Composition
The heroes of Maxim Gorky's early works are proud, beautiful, strong and brave people; they always fight alone against dark forces. One of these works is the story “Old Woman Izergil”. This story introduces us to two romantic legends set many thousands of years ago.
Danko was a representative of one of the ancient tribes, Lappa - the son of a woman and an eagle. The similarity of the heroes is in their beautiful appearance, courage and strength, but otherwise they are the complete opposite of each other, that is, antipodes. However, there are serious differences in the appearance of the heroes. Larra's gaze was cold and proud, like that of the king of birds. In Danko’s gaze, on the contrary, “there shone a lot of fire and living fire.” The people of the Larra tribe hated him for his excessive pride. “And they talked to him, and he answered if he wanted, or was silent, and when the elders of the tribe came, he spoke to them like! with your peers." Larra fell and killed without regretting it at all, and for this people hated him even more. “...And he hit her and, when she fell, he stood with his foot on her chest, so that blood sprayed from her mouth to the sky.” The people of the tribe also understood that Larra was no better than them, although he believed that there were no more people like me, that is, he was an individualist. When asked why he killed the girl, Larra answers. “Do you only use yours? I see that every person has only speech, arms and legs, but he owns animals, women, land... and much more.”
His logic is simple and terrible, if everyone followed it, then on earth soon! There would only be a pitiful handful of people left, fighting for survival and hunting each other. Understanding the depth of Larra’s wrongness, unable to forgive and forget the crime he committed, the tribe condemns him to eternal loneliness. Life outside society gives rise to a feeling of inexpressible melancholy in Larra. “In his eyes,” says Izergil, “there was so much melancholy that one could poison all the people of the world with it.”
Pride, according to the author, is the most wonderful character trait. It makes a slave free and strong, it turns a nonentity into a person. Pride does not tolerate anything philistine and “generally accepted.” But hypertrophied pride gives rise to absolute freedom, freedom from society, freedom from all moral principles and principles, which ultimately leads to terrible consequences. It is this idea of Gorky that is key in the old woman Izergil’s story about Larra, who,! being just such an absolutely free individual, he dies spiritually for everyone (and above all for himself), remaining to live forever in his physical shell. The hero has found death in immortality. Gorky reminds us of the eternal truth: you cannot live in society and be free from it. Larra was doomed to loneliness and considered death to be his true happiness. True happiness, according to Gorky, lies in giving oneself to people, as Danko did.
The people of the tribe in which Danko lived, on the contrary, “looked at him and saw that he was the best of all” for his high fortitude, courage and ability to lead people. After all, it was Danko who was not afraid to lead his tribe through the forest thicket, and all along the way he maintained faith in the best. People, looking at him, believed in their salvation. Even when the people of the tribe became embittered with him, “became like animals,” because of their fatigue and powerlessness, they wanted to kill him, Danko was unable to! answer them in kind. His love for people extinguished his irritation and anger. And for the sake of these people, Danko sacrificed his life, tearing out his heart from his chest, which illuminated their path like a torch. Dying, he did not regret his life, but was glad that he had brought people to their goal. In the image of Danko, Maxim Gorky put an idealistic idea of a man who devotes all his strength to serving the people. And so his young and very warm heart flared up with the fire of desire to save the people of his tribe, to lead them out of the darkness. He tore his chest with his hands and tore his heart out of it and raised it high
overhead, illuminating the path for people with the bright light of his burning heart, Danko boldly led them forward. And the people perked up and followed him “to the sea of sunshine and clean air.” “The proud daredevil Danko cast his gaze forward at the expanse of the steppe,” he cast a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.” “People, joyful and full of hope, did not notice his death” and forgot about him, as one forgets about everything in the world. Larra was also ready to die, but not for the sake of people, but for himself, because the loneliness to which people doomed him was unbearable for him. But even wandering alone, Larra could not repent and ask for forgiveness from people, because he remained just as proud, arrogant and selfish.
