“Bezhin Meadow” - a summary of the story by I. S. Turgenev

The main characters of the story

Pavlusha is a boy of about 12 years old with an intelligent and direct look, “there was strength in his voice.” He is inquisitive, brave, decisive, and talks only about what he himself has seen or heard. Pavel tries to understand incomprehensible phenomena (for example, with a voice from a bully). He knows how to tell stories vividly, thoroughly, entertainingly and even funny.
Ilyusha is a boy of about 12 years old. He works in a small handicraft paper factory, is very fond of superstitions, believes in miracles, in evil spirits and is afraid of them. Ilyusha retells to the boys what he heard from other people about strange incidents.
Fedya is a handsome teenager of about 14 from a wealthy family (judging by his clothes).
Kostya is a boy of about 10 years old, frail, poorly dressed. His look was sad and thoughtful.
Vanya is a quiet boy of about 7 years old.

A very brief summary for a reader's diary

Returning home after a hunt, the narrator got lost and in the evening came to two fires where there were five boys. They guarded the grazing horses. The hunter told them where he was from and sat down by the fire, then lay down and pretended to be asleep. The boys continued their conversation. They talked to each other about evil spirits for a long time.

Ilyusha said that he heard a brownie walking around the mill wheel at night, and Kostya told about how a carpenter got lost and saw a mermaid on a branch of a forest tree. She beckoned him to her, the carpenter crossed himself, and the mermaid told him that he would grieve until the end of his days. Since then, the carpenter Gavrila has always been sad.

When the guys ate the boiled potatoes, Ilyusha again began to tell a terrible story about how the huntsman Yermil was driving from the city at night, saw a lamb on the grave, took it with him and began to say: “Byasha, byasha,” and the lamb, looking into his eyes, also said: “Byasha, byasha...”

Suddenly both of the boys' dogs barked and ran away from the fire. Pavlusha rushed after them. Soon he returned on horseback, and the dogs also came running. Pavlusha said that the dogs smelled something, and he thought that there was a wolf there. The hunter was surprised that the unarmed boy jumped at the wolf at night.

Ilyusha began to talk again - this time about the late master, who came out of the grave to look for the gap-grass.

A detailed summary of the chapters of Turgenev’s story “Bezhin Meadow” I GIVE 40 POINTS!!! URGENTLY!

The hero-narrator of “Bezhin Meadows,” a nobleman who is fond of hunting, went to the Chernsky forest in the Tula province to shoot black grouse one hot July day. After a good hunt, in a good mood, the hero moved towards the house, but it was already getting dark, and he lost his way.

Night was approaching like a thundercloud, but the traveler kept getting lost and almost fell into the abyss. But in the distance I saw two lights and some shadows. These were peasant children. The hero sat down by the fire next to the guys and began to enjoy the wonderful summer night and watch the children.

The eldest Fedya, a handsome blond boy, was fourteen years old. By all indications, he was from a wealthy peasant family. He herded horses not out of necessity, but for fun. He was dressed neatly, well, and even the boots he was wearing were not his father’s, but made especially for him.

The second boy, Pavlush, was unprepossessing in appearance - pockmarked and pale, with black eyes and a disproportionately large head. He was dressed simply, and wore patched trousers. But the narrator liked him most of all for his strength and intelligent expression in his eyes. He looked about twelve years old. The same number goes to Ilyusha, a boy with dim eyes and a worried look.

Kostya, ten years old, sat thoughtfully and sadly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. And there was another curly-haired boy, Vanya, seven years old, who could not be immediately noticed: he was sleeping under a matting on the ground.

The boys' temporary confusion after the traveler pretended to be asleep receded, and they continued the conversation they had begun earlier about the brownie. Ilyusha talked about what he and a group of guys heard at night at the brownie factory. He, they say, they remembered about him, came in, coughed, began to open the door and move the shape of the vat.

Kostya decided to tell about the suburban carpenter Gavrila, who once went into the forest to get nuts, got lost and fell asleep. I woke up from the call and laughter of a mermaid. He crossed himself, and she suddenly began to cry and ordered him to suffer for the rest of his life, as she is now suffering from the sign of the cross. Gavrila found his way out of the forest, but from then on he became gloomy.

The guys ate the boiled potatoes, and Ilyushka continued the conversation. His story was about an incident in Varnavitsy: in the remote ravines in these places a drowned man was buried, as evidenced by a barely noticeable tubercle. One day the huntsman Ermila was driving past this place while drunk. I noticed a white lamb on a hillock and took it with me. And on the way they looked into each other’s eyes, and the lamb suddenly repeated after Ermila: “Byasha!”

As soon as Ilyushka said this, the dogs became alarmed, barked, and Pavlusha ran off to calm the horses. When he returned, he explained that he thought there was a wolf there. The master marveled at the boy’s courage and strength and involuntarily fell in love with him.

The guys again started talking about Varnavitsy, which had a reputation as an “unclean place.” About the old gentleman who wandered in those places and looked for the “tear-grass” because the grave was pressing on him. The conversation turned to the dead, and the same connoisseur of horror stories, Ilyushka, assured the children that the future dead could be seen near the church on Parents’ Saturday. He gave examples from life.

