A story on the topic of Zhilins and Kostylins. Zhilin and Kostylin different characters different destinies

And Kostylin are both the main characters in the story by L. N. Tolstoy “ Prisoner of the Caucasus" The author wrote this work during the period Caucasian War, more precisely at the very last years war, when one day he himself almost became prey to the enemy. Tolstoy, together with his friend named Sado, barely managed to ride horses to the border so as not to be captured by the Tatars. This incident prompted the writer to create the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (1872).

Zhilin and Kostylin became friends during their service; both were officers. It so happened that on the way to their native lands they were both captured by the Tatars. And this happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was a man of weak character and undecided. When he saw the Tatars running towards them, he immediately abandoned his friend in trouble and began to run away. However, nothing worked out for him. Both were captured and locked in shackles in the barn. All further actions seemed to reveal the characters’ character even more.

The author deliberately focuses on the difference between these heroes, because he wants to show what cowardice and weakness are fraught with. If you think about it, he also came up with “speaking” surnames. One is made of a “vein,” that is, of strength and will, and the other is associated with a “crutch,” that is, with weakness and the absence of an internal core. When the Tatars order each of them to write home a letter asking for a ransom, Zhilin, unlike his friend, writes the wrong address so as not to frighten the old mother, who does not have that kind of money.

The next time the characters' character is revealed is when they plan to escape. They managed to escape to dark time days, but in the forest, due to Kostylin’s fault, they again ended up in the hands of the Tatars. Zhilin made his second attempt to escape without his friend. They were put in a deep hole and heavy stocks were put on their feet. Kostylin was unable to escape. Firstly, after the first unsuccessful attempt, he immediately gave up. Secondly, he did not have enough strength and will to take this decisive step.

As a result, Zhilin fled alone. Thirteen-year-old Dina helped him, who brought a long stick to pull her friend out of the hole. She was always kind to him. She brought food and water at the request of the officer, and in return he made clay dolls for her. The second escape was more successful. Despite the difficulties that Zhilin encountered along the way, he was able to reach the border, and in the end he crawled. There he was picked up by the Cossacks.

Zhilin changed his mind about going home and remained to serve in the Caucasus. Kostylin had to remain in captivity for another month. He was released for a large ransom, barely alive. This is the result of his cowardice, weakness and unreliability. If he had been stronger in spirit, they would have escaped together long ago, and maybe they would not have been captured. So L.N. Tolstoy showed how people who find themselves in the same situation behave completely differently due to differences in character. Such is the character, such is the destiny.

In the center of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s work “Prisoner of the Caucasus” there are two main characters - Zhilin and Kostylin. The plot of the story contains the relationships between the characters, a comparison of their characters and a comparison of the characters with each other.

The difference in the characters' characters led to the fact that their destinies turned out differently. Zhilin is a “dzhigit”, and Kostylin behaves quietly in the ransom agreement scene. This difference is already evident in the scene of the Tatar attack and the arrest of the heroes. And further, their behavior in captivity also shows Kostylin’s physical and spiritual weakness and concern for his comrade, Zhilin’s fortitude.

The best qualities of Zhilin, his love of life, and the worst qualities of Kostylin are described in the escape scene. Zhilin walks around looking out, thinking about how to escape, he dug a hole, got out, climbed the mountain, crawls towards the road and at the same time carries Kostylin on him. And how Kostylin behaves - he is indifferent, bored, asleep, and during his escape he caught a stone with his foot, lags behind, groans, fell out of fear. For Zhilin, the concept of mutual assistance is important, and Kostylin does not want to be a burden.

If we briefly describe the characters of the heroes, then Zhilin can be described as a decisive, resourceful hero who knows how to forgive, brave; Kostylin, on the contrary, is meek, weak, betrays, humbles himself, is a coward, and forcibly hobbled home. In a word, Zhilin is a daredevil, and Kostylin is a deck.

