What is The Steadfast Tin Soldier about? Review of the fairy tale by H.H. Andersen “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”

25.09.2019 Technique

The texts of fairy tales seem to be something kind to the child in any case. Only with age, when a person grows up, does it seem to him that fairy tales are actually not children's works, but very adult, philosophical and deep. Of course, how a particular story is presented is also very important. Today we will talk about the work “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”. A summary of it awaits the reader in this article.

The "wrong" tin soldier

The story begins with (if we omit the author's introduction) that a boy from a wealthy family is given a box of tin soldiers for his birthday. There are only 25 of them. And the last one was a little unlucky: there wasn’t enough tin, and so he turned out to be one-legged. Even from the meager descriptions that the author leaves, the reader understands that the soldier is very upset because of his difference from others. And lo and behold! In the room he sees a ballerina of heavenly beauty. An angel, not a ballerina. And surprisingly, she also stands on one leg.

Here we need to interrupt the story about the work “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” ( summary which is the focus of our attention) and say: the ballerina, of course, was not one-legged, she raised her other leg so high that the soldier simply did not notice her.

The servant hid behind a snuffbox on the table and watched the girl from his hiding place. She didn’t see him, but he was looking at her vigilantly behind her. At night, when people were already asleep, the toys began to have fun. Only two did not move - the soldier and the ballerina.

The Troll's Grim Prophecy

Suddenly, a troll jumped out of the snuffbox, where they had never kept tobacco in their life, and began to tease the soldier that he was not so good for such a beautiful ballerina. The soldier didn't listen. Then the troll threatened him that something terrible would happen to the lover in the morning. At this point in the work “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” (the summary, we hope, makes you feel this), the reader’s heart skips a beat, he asks himself: “What will happen to the poor warrior?”

The ordeal of the tin soldier

The child found the soldier in the morning and put him on the window. It accidentally opened and the soldier fell out. It is unknown whether a troll was involved in this or not. The boy and his nanny ran out into the street, but no matter how hard they looked, they could not find him. Meanwhile, it began to rain. No, not even a whole downpour. The boy left. Other street children found the tin brave (after all, he had not lost his presence of mind during all this time) and let him into the ditch. At this time, the children joyfully clapped their hands and shouted. The hero of the work “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” (the summary slowly moves towards the finale) was not amused. After all, for him, the ditch is a whole river, and this river was heading towards a waterfall - a large canal. In addition, he met a rat on his way. For some reason she asked him for a passport or pass, but the water carried the soldier away from Toothy. The ship began to sink, and with it the soldier. Then darkness swallowed him, but it was not death, but only the belly of a fish.

The vicissitudes of fate

Next we outline it in dotted lines. The little soldier was removed from the belly of the fish by the cook. The fish, naturally, was caught and ended up in the market, and then in the kitchen. And an amazing thing: the traveler ended up in the same house. They put him in the same place. True, the brave man’s joy was short-lived. One of the children who were in the house (the smallest boy) picked him up and threw him into the stove. Of course, the troll put him up to it, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

What happened to the hero next is easy to guess - he melted. Andersen describes this scene wonderfully. “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” is a work that is worth reading only in its entirety, especially since it is short. But the author leaves the most dramatic moment for last.

The ballerina, obeying a sudden gust of wind, goes into the stove after the hero. Lovers (now one can say so) die hand in hand. It was probably not scary or painful for the soldier to die next to his beloved.

The fabulous and amazing story “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” is always interesting for children, as it tells about the strong but short love of two heroes who do not say a single word throughout the entire plot. But this story ends with strong love tragic and sad.

Andersen's collection "Fairy Tales Told to Children"

Published in Denmark in 1935 small book already a famous children's writer. This collection was a huge success and immediately sold out. Even the author himself did not expect that his small but instructive tales would enjoy such success.

This collection also includes the fairy tale story “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” a summary of which is in this article. After the publication of this book, it appeared in Denmark and new tradition: Hans Christian Andersen's book now began to be republished at the same time. Each time it was published on the eve of Christmas and New Year's holidays, and parents bought it to give a pleasant and long-awaited gift to their children.

Summary of the fairy tale “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”

The child is given a gift on his birthday. These are twenty-five little soldiers made of tin. But only one of them is very different from the rest. And all because when the toys were made, there was not enough material at low tide, and the warrior was left without one leg. In Andersen's fabulous and instructive story “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” a brief summary helps to understand the main idea of ​​the work. At night the toys come to life. And this is already interesting for kids, because they dream of it being like this.

When all the toys in the boy’s room come to life, the soldier, who was watching everything, saw a small and fragile dancer with whom he immediately fell in love. The dancer was wonderful! Her every movement, every wave of her hand - it was all magnificent. But the author in the fairy tale “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” a summary that always interests children of different ages, shows both the tension and the silence that reigns in the room when a terrible troll appears. He immediately notices the soldier and, seeing that he liked the dancer, warns him not to even look at her.

