The writing

The problem of the relationship between parents and children exists because it is difficult for people of different ages to understand each other, and sooner or later each of us faces this problem. Each of us has to deal with it. Very often the whole subsequent life depends on the correctness of the decision. A huge number of works are devoted to the problem of the relationship between adults and children. In his short story "The Last Inch", the American writer J. Aldridge also addressed this issue.

Ben, a professional pilot, was shooting a film about sharks, because it was difficult to find a job by profession, his age was “critical” for a pilot, and “the money that he carefully saved up for two years, flying over a hot desert, made it possible for his wife to live decently in Cambridge." He "needed to make more money quickly, and the opportunity arose."

Going to shoot in Shark Bay, lost in the sea, Ben took his ten-year-old son Davy with him - "a lonely, restless child who at ten felt that his mother was not interested in him, and his father was a stranger, sharp and laconic, did not know about than to talk to him in those rare moments when they were together. When Ben was alone with the boy, he felt remorse and guilt that he could not establish a trusting relationship with his son, did not find a way to his heart: “Ben wanted to please the boy with something, but for many years he never succeeded And now, apparently, it was too late.

However, as soon as Davy disappeared from the pilot's field of vision, Ben seemed to forget about his existence. He even forgot to take water or juice as they flew into the deserted Shark Bay, taking only beer for themselves. And the boy, like every child, wanted to have a loving, caring father, able to give answers to questions of interest.

Ben, on the other hand, was irritated by all his questions and was harsh with Davy. The rude and mocking words of his father hurt and offended the boy. The son was embarrassed and became more and more withdrawn into himself.

The relationship between father and son was complicated and it seemed completely impossible that they would ever find a common language, if not for "His Majesty the case." The only pity is that this incident almost took their lives.

While filming in Shark Bay, Ben was attacked by sharks. He was so badly hurt by the sharks that he couldn't fly the plane himself. And now all hope was on the son. The boy, who seemed so unadapted to life, showed extraordinary courage, mobilized all his strength, managed to remember everything that his father had taught. And most importantly, he believed Ben’s words that a person can withstand anything. “You never know what you are capable of until you try,” his father said. And my son tried it. And he did. He won! He saved himself and his father. Davy not only managed to bandage his father's wounds and drag him into the plane, but on his own, guided by the rare instructions of Ben exhausted from blood loss, bring the plane to Cairo and successfully land it. For the first time in their lives, father and son listened and heard each other, because this was their only chance for salvation.

With his perseverance, his faith and love, the son gave his father a second life. And now Ben realized that there are things in his life that are much more important than planes and work. Having changed internally, he decided that he would certainly melt the ice in relations with his son: “He will get to the very heart of the boy! Sooner or later, he'll get to him." And I believe that Ben will overcome this “last inch” that separates him from his son, and the problem of the relationship between “fathers” and “children” will cease to be relevant for them.

James Aldridge

"The Last Inch"

Working in Canada on an old DC-3 aircraft gave Ben a "good temper", which in recent years has led him to fly a Fairchild over the Egyptian deserts, looking for oil for an oil export company. To land the geologists, Ben could land the plane anywhere: "on the sand, on the bush, on the rocky bottom of the dry streams and on the long white shallows of the Red Sea", each time "reclaiming the last inch above the ground."

But now this work is over: the company's management has abandoned attempts to find a large oil field. Ben is 43 years old. The wife, unable to bear life in the "foreign village of Arabia", left for her native Massachusetts. Ben promised to come to her, but he understood that in his old age he would not be able to get hired as a pilot, and “decent and decent” work did not attract him.

Now Ben has only ten-year-old son Davy, whom his wife did not consider it necessary to take with her. It was a closed child, lonely and restless. His mother was not interested in him, and the boy was afraid of his father, sharp and laconic. For Ben, the son was a strange and incomprehensible person, with whom he did not even try to find a common language.

And now he regretted that he had taken his son with him: the rental plane was “sharp” and it was shaking a lot, and the boy was sick. Taking Davy to the Red Sea was another generous move by Ben that rarely ended well. During one of these impulses, he tried to teach the boy how to fly an airplane. Although Davy was a quick-witted child, his father's rude shouts eventually brought him to tears.

On the secluded coast of the Red Sea, Ben was driven by a desire to earn money: he had to shoot sharks. The television company paid well for a meter of film with such a film. Landing the plane on a long sandbar, Ben forced his son to watch and learn, although the boy was very ill. “It's all about the last inch,” the pilot instructed.