The story “Old Woman Izergil” is dedicated to the problem of the purpose and meaning of life. Arrogant, proud
and a cruel person has no place among people. But it is also difficult for a person with high fortitude, a “burning” heart, full of love for PEOPLE and a desire to help them, to live among them. People are afraid of that power
which comes from people like Danko, and they do not appreciate it. In the story “Old Woman Izergil,” Gorky draws exceptional characters, exalts proud and strong-willed people for whom freedom is above all. For him, Izergil, Danko and Larra, despite the extreme contradictions in the nature of the first, the seeming uselessness of the feat of the second and the infinite distance from all living things of the third, are genuine heroes, people who bring into the world the idea of freedom in its various manifestations. However, in order to truly live life, it is not enough to “burn”, it is not enough to be free and proud, feeling and restless. You need to have the main thing - a goal. A goal that would justify a person’s existence, because “a person’s price is his business.” “There is always a place for heroic deeds in life.” "Forward! - higher! everyone - forward! and - above - this is the credo of a real Man.”
Other works on this work
"Old Isergil" Author and narrator in M. Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" Analysis of the legend of Danko from M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” Analysis of the legend of Larra (from the story of M. Gorky “Old Woman Izergil”) Analysis of M. Gorky's story “Old Woman Izergil” What is a sense of life? (based on the story “Old Woman Izergil” by M. Gorky) What is the meaning of the contrast between Danko and Larra (based on M. Gorky’s story “The Old Woman Izergil”) Heroes of M. Gorky's early romantic prose Pride and selfless love for people (Larra and Danko in M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”) Pride and selfless love for the people of Larra and Danko (based on the story of M. Gorky “Old Woman Izergil”) Ideological and artistic features of the legend of Danko (based on the story of M. Gorky “The Old Woman Izergil”) Ideological and artistic features of the legend of Larra (based on the story of M. Gorky “Old Woman Izergil”) The ideological meaning and artistic diversity of the early romantic works of M. Gorky The idea of a feat in the name of universal happiness (based on the story of M. Gorky “The Old Woman Izergil”). Everyone is their own destiny (based on Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil") How do dreams and reality coexist in M. Gorky’s works “Old Woman Izergil” and “At the Depths”? Legends and reality in M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” Dreams of the heroic and beautiful in M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil.” The image of a heroic man in M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” Features of the composition of M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” The positive ideal of a person in M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” Why is the story called “Old Woman Izergil”? Reflections on M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” Realism and romanticism in the early works of M. Gorky The role of composition in revealing the main idea of the story “Old Woman Izergil” Romantic works of M. Gorky For what purpose does M. Gorky contrast the concepts of “pride” and “arrogance” in the story “Old Woman Izergil”? The originality of M. Gorky’s romanticism in the stories “Makar Chudra” and “Old Woman Izergnl” The strength and weakness of man in the understanding of M. Gorky (“Old Woman Izergil”, “At the Depth”) The system of images and symbolism in Maxim Gorky’s work “Old Woman Izergil” Essay based on the work of M. Gorky "Old Woman Izergil" The rescue of Arcadek from captivity (analysis of an episode from M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”). Man in the works of M. Gorky Legend and reality in the story “Old Woman Izergil” What role does the image of the old woman Izergil play in the story of the same name? The romantic ideal of Man in the story “Old Woman Izergil” Analysis of the legend of Larra from M. Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil"A comparative table of these heroes is needed, with each line containing a separate comparison criterion. I understand that you won’t answer with a table, but links and solid text (your personal) are welcome. I will be grateful.
2. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”
A story-reflection on the meaning of life
The main character is an exceptional person
Features of the composition:
1consists of three independent parts
2maintains the internal unity of the idea and tone of the story
3The first and third parts - legends - are opposite in content
4central part - the story of the old woman Izergil
Comparison of the two main characters:
Parameters for comparison
Larra
Danko
Appearance
“beautiful and strong”, “cold and proud eyes, like the king of birds”
handsome and brave, “a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes”
Life position
♦ he is not like other people - he does not want to live “like them”, he wants to be free, that is, to do what you want, take what you want, without giving anything in return, in a word, “he wants to keep himself whole”;
♦ “considers himself the first on earth and sees nothing but himself”, this gives him the right to despise other people and rule over them, and, as a result, people punish him for his pride, expel him from his tribe - “his punishment is himself"
♦ “the best of all”, “he loved people and thought that maybe they would die without him”, dreams of freedom not only for himself, but, above all, for all his fellow tribesmen, which is why he leads them, sacrificing himself , from the dark forest to the “golden shining river”;
♦ Danko’s “proud heart” is trampled by a “cautious” man who was afraid of “something”. People do not forgive superiority over themselves. Tribesmen “punish” Danko for his pride
Summary of life
loneliness
Afterword
all that was left of Larra was a shadow wandering across the steppe
all that remains from Danko’s proud heart are sparks appearing before a thunderstorm
Conclusion
an extreme individualist who expresses contempt for people
altruist expressing the highest degree of love for people
Anti-ideal
romantic ideal
Old Isergil
The ideal and the anti-ideal are two romantic poles of the narrative. And between them there is a real character - the old woman Izergil, who, being the narrator of both legends, wants to place herself, her life, in a coordinate system defined by the extreme points: individualism (Larra) - altruism (Danko).
