By caring for the happiness of others, we increase our own. This common truth has been taken as a basis more than once and can be considered as their summary. Paustovsky, whose “Steel Ring” also falls into this category, describes the experiences of a little girl in a surprisingly touching and tender way. A literary fairy tale sends us a lot of instructive urges: kindness, faith, vision of beauty in everything, even in melting snow...

Troubled childhood and youth

"Steel Ring", the main characters of which are poor and simple people, shows a quiet and calm village life. But one day there was an attack. My grandfather ran out of shag right in the middle of winter. The old smoker was very sad; so much so that he got sick. Although the cause of the disease was not at all in the absence of shag, but the grandfather explained it in this way. Varyusha is very worried.

Campaign for shag for grandfather

And so the girl goes for shag to the neighboring village of Busts. Having bought and securely tied it in a bundle, the girl decided to look at the railway, which passed nearby. Varyusha especially wanted to see trains rushing at high speed. When Konstantin Paustovsky wrote "The Steel Ring", trains were not yet a common occurrence in the life of the village inhabitants. They went to look at them as if they were a curiosity.

At the station, right on the platform, the girl meets two soldiers waiting for the train. Seeing that Varyusha imprudently approached the edge of the platform, the senior soldier warns the girl about the danger. The composition will sweep so fast that it can simply be blown right under the wheels.

Kindness and selflessness of a common man

The attention of the military was attracted by the uncomplicated knot of the girl. One of the soldiers decided to clarify whether it was shag, and asks to sell them some. However, Varyusha does not agree, arguing that her grandfather does not allow her to do such actions. Instead of selling, she simply unfolds her box and invites the fighters to take as much tobacco as they need.

The soldier readily agreed and lit a cigarette with pleasure. He asked: what would she want for her kindness? The girl replied that she, in general, did not need anything. But the fighter decided to thank the girl and gave her an ordinary steel ring.

Magic gift

Why do we say: the fairy tale "Steel Ring"? Paustovsky could well describe the simplicity and charm of a child's soul and not come up with anything supernatural. But no. The fighter does not just give a ring, he talks about its magical qualities.

Say, if you wear it on the middle finger, then the ring will immediately bring health to Varyusha's relatives; on the nameless - great joy will happen in her life; well, and if you wear it on your index finger, the girl will have long journeys through wonderful countries. Varyusha took the ring, but expressed distrust. The second fighter convincingly said that his friend was a sorcerer.

Big choice

On the way home, the girl was thinking about which finger to put the ring on. Looking at the gift again, she remembered that the sorcerer had not said anything about what would happen if she was dressed. Having come to the conclusion that magical properties do not apply to the smallest finger, the girl decided to postpone important decisions. She just put a ring on her little finger.

But her finger was so small that the ring could not hold and fell into the snow. The snow in that place was deep, and the ring immediately fell to the very bottom. Varyusha grieved for a long time, tearing the snow with her hands. But the ring was nowhere to be found. Marking this place with a spruce branch, she decides to postpone the search until spring.

Sparrow Sidor

However, it was embarrassing to the point of tears. Already at home, having given the shag to her grandfather, she told him about this strange incident. Old Kuzma, pacified by tobacco, reassures the girl, saying that in the spring there will certainly be a ring. In the meantime, he proposes to attach the old sparrow Sidor, who lived in their house, to the search.

It should be noted that the sparrow lived with our heroes all winter almost as a host, little regard for the opinions of people. Kashi strove to peck directly from bowls on the table, snatched bread from his hands, and if he was not allowed to do this, he got angry, swelled like a bubble, and tried to bite. At the same time, Sidor tweeted so viciously that even ordinary birds that flew to the noise heard him.

The next day, Varyusha, having caught the sparrow, carried it to the scene. Putting him on the tip of a spruce branch, the girl asked him to look for the ring. But the sparrow ruffled and immediately flew back to the warm hut. Varyusha despaired of finding the ring before spring. And they lived just like before.

What does Paustovsky talk about? The "steel ring", the main idea of ​​which is literally invisible, is filled with the most accurate descriptions of the state of nature. It seems that with a change in Varyusha's mood, the colors outside the window of their house also change.

Thaw

This is where the summary comes to an end. Paustovsky's "Steel Ring" ends optimistically and life-affirmingly. Once Varyusha woke up from the fact that a sparrow happily tapped on the window with its beak. Approaching him, the girl saw that the thaw had finally come. The snow began to melt, icicles fell, bizarre streams formed on the ground, and the sun shone somehow especially kindly, and it was felt that it was warming.

A few days later, when it finally warmed up, Varya goes to the place where the ring was lost. Carefully raking the damp soil and turf, the girl discovered the lost ring. Varya, without hesitation, puts it on her middle finger and returns home. Already approaching the hut, the girl with amazement sees her grandfather on the mound. He is ruddy and cheerful and very optimistically declares that the ailment has receded. The girl thanks her ring for curing her grandfather.

There is nothing better than home

However, Varyusha is in no hurry to put the ring on other fingers and travel. She understands that there is probably nothing better than her land in the world. This is how Paustovsky's "Steel Ring" ends. The main idea becomes clear: there is nothing eternal in the world. The period of despair will surely be replaced by hope. The author's images amazingly reveal all the subtlety and harmony of human relationships. After reading "The Steel Ring", you are charged with optimism and faith in the future. And, of course, the fairy tale very expressively conveys patriotic feelings, love for the native land.