The shallows formed Shark Bay, so named because of the toothy inhabitants. After giving his son a few sharp orders, Ben disappeared into the water. Davy sat on the shore until dinner, looking at the deserted sea and thinking what would happen to him if his father did not return.

Predators were not very active today. He had already shot several meters of film when a cat shark became interested in him. She swam too close, and Ben hurried to get ashore.

During dinner, he found that he had taken only beer with him - he again did not think about his son, who does not drink beer. The boy asked if anyone knew about this trip. Ben said that this bay can only be reached by air, he did not understand that the boy was not afraid of uninvited guests, but to be left alone.

Ben hated and was afraid of sharks, but after dinner he dived again, this time with the bait - a horse's foot. With the money he received from the film, he hoped to send Davy to live with his mother. Predators gathered around the meat, but the cat shark rushed at the man ...

Bleeding, Ben climbed onto the sand. When Davy ran up to him, it turned out that the shark had almost torn off Ben's right arm and severely injured his left. The legs, too, were all cut and chewed. The pilot realized that his affairs were very bad, but Ben could not die: he had to fight for Davy.

Only now the father tried to find an approach to the boy in order to calm him down and prepare him for an independent flight. Constantly losing consciousness, Ben lay down on a towel and kicked off the sand with his feet, while his son dragged him to the "Oster". So that his father could climb into the passenger seat, Davy piled stones and pieces of coral in front of the plane door and dragged his father along this ramp. Meanwhile, a strong wind picked up and it began to get dark. Ben sincerely regretted that he did not bother to get to know this gloomy boy and now he cannot find the right words to cheer him up.

Following his father's instructions, Davy barely lifted the plane into the air. The boy remembered the map, knew how to use the compass, and knew that he had to fly along the seashore to the Suez Canal, and then turn towards Cairo. Ben was unconscious most of the way. He woke up when they flew up to the airfield. "Ben knew the last inch was coming and the boy was in control." Raising himself in his chair with incredible effort, the father helped his son into the car. At the same time, they miraculously missed each other with a huge four-engine aircraft.

To the surprise of Egyptian doctors, Ben survived, although he lost his left arm along with the ability to fly planes. Now he had one concern - to find a way to the heart of his son, to overcome the last inch separating them.

Ben worked in Canada on a DC-3 aircraft, after which he switched to a Fairchild No. and flew over the Egyptian deserts. He was looking for oil to land the geologists, because he managed to land the plane anywhere. But at the moment there was no work, the oil exploration company decided to abandon the search for a large oil field. Ben is already 43 years old, and his wife, tired of such a life in the “foreign village”, returned to Massachusetts. Ben told her that he would be back soon, but he didn't want to.

Together with Ben, his ten-year-old son Davy remained, his wife did not want to take him with her. The boy was very withdrawn and lonely. His mother did not take care of him, and he was afraid of his father, but Ben did not try to find a common language with him. Ben took Davy with him to the Red Sea, where he hoped to make money by filming sharks. In flight, Davy became sick, and when Ben landed the plane, he forced his son to watch how it was done, despite the fact that he was ill. “It's all about the last inch,” the pilot instructed.

Ben left Davy on the shore, and he went into the water to shoot sharks. The boy sat on the shore and wondered what he should do if his father did not return.

The sharks were not very active that day, and only one swam so close that Ben had to return to shore. Later, Ben realized that he took only beer, and did not think about the boy.

The boy asked his father if anyone knew that they were here, to which he received the answer that the only way to get here was by air. Ben did not understand that the boy was not afraid of guests, but of being alone. And Ben dreamed that with the money he earned, he would send the boy to his mother.

When Ben went to once again shoot sharks, a cat shark attacked him. Bleeding, he climbed onto the sand. Davy, who ran up to him, saw that the shark had torn off his father's right hand and hooked his left, and also bit his legs.

Davy dragged his father to the plane, put him in the passenger seat. Ben, in turn, regretted that he could not get to know his son better and find a common language with him. Davy listened to his father's instructions and lifted the plane into the air. The boy knew the way home well and knew how to use a compass. Ben was unconscious the whole way. He came to his senses when they flew up to the airfield. "Ben knew the last inch was coming and the boy was in control." Rising with difficulty, the father helped his son to land the plane.

J. Aldridge wrote The Last Inch in his characteristic style. The author believed that the main thing for the creator of the work is to reveal how a person is formed, to catch the moment when children turn into girls and boys. And he succeeded. In his story, he not only caught the moment of the boy growing up, which coincided with a difficult test, but also showed how a twelve-year-old boy miraculously adopted the character of his father.

