Summary “The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree” by Dostoevsky
Sometimes there is not enough time to read the full work of one of the great classics of literature. Quickly get acquainted with it, the main characters will help a brief summary. “The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree” – a story written by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky. In it, the famous writer shares his thoughts with the readers, gives an opportunity to see from the side, what leads to human indifference, devises a very kind and positive ending, which can be not only a figment of imagination, but also a reality.
Structure of the work
So, begins to introduce the short story to the story. “The boy at Christ on the Christmas tree” consists of two parts, the second is called exactly so, and the first writer was entitled “Boy with a pen”.
The first and second chapter tells about different children. They have the same age and low social origin. Despite the fact that both children are very poor, the second causes more sympathy
Part one – “The boy with a pen”
It begins the work itself and its brief content. “The boy at Christ on the Christmas tree” first introduces us to one child. The writer says that before Christmas he met a boy who was no more than seven years old. In severe frost, he was dressed almost in summer. The child begged, such children as he, called “with a handle” for the fact that they walked with an outstretched palm and asked for charity.
On the writer’s questions the child replied that his sister is ill, so he goes to ask. Further, Dostoevsky says that there were a lot of such children at that time, he reveals to the reader the fate that awaits these kids. Very many of them become thieves. In dysfunctional families – drinking parents, they send their children for vodka. Fathers, uncles who beat their wives, “for the sake of laughter” can pour into this
Naturally, in such a family it is very difficult for a child to become a good person, therefore, having grown up and even going to work at a factory, teenagers become real criminals, and themselves, as their parents, begin to drink. Such a sad picture was described by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky.
“The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree”
The main characters of this story are boys who were not familiar with each other. One of them was somehow adapted to a beggarly existence, another got into that world full of deprivation, unprepared and was there all alone – without protection, without the care of adults.
The second chapter of the story Dostoevsky begins with the words that he is still a novelist. The author says that he seems to have heard something like this once, and maybe it’s just a dream.
The second story also happened on the eve of Christmas. It begins in the basement. Here, putting a bale under the head, lies a seriously ill woman. Around her is a boy of six or less years. In the other corner lies another old woman, who often grumbles at the child. He and his mother came to this city from somewhere far away. Apparently, hunger drove the family from their homes. Mom and boy to feed, came here. Perhaps, the woman wanted to work here, but fell ill or completely weakened from hunger. This begins the second chapter, which Dostoevsky called “The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree”. The summary of the story continues.
Completely alone
The child wanted to eat. He could get drunk, but there was no food. He had tried many times to wake Mom, but she did not open her eyes. The boy touched the woman, she was cold. The child became creepy, he did not exactly understand what had happened, but he felt that he was cold and scared in this dark cellar, where no light was being lit.
The kid threw his light outer garment, which the author calls a robe, and went out into the street, she struck him. There were a lot of lights around, such a child had not yet seen. There, from where he arrived, in the evenings in the street one dim lamp burned, and everyone sat after sunset in their houses.
There was a lively movement here, the windows of houses were shining brightly. In one large window the child could see a huge Christmas tree on which toys, apples hung. Persecuted by a feeling of severe hunger, the kid opened the door to this magical world. After all, it included a lot of rich guests invited by the owners of a big Christmas tree for the holiday. But the lady waved at him with her hands, thrust the baby a penny and drove it away. The kid got scared, ran and dropped the small thing.
Bad people
Here about such hard-hearted people is told in this instructive work, which F. Dostoevsky called “The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree”. The summary of the story tells about these moments in more detail. After all, by that time the child was already freezing. There was a terrible cold, and he was dressed quite easily. The child was very sick with fingers and toes – they were red, there was frostbite.
If that lady allowed the child to get warm in the heat, fed him, he could stay alive. But not only this woman is to blame. After all, when the boy was walking along the street, an orderly passed by and purposely turned away so as not to see the baby. Although he was obliged to do his duty, take the child to the site, to the hospital or to the shelter. That’s because of these people and this lovely angel did not become. Dostoevsky came up with a very good finale of history, very soon we will approach him.
In Heaven
The summary is continued. The boy at Christ on the tree will be very soon. Running out of the rich house, he stopped by the window and looked at the amusing mechanical dolls. At this time someone angry pulled off his robe. The child was again frightened, ran and hid in the courtyard behind a wood pile of firewood. He dozed off, he felt warm and well. The boy felt that he was hovering around an unusually beautiful tree. Around him fly the same angels – boys and girls. They embrace, kiss him, their mothers who stand a little apart and look at their children with tears in their eyes.
There was also the boy’s mother, and Christ arranges the Christmas tree for those children who did not have it in the earthly life, just like our hero’s works, which Dostoevsky called “The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree”. A brief retelling, like the story itself, ends here. It remains to tell only that the janitor found the boy’s corpse the next morning, and his mother died even earlier.
This sad and light story was written and named by Dostoevsky “The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree”. Criticism of the time and the modern one appreciated the work. Readers of the XXI century say that they liked the story, which evokes a feeling of compassion and touches the best strings of the human soul.
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