War means senseless sacrifices, broken families and destitute children. Our task is to remember all the horrors that our ancestors had to endure, and at all costs to prevent a repetition. To do this, we need to learn how to expel it from our hearts, and by all means keep peace with each other. Choosing for yourself mercy, forgiveness and love are the only things that truly keep justice. The wise Litrekon is ready to defend this point of view with the help of literary arguments against the war.

1. "And the dawns here are quiet". In the famous story by B. Vasiliev, the reader sees the horrific consequences of the war. Lovely young women come out to defend their homeland, who become victims of their inability to fight. All of them have already managed to survive the loss and death of loved ones, everyone saw the fear and grief that the occupation brought with it. These pictures of pain and oppression inspired them to a feat, to a sacrifice. Women took up arms and began to defend their homeland in an unequal battle with men. None of them lived to see victory, because the rude and indifferent to everything element of war swept the fragile heroines off the face of the earth. They could have become wives and mothers, they could have raised their children, but instead they died on the battlefield. Such are the tragic consequences of hostilities: they spare no one.
2. "Obelisk". V. Bykov in his work described the darkest pages of the Great Patriotic War - the death of children who dared to raise a hand against the invaders. The boys wanted to sabotage and drown a car with policemen and soldiers in the river, but they could not bring their plans to life. They were discovered and arrested, demanding to extradite the leader of the gang, a local teacher. But the truth is that Ales Moroz did not know about the impending action and would not have allowed it. Wanting to save the children, he sacrificed his life and surrendered voluntarily. Of course, no one was released. All the children, except for one surviving boy, were executed along with the teacher, who until the last moment tried to support them. Unfortunately, no rules apply in war, and even civilians and their children become victims of it.
3. Artwork by Ernest Hemingway "For whom the Bell Tolls" talks about the Spanish Civil War. A young American, Robert Jordan, was sent to one of the partisan detachments to complete the task of blowing up the bridge. In a partisan detachment, he meets a girl who makes him rethink his whole life. He falls in love with Mary. And this feeling sheds new light on all the events that happen to him. The novel describes the horrific scenes of the civil war, senseless bloodshed. The life of Mary herself is an example of how ruthless war is. She was shaved baldly and then beaten and raped simply because she was the daughter of an official. But the worst thing is that this war has human hands. War is not an abstraction, war is the actions of people angry at each other. People who, for some reason, began to divide others into categories of "friend or foe." Hemingway himself wrote that those who send people to fight against each other should be shot on the first day, trying to cash in on hostilities. This work shows that innocent people who understand the senselessness and cruelty of war suffer.
4. "Live and remember." In Valentin Rasputin's poignant and very sad story "Live and Remember", the war is not only at the front, but also in the souls of the heroes who turned out to be hostages of circumstances. Andrei, wanting to see his relatives at least for a few days, is delayed on the way and realizes that he has committed desertion. He has to hide. His wife, Nastya, suspects this, and they establish regular meetings. The story describes how scary Nastya is, as if this is not her husband. He had become so wild from constant wanderings, and the eternal need to hide. Andrew's position is difficult. But it is even harder for Nastya. When she realizes that she is pregnant, she is forced to tell everyone that the child is someone else's, because Andrei should be at the front. She is kicked out of the house. The fellow villagers gradually begin to guess that Andrey may be somewhere nearby, and, in order to check this, they set surveillance for Nastya. The girl wants to warn her husband, but she realizes that she will not have time, and drowns herself in the river. So, three lives are ruined at once: Andrei, Nastya and the unborn child. The war in this family destroyed their destinies, even without inflicting direct defeats. By her very existence, she deprived them of the opportunity to live.
5. « In the novel "Slaughterhouse Five or the Children's Crusade" Kurt Vonnegut has a backstory that tells the reader why the characters of the further narrative are so unattractively described by the author. The writer is sitting in the kitchen of his friend and his wife. The wife behaves strangely: she gets angry, interferes with the conversation, responds rudely. The writer asks her what's the matter, and receives an answer that determined the further development of the book. The woman says she doesn't want him to write about the war. Because all the heroes will surely be like in the movies: resilient handsome men, and the war will turn out to be a wonderful backdrop to emphasize their valor and achievements. And people who weren't there will think that war is a way to feel like a hero. Kurt Vonnegut granted this woman's wish. Its heroes are clumsy children caught in the ugly conditions of a war that seeks to take their lives. The war there is truly terrible and absurd. Such as it is seen by everyone who had to participate in it.
6. "Destiny of Man". In the famous story by M. Sholokhov, a hero is presented who lost absolutely everything because of the war. Andrei lived happily with his large family, but Nazi Germany attacked the USSR, and Sokolov was forced to go to the front as a driver. There, he risked himself more than once, transporting shells and medicines under a hail of bullets. But still he was captured, where he endured inhuman conditions of detention. Gathering courage, the hero fled, capturing an important enemy official. He did not know that there was nowhere to run: the house was destroyed by a shell, and the family was killed by it. His son also sacrificed himself, protecting his homeland. As a result, Sokolov returned devastated and disappointed in everything. And in his eyes, the narrator sees only longing. The whole fate of this man is war-torn.
7. "A Tale of a Real Man" The hero of this work was the famous fighter pilot Alexei Maresyev. The feat accomplished by this man in life, Boris Polevoy described in his work. The plane of this legendary pilot was shot down by an enemy aircraft, and Alexei crashed. He fell into the forest, where he was nearly eaten by a bear. Only willpower and calm rational action saved him: he shot the beast. From the first minutes, Alexei understands that he injured his legs, but he needs to get out. For eighteen days, enduring unbearable pain, he wandered through the forest. Maresyev made most of the way by crawling. The courage of this man, the natural willpower and the goal - to get out at all costs, regaining his life, did their job. He ended up in the hospital. But the treatment required from him no less courage than wandering through the forest. He had to accept that his feet were amputated and learn to live with prosthetics. Alexei is inspired by his comrade in the ward, Commissar Vorobyov. He helps him not to give up and start fighting for recovery. Alexei Maresyev not only regains the ability to walk, but also to fly. The military commission, after many tests, allows it to fly. War, trials, illnesses, injuries - nothing could break this courageous man. His spirit fought for the world, and the world won.

