One of the most famous stories by L. N. Tolstoy is " Prisoner of the Caucasus"Every teenager knows the summary of the work. At least, they should know. After all, the story about an officer captured by highlanders has been included in the school curriculum for many decades.

Reviews from critics

Writers reacted very favorably to the story, which was published in 1872. One of the well-known critics at that time noted: the work was created in a special, new language. Among the advantages of "Prisoner of the Caucasus" is the simplicity of presentation. There are no unnecessary words or pretentious stylistic forms here. The summary of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” will not reveal the beauty of L.N. Tolstoy’s artistic language. But I think it will encourage you to read the original.

History of creation

The title of the story is an allusion to Pushkin's poem. However, the story told by Tolstoy is different from the one composed by the earlier classic. In 1817, a war began between Russia and Muslim peoples. The story "Caucasian Prisoner" by L. N. Tolstoy, a brief summary of which is presented in the article, reflects the events of a significant period in national history. The writer himself served in the Caucasus. One day an incident happened to him that almost led to his capture.

In the Caucasus, Tolstoy had a Chechen friend named Sado. One day they were traveling together and along the way they met mountaineers who kidnapped people for a living. The Count could have escaped (he had an excellent horse), but did not. The travelers miraculously managed to avoid the fate of the prisoners. They did not die because the mountaineers tried to capture them alive. The main character of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” by L. N. Tolstoy had to endure a much more difficult test. A summary is given below.

Zhilin

L.N. Tolstoy, like a concise presentation of any other literary work, must begin with the characteristics of the main character. The famous critic was right. The story is written extremely concisely, in simple language. Once upon a time there lived an officer. And his name was Zhilin. He served in the Caucasus.

One day Zhilin received a letter from his dying mother, in which the woman expressed a desire to see her beloved son before her death. All. There are no verbose arguments characteristic of a great writer here. The reader learns later about what Zhilin is, what qualities and virtues he has, after he is captured and miraculously gets out of it. The summary of "Prisoner of the Caucasus" by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, in fact, is stated above.

Even those who did not read the story guessed what misadventures awaited Zhilin. But it's not that simple. There is in the work both a noble poor officer and a wealthy but vile nobleman. There was also a place for relations between Russians and highlanders, the complexity of which has been discussed for two hundred years. So, Zhilin received a letter from his mother and went home. It was summer. From the fortress to the nearest station 25 versts. It is quite difficult to overcome the distance.

Firstly, the incredible heat. Secondly, there are Tatars everywhere (as all Muslims were called in those days). The mountaineers killed the Russians and captured them. A convoy accompanied by soldiers left the fortress twice a week. Zhilin also left the fortress under the same conditions. However, along the way, he decided to refuse escort. Colleague Kostylin, an officer, representative of a rich man, persuaded the main character to do this. noble family, who betrayed him.

In captivity

Zhilin and Kostylin rode on horseback for several hours. The main character walked forward a hundred meters to see if there were Tatars in the area. When the ubiquitous highlanders appeared, Kostylin rushed back to the fortress. And he was the only one who had a gun. Zhilin found himself completely unarmed when meeting with the Tatars. In addition, the bandits injured his horse. She fell on the officer, crushing him heavily with her weight.

When Zhilin came to his senses, he was already tightly bound by the Tatars. So Zhilin became a prisoner of the Caucasus. The next day he was given water, food and information about his future fate. One highlander sold a Russian officer to another. Now the prisoner had to write a letter to his relatives so that they would ransom him. But Zhilin’s mother did not have the money that the mountaineers dreamed of. Later main character, as his “master” told him, he still wrote the letter. However, the address provided was incorrect.

The escape

Kostylin, who betrayed Zhilin, was also captured. But he was rich, wrote a letter home and promised the mountaineers that he would soon give them five thousand coins. Zhilin understood that only escape would save him from death. At the same time, he was not afraid of the Tatars, for which, by the way, they respected him very much. In addition, he knew how to make strange things from clay, which attracted the attention of Tatar children.

Especially Dina, the daughter of Abdul - the same highlander who was expecting a ransom. Zhilin's first escape was unsuccessful. And again Kostylin was to blame for this - an awkward, cowardly man. Later, the Russian officer managed to escape thanks to Dina. The girl brought him a long stick, with the help of which he was able to get out of the hole.

Kostylin was soon redeemed from captivity. This is L.N. Tolstoy. But it’s worth adding a few words about the morals of the inhabitants of the village. How did the author depict them in his work?

