Zhilin and Kostylin have different fates. Essay on the topic “Zhilin and Kostylin: two characters - two destinies”

08.04.2019

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. That's why 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 just recently a Tatar had 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, under difficult circumstances, thought only 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 surnames 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 officers of the Russian army, 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 would not have been even with his opponents, but with 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 is also an opposite character who is 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 a simple way, he collects money for the 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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Two destinies, two heroes, but how different they are. Two Russian officers serve in the Caucasus, fulfilling their duty to the Fatherland. Having been captured by the Tatars, one strives for freedom, and the second humbly awaits his fate. So why are such different destinies from two noble officers.
Zhilin Ivan is a Russian officer, from a poor noble family. He is short in stature, but a handsome and daring young gentleman. He serves in the Caucasus, helping his old mother with money. He is not married, his mother found him a suitable bride and is waiting at home. Going to visit his mother, Zhilin takes a vacation, but on the way home he is captured. Here his moral qualities are revealed: rebellious, with a strong character, he does not lose hope, he is an optimist and believes in himself.
He is careful, but persistent in his aspirations, tries to act in any circumstances. Strong and courageous, he cannot come to terms with the position of a prisoner. There is no one to expect help from, relying only on himself, Zhilin is ready to carry a comrade on himself, without leaving him to be torn to pieces by enemies Smart and straightforward, Zhilin knows how to get along with people, he is respected even by his enemies, for his character, “golden hands” and his sense of dignity, which he does not lose even in captivity. Thanks to his ingenuity, dexterity, he managed to escape, and courage, bravery and a thirst for life, help him successfully reach “his people.”
Kostylin is from a wealthy noble family, a Russian officer and serves in the Caucasus. Tall, a clumsy “sissy”, fat and weak. A pessimist by nature, Kostylin does not try to change anything, having been captured. He is waiting for his ransom to be paid for him family, sleeps and complains about life. A weak-willed gentleman, cowardly and unable to do anything. His health is weak, and his spirit is even weaker. He can easily abandon a comrade in trouble, which is what he did with Zhilin.
Remaining in captivity, Kostylin received his freedom, he was ransomed a month later, but barely alive.
A craving for freedom and a thirst for life save Zhilin from death, there is no one to pay a ransom for him and death awaits him. He sees the good in life, helps people, and for this even his enemies respect him, and in the little girl Dina he finds a friend who helps him to escape. Honor and dignity helped Zhilin to remain an officer in any situation, even in captivity. Zhilin’s fate is the fate of the defender of the Motherland, for him honor and conscience are not empty words, which cannot be said about Kostylin. Having abandoned a comrade in trouble, becoming a coward in front of the enemy, he chooses the fate of a prisoner, weak-willed and devastated. A prisoner of his conscience, Kostylin will never be able to speak with pride about defending the Motherland.
Sissies have no place among officers; money only saves his life, not honor and dignity. Such different fates for two comrades who served together in the Caucasus.

Story by L.N. Tolstoy's "Prisoner of the Caucasus" tells the story of the fate of two Russian officers who were captured by the mountaineers during the war. The plot of the story is quite simple. The story is the same for two, but the destinies are different.

The author chooses surnames for the characters that fully correspond to them. Such surnames in literature are called telling ones, because they can tell a lot about their bearer. Zhilin is short, thin, but wiry and agile. Kostylin is an overweight, fat, lazy man, very difficult to lift. The moment when they are first captured can tell a lot about the heroes. When the heroes decided to fight off the caravan, Kostylin insisted that the gun was loaded and the horses were faithful. Therefore, he convinced Zhilin that they could continue their journey alone. Although both were aware of the danger. But we were very tired of driving slowly in such heat.

It was especially difficult for Kostylin. The officers urged their horses forward. But very quickly they came across a Tatar detachment. Kostylin got cold feet and, abandoning his comrade, ran his horse back. The gun also “left” with Kostylin. Zhilin was left alone with the mountaineers, but continued to fight. He did not give up until the last moment, even when his arms were already twisted. In the Tatar’s house it turned out that Kostylin was also captured. His horse stood up and his gun stopped firing. That is, in the presence of a large gap, a frisky stallion and a gun, he was not able to fight back. He was detained after Zilina; there was enough time.

In captivity, Zhilin leads enough active image life. He makes clay dolls for Tatar children, repairs watches and even weapons. The entire mountaineer settlement is amazed at his skill and ideas. And even residents of neighboring villages come to him as a master. People come with broken utensils so that he can fix them. In this way he gains the trust and sympathy of the owner. And the owner's daughter Dina brings him delicious food secretly. He even managed to feed and caress the dog. Zhilin was preparing to escape. They demanded a ransom for them. He bargained for five hundred rubles. But Ivan understood that his mother could not raise that kind of money, and he felt sorry for his mother. And he wrote the wrong address on the envelope. I only hoped to escape. Kostylin, having been captured, slept and lay more and more. I wrote to my family about the ransom of five thousand rubles. And he was just waiting for them to come for him. Zhilin's escape failed only because he took Kostylin with him. He even carried him in his arms for some time, although his legs were just as worn out. But this did not save their escape.

When they were returned back, Zhilin finds a way to escape. Dina helps him. And the exhausted Kostylin is then ransomed for five thousand, having collected money. These heroes have different destinies because their characters are different. Not even characters, but different attitudes to life. Only active people who boldly move forward always win. Such as Zhilin.

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