Summary of the story of N. Leskov "Non-Deadly Golovan"

The main character of N. Leskov’s short story “The Deadly Golovan” is an ordinary person, but with an unusual nickname.

The origin of this nickname is explained quite simply. During the plague of anthrax that engulfed the Oryol province, only Golovan fearlessly went into the huts to the infected, gave them a drink and with their presence brightened up their last minutes. On the houses of the dead, he drew white crosses.

People were imbued with deep respect for Golovan and called "non-lethal." But Golovan failed to avoid infection, an ulcer appeared on his left leg. Then he took radical action: he asked the young mowing scythe and cut off the affected area from the leg.

Such fortitude was inherent in the former serf, who managed to redeem himself from captivity and start his own farm. Golovan was distinguished by a powerful physique, two-meter growth, a huge head, a smile always lit up his face.

Golovan had a uniform, which he wore in crackling frosts and under the scorching rays of the sun: a long sheepskin sheepskin coat, which was all oiled and blackened from a permanent sock. At the same time, the canvas shirt underneath was always clean, like a boil.

He was fantastically hardworking: starting from one cow with a calf, he brought his magnificent herd to 8 goals, including the red Tyrolean bull Vaska.

The products he traded in were of very high quality: heavy cream, fresh and aromatic oil, especially large eggs from Dutch chickens. Assistance in the household was provided by three sisters and Golovan’s mother, whom he alternately bought from serfdom and placed in his house.

In one half of the dwelling there were women, to whom the young girl Pavel later joined, and in the other there was cattle. There was also a berth for Golovan himself.

Pavel was Golovan’s former love, but the master gave her in marriage to the rider Ferapont, who committed a number of offenses and went on the run. The abandoned Pavel found refuge at Golovan, but the relationship between them was platonic, as these high-moral people could not step over the married position of Pavel. People believed that she was a cohabitant of Golovan and called her "Golovanov’s sin."

Soon, one Oryol merchant took his family to the application to the holy relics in another city. But there was such a crowd of people that it was not possible to break through to the relics in the front ranks, as they wanted. Only patients on a stretcher were allowed into the temple unhindered. In a huge crowd of people, many thieves and all kinds of fraudsters were operating. One of such cunning people and offered the merchant a win-win option of penetrating the temple.

A recumbent dumb man of a completely yellow color by the name of Fotey was removed from some wagon train, and six people, including a merchant, carried him on a stretcher to the temple.

There, the patient was suddenly healed and left the church on his own feet. True, at the same time one of the gold cords disappeared from the velvet bedspread at the saint’s tomb.

This false-eyed Fotei still did not lag behind the gullible merchant right up to Oryol. In addition, he turned out to be a fugitive husband of Pavel. Golovan and Pavel recognized him, but did not issue him. He, dirty and in rags, all the time demanded money from Golovan, and instead of gratitude he spat, fought and threw everything that came to hand.

The neighbors were wondering why Golovan suffers such bullying from some rogue.

She didn’t live for a long time, she died of consumption. Golovan died in a terrible fire that swept the city of Oryol. Helping people during a terrible disaster, he did not notice a burning hole under a layer of ash and fell into it.

People for a long time kept the memory of this magnanimous and righteous man who tried to bring as much benefit as possible to his neighbors. Priest Peter said that his conscience was whiter than snow.