Read the Caucasian prisoner summary. Brief retelling of the Caucasian prisoner in abbreviation (Tolstoy Lev N.)

Russian officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. One day he received a letter from his old mother, in which she asked her son to come home to see her, perhaps for the last time. And she found him a bride. Zhilin thought that his mother had really become bad. And I decided to take a vacation. Moreover, it’s high time to get married.

Taking leave, Zhilin went home. In those years there was a war in the Caucasus. One was not allowed to leave the fortress. The Tatars could be captured or killed. Therefore, twice a week a guarded convoy went from fortress to fortress. The hero went with one of these convoys. But the convoy moved slowly: sometimes the soldiers stopped to rest, sometimes the wheel would fall off. The entire convoy then stops and waits. Zilina is fed up. The fortress is only twenty-five miles away, and in half a day’s journey we haven’t even covered half of it.

He decided to go alone. His horse was good. He raised him himself, buying him as a foal for a hundred rubles. Then another officer approached him. His name was Kostylin. He had a loaded gun. So the two of them rode ahead of the others without security. Zhilin warned Kostylin that they should stay together and not disperse. While driving across the steppe, visibility was good. But the road went between two mountains. Here you could run into Tatars. Zhilin suggested driving up the mountain to look around. Kostylin began to object. But Zhilin still went, ordering Kostylina to stand below the mountain.

I just climbed the mountain, looked, and there were about thirty Tatars standing there. Zhilin quickly turned his horse and galloped down. Kostylinu shouts to him to take out the gun. But the officer saw that the Tatars were chasing Zhilin, turned his horse around and began to run away from them. Then the hero had only one hope left - for his good horse. But the Tatars have even better horses. Zhilin realized that he could not escape. I decided then life is more expensive sell - kill at least one with a saber. And he galloped towards the Tatar with a red beard.

But the Tatars shot and wounded the horse near Zilino. He fell and crushed the hero's leg. Zhilin cannot get out. And then the Tatars attacked him. They started beating him with rifle butts. They tied him up, put a Tatar with a red beard on a horse behind him and took him to his village. Zhilin wanted to see the road where he was being taken, but blood filled his eyes. But he can’t wipe it off: his hands are tied.

We arrived at the village. They took the officer off his horse. The Tatar children came running and began throwing stones at him. The adults drove them away, and they put a shoe on Zilina’s foot so that he couldn’t escape. They took him to the barn and locked him in it. The hero could not sleep all night. As soon as it was dawn, he crept up to the wall, picked out a crack and began to look at what was happening around him. And I really want to drink. He hears the castle rattle. So they unlock it. Two Tatars came. Yesterday's one, with a red beard, and the other one, blackish. They started talking about something. But Zhilin did not understand anything.

He began to show with gestures that he was thirsty. We understood him. The Black Tatar shouted something. A girl of about thirteen came to the barn. It was Dina, the daughter of a black Tatar. Zilina gave him the red one for his debts. Dina brought water, squatted down opposite Zhilin and began to watch him drink. Then she brought unleavened bread and watched Zhilin again.

Soon they took the hero to the hut to the Tatars. The guests have arrived there. One knew Russian. He said that the black Tatar’s name was Abdul-Murat, that he paid money for the hero and now wants Zhilin to write a letter home asking him to ransom him. They asked Zhilin for three thousand rubles. But he flatly refused to write a letter because they asked for a lot of money. They began to scare him that if he didn’t write a letter, they would kill him. But Zhilin was brave man. He got angry and said that he would not give more than five hundred rubles. And if they kill him, they will get nothing.

Abdul-Murat was delighted with the bravery of the Russian prisoner. But then they brought in another Russian. Zhilin recognized him as Kostylin, who was also captured by the Tatars. They demanded five thousand from Kostylin for his release. They wrote letters. But Zhilin indicated the address incorrectly. He knew that there was no way his mother could raise that kind of money. And he firmly decided to escape from captivity at any cost. And Zhilin also set a condition for the Tatars before writing a letter home. He demanded that he and Kostylin be kept together, that the stocks be removed from them, and that they be fed well. Their owner agreed, but said that their pads would only be removed at night.

A month of captivity passed. They were fed poorly. During this time, Kostylin wrote another letter home, asking for money. He sat in the barn all the time: either counting the days until the letter arrived, or sleeping. But Zhilin did not hope for a ransom. He began to take a closer look at life in the village, he walked around the village “asking how to escape.” Or he’s sitting doing some handicrafts, making dolls out of clay.