Two legends frame the narrative of the old woman’s own life, which forms the ideological center of the narrative.
The fate of the old woman Izergil is in many ways similar to the fates of Larra and Danko:
1
Larra and Danko
Old Isergil
They lived a stormy and rebellious life, striving for independence.
2
Danko
Old Isergil
They embody the highest ideal of love for people and self-sacrifice. Their life is dedicated to loving people.
3
Larra
Old Isergil
They are not able to remember for a long time those people who become little interesting or indifferent to them. The old woman Izergil “greedily” took from people everything that they could give her, but, unlike him (Larra), she paid for it, “spent” herself without sparing.
4
Larra and Danko
Old Isergil
The result of life is loneliness. The old woman Izergil “clung” to strangers and lives out her life with them.
5
The old woman Izergil brought happiness to those she loved, and for the sake of her beloved she could sacrifice herself.
Lesson objectives:
- Continue your acquaintance with the early works of M. Gorky;
- Analyze the legends. Compare the main characters of the legends Larra and Danko;
- To trace how the writer’s intention is revealed in the composition of the story;
- Consider the distinctive features of romanticism in the work being studied.
During the classes.
I. Organizational moment
In 1895, Samara Gazeta published M. Gorky’s story “The Old Woman Izergil.” Gorky was noticed, appreciated, and enthusiastic responses to the story appeared in the press.
II. Main part
1. M. Gorky's early stories are of a romantic nature.
Let's remember what romanticism is. Define romanticism and name its distinctive features.
Romanticism is a special type of creativity, the characteristic features of which are the display and reproduction of life outside the real-concrete connections of a person with the surrounding reality, the image of an exceptional personality, often lonely and dissatisfied with the present, striving for a distant ideal and therefore in sharp conflict with society, with people.
2. The heroes appear in a romantic landscape. Give examples that prove this (working with text). Conversation on questions:
At what time of day do the events in the story take place? Why? (Old woman Izergil tells legends at night. Night is the most mysterious, romantic time of day);
What natural images could you highlight? (sea, sky, wind, clouds, moon);
What artistic means did the author use to depict nature? (epithets, personification, metaphor);
Why is the landscape shown in this way in the story? (Nature is shown as animate, it lives according to its own laws. Nature is beautiful, majestic. The sea, the sky are endless, wide spaces. All natural images are symbols of freedom. But nature is closely connected with man, it reflects his inner spiritual world. That is why nature symbolizes the boundlessness of the hero’s freedom, his inability and unwillingness to exchange this freedom for anything).
CONCLUSION: Only in such a landscape, seaside, nocturnal, mysterious, can the heroine who tells the legends of Larra and Danko realize herself.
3. Composition of the story “Old Woman Izergil”.
What is the compositional solution of the story?
For what purpose do you think the writer used such a technique in the story? (In her legends, the heroine of the story expresses her idea of \u200b\u200bpeople, what she considers valuable and important in her life. This creates a coordinate system by which one can judge the heroine of the story).
How many parts of the composition could you highlight? (Three parts: 1 part - the legend of Larra; 2 part - the story of the life and love of Old Woman Izergil; 3 part - the legend of Danko).
4. Analysis of the legend of Larra.
Who are the main characters of the first legend?
Is the story of a young man’s birth important for understanding his character?
How does the hero relate to other people? (disdainfully, arrogantly. He considers himself the first on earth).
A romantic work is characterized by a conflict between the crowd and the hero. What lies at the heart of the conflict between Larra and people? (his pride, extreme individualism).
What is the difference between pride and arrogance. Distinguish between these words. (Card No. 1)
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Card No. 1 Pride -
Pride is exorbitant pride. |
Prove that it is pride, and not pride, that characterizes Larra.
What does the hero's extreme individualism lead to? (to crime, to selfish tyranny. Larra kills the girl)
What punishment did Larra suffer for his pride? (loneliness and eternal existence, immortality).
Why do you think such punishment is worse than death?
