Summary
The narrator is a middle-aged man who remembers his past life and tries to find in it the fatal moment that caused the tragic events. He constantly conducts an internal dialogue with his beloved wife Nadya, so as not to go crazy, in order to “restore the scattered details.”
The hero met his future wife in a design bureau, where they worked as draftsmen. He invited an attractive girl to a concert, and he was immediately captivated by Nadyusha’s “sweet childlike spontaneity” and honesty.
The hero immediately proposed to Nadya, and she warned that she “has a dowry: a heart defect and a ban on having children.” However, after marriage, Nadyusha completely forgot about medical prohibitions - the happy couple dreamed of a daughter so passionately that after a while they became the parents of a girl who was named Olenka.
***
Even sixteen years later, Nadya has not lost the ability to make fun of herself, but “only good and smart people are capable of this.” Love and respect still reigned between the spouses, and their family idyll was further strengthened by their adoration for their only daughter.
Everything changed the moment there was a knock on the door, and Olya’s class teacher, Evdokia Savelyevna, appeared on the threshold, in the company of two of Olya’s classmates - Bori and Lucy. She told her startled parents that the girl, who had gone on a hike with her class, had disappeared last night.
Evdokia Savelyevna was, as they say, “a woman without age,” who “decided once and for all that appearance and years did not matter to her.” She looked unkempt and, at times, downright ridiculous, but at the same time she tried to instill in children “a sense of beauty, teach them to notice and understand beauty.”
Evdokia Savelyevna had a decisive character of “volcanic origin,” and Olya once called her “mad Evdokia.” She really loved “for everyone to be together. And with her at the head!..”, and often singled out the most inconspicuous and frankly uninteresting children in the class. At the same time, she mentioned Olya, who “studied at an art school for especially gifted children,” only if the girl did not come somewhere or did something.
Olya not only studied at art school, but also studied Italian in order to “read about the geniuses of the Renaissance in their native language.” Having no free time, she regularly missed student meetings organized by Evdokia Savelyevna, which only caused negativity towards her.
Lyusya Katunina was Olya’s friend who sincerely admired Olya’s talent. Lucy also drew, but her capabilities were limited to a cool wall newspaper. The relationship between the friends changed dramatically when Olya was unable to take Lucy to a meeting with a famous artist.
***
Borya Antokhin was the most handsome guy not only in the class, but in the entire school. But instead of turning the girls’ heads, he became “the main guide to the life of all the plans and ideas of Evdokia Savelyevna.”
Despite Bori’s attractiveness, Olya saw in him only a “computing machine” without a hint of inner beauty.
One day, the class teacher came up with the idea of taking ninth graders to the places of military activity of Mitya Kalyagin, her best student, a dump truck driver, who during the years of the fascist occupation proved himself to be a real hero.
Having reached the station on Saturday, the schoolchildren settled down for the night, and after “a few hours Olenka was no longer there.” Looking at the trio, who continued to stand outside the threshold, the hero thought that “the three of them... did something that she could not stand, could not tolerate.”
Evdokia Savelyevna began calling the police, the city duty officer, the hospital, and even Mitya Kalyagin, but the situation with the girl’s disappearance never became clearer.
Nadya is sure that she was the culprit for her daughter’s disappearance, since the day before she persuaded her to go on a hike with her class. When the police called, Nadya answered the phone. When she learned that she needed to identify someone, she felt bad.
At that moment, a joyful Olya appeared at the door with a bouquet of flowers. She was the first to solve the short route, and she received a prize. After Olin’s stress, his mother kept repeating one phrase: “I don’t recognize her.”
***
Nadezhda had to be sent to a psychiatric clinic. On the way, Olya's father talked with Evdokia Savelyevna and learned that his daughter was extremely selfish and vain. She ridiculed Borya, who was in love with him, betrayed her best friend Lyusya, announcing her family secret to the whole class. “Mad Evdokia” tried to reach Olya, but she failed.
***
Olya’s father realized that he and Nadyusha had made a fatal mistake when they “stopped looking at each other.” Having turned into an insignificant semblance of themselves, and choosing a profession called “Olenka’s parents,” they voluntarily agreed to such a terrible denouement of their story...
Summary of the story “Mad Evdokia”
A daughter was born in one family, and they named her Olya. Olya’s mother had a heart defect, doctors did not recommend that she have children, so her only daughter became the object of universal adoration of her parents.
The narration is told on behalf of the narrator, who is also Olya’s father. He says that his whole life is Olya. This is a kind of Universe around which the whole life of their family revolves.
