A very brief retelling of the story “Scarecrow”.
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A new girl appears at a regular school - Lena Bessoltseva. The class does not accept the girl well, she is considered eccentric, like her grandfather, who is known throughout the town. Nikolai Vasilyevich Bessoltsev devoted his life to collecting paintings, he spends everything he earned on them and lives like a poor man. He was nicknamed "The Patcher" for his shabby clothes.
The “strange” new girl is an open and friendly child, but she is dressed no better than her grandfather. Without a hint of embarrassment, her classmates call her “Scarecrow” and openly mock her. Almost all. Dima, the favorite of teachers and girls, unlike the others, likes Lena. A tender friendship blossoms between them.
But it all ends before it even begins. The class goes to the cinema instead of a lesson. Dima “splits” under the pressure of the class teacher and confesses where the students disappeared. Schoolchildren are punished by canceling a long-planned excursion to Moscow. The guys, trying to find out who betrayed the class, blame the scarecrow for their troubles. Lena accidentally overheard a conversation between the teacher and Dima, but remains silent. She hopes that her new friend will not offend her and honestly admits his betrayal. But Dima is not ready to lose his authority.
Lena has been boycotted. The bullying is becoming more unbearable every day. In the end, the truth is revealed and the cruel classmates feel guilty. They would be happy to fix everything, but it’s too late - the Bessoltsevs are leaving the city.
Minor characters from Zheleznyakov’s story “Scarecrow”
Valka
. Disgusting guy: stupid, heartless, selfish. He catches dogs and sells them to a slaughterhouse for money. He is cowardly afraid of those who are stronger, and considers the main thing in life to be having a lot of money.
Shmakova
. The popular girl in class, where she is the most beautiful. Her essence is not good: empty, unprincipled, cunning, she chooses one or another “slave” from the boys.
The cruelty, hypocrisy and opportunism of the heroes, still children, are the learning of the lessons of the adult world, where there is so much evil and untruth.
Main characters and their characteristics:
The heroes of the story are students of the sixth grade “A” in an ordinary high school in the 80s. Each of them already has a character, each has their own opinion, views on the world around them and a unique destiny:
- Lena Bessoltseva is the main character of the story “Scarecrow”. An open-minded, trusting and kind girl. She's new in class. Lena tries to adapt to the team, but not being able to fully stand up for herself, she laughs at jokes about herself along with the offenders and thus loses the chance to earn the respect of the guys.
- Mironova or Iron Button is a girl leader with the character of a fighter. A principled, embittered, power-hungry heroine. She is constantly busy searching for justice, but her justice is more of a “personal opinion” than the truth. He lives by the motto: “I see the goal, I see no obstacles.”
- Dima Somov is the son of a wealthy family. Good looking, loved by teachers, girls' dream. Dima poses as a noble defender of the new girl for some time, but being a cowardly coward, he will quickly show himself in all his glory.
- Vasiliev is one of Lena’s classmates. He did not take part in the bullying of the girl, but he could not stand up for her due to his weak character.
- Shmakova is the main beauty in the class. Likes to surround himself with fans. In my soul I am empty and uninteresting.
- Popov is the “henpecked” and “slave” of the spoiled Shmakova, ready to do anything for her.
- Valya is a selfish and ruthless boy. He catches stray dogs and sells them to a slaughterhouse in exchange for money. He is not afraid of anything at the expense of his older brother. The main value is money.
- Marina is a girl from a single-parent family. Misses his father and has conflicts with his mother. He takes out his melancholy on the people around him.
Characteristics of Lena and Somov
The central character of the story is Lena Bessoltseva. This is an awkward, clumsy and thin girl of twelve years old, with a large mouth and a wide smile and, according to her classmates, not very beautiful. Lena has many good qualities, a kind, open soul. But she is too simple-minded and gullible , and this plays a cruel joke on her. Lena does not immediately understand that the guys are mocking her. Thinking they are joking, she laughs at the offensive nickname "Scarecrow" along with everyone else.