But the warrior did not pay any attention to the formidable troll and continued to admire the thin and fragile ballerina. Then the villain promised that he would definitely deal with him. This is what happens in the fairy tale “The Steadfast Tin Soldier.” Let’s continue the summary with the fact that in the morning the toy was placed on the windowsill, and the window was open. The wind blew, he could not stand on one leg and fell out. While he was lying under the window, it began to rain.

Soon the boys find the toy, they made a small boat out of paper and put a soldier in it and sent it into the ditch. On the way, there is first a collision with a rat, and then, when the ship capsizes, the toy is swallowed by a fish. It ends up on the table of the owner of the house where the tin soldier used to live. And yet the end is sad: the boy throws the toy into the fireplace. The wind carries the dancer there too.

Screen adaptation

Andersen's fairy tale "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", a summary of which is in this article, was filmed both in Russia and abroad. Most best job is an animated film of the same name, which was released in 1976.

Although before this there were already attempts to film Andersen’s fairy tale. The first took place in 1934. The director was Ub Iwerks, and the cartoon was called "Jack in the Box." There were other attempts.

H.H. Andersen is the author of fairy tales known throughout the world. His fairy tales are read by both children and adults; they contain deep meaning. One of his creations is “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” a story about one soldier who was different from all his brothers. He was one-legged because there was not enough tin for the second leg.

The main meaning of Andersen's fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier

This touching story says that love is stronger than all terrible troubles and disappointments. And even if the world is full of evil and ignorance, you can overcome a lot if there is love.

Summary of Andersen The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Parents little boy decided to give their son 25 tin soldiers. The boy was very happy with the gift and immediately began to play with them. At this time, the one-legged but very persistent tin soldier was captivated not by playing with the boy, but by a beautiful dancer who stood on one leg and gracefully raised her other leg above her head. She lived in a cardboard house, the house was very beautiful. It had a beautiful garden, a lake and many rooms. And the beauty herself was made of cardboard, and on her chest there was a shiny brooch.

The soldier was so impressed by her beauty that he could not take his eyes off the dancer, but only thought about how to get to know her, the girl also looked at him. He decided to come closer, but suddenly his path was blocked by an evil troll who jumped out of a snuffbox standing near a cardboard house. He didn't like the way the soldier looked at the pretty girl. The troll cursed the soldier, promising him big trouble the next morning.

With the onset of dawn, the soldier was found lying near the snuffbox and placed on the window; with a blow of wind, he fell straight from the third floor and got stuck between the stones. This is where the journey of the poor tin soldier began. On his dangerous path, he met an annoying rat who wanted to catch him, then a stream of water washed him into a large canal. And when the soldier fell to the bottom, he did not stop thinking about one thing, about that beautiful dancer whom he loved so much. But fate had many surprises in store for him; the soldier was swallowed by a fish. He spent a lot of time in the fish's stomach until the fish were caught by fishermen and it went straight to the kitchen table of the very house where it was lost.

The cook, having discovered an amazing find, immediately made the boy happy. And now the soldier was already at home, he saw a familiar room and that same cardboard house. But the boy acted cruelly to the soldier; he threw him into the burning fireplace. The soldier melted, but held firm. He could not take his eyes off his beloved, who was also looking at him. A draft swept through the room, and the cardboard dancer flew straight into the fireplace. It burned instantly and the soldier had already melted by that time.

In the morning, in the smoldering room, the cleaning lady found a small piece of tin that looked like a heart and a darkened, no longer so sparkling brooch.

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The Steadfast Tin Soldier- a fairy tale by the Danish writer H.H. Andersen.

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" summary

A boy is given 25 tin soldiers for his birthday, one of which is missing a leg. Since it was cast last, there was not enough tin for it. At night, the toys come to life and begin to live their own lives.

The soldier finds love - a beautiful dancer. Suddenly a troll appears from the snuffbox and says: “Tin soldier, you don’t need to look!” Angry that the soldier is ignoring him, the troll threatens to deal with him. The next morning the soldier is placed on the window, which suddenly opens and the soldier falls.

It starts to rain. The soldier is found by two street boys, who put him on a homemade boat, which they launch into a ditch. Along the way, he meets a rat who demands his passport. When the water from the ditch rushes into the canal, the boat sinks and the soldier is swallowed by a fish. This fish ends up in the kitchen of the toy's owner. The fish is cut open and a tin soldier is found. He is taken back to the nursery. Some boy threw the poor guy into the fireplace. The dancer is carried there by a gust of wind, and she burns, and the soldier melts.