Aksinya Astakhova - she is one of the main characters of the novel "Quiet Don", a Cossack woman, wife of Stepan Astakhov and beloved of Grigory Melekhov. Fate from childhood was cruel to Aksinya. Knowing early on the servile position of a woman, she was married off to an unloved one. The marriage only intensified the hard labor and physical humiliation of the girl. Once at Don's, she met Gregory, with whom she could no longer part. For his sake, she was not afraid of notoriety in the village and the wrath of a jealous husband. She plunged into this love with her head, with all her directness and honesty. In her relationship with Grigory, she wanted to "love the bitter one in her whole life." If at first it was a little selfish love, in spite of her husband and for her “dried up” heart, then later this feeling changed, blossomed.

Changes in heroin also took place with the birth of a daughter. Her "vicious" beauty has become "confidently happy." She more than once took Gregory away from the family, but more and more often not out of selfishness, but sacrificing herself. For his sake, she warmed Mishatka, became close to Ilyinichna, and after Natalya's death she took care of her children. She was close to her beloved to the end and witnessed all his throwings. At the end of the novel, Aksinya dies from a Red Guard bullet right in the hands of Gregory, never knowing the calm human happiness, but having fully fulfilled her female destiny. The last thing she thought about was children and love.

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Quiet Don is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious Russian novels of the twentieth century: it is an epic by Mikhail Sholokhov and includes 4 volumes. The novel unfolds in such a way that it spans several generations.

It is noteworthy that the plot of the work opens with a not entirely positive event, namely: the lynching of a Turkish woman who manages to give birth to a child, Panteley, before her death. In the future, events along one of the lines are built around his son - Gregory, and the connection of the latter with Aksinya Astakhova.

In this case, we are interested in the features of the image of Aksinya, one of the central characters of the epic. Its characteristics require that we pay special attention, on the one hand, its outward appearance, but, on the other hand, - to her inner world.

Dear Readers! We invite you to familiarize yourself with Mikhail Sholokhov.

M. Sholokhov does not believe that appearance and moral portrait are separated from each other: we will see that transformation inner peace reflected in external appearance character as in a mirror.

The appearance of the heroine

It is curious that in the novel there is not a single complete description of Aksinya's appearance. But we can notice, meanwhile, a lot of individual details of the heroine's appearance, which, folding into a certain single image, make it possible to compose general idea about what Aksinya looks like.

She is described as a woman of rare beauty. However, we should make a comment that this type of beauty is closer, rather, to the Dutch image, because at the time that the author designates in the novel, strong women who can cope with the hardships of the economy were valued. Hence, Aksinya has a powerful body, full shoulders, her whole appearance testifies to the fact that this woman is strong not only spiritually, but also physically. Her hands were rough from hard and constant work, Her hair was dark and a little curly. The heroine's eyes are sad and dark, and the look is even distinguished by a terrifying depth. These eyes can drive you crazy. In a word, M. Sholokhov describes a real Cossack woman, which Aksinya was.

Aksinya is attractive for that beauty, which has something wild in itself, it beckons, attracts. If men like this intoxicating beauty, then it pushes other women to the blackest envy.

The novel is not called an epic for nothing: it covers so many years that the reader can observe the birth of life - in children who come to this world, spring and bloom - in the beauty and youth of the heroes, the maturity of life and autumn - in how the years leave their imprint on the appearance of a Cossack woman, as well as sunset - when people die, as Panteley's mother and daughter Aksinya passed away. Interestingly, all these stages are connected in a ring - a cycle that is constantly repeating. The story begins and ends with death.

Aksinya's autumn is visible by the graying of her hair, by the dark tone of her skin and eyes, which have become even deeper and sadder. Weariness appeared in her eyes. M. Sholokhov uses the same metaphor as N.R. Gyuntekin when he describes the appearance of a woman who has known suffering. Both authors refer to a comparison of fading beauty and a lily of the valley (violets - in the Turkish author), the flowering time of which has passed.

The heroine's appearance changes every time she meets her lover - Gregory. Her posture becomes straighter, her facial features become more lively, and Aksinya begins to perceive the world in colors. Then, however, the world fades anyway.

Internal specificity of the image of Aksinya

As a child, Aksinya experienced a real psychological trauma: at the age of 16, she became a victim of sexual abuse by her own father. For this offense, he was killed by his son and wife. However, despite this, Aksinya has dreams associated precisely with the family, with the birth of children.

Aksinya and Stepan

On the one hand, the character embodies impulses of passion, instincts, but, on the other hand, Aksinya is very conservative and lives guided by family values. However, here she does not get happiness, because after marrying Stepan, who loved her very much, the woman feels that she is unhappy in this marriage. Stepan's love was a restless, crazy, jealous love.

He reproached Aksinya for what happened to her in childhood. Once, in a fit of jealousy and anger, Stepan even hits Aksinya: so hard that she turns out to be barely alive. In fact, Aksinya gets married at the request of her mother, and not of her own free will.

Aksinya was distinguished by her courage of character, because she openly told Stepan about her connection with Gregory, despite the fact that her husband's hot temper could even threaten her with death.

Aksinya and Grigory

Being married, Aksinya meets her true love - Gregory. They become romantically involved. As a result, love for him pushes Aksinya to leave Stepan.

Aksinya and Grigory live together for some time, without fear of condemnation in the village. But this love was not always the same.

At first, it was rather revenge for all the wrongs of the past, for the fact that a woman's heart completely dried up in an unhappy marriage. Revenge on Stepan and selfish love. That is why the author so often in the first parts of the novel characterizes Aksinya with the words "vicious". But then her feelings are transformed. Especially these changes become noticeable with the birth of a daughter - Tanyushka.

