(219 words) Vasil Bykov - writer of war. In almost all of his works, he tried to maximally realistically show all sharp and heated events and put the heroes in front of the necessity of choice, inevitability of decision-making. The story of Sotnikov, in which the author focuses on the tragic side of the war, was no exception.
The reader gets acquainted with Sotnikov, a former teacher who was drafted into the army in 1939, and then commanded a battery. Escaped from captivity and seen the horrors of war, the protagonist is no longer afraid of death. The only circumstance he really fears is becoming a burden on others.
Bykov draws the image of Sotnikov in contrast to another hero of the story - Rybak. Both characters behave the same until the last, decisive moment, when both have a choice - to become a traitor and survive or die, but die with dignity. With his act, in an attempt to save the lives of others, Sotnikov wants to help the headman and Demchikha, but in fact, this sacrifice was necessary for him. He is completely devoted to his convictions, and therefore he is not afraid of either torture or impending death.
The fisherman is preparing to become a policeman and, in order to prove his loyalty, personally kills Sotnikov. He goes the way of a moral decline, which his former partner could avoid due to his fearlessness and heightened sense of duty to other people. Yielding to fear, Rybak was able to survive, but at the same time condemned himself to a life full of torment of conscience, while Sotnikov, even in such a difficult situation, remained human and died with dignity.
