Brief summary of the story of Lapti for the reader's diary.

Ivan Bunin's story "Lapti" is a short story, at first glance, very simple and understandable. This is a story from village life. In a peasant hut, a child is rushing around in a fever. Delirious, he begs the adults to bring him red sandals. His grandfather, whose name is Nefed, was getting ready to go to the neighboring village to buy bast shoes and red paint. And the next morning the neighboring men brought his frozen body. Nefed had children's bast shoes and a bottle of paint in his bosom.

The main idea of ​​this work is that self-sacrifice is one of the main driving forces the human soul that can overcome anything.

Read the summary of Lapti Bunin

The story “Lapti” is one of the most brilliant examples of Ivan Bunin’s prose. This story written in simple words O ordinary people, touches to the core. The plot of the story is simple, but it is impossible to tear yourself away from it. This is a poem about boundless dedication and a very strong character.

The action takes place in winter. The weather is terrible outside. A blizzard has been blowing for several days, and it is impossible to look through the blizzard.

On a remote farm in a peasant hut, the owners are in great grief. Their son is sick. There is nothing we can do to help him, because no one can go to the doctor or bring him to them. In a snowstorm you can get lost and freeze to death.

Mother of the child in in complete despair. Her child is delirious and dying of fever, and she can do nothing to help him. Her husband is away, and the knowledge of this only increases her feeling of complete helplessness.

Grandfather Nefed comes to the hut. He has straw in his hands to light the stove. After hanging around in the hallway, grandfather Nefed looks into the room to ask how his grandson is feeling. The mother tells him that the child is very sick, weak and suffering from fever. Most likely, the boy will not survive.

Delirious, the child constantly talks about some red little shoes. He begs to bring them to him and cries. The mother does not understand why the child needs red bast shoes and is surprised at this strange fantasy. But grandfather Nefed explains this to her wisely and simply: “the soul demands.”

It dawns on Nefed that you can buy simple bast shoes and paint them magenta, then the child will be happy and get better. But where can I get bast shoes and paint? Of course, in the next village, and, of course, right now. And the elderly peasant, without hesitation or hesitation, goes into a blizzard and blizzard to get his grandson red bast shoes.

Grandfather Nefed is a truly Russian character, with a rich soul and an unconquered character. What is more important - the attraction of the soul or self-preservation? What is stronger – emotional impulse or common sense?

Common sense says to stay home. Self-preservation says the same thing. Indeed, there is a snowstorm and cold outside. Isn't it better to submit to circumstances and watch the child die? And will those same red bast shoes be able to save him, even if they manage to get them?

The main characters of this work come face to face with two merciless and irresistible forces - the blizzard and death. How to resist them? Is it worth it to follow your spiritual impulses so recklessly in order to fulfill the fleeting whim of a child, a fantasy that came to him in delirium?

Costs. And grandfather Nefed challenges the elements and death, not wanting to submit to circumstances.

Nefed does not discuss the wisdom of his decision. Since the soul desires such a wonderful gift - red bast shoes - it means that they must be brought at all costs, and doubting and hesitating is a sin.

The whole night passed in anxiety. The mother looked after her son and waited for grandfather Nefed.

In the morning she heard a knock on the window. Neighboring men brought the body of grandfather Nefed, who got lost and froze on the way home.

The men told the inconsolable woman how they were driving in a snowstorm and were afraid of getting lost. When the snowstorm completely swirled them around, they fell into a ravine, and thought that their end was near. In the ravine they found the body of a peasant, recognized him and immediately realized that the house was very close.

Straining all their strength, the men reached the farm, bringing with them the body of grandfather Nefed. And when they took off the dead grandfather’s sheepskin coat, he found little children’s paws and a bottle of magenta in his bosom.

Whose souls does grandfather Nefed save - the child, his mother distraught with grief, those men who almost froze to death? Will the sick child survive, finally receiving the desired red bast shoes? The reader will have to answer these questions for himself.

Ivan Bunin’s short story “Lapti” is written on only two pages, but it has a lot of meaning for the attentive reader. The plot of the work describes a remote farm where the master’s son became seriously ill. In a painful delirium, he asks his relatives for red bast shoes.

The child identifies bast shoes with a saving straw, after receiving which he will be able to overcome death. At the same time, a real blizzard broke out on the ground. And in such weather no one manages to bring the boy his dream. The writer describes the weather as only he can. The reader clearly understands that the blizzard is really strong in front of a person who cannot hold out in it even for a few moments. And suddenly, without asking anyone, Nefed decides to take a desperate act at the behest of the child’s soul, and goes out into the street to get the boy red bast shoes. Moreover, in his impulse, he does not pay attention to bad weather. Nefed will never be able to return. And the next morning, passing men will find him near the road, and this will save their lives.