This idyll ends when Gregory is called to war, and their daughter dies from scarlet fever.

After Tatyana dies, Grigory returns to his wife - Natalya, because he, like Aksinya, was also married. Natalia had two children from Grigory: Polyushka and Mishutka. But soon Natalya dies from a bullet from a Red Guard, and Aksinya takes care of her children. It is worth saying, however, that Natalia's love for Grigory was also at first selfish, but then she begins to show great femininity and tenderness towards him. Even for her husband herself, she feels a love similar to that of a mother.

Aksinya often tries to forget Gregory and her love for him, but her efforts, as a rule, do not end in success. Their encounters are accompanied by a passion of the same intensity as at the beginning of the novel.

Aksinya and Evgeny

In a novel with Yevgeny Listnitsky, Aksinya escapes from the grief of the death of her daughter and the loss of Gregory. Eugene has long been interested in a woman, and this relationship turned out to be fatal: Grigory is very disappointed in Aksinya, considering her act a betrayal and not understanding its reasons.

As a result, Aksinya returns to Stepan and, living in an unhappy marriage, gradually plunges into her autumn.

The last journey

Aksinya realizes that the only thing that can bring spring back into her life is the return of Gregory. And he really comes to her - with the children. Aksinya replaces their mother, and gives them all the accumulated tenderness.

Gregory invites his beloved to go to the Kuban to start a new round of life. The reason for the decision to move to the Kuban is not the most rosy: it was an escape, rescue from the bandits, whom Grigory accidentally contacted.

But do not forget the original setting of the novel: the heroine we are describing is a tragic character, having a very difficult and painful fate. She knew that running away with Gregory would not bring her relief, because he was out of favor with new government, but still agrees to leave with him, because only Gregory was her true love and passion.

But during the crossing of the steppe, Aksinya perishes from an accidental shot from the military at the outpost. In the arms of Grigory Aksinya accepts his death.

The image of Aksinya

The author of the novel gave Aksinya a special charm. She has both external and internal beauty. She stubbornly fights for her happiness, having early experienced all the bitterness of a woman's lot, boldly and openly rebelles against the slavish, humiliated position of women, against patriarchal morality. Aksinya's passionate love for Gregory expressed a resolute protest against the ruined youth, against the torture and despotism of his father and unloved husband. Her struggle for Grigory, for happiness with him is a struggle to assert her human rights. Rebellious and rebellious, with her head held high, she went against prejudice, hypocrisy and falsehood, winning her happiness with her beloved, causing evil talk and gossip.

Aksinya is unusually beautiful. Here is how Sholokhov describes it: “... The wind ruffled the skirt on Aksinya, fingered small fluffy curls on his swarthy neck. On a heavy knot of hair there was a flaming headband embroidered with colored silk, a pink shirt tucked into a skirt, without wrinkling, embraced a round back and poured shoulders ... "The heroine has a beautiful and proud gait: she even wears buckets of water in a special way - very majestically and gracefully.

The author does not hide anything from Aksinya's life: neither the fact that she, sixteen, was raped by a drunken father, nor that her husband later beat her. Her youth was outraged by the abuse of her father and the torture of her husband. Love for the heroine is a kind of way out of the hopeless past, which is why she surrenders herself entirely to her feelings: “Aksinya has reborn from the meadow mowing. As if someone made a mark on her face, the brand burned out. The women, when they met her, sarcastically scared, shook their heads after them, the girls were jealous, and she proudly carried her happy, but shameful head high. "

Aksinya loves Grigory sensually and passionately. The relationship between them is described very harshly: “He stubbornly courted her with stubborn persistence. And it was this stubbornness that was scary for Aksinya. " She is wayward and reckless in her passion and loves Grigory so much that she is ready for anything, even to kill her husband. Grigory begins: “I thought, let's finish it off with you ...” Aksinya thinks out the terrible words to herself: “… we'll finish Stepan, - but“ he licked his lips in annoyance… ”- and adds“ let's finish this story. A?"

And Gregory loves Aksinya. “On the lips of Grigory remains the exciting smell of her lips, smelling either of the winter wind, or the distant, elusive smell of the steppe, sprayed with the May rain of hay ...”. This description conveys the freshness, health, purity of the heroine. But the writer also emphasizes her "vicious and alluring beauty", her lips are "shamelessly greedy, puffy", her eyes flashing "with a spoiled desperate sparkle" and a smile.

When Aksinya learns of Melekhov's decision to leave the farm and live with her, "on her lips, hidden from the eyes of Grigory, a joyful smile filled with fulfilled happiness trembled." She was incredibly happy. Her smile reflects the most conflicting feelings. So, for example, long-standing pain and longing, surprise and tenderness were reflected in Aksinya's smile when, after a long separation, she met Gregory on the banks of the Don, at the pier: my heart trembled with pity and love ... "

One of the constant definitions of the human essence of Aksinya, her struggle for happiness, becomes the epithet “proud” in the novel. Aksinya has a "proud" face, despising farm gossip, she "proudly and high carried her happy, but shameful head." After a quarrel with the Melekhovs, she did not greet them, "with satanic pride, flaring her nostrils, she passed by." Repeatedly repeated definition of "proud" serves to highlight one of the most essential character traits of Aksinya. Aksinya is proud not only of her bright, exciting beauty. Her pride expresses her constant readiness to defend her human dignity, shows vitality, strength and nobility of character.