What is the author’s attitude to the psychology of individualism? (He condemns the hero, who embodies an anti-human essence. For Gorky, Larra’s lifestyle, behavior, and character traits are unacceptable. Larra is an anti-ideal in which individualism is taken to the extreme)
5. Analysis of the legend of Danko.
a) The legend of Danko is based on the biblical story of Moses. Let's remember it and compare it with the legend of Danko. Individual student message. (Students listen to the biblical story and compare it with the legend of Danko).
God commanded Moses to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt. Jews have lived in Egypt for hundreds of years, and they are very sad to leave their homes. The convoys were formed, and the Jews set off.
Suddenly the Egyptian king regretted letting his slaves go. It so happened that the Jews approached the sea when they saw the chariots of the Egyptian troops behind them. The Jews looked and were horrified: in front of them was the sea, and behind them was an armed army. But the merciful Lord saved the Jews from death. He told Moses to strike the sea with a stick. And suddenly the waters parted and became walls, and in the middle it became dry. The Jews rushed along the dry bottom, and Moses again struck the water with a stick, and it closed again behind the backs of the Israelites.
Then the Jews walked through the desert, and the Lord constantly took care of them. The Lord told Moses to hit the rock with a stick, and cold water gushed out of it. The Lord showed many mercy to the Jews, but they were not grateful. For disobedience and ingratitude, God punished the Jews: for forty years they wandered in the desert, unable to come to the land promised by God. Finally, the Lord took pity on them and brought them closer to this land. But at this time their leader Moses died.
Comparison of Biblical history and the legend of Danko:
What are the similarities between the biblical story and the legend of Danko? (Moses and Danko lead people out of places dangerous for further residence. The path turns out to be difficult, and the relationship between Moses and Danko with the crowd becomes complicated, as people lose faith in salvation)
How does the plot of the legend about Danko differ from the biblical story? (Moses relies on the help of God, since he fulfills his will. Danko feels love for people, he himself volunteers to save them, no one helps him).
b) What are the main features of Danko? What is the basis of his actions? (love for people, desire to help them)
What act did the hero do for the sake of love for people? (Danko accomplishes a feat, saving people from enemies. He leads them from darkness and chaos to light and harmony)
How is the relationship between Danko and the crowd? Work with text. (At first, people “looked and saw that he was the best of them.” The crowd believed that Danko himself would overcome all difficulties. Then they “began to grumble about Danko,” since the path turned out to be difficult, many died along the way; now the crowd is disappointed in Danko. “People attacked Danko in anger" because they were tired, exhausted, but they were ashamed to admit it. People are compared to wolves and animals, because instead of gratitude they feel hatred for Danko, they are ready to tear him to pieces. Indignation boils in Danko’s heart , “but out of pity for people it went out." Danko pacified his pride, since his love for people is boundless. It is love for people that drives Danko’s actions).
CONCLUSION: We see that Larra is a romantic anti-ideal, so the conflict between the hero and the crowd is inevitable. Danko is a romantic ideal, but the relationship between the hero and the crowd is also based on conflict. This is one of the features of a romantic work.
Why do you think the story ends with the legend of Danko? (this is an expression of the author’s position. He glorifies the hero’s feat. He admires Danko’s strength, beauty, courage, bravery. This is the triumph of goodness, love, light over chaos, pride, selfishness).
6. After analyzing the legend of Larra and Danko, students will work independently. Students compare Danko and Larra and write down their conclusions in a notebook. Checking the table.
Criteria |
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1. Attitude towards the crowd |
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2. The crowd is the hero |
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3. Distinctive character trait |
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4. Attitude to life |
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5. Legend and modernity |
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As a result of students working with the table, the following may appear:
Comparison of the images of Danko and Larra |
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Criteria |
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1. Attitude towards the crowd |
Love, pity, desire |
Despises people, treats |
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to help them |
him arrogantly, does not count |
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2. The crowd is the hero |
conflict |
conflict |
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3. distinctive character trait |
Love, compassion, courage, |
Pride, selfishness, extreme |
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mercy, courage, skill |
individualism, cruelty |
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suppress pride |
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4. Attitude to life |
Ready to sacrifice my |
Takes everything from life and people, but |
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life to save people |
gives nothing in return |
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5. Legend and modernity |
Blue sparks (light, heat) |
Turns into shadow (darkness, |
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6. Actions performed by heroes |
A feat for the sake of love for people, |
Evil, crime |
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good deeds |
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7. The writer’s attitude towards the characters |
The ideal, glorifies its beauty, |
Anti-ideal, condemns him |
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courage, feat for the sake of love |
actions, anti-human |
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essence |
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7. But the story is called “Old Woman Izergil.” Why do you think M. Gorky titled his story this way? (the main character of the story is, after all, the old woman Izergil, and the legend is needed in order to understand her character, to understand what is important, the main thing for her).