Bunin leaves the reader the right to finish the story, the ending of which is unknown. We do not know whether the child recovered or whether Nefed saved him. However, the author, having lifted the veil of intrigue, says that Nefed had the long-awaited bast shoes and a bottle of medicine in his bosom. At the end of the work, the reader may well think about Nefed’s action. Although we see that the hero saved the passing men with his sacrifice. Nefed died without any regret, expecting absolutely no gratitude for his action.

And the meaning of the story immediately becomes clear. Nefed decided, without hesitation, to fulfill the will of the boy’s soul. It is she who becomes the highest moral treasure for a person. Moreover, the will of the sick boy is above all else for him. It is possible that the hero saw in this the will of the Almighty himself, who directed Nefed on a difficult path.

He committed the act without even thinking that such an impulse could be called a feat with a capital F. And here the power of human moral understanding is manifested. With this work, Bunin teaches the reader to perform noble and high deeds.

(No ratings yet)

Other writings:

1. I. A. Bunin “Lapti” Essay Artistic originality story. In the story “Lapti,” the author makes me perceive the world through sight and hearing, instantly plunging me into the space where this story took place. The element of life, its diversity is compared with the element of nature and the unknown tomorrow. Exactly Read More......
2. The Forgotten Fountain In Ivan Bunin’s poem “The Forgotten Fountain,” written by the poet in 1902, we find confirmation of the writer’s creative direction, which was expressed in the words that the author is looking for a combination of the beautiful and the eternal in the world. Here Bunin used his favorite form of lyricism Read More......
3. Arsenyev's life Alexey Arsenyev was born in the 70s. XIX century in central Russia, on his father’s estate, on the Kamenka farm. His childhood years were spent in the silence of discreet Russian nature. Endless fields with the aromas of herbs and flowers in summer, vast expanses of snow Read More ......
4. Loneliness Bunin's poem “Loneliness” can only be called melodramatic at first glance. In fact, everything is not so simple. The author shows the spiritual well-being of the artist, who is trying to preserve his essence in an unfavorable environment. Main character poems, is a man of art who does not know Read More......
5. Snake Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is rightfully considered the singer of Russian nature. His work clearly expresses the beauty and harmony of the physical world with powerful force environment. The poet always reveals a beautiful, bright world, in which sometimes there is cruelty to human creation or Read More......
6. The Last Bumblebee Ivan Bunin is considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. The main creativity of the writer lies in elegance, contemplation and sadness, as usual state of mind. The same mood is reflected in the poem “The Last Bumblebee.” Sadness and melancholy, sometimes without a specific reason, Read More......
7. Evening Reading Ivan Bunin’s work “Evening”, one can understand that the author was impressed by the Oryol or Voronezh lands, where the poet has been working for more than one year. The poem itself can be divided into several parts, the basis of which is the philosophical reasoning of the lyrical character that Read More ......
8. Chang's dreams Chang (the dog) is dozing, remembering how six years ago in China he met his current owner, the captain. During this time, their fate changed dramatically: they no longer swim, they live in the attic, in a large and cold room with low ceilings. Read More......

A story about human mercy and compassion. Village resident Nefyod is very worried about the owner’s boy, who is lying with high temperature. Not a single doctor can get to such a fierce cold and the child is treated as best they can. In his delirium, the master's son asks to bring him red bast shoes, and the kind Nefyod decides to fulfill the boy's request, although he understands that there is a snowstorm outside. At dawn, Nefed is found dead, but with bast shoes: he got them, but at the cost of his own life.

The main idea is that everything in the world can be done for a child to alleviate his suffering.

Read a summary of Lapti Bunin's story

The story takes place in a run-down village in the bitter winter. The woman's child became very ill. He lay with a high fever and was burning and delirious. The winter this year turned out to be severe: the blizzard did not subside for five whole days. The child felt bad. Crying and begging his mother, the boy for some reason asked to get him some sandals. At first, the woman decided that her son’s temperature was rising even higher, since he was asking for something unknown. And the boy persistently begged to get him bast shoes, but not the usual ones they wear in the village, but red ones. He cried endlessly, and his mother, out of helplessness, also could not hold back her tears. It seemed to her that the boy was delirious, and maybe it was his last days. Out of fear, she prayed and cried even more.