Hard life trials did not break Aksinya, but, on the contrary, revealed all the best in her. If at the beginning of the novel, under the influence of a momentary mood, she could change Grigory with Listnitsky, offend Natalia, yell at Panteley Prokofievich, then in the last volume she changes, shows love and understanding in relation to other people. Aksinya has a new feeling in relation to her unloved husband Stepan - she begins to understand and regret him in her own way. The attitude towards Natalya also changes: in the last conversation, when Natalya comes to find out whether Aksinya has really “taken possession” of Grigory again, Aksinya no longer mocks Natalya, as before, but reasonably, almost like Ilyinichna, argues: “You know what? Let's not talk about him anymore. He will be alive ... he will return - he will choose himself. " Aksinya loves Grigory's children with all the fullness of maternal feelings ("They themselves, Grisha, began to call me mother, do not think that I taught them"). It is no coincidence that Ilyinichna, who used to be so intransigent about the relationship between Grigory and Aksinya, as Dunyashka says, "has recently fallen in love with Aksinya."

As soon as maternal feelings awaken in Aksinya, everything that is vicious and evocative in her disappears, and this affects her attitude towards the world and other people. So, Aksinya takes care of grandfather Sashka as touchingly as Natalya did in her time in relation to grandfather Grishak. However, Aksinya will have to get rid of her willfulness for a long time until she finally gives up the desire to take possession of Gregory at any cost and atone for, at least partially, her sin before Natalia, replacing her mother to Grigory's children.

Aksinya cannot lie, dodge, deceive. Hypocrisy is disgusting to her. When Natalya came to her to talk about Grigory, who was rumored to be meeting with a neighbor, Aksinya tries to deviate from the answer. But it was enough for Natalya to reproach her, as Astakhova, flushing, proudly and sharply confirms the assumptions of the deceived wife.

Truthfulness and straightforwardness are in her character. For example, Grigory and Stepan are sitting at the same table. When Aksinya saw them together, horror splashed in her eyes. The husband, with hatred and longing, offers her a drink for a long separation. He knew very well for whom this man had come to them. Aksinya refuses:

"- You know…

I know everything at once ... Well, not for parting! To the health of our dear guest, Grigory Panteleevich.

I'll drink to his health! - Aksinya said loudly and drank the glass in one gulp.

And in this impulse all main character who freely and fearlessly expresses her feelings. If Natalya lowered her head under the blow of fate, reproached herself for not being able to change the course of events, then Aksinya met danger with her head held high, entered into a struggle for happiness.

Aksinya proved her love and loyalty to Grigory with her whole life: “And no matter what she thought, no matter what she did, she was always invariably, inseparably in her thoughts about Grigory. This is how a blind horse walks in a circle in Chigir, rotating a sprinkler wheel around its axis ... "

Aksinya did not want to see anything in the world except her beloved, because of him she always lived in terrible tension and excitement, never thinking about whose side he fought on. At his first call, she could part with anything and anyone, just to be close to him. And the last time he came for her at night, she without hesitation and even with joy got ready and went, not knowing where. To Grigory's question: “Well? Are you going? - she replies: “How would you think? ... Sweet to me alone? I'll go, Grishenka, my dear! I will go on foot, crawl after you, but I will not stay alone anymore! I have no life without you ... Better kill, but don't give up again! " Seeing her eyes swollen from tears, but shining with happiness, Grigory, grinning, thought: "I got ready and went, as if to visit ... Nothing scares her, here's a fine fellow ..."

But this, the last, attempt of Aksinya to finally find happiness turned out to be her death. Far from the farm, she found her refuge.

The image of Aksinya is built on the development of the motive of fire and heat, on the motive of the heroine's special vitality and her gift of "feeling" into nature.

The motif of fire and heat first appears in the portrait of the heroine at the mow, then takes on the role of a symbol of the inevitability of love-passion. Forbidden love leaves an imprint on the proud face of Aksinya (it is like a brand burnt out), and "shameless fire"Love passion manifests itself powerfully and aggressively in a collision with Panteley Prokofievich, and in separation from Grigory" in the eyes, sprinkled with ashes fear, smoldered slightly ember left over from the fire by Grishka fire».

“Fiery” images become a sign of the truth and exclusiveness of Aksinya's feelings, they are certainly present in the scenes and author's descriptions associated with Aksinya and Gregory. And even at the moment of Gregory's recognition of his dislike for his wife, Aksinya's presence is indicated by a “flickering speck of a fire” in the steppe, a “speck” from which the flame re-flares up: during a date in the winter forest burn with shame and joy Aksinya's cheeks, and her eyes flash twinkle"And then" all on fire and trembling "she is waiting for news from Gregory, and even the pain caused by pregnancy, pain up to fiery splashes, leaves no doubt that Aksinya is wearing Grigory's child, in her motherly love there is a reflection of fiery love for Grigory: Aksinya and her daughter stuck burning feeling.

The meeting of Gregory and Aksinya in Yagodnoye is permeated with antithetical motives of cold and fire: Gregory chills and hands fiery hot; on red lips of Aksinya - frozen smile. And the scene ends with a landscape sketch, which is parallel to the state of Aksinya, who understands the inevitability of separation as retribution for betraying the feeling that connected her with Gregory. And the motive of fire gets, it would seem, completion in the thoughts of Gregory about Aksinya: “ Destructive, fiery her beauty did not belong to him. " This beauty is emphasized again by the author in the scene of Listnitsky's parting with Aksinya: when leaving, he sees in yellow the opening of the abandoned mistress - she looks at Fire and smiles. And Stepan, returning to the farm, yearning, looks for a long time at Don's flowing stirrup, at fiery the trail of the month on the Don water, and the decision comes to return fire Aksinu, start life anew.

