Does the author's position on truth, faith and man coincide with the disputes of the overnight stayers in M. Gorky's play "At the Bottom"?
Gorky's play "At the Bottom" certainly has a socio-philosophical character. It reveals not only the gradual moral "dying" of people who find themselves in the most difficult social conditions, but also the author's philosophical views on various problems. Without any doubt, one can say that one of the main themes of the work is a reflection on the Man.
In fact, it seems unusual that each of the inhabitants of the rooming house has its own position on this problem. Gorky in his work shows us scary world complete poverty, hopeless suffering, the world of people placed in extremely inhuman conditions. And it is in this society that the controversy about Man is born.
Of course, each character in the play has his own point of view, but I would especially like to single out three of them: Bubnov, Luka and Satina.
Bubnov's position is skepticism, fatalism, a desire to humiliate a person. He is cruel, does not want to retain any good qualities in himself. There is not a drop of compassion in Bubnov. From his point of view, it is at the absolute day of life that the true essence of a person is exposed, the stratification of civilized, cultural life flies off from him: "... everything faded away, one naked person remained." Apparently, by this he wants to say about the animal essence of man. Bubnov sees in him only low, selfish, not wanting to take into account the development of social, cultural life.
The philosophy of humane deceit in the play is preached by the wanderer Luke. He appears, and with him, pity and compassion enter the life of the roomers. Luke can be called a humane person. But what is Luke's humanism? He has no faith in man. For him, all people are equally insignificant, weak, they need only compassion and consolation: “I don’t care! I respect crooks too; in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: all are black, all are jumping ... ”I think it would not be a mistake to assume that in fact Luka believed that the real situation of a person cannot be changed. It is only possible to change a person's attitude to himself and to those around him, to change his consciousness, his well-being, to reconcile him with life. Hence Luke's comforting lie. For every suffering inhabitant of the rooming house he has a kind word. To the dying Anna, he draws an affectionate death-comforter, a calm afterlife, in Nastya he supports the belief in the existence of the student Gaston and his fatal love. Drunkard Actor Luka talks about a free clinic for alcoholics. His philosophy is that a person must always be supported by inner faith. A clear picture of this is Luke's story about the search for a righteous land. In this parable, we are talking about the fact that the scientist, who destroyed the faith in the righteous land of one of its seekers, destroyed this man - he hanged himself after his illusion dissipated. Thus, Luke wanted to show the weakness of a person in the case when he does not have a goal in life, even an illusory one.
It cannot be denied that Luke, in his own way, stands up for a person, for his dignity: “And everyone is people! No matter how you pretend, no matter how you wobble, but you were born a man, you will die a man ... ”Defending Anna, Luka says:“ ... is it possible to leave a person like that? He - whatever he is - is always worth his price ... ”But still, first of all, Luke’s position is that a person is worthy of pity. It is pity and caress that can return a frightened, brutalized creature with a human appearance. He confirms this with his story about a meeting at a dacha with runaway convicts: “Good men! .. If I hadn’t had pity on them, they might have killed me ... And then - a court, yes a prison, yes Siberia ... what’s the point? Prison - will not teach good, and Siberia will not teach ... but a person will teach ... ".
The wanderer Luke is opposed to the position of the inhabitant of the rooming house Satina. He speaks of a free Man with a capital letter. Satin considers Luke's compassionate humanism to be humiliating: “You must respect a person! Do not pity ... do not humiliate him with pity ... "Satin also condemns the comforting lie:" Lies are the religion of slaves and masters ... "; “Truth is the god of a free man!”; "man - that's the truth!"; “There is only man, everything else is the work of his hands and brain! Human! It's great! That sounds…proud!” But what is a man for Sateen? “What is a person?.. It’s not you, not me, not them… no! - it's you, me, them, the old man, Napoleon, Mohammed ... in one!