J. Aldridge, "The Last Inch". Summary: first lesson

Twelve-year-old boy Davy landed in a small plane with his father, who was once a pilot, on a deserted Egyptian coast. Ben was left without a job, but since his wife was used to a prosperous life, it was necessary to pay for an apartment in Cairo and many other services, he was forced to stop at a profitable, but dangerous business - shooting sharks under water. Landing the plane, the father at the same time gave his son the first lessons in this skill. He taught that when landing, the distance to the ground should be exactly six inches, no more, no less. In fact, Ben did not even imagine that this lesson would soon be very useful to his son.

J. Aldridge, "The Last Inch". Synopsis: father's injury

Ben was preparing a movie camera for filming and scuba gear. He was concerned about whether he could get a picture of a great bracken and a cat shark. Ben took horsemeat bait with him and tied the meat to a coral reef. The sharks, of course, attacked her, it turned out to be a successful shooting. It was only now that Ben noticed that he had stained his hands and chest with the blood from the meat. But it was too late: a cat shark was swimming right at him. She grabbed his right hand and walked over to his left. Miraculously, Ben managed to push the predator away with his feet and get out onto the sand. On the beach, he lost consciousness.

J. Aldridge, "The Last Inch". Summary: the steering wheel in the hands of a child

Ben came to his senses and asked the boy to tear off his shirt and bandage his hands: the right one was dangling, and the left one looked like a piece of meat. The legs were also bleeding. The father's mind constantly sank into unconsciousness. He did his best to concentrate the rest of his forces on saving Davy. The boy followed his father's commands, not yet suspecting that he himself would have to sit at the helm. Ben asks his son on a towel to drag him to the plane, heap stones at the right door and drag him into the cockpit. It was only then that a suspicion crept into Davy's soul: why his father did not sit down on the pilot's side. Ben told the boy that he would have to fly the plane on his own only after they both climbed into it. He gives his son instructions on how to raise the plane. Strong winds made things difficult for them. The plane rocked, the father had to scream. The boy's eyes were wide open in horror, but the will of the father, his courage was transferred to the son: he did not let go of the helm.

J. Aldridge, "The Last Inch". Summary: plane landing

By the time they got to the flight path, it was almost dark. The landing site was occupied, but they were lucky - the big plane took off immediately. Dodging him, Davy lost speed. It was very dangerous. The last inch separating death and life was approaching. At this moment, the father broke down and wept, losing his composure. But the boy succeeded successfully. Ben calmed down and felt that he would live.

Brief retelling: Aldridge, "The Last Inch". Father's recovery

Thanks to physical strength, the will to live and the skill of Egyptian doctors, Ben recovered. Davy came to visit his father, and he asked if it was great. The boy could only nod in response. In fact, he had not yet thought about it, he still had not left the horror of the experience. knew that when Davy matured, he would be proud of his own deed and feel more confident for the rest of his life.

James Aldridge's The Last Inch is often compared to Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. There are many related moments in the work of writers. These are, first of all, the topics that occupied writers, a similar system of values, problems and central characters of works. However, it is impossible to put an equal sign between the famous Australian and American.

Aldridge rethinks the theme of courage in a new way. Abolishing romance and mysticism, the author depicts heroism in an everyday way. His prose is devoid of prettiness and artistic delights. The author's writing style is capacious, precise, somewhere a bit dry, but by no means primitive. Due to the deep psychologism and drama Aldridge's "male" prose leaves no one indifferent. Her reticence is very eloquent.

Starting his writing career as a war correspondent, James Aldridge succeeds in both journalism and literature. From 1944 to 1945 he was on the territory of the USSR. An ardent anti-fascist, Aldridge admires the fortitude and courage of the Soviet people. In Russia, a talented European was loved and even awarded the Lenin Prize "For the strengthening of peace between peoples." But in the West, the friend of the Land of the Soviets was not particularly favored. Aldridge was never a media writer like, say, Hemingway.

As the years passed, political ambitions remained in the past, only art is immortal - the brilliant novels written by Aldridge in the 50s and 40s (A Matter of Honor, Sea Eagle, Diplomat, Hunter, Hero of the Desert Horizons ”), journalism and masterpieces of small prose (stories and novels “Shark Cage”, “Russian Finn”, “The Last Inch” and others).