Russian among the highlanders

Tolstoy does not portray the mountaineers as bloodthirsty bandits. Yes, for them killing a person is a simple matter, one might say, an everyday matter. But only when we're talking about about Gentiles. And many residents of the village took a liking to Zhilin. A short story about an old Tatar man who hated Russians perfectly characterizes the attitude of the mountaineers towards Russians.

This man in his youth was a brave horseman. He had a wife and seven children. But the Russians came and killed his wife and six children. The seventh son went over to the side of the enemy, for which he was killed by his father. The Muslim elder Zilina despised him, believing that he should be killed immediately.

Fortunately, Abdul had a different opinion. Still, the writer believed that the so-called Tatars were not monsters at all. This is a people with completely different traditions from those on which the main character was raised. The story contained in the article is worth reading. This piece is still relevant.

Officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. He received a letter from his mother, and he decided to go home on vacation. But on the way he and another Russian officer Kostylin were captured by the Tatars. This happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was supposed to cover Zhilin, but he saw the Tatars, got scared and ran away from them. Kostylin turned out to be a traitor. The Tatar who captured the Russian officers sold them to another Tatar. The prisoners were shackled and kept in the same barn.

The Tatars forced the officers to write letters to their relatives demanding a ransom. Kostylin obeyed, and Zhilin specially wrote a different address, because he knew: there was no one to buy him, Zhilin’s old mother lived very poorly. Zhilin and Kostylin sat in the barn for a whole month. The owner's daughter Dina became attached to Zhilin. She secretly brought him cakes and milk, and he made dolls for her. Zhilin began to think about how he and Kostylin could escape from captivity. Soon he began digging in the barn.

One night they ran away. When they entered the forest, Kostylin began to lag behind and whine - his boots had rubbed his feet. Because of Kostylin, they did not go far; they were noticed by a Tatar who was driving through the forest. He told the owners of the hostages, they took the dogs and quickly caught up with the prisoners. The shackles were put on them again and they were not removed even at night. Instead of a barn, the hostages were put in a hole five arshins deep. Zhilin still did not despair. I kept thinking about how he could escape. Dina saved him. At night she brought a long stick, lowered it into the hole, and Zhilin climbed up using it. But Kostylin stayed, didn’t want to run away: he was scared, and he didn’t have the strength.

Zhilin moved away from the village and tried to remove the block, but nothing worked. Dina gave him some flatbread for the journey and cried, saying goodbye to Zhilin. He was kind to the girl, and she became very attached to him. Zhilin went further and further, even though the block was very much in the way. When his strength ran out, he crawled and crawled to the field, beyond which there were already his own Russians. Zhilin was afraid that the Tatars would notice him when he crossed the field. Just thinking about it, look: to the left, on a hillock, two tithes away from it, three Tatars are standing. They saw Zhilin and rushed to him. And so his heart sank. Zhilin waved his hands and shouted at the top of his voice: “Brothers! Help out! Brothers! The Cossacks heard Zilina and rushed to intercept the Tatars. The Tatars got scared, and before reaching Zhilin they began to stop. This is how the Cossacks saved Zhilin. Zhilin told them about his adventures, and then said: “So I went home and got married! No, apparently it’s not my destiny.” Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus. And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought us barely alive.

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Officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. He received a letter from his mother, and he decided to go home on vacation. But on the way he and another Russian officer Kostylin were captured by the Tatars. This happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was supposed to cover Zhilin, but he saw the Tatars, got scared and ran away from them. Kostylin turned out to be a traitor. The Tatar who captured the Russian officers sold them to another Tatar. The prisoners were shackled and kept in the same barn.

The Tatars forced the officers to write letters to their relatives demanding a ransom. Kostylin obeyed, and Zhilin specially wrote a different address, because he knew: there was no one to buy him, Zhilin’s old mother lived very poorly. Zhilin and Kostylin sat in the barn for a whole month. The owner's daughter Dina became attached to Zhilin. She secretly brought him cakes and milk, and he made dolls for her. Zhilin began to think about how he and Kostylin could escape from captivity. Soon he began digging in the barn.

One night they ran away. When they entered the forest, Kostylin began to lag behind and whine - his boots had rubbed his feet. Because of Kostylin, they did not go far; they were noticed by a Tatar who was driving through the forest. He told the owners of the hostages, they took the dogs and quickly caught up with the prisoners. The shackles were put on them again and they were not removed even at night. Instead of a barn, the hostages were put in a hole five arshins deep. Zhilin still did not despair. I kept thinking about how he could escape. Dina saved him. At night she brought a long stick, lowered it into the hole, and Zhilin climbed up using it. But Kostylin stayed, didn’t want to run away: he was scared, and he didn’t have the strength.