The motive of heat and fire continues in the scene of the accidental meeting of Aksinya and Gregory on the banks of the Don, which “wrapped up” their lives in a new way and culminates in the description of three “blazing hot” days in Vyoshenskaya.

In parallel with the development of this motif, there are other natural sketches, consonant with the sensations and experiences of Sholokhov's heroine (the symbolic image of the "yellow coldness", the "sun" sign on Aksinya's cheek in the scene in sunflowers, detailed comparisons with trampled ears of corn and an avalanche, landscapes of the period of Aksinya's life in Yagodnoye and others), and the discovered Aksinye "intimate sound" of the forest in the episode with the lily of the valley is not accidental. An amazingly subtle picture of nature strikes with polyphonic, multidimensional and detail, the stereoscopic view of the author, emphasizes the naturalness of the Sholokhov heroine, and the motives of sadness, agonizing expectation, the transience of life and dissatisfaction with desires open up the horizons of the meaning of a particular episode.

Natalya's death, retreat with Grigory, serious illness and return to his native farm, affection for Grigory's children - all this changed Aksinya, in her eyes Gregory saw not a flame of feverish passion, but devotion and shine... Aksinya's ability to value his family life delights the author. “In essence, a person needs very little to be happy. Aksinya, in any case, was happy that evening, ”he formulates the main idea of ​​his large-scale narrative.

And the last day of Aksinya is marked radiance her eye. Aksinya enjoys the beauty of a summer morning, her mood is surprisingly in tune with the world around her, and she is again ready to follow her happiness, to go off road firmly believing: "We will find our share too!" And the whole scene takes on a two-dimensionality: on one plane - Aksinya's belief in the possibility of gaining "full-fledged happiness", on the other - a sober author's view, indicated by the words: "Again ghostly the unknown attracted her with happiness "," the world seemed her jubilant and light ”, a retrospective and symbolic image of a wreath with wild rose flowers.

The night landscape, filled with anxiety and signs of impending disaster, is pierced by a fiery flash that brings death to the "fiery" Aksinye. The motive of fire and heat gets its completion: daylight loses its strength, because the disappearance of the symbol "Aksinya - fire, heat" affects the sun: it becomes black, and the disappearance of the parallel of the last episodes of "Aksinya - light" makes black not only the sun, but also the sky. Gregory's life without Aksinya is likened to the black, burnt-out steppe.

The image of this heroine is amazing in its drama, directness and passion of feeling. It is passion, a powerful, almost bestial erotic, vital energy that unites Gregory with Aksinya - first of all at a deeply natural level of temperament. These are two magnificent natural specimens of a Cossack and a Cossack woman, and with a pronounced opposite and therefore a particularly attractive sex sign: he is the embodiment of masculinity (the wild beauty of black burning eyes, thick spreading eyebrows, a kite nose, an elastic strong body with thickly covered chest ... ), she - femininity, magnetic attractive charm. Not warm, but ardent Grigory in everything: in the type of emotionality, in impulsive reactions, in violent outbursts of anger, in fighting daring, in love ("Damn mad! ... an exhausted Circassian" - Petro's brother about him). Aksinya is also accompanied by the image of heat, fire (“burned him with the fire of black eyes”), erotic fury (“And fierce, brothers, woman! At least wring your shirt on Styopka ... all soap ... "). For all the fiery dominant of her erotic nature, such a pliant, affectionate, predominantly female element like water, moisture ("wet black eyes", "In the eyes of Aksinya, moist and shining ..." - here, towards the end of the novel, is not alien to her) there is also light).

Aksinya is natural, not squeezed and even shameless in moments in her desires, in the manifestations of her sensual naturalness - this is irresistible and ignites men. It would seem that in a certain female typology Aksinya resembles Daria: strong sensuality, some involvement in erotic abysses, even specific features emphasized by Sholokhov - the heat of the eyes and mouth, "viciously greedy" lips, swaying gait in the hips. The writer deprives both of them of motherhood (at the very beginning of The Quiet Don, Daria flickers, singing a lullaby to the baby, who then disappears without a trace, presumably, dies as she dies, “before she’s one year old,” Aksinya’s child from Stepan, and scarlet fever in the same infancy takes away her daughter and Gregory), in different ways emphasizing their outstanding qualities of women-lovers, for the most part. And nevertheless, the main and decisive factor breeds them: Daria lives in the impersonal element of eros, being a kind of Cossack hetera, reacting with equal fervent benevolence to the men she comes across; Aksinya, despite the fact that she is fieryly passionate with both Stepan and Listnitsky, is first of all marked by the individual election of the only, absolute love.

This love of Aksinya and Grigory is portrayed in the novel in a sparse series of several of her ups: the first descent, when Stepan left for the camps, then Grigory's departure from Natalia and a joint life with Aksinya in Yagodnoye, a break and only four years later a new meeting with Don, reconciliation, one night of love, then three days in Veshenskaya, a joint retreat, when Aksinya's dream came true to leave with her beloved, to be together, but not a single, even the most chaste, scenes of erotic love, and road deprivations, dirt, lice, typhus come into their own , and, finally, a short anxious period of their love after the return of Grigory from Budyonny's army and in the finale a new escape and death of the heroine.

It is interesting that Aksinya in love (not counting, perhaps, her first period, when young Grishka Melekhov sought and achieved her with "bogey persistence") is, as it were, primary - it carries away, ignites, fancies the fire of passion. This becomes especially obvious by the second half of the novel, when her beloved went through such horrors, spiritual devastation, took on such grave sins that Aksinya does not know. A few years after the catastrophe of their relationship, they meet again at Don, their "long-term" feeling flares up with renewed vigor, but Aksinya herself cries out to Grigory, and they both leave for the night "into the steppe, beckoning with silence, darkness, drunken smells of young grass", - here their love element is like a small room, nature itself is needed ... But what does Gregory think the next day, leaving for the division? "Well, life has turned around in a new way, but my heart is still cold and empty ... It can be seen that Aksyutka will not be able to cover this emptiness at once."

