What does K.G.’s fairy tale teach? Paustovsky “Warm Bread”

  • 05.02.2024

What the fairy tale “Warm Bread” by Paustovsky teaches can be understood after reading it.

What does Paustovsky’s “Warm Bread” teach?

Fairy tale "Warm Bread" teaches We must fight the evil within ourselves, not do bad things, be more attentive to others and not be afraid to ask for forgiveness for the evil caused to others.

The fairy tale “Warm Bread” by Konstantin Paustovsky talks about good and evil, greed and generosity. She, like all fairy tales, teaches us to show only the good qualities of the soul. The events of the fairy tale take place during the war, people have a hard time. A cavalry horse remains in the village with civilians only because it was wounded in the leg. The miller Pankrat and all the villagers begin to look after him. But when the horse asked the boy Filka for bread, he offended the horse. And nature punished the boy and the inhabitants of this village. But Filka managed to understand what his mistake was and correct it.

After reading a fairy tale, it is worth thinking about whether we are doing things that make people close to us and animals suffer. After all, not only people, but also animals, are offended, so we must protect them and feed them. This fairy tale teaches that a person must do good deeds in order to be loved and respected. If we do bad things, we must be able to correct them, we must be honest, kind, and friendly.

Now you know what the story “Warm Bread” by Paustovsky teaches. You can leave your additions or your answer in the comments.

Paustovsky Konstantin Georgievich - What does K. G. Paustovsky’s fairy tale “Warm Bread” teach?

What does K. G. Paustovsky’s fairy tale “Warm Bread” teach?

chemu-uchit-skazka-teplyj-hlebwhat does K. G. Paustovsky’s fairy tale “warm bread” teach?

K. G. Paustovsky most of all loved to write about ordinary people, about village children. His fairy tales are very similar to ordinary life, and the heroes are very similar to the readers themselves, boys and girls.

The boy Filka, nicknamed Nu You, also did not stand out among his peers in anything special and did not look much like a hero. But what happened to him makes me think about a lot. The fairy tale teaches you to fight evil in yourself. There are bad qualities in the character of any person. But if we give free rein to anger, bad thoughts and harsh words, they can turn into disaster. This is what happened to Filka. Because of his rudeness and mistrust, an entire village almost died out from cold and hunger. But Filka corrected his mistake. It was difficult for him to confess and submit to people. It was not easy to regain the trust of people and the offended horse. But he managed to overcome the gloomy boy Well You, who had never cared about anyone before. The writer showed that there is something good in every person. And you should turn to people, to animals, to nature with your best side. Otherwise there will be trouble. “From the cooling of the heart,” “from the malice of men,” evil deeds are happening on earth. This is what his grandmother teaches Filka. And Paustovsky’s fairy tale helps us understand this and not multiply evil on earth either by word or deed.

There are many stories that talk about how to live correctly, what actions to avoid, what to truly value. Usually the author talks about these difficult truths in the form of an instructive story. Paustovsky is a recognized master of the short story. In his writings there is always a motive of high civic thoughts and loyalty to his duty. In addition, his works combine a lively story with a heartfelt description of nature. “Warm Bread” is a wonderful example of the writer’s artistic skill. We will talk about this work in this article.

A cautionary tale

During his life, Konstantin Paustovsky composed many outstanding works. “Warm Bread” is a story for children in which the author teaches little readers not to do bad things and never offend defenseless people and animals. This work is more like a fairy tale, even a parable, where the Christian commandments about warmth and love for one’s neighbor are conveyed to children in a simple and accessible form.

Title of the work

Konstantin Paustovsky gave a meaningful title to his story. “Warm bread” is a symbol of vitality and spiritual generosity. In Rus', peasants obtained bread through hard work, and therefore their attitude towards it was careful and reverent. And for many years, fresh baked goods have been the best delicacy on the table in every home. The aroma of bread in Paustovsky’s story has miraculous powers; it makes people kinder and cleaner.

Beginning of the work

Paustovsky begins his story with a short introduction. “Warm Bread” tells the story of how once, during the war, a combat cavalry detachment walked through the village of Berezhki. At this time, a shell exploded on the outskirts and wounded the black horse in the leg. The animal could not go further, and the old miller Pankrat took him in. He was an eternally gloomy man, but very quick to get to work, whom the local children secretly considered a sorcerer. The old man cured the horse and began to carry on it everything that was necessary for equipping the mill.

Further, Paustovsky’s story “Warm Bread” tells that the time described in the work was very difficult for ordinary people. Many did not have enough food, so Pankrat could not feed the horse alone. Then the animal began to walk around the yards and ask for food. They brought him stale bread, beet tops, even carrots, because they believed that the horse was “social” and suffered for a just cause.