Pavel, in turn, spoke about a heavenly foresight, during which they said Trishka would come. Trishka is an amazing person who can magically save you from any difficulty. Pavlusha talked about how his village once decided that the last times had come - they saw a man coming down from the mountain. They got scared, and it was the cooper of Vavil with a jug on his head. The guys burst out laughing at this story.

Suddenly a heron screamed shrilly, and everyone fell silent. They now remembered about the boy, Akim the forester, who had previously been drowned by thieves somewhere here. And then about the fool Akulina, who was dragged into the water by the merman and took away her beauty. Pavel wanted to scoop up water from the river, and the guys began to warn him against meeting the merman. They also remembered little Vasya, who drowned in that river. When Pavel returned, he admitted that he had heard Vasya’s voice in the river. He called him. The guys decided that this was a bad omen.

The master dozed off listening to the guys' stories and woke up when the morning began. He went home, admiring the first rays of the sun. But then he reluctantly added to the reader that Paul still died that same year, but did not drown, but fell from his horse.

Brief summary (more detailed than summary)

One day in July the narrator was hunting in the Chernsky district of the Tula province with his dog Dianka. In the evening, returning home, he got lost.

On the bank of a wide river, a hunter saw 2 lights, around which people were swarming. He recognized the place where he had gone. It was Bezhin meadow. The tired hunter decided to spend the night by the fires and began to go down the hill towards them. Suddenly 2 large white dogs rushed at him. Several boys jumped up from the ground. When the hunter responded to their questioning cries, the boys ran up to him and called the dogs back.

These turned out to be children from neighboring villages. They were guarding a herd of horses. The boys asked the hunter where he was from and stood aside when he sat down near the fire.

From the boys' conversations, the hunter learned their names: Pavlusha, Fedya, Ilyusha, Vanya and Kostya.

The eldest of them, Fedya, was about 14 years old. He was from a wealthy family, as he was dressed very well.

Pavlusha was an “unpretty little guy,” but with very intelligent eyes and some kind of strength in his voice, so the hunter liked him. Pavlusha looked about 12 years old. He was watching the cast iron in which the potatoes were being cooked.

Ilyusha was the same age as Pavlusha. His elongated face expressed “some kind of dull, painful solicitude.”

Kostya was a boy of about 10 years old, with a sad, thoughtful look.

The smallest of them, Vanya, was about 7 years old. He lay quietly under the matting, sometimes looking out of it.

The hunter lay down to the side under a bush and pretended to be asleep.

The boys resumed their interrupted conversation. Ilyusha began to tell me that he worked at a factory, and one day he and the guys had to spend the night there, as there was a lot of work. Ilyusha claimed that they heard the brownie as he walked upstairs, then went down the stairs, opened the door, walked around the room invisible, and when he went to the door, he coughed loudly.

Then Kostya told about the carpenter Gavrila, how he got lost in the forest and saw a mermaid on a branch. She beckoned him to her, but he crossed himself. The mermaid began to cry and said that he would be sad until the end of his days. Since then, Gavrila has been walking around sadly.

Hearing a faint whistle, the boys shuddered. Pavlusha shouted mockingly at why they were alarmed and said that the potatoes were cooked.

When the boys had eaten, Ilyusha again began to tell a terrible story about how the huntsman Yermil was driving home from the city and saw a lamb on the grave of a drowned man. Yermil took it with him. The lamb looked into his eyes. Yermil felt uneasy, he stroked him and said: “Byasha, byasha!” And the lamb bared its teeth and also said: “Byasha, byasha...”

Before Ilyusha had time to utter the last word of his story, both dogs rushed away from the fire, barking. Pavlusha rushed after them. After some time, he galloped up on a horse, and the dogs also came running.

Pavel said that the dogs simply smelled something, and he thought that there was a wolf there. The hunter was amazed that the boy at night, without thinking, galloped unarmed towards the wolf.

Ilyusha began to tell a terrible story about the late master who came out of the grave and was looking for a gap-grass. The hunter noticed that Ilyusha knew rural beliefs better than other boys.

Pavlusha told what happened to them in Shalamovo when the sun was no longer visible. Everyone was scared, they thought they would see Trishka himself. Kostya asked who Trishka was. Ilyusha spoke passionately about Trishka. He said that this is an amazing, crafty man. When Trishka comes, it will be a sign that the last times have come.

Paul slowly continued his story about the eclipse of the sun. In his village, the old people said that when the “heavenly foresight” begins, Trishka will come. When the eclipse began, everyone left their houses. And suddenly they saw a man with an amazing head coming from the mountain. Someone shouted that Trishka was coming. Everyone was alarmed, but it turned out that it was the cooper Vavil. He bought a jug and put it on his head.

The boys laughed. Suddenly a sharp sound was heard twice over the river. Kostya asked in fear: “What is this?” Pavlusha replied that it was a heron screaming.