Legends frame the life and love story of the old woman Izergil.
Which of the heroes does the heroine consider herself to be? Mark with an arrow on card No. 2
Card#2
Students mark independently and check. Justify your choice. (Old woman Izergil considers herself to be Danko, because she believes that the meaning of her life was love)
Card No. 2
Why do you think Gorky attributes the old woman Izergil to Larra? (her love is inherently selfish. Having stopped loving a person, she immediately forgot about him)
III. Conclusion from the lesson. Summing up the lesson.
IV. Homework:
- Reading the play “At the Bottom”;
- Consider the history of the play, the genre of the work, the conflict.
USED BOOKS
- Russian literature of the 20th century – Textbook for grade 11 / ed. V.V. Agenosova: M.: Publishing House “Drofa” 1997;
- N.V. Egorova: Lesson developments in Russian literature of the 20th century, grade 11. M.: Publishing house “VAKO”, 2007;
- B.I. Turyanskaya: Literature in 7th grade - lesson by lesson. M.: “Russian Word”, 1999.
| Larra | Danko | |
| Character | Brave, decisive, strong, proud and too selfish, cruel, arrogant. Incapable of love, compassion. | Strong, proud, but capable of sacrificing his life for the people he loves. Courageous, fearless, merciful. |
| Appearance | Nice young man. | Young and handsome. |
| Sight | Cold and proud like the king of beasts. | Illuminates with strength and vital fire. |
| Family ties | Son of an eagle and a woman | Representative of an ancient tribe |
| Life position | Doesn't want to share with others. Wants to take the best. He believes that since he is different from others, he can do whatever he wants. I dreamed of being free | Sacrifices himself in order to save his fellow tribesmen. I dreamed of giving them freedom. He loved people and wanted to help everyone. |
| The attitude of fellow tribesmen towards the hero | They hated him for his great pride, although they understood that he was no worse than them. | They considered him better than everyone else, respected his strong spirit, faith and courage. Even when they turned their backs on him, he sacrificed himself to save them. |
| The meaning of the image | confident condemnation of selfishness and confidence in one’s excessive importance. | Tribute, give, giver. What will I give to people? What will I do for people? |
| Reasons for "punishment" | He despises all people. Considers them slaves. | Too proud a heart. |
| Perfect actions | He committed a crime - he killed a girl. Evil actions. | He accomplished a feat - he illuminated the path for people with his heart. Good deeds. |
| True happiness | Death | Live for others. |
| Eventually | Loneliness | |
| Hero with the crowd | Conflict | |
| General | Outwardly beautiful, brave and strong in spirit. | |
| Legend in modern words | Turns into shadow (darkness, cold) | Blue sparks (light, heat) |
| Key Idea | Pride is a wonderful part of character. It makes a person an individual and ignores the generally accepted. | Self-sacrifice. |
| Conclusion | Anti-ideal, expressing contempt for people. | An ideal that expresses the highest degree of love for people. |
| Quotes |
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- The story “The Old Woman Izergil” (1894) is one of the masterpieces of M. Gorky’s early work. The composition of this work is more complex than the composition of the writer's other early stories. The story of Izergil, who has seen a lot in her life, is divided into three independent parts: the legend of Larra, Izergil’s story about her life, and the legend of Danko. At the same time, all three parts are united by a common idea, the author’s desire to reveal the value of human life. The legends about Larra and Danko reveal two concepts of life, two […]
- Name of the hero How he got to the bottom Peculiarities of speech, characteristic remarks What Bubnov dreams of In the past, he owned a dyeing workshop. Circumstances forced him to leave in order to survive, while his wife got along with the master. He claims that a person cannot change his destiny, so he floats with the flow, sinking to the bottom. Often displays cruelty, skepticism, and lack of good qualities. "All people on earth are superfluous." It’s hard to say that Bubnov is dreaming of something, given [...]
- Gorky's life was full of adventures and events, sharp turns and changes. He began his literary career with a hymn to the madness of the brave and stories glorifying the man-fighter and his desire for freedom. The writer knew the world of ordinary people well. After all, together with them he walked many miles along the roads of Russia, worked in ports, bakeries, with rich owners in the village, spent the night with them in the open air, often falling asleep hungry. Gorky said that his wandering around Rus' was not caused by [...]