Zhilin overcomes the trials in captivity, he managed not only to survive and take root in a hostile environment, but even won over his enemies. He solved his problems himself, without throwing them onto the shoulders of others, and was strong. Kostylin does not withstand the tests sent to him in captivity because of his weakness and selfishness.

Also important role their portraits play a role in comparing the characters. Kostylin’s portrait is described with the words: “... the man is overweight, fat, all red, and sweat is pouring from him.” Contempt and hostility immediately appear from the description of appearance. The image of the pathetic is created, insignificant person, he is weak, ready for a vile act.

Zhilin: “short in stature, but he was brave.” Outwardly, the man is ordinary, but one can feel strength and courage in him.

Comparing the actions, motives of actions and the relationship of the characters, one can also notice the contrast in the characters.

Zhilin loves his old mother, takes care of her, does not bother her, does not demand anything beyond her strength, he relies only on his own strength, and is actively looking for a way out. He says this: “I was not afraid, and I will not be afraid of you dogs.” He knew that his letter would not arrive, but he did not write another.

Kostylin is an egoist, he is sure that his relatives are obliged to ransom him, but he himself does not want to do anything for this, does not fight, and passively submits to circumstances. He sits in the barn all day and counts the days until the letter arrives or sleeps.

I consider Zhilin a real hero who does not submit to circumstances and strives for liberation. What stands out in his character is strong will, courage, bravery, nobility and resourcefulness. But Kostylin cares only about himself, about his well-being, he does not know what duty, loyalty to friendship is. He is weak-willed, irresponsible, capable of meanness. He does not commit an act, does not escape from captivity. Kostylin is not a hero, he is not capable of great deeds.

But our heroes have something in common. Both characters served in the Caucasus. Zhilin and Kostylin are noblemen, both officers of the Russian army, both going on vacation and being captured. And how differently they manifest themselves!!! One is a hero, the other is a weak person in body and spirit. Two different people in the same situation.

I think that the author, by comparing the characters of the heroes, tried to convey to us the idea of ​​​​a person, what he should be. How much depends on the person himself. In the same circumstances, one turns out to be a hero, and the other does not deserve to be called a person.

In literature lessons we got acquainted with the story of L.N. Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus". The main character of this work is the Russian officer Zhilin, who was accidentally captured by the Tatars.

There is another hero in the story, also an officer of the Russian army, Kostylin. Tolstoy talks about the captivity of these people in his work. Zhilin and Kostylin are completely different in character. Their destinies are different. They also differ in appearance. Kostylin is overweight and fat. He was sweating as the convoy moved towards the fortress. And I imagine Zhilin as slender, very active.

From the very first events, Tolstoy shows how different his heroes are from each other. When they drove ahead of the convoy, Kostylin had a loaded gun. But as soon as he saw the Tatars, he immediately forgot about him. He rushed to his heels and did not think at all that Zhilin was in great danger and that he and the gun could help him in any way. Zhilin, on the contrary, when he realized that he could not escape the pursuit, decided to kill at least one Tatar with a saber.

Heroes behave differently even in captivity. Kostylin immediately writes a letter home asking for a ransom to be sent. Zhilin is bargaining. He thinks about his mother, who will not be able to find not only three thousand, but also five hundred rubles. Therefore, he writes the address on the letter incorrectly. He relies only on himself. Zhilin immediately decided to escape from captivity.

He is very active. Always making something or walking around the village. But for a reason. Zhilin is looking for a way to escape. He makes a hole in the barn. At the same time, Kostylit only sleeps or “sits in the barn all day long and counts the days until the letter arrives.” He does not try to do anything on his own to save himself. He just hopes for others.

During his escape, Kostylin let down both himself and his comrade. He didn't think about being careful. When his legs began to hurt, Kostylin screamed, although he knew that a Tatar had recently passed by them, and with his scream he could attract his attention. And so it happened. And Zhilin again thinks not only about himself but also about his comrade. He does not escape from captivity alone, but calls Kostylin with him. When Kostylin can no longer walk from the pain in his legs, Zhilin carries him on himself, because “it’s not good to abandon a comrade.”