At a certain point in his story, the narrator indulges in memories. He remembers meeting his future wife. This is one of his brightest memories. He is sad that his wife cannot have a child due to a heart defect. Talks about the wedding. She is glad that their joy - daughter Olechka - was born after all.
It is also clear that the narrative covers a fairly large period of time. Olya has matured. She's a teenager. She has a talent for painting, she attends art school, and her work is exhibited. Therefore, Olya considers herself better than others. Even better than adults, namely better than your class teacher. For this reason, Olya gives her teacher a nickname - Mad.
A school event that is significant for the class is described. The teacher organized a camping trip. Olya doesn’t like this idea, but she has nowhere to go, so she had to submit. According to the event plan, children from the tourist route will return home only tomorrow. But Olya would not be Olya. A cunning plan of action arose in her mind. The parents calmly await the return of their beloved daughter. And... the established way of life, the tranquility of the family, like a bolt from the blue, is disrupted by the visit of the teacher and her students, during which she reports that Olya did not take part in the hike.
The action of a classy lady can also be explained from the point of view that it is important for her that her class is always together in all matters. She also condemned the fact that Olya wanted to be above everyone and better than everyone. Evdokia simply could not do otherwise.
Olechka’s friend, Lyusya, is also described. This girl, one might say, was Olya’s shadow, her faithful squire, her mirror. Lucy's family was unhappy. My father left for someone else, and my mother was seriously ill. Lucy reached out to Olya and trusted her with her deepest secrets. But Olya did not justify the trust. Lucy wanted to go to the art exhibition, but Olya did not consider it necessary to take the girl into the hall. All the time Lucy, like a beaten dog, stood at the door. At one of the class hours, Lucy told everyone present about Lucy's family problems at home. She may not have meant to cause harm, but it turned out “as always.”
Of course, children are the flowers of life. But you need to love and pamper them in moderation. Parents do not always know what demons lurk in the soul of their child. For this reason, Evdokia quotes the words of the classic: “Face to face, you cannot see the face.” But Olya’s parents interpret the teacher’s statement incorrectly. They do not want to admit that their daughter is capable of such an inhumane act towards adults.
And then, finally, the ill-fated day when Olya did not go on a hike with the class. A visit from a teacher who tells parents about their daughter’s absence on a camping trip. Evdokia also told her parents about their daughter’s betrayal of her best friend. About the fact that Olya considered herself talented, and therefore allowed herself to insult others. And besides talent, true human qualities are important for every person.
The teacher blames herself for her pedagogical failures and promises to provide moral support to Olya.
The father listens to the teacher and painfully goes over all the moments of his life in his memory. He is trying to understand at what point he and his wife made a mistake, did something wrong.
Parents are in a panic at this news. In fact, Olya has not disappeared anywhere, but the reader will learn about this later. In the meantime... the phone rings. We must go for identification! Mom's heart can't stand it. After such a terrible call, the need for psychiatric help arose. Olya returns at the most crucial moment with a bouquet of roses, but her parents don’t care anymore... Especially her mother...
The main thing is that Anatoly Aleksin conveys to his reader the idea of the imperfection of life, human relationships, and most importantly, love.
Rate this piece:
- 3.79
Votes: 162
Read summary Mad Evdokia. Brief retelling. For a reader's diary, take 5-6 sentences
Mad Evdokia summary
Aleksin’s story “Mad Evdokia” was written in 1975 under the influence of an unpleasant incident that occurred in the family of the writer’s close friends. One of the author’s most heartfelt books is dedicated to the themes of love, kindness, empathy and mutual understanding. We recommend reading online a summary of “Mad Evdokia” chapter by chapter, which will be useful in preparing for a literature lesson. Also, a brief retelling of the work will be useful for the reader’s diary.