Boy Filka

In his work, Konstantin Paustovsky described the changes that, under the influence of circumstances, occurred in the soul of a child. "Warm Bread" is a story about a boy named Filka. He lived with his grandmother in the village of Berezhki and was rude and distrustful. The hero responded to all reproaches with the same phrase: “Fuck you!” One day Filka was sitting at home alone and eating delicious bread sprinkled with salt. At this time, a horse came into the yard and asked for food. The boy hit the animal on the lips and threw the bread into the loose snow with the words: “You, Christ-loving people, won’t get enough!”

These evil words became a signal for the beginning of extraordinary events. A tear rolled down from the horse's eyes, he neighed offendedly, waved his tail, and at that moment a severe frost fell on the village. The snow that flew up immediately covered Filka's throat. He rushed into the house and locked the door behind him with his favorite saying: “Fuck you!” However, I listened to the noise outside the window and realized that the blizzard was whistling exactly like the tail of an angry horse beating its sides.

Bitter cold

Paustovsky describes amazing things in his story. “Warm Bread” talks about the bitter cold that fell to the ground after Filka’s rude words. The winter that year was warm, the water near the mill did not freeze, but then such frost struck that all the wells in Berezhki froze to the very bottom, and the river was covered with a thick crust of ice. Now all the people in the village faced inevitable death by starvation, because Pankrat could not grind flour at his mill.

Old legend

Next, Konstantin Paustovsky talks about the old legend. “Warm Bread,” through the mouth of Filka’s old grandmother, describes the events that happened in the village a hundred years ago. Then the crippled soldier knocked on the door of a wealthy peasant and asked for food. The sleepy and angry owner responded by throwing a piece of stale bread on the floor and ordering the veteran to pick up the thrown “treat” himself. The soldier picked up the bread and saw that it was completely covered with green mold and could not be eaten. Then the offended man went out into the yard, whistled, and an icy cold fell on the ground, and the greedy man died “from a cold heart.”

Awareness of the act

Paustovsky came up with an instructive parable. “Warm Bread” describes the terrible turmoil that occurred in the soul of the frightened boy. He realized his mistake and asked his grandmother if he and the rest of the people had any hope of salvation. The old woman replied that everything would work out if the person who committed the evil repented. The boy realized that he needed to make peace with the offended horse, and at night, when his grandmother fell asleep, he ran to the miller.

The Path to Repentance

“Filka’s path was not easy,” writes Paustovsky. The writer talks about how the boy had to overcome severe cold, such that even the air seemed frozen and he had no strength to breathe. At the miller's house, Filka could no longer run and could only heavily roll over the snowdrifts. Sensing the boy, a wounded horse neighed in the barn. Filka got scared and sat down, but then Pankrat opened the door, saw the child, dragged him by the collar into the hut and sat him down by the stove. With tears, Filka told the miller everything. He called the boy a “senseless citizen” and ordered him to come up with a way out of this situation in an hour and a quarter.

Invented way

Next, Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky plunges his hero into deep thoughts. In the end, the boy decided in the morning to gather all the village children on the river and start cutting ice with them near the mill. Then water will flow, the ring can be turned, the device will warm up and begin to grind flour. So the village will again have both flour and water. The miller doubted that the guys would want to pay for Filka’s stupidity with their humps, but promised that he would talk to the local old people so that they too would go out on the ice.

Getting rid of the cold

K. G. Paustovsky paints a wonderful picture of joint work in his work (the stories of this author are particularly expressive). It tells how all the children and old people went out to the river and began to cut ice. Fires blazed around, axes clattered, and with everyone’s efforts, people defeated the cold. True, the warm summer wind that suddenly blew from the south also helped. The chatty magpie, who heard the conversation between Filka and the miller and then flew away in an unknown direction, bowed to everyone and said that it was she who managed to save the village. She allegedly flew to the mountains, found a warm wind there, woke it up and brought it with her. However, no one except the crows understood the magpie, so its merits remained unknown to people.

Reconciliation with the horse

Paustovsky's story "Warm Bread" is a wonderful example of prose for children. In it, the writer talked about how the little rude man learned to do good deeds and watch his words. After water appeared on the river again, the mill ring turned and freshly ground flour flowed into the bags. From it the women kneaded a sweet, tight dough and baked fragrant bread from it. The smell from the rosy baked goods with cabbage leaves burnt to the bottom was such that even foxes crawled out of their holes in the hope of feasting on it. And the guilty Filka, together with the guys, came to Pankrat to make peace with the wounded horse. He was holding a loaf of fresh bread in his hands, and the tiny boy Nikolka was carrying behind him a large wooden container with salt. The horse at first backed away and did not want to accept the gift, but Filka cried so desperately that the animal had mercy and took the fragrant bread from the boy’s hands. When the wounded horse had eaten, he laid his head on Filka’s shoulder and closed his eyes from pleasure and satiety. Peace was restored and spring came to the village again.