But along with gullibility and naivety, the girl also displays other admirable qualities. Kindness and compassion make her take on the guilt of the boy she secretly admires. Until the last moment she believes in his nobility, but Dimka turns out to be not brave enough.
Lena bravely faces the bullying of her classmates, fights them back as best she can - without humiliating herself or ingratiating herself. He bravely grabs the burning scarecrow and scares away his pursuers. She forgives Somov when he comes to her to confess. Out of nobility, he does not betray him, even when Dimka joins the persecution. Lena is a person with a capital P, an incredibly strong-willed, noble and generous girl who does not give up her principles even under pain of ridicule and humiliation. Thanks to this story, her character is strengthened, she becomes even stronger and more confident.
Like Lena, Somov in this story also undergoes a test of strength. At first, Dima, the favorite of the entire class and teachers, seems like a real hero: he protects Lena, gives her his boots, and fights off stray dogs from Valka, whom he sells to the slaughterhouse. But then, under pressure from the “pack”, he begins to show not his best qualities. First, he confesses to Margarita Ivanovna that he has been absentee, thereby betraying his friends. Afraid of being rejected by the class, Dima cowardly and cowardly remains silent, and then completely commits betrayal and begins, together with everyone else, to persecute Lena.
Despite his betrayal, he is not a cruel boy at all. Lena, like a ray of sunshine, highlights his best qualities in him - that’s why Dima likes her, because his biggest fear is admitting to himself that he is a coward. Somov struggles with his cowardice, but, unfortunately, not always successfully. He rushes between his feelings for Lena and the fear of punishment, he is afraid of losing authority in the class, committing contradictory actions throughout the film.
In the end, Somov still confesses to his classmates, thereby dropping the charges against Lena. This act allows us to hope that in the future Dima will become more courageous, and his good qualities will overcome his cowardice and weakness.
A summary of the story “Scarecrow” in detail by chapter.
Author: Vladimir Zheleznikov
Chapter 1. Meet Lena
A sixth-grader girl runs through the streets of a provincial town home to her grandfather, she mentally turns to him, begging for an urgent move.
Chapter 2. Nikolai Nikolaevich Bessoltsev - a strange collector
The author talks about the Bessoltsev family. Nikolai Nikolaevich returns to his hometown, to his old house. He is respected, but not understood in this town.
The hero is unsociable and is engaged in restoration and collecting paintings. One day he is spotted accompanied by a girl. He declares her his granddaughter Lena. In the fall, the girl goes to 6th grade.
Chapter 3. Quarrel between grandfather and granddaughter
The beginning of autumn brought only joy to Lena, but in November everything changed. She returned home in a bad mood and asked her grandfather for money for a ticket to return to her parents.
The grandfather refused, then the girl threatened to steal and sell one of his paintings. For this she received a slap in the face and ran away without explaining the essence of the problem. Grandfather went after her.
Chapter 4. Dima Somov's birthday
All the guys are going to celebrate their birthday. Everyone except Vasiliev, for which he receives a good blow and broken glasses.
Lena, whom excited classmates meet on the road, gets even more. The girl is surrounded, teased as “Scarecrow” and demanded that she leave their city. Lena's grandfather finds this scene.
He intervenes and says that it is not fair for a crowd to go against one. But Nikolai Nikolaevich faces a decisive rebuff - the Iron Button declares that he should be ashamed of his granddaughter. And why? Let her tell it herself.
The company leaves to visit Dima, the grandfather and granddaughter go home. Nothing can drown out the fun of schoolchildren - the sounds of the holiday haunt the Bessoltsevs. Lena decides to tell her grandfather about her misfortune.
Chapter 5. The story of the unlucky “new girl”
Red introduced Lena to the class at the request of the class teacher. And everything immediately went wrong. Lena smiled widely, wanting to show that she was ready for friendship with her new classmates. But the guys laughed at her and her grandfather “Patchmaker”.