But Sateen's romantic dream of a proud, free, strong man contrasted with the reality of his life, his character. Satin is a skeptic. He is apathetic, passive in life. His protest consists in a call for “doing nothing”: “I will give you one piece of advice: do nothing! Simply - burden the earth! .. ”Satin was not just thrown to the“ bottom ”. He himself came there and settled there. He's so comfortable. And so he lives in the basement and drinks away and loses his abilities, although by nature he is endowed with a lively mind. I would like to believe that meeting with Luka can somehow change his life, give him activity, but we understand that this will not happen. This person will continue to deliberately ruin his life, he can only philosophize and do nothing.
So what is the position of the author himself? I think that Sateen's thoughts about man are in many ways the thoughts of Gorky himself. But the writer, of course, condemns the weak-willed position of his hero. He does not accept discrepancies between reasoning and deeds. It cannot be said that Gorky condemned Luke's position. Lies are sometimes really helpful. And every person needs warmth, attention and compassion. Man, that sounds proud. But we must not forget that this word means, first of all, a living being who needs help and support from time to time. That is why we can say that Gorky's view of a person is a reasonable combination of the positions of Luke and Sateen.
One of the most frequently used terms in literary criticism is the author's position. It can become the basis for the topic of an essay, article, abstract or essay. The author's position in the text must be seen and understood as it is expressed.
Term transformation
It should be said that the author's position throughout the development of literature has undergone a number of qualitative changes. At the very beginning of the birth of mass literature (that is, when it separated from folklore, ceased to be of a political or religious nature), the author's assessment was expressed directly in the work. The author could openly talk about which character seemed to him positive or negative, expressed his attitude to what was happening in digressions, in conclusions. Over time, this way of the author's presence in the text became unacceptable, the creator of the text began to distance himself, giving the reader the opportunity to decide for himself which side he is on. This process became especially aggravated in the 20th century, this phenomenon was called by R. Barth "the death of the author". However, not all researchers agree with him, noting that the author in any case assesses the situation, expresses his opinion, he just does it covertly, veiled, using various means.
Ways of expressing the author's position in drama, lyrics and epic
The author of the text is eliminated, which is why Bakhtin called it polyphonic. Indeed, in the text there are a lot of voices, opinions and assessments, among which it is difficult to distinguish the author's. However, everything in the novel suggests that the most important thing for Dostoevsky was to carry out the Gospel idea that the life of every person is valuable in itself, that it is impossible to violate God's main commandment either for the sake of an idea, or for money, or for good purposes. Dostoevsky actively attracts characters of various levels. The very name of the main character is considered by researchers from different positions, one of which recalls the schism that occurred in the history of the Russian Church. The repeated repetition of the numbers 7, 3 again refers us to religious books. It took the Lord 7 days to create this world, 3 is a sacred number for Christians, symbolizing God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.
conclusions
Thus, the author's positions are important for understanding ideological concept works. They can be expressed in different ways. when reading works, one should pay attention, first of all, to the names and surnames of the characters, the details that are mentioned in the text, the clothes of the characters, their portrait characteristics. It is also worth paying special attention to landscape sketches and lyrical digressions.
The role of remarks in dramatic work
on the example of the play "At the bottom"
Teacher: A dramatic work is created by a writer to be staged. When we come to the theater and see a play staged by the director, only monologues and dialogues reach us from the literary text. literary heroes- remarks remain “behind the scenes”. However, we must remember that the author creates a dramatic work for reading, so stage directions are not only “instructions” for the director, but also “help” for the reader. What, in your opinion, is the role of remarks in a dramatic work?
(Sample student responses: They implement the author's thoughts. Through remarks, the author “invisibly” enters the play, expressing his attitude towards the characters, their relationships, and the social problems of his time.)
Teacher: turned to drama at the beginning of the twentieth century, in the era of the economic crisis in Russia. The play "At the Bottom" was written in 1902, and the actual material for it was the direct communication of the writer with the people of the "bottom", the inhabitants of Moscow doss houses, the number of which increased in the capital every year. The author paints the tragedy of a contemporary person in his play, and this idea is carried out in each remark. Let's open the play and see how it is implemented. Let's open the book. As you know, first of all, the author's idea is reflected in the title of the work. As you know, Gorky did not immediately find the name “At the Bottom” - there were options “Bottom”, “Without the Sun”. Why do you think he called his play that way? What is the meaning of the name?