The story "The Last Inch" is a gem of small prose by James Aldridge. It is invariably included in the collected works of the writer. And world cinema immortalized the plot of the work on the screen. The domestic audience is well aware of the cult film from directors Nikita Kurikhin and Teodor Vulfovich. It was released on Soviet screens in 1958. The main roles were played by Slava Muratov (Davey) and Nikolai Kryukov (Ben).

James Aldridge believed that literary fiction should be based on real life experience. The Last Inch is no exception. The protagonist of the story is a professional pilot. The writer was well acquainted with flying business - in his youth he attended London pilot courses.

The events of the work develop in Egypt. Aldridge knew about this exotic country not from books. For a long time he lived in Cairo and even dedicated the book “Cairo. Biography of the city. The idea for The Last Inch was born after visiting Shark Bay in Egypt. Later, Aldridge transferred his literary heroes there - pilot Ben and his ten-year-old son Davey.

Let's remember how the events of the story "The Last Inch" developed.

Flying is the main passion in Ben's life. Even after twenty years at the controls of an airplane, he takes great pleasure in soaring above the clouds, and in a youthful way he rejoices at another virtuoso landing. Heaven is the only place where Ben is truly happy. He has a wife and a ten-year-old son, Davey. However, family members are strangers to each other. The wife, who was always burdened by moving and the languid heat of Egypt, finally returned to her native Massachusetts. Davey, who was "born too late", turned out to be of no use to his parents. The lonely restless child grew up closed and, for sure, suffered from the indifference of his mother and the indifference of his father.

But Ben didn't care. He was worried about only one thing - the prospect of an early retirement. The life of a pilot is short. At forty-three, Ben was already considered an old man. Finding a job was getting harder and harder. He took on any task, the main thing was to pay a lot. Having earned money, you can send Davey to his mother, and rush to Canada himself. There, perhaps, it will be possible to hide the age and continue to fly.

Now Ben works for a television company. Flies to Shark Bay, which can only be reached by air, and takes underwater pictures. The job is dangerous, but highly paid. That day, Ben flew to Shark Bay for the last time.

In an outburst of fatherly feelings, which manifested themselves quite rarely, Ben took Davey on a flight. Already at the beginning of the journey, he mentally cursed himself for his rash act. He did not know his son at all, the presence of the boy weighed on him. Ben got irritated every now and then and could not understand what this silent, dark-eyed boy was thinking.

In order to somehow defuse the situation, the father teaches his son: “When you level the plane, you need to have a distance of six inches. Not a foot or three, but exactly six inches! If you take it higher, you will hit during landing and damage the plane. Too low - you will fall on a bump and roll over. It's all about the last inch."

Arriving at the bay, Ben notes with annoyance what a useless father he is - he took only beer and not a drop of water, forgetting that a ten-year-old boy does not drink alcohol. You have to pour a little beer for a child to quench their thirst in the desert heat.

The first dive under water goes well. Ben takes a lot of great shots. After taking a short nap on the shore, he again puts on his scuba gear - he needs to shoot a cat shark. To attract the predator, Ben takes a specially brought horse leg. Settled in the ledge of the reef, he captures how the sharks, one after another, fly up to the bait and bite into the fresh meat with their powerful jaws. But the "cat" does not swim to the foot, it rushed straight at Ben. Only now does he notice a fatal mistake - the blood from the horse's leg has stained his hands and chest - he is doomed.

In the next moment, the thought of Davey burns Ben. The bay can only be reached by sky. No one knows that the boy and his father flew here. By the time they start looking for Davey, he will probably die of thirst and hunger. Ben is absolutely not allowed to die here, underwater. With superhuman efforts, he fights off the predator and swims ashore.

Waking up after a short faint, Ben realizes that he is still alive. However, the shark severely crippled him - his legs were completely cut, one arm was covered in blood, the second was practically torn off. Ben gives himself one single installation - to live this day, to bring his son to the city. Between fainting spells, he asks Davey to bandage his wounds, drag him to the plane, prepare for takeoff. The main thing is that the boy does not get scared, does not panic. Poor fellow, he does not yet suspect that he will have to drive the car alone! And he, Ben, does not know his son at all. It is necessary to unravel the psychology of this native and such a strange boy.

Davey bears the test stoically. Let him be ten, but today his father's life depends on him. He understands maps and knows how to fly to Cairo. “Alone at 3,000 feet, Davey decided he could never cry again. His tears have dried forever. However, the most crucial moment is still ahead - landing and the last inch. Almost crashing into a plane taking off, a ten-year-old pilot and his bleeding father make a landing. There is silence. Ben closes his eyes. Now you can die.