Zhilin moved away from the village and tried to remove the block, but nothing worked. Dina gave him some flatbread for the journey and cried, saying goodbye to Zhilin. He was kind to the girl, and she became very attached to him. Zhilin went further and further, even though the block was very much in the way. When his strength ran out, he crawled and crawled to the field, beyond which there were already his own Russians. Zhilin was afraid that the Tatars would notice him when he crossed the field. Just thinking about it, look: to the left, on a hillock, two tithes away from it, three Tatars are standing. They saw Zhilin and rushed to him. And so his heart sank. Zhilin waved his hands and shouted at the top of his voice: “Brothers! Help out! Brothers! The Cossacks heard Zilina and rushed to intercept the Tatars. The Tatars got scared, and before reaching Zhilin they began to stop. This is how the Cossacks saved Zhilin. Zhilin told them about his adventures, and then said: “So I went home and got married! No, apparently it’s not my destiny.” Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus. And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought us barely alive.

Summary of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” Option 2

1. About the product
2. Main characters
3. Other characters
4. Summary
5. Conclusion

Zhilin serves as an officer in the Caucasus. Once he thought about it, Zhilin “straightened out his vacation” and got ready to go home. “There was a war in the Caucasus at that time” - the Tatars attacked lonely travelers, so Zilina’s convoy was accompanied by soldiers. Wanting to get there faster, the officer decides to break away from those accompanying him, and Kostylin joins him. However, on the way they met Tatars. Due to the fault of Kostylin, who got scared and ran away, the unarmed Zhilin was captured and taken to an aul (Tatar village). The prisoner was put in stocks and locked in a barn. The Tatar forced the captives to write letters home asking for ransom. Zhilin wrote a letter with the wrong address so that it would not reach. Zhilin and Kostylin lived in the barn for a whole month. Zhilin began to sculpt clay dolls for the owner’s daughter Dina. She secretly brought him food. Planning his escape, Zhilin began digging a hole in the barn. One night, when the Tatars left the village, the prisoners escaped. They walked through the forest almost all night, Kostylin was far behind. On the road they were caught by other Tatars and taken to their owner in the village. They were put in a hole. One day Zhilin asked Dina to bring him a long stick, and at night Dina threw the long pole into the pit. Zhilin was going to take Kostylin with him, but he refused. The officer (Zhilin) ​​fled from the village. Having recognized Zhilin, the officers took him to the fortress. Zhilin realized that it was not his destiny to go home and get married, so he remained to serve in the Caucasus. “And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought me barely alive.”

I read Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” with great pleasure. In general, I love books about war and about the adventures of real heroes, and I especially liked this one. The author described the events very realistically. He probably succeeded because he himself participated in the war that he tells readers about.
There are three main characters in Tolstoy’s work. These are Russian army officers Zhilin and Kostylin, and also a girl, Dina, the daughter of a Tatar. Events take place at the end of the 19th century, when Russia was at war with the highlanders in the Caucasus.

Zhilin is a positive hero. He is brave, strong, honest, hardworking, determined and very driven. This is exactly what I believe a man and a real soldier should be. “But then how did this warrior end up captured?” - you ask. And Kostylin was to blame for everything, because of whose cowardice his comrades fell to the Tatars.
This Kostylin is not at all like Zhilin. One can hardly follow an example from him. He is lazy, cowardly and irresponsible - he wants other people to do everything for him. And Kostylin always whines and complains instead of acting.

When the officers were captured, the Tatars demanded a ransom for them. They wanted five thousand each. Kostylin was waiting for this money to be given for him and wrote a letter to his family. But Zhilin is a completely different matter. He did not intend to upset his sick mother and decided that he would get out of the trap himself. In the meantime, I looked closely at the Tatars and even managed to make friends with them.

His owner's daughter Dina especially liked Zhilin. She felt sorry for the officer and brought him food. She can also be considered a positive hero, because the girl took a lot of risks helping the prisoner.

Essay “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: 5th grade

And so, the first escape attempt was made. Zhilin did not want to leave his comrade alone and persuaded him to go too. And again because of Kostylin everything failed! His shoes were rubbing and he refused to go further. He whined and complained all the way until Zhilin carried him on his back. And despite the fact that he was much thinner than his fat friend! Due to Kostylin’s whims, it was not possible to go far, and the soldiers were caught by the Tatars. This was the most exciting moment for me. I was very worried about Zhilin, who had done so much to escape... And now he was facing certain death.