Main characters The narrator is a middle-aged man, Olya’s father, a decent, loving, honest person. Nadezhda is Olya’s mother, suffering from a heart defect, who sacrificed all her interests on the altar of love for her daughter. Olya is a ninth-grader, a talented, arrogant, selfish girl. Evdokia Savelyevna is Olya’s cool teacher, an uncompromising, emotional, responsible woman. Other characters Lyusya Katunina is Olya’s best friend, a modest girl with a big loving heart. Boris Antokhin is the most handsome boy in school, Olya’s classmate, in love with her. Mitya Kalyagin is a dump truck driver, the best student and the pride of Evdokia Savelyevna. Summary
The narrator is a middle-aged man who remembers his past life and tries to find in it the fatal moment that caused the tragic events. He constantly conducts an internal dialogue with his beloved wife Nadya, so as not to go crazy, in order to “restore the scattered details.” The hero met his future wife in a design bureau, where they worked as draftsmen. He invited an attractive girl to a concert, and he was immediately captivated by Nadyusha’s “sweet childlike spontaneity” and honesty. The hero immediately proposed to Nadya, and she warned that she “has a dowry: a heart defect and a ban on having children.” However, after marriage, Nadyusha completely forgot about medical prohibitions - the happy couple dreamed of a daughter so passionately that after a while they became the parents of a girl who was named Olenka. Even sixteen years later, Nadya has not lost the ability to make fun of herself, but “only good and smart people are capable of this.” Love and respect still reigned between the spouses, and their family idyll was further strengthened by their adoration for their only daughter. Everything changed the moment there was a knock on the door, and Olya’s class teacher, Evdokia Savelyevna, appeared on the threshold, in the company of two of Olya’s classmates - Bori and Lucy. She told her startled parents that the girl, who had gone on a hike with her class, had disappeared last night. Evdokia Savelyevna was, as they say, “a woman without age,” who “decided once and for all that appearance and years did not matter to her.” She looked unkempt and, at times, downright ridiculous, but at the same time she tried to instill in children “a sense of beauty, teach them to notice and understand beauty.” Evdokia Savelyevna had a decisive character of “volcanic origin,” and Olya once called her “mad Evdokia.” She really loved “for everyone to be together. And with her at the head!..”, and often singled out the most inconspicuous and frankly uninteresting children in the class. At the same time, she mentioned Olya, who “studied at an art school for especially gifted children,” only if the girl did not come somewhere or did something.
Olya not only studied at art school, but also studied Italian in order to “read about the geniuses of the Renaissance in their native language.” Having no free time, she regularly missed student meetings organized by Evdokia Savelyevna, which only caused negativity towards her. Lyusya Katunina was Olya’s friend who sincerely admired Olya’s talent. Lucy also drew, but her capabilities were limited to a cool wall newspaper. The relationship between the friends changed dramatically when Olya was unable to take Lucy to a meeting with a famous artist. Borya Antokhin was the most handsome guy not only in the class, but in the entire school. But instead of turning the girls’ heads, he became “the main guide to the life of all the plans and ideas of Evdokia Savelyevna.” Despite Bori’s attractiveness, Olya saw in him only a “computing machine” without a hint of inner beauty. One day, the class teacher came up with the idea of taking ninth graders to the places of military activity of Mitya Kalyagin, her best student, a dump truck driver, who during the years of the fascist occupation proved himself to be a real hero.
Having reached the station on Saturday, the schoolchildren settled down for the night, and after “a few hours Olenka was no longer there.” Looking at the trio, who continued to stand outside the threshold, the hero thought that “the three of them... did something that she could not stand, could not tolerate.” Evdokia Savelyevna began calling the police, the city duty officer, the hospital, and even Mitya Kalyagin, but the situation with the girl’s disappearance never became clearer.
Nadya is sure that she was the culprit for her daughter’s disappearance, since the day before she persuaded her to go on a hike with her class. When the police called, Nadya answered the phone. When she learned that she needed to identify someone, she felt bad. At that moment, a joyful Olya appeared at the door with a bouquet of flowers. She was the first to solve the short route, and she received a prize. After Olin’s stress, his mother kept repeating one phrase: “I don’t recognize her.” Nadezhda had to be sent to a psychiatric clinic. On the way, Olya's father talked with Evdokia Savelyevna and learned that his daughter was extremely selfish and vain. She ridiculed Borya, who was in love with him, betrayed her best friend Lyusya, announcing her family secret to the whole class. “Mad Evdokia” tried to reach Olya, but she failed. Olya’s father realized that he and Nadyusha had made a fatal mistake when they “stopped looking at each other.” Having turned into an insignificant semblance of themselves, and choosing a profession called “Olenka’s parents,” they voluntarily agreed to such a terrible denouement of their story...
Conclusion In his story, Anatoly Aleksin tried to reveal all aspects of parental love, which can become a destructive force in the formation of a child’s personality. By giving up on themselves, parents get the opposite result - a selfish and spoiled person who is unable to empathize and think about the feelings of others. Having become acquainted with the brief retelling of “Mad Evdokia” , we recommend reading Aleksin’s story in its entirety.