Lena laughed with them, deciding that they were just very funny. The girl did not immediately understand how embittered and cruel her new “friends” were. The exception was the handsome Dima Somov. He let her sit at his desk and did not laugh with the others.
Margarita Ivanovna suggested that the class go on an excursion to Moscow during the holidays. The children were happy, they decided to earn money for the trip on their own and started a common piggy bank. The guys worked part-time in the garden, on the state farm, in the factory - all for the same purpose. Throughout the process, Lena received ridicule, but the noble Dima protected and protected her as best he could.
Once Dima saved a dog from the flayer Valka. In Lena's eyes, he finally became a hero, she kissed him and offered friendship.
Chapter 6. Truancy
On the last day before the holidays, the children skipped class, ignoring the chalk note on the blackboard. The note was erased by Valka’s older brother. The guys ran away, but not all of them. Shmakova and Popov hid in the classroom.
They witnessed a conversation between Dima Somov and Margarita Ivanovna. The boy, under pressure from the teacher, spoke about absenteeism. Lena, who was standing outside the door, heard this too. She thought. That Dima will tell everything to the others. But her friend remained silent.
Chapter 7. Boycott
The next day, schoolchildren came to class with suitcases, but the long-awaited trip was canceled. The teacher said that the class was punished for disrupting the lesson. They decided to split the money.
Mironova organized a search for the traitor. Lena hoped that Dima would confess, but he was still silent. Somov was almost declared a traitor. Lena unexpectedly took the blame upon herself. The class boycotted the girl.
Chapter 8. Bullying
Buses with schoolchildren went to Moscow. 6 "A" remained in the yard. The class surrounded Lena and Dima. The boys ran away, fleeing from their embittered classmates. They hid in the hairdresser's.
Chapter 9. Run, Scarecrow!
At the hairdresser, Lena decided to get her hair done. Dima left without waiting for her. When the girl came out. She was again surrounded by her classmates. They spat peas at her, teased her and threatened her.
Aunt Klava's comments did not help. The guys decided. That the Scarecrow must leave the city. Vasiliev helped push the crowd, and Lena ran away. A little later, the boy admitted to Somov that he liked Lena.
Chapter 10. Betrayal
Lena managed to break away from the chase. She noticed that her pursuers surrounded Dima, and decided that he would tell the truth. She was waiting for him to come. But nothing happened.
When it got dark, there was a knock on the window. Lena opened it and a terrible bear's head appeared. The girl got very scared and slammed the window.
The grandfather came, he happily told his granddaughter about his new painting, but she did not hear him. They knocked on the window glass again. The grandfather opened the window and managed to “tear off” the bear’s head. Dima was hiding behind the mask.
Lena was sure that he was forced. That he confessed and is now in trouble himself. But she was wrong. The guys were drinking tea at Dima's house. Lena's ears heard offensive words: “Scarecrow!” and “Patcher!”
Chapter 11. Failed Confession
Lena met Dima in her yard. She hung her dress up to dry. Dima asked for forgiveness and promised to tell everything today. He kissed Lena. Valka saw this. Valka tore the dress from the rope and said that he would give it to the owner only in exchange for the bear’s head.
Lena brought the mask to Dima. Dima asked if Lena’s grandfather was aware of the events. Having learned that the Patcher did not know anything, the boy was delighted and ran to confess to the guys. Lena was afraid of the consequences and rushed after him. She hid near the barn, where the whole gang had gathered.
Dima demanded to give the dress back. Valka told about the kiss. Dima was tied up. A fight ensued. Dima tried to confess his denunciation to Mironova. The guys advanced on Dima threateningly. Lena ran into the barn and again confirmed that she was a “traitor.” The dress was thrown around in a circle, when it ended up in Dima’s hands, he did not give it to Lena, but threw it to someone else.
They put the dress on a garden scarecrow, and Dima set it on fire. Lena screamed heart-rendingly. She grabbed the burning effigy and waved it around. The guys ran away in fright.
While removing the dress from the stuffed animal, Lena burned herself. Dima wanted to touch her, but the girl recoiled from him like the plague. She walked away and hid on the river.