And when we met again in Veshenskaya, she “wrapped herself in wild hops”, “showered short kisses on Grigory’s nose, forehead, eyes, lips”, stroked him relentlessly, said “indescribably affectionate, sweet, woman’s, stupid”, “on her cheeks more and more the blush, breathing with heat, appeared, and the pupils were clouded with a blue smoke ”, - Sholokhov expressively draws precisely her manifestations of feelings, her, the true bearer of the kindling eros, enthralling her beloved into a powerful outburst of passion, an orgy of feeling and sensuality. On the ruins of life, in a constant threat to forever lose a loved one, the fire of its reckless and absolute eros burns. The writer creates a powerful contrast in this scene: the reds are stepping on their heels, there is panic, turmoil, flight, madness, death around them, and they are at the anchor of their love, on the burning island of passion, where there is no one and nothing but the two of them. And when, on the third day, Grigory emerges from this sweet, stupefying pool, deciding to go to Tatarskoye, "to find out where the family is," Aksinya fully reveals her claims to the absolute: either only she is with him and with him, or ... "Go ! But do not come to me again! I will not accept it. I don’t want it like that! .. I don’t want to! "

In the finale of "Quiet Don" this demand and thirst for the absolute, which reveal the depths of love, are once again directly expressed by Aksinya: "Everywhere I will follow you, even to death!" By the way, only such an absolutely loving woman could most accurately determine the position of Grigory in the grip of fate and a hard time: “He is not a bandit, your father,” she explains to Mishatke. "He's so ... unhappy." And it was not without reason that the writer saved this almost Melekhov's formula for the reader to the very end, to the end of the novel. But the same ending of The Quiet Don brilliantly exposes the entire illusion of finding such an absolute in conditions of earthly love and mortal earthly circumstances. “Again, the unknown beckoned her with ghostly happiness” - Aksinya is experiencing a surge of joy, but how short this moment turned out to be! In the clearing, while Grigory is sleeping, Aksinya either breaks off the purple petals of a fragrant honey-honey with her lips, then picks up a "large armful" of "fragrant variegated flowers" and weaves a "elegant and beautiful" wreath out of them, stuck into it "a few more pink rosehip flowers" ... At the last goodbye to the heroine, Sholokhov generously and subtly, anticipatingly leads the motive of flowers, so mysteriously close to both the highest beauty of the visible physical world, and to its odor, but also to the transience of the phenomena of this world, and to the human coffin and grave, always strewn the same colors.

Presenting Aksinya as a kind of standard of “love beauty” of the Cossack woman, readers (and after them some researchers) most often compare her with pagan goddesses (Aphrodite, Venus, Astarte, and so on). Indeed, in love, Aksinya is somewhat akin to pagan goddesses. The furious tingling of her passions literally mesmerizes, dazzles, taking into the background, into the so-called internal plot, other novel images of the Cossacks.

Indeed, Sholokhov skillfully uses almost the entire arsenal of means used by pagan goddesses and their priestesses in love practice. Scenes of Aksinya's meetings with Gregory are almost always accompanied by "natural elements". Sholokhov constantly renews the intensity of passions between them, sometimes separating them, then again bringing them together. It is difficult to remember flowers that the author would not throw on the altar of Aksinya's feelings of love. And the subtext constantly confuses: if these are lilies of the valley, then they are already fading, if the leaves, then "last year", touched by decay, rotting, if beauty, then "destructive", if love, then "alluring vicious." And the warning at the very beginning of the novel is no longer accidental: "Not an azure crimson color, but a maddened dog, a roadside drunk, late woman's love blooms." The overlap with a different (not Christian-Orthodox) culture is obvious here: aphrodisiacs were widely used by the servants of pagan temples in the practice of introducing men to divine values. No worse than the “flowers of Aphrodite” Grigory was excited by Aksinya’s “viciously inviting look”, her “viciously greedy red lips”, “swollen, slightly twisted, greedy”, “inviting, slightly twisted, viciously red”.

Sholokhov constantly emphasizes the "frenzy", "fury", "shamelessness" of the feelings of this heroine. Here Aksinya, seeing off her husband to the service, "holding on to the stirrup, from the bottom up, lovingly and eagerly, like a dog, looked into his eyes." After seeing Stepan off, already with Grigory "she raged in her later bitter love." At the same time, “their crazy connection was so extraordinary and obvious, they were so frenziedly burning with one shameless fire” that it was “shameful to look at them”.

The world in Aksinya's consciousness is too clearly divided into "mine" and "alien". And she constantly emphasizes this division. To one degree or another, each person and social group divides the world into "us" and "foes". The size of each of these groups determines the view of the world: the more “friends”, the more friendly the world is. And vice versa. Aksinya has “his own” - one, the rest of the world is hostile: “Besides Grishka, I have no husband. There is no one in the whole world ”; "At least you have children, but I have one in the whole world." That is why Aksinya so fiercely protects “hers”: mine, I own it, I won’t give it up, don’t go in.