(Sample student responses: If we are talking about people "at the bottom", then there is an association with a drowned man, that is dead man, but these people are alive, which emphasizes their tragedy - they are dead for society, for those around them, they are not noticed by them.
The heroes were "at the bottom" of life, they even live in the basement, below the normal standard of living, there is nowhere to fall further. And even if you want to get out of the bottom, then the water column presses from above, and the person finds himself in a kind of “trap”, from which there is no way out.)
Teacher: So what is the main problem in the title of the play?
(Student response: The problem of hopelessness, impasse, the tragedy of the existence of heroes.)
Teacher: How is this problem emphasized in the poster for the play "At the Bottom"?
(Student observations: The author does not define the genre of his dramatic work, calling it neither comedy, nor tragedy, nor drama. By this he wants to say: what the viewer will see are scenes from real life and not the imagination of the author; but at the same time, Gorky, as it were, says this: everything in the play (and in life) is so terrible that there is no name corresponding to it.
Listed actors the author's characterization of the “bottom” is also visible: the tragedy of the rooming house is revealed in the variety of people who find themselves here. Age - from 20 to 60 years old, from different social strata: actor, baron, thief, worker; different nationalities, men and women, are here with whole families or one by one. It deprives many people who have fallen "to the bottom" of even a name, only nicknames remain.)
Teacher: Yes, the Actor will tell about this tragedy. Let's find his words.
(Student: “I don’t have a name here ... Do you understand how insulting it is to lose a name? Even dogs have nicknames... There is no person without a name.- act II.)
Teacher: Much about the rooming house itself and the situation of people in it can be learned from the author's remarks to Act I. Human tragedy unfolds here in full.
Commented reading of remarks at the beginningIactions.
"Cave-like basement"- this place is not intended for life, but circumstances force people to adapt to any conditions. Everything in this basement is aimed at destroying the human in a person, at turning him into a "cave dweller" - a beast: "heavy stone vaults", crushing the overnight stays like a tombstone; "square window" near the ceiling and "Bubnov's bunks", causing associations with a prison, from which one cannot leave of one's own free will; Sateen's growl completes the picture of "cave life". The tragedy is aggravated by the fact that people, living, it seems, together. They try to distance themselves from each other. "Ash's room fenced off with thin bulkheads", "closed with a canopy, Anna is coughing", "on the stove, invisible, the Actor is fussing and coughing".
Teacher: Is it possible to say that "separation" is born from the desire to preserve one's identity, to be alone with oneself?
Students: No.
Teacher: What does it mean then?
Students: Disunity of people. Everyone experiences their own trouble and tries to cope with it alone. No one will help you here, as they say, "who is now easy?".
Teacher: Whose example shows this most clearly?
Students: Anna. Her bed is separated by a canopy so that her miserable appearance does not aggravate the suffering of all those present. When it is closed, there seems to be no problem. And the rooming-houses turn a blind eye to her suffering. Bubnov says in response to Anna's request not to shout: "The noise of death is not a hindrance."
Teacher: Recall that the original version of the title of the play is “Without the Sun”. Let's try to explain the meaning of this name through the author's remarks - pictures of the life of the characters.
(Student observations: In remarks to act I "Light - from the viewer and from top to bottom - from a square window" again evokes associations with prison. The sun is replaced by dim rays from the window. "The beginning of spring. Morning"- so ends the first author's remark. But after all, only the author knows about the morning, spring, and for the overnight stays, the seasons, the hours of the day, do not have much significance. People have lost almost all life orientations. And although it's spring, the morning is usually in literary work associated with the beginning of something, with something new, the heroes of the play do not expect any changes, having lost all hope for them.
In the remarks for Act III, the author takes the characters outside, but even here there is no sun: "a tall brick firewall...blocks out the sky." D the thief is surrounded by walls, which again resembles a prison yard. Now the author depicts "Evening, the sun is setting", and immediately recall the words of the favorite song of the overnight stays:
The sun rises and sets
And in my prison it's dark...