Stefan Zweig in one of his works identified two kinds of compassion. One is craven and sentimental. Experiencing it, a person seeks to quickly get rid of thoughts inspired by someone else's misfortune. The Austrian author called such a feeling "impatience of the heart." But there is another, true. It is nothing but mercy. This feeling fills with determination and the desire to act. To do everything in human power and beyond them. in the literature of Russian and foreign authors, as well as its real and imaginary forms - the topic of this article.

What is mercy?

Mercy is a Christian concept, which means a caring and benevolent attitude towards another person. In the New Testament, it is a universal condition that every Christian must observe. Only love for one's neighbor can bring one closer to God. “First be reconciled to your brother,” the Bible says.

In fiction, they are found in Russian art and the works of foreign authors. Without them, perhaps prose would lose its value. This literature is designed to convey the spiritual experience of mankind. It is impossible to do this without depicting the basic Christian virtue.

Dmitry Nekhlyudov

An example of mercy in literature is the actions of Nekhlyudov after meeting with Katyusha Maslova in the courtroom and the realization that he was responsible for her moral death. There are several storylines in this novel. Critics interpreted Tolstoy's work at different times in their own way. But the actions of the protagonist after his spiritual resurrection confirm that he was guided by true compassion for the heroine - a woman who did not immediately believe in his good intentions. The ability to do good in the face of distrust and ridicule distinguishes true charity from false.

The theme of mercy in Russian literature is widely disclosed. Examples are present in many novels and short stories by Leo Tolstoy, and in the works of other Russian classics.

Sonya Marmeladova

The brightest example of mercy in literature is the image. Depicting it, Dostoevsky created an antipode to the protagonist of the novel Crime and Punishment. Considering these two characters, one can identify the main difference between them.

Marmeladova is capable of true compassion. She makes sacrifices for her family. Then for Raskolnikov. Rodion Romanovich himself knows how to sympathize. He helps the destitute, humiliated and offended. But he does this as if on the way to his goal, which, however, he will not achieve, since he is not guided in his actions by important Christian laws. And this is the main idea of ​​Dostoevsky's work.