Kostya asked Pavlushi who was moaning from the boochil (pit with water) when Kostya walked past the boochil. Pavel replied that maybe it was the soul of the forester who was drowned there by thieves who was complaining, or maybe it was the voices of little frogs screaming pitifully.

Paul went to the river for water. Ilyusha shouted after him so as not to fall into the river. The conversation turned to the merman, then they remembered Vasya, who drowned. When Pavel arrived with a pot of water, he said that Vasya’s voice was calling him from under the water. Pavlusha walked away, but got some water.

Fedya said that it was the merman who called Pavel, and Ilyusha said emphatically that this was a bad omen. Pavel said decisively: “Well, it’s okay, let him go! You cannot escape your fate."

The boys fell silent and the dogs dozed off. The horses were also lying down. The hunter fell asleep, he woke up early in the morning and approached the smoldering fire. The boys were sleeping around him, only Pavlusha woke up and looked intently at the hunter. He nodded to him and went home.

The narrator adds with regret that Pavel died that same year: he fell from his horse and was killed.

Summary of the story “Bezhin Meadow”

The narrator was hunting for black grouse in the Tula province. The hunt that day was a success, and he began to return home only in the evening, when the sun had already set. Seeing an unfamiliar aspen tree, the hunter realized that he had lost his way. He noticed the familiar Sindeevskaya grove, but instead he found only a dark hillock. The hunter realized that he was completely lost. He followed the stars, at random. But, finally, seeing the area, the narrator realized where he had gone. A huge plain, a semicircle of a wide river - this place was called “Bezhin Meadow”. The hunter noticed two fires and people near them. Coming closer, he saw peasant children, 2 dogs and a herd of horses. The fact is that on hot summer days, horses are turned out to feed at night so that they are not bothered by gadflies and flies. For boys, such a pastime is a real holiday.

The hunter told the guys that he was lost and talked to them a little. He lay down and looked around. The nature around was amazing, and the narrator admired it. From the conversations of the boys, of whom there were five, the narrator learned their names and began to look at them.

Fedya is a blond boy who, judging by his clothes, came from a wealthy family. His facial features were regular, rather small. He was about fourteen years old and acted a little arrogantly. Pavlusha is a wide-cheeked, unprepossessing boy with a shock of black, tousled hair. There was intelligence and strength in him. Ilyusha is hook-nosed and slightly blind. His face was preoccupied and tense - his eyebrows were knitted and his lips were compressed. Kostya, a ten-year-old boy, was poorly dressed. He stood out with his eyes - large, sad and thoughtful. Vanya is the most inconspicuous of the guys. He lay under the matting, only occasionally carrying on a conversation.

The hunter pretended to be asleep, and the boys started talking. Ilyusha started talking about the brownie. The boy spent the night at the factory with the guys. And they all heard how the brownie walked, how the boards cracked and bent under him. “Then it was as if someone came to the door and suddenly started coughing and choking.”

Children bake potatoes, check whether they are “cooked”, but the potatoes are still raw. Kostya tells a story about Gavril the carpenter. One day Gavrila went into the forest to pick nuts. He dozed off and suddenly heard someone calling him. Then he saw a mermaid on a tree. She is all light and silver, like a fish. She calls him to her and laughs. Gavrila immediately crossed himself. The mermaid began to cry bitterly that they would not be together now. She didn’t drag him into the water, but Gavrila wasn’t happy from then on. Now he walks gloomy and thoughtful.

The guys discussed the story about the mermaid, and suddenly they heard a strange and drawn-out sound. Ilyusha called on the power of the cross for help. Pavel grinned at their reaction and said that the potatoes were already ready.

The following story was told by Ilya, about a broken dam. A drowned man is buried in this remote place. One day the huntsman Ermila was returning home from the post office at night. He saw a lamb on the grave and took it with him. This little lamb was strange, he stared straight into the man’s eyes. Yermila strokes him and says: “Byasha, byasha,” and the little lamb repeats the same words after the man, baring his teeth.

At the moment of this story, the dogs, barking loudly, disappeared into the darkness of the night. Pavlusha returned them, he assumed that the dogs were agitated by the wolf, but the wolf was nowhere to be found.

Ilya also talked about the deceased master who was looking for a gap-grass, since the grave was pressing hard on him. Kostya was surprised; he believed that the dead only appear on parental Saturday.

Ilya remembered that Baba Ulyana was sitting on the porch to see who would die this year. And she saw herself.

The boys remembered the recent eclipse of the sun, stories about Trishka. He will supposedly appear during an eclipse, and there will be no authority over him. Then the children remembered Leshy and talked about how he doesn’t make any sounds, only cracks. One man saw him and said that Leshy was dark, standing behind a tree, only his eyes were glowing. Then the conversation turned to Vodyanoy, who “spoiled” Akulina and drowned little Vasya, who was playing on the shore. Pavlusha, returning from the river, just heard Vasya’s voice calling someone.

By morning the boys fell silent, and the hunter also dozed off. The narrator woke up before dawn and walked home along the river. He also talked about how Pavlusha passed away that same year. The hunter regretted the death of such a strong and smart boy.