He placed one such doll in Tatar clothes on the roof of the barn. Dina saw her and called other Tatar women. They look at the doll, laugh, but don’t dare take it. Then Zhilin put the doll down, went into the barn himself and began to watch the girls. Dina ran up, grabbed the toy and ran away with it. And in the morning Zhilin saw that the girl’s doll was already dressed in different rags and she was rocking it like a child. But the old Tatar woman took the toy and broke it.

Then Zhilin made another one, even better than the first one, and gave it to Dina. In gratitude, the girl brought him milk instead of plain water. Then she started bringing me cheese cakes sometimes. And one day she brought him a piece of lamb in her sleeve. Another month passed like this. The Tatars respected Zilina, bringing him either a watch or a gun bolt to repair. They took him for a doctor. And at this time he kept listening and looking closely, even climbed a mountain, examined the surroundings, and dug a hole in the barn. He was waiting for an opportunity to escape.

One day the Tatars came to the village angry. One of them was carrying in front of him the body of a Tatar killed in a skirmish with the Russians. A cry rose in the village. The men argued about what to do with the Russian prisoners. Some suggested killing them. But Abdul-Murat did not agree. He was still waiting for the ransom. Zhilin decided that it was time to escape. After the Tatars celebrated a wake for the murdered man and dispersed, Zhilin and Kostylin ran away.

Kostylin was fat and heavyset. Zhilin made the laz bigger on purpose. But it still touched the stone and made a noise. The dogs in the village became alarmed. But Zhilin tamed the master’s dog in advance. He calmed down, and the prisoners went to their own. It was hard to walk. The boots they were given were already worn out. My feet were bleeding. Zhilin, without thinking twice, took them off and walked barefoot. And Kostylin keeps falling behind and falling behind. Zhilin advised him to take off his boots too. But that didn't help. Kostylin cut his legs on the stones until they bled.

He began to lag even further behind. Zhilina asks him to rest. Then he generally suggested that one should save himself and leave him. But Zhilin was not the type to abandon his comrade. He carried Kostylin on himself. It's hard, but it's going. They met a Tatar. They hid behind the stones. When they began to rise, Kostylin could not stand the pain and screamed. The Tatar heard them and called for help. They caught the fugitives, beat them with whips and put them in a pit. Now the food has become even worse. The pads were not removed at all and were not released from the pit. Kostylin became completely ill. He lay there all day, moaning or sleeping.

And Zhilin kept thinking about how he could get out of the hole and run to his own people. He tried to dig here too. But there was nowhere to put the land. Abdul-Murat saw this and threatened to kill the prisoners. Once Zhilin was sitting in thought, when suddenly a flat cake fell onto his lap and cherries fell down. He raised his head and saw Dina. She laughed and immediately ran away. Zhilin again made toys from clay. But Dina didn't come. But the prisoner heard the voices of the Tatar men. By that time he already understood a little Tatar. The men demanded to kill the Russian prisoners, because a detachment of Cossacks was located not far from the village. If prisoners are found in the village, residents may suffer.

Soon after this, Dina appeared. She told Zhilin that they wanted to kill them. He began to ask the girl to help him escape. But Dina did not agree and went home. In the evening, the hero was busy with gloomy thoughts when earth fell on his head. He saw a pole being lowered into the hole. It was Dina who came to help her friend. Kostylin refused to run. He was completely swollen. And Zhilin decided that he would not leave with him. He climbed out of the hole. I tried to knock off the block. Dina helped him. But they didn’t succeed. Then Zhilin went straight to the block: he had little time.

He walked all night. Dawn was already approaching. He managed to hide from the Tatars. Zhilin's forces were running out. But then the forest ended. And Zhilin sees that smoke is spreading under the mountain. The Cossacks were sitting there. But the Tatars also saw him. Three stood on the mountain. And he's on open place, visible in the palm of your hand. The Tatars galloped towards him. And the prisoner ran with all his strength to the Cossacks. He himself shouts to them to help. The Cossacks heard him. About fifteen people jumped onto their horses and galloped towards him. The Tatars saw this and turned back. And Zilina was surrounded by soldiers. He told them what happened to him, his comrades found out. Delivered to the fortress. And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. He was barely alive by that time.

Title of the work: Prisoner of the Caucasus
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Year of writing: 1872
Genre: story
Main characters: Zhilin And Kostylin- Russian officers, Dina– Circassian teenage girl.