Aksinya's goal: to tempt - to take possession - to protect, not to give: "One thing she firmly decided: to take Grishka from everyone, pour love, possess and as before." But love regenerates her too. Words of pity and affection appear in her speech: she promises Grigory to love him and to feel sorry for him ("Grisha, my friend ... darling ... let's leave. and I won't say "oh" ",

“… We were bored, they asked - where is Dad? I am with them in every way, more and more affection "); “... And Mikhail treated them nothing, kindly. And Grigory, remembering Aksinya, imagines her like this: "Here she turns her head, mischievously and lovingly, from below she stares with fiery black eyes, something unspeakably affectionate, hot whispering viciously greedy red lips ..."

Throughout her life, Aksinya carried love for Grigory, the strength and depth of her feeling was expressed in selflessness, in the readiness to follow her beloved to the most difficult trials. In the name of this feeling, she abandons her husband, the household, and leaves with Grigory to work at the Listnitskys'. During Civil war she follows Gregory to the front, sharing with him all the hardships of a camp life. And for the last time, at his call, she leaves the farm with the hope of finding her "share" with him in the Kuban. All the vulture of Aksinya's character was expressed in one all-encompassing feeling - love for Gregory.

Introduction

The image of Aksinya in the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" by Sholokhov is one of the central ones. Her uneasy relationship with Grigory Melekhov, developing against the background of fateful historical events, permeates the entire work as a red thread. In The Quiet Don, the image of Aksinya allows the reader to comprehend the full depth of a woman's experiences, for whom love becomes, at the same time, a blessing and a curse.

Description of Aksinya

A detailed description of Aksinya in the novel "Quiet Don" is nowhere to be found. But, the author focuses the reader's attention on individual details of her appearance, thanks to which the idea of ​​the heroine's appearance as a whole is formed.

From the first chapters of the novel, a woman of remarkable beauty appears before us. A full body, a steep back, plump shoulders, black curly hair and hands that were callous from work. This is what a classic Cossack woman from the beginning of the century looks like. This is how Sholokhov saw his heroine.

Aksinya's deep black eyes and full lips attract particular attention. They drive Gregory crazy, and the author most often speaks about them. The beauty of Aksinya is wild, alluring, even "shameless", according to the writer, makes the neighbors envy.

Over time, the appearance of the heroine changes. When Aksinya meets Grigory again, she is still beautiful, but the "autumn of life" has already left an imprint on her appearance. Silver threads appeared in my hair, and the skin darkened. Eyes that were burning and radiant in youth now ooze fatigue. Sholokhov draws a parallel between a faded lily of the valley and a withering woman mourning her life.

I must say that every meeting with Gregory is reflected in the appearance of Aksinya. The happiness of having a beloved transforms the heroine, makes her more stately, revives her facial features, the whole world seems to her "jubilant and bright."

Aksinya characteristic

Aksinya was created for love and family happiness. She dreams of a happy marriage, the birth of children. Aksinya lives in traditions that have been established in the farm since time immemorial. Obeying the will of the mother, she marries, suffers beatings and humiliation from her husband, does not dare to contradict her mother-in-law. But, Aksinya's docile disposition is deceiving. In her soul, passion and strength are sleeping, which wake up along with a feeling for Gregory.

The characterization of Aksinya in "Quiet Don" is ambiguous. On the one hand, a woman is capable of boundless tenderness for her lover and children. Finds the most affectionate words for them. Replaces the children with the mother after the death of Natalia. On the other hand, she has the power to defend her love. So, Aksinya rebuffs Panteley Prokofievich, who came to reproach her for her relationship with her son. He openly confesses to Stepan in connection with Gregory, without fear of inevitable reprisals. She is ready to leave home and household to be with her beloved.

Life without a loved one does not make sense for an emotional, capable of self-sacrifice and deep devotion to Aksinya. She, in spite of the danger, follows him everywhere in pursuit of "illusory happiness." Her words: "Everywhere I will follow you, even to death" - turn out to be prophetic. Love gives her the strength to live, she also leads the heroine to a tragic death.

The fate of Aksinya

The fate of Aksinya was initially tragic. When the heroine was 16 years old, her own father abused her. For this crime he is killed by the girl's mother and brother. This event predetermined the future life of the heroine. Aksinya marries Stepan Astakhov, but life with her husband does not work out. After the first wedding night, Stepan beats Aksinya, drinks and cheats on her. The heroine hopes that the birth of a child will change their relationship. But the baby soon dies.

Aksinya, like Katerina Ostrovsky, needs love. And she finds her in the arms of Grigory Melekhov. An unknown feeling so captures the heroine that she becomes indifferent to the consequences of this connection. She understands: her husband can kill her, but even a possible death cannot keep Aksinya from meeting Gregory.

Having learned about the upcoming marriage of her lover, the woman tries to forget him. He tries to reconcile with her husband and even conducts a "lapel" ceremony with the help of a farm healer. But, a chance meeting again brings Aksinya to Grigory. She decides to leave the house and, together with her beloved, goes to work in Yagodnoye, the Listnitsky estate.

It would seem that happiness finally smiled at the woman. The beloved lives with her, they have a daughter. But fate again treated Aksinya cruelly. Gregory goes to the front, and his daughter dies of scarlet fever. The heroine is left alone again. There is no one next to her who would give her moral support, consoled her in grief. Despair pushes Aksinya into the arms of Evgeny Listnitsky, who has long shown her attention. Gregory cannot understand the reasons that pushed Aksinya to treason, and leaves her. The heroine returns to Stepan and gradually fades away, living by inertia next to an unloved person.

Only the acquisition of Gregory brings the woman back to life. She hopes to finally experience family happiness. Grigory comes to her with the children, and she is trying with all her might to replace Melekhov's deceased wife, Natalia. But circumstances are again separating the lovers, destroying their dreams of a quiet life. Aksinya, hoping for a better life, accepts Grigory's offer to go to the Kuban. But this trip turns out to be the last in a woman's life. An accidental bullet ends her life.

