Lagin, "Old Man Khottabych": a brief summary and main characters

Lazar Lagin wrote a wonderful fairy story . "Old Man Khottabych" tells how a mighty sorcerer from Arabian mythology enters the Soviet state and gets acquainted with the realities of the 1930s. About what came of it, you can learn from this article.

Acquaintance with the genie

The book begins with the fact that a simple Soviet schoolboy Vladimir Kostylkov, swimming in the lake, finds an ancient pitcher. Curiosity does not allow him to take the find to the nearest police station. He tries to look inside and ... gets into a fairy tale. From this moment extraordinary miracles begin to occur in his life. It turns out that in this jug for several millennia the ancient genie named Gassan Abdurahman ibn Hottab is languishing. After liberation, the wizard swears to his savior in eternal devotion and loyalty. So begins his work L. Lagin. "Old Man Khottabych," a summary of which is set forth in this article, is a story about the adventures of two completely different but kind and cheerful heroes.

Geography exam

The temporary gulf between the Pioneer of Volka and the ancient Middle Jinn was so enormous that the characters of the fairy tale all the time get into ridiculous situations. With a burning desire to help the boy, Hottabych goes with him to the exam and amazes the Soviet teachers with the depth of knowledge in the field of the subject. Teachers are surprised to learn that in India the main representatives of fauna are ants the size of a dog. In addition, our planet is a flat disk, and the horizon is a face where the dome of heaven is in contact with the earth. All this information Volka ibn Alesha was forced to speak to the teachers, because he was under the influence of the charms of Hottabych. The first miracle of the oriental sorcerer ended in a devastating failure of the boy in the exam. The upset pioneer never dared to tell the genie about it. This test subjects his heroes Lagin. "Old Man Khottabych," the brief content of which we represent to you, carries readers to an entertaining and unpredictable story.

A walk to the movies

Further events turn into an even greater catastrophe for Volka. He is going to go to the cinema, but misses the afternoon session. To help his young master get into the evening show, Hottabych rewards him with a long and round beard. The sixth-grader in this form catches the eye of a friend - Zhenya Bograd. An enterprising genie sends an unwitting witness Wolkin's disgrace to India, so that the rumor of a bearded schoolboy does not spread through the city. Of course, Zhenya does not stay there for long, because a just and courageous Volka can not leave a comrade in trouble. With great humor and fantasy, wrote his fairy tale Lagin. "Old Man Khottabych," the summary of which can not convey the entire charm of the work, tells us that it is not right to violate established rules. After all, everyone is waiting for this inevitable payoff.

Other adventures

Volka and Zhenya are trying their best to train the genie to the realities of Soviet life. Accustomed to the ancient Eastern way, Hottabych constantly gets into a mess: it makes a stir near the street booth, then performs miracles at the stadium, then everyone surprises in the circus. However, on account of the sorcerer there are also noble deeds. He sharply besieges a mercantile and inhuman foreigner, sends rascally lads to the police and even creates fair justice in Italy. At the very end of the story, readers are witnessing the touching reunion of Hottabych with his brother Omar. This genie turns out to be the complete opposite of a formidable but very fair and kind Hassan Abdurahman. For the greed and malice of the sorcerer, Hottabych eventually turns "amiable" Omar into a moon companion. Lagin constantly surprises his readers. "Old Man Khottabych" (the summary of the story, of course, is not able to convey the charm of the work) tells that even an ancient wizard can be re-educated and instilled with him socialist values.

The Ideas of Communism

Undiscovered communist propaganda filled the tale "Old Man Khottabych." Lagin Lazar Iosifovich struggled to convey to his young readers the idea of the correct and just organization of the Soviet state. Surprisingly, but the story has not lost a special atmosphere of magic, humor and good. Two main characters - the typical Soviet pioneer Vladimir Kostylkov and the ancient genre Gassan Abdurahman ibn Khottab - it is incredibly difficult to understand each other. The wizard believes that a rich man must necessarily be happy. But the principled Volka refuses with indignation the luxurious gifts of the genie: a wristwatch of gold, a magnificent palace and caravans laden with jewels. This puts Hottabych in perplexity. But over time, he begins to imbue with the ideas of communism.

Unfamiliar realities

Very funny in the story, situations are being played out in which the wizard encounters the twentieth-century realities that he does not understand. For example, he takes the metro and the locomotive for the devilish incarnations of the terrible king of the Djirgins' genies, and the usual phone makes Hotabbich extremely surprised. The idea of universal equality in general seems to the inhabitant of the slave state a complete savagery. But this does not prevent him from justice to punish a greedy foreigner - Mr. Vandendalles - and a cruel Italian inspector. Very kind, sympathetic and childishly curious made the ancient Middle-Eastern genie Lagin. "Old Man Khottabych" - a book that true love of life and curiosity do not depend on age and can be peculiar even to very old people.

main characters

Charming Hottabych at the very beginning of the story may seem like an unpleasant old man, but during the reading he involuntarily evokes sympathy. In the tale, the funny genie seems to be a more real and living character than a somewhat idealized and correct pioneer Wolka. Yes, the wizard is often wrong, sometimes behaves very strangely, but his eccentricities cause a smile, and not irritation. This is what Lagin wanted. "Old Man Khottabych," whose main characters are fond of many readers, is about good people who can penetrate human values regardless of their origin and upbringing. And those who can not do this are immediately punished by enterprising Hottabych.

Conclusion

After reading this book, only good feelings remain. An interesting and instructive story was invented by Lagin. "Old Man Khottabych", reviews of which are always positive, has a pleasant pastime in the company of a funny genie and a principled schoolboy from the Soviet era. Adults say that this work is of special value to them. For them, it is a kind of magic ticket to a carefree childhood, allowing you to once again briefly believe in miracles. Children "Old Man Khottabych" also like it. Therefore, it is strongly advised to study this book in the original. Enjoy reading!