And outside the windows the snow kept falling and falling. The woman didn't know what to do. Her husband had gone somewhere far away, and getting to the doctor was out of the question. She understood perfectly well that the horses would not go far through the snowdrifts, and the hospital was very far away, and even the doctor would not get to them in such a snowstorm. All we could do was wait and hope.

When the door in the hallway knocked, the woman looked in that direction. It turned out that it was her servant Nefed who brought straw to light the stove. He hesitated, and then carefully looked into the room where the sick child lay. He nodded his head and quietly asked how the boy was feeling. The upset woman said that she had already lost hope that the boy would feel better. In bewilderment, she told Nefed that the child, as if in delirium, kept asking for some kind of red bast shoes. The servant was surprised by the patient’s quirk, scratched the back of his head, and decided to find such bast shoes, since the child was asking for it. The woman was seriously alarmed. She began to say that it was bitterly cold outside, and that there was nowhere to get red bast shoes. Nefyod realized that he could paint bast shoes with magenta, but to do this he needed to go to a shop in a neighboring village. He assumed that it would be difficult to get there on horseback, and decided that he would somehow get there on foot. He said and left. In the kitchen, Nefyod put on a warmer sheepskin coat, wrapped a sash around him so that the wind wouldn’t open the floors, and went through the deep snowdrifts to paint his bast shoes.

Time has passed. Everyone in the house had already had dinner a long time ago, but Nefed still did not return. It was assumed that the servant must have stayed overnight somewhere, but that didn’t make it any easier. All the household members were worried about Nefyod, and their souls were restless. The wind whistled outside the windows and a blizzard blew. An inconsolable mother sat at the child’s head, and a lit candle stood nearby. The woman put it on the floor so that the light would not seem bright to her boy. She sat next to her son, neither alive nor dead. And the son continued to burn. He tossed about in delirium and begged with tears to get him red bast shoes. Some shadows were reflected from the candle on the wall, and it seemed to the child that the entire wall was on fire, and some figures were dancing there. The whole night was tense, and when dawn came, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Some voices and footsteps were heard on the street. The woman listened. Now she clearly understood that someone had arrived. She heard someone persistently knocking on the window. These were several men from Novosyolki, from the village where Nefed had gone the day before. They brought an icy body that lay on a sled. It was Nefed, frozen in the snow. The men told how they discovered the body. It turns out that they were driving from the city, and drove around in the snowdrifts for a long time until they got stuck. So they wandered all night.

In the morning, when it dawned, they and their horse drifted into some meadows. The men were completely disheartened. With such a blizzard, they lost their way and decided that this was where they would end their existence. They realized that they would no longer be able to get out of the snowdrifts. And suddenly they discovered that something was sticking out of the snow. Taking a closer look, the men saw that someone’s feet in felt boots were sticking out of the snowdrift. Apparently some person froze in the snow. Gathering their last strength, the men began to clear away the rubble. When they cleared the snow from their face, they realized that it was Nefed from the neighboring village. Then they roughly understood where they were and that the village was just a stone's throw away. They loaded the body onto the sled and began to move slowly.

Poor Nefed lay dead, and no one could believe it. But the most surprising thing was that in his bosom he had new children's bast shoes for a sick boy, and next to him a small bottle of magenta.

Bunin's story "Lapti" was written in 1924, after the writer moved to France. In his book, he described the life of pre-revolutionary Russia and with great love revealed the original character of the Russian people.

For reader's diary and preparing for a literature lesson, it is recommended to read online a summary of “Lapti”. You can test your knowledge using a test on our website.

Main characters

Nefed- a simple Russian peasant with a big heart.

Other characters

Child- a seriously ill boy.

Mother– mother of a sick child, kind and loving woman.

Short description

“Great grief” comes to the manor’s house - a child becomes very ill. The unfortunate mother is in despair: her husband is away, and “the doctor is thirty miles away.” A blizzard has been raging for five days now, and in such weather not a single doctor will be able to come to a sick child.

The old faithful servant Nefed learns from the lady that the boy, in extreme delirium, is constantly asking for some red bast shoes. After thinking a little, the man firmly declares: “So, we need to get it.” This means the soul desires.”

He believes that it is not difficult to fulfill a child’s wish. The only thing to do is buy new bast shoes and paint them magenta. But getting to the nearest shop in Novoselki, located six miles from the manor’s house, is a much more serious task in such bad weather.