However, fate played another joke - pilot Ben did not die. Egyptian doctors called him lucky - numerous wounds healed before our eyes. True, the victim lost one arm, as well as his pilot's career.

But Ben didn't care. He was worried about only one thing - how to get to the heart of his son. After the tragedy, it suddenly became of paramount importance. The planes, the money, even the lost arm—it all seemed trifling now. Ben knows he has a long, hard job ahead of him. But he is ready to devote his whole life to her. The life that the boy gave him. The game, the father is convinced, is worth the candle.

Due to its versatility, the story "The Last Inch" is interesting to a wide range of people. The intriguing plot, the tension that does not weaken until the very end, attracts the general reader. The psychological line, which develops in parallel with the adventurous one, is a vast field for literary research.

The problem of survival and relationships

Two problems are stated in the story: human behavior in extreme conditions (the theme of courage in the face of death) and the relationship between father and son. Both problems are closely related.

The main characters (Ben and Davey) perform feats not for the sake of the people or the whole of humanity, each of them just saves his life. But the scale of the "battle" does not in the least detract from the value of the feat. Ben has no right to die, because his cowardly death will destroy his son. Ten-year-old Davey does not allow himself to cry and be frightened like a child, he is forced to save himself, because this is the only way to help out his dad.

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The figure of the English writer James Aldridge is interesting for his stormy activities in the struggle for peace. He witnessed the fighting in the Second World War in Berlin, he is the author of combat reports, and after the war - works of political content. Along with these two themes, his works are also devoted to the affirmation of the moral stamina of man.

So, a journalist, writer, anti-fascist, fighter for peace, author of front-line reports, works of political content, asserting the moral stamina of a person - such is the spectrum of Aldridge's activities.

It is the moral stamina of a person that is dedicated to the story "The Last Inch". To study it, students can use the book "Father and Son" prepared by the publishing house "Children's Literature". It is important that seventh graders understand why the author called his story "The Last Inch". What did he mean by this name? Why was the bay named Shark?

Students retell close to the text Ben's meeting with the sharks, showing the swiftness with which the events unfolded that led the hero to the tragic end of the planned operation. They will follow how the sharks behave:

“The sharks came right away, smelling the blood… They rushed straight to the piece of horsemeat. A spotted cat walked in front, and behind it two or three sharks of the same breed, but smaller. They didn't swim, they didn't even move their fins—they rushed forward like gray, streaming rockets. Approaching the meat, the sharks turned slightly to the side, tearing off pieces on the go ... "

How do father and son behave in extreme situations? What is interesting about the following reflections by Ben and the author?

“... The only hope to save both the boy and him is to make Devi think for himself, to confidently do what he must do. You have to somehow instill this in the boy.”

“A ten-year-old child had to perform a task of inhuman difficulty. If he wants to survive...

“... It was the same child, with the same face, which he recently saw for the first time. But it was not at all what Ben saw: it was important to find out if the boy was able to see anything in his father ... "

“…They both need time. He, Ben, will now need all the life that the boy gave him.

Schoolchildren answer questions from the textbook, draw up a plan for what they read, try to read by roles, retell the text, while comprehending the important thoughts expressed by the author about the difficult problem of relationships between adults and children. At the same time, they improve the skills of expressive reading, coherent retelling, the ability to conduct a dialogue (for example, the dialogue between father and son on the plane, the dialogue between Ben and Davy before the father plunges into the sea).

Let's think about why the author describes every second in the plane in such detail. What is achieved by this description? What is interesting about the characters of Davy and Ben? Was it only kinship that brought father and son closer during and after the flight? Why did the situation in which the characters found themselves help them understand each other? How can this be explained?

In the process of answering questions, retelling, students experience an unusual situation in which the characters find themselves, understand what kind of moral burden Aldridge's work carries; the father saves the son, the son saves the father. Together they find each other, overcoming inhuman difficulties, emerging from an extreme situation as winners.

Since the problem that was voiced in Aldridge's work is close to teenagers, it makes sense to connect the discussion of the text with the comprehension of life situations, the problems raised in the story, for example, about mutual understanding between adults and children. The guys will remember similar cases from their lives, when some unusual situation helped to evaluate the act, most clearly showed the best character traits (courage, courage, delicacy, honesty, etc.), contributed to the understanding of adults - relatives, acquaintances.

Telling about it orally or in writing is one of the creative tasks for teenagers. In addition, you can offer to create a screenplay based on the text of Aldridge's "Father and Son".