Plot

Zhilin and Kostylin served in the Caucasus during hostilities. One day they decided to go on vacation and were captured by the Tatars. Their owner demanded that they write a ransom letter to their relatives. Zhilin knew that his mother had absolutely no money, not only for ransom, but also for life, and did not write, but he himself lied about what he had written and began to look for ways to escape. Living in a Tatar village, Zhilin tried to make friends with people: he made clay dolls for children, played with them, made something, repaired something, even treated people. People treated him well. And after some time, when the men went on a raid, both officers escaped from captivity. But Kostylin was fat, clumsy and lazy, he could not run for long, and although Zhilin helped him and supported him in every possible way, he could not escape the pursuit, and they were put in a pit as punishment and forced to write a letter again asking for a ransom. Dina became very attached to Zhilin, brought him milk and cakes, dried meat and tried to help him in every possible way. She saved the officer from the pit and gave him the opportunity to escape from captivity, and Kostylin remained in captivity for several more months until the ransom came from home.

Conclusion (my opinion)

The great Tolstoy, using the technique of antithesis, shows the destinies of two young officers, one did not resign himself to difficulties and fought with fate in any way, and the second only went with the flow. And, besides, Zhilin and Dina, people of different nationalities and cultures, became true friends, supporting each other in everything, while Kostylin was ready to do anything, even betrayal, to save his life.

Russian officer Zhilin decides to go home to visit his old mother. During the war, you can only travel from one Russian fortress to another in columns guarded by soldiers. But they come with large convoys, very slowly. Another officer, Kostylin, after half the journey, suggests that Zhilin leave the convoy and ride further together on horseback in the hope that he will be able to reach the fortress without meeting hostile mountaineers. Zhilin agrees.

But on the way they meet a crowd of armed Caucasians. Kostylin runs away on his horse alone, abandoning Zhilin. The mountaineers overtake Zhilin, take him prisoner, take him to their village, put stocks on his feet and lock him in a barn.

Tolstoy. Prisoner of the Caucasus. Audiobook

Chapter 2 – summary

The next morning two highlanders enter the barn. Zhilin asks for a drink. One of those who entered calls his daughter, Dina, beautiful girl 13 years old. She brings Zhilin a jug of water and some flatbread.

They explain to him: “Kazi-Mugamed, who took you prisoner, sold you for 200 rubles to Abdul-Murat. He can let you go for a ransom of three thousand.”

Zhilin is not rich. The only relative he has is his mother, but she has nowhere to get three thousand. “I can give no more than 500 rubles,” he says. - It’s not enough for you - kill. But then you won’t take anything at all.”

Here Kostylin is brought in - it turns out that he was also captured. They say: he wrote home asking for 5 thousand to be sent for him. “Well, my friend is probably not poor, but I don’t have money,” Zhilin says again. “500 is not enough for you - kill.” The mountaineers agree to 500 rubles. But Zhilin writes a letter about them too in such a way that it cannot reach his old and poor mother. He hopes he will escape.

They take him and Kostylin to the barn, give them tattered clothes and some food.

Chapter 3 – summary

They live like this for a month. They are fed poorly, but are allowed to walk around the village a little during the day. Zhilin, a great needleworker, begins making children's dolls from clay. He gives several dolls to Dina. She plays with them and, in gratitude, sometimes begins to secretly bring Zhilin milk instead of water, good cheese cakes, and once even a piece of lamb.

Not all residents of the village treat Russian captives tolerably. Many people look at them evilly and scold them. One old man was especially hostile, a zealous Muslim who went on Hajj to Mecca and killed one of his own sons for going over to the Russians.

Tolstoy. Prisoner of the Caucasus. Feature film, 1975

Chapter 4 – summary

Zhilin begins to dig under the wall of his barn. During one day's walk, he climbs a nearby mountain, examines the surroundings from it and guesses which road leads to the Russian fortress.

One evening, the body of brother Kazi-Mugamed, killed in a skirmish with the Russians, is brought to the village. Zhilin observes the ritual of a Muslim funeral: he sees how the deceased is not laid out, but placed in a hole that is dug underground in the manner of a basement.

On the fourth day, most of the men leave the village. Zhilin invites Kostylin to escape together that same night. He initially refuses, but then agrees.

Chapter 5 – summary

When it gets dark, they get out of the barn through a tunnel made by Zhilin and walk along the road between the mountains. Zhilin walks briskly, but fat Kostylin soon bleeds his legs and barely drags along. As luck would have it, they lose their way in the dark and wander for some time.