Despite any difficulties, Zhilin still escapes from captivity. He knows that he has no one to rely on. Therefore, he must save himself. He is a strong character person. He succeeds in everything. And Kostylin is weak-willed. He relies on others. Therefore, he almost dies in captivity. They ransomed him alive. Like this different tempers influence the fate of each of the heroes.

The most striking are those works in which the main characters are completely different. It is these characters that are the basis of Leo Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” Characters- Zhilin and Kostylin. These men have different destinies and characters. The story tells about their life in captivity of the Tatars and their attempt to escape. But the path to freedom is thorny, and in particular because these two officers are the complete opposite of each other.

First meeting of comrades

The events take place during the war. Officer Zhilin received a letter from his mother. She asks her son to return. Ivan, that’s the man’s name, considers the offer and agrees. It was dangerous to travel alone, so the soldiers walked in a column. The group moved slowly, and the thought that it was better to go alone came to his mind. As if hearing his thoughts, another officer, Kostylin, invites him to continue the journey together.

First Zilina and Kostylina are very important for further development events. The author does not talk about what he looks like main character, but gives a description of Kostylin. He is rough with sweat dripping off him due to the heat. After making sure that he has a loaded weapon and vowing to stick together, Zhilin agrees to the invitation.

Ambush and unexpected betrayal of a friend

The comrades are leaving. The entire path lies through the steppe, where the enemy is clearly visible. But then the road runs between two mountains. At this point a conflict of views arises. In the scene, there is a comparison between Zhilin and Kostylin in terms of their sense of danger.

Two excellent warriors perceive the mountain gorge differently. Zhilin sees a potential threat and is sure that the Turks can ambush behind the rock. Kostylin is ready to move forward, despite the possible risk. Leaving his friend below, Ivan climbs the mountain and sees a group of horsemen. The enemies notice the officer and gallop towards him. Zhilin shouts at Kostylin to pull out his gun. But he, seeing the Tatars, rushes into the fortress.

Comparative characteristics Zhilin and Kostylin will be incomplete without considering this situation in more detail. The first cared about the safety of both, while the second difficult circumstances I was only thinking about own life. Kostylin left his comrade without a weapon. Ivan fought back for a long time, but the forces were unequal. He was taken prisoner. But already at the Tatars he learns that his unfortunate friend was also ambushed.

Second and unexpected meeting of former friends

The man spent some time in a closed barn. Then he was taken to the house of the Tatars. There they explained to him that the man who captured the soldier sold him to another Tatar. And he, in turn, wants to receive a ransom of 3,000 rubles for Ivan. The officer, without hesitation for a long time, refused and said that he could not afford such an amount. The most he can offer is 500 gold. The last word it was firm and unshakable. His comrade is brought into the room.

And the appearance of Zhilin and Kostylin is very different. The second officer is fat, barefoot, exhausted, ragged, with stocks on his feet. Zilina is no better, but the thirst for fight has not yet died out in him. New owner sets Kostylin as an example and says that he will be accepted for a ransom of 5,000 rubles.

The author shows how humbly he accepts an offer of such a high price. Ivan achieved that the price for his soul would be But still he understands that his mother, who lives on the money that he himself sends to her, would have to sell everything in order to free her son. Therefore, the officer writes the wrong address so that the letter does not arrive. The comparative characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin when establishing the ransom amount indicate that the first officer takes care of his mother, even if he is threatened with death. Kostylin is not worried about how money is raised for his release.

Attempting to escape from the enemy

Time passes. Leo Tolstoy vividly describes the everyday life of Zhilin. A man wins the heart of his owner's daughter when he makes clay dolls for her. He gains respect in the village as a master, and even through cunning - as a doctor. But every night, when the shackles are removed, he digs a passage under the wall. He works during the day, thinking about which direction he should run. The characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin in captivity are completely opposite. Zhilin does not sit still, unlike his comrade. And he sleeps or is sick all the time, waiting for the storm associated with the death of one of the Tatar warriors to pass.