The woman tries to dissuade Nefed from this idea, but in vain. Night falls, the house is buried “in the abyss of a snow hurricane and darkness,” and everyone decides that Nefed in Novoselki “stayed overnight if God informed.”

All night, the mother of a sick child, tormented “from fear and from her helplessness,” whispers prayers and asks the Lord for help.

The next morning, the Novosel men bring the body of “white, frozen, completely covered with snow” Nefed. Having gotten lost during a snowstorm, they were able to find their way only thanks to Nefed’s felt boots sticking out of the snow. In his bosom they found “new baby shoes and a bottle of magenta.”

Conclusion

This story teaches kindness, compassion, mercy. Nefed is a collective image of the simple Russian people, capable of sacrificing themselves to save human life.

Story test

Check your memorization of the summary content with the test:

Retelling rating

Average rating: 4.5. Total ratings received: 555.

Ivan Bunin, “Lapti” (a brief summary follows) is short story with a seemingly simple plot. However, Bunin’s talent lies in the fact that when you read his works, you guess yourself or a story you heard just now with a tragic ending...

Sometimes late in the evening, when it’s completely dark, you go to the window, look out onto the street, and there are hundreds of thousands of windows. Some glow with a bright yellow light, others are dark, but behind each of them you can read its own story, its own story, its own plot develops...

So in Bunin's prose - gray everyday life with its curiosities and incidents. However, there is one “but” that cannot be expressed in one word, or even words. It reaches to the very depths of the human soul and brings out something truly living, real, something that you are afraid to miss, to lose again in this thickness of misunderstanding, in an endless string of words and actions. So..

Ivan Bunin, “Lapti”: summary

Winter. The fifth day is an impenetrable blizzard and blizzard. Not a soul around. Outside the windows of one farm house there is grief - a child is seriously ill. Despair, fear and helplessness took over the mother's heart. My husband is away, he can’t get to the doctor, and he himself won’t be able to get there in this weather. What to do?

There was a knock in the hallway. It was Nefed who brought straw for the stove. A minute or two later he looked into the room to ask about the child's health. It turned out that the boy was very weak, he was on fire, most likely he would not survive, but the main thing was that in his delirium he kept mentioning some red bast shoes, asking for them...

Without hesitation, Nefed goes to the neighboring village for new bast shoes and for magenta - red paint: if he asks, it means his soul desires it, and he must definitely go and get it...

The night passed in anxious anticipation.

In the morning there was an ominous knock on the window. These were men from a neighboring village. They brought Nefed's frozen body. We discovered it by accident when we ourselves fell into a snow hole and were already desperate to escape. But when they saw the stiff body of Nefed, whom they knew, they realized that the farm was very close. They strained their last strength and reached the people.

In his belt, under the man's sheepskin coat, lay new children's bast shoes and a bottle of magenta. This is how the story (I.A. Bunin) “Lapti” ends, a brief summary of which was outlined above.

Main idea: “Lapti”, Bunin I. A.

The last sentence, period, end of the story. While reading a particular work, we are more captivated by the plot than by what is hidden behind the words and actions of the main characters. However, then hundreds of thoughts come: why, for what, why... The story that Ivan Bunin wrote - “Lapti” - is, first of all, an ode to extraordinary kindness and readiness for self-sacrifice. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, the first layer that invites you to dig further and discover new and unexpected riches. What else is hidden behind the “scenery” of the unfolding drama?

A merciless element rules outside the window, ready to destroy anyone who dares to resist it. Death is on the threshold, waiting in the wings without pity and unnecessary doubts. The inconsolable mother humbly freezes before her. And only Nefed shows the determination to resist these two inevitabilities and follow the dictates of the soul.

And at this moment the reader is overcome with feelings that are difficult to convey in words. It’s as if a thin thread of light, something inexplicable, and at the same time painfully familiar, penetrates, passes through and connects souls, destinies and circumstances. Nefed does not try to explain his, at first glance, extravagant desire to go for bast shoes in an impassable blizzard and blizzard. He knows one thing - the soul desires, and here it is sinful to reason and argue. The question arises: whose soul called him on the road: a dying boy, an inconsolable mother, himself, or those lost men? The seemingly absurd, and sometimes even stupid, death of Nefed becomes significant, and, one might say, a necessary sacrifice. She gave the right to life to those lost men from the neighboring village, and perhaps even to a child.

Once again I would like to remind you that this story, written by Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, is called “Lapti”. A summary, of course, cannot convey all the subtlety and depth of feelings of the main characters, so reading the original is simply necessary.