The officers were returned to the same Tatar. And the girl Dina again began to feed them. The conditions were terrible - much worse than the first time. And, probably, if not for her care, the prisoners would have died of hunger. And then Dina helped Zhilin escape again. She brought him a tall pole, and he was able to climb out of the deep hole. But Kostylin refused to escape. He stayed to wait for the ransom.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

"Prisoner of the Caucasus"

Officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. He received a letter from his mother, and he decided to go home on vacation. But on the way he and another Russian officer Kostylin were captured by the Tatars. This happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was supposed to cover Zhilin, but he saw the Tatars, got scared and ran away from them. Kostylin turned out to be a traitor. The Tatar who captured the Russian officers sold them to another Tatar. The prisoners were shackled and kept in the same barn.

The Tatars forced the officers to write letters to their relatives demanding a ransom. Kostylin obeyed, and Zhilin specially wrote a different address, because he knew: there was no one to buy him, Zhilin’s old mother lived very poorly. Zhilin and Kostylin sat in the barn for a whole month. The owner's daughter Dina became attached to Zhilin. She secretly brought him cakes and milk, and he made dolls for her. Zhilin began to think about how he and Kostylin could escape from captivity. Soon he began digging in the barn.

One night they ran away. When we entered the forest, Kostylin began to lag behind and whine - his boots had rubbed his feet. Because of Kostylin, they did not go far; they were noticed by a Tatar who was driving through the forest. He told the owners of the hostages, they took the dogs and quickly caught up with the prisoners. The shackles were put on them again and they were not removed even at night. Instead of a barn, the hostages were put in a hole five arshins deep. Zhilin still did not despair. I kept thinking about how he could escape. Dina saved him. At night she brought a long stick, lowered it into the hole, and Zhilin climbed up using it. But Kostylin stayed, didn’t want to run away: he was scared, and he didn’t have the strength.

Zhilin moved away from the village and tried to remove the block, but nothing worked. Dina gave him some flatbread for the journey and cried, saying goodbye to Zhilin. He was kind to the girl, and she became very attached to him. Zhilin went further and further, even though the block was very much in the way. When his strength ran out, he crawled and crawled to the field, beyond which there were already his own Russians. Zhilin was afraid that the Tatars would notice him when he crossed the field. Just thinking about it, look: to the left, on a hillock, two tithes away from it, three Tatars are standing. They saw Zhilin and rushed to him. And so his heart sank. Zhilin waved his hands and shouted at the top of his voice: “Brothers! Help out! Brothers! The Cossacks heard Zilina and rushed to intercept the Tatars. The Tatars got scared, and before reaching Zhilin they began to stop. This is how the Cossacks saved Zhilin. Zhilin told them about his adventures, and then said: “So I went home and got married! No, apparently it’s not my destiny.” Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus. And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought us barely alive.

After the news came from her mother, a Caucasian officer named Zhilin wanted to visit her, and he went home. However, due to the cowardice of another officer, Kostylin, with whom he set off on this long journey, they were taken prisoner by the Tatars. After that, they were sold to other Tatars, who hid them both in a barn, chained.

In order to receive a ransom, the captives were forced to write letters to their loved ones. Zhilin remembered that his mother was very poor and she definitely wouldn’t have enough to pay for the ransom, so he entered someone else’s address, unlike the obedient Kostylin. A month has already passed since they were in captivity. Dina, the daughter of the Tatar who bought the officers, began to secretly court Zhilin. He reciprocated her feelings. Zhilin began to plot his and Kostylin’s escape.

Having made a tunnel in the barn, they managed to escape from captivity. Kostylin fails again. Before he had gone very far, his legs began to hurt because of his tight shoes, and he began to hesitate; Zhilin had to wait for him. There they were noticed by a Tatar passing nearby, who informed the owners about their disappearance. It was not difficult to catch the fugitives. But Zhilin’s hope for salvation did not fade away, despite the fact that they were now thrown into deep hole. This time, the brave and kind Dina came to the rescue: she found a stick of sufficient size and brought it to them. Kostylin did not want to get out, because he was very exhausted, although to a greater extent, he was simply chickened out.

Dina had to say goodbye to Zhilin and, sobbing, she handed him several flat cakes for the journey. And the officer left. It was completely inconvenient to walk, since it was not possible to get rid of the shackles. The fugitive could no longer walk, he was terribly tired, but he did not give up and began to crawl. As he crawled across the field, three Tatars standing on a hill noticed him and ran after him. Zhilin, who knew that the Cossacks were already behind the field, stood up with the last of his strength, began waving his arms and shouting. And then our people appeared and ran towards the Tatars, who rushed back out of fear, leaving the former captive alone. He later told his rescuers about his story.