One night Zhilin decides to run away. He also offers this to his cellmate. Kostylin is skeptical about this. He states that they do not know the way and will get lost at night. But the argument that because of the death of a Tatar, they, like Russians, can take revenge, finally convinces him.

Fighting your own abilities

The prisoners act. Trying to get out, the clumsy Kostylin makes a noise. The dogs growled. But the prudent Ivan fed the dogs for a long time. Therefore, they quickly calmed down their commotion. They get out of the village, but the fat man is out of breath and falls behind. He gives up very quickly and asks to leave him.

The comparative characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin are a competition between cowardice and strength. Both are tired. The night is impenetrable, they are forced to go almost by touch. Bad boots rub your feet until they bleed. Kostylin stops and rests over and over again. Subsequently, he becomes exhausted and says that he is unable to continue his journey.

Then his friend pulls him on his back. Because Kostylin screams in pain, they are noticed and tracked down. Before dawn, the comrades were caught and this time thrown into a hole. And there the portrait of Zhilin and Kostylin is opposite. An officer thirsty for freedom is trying to dig a hole, but there is nowhere to put the earth and stones.

More and more often we hear talk from enemies that Russians need to be killed.

Finale and will

The owner's daughter comes to the rescue. She lowers a pole into the hole, along which, with the help of a friend, Zhilin climbs up the mountain. The weak Kostylin remains with the Tatars. He runs away with his legs shackled, but nevertheless gets to his army.

After some time, they pay money for Kostylin. He returns barely alive. This is where the work ends. The author does not say what awaits the characters with the names Zhilin and Kostylin next. The heroes had different destinies, the first relied only on their own capabilities, the second was waiting for manna from heaven. They are two poles that are guided by different principles and rules. If Zhilin is stubborn, courageous and freedom-loving, then his partner in misfortune is weak, lazy and cowardly.

A wonderful-hearted officer

The main characters of Leo Tolstoy are Zhilin and Kostylin. This story is about two officers. The first fought bravely, the second humbly accepted everything that life had in store for him. Zhilin is characterized by such a trait as care. He thinks about the old mother when they asked for a ransom, worries about the fate of his friend, so he does not leave him in the village of enemies, for the girl who helped him get out of the hole.

She is ordered to hide the pole that she brought so that Zhilin can rise. His heart is full of kindness and love. The officer fell in love with the simple, peaceful people of the Tatars. Therefore, it makes their life easier in every possible way. He is a symbol of everything bright and sincere in the work.

Kostylin - hero or anti-hero?

Kostylin is often considered a negative hero. He abandoned his comrade in trouble, distinguished himself by laziness and weakness, and brought danger to both of them. There is nothing to say about the cowardice of a man, because every now and then helplessness is manifested in his actions.


But is Kostylin really as weak in his soul as he is on the outside? Somewhere deep in his heart he is brave and strong. Although some of this borders on unreasonableness. It was he who suggested that his comrade separate from the group and gallop first. He was also ready to walk between the mountains without even making sure whether it was safe there. No less courage was needed to decide to escape, which he had not planned and for which he was not prepared either physically or mentally.

The characterization of Zhilin and Kostylin is an analysis of two opposing types of courage. But Kostylin showed more courage when he refused to repeat the escape attempt. Moreover, as best I could, I helped my friend get out of the hole. He understood all his weakness and did not dare to set his comrade up again. It is in such actions that the secret of his essence lies.

The famous Russian writer described in his story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” an interesting and exciting story about how two Russian army officers Zhiln and Kostylin were captured by the Tatars during hostilities.
According to the story, two men were forced to travel along a dangerous and possibly seized road. And on the way they were attacked by the Tatars. Zhilin was the first to come under attack, and another officer, Kostylin, did not go to the rescue at that time, but immediately decided to save his life, even thinking that the second officer, his comrade, might die.