Student

Examples of mercy in Russian literature are the heroes of Anton Chekhov's stories. In the work of this writer there is boundless faith in a person, in his ability to become better. The story "Student" makes a particularly strong impression. The meeting of the protagonist of this work with two women saves him from loneliness and despair. The action takes place on a cold evening, on the eve of Easter. Thoughts about human defenselessness before the harsh omnipotent elements overcome the young man. But here he meets ordinary women and, sitting next to them by the fire, acts as a storyteller. It tells about what happened nineteen centuries ago: about the betrayal of Peter and how Jesus predicted the act of his disciple. One of the women starts crying.

The Bible story makes a strong impression on them. And there is no more doubt in the soul of a student. melted them. Chekhov's story has a simple plot, but after reading it, the reader understands how important it is to love and respect people, to forgive each other's mistakes.

Lidia Mikhailovna

An example of mercy in literature is the relationship between the characters in Valentin Rasputin's story "French Lessons". In his works, this author touched upon the eternal themes of goodness, duty and justice. The fate of an individual is the main thing in his work. You need to live not according to strict laws and clear rules, but based on understanding, love and compassion.

And it is precisely this principle that Lidia Mikhailovna, the teacher from Rasputin's story, is guided by. In the famine after the war, she seeks to help her student, violating all pedagogical norms. She not only works on his pronunciation. The teacher conducts interesting abstract conversations with her student, plays “chika” with him for money. She tries to support the boy financially, at least in a hidden form.

Hero

The theme of mercy in the literature is revealed in different ways at all stages of its development. But the Russian classics spoke about compassion in such a penetrating way as, perhaps, no one else in the world culture. Their works have become a model for authors around the world. Darkness and light everywhere and always complement each other. As Bulgakov's character said: "People love money, they are frivolous, but mercy sometimes knocks on their hearts." In recent years, the topic of good and evil has not been raised so often. The author of the book "Black on White" nevertheless did it in a way that no one had done before.

Ruben Gallego's character is himself. A paralyzed boy in a Soviet boarding school, who miraculously managed to survive and tell about what is happening there. “If you are an orphan and you have no arms or legs, you are doomed to be a hero. I am a hero,” says Ruben. Where children live, who, like no one else, need compassion, there is no place for this feeling. The teachers lie, the young trainees cannot stand the "impatience of the heart." Only nannies are truly honest. Not all, of course, but only the real ones.

Gallego tries in his book not to divide people into categories, but he fails to do so. Only believing nannies are caring and affectionate. There are few of them, and the author of the story remembers their names to this day.

"Sashka"

History knows touching examples of mercy in war. There are also many in the literature. But what to do when this feeling becomes inappropriate, and it is replaced by others - patriotism and hatred of the enemy? This is narrated by the work of Kondratiev "Sasha".

The Russian soldier is unable to fulfill the order of the commander and kill the German prisoner. Before him is a man just like him. To shoot him is to save his own life, but to act against his conscience. The plot unfolds in such a way that Sasha does not have to commit a crime either against the Motherland or against his conscience. But the reader does not doubt for a minute what exactly the hero of Kondratiev's story would have done if the Soviet officer had not changed his mind.

"Scarecrow"

Examples of the manifestation of mercy in literature are indispensable for the development of the moral world of the child. The main character of Zheleznyakov's story "Scarecrow" is an outcast among her peers. She suffered as a result of the betrayal of her friend.

Despite this unseemly act and the cruelty of her classmates, the girl's heart did not harden. She did not lose her composure and turned out to be above revenge and other base human feelings.

mockingbird

Mercy in Russian literature is often associated with the image of a little man. He is weak and defenseless. People do not like weakness, and at the sight of it, for some reason, they become even more hardened. This topic was revealed in her novel by the American writer Harper Lee.

The mockingbird is a harmless bird. She only sings to people for joy. Killing her is a big sin. The mockingbird in the work of Harper Lee symbolizes a black young man who is innocently convicted of a serious crime. Adults do not notice that they are participating in lawlessness. As the protagonist of the novel, the lawyer of the convict, says: “They will do this more than once, and only children will cry.”