As they say, the sun is separate, and people are separate. But the sun is a symbol of life. And the overnight stays are thrown out of it.)
Teacher: In the last lesson you received homework- with the help of the author's remarks, characterize the heroes (according to the options). Let's talk about the characters in the play.
Approximate characteristics of some heroes:
Nastya: At the beginning of the play, the author constantly shows her with a book, with the help of which she leaves the rooming house for other worlds, where the noble "Raouls" and "Gastons" live. The heroine speaks about them "dreamy", "closing his eyes and shaking his head to the beat of the words, melodiously", "as if listening to distant music"(Act III), because this music in her soul helps her drown out the cacophony of the world in which she lives. Nastya, believing in her stories about passionate young men who are truly in love with her, “covers her face with her hands and silently cries”(III act), when she talks about the "death" of her admirer.
Vaska Pepel: This hero is also experiencing his tragedy: society has entrusted him with a certain role - "thief, son of thieves", and he is forced to maintain his reputation as "authority", regardless of whether he wants it or not. But he doesn't want to! But the circumstances of his life and people who benefit from Vaska being a thief, a criminal, a murderer, Vasilisa and Kostylev, are trying to eradicate everything human from his soul. When talking with Vasilisa Pepel "shakes off her arm with a movement of her shoulder", He speaks "suspicious"(action II). And in the scene of the murder of the owner of the rooming house, the beast wakes up in him: he “beats the old man”, “rushes at Vasilisa”. "Indifferent" Vaska says about the uselessness of honor and conscience, but literally after a few minutes he changes: Natasha comes to the rooming house. Ash "smoothes the mustache", wanting to please a girl, sincerely "laughs" when meeting Luka, when talking with him “silently, in surprise and stubbornly looks at the old man”, apparently, trying to understand his words, to understand them. In some ways, he agrees with Luka, in some ways he doesn’t, but the wanderer obviously touched some strings hidden from many in Vasily’s soul. And sometimes an experienced thief seems literally like a child: when Anna dies, he is afraid to even go to her bed: “not coming up, stretches out and looks at the bed.” But he "resolutely" talks to Natasha when he invites her to leave this world and build a life anew, but "embarrassed" justifies himself to her about his relationship with Vasilisa. Pepel and Natasha sincerely love each other and yearn for happiness: Natasha "smiles", "confidingly clings" to Vaska, he "hugs her".
Actor: At the first mention of him, the author gives him a description "invisible", which here can be equated in meaning with the word "inconspicuous", more precisely, "invisible". An actor, a man of a public profession, dreaming of influencing minds and souls (not without reason does he recall the role of Hamlet, then King Lear). No one evokes a serious attitude towards himself, but meanwhile this is a character who deeply feels and experiences his tragedy. The author tells us in detail about his state of mind in the remarks: “thinking while sitting on the bunk”, He speaks “loudly, as if suddenly waking up”, “thoughtfully”, “looking around sadly”. This is a creative person living a deep inner life. The actor is one of the few heroes whom his grief did not make indifferent to the troubles of others. He " helps Anna to get up, supporting, leads for a walk. And the Actor passes away unnoticed - just "runs out into the canopy"- without pathos and beautiful phrases. Only then does the Baron bring news of his suicide. This is how talents perish, unnoticed and unsupported by anyone.
Luke- one of the main characters of the play, an old man of 60 years old, who, unlike the other characters, does not belong to the world of rooming houses: this place is only a “transit point” for him, he does not depend on circumstances to the same extent as other characters. Already at the first appearance of Luka, it becomes clear that nothing keeps him in any particular place - he carries everything of his own with him: “a knapsack behind, a bowler hat and a teapot at the waist”- that's all his simple economy. From life he does not need a lot of material goods. The main wealth of his life is the people with whom he seeks to communicate, regardless of whether they are thieves or princes. Luke speaks “good-naturedly”, “quietly”, “humbly”, they consult with him and talk about the most intimate, but he can and strives to help a person not only in word, but also in deed. When Vasilisa comes to Vaska Pepl (act II), Luka pretends to leave the room, “loudly slams the door, then carefully climbs onto the bunk - and onto the stove”, and at the moment when Pepel is furious and ready to kill Kostylev, "there is a loud fuss and howling yawning on the stove." Vaska releases Kostylev - Luka this time prevents a crime that Vaska could have committed. Then with him "calmly" while talking, he calmed Pepel, pretending that he was on the stove by accident.