It is worth noting that Zhilin was taken prisoner, in which he did not lose heart, but only gathered his strength and thought about how to escape from the hands of the enemy and quickly find himself in his native part. Kostylin was unable to escape and was also captured, but being an indecisive and cowardly person by nature, he only sat quietly and waited for the ransom to be paid for him, not realizing that even after that he might not be allowed to go home.

From the first minutes of reading this story we can safely note that these heroes are two absolute opposites, this is shown throughout the entire story. One is brave, strong and decisive, who at all costs decides to save himself from trouble on his own, and the second is a perfect antipode, a cowardly, boring, soft-bodied person who does not believe in his own strength and is only waiting for condescension from above, and his liberation by someone something else.

At the conclusion of the story, the reader can notice that Kostylin was very lucky, because he might not have been ransomed, and such a person simply would not have been able to live in captivity for a long time, and the fault for this would not even be his opponents, but himself.
While writing the story, the author wanted to convey to the reader one very important thing: that you should never give up and hope for someone’s help, you need to fight to the end, believing in your own strength.

Short essay Zhilin and Kostylin Different destinies grade 5

I really like reading in free time books the most beloved writer L.N. Tolstoy. His works and stories are so fascinating and intriguing that I read them quickly and can’t put them down. Before I start reading, I sit down at the table and start reading, mentally transporting myself into the story of the story. My essay today will be based on a story that was written in 1872 and the title is “Caucasian Tribesman” we will talk about the heroes of this different people, with opposite destinies.

The work describes the story of two officers who are completely opposite in any action. And their fates are completely different. The first hero in the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” is brave, kind, determined, hardworking and his name is Zhilin. Also, as already mentioned, there are also opposite character cowardly, weak-willed and his name is Kostylin.

The story of how two officers were captured in the Caucasus and found themselves in difficult situation, the heroes act and reason completely differently. It is clear from the first lines that Zhilin will always come to the aid of a friend, while Kostylin thinks only of himself and saves his life first, counts on the help of a friend and waits for a miracle, is afraid to make decisions himself. When the heroes fall into Tatar captivity, they are asked to each write a letter home with a ransom, and in this situation their actions diverge.

Zilina - I consider it noble and a good man. After all, he felt sorry for his mother, he knew she didn’t have the money that the Tatars demanded, and he writes a letter indicating the most minimum amount and gives a different address, and relies on his own strength and plans to escape from captivity. What can be said about Kostylen in his letter indicates the amount of five thousand rubles, sits and waits for a miracle when his relatives collect the required amount of money and send a ransom and he will be released.

In my opinion, Zhilin is a great guy; while in captivity, he helped everyone make toys, repair broken things, people came to him for advice and made friends with a girl. And Kostylin was idle all the time, toiling around with nonsense and thinking that they would send a ransom as soon as possible. The contrast between their characters was evident in the situation when they finally decided to escape. Zhilin acts as a real hero Having taken all his strength, he endures the pain as it hurts to run in the stocks, and Kostylin whines all the time; the thought of returning came to him; he cannot withstand such severe torment. And the brave and strong Zhilin carries a lazy and wailing friend on his shoulders, and because of him they will not be able to escape from captivity.

After returning to captivity, the brave and decisive hero is haunted by the idea of ​​escaping again, since he treated people well, helped in all problems, the girl Dina, with whom they struck up a friendship, comes to his aid, and he escapes from captivity. When he finds himself free, it is not given to him in an easy way; he collects money for a ransom and saves Kostylin.

If Kostylin had not been redeemed from captivity, he would have soon died in captivity. The writer chose the right heroes: brave and cowardly, hardworking and lazy, it was interesting to know what the heroes would do in a difficult situation, and until the very end I thought that Kostylin would change after all. I liked the story and did not leave me indifferent.

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