Mikhail Sholokhov’s "The Impudent One," a summary

This early short story by a Don writer describes the harsh realities of a fratricidal war through the eyes of a seven-year-old village boy. The text was written in 1925. The writer depicts the brutality of historical events without softening the details, maintaining a focus on a childish, naive understanding of the ongoing collapse of the old way of life. In 1961, director Yevgeny Karelov based the text on the television feature film "Nakhalyonok." The film gained widespread acclaim for its accurate portrayal of the characters and the colorful everyday life of a Cossack village.

The story is part of the "Don Stories" series. This series brings together the author’s early prose, dedicated to the life of the Cossacks during an era of social upheaval. The series also includes such texts as "The Birthmark," "The Shepherd," "Shibalkovo Seed," and "Alien Blood."

The Return of the Father

Seven-year-old Mishka Korshunov has a terrible dream. He sees his grandfather cutting a cherry twig in the garden. The old man is about to beat his grandson for stealing eggs from the chicken coop. The boy wakes up to a noise in the entryway. A tall soldier in a black sailor’s coat enters the house. It’s Mishka’s father, Foma Akimovich, returning from duty. His mother cries with joy, and the old man jumps up and down. Foma scoops up his son, throws him up to the ceiling, and twitches his red mustache. Mishka frowns at first, like a grandfather, but quickly warms up. His father lowers his son to the floor. He allows him to go outside to play, promising to give him treats later.

A boy runs to the pond. In the village, they call him Mishka, or more often, Nakhalyonok. He has sun-bleached hair, a freckled face, and lively blue eyes. Near the pond, Mishka meets Vitka, the son of the local priest. Vitka invites him to play, but Nakhalyonok refuses. A quarrel breaks out between the children. Popovich declares that Mishka’s father sold his soul to the devil by becoming a communist, and now hell awaits him. Nakhalyonok is frightened by these words. He runs home to ask his grandfather about devils and hot frying pans.

At home, Mishka gets into trouble. He tries to ride a pregnant pig that’s stuck in the gate. His grandfather removes the strap and spanks his grandson. The impudent boy endures the punishment so as not to wake his resting father. A little later, he threatens his grandfather from behind the door. The boy promises not to chew his food when his teeth fall out. The grandfather threatens him with a crutch, hiding a smile in his beard.

Stories about Lenin

The next day, Mishka boasts to the village children about his father’s return. The children laugh at him. The shopkeeper’s son, Proshka, hits Nakhalyonok with a switch. Vitka trips him. A crowd of children pounces on the boy, hitting and scratching him. Mishka breaks free and hides in the hemp thicket. There, he cries with resentment. Returning to the yard, he timidly asks his father about the war. Foma Akimovich reassures his son. He sings him a song and promises to tell him the truth about his campaigns that evening.

In the evening, his father lies down next to Mishka. Foma tells his son about the hard life of the poor, the tyranny of the rich and shopkeepers. Then he explains the nature of the new government. His father served in the Red Guard and personally guarded Smolny. There, he met the leader of the Bolsheviks. Foma describes this man’s appearance and his concern for the common soldiers. Nakhalenok listens to his father with delight. The boy falls asleep in his arms. That night, Mishka dreams of a city with tall buildings. In the dream, Comrade Lenin himself, wearing a red shirt, approaches him and calls him to join his army. Nakhalenok agrees to fight for the poor people.

On Saturday, a man carrying a leather briefcase arrives at the Korshunovs’ house. The visitor is planning to hold re-elections to the village council. After dinner, the visitor shows his father a photograph of Lenin. Mishka snatches it up. He eagerly examines the man’s face in the jacket, memorizing every detail. That night, Nakhalenok creeps up to the visitor’s bed. The boy whispers and begs him to give him the photograph. He offers all his treasures in exchange — knuckles, a tin box, and new boots. The visitor gives him the photograph with a smile. In the morning, Mishka hides the portrait under the barn, carefully wrapped in a burdock leaf.

Elections and food detachment

Father and grandfather set off for the evening meeting at the church gatehouse. Nakhalenok follows. The room is smoky, filled with tobacco smoke. A visitor from the city chairs the meeting at the table. Fedot the shoemaker nominates Foma Korshunov for the post of Chairman of the Council. The wealthy Cossacks raise an uproar. They refuse to see the former shepherd as their leader. The local shopkeeper’s son-in-law, Prokhor Lysenkov, demands that they elect one of their own from among the Cossacks. Lysenkov’s supporters stamp their feet. The visitor restores order and asks for a show of hands for Foma. Mishka also raises his hand. Sixty-five people vote for Foma. Then those present vote for Lysenkov — twenty-seven votes. Mishka raises his hand again. A neighbor notices this, painfully grabs the boy by the ear, and pushes him out into the street.

