In Russian literature it is difficult to find another similar pattern of mercy and humanity, which appears before the readers of the story of V. Rasputin "French Lessons". The writer created a delicate image of a touching relationship between teacher and student, which ended not in the most pleasant way.
Once upon a time in a distant district center
The action in the story of Valentin Rasputin, "French Lessons" takes place in the Russian outback, just starting to recover from the consequences of the war with the Nazis. The protagonist is a kid of eleven, who, through the efforts of his mother, goes to study from his remote village to the district center.
It is in the school and around it that the events of the story unfold.
Separated from his mother and forced to live in a strange family, the boy always feels discomfort. Having never found friends, the hero is almost always lonely, distrustful of people and always hungry. Someone is carrying bread and potatoes from his meager supplies collected for his son by a dedicated mother. The health condition of the thin guy is such that every day he needs to drink at least one glass of milk, for which he does not have money.
The main concern of the hero of the story is study. He was very well given all the subjects, with the exception of the French language: there was no way to put the pronunciation. The young teacher Lidia Mikhailovna fought in vain to eliminate this shortcoming. The French language did not succumb, despite the stubbornness and conscientiousness of the boy.
Somehow, the hero witnessed a far from childish game for money, in which the older guys cut themselves with enthusiasm, having gathered in a remote and deserted place. Having tried his hand at this wisdom, the boy gradually began to win. The meager copecks he mined in this industry were more than enough for milk. Health began to recover.
The success of the guys in the game for money became the cause of dissatisfaction with the older guys. It all ended in failure - after the next win, they chopped him off, forbidding him to come forward. From beating, injustice and resentment, his breath caught, the boy sobbed inconsolably for a long time, reliving the incident.