It hurts for Kostylin to walk. Zhilin puts him on his back and tries to carry him, but soon the Caucasians overtake them, grab him, tie him up and take him back to the village. The old haji advises to immediately kill the fugitives, but the owner decides to wait another two weeks for the ransom to be sent - “and then I will screw you.”

Chapter 6 – summary

Now they are kept not in a barn, but in a pit, and are fed very poorly, like dogs. Zilina goes to visit Dean, and he makes her new dolls from the clay he digs in the hole. The weak Kostylin falls ill and loses his last strength.

A few days later, Zhilin hears that the mountaineers have gathered around the mosque and are saying something about the Russians. Soon Dina arrives and tells Zhilin that they want to kill him.

He asks the girl to bring a pole with which he can get out of the hole. At first, Dina refuses in fear, but when the darkness of the night falls, she drags a long stick and helps Zhilin get out. Exhausted, Kostylin does not want to go anywhere, and Zhilin has to leave him in the hole.

Dina, saying goodbye to Zhilin, cries and shoves flat cakes into his bosom. She tries to help him knock down the block with a stone, but neither he nor she succeeds. This time Zhilin has to walk with blocks on his feet.

Overcoming the pain, he walks all night. Coming out of the forest at dawn, he sees Russian Cossacks not far away. Zhilin rushes towards them, but on the other side, three mountaineers standing right there on the hill are jumping after him. Zhilin no longer wants to save his life, but at the last moment the mountaineers, afraid of the Cossacks traveling towards them, turn back.

The exhausted Zhilin is brought to the Russian fortress. He remains to serve in the Caucasus. The barely alive Kostylin’s relatives buy him back a month later for five thousand rubles.

© Author of the summary – Russian Historical Library. On our website you can read the full text of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus”.

Officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. One day he received a letter from home from his old mother that she had fallen ill and was afraid to die without seeing her son goodbye.

Zhilin received leave and went to his native land.

There was a war in the Caucasus at that time. The mountaineers attacked the Russians, killed or captured them. Russian convoys were usually accompanied by a soldier convoy. The convoy walked slowly and stopped often. So Zhilin conspired with another officer, Kostylin, to go ahead. The mountaineers took Zhilin prisoner.

They put stocks on his feet so he couldn't escape. Locked in a shed.

The next morning they came to visit the prisoner. He asked for a drink. One “Tatar” (as the Muslim mountaineers were called then) sent his daughter Dina to bring water and bread to the officer. Dina was about thirteen years old - beautiful, black-haired, thin, flexible, timid and curious.

Few people in the village understood Russian. Through an interpreter they explained to Zhilin that they wanted a ransom for him - three thousand coins. Let him write a letter. The prisoner said that he could not find more than five hundred. They began to threaten him with whipping.

Zhilin jumped up:

- I was not and will not be afraid of you dogs!

The mountaineers liked this proud answer:

- Dzhigit Urus! (Well done Russian!)

They agreed to five hundred.

Zhilin wrote a letter, but indicated the wrong address. I decided that I could escape.

Kostylin was also captured. He wrote a letter asking for a ransom of five thousand rubles. They began to keep prisoners in the barn. They lived like this for a whole month. They slept on straw; their pads were removed only at night. The food was poor - only millet cakes.

Zhilin “was a master of all kinds of needlework.” Out of boredom, he began to weave baskets from twigs. I once made a doll out of clay, wearing a Tatar shirt, and gave it to Dina. She was very happy with the toy, put it away in red shreds, and rocked it in her arms.

And from then on Zhilina began to carry gifts: milk, cheese, boiled lamb.

Zhilin made a toy for the children water mill, began to repair watches and guns. The fame spread about him that he was a master.

The owner expressed his friendliness to him in every possible way:

- Yours, Ivan, is good, - mine, Abdul, is good!

But many in the village hated the Russians, because the officers killed many local residents and destroyed the villages.

Zhilin dug a tunnel under the barn every night. I tamed my guard dog and it won’t bark. Having climbed the mountain, I roughly determined the road.

Zhilin persuaded Koetylin to run away together.

Fat, clumsy, cowardly Kostylin was only a burden to his comrade. I fell behind and groaned. He complained that he had rubbed his feet. Zhilin carried it on himself - such a carcass! I didn’t want to leave my friend. So the fugitives were caught.