A day later, a military band enters the village. Rows of Red Army soldiers march down the street. Nakhalenok runs out to meet the music. The boy falls into line and declares, "I’m going to fight with you!" The battalion commander agrees to take him, but sets a condition. Nakhalenok must sew a second brace to his pants to match the military uniform. The boy rushes home. No one is home. He cuts off a piece of the sack with a knife, ties it to his pants, and checks the hiding place under the barn. Then Nakhalenok runs back to the square, but the soldiers are gone. The boy sobs in despair on the empty road.

Soon, a food detachment arrives. Soldiers in greasy jackets are conducting a requisition. They are looking for hidden grain. Foma’s grandfather dutifully delivers eight sacks of grain to the communal granary. Then the detachment arrives at the priest’s house. The priest and the priest’s wife swear they have no grain. There is also supposedly no cellar in the house. Nakhalenok, who was playing with Vitka, loudly reminds them that they used to climb into the spacious cellar from the kitchen together. The priest’s wife tries to chase the children away. The soldiers move the table, lift a floorboard, and find a hiding place filled to the brim with wheat. Later, the priest’s wife catches Mishka in the entryway and drags him by the hair. Nakhalenok again goes to complain to the portrait under the granary.

Gang attack

The boy’s life becomes more difficult. The neighbors’ children stop playing with him. They shout insults at him. One evening, Mishka returns home to a disturbing scene. His father puts on his overcoat, grabs his rifle, and prepares to leave. His mother cries, clinging to his neck. Foma explains to his son the reason for leaving. A gang has appeared in the neighboring village, and they must go and defend Soviet power. His grandfather, with tears in his eyes, sees his son off to the gate, asking him to stay. Foma joins a group of armed men in the courtyard of the local executive committee. The detachment marches off into the night steppe. It begins to rain. Lightning flashes in the distance.

That night, Nakhalenok wakes up. Grandpa isn’t in bed. The old man sits by the open window, listening to the darkness. Behind the village, frequent shots ring out. The volleys thunder like hammer blows. Mother begins to cry again. Mishka clings to Grandpa, gripped by fear. The shots continue until dawn. In the morning, armed horsemen gallop down the street. The Soviet building is ablaze with black smoke. Bandits seize the village, slaughter cattle, and plunder houses. One of the horsemen orders Grandpa to harness his horse and ride beyond the village to retrieve the dead communists from the brushwood.

Grandfather rides away in a cart. Nakhalenok hides in the living room. Soon the gates creak. Grandfather leads Savraska into the yard. Foma’s mangled body lies on the cart. Black blood drips onto the boards. His father’s face is hacked to pieces by sabers. Nakhalenok sees bared teeth and a cut cheek. A large green fly bobs in an open, bloodshot eye. The boy notices his father’s striped sailor shirt. He jumps onto the cart with a cry. Nakhalenok’s legs give way and he falls to the ground.

Night Ride

Bandits ride down the street in the evening. They laugh and smoke. Grandfather takes Savraska to the stable. The old man calls his grandson over. Grandfather says he’s too old to ride. He places Nakhalenok on the horse and ties his feet to the saddle with a rope. The old man orders the boy to ride to the Pronin farmstead. A detachment of Red Army soldiers should be stationed there. Mishka must tell them about the gang’s attack and his father’s death. Grandfather leads the horse along the remote paths beyond the village and slaps him on the rump with his palm.

A boy rides alone across the steppe at night. The moon lights the way. Savraska trots. Nakhalenok hugs the horse’s warm neck. The boy is very scared. The ravine climbs uphill, then descends. Nakhalenok closes his eyes in terror. Soon the horse quickens its pace. Dim lights appear ahead. The barking of dogs carries on the wind. The boy sees the outline of a windmill. Hope arises in Nakhalenok. He urges Savraska on with a shout.

From the darkness comes the sentry’s stern cry: "Who goes there?" Nakhalenok pulls on the reins. The horse senses the other horses nearby and disobeys its rider. Savraska lurches forward. A shot rings out. The boy’s cry is drowned out by the horses’ clopping feet. Savraska falls onto her right side, crushing Nakhalenok’s leg with her weight. The boy feels excruciating pain. Two soldiers with sabers run up to him. They are surprised to see a child standing before them. The soldiers feel the boy.

Losing consciousness, Nakhalenok relays his grandfather’s words. He tells of the gang, of the burned-out Soviet, and of his father’s death. Pain clouds his vision. Colored circles swim before the boy’s eyes. In his delirium, he sees his living father with a red mustache. His grandfather appears, then his mother. At the very end, a man with a large forehead approaches him. The man extends his hand directly toward the boy. Nakhalenok recognizes the leader. He smiles faintly and extends his hand.