(339 words) M.A. Sholokhov in his novel "Quiet Flows the Don" portrayed a common man against the backdrop of global historical events. In the whirlpool of wars, revolutions, fundamental changes in society, the writer does not lose sight of seemingly unremarkable people, their aspirations and desires. The theme of the true homeland, home, occupies a special place in the work, which becomes extremely important at a time when the old world is dying and its inhabitants are desperately looking for their place in this cruel life.
At the beginning of the novel, Sholokhov draws before the reader the life of the main character of the work, Grigory Melekhov, even before the war. Describing in detail even the most repulsive details of the life of the Cossacks, the writer creates the image of a separate universe, living according to its own laws. In such a world, Gregory grows, gains experience, makes mistakes, and, in the end, forms his clear life position. It is the Tatar Farm, its inhabitants and the Melekhov family that are for the hero a real home that he loves and appreciates. But the First World War begins, and Melekhov, torn from his native land, finds himself in a world alien to himself, which causes him disgust and misunderstanding. All this leads to the fact that Gregory already during the civil war is moving away from the struggle, hoping to return to a quiet family life. But history does not give him this chance. The Red Army grossly violate the life of the Cossacks, robbing and killing civilians, which makes the hero furious. For the first time in a long period of time, he finds a clear goal - to protect his farm, his family, his lifestyle, his home. However, Sholokhov shows that the hero’s dreams are unrealizable, his wife Natalya dies, his father runs away from the Reds and dies from typhus, and he eventually runs away from his own home, leaving behind his beloved children and mother. It is at that moment when Gregory realizes that he has nowhere to return and nothing to protect, he reaches the extreme point of his fall, turning from a proud Cossack into an ordinary bandit. In the end, unable to endure separation from his family, the hero surrenders to the mercy of the authorities in order to at least briefly see his son.
Sholokhov showed us the tragedy of an ordinary person who, during severe storms and incredible cataclysms, only tried to protect his home, but was mercilessly crushed by the wheel of history, losing everything that he once loved.