They returned them to the village and began to keep them not in a barn, but in a hole. Kostylin became completely ill in the pit. They don’t even remove the blocks at night; they throw the unbaked dough into the pit. Only Dina sometimes runs up to the pit, either throwing a flatbread or a cherry. Zhilin made dolls for her again, only he noticed that the girl was upset. Having learned to speak a little in the local language, he understood: Dina was warning him that they wanted to kill the prisoners. The officer asked the girl to bring him a long pole to get out of the hole. She refused, but regretted it and brought it at night. Zhilin got out of the hole, but Kostylin was afraid.

The girl put the pole in place, ran to see Zilina off, and brought him some cakes for the road. He had to walk in the block.

“Goodbye,” says Dinushka. I will remember you forever.

And stroked her on the head.

“When Dina started crying, she covered herself with her hands. She ran up the mountain like a goat jumps. Only in the dark can you hear the monists in braids rattling their backs.”

Zhilin again failed to knock the lock off the block, and he dragged himself along, limping. He was almost approaching a safe place when the Tatars saw him. We went to him. But then a detachment of Cossacks arrived. Zhilin shouted:

- Brothers! help me out, brothers!

The Cossacks rescued him.

So Zhilin did not go home.

And a month later they bought Koetylin for five thousand, they brought him back barely alive.

Year of publication of the story: 1872
Although LN Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” was written more than a hundred years ago, it has not lost its relevance in our time. Moreover, “Prisoner of the Caucasus” should be read according to the school curriculum. The story was filmed in 1975, and in 1996 it became the basis for a film set in Chechnya. Lev Nikolaevich himself spoke highly of his work and rightfully called it one of his best creations. It is thanks to stories such as “Prisoner of the Caucasus” that Tolstoy still occupies the highest places in history.

The plot of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” briefly

If we talk about Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” in brief, then the action of the work takes place during the Caucasian War of 1829 – 1864. The action unfolds around officer Zhilin, who receives a letter from his mother and decides to visit her, and possibly marry her. He sets off on the road with the nearest convoy, but, having overtaken it, he meets another officer, Kostylin. They travel together until several Tatars come to meet them. Kostylin, who was supposed to cover the main character of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” rushes to run. Because of this, both of them, as in, are captured and sold to another Tatar - Abdul-Murat.

Further in LN Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” you can read about how the new “master” of the prisoners demands that they write a letter home. In it, they must ask their relatives to ransom them. But the amount indicated by the Tatar is not affordable for Zhilin’s mother. Therefore, in order not to make his mother suffer and get into debt, the main character writes a letter with the wrong address.

Both prisoners are kept in a barn. They are put in stocks at night and forced to work during the day. Zhilin finds a common language with the daughter of the Tatar who captivated them - Dina, and she wooden dolls starts bringing him cakes and milk. Soon Zhilin decides to escape and begins to dig a tunnel. When the digging is finished, both prisoners escape. But Kostylin cannot run fast, complaining about his feet being chafed by his boots. Because of this, they are noticed by one of the locals, who tells Abdul-Murat about the escaped prisoners. A chase with dogs is organized and soon both prisoners are caught.

If you read further from the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” summary, then you will find out that now the prisoners are being put in a pit. The stocks are not removed from them day or night, and the possibilities for escape are practically zero. But Dina helps the main character. She lowers a stick into the hole, which Zhilin uses to get out of the hole. Kostylin is afraid to decide to escape again. The Tatar’s daughter cries for a long time, parting with the main character, because she has become very attached to him. Moving away from the village, Zhilin tries to knock down the stocks, but nothing comes of it. So he runs straight into the blocks.

The main character of Leo Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” has a long journey ahead of him and, if not for the flatbreads that Dina gave him, he would hardly have been able to overcome the entire journey. And even when exhausted, he continues to crawl. At dawn he reaches the field, behind which Russian units are already standing. But this field still needs to be overcome, and as luck would have it, the Tatars notice it. They rush to Zhilin and with the last of his strength he calls for help. He is heard from the Russian positions, and the Cossacks rush to cut off the Tatars. The Tatars do not dare to approach, and Zhilin ends up with his own. Main character In the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” Tolstoy tells them about his misadventures, ending the story with the words: “So I went home and got married! No, apparently it’s not my destiny.” So Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus, and Kostylin was redeemed a few months later, barely alive and with severely compromised health.

The story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” on the Top books website

Thanks to the presence in school curriculum The story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” is very popular to read. Moreover, in most educational institutions The essay “Prisoner of the Caucasus” by Tolstoy is required. Thanks to this, the work was included in our winter 2016 rating. In addition, thanks to the surge of interest in the story, it is presented among. But even before that, the story periodically made it into our ratings. Therefore, in the future we will probably see him more than once on the pages of our Top Books website.

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