Teacher: And who else from the heroes of the play says "calmly"? How does his calmness differ from Luke's calmness?
Students: This is Bubnov. But if Luka's calmness speaks of the fact that he lives in harmony with himself and the people around him, about the soulfulness of the old man, then the remark "calmly" characterizes Bubnov as an indifferent person: Luka speaks calmly once, the same hero says “calmly” more than 5 times, that is, almost always. He calmly relates to all the phenomena of life. One can recall his remarks confirming his thoughts: “Do you care?”, “You don’t need to open it ... your wife asks ...”, “What is the conscience? I am not rich…”
Teacher: And at the end of our conversation, I would like to recall one more hero who actually opens and closes the play. The first line in the play belongs to him. And in the last author's remark, he is also the Baron. "Farther!" - I want to move forward, break out of the vicious circle. And in act IV, one author's remark concerning the Baron expresses the general mood of all the overnight stays: "tired of anger, sits down on a bench." All the heroes of the play are tired of misunderstanding, hopelessness, disunity, enmity. Maybe one Baron at the end of the play was left with what he started with: “everyone is looking at the Baron. Nastya appears from behind him. Nastya and Baron are always together, they are united by an ambiguous relationship, akin to love - enmity. Maybe after all the tragic events: fights, quarrels, deaths - it's time to forget about enmity and remember about love? Then it will be "Next!".
Directions help us understand the real motives and thoughts of the characters. A striking example is Luke: remarks indicate his insincerity, the hidden meaning of his words, the question arises: "Does he himself believe in what he says?" When talking with Anna, Luka replies: "They crushed a lot, that's why he is soft ..." But Gorky adds a remark: "Laughs with a rattling laugh." This is a sign of cunning, reticence, which makes us think about who Luka is, why he creates this "beautiful fairy tale" and what a real contribution he makes to the lives of the heroes. This role is clearly visible when talking with the actor about the hospital where drunkards are treated. The actor first thinks about Luka's words, then smiles and laughs, and then the author's important remark: "suddenly, as if waking up" says goodbye and leaves. The illusion dissipates, but hope remains in the soul of the actor, he remembers this conversation and dreams of such a place until the very end of the play.
But when the truth is revealed, he can't stand it and commits suicide. Remarks help to reveal the psychology of the characters, their state before and after the meeting with Luka. Satin often laughs - something awakened in him after talking with Luka, it was in the mouth of Satin that Gorky put his attitude to truth and lies. And in general, in the fourth act, the characters often laugh, and at this time the actor decides to hang himself. This is also the important meaning of the book: in such a society, everyone is indifferent, deaf to the grief of their neighbor. And with the help of remarks, we can follow this indifference.
Thus, with the help of remarks, Gorky shows us the state of the heroes, their thoughts and emotions.
Updated: 2017-10-11
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Drama as a kind of literature implies the obligatory staging of a work on stage. At the same time, the orientation towards stage interpretation, at first glance, limits the playwright in the means of expressing his position. He cannot directly address the reader, express his attitude towards his own heroes. The author's position is expressed in remarks, in the development of the play, in the monologues and dialogues of the characters. The duration of the action is also limited, because the performance cannot last long.
In 1902, thanks to innovative productions based on the plays of A.P. Chekhov, Maxim Gorky became interested in the Moscow Art Theater. He wrote to Chekhov that it was “impossible not to love the theater, not to work for it is a crime.” However, the first plays - "The Philistines" (1901) and "At the Bottom" (1902) - showed that Gorky was not just an innovative playwright, but also the creator of a new kind of social drama. Critics call his dramatic works debate plays. The fact is that a special load in the play falls on dramatic conflict- a sharp clash of heroes. It is the conflict that drives the plot, forcing the viewer to tensely follow its development. In Gorky, the leading role is played by ideological conflicts, a sharp opposition between the social, philosophical and aesthetic views of the characters.
