by Platonov in a summary? It will take about five minutes to read the abbreviated version. But, of course, the presentation will not convey the colorful, rich language of the Soviet classic. Platonov gives characterizations of his hero as if between the lines. At the beginning of the work, Foma Pukhov creates the impression of an indifferent person. An accident occurs. A snowplow is stopped by a Cossack detachment. The machine slows down, causing workers to be injured and the driver to die. “How did he run into a pin, fool?” - says Pukhov, seeing the mutilated body of the deceased. It would seem that he is not at all affected by the tragic death of a young man. Perhaps a little surprising.

At Liski station

The workers are liberated by the "reds". At the same time, Cossacks stuck in the snow are shot. Even from the brief content of Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man” one can understand how difficult and cruel the years of the Civil War were. People seemed not to notice the grief and death.

Pukhov immediately forgets about the sad events. At the Liski station he sees an advertisement: “Mechanics required for the Southern Front.” Spring is coming, there is nothing to do with the snow blower. We already know from the summary of “The Hidden Man”: in this story Platonov talks about a lonely man who, after the death of his wife, is ready to wander around the country. Comrade Pukhov remains. He himself is heading south.

On the ship

From the summary of “The Hidden Man” by A. Platonov, you can learn about what historical events are reflected in this book. Pukhov gets a job as a worker on a ship that is heading to the Crimea - to the rear of Wrangel. But due to the assault, it is not possible to reach the Crimean shores.

Meanwhile, news arrives that the Reds have captured Simferopol. Foma spends several months in Novorossiysk. Here he works as a senior fitter at a coastal base. He remembers his dead wife and is sad...

Homecoming

The main character of Platonov's story goes to Baku, where he meets a sailor named Sharikov. This person is taking part in the restoration of the Caspian Shipping Company. Sharikov sends Foma on a business trip, where he must engage in attracting the local proletariat.

Pukhov suddenly returns home. Here he again indulges in sadness. Returning and crossing the threshold of his house, he remembers that this home is usually called a hearth. But what is a home without a woman and fire?

Failed plan

The city is attacked by "whites". In order to eliminate the enemy, Pukhov proposes the following plan: to launch several platforms with sand onto the armored train. However, the idea turns out to be unsuccessful.

The Reds come and save the city. After Pukhov, many accuse him of treason. After all, the implementation of the platform plan led to the death of workers. However, many still understand that Pukhov is just a “stupid guy.” After this incident, Foma writes a letter to Sharikov, who sends it to Baku. The main character leaves for the oil fields.

Baku

Sharikov appoints Pukhov as a driver for an oil engine. He likes this job. Although he doesn’t have an apartment here, he sleeps on a toolbox in the shed. One day Sharikov invites him to become a communist. Pukhov refuses. He explained his refusal as follows: “I am a natural fool.” More and more often he becomes sad and misses his dead wife. This is the summary of Platonov’s story “The Hidden Man.”

Analysis

Platonov's heroes are tongue-tied, their speech is peculiar, and may seem illiterate. But this is a feature of the prose of the Soviet writer. Pukhov is trying to understand the revolution. This is expressed in his peculiar thoughts.

In Soviet fiction of the pre-war years, heroes of proletarian origin are more often encountered. Compared to them, Foma Pukhov looks a little strange. Unlike the characters of Ostrovsky and Fadeev, Foma does not believe in revolution. He doubts communist ideas. In the soul of Plato's hero is rooted an uncontrollable desire to understand the world, a desire to convince oneself of the truth of revolutionary ideas. He is somewhat reminiscent of Thomas the Unbeliever. This biblical character was not with the apostles when the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. That’s why he refused to believe in a miracle. Until he touched the wounds of Christ. However, according to one version, Thomas was the only apostle who was able to comprehend the innermost, secret meaning of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Pukhov also has something in common with the men from the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Nekrasov's heroes are also trying to comprehend the riddle of happiness. Pukhov is not so interested in everyday life as in being. And his dissimilarity, his difference from other people, is noticeable already in the first scene, which was mentioned above.

The main character of the story “The Hidden Man” is an eternal wanderer. It may seem that Pukhov is traveling completely aimlessly. Everyone around is busy with some kind of business, they have strict judgments regarding this or that issue. But for Pukhov, the revolution does not find a response in his soul. He is looking for confirmation of the idea of ​​​​universal happiness. At the same time, during his wanderings around the country, he sees death more than once. The reality seen gives rise to new doubts about revolutionary ideas.