Conclusion

Aksinya in "Quiet Don" - a character with tragic fate... Why is Sholokhov killing his heroine? Could her life have turned out differently? Aksinya seeks peace, but life circumstances do not allow her to find it. Gregory, who became the meaning of her life, turned out to be an outcast under the new government. He is forced to wander. What kind of life could expect a woman next to him? Deprivation away from home and the children she loved. Like Bulgakov's heroes, apparently, it was only in death that Aksinya could finally calm down.

Product test

The first film adaptation is 1931. Historical background: 1930-31 - the years of the "great turning point", complete collectivization and liquidation of the kulaks as a class.

The second film adaptation - 1955-1958. Historical background: the death of J.V. Stalin, the processes of liberalization in the internal and foreign policy USSR, the beginning of the "Khrushchev thaw".

Third film adaptation: - 1990-1992. Historical background: Declaration of independence of Russia, political chaos, reforms.

Aksinya Astakhova, a married soldier

In, the daughter of an engineer from Yekaterinoslav, there was almost no Russian blood. There was Ukrainian, Moldavian, Jewish - from the mixing of these bloods we got an explosive mixture. A real beauty - bright, sensual - she was a real star of Soviet cinema. The very first role in the film of Olga Preobrazhenskaya and Ivan Pravov brought fame to the 18-year-old actress. But she was shot a little (before "Quiet Don" - only four films), somehow she did not fit into the avant-garde-revolutionary cinema of the 1920s. However, her sultry, rebellious beauty was fully demanded in the role of Aksinya in the film adaptation of The Quiet Don. For this role, the actress was approved without samples nine months before the start of filming.

After the release of the picture for millions of viewers, there was no doubt that Emma the Caesar was a real Don Cossack, who came to the screen from life itself.

Mikhail Sholokhov highly appreciated the work of the actress in this film and became her close friend for many years. According to the memoirs of the actress (Arkady Bernstein. " Recent interviews Emma Cesarskaya ") the writer watched the film several times:" Once he excitedly told me and Abrikosov: "You, devils, walk before my eyes!"

In March 1937, Emma Tsesarskaya's husband, a major NKVD official, Max Stanislavsky, was arrested, she was immediately stopped filming, together with her son, they were evicted from the apartment to a barrack. Mikhail Sholokhov did not leave the actress in this difficult time for her, thanks to his intercession, Cesarskaya starred in films for many decades. But she went into the shadows, second roles became her lot, and even those - not often.

When, in the late 50s, the director decided to shoot new version"Quiet Don", Emma Tsesarskaya came to audition. She really wanted to play Aksinya again. But Gerasimov dealt with her rather harshly: he took her to the mirror, and all questions disappeared. A graduate of the course led by Gerasimov dreamed of this role, and her graduation role was precisely Aksinya. Moreover, Gerasimov rated Mordyukova's game as “excellent”. Therefore, when she found out that her teacher was going to shoot "Quiet Flows the Don", she had no shadow of doubt that he would invite her to the role of Aksinya. But the role went to little-known. The author of the novel, Mikhail Sholokhov, outweighed the scales in favor of Bystritskaya. Once he was shown all the filmed samples, and he, choosing from them the one in which Bystritskaya had tried, exclaimed: "So here's Aksinya!"

"I am often asked about my roots. And when I played Aksinya in" Quiet Don "- a Cossack woman in all the splendor of physical and spiritual beauty, - Don Cossacks they told me: "You are ours, stanitsa, from the Don ..."

I have never attached much importance to the name, patronymic, origin, but to the frequently asked question: "Where are you from?" - she said simply: "From Ukraine". Yes, my roots are in Ukraine. My mother Esther Isaakovna was born and raised there. Father Abraham Petrovich is from Poland, but for many years he also lived in Ukraine. My mother chose my name - she was very fond of the heroine of Knut Hamsun from the play "At the Gates of the Kingdom". True, my name should be with two "l", but when filling out the documents, the passport officer, probably, was mistaken, and they wrote me down as Elina. "

In 1953, Elina Bystritskaya graduated from the Kiev Institute of Theater Arts and became an actress in the Vilnius Drama Theater, acted in films. Somehow, in 1956, she was included in the delegation of Soviet filmmakers for a trip to France (at that time - almost unthinkable luck!).

From the book of memoirs by Elina Bystritskaya "Meetings under the Star of Hope":
"Once Alla Larionova - she was also a member of our delegation - told me:
- Sergey Apollinarievich Gerasimov will shoot "Quiet Don".

I gasped inwardly. I have always admired the great novel by M. A. Sholokhov. His Aksinya, as an actress, aroused burning interest in me. I felt that I could play her in a movie or in the theater, although even in my wildest dreams I did not see opportunities for this. I read Quiet Don a long time ago, when I was twenty. Then, already in teacher training institute, I reread the novel over and over again, but I couldn’t even think that I would be lucky enough to play Aksinya.
I can't say that Quiet Don became a kind of “bible” for me, it was just a dear book for me. And, of course, I sobbed, reading about the insane love that Aksinya felt for Grigory, about the misfortunes that fell on her ... Strange, but the charm of the novel I fully felt later, much later, when I had already starred in the film. I read and reread the novel again, trying to understand it thoroughly.

Upon learning that S.A. Gerasimov will shoot "Quiet Don", I was very afraid to be late. I immediately called Gerasimov, and he agreed to meet with me when I return to Moscow.