Impatience of the heart

Classical prose forms and corrects the spiritual world of a person. An important factor in the development of morality is mercy in works of literature. Examples that make up an insignificant part of the great Russian heritage are presented in this article. Returning to the theme of "impatience of the heart", which the Austrian author called imaginary compassion, it should be said about his character, officer Anton Hoffmiller.

He is kind and sympathetic. He is touched by the fate of the crippled girl. But his mercy is a combination of weakness, pity and sentimentality. Realizing that the girl is in love with him, Hoffmiller betrays her and thereby kills her. An indelible guilt lies on his soul all his life and becomes decisive in his fate. War for him is salvation from remorse. He becomes a hero and receives the Order of Maria Theresa. But only he knows the real price of his heroism.

With the help of the images of the novel Impatience of the Heart, Zweig expressed his opinion about false sensitivity and pity - feelings that have nothing to do with true mercy.

Who is capable of showing compassion, mercy to a captive enemy? It is this question that arises when reading the text of B. L. Vasiliev.

Revealing the problem of the manifestation of humanity in war, the manifestation of compassion, mercy for the captured enemy, the author introduces us to his hero - the defender of the Brest Fortress Nikolai Pluzhnikov. Before us is an excerpt from the story of B. Vasiliev "I was not on the lists." The lieutenant was supposed to shoot the captured German.

The girl Mirra, who knew German well, informed Nikolai that the prisoner was a worker, mobilized in April, he had three children. Pluzhnikov understood that this German did not want to fight, he did not want to get into the dungeon, but mercilessly led the German to be shot. But he couldn't shoot the man. And Mirra admitted that she was very afraid that Nikolai would shoot "this old man." Pluzhnikov explained to the girl that he did not shoot the German "for his conscience, which wanted to remain clean."

In the epic novel by L. N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”, Petya Rostov, being in the partisan detachment of Denisov, pities the French drummer boy who was captured, and is embarrassed by this, because he wants to look like an adult, a real warrior. At the table, he worries whether the prisoner is fed, whether someone offended him. Petya timidly offered to feed the prisoner, and Denisov agreed with this: "Yes, pathetic boy." Petya sees that the “adults” also treat the prisoner with sympathy and compassion, and ordinary soldiers renamed the French name “Vincent” into “Spring”. There is an episode in the novel where Russian soldiers feed the hungry French with porridge, and the stars affectionately look from a height at the people sitting by the fire and seem to approve of them. After defeating the enemy, Kutuzov offers to take pity on the prisoners, who look "worse than beggars" because they are "people too". A feeling of majestic triumph, combined with pity for the enemies and the consciousness of being right, lay in the soul of every Russian soldier.

In V. Kondratiev's story "Sashka", the protagonist received an order to shoot a captured German who did not say anything during interrogation. The commander had just lost his beloved and was burning with the desire for revenge. But Sashka cannot fulfill this order, since earlier he convinced the German that Soviet soldiers did not shoot prisoners, he even showed a leaflet. Fortunately, the commander understood Sasha's feelings and canceled the order.

We have proved that those who have not lost their humanity in the war, who are capable of mercy and compassion, are able to generously forgive and spare a captured enemy.

Is there a place for mercy in war? And is it possible to show mercy to the enemy in war? The text of V. N. Lyalin makes us think about these questions. Here the author raises the problem of showing mercy to the enemy.

In the text, the author tells about Mikhail Ivanovich Bogdanov, who in 1943 was sent to the war to serve as an orderly. In one of the fiercest battles, Mikhail Ivanovich was able to protect the wounded from SS machine gunners. For the courage shown during the counterattack with the division "Galicia", he was presented to the Order of Glory by the commissar of the battalion. The next day after the battle, noticing the corpse of a German soldier lying in a ditch, Mikhail Ivanovich showed mercy by deciding to bury the German. The author shows us that despite the war, Mikhail Ivanovich was able to retain his humanity, not remaining indifferent to the enemy. Having learned about this case, the battalion commissar decided to cancel the order of Glory presentation of the orderly.