Chapter 12. Vacation is over
On the first day of school after the holidays, Lena came to school very late and announced that she was leaving. Vasiliev came to her home and asked if she was really a traitor?
The grandfather assured the boy that Lena had not betrayed anyone. Lena put on her burnt dress and ran away from the house. Vasiliev went after her.
Chapter 13. Exposure
Lena shaved her head at the hairdresser and came to Dima’s house. There she exposed her bald head and gave each of the guys a provocative interrogation.
Exhausted by bullying, the girl suddenly declared that she felt sorry for all her tormentors. She left. The holiday ended, the guys quarreled and went their separate ways.
Chapter 14. “Sorry, Scarecrow!”
In the morning, Lena will be awakened by a knock. Grandfather was boarding up the windows. He decided to leave home and city. Lena saw that her recent tormentors were chasing Dima Somov along the street, and ran after him. The guys ran to class. Dima jumped onto the windowsill and threatened to jump out the window.
Mironova again proposed a boycott, everyone was in favor, except Lena. When the girl was asked why, she replied that she would never participate in bullying.
The teacher entered the class and announced that grandfather Bessoltsev was leaving the city. He gave its residents his home and a priceless collection of paintings. Soon Nikolai Nikolaevich himself came, he donated his favorite painting to the school fund and took his granddaughter.
The painting depicted a beautiful girl Masha, reminiscent of Lena. The guys realized with shame that they had raised their filthy hands against the wrong people. “Forgive us, Scarecrow!” - they wrote on the board.
Thesis retelling
The article also provides a very brief summary of the story “Scarecrow” for a general understanding of the plot.
At the middle school, a new girl enters the sixth grade - Lena Bessoltseva. The girl is so different from her classmates that she instantly causes hostility. The ridicule and ridicule intensify when the children find out that she is the granddaughter of the Patcher, a famous art collector in their town. For them, he is strange, since he spends all his money on buying paintings by famous artists, and at the same time he wears second-hand clothes.
Lena is like her grandfather in everything. She is friendly and open, and sees only the good in people. She is also dressed a little strangely, which is why she gets the nickname Scarecrow. However, a romantic relationship arises between her and the handsome Dima.
Lena is a kind and cheerful girl who did not find understanding among her classmates
One day the class runs away from class to the cinema. Dima, without meaning to, tells the class teacher why they were absent from class. They are seriously punished by canceling their long-planned trip to Moscow. The whole class is sure that the traitor is Scarecrow, and they are preparing for reprisals. Lena, who accidentally overheard Dima’s conversation with the teacher, remains silent. She is sure that he will explain everything to the guys. However, the boy, frightened, does not confess.
A strict boycott has been declared against Bessoltseva. They steal her dress and make a stuffed animal out of it, after which they try to burn it. Lena takes her burnt dress from them, puts it on herself, cuts her hair short and so comes to class. Not wanting to endure any more humiliation, she expresses to her classmates everything that is on her soul.
The girl’s grandfather, seeing how deeply Lena suffers, leaves the town with her forever. Before leaving, they donate a huge collection of paintings to the city, one of them to the school. When Bessoltseva was already far away, the guys realized what they had done.
History of creation and conclusions about the story.
The story "Scarecrow" is based on real events. A similar situation occurred in the fate of the author’s niece. Zheleznikov responded to injustice by first writing the play “Boycott,” and then in 1981 the reader became acquainted with the story “Scarecrow.” Just three years later, a film of the same name directed by Rolan Bykov was released.
Salvador Dali also claimed that “the most cruel creatures in the world are children.” This became the main problem in Zheleznikov’s work. The guys from my classmates mercilessly “kill” the new girl’s faith in the joys of life and their own dignity.
But only the soft, kind and pliable girl did not give in under the pressure of the whole team and, having endured all the ridicule and humiliation, declared publicly: “You must believe until the end!” Without exaggeration, this phrase can be called the main idea of the story, the idea that the author undertook to convey to his young readers.