Bread symbol

Paustovsky called “Warm Bread” one of his favorite compositions. The genre of the work can be defined as a parable about basic Christian values. The symbol of bread plays a key role in it. If black human ingratitude can be compared to the stale crust of moldy bread, then kindness and spiritual generosity can be compared to a sweet and fresh loaf. The boy who carelessly threw a cut piece of wood into the snow committed a very bad act. He not only offended the wounded horse, but also neglected the product created by hard work. For this Filka was punished. Only the threat of starvation helped him understand that even a stale piece of bread must be treated with respect.

Collective responsibility

Schoolchildren study the story “Warm Bread” (Paustovsky) in fifth grade. Analyzing this work, children often wonder why the whole village had to answer for the bad deed of one boy. The answer is contained in the story itself. The fact is that Filka suffered from extreme egocentrism and did not notice anyone around him. He was unkind to his grandmother and dismissive with his friends. And only the threat hanging over all the village residents helped the boy feel responsible for the fate of other people. When the guys came to the aid of the gloomy and distrustful Filka, they melted not only the river, but also his icy heart. Therefore, the summer wind blew over Berezhki even before the boy made peace with the horse.

The role of nature in the work

In the story “Warm Bread” (Paustovsky), the analysis of which is presented in this article, the powerful forces of nature play a large role. At the very beginning of the work it is said that the winter in the village was warm, the snow melted before reaching the ground, and the river near the mill did not freeze. The weather was warm in Berezhki until they fed and took pity on the wounded horse. However, Filka’s cruel words and his bad behavior aroused great anger in nature. A fierce cold immediately set in, shackling the river and depriving people of hope for food. The boy had to overcome first the cold in his soul, then the cold on the street, in order to atone for his guilt. And only when people all went out onto the ice together to save the village, a fresh summer breeze blew as a symbol of Filka’s spiritual rebirth.

The power of a word

K. G. Paustovsky was a real Christian. The writer's stories are permeated with kindness and love for people. In the work "Warm Bread" he showed how important it is to monitor not only your actions, but also your words. Filka’s cruel phrase, ringing in the air, made everything around freeze, because the boy, without realizing it, had committed a terrible evil. After all, it is precisely from human callousness and indifference that the most serious crimes arise, which could have been prevented with a different attitude. To apologize to the offended horse, Filka did not need words; he actually proved that he repented of his own actions. And the boy’s sincere tears finally atoned for his guilt - now he will never dare to be cruel and indifferent.

Real and fabulous

Paustovsky Konstantin Georgievich skillfully combined fairy-tale and real motifs in his creations. For example, in “Warm Bread” there are ordinary heroes: Pankrat, Filka, his grandmother, and the rest of the villagers. And invented ones: magpie, forces of nature. The events that occur in the work can also be divided into real and fabulous. For example, there is nothing unusual in the fact that Filka offended the horse, asked Pankrat about how to correct what he had done, broke ice on the river with the guys and made peace with the animal. But the magpie, which brings with it the summer wind, and the cold that befalls the village at the call of an angry horse, are clearly beyond the scope of ordinary life. All events in the work are organically intertwined, creating a single picture. Thanks to this, “Warm Bread” can be called both a fairy tale and an instructive story at the same time.

Old words

Paustovsky actively uses folklore motifs in his work. “Warm Bread,” the content of which is replete with ancient words and expressions, confirms this. The meaning of many archaisms is not familiar to modern children. For example, people who beg for alms were called Christians in Rus'. This word was never considered offensive; everyone gave to those in need as much as they could. However, in the story it takes on a negative connotation, because Filka offended the wounded horse, actually calling him a beggar.

Other archaisms are often used in the story: “kartuz”, “battleya”, “pozhukhli”, “nashkodil”, “treukh”, “yar”, “osokori” and others. They give the work a special flavor, bringing it closer to folk fairy tale motifs.

Sin and repentance

You need to be held accountable for bad deeds. Paustovsky talks about this in his story. “Warm Bread,” whose heroes managed to overcome the cold, testifies that they also coped with the cold that reigned in the soul of the little boy. At first, Filka was simply scared, but did not realize the depth of his guilt. The boy’s grandmother probably guessed what had happened, but did not scold him, but told him an instructive tale, because the child himself had to realize his mistake. Pankrat taught Filka another lesson - he forced him to independently come up with a way out of the current situation. Only through sincere repentance and hard work did the boy manage to win the forgiveness of higher powers. Good again defeated evil, and the thawed soul of the child warmed a crust of fresh bread with its warmth.

Conclusion

World literature knows many stories with a fascinating plot and an instructive ending. One of them was invented by Paustovsky (“Warm Bread”). Reviews of this work indicate that Konstantin Georgievich managed to touch the hearts of his little readers and convey to them important concepts about mercy, love for one's neighbor and responsibility. In an accessible form, the writer described the consequences that rash actions and offensive words can lead to. After all, the main character of the story did not want to harm anyone, but he made a serious mistake. At the very end of the story it is said that Filka is not an evil boy, and sincerely repents of his actions. And the ability to admit your mistakes and take responsibility for them is one of the most important human qualities.