As soon as I was in Moscow, I immediately called Sergei Apollinarevich, reminded of myself, and he said:
- Come. Here I already have Grigory Melekhov alone ...
I had time before the train to Vilnius, and I rushed to the hotel "Ukraine" - where he lived.
“Come in,” he invited. And he introduced me to an actor who was visiting him, who was completely different from the Grigory Melekhov that I imagined.
After some time, Gerasimov said:
- Well, here's a little book for you, read an excerpt ...
“Sergei Apollinarievich,” she begged, “I’m just from Paris, I’m afraid the French impressions will not give me the opportunity to reliably reproduce this scene. I need to re-read the book, remember it, imagine how it was ... It seemed to me that with every word I said, I was increasingly moving away from the desired role.

There was a great competition for the role of Aksinya. I came from Vilnius to Moscow several times for trial shooting. The trial lasted six months. Sergey Gerasimov later said that M.A. Sholokhov had selected me for the role of Aksinya:
- We rejected dozens of candidates, not finding any of the character traits of Gregory's beloved, her peculiar beauty. Finally, on the advice of Sholokhov, we stopped at Elina Bystritskaya.

It was hard work. It started literally the next day ...
At the very first meeting Gerasimov told us:
- We are starting work on "Quiet Don". You will have to become different people.

The male actors were warned to "prepare" their hands - they should become like the hands of people working on the ground. I gave the same advice to actresses.

Literally a few days later, an amateur Cossack choir of pensioners arrived from the Dichensky farm - this is fourteen kilometers from the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. Only later did I realize that wisdom was required in order to introduce us to old men and women, whose youth fell on the days of "Quiet Don". Elderly Cossacks and Cossacks quickly understood what was required of them and turned out to be good mentors. I remember that I was sponsored by one woman, very large, broad-shouldered, with kind eyes. I listened attentively to the intonation of her speech, watched how she walked, with what gestures and facial expressions she accompanied her speech. It turned out, for example, a whole art - to carry water in buckets so that it does not splash and so that the oncoming Cossacks liked it. Baba Ulya taught me this:
- And you carry with your hips ... With your hips, with your hips ...

At first I could not understand at first how these buckets of water can be carried with "thighs" if they are on the yoke. And Baba Ulya gave me "director's" instructions:
- You understand, ent should not just carry water, but so that Grishka would like it ...

I had to become a Cossack at all costs - a woman who deals with land, water, which is blown by the winds and the sun burns, and who works a lot and hard, remaining loved and desired. I danced with the Cossacks, sang with them and, in the end, fit into their circle, as they fit into the landscape.

In those years, I was a thin, flexible girl - all the actresses follow the figure. Thoroughly "bloated" the figure and I - that is not allowed to eat, this is not ... But Aksinya was completely different - a strong, mature woman, who was shaped not by diet, but by work, a very mobile way of life, steppe expanses, her environment, in which fearless, strong people were valued. Cossack women are wives, girlfriends, beloved of natural-born warriors, and "young ladies" on the Don were not valued. They, of course, could not carry water with their thighs.

I, of course, knew and remembered that our "Quiet Flows the Don" was the second attempt to film the novel by M. A. Sholokhov. Aksinya was played by the magnificent Emma Tsesarskaya, Gregory - by Andrei Abrikosov. Central to this film was the love drama of Aksinya and Gregory. Emma Tsesarskaya played Aksinya wonderfully! I remember her amazing smile ...

At one of the official receptions we happened to be together: Mikhail Alexandrovich, Emma Vladimirovna and me.
It seemed to me that Caesarskaya was looking at me with a slight sadness: I was young, and her time was running out. And I didn’t know then that from now on, for the rest of my life, I would be Aksinya in the eyes of many people ... "

And now, finally, the third adaptation of The Quiet Don. The French actress was approved for the role of Aksinya -.

She was born in 1966 in Paris. According to the actress, her great-grandmother is Russian and she has heard Russian speech since childhood.

By the time The Quiet Don was filmed, Dolphin Forrest had starred in several films, of which the most famous in Russia were Agnieszka Holland's Europa Europa and Andrzej Zulawski's Boris Godunov. In Boris Godunov, Dolphin Forrest played the fatal Polish beauty Marina Mniszek. At a press conference dedicated to the premiere of the series, the actress said that at first she was supposed to play the role of Daria, but at the very first meeting with her, Bondarchuk decided to take her exactly for the role of Aksinya. And she added: "I am very glad that, finally, this film will be seen in Sergei Fedorovich's homeland. I have been waiting for this for 15 years and now I am happy that I can attend this premiere in Russia."

When asked by journalists about her relationship with Grigory Melekhov - Everett behind the scenes, Dolphin replied:
- Oh, he's a very nice person. Nice, charming. With me, however, he behaved like a kind of prima donna. Although he was not particularly capricious.

From the memoirs of the writer Viktor Likhonosov ("Notes before bedtime"):
"April. The role of Aksinya is played by a young French actress Dolphin Forest, whose charming appearance brought me back memories of Chantilly, Montparnasse and the Bois de Boulogne. I just didn't want to think about the burly Don stanitsa and steppe huts ..."

Perhaps the choice of actors for the main roles in the third film adaptation of The Quiet Don will not be perceived by Russian audiences. In any case, by the older generation. Comparison with the version of Sergei Gerasimov is inevitable. And we will compare and discuss. Moreover, those who have not seen the film adaptation of Gerasimov, or have seen, but oh, a very long time, will also discuss and compare.

But if you think about it, what a long way did the "third" "Quiet Don" have to the viewer: from the first idea of ​​the film adaptation in the mid-60s, to filming in 1990! And then - another 15 years of waiting ...

And no matter what they say, those who returned "Quiet Don" to Russia did a great job! Regardless of the degree of participation ...