However, for Mikhail Ivanovich it was important to act according to his conscience, and not to receive an award.

I agree with the position of the author and am convinced that there is a place for mercy in war. After all, it doesn’t matter whether the enemy is dead or unarmed, he no longer poses any danger. a German soldier. It is very important in a brutal war to be able to preserve your humanity and not let your heart cool down.

The problem of showing mercy to the enemy is raised in the work of VL Kondratiev "Sasha". The main character, Sasha, captured a German during a German attack. At first, the German seemed to him an enemy, but, looking closely, Sasha saw in him an ordinary person, the same as himself. He no longer saw him as an enemy. Sashka promised the German his life, he said that the Russians are not animals, they will not kill the unarmed. He showed the German a leaflet, which said that the prisoners were guaranteed life and return to their homeland. However, when Sasha brought the German to the battalion commander, the German did not tell anything, and therefore the battalion commander gave Sasha the order to shoot the German. Sasha's hand did not rise to the unarmed soldier who looked so much like him. Despite everything, Sasha retained his humanity. He did not harden and this allowed him to remain a man. As a result, the battalion commander, having analyzed Sasha's words, decided to cancel his order.

The problem of showing mercy to the enemy is touched upon in the work of L. N. Tolstoy "War and Peace". One of the heroes of the novel, the Russian commander Kutuzov, shows mercy to the French fleeing Russia. He pities them, because he understands that they acted on the orders of Napoleon and in no case dared to disobey him. Speaking to the soldiers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Kutuzov says: “It’s hard for you, but still you are at home; and they see how they have reached. - Worse than beggars last. We see that all the soldiers are united not only by a feeling of hatred, but also by pity for the defeated enemy.

Thus, we can conclude that in war it is necessary to show mercy even to the enemy, no matter whether he is defeated or killed. A soldier is first of all a man and must preserve in himself such qualities as mercy and humanity. It is they who allow him to remain human.

On the ability of Russians to forgive enemies

Mercy and the ability to forgive enemies have always distinguished Russian people. The property of being merciful not only to relatives and friends, but also to strangers - this requires labor and effort from a person.

But the problem of this text lies not only in forgiveness; she is even in more difficult situations that may arise in life. A person may be faced with a choice: should or should he not forgive the enemies of the pain for his torn land, for the crippled destinies of his compatriots and the desecration of everything sacred to him.

Commenting on this problem, it should be said that not all Russian people, both at the front and in the territories liberated from the invaders, were able to forgive uninvited guests for the harm done. And to be irreconcilable for our people in these conditions - this became their right through suffering.

However, the opinion of the author in the text is seen very clearly. The people of Russia, both those who fought and the civilian population, for the most part were not hostile towards the captured Germans. Everyone understood that captivity was a consequence of the same war that ground the lives and destinies of millions of innocent people. At the same time, no matter who they were, no matter the army of any armies was in the power of the winners, the vanquished themselves were not able to change anything in their fate. However, the approaches to the captured Russians and captured Nazis, which were carried out by the “other” side, were sharply opposite in nature. The Nazis deliberately destroyed the captured soldiers of the Red Army, and our command saved the lives of German prisoners of war.

I agree with the position of the author and confirm it with the following first example. The attitude of the Russians towards the prisoners was also filled with high humanism in the war of 1812. In the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" there is a scene: the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Kutuzov, inspects his regiments after the victorious battle of Krasnensky and thanks them for their feats of arms. But at the sight of thousands of sick and exhausted French prisoners, his gaze becomes sympathetic, and he speaks of the need to "regret" the defeated enemy. After all, real warriors fight with the enemy in an open battle. And when he is defeated, it becomes the duty of the victors to save him from certain death.

The second example, in order to prove the correctness of the author's position, I cite from life, based on real facts. A column of German prisoners of war under escort was led down the street of a small town. The Russian woman brought out three boiled potatoes and two pieces of bread - everything that was in the house from food that day, and gave it to the sickly-looking prisoner, who could barely move his legs.

In conclusion, we can say that the high humanism of the Russian people was manifested in a generous attitude towards the defeated enemy and in the ability to distinguish genuine enemies from those who found themselves in the thick of bloody events against their will.

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