Image subject in M. Gorky's play "At the bottom" becomes the consciousness of people who find themselves on "day of life" as a result of deep processes in the society of the early twentieth century. Analysis of the play shows that the social conflict develops on several levels. Firstly, the confrontation of the hosts of the rooming house, Kostylev, and inhabitants - disenfranchised rooming houses. Secondly, each of the overnight stays experienced in his past a personal social conflict, because of which he ended up in such a miserable position.
satin ended up in the Kostylevs' rooming house after prison, having committed a murder "scoundrel" because of my sister. Mite, who had been a mechanic all his life, lost his job. Bubnov ran away from home "away from sin" so as not to inadvertently kill his wife and her lover. Actor, who previously had the sonorous pseudonym Sverchkov-Zadunaisky, drank himself, being unclaimed.
The fate of a thief Vaska Ash was predestined from birth, because he, being the son of a thief, himself became the same. Tells all the details about the stages of his fall Baron: his life passed as if in a dream, he studied at a noble institute, served in the state chamber, where he squandered public money, for which he was arrested for two weeks.
Is there some more love conflict: appearance in the rooming house Natasha, Vasilisa's 20-year-old sister, forces Vaska Pepla to abandon his mistress Vasilisa, the wife of the owner of the rooming house, 54-year-old Kostylev, for which she subsequently severely takes revenge on both her and him.
The turning point is the appearance wanderer Luke. This "passportless tramp" I am sure that a person is first of all worthy of pity, and now he is trying to console everyone, including the inhabitants of the rooming house. Dying from consumption Anna the old man convinces her not to be afraid of death: only she will bring her long-awaited peace, which the poor woman has never known. Luka, who drank himself from despair, gives hope for healing in a free hospital for alcoholics. He advises Vaska Pepl to start new life with beloved Natasha in Siberia.
At the same time, Luka does not say anything about himself: the reader knows little about him, only that “they crushed a lot, that’s why it’s soft ...”. However, the name Luke is associated with the evil one, with the concept of "dissemble", that is, "deceive, lie." And the attitude of the author towards him is ambiguous: it is expressed in the development of the plot. When Luka disappears under very unpleasant circumstances (at the moment when Kostylev is killed, and Vasilisa scalds Natasha with boiling water), further events unfold completely differently than Luka predicted. Ash actually ends up in Siberia, but not of his own free will, but as a convict, allegedly for the murder of Kostylev. The actor learns that there is no free hospital where they treat alcoholism, and, not believing in his own strength, he repeats the fate of the hero of Luke's parable about the righteous land - he hangs himself in a wasteland.
It is the fate of the Actor that becomes the key issue in the assessment of criticism. For a long time it was believed that Luke preaches a "comforting lie" that makes a person give up the fight, which means that it only brings harm. Allegedly, the hero gave everyone false hope. But after all, he did not promise to raise them from the bottom of life, he demonstrated their own capabilities, showed that there is a way out, and it depends only on the person what it will be.
Therefore, the main accusation Gorky puts forward not to Luka, but to the heroes who are not able to find the strength in themselves to oppose their will to harsh reality. Thus, it reveals one of the most important features of our national character- dissatisfaction with reality, a critical attitude towards it, but at the same time the inability to somehow change this reality for the better.
Another hero, Satin, becomes the successor of the author's thought. In the last act, as if continuing the conversation with the old man, he utters his famous monologue, in which the phrase becomes the most famous: "Man - that sounds proud!".
Yes, this phrase sounds optimistic, but as before, people find themselves at the “bottom” of life, not only due to external circumstances, but also because of their weakness and unbelief. And M. Gorky's play "At the Bottom" even after more than a hundred years is still relevant.
- "Childhood", a summary of the chapters of Maxim Gorky's story