- The revival of the name of Maxim Gorky after reconsidering the place of his work in Russian literature and renaming everything that bore the name of this writer must definitely happen. It seems that the most famous play from Gorky’s dramatic heritage, “At the Lower Depths,” will play a significant role in this. The genre of drama itself assumes the relevance of the work in a society where there are many unresolved social problems, where people know what it means to spend the night and be homeless. M. Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” is defined as a socio-philosophical drama. […]
- The drama opens with an exposition in which the main characters are already introduced, the main themes are formulated, and many problems are posed. Luke's appearance in the rooming house is the beginning of the play. From this point on, different life philosophies and aspirations begin to be tested. Luke's stories about the “righteous land” are the culmination, and the beginning of the denouement is the murder of Kostylev. The composition of the play is strictly subordinated to its ideological and thematic content. The basis of the plot movement is the testing of philosophy by life practice [...]
- In an interview about the play “At the Lower Depths” in 1903, M. Gorky defined its meaning as follows: “The main question that I wanted to pose is what is better, truth or compassion? What is more needed? Is it necessary to take compassion to the point of using lies? This is not a subjective question, but a general philosophical one. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the debate about truth and comforting illusions was associated with a practical search for a way out for the disadvantaged, oppressed part of society. In the play, this dispute takes on a special intensity, since we are talking about the fate of people […]
- Chekhov's tradition in Gorky's dramaturgy. Gorky said in an original way about Chekhov’s innovation, which “killed realism” (of traditional drama), raising images to a “spiritualized symbol.” This marked the departure of the author of “The Seagull” from the acute clash of characters and from the tense plot. Following Chekhov, Gorky sought to convey the leisurely pace of everyday, “eventless” life and highlight in it the “undercurrent” of the characters’ inner motivations. Naturally, Gorky understood the meaning of this “trend” in his own way. […]
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- Gorky's romantic stories include “Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”, “The Girl and Death”, “Song of the Falcon” and others. The heroes in them are exceptional people. They are not afraid to tell the truth and live honestly. The gypsies in the writer’s romantic stories are full of wisdom and dignity. These illiterate people tell the intellectual hero deep symbolic parables about the meaning of life. The heroes Loiko Zobar and Rada in the story “Makar Chudra” oppose themselves to the crowd and live according to their own laws. More than anything else, they value [...]
- In the work of early Gorky there is a combination of romanticism and realism. The writer criticized the “leaden abominations” of Russian life. In the stories “Chelkash”, “The Orlov Spouses”, “Once Upon a Time in Autumn”, “Konovalov”, “Malva”, he created images of “tramps”, people broken by the existing system in the state. The writer continued this line in the play “At the Bottom.” In the story "Chelkash" Gorky shows two heroes, Chelkash and Gavrila, the clash of their views on life. Chelkash is a tramp and a thief, but at the same time he despises property and […]
- The beginning of M. Gorky's creative career occurred during a period of crisis in the social and spiritual life of Russia. According to the writer himself, he was pushed to write by the terrible “poor life” and the lack of hope among people. Gorky saw the reason for the current situation primarily in man. Therefore, he decided to offer society a new ideal of a Protestant man, a fighter against slavery and injustice. Gorky knew well the life of the poor, whom society had turned its back on. In his early youth he himself was a “barefoot.” His stories […]
- In Maxim Gorky's story "Chelkash" there are two main characters - Grishka Chelkash - an old poisoned sea wolf, an inveterate drunkard and a clever thief, and Gavrila - a simple village guy, a poor man, like Chelkash. Initially, I perceived the image of Chelkash as negative: a drunkard, a thief, all in rags, bones covered in brown leather, a cold predatory look, a gait like the flight of a bird of prey. This description evokes some disgust and hostility. But Gavrila, on the contrary, is broad-shouldered, stocky, tanned, […]
- What is truth and what is lie? Humanity has been asking this question for hundreds of years. Truth and lies, good and evil always stand side by side, one simply does not exist without the other. The collision of these concepts is the basis of many world-famous literary works. Among them is M. Gorky’s social and philosophical play “At the Lower Depths”. Its essence lies in the collision of life positions and views of different people. The author asks a question characteristic of Russian literature about two types of humanism and its connection with […]
- The greatest achievement of civilization is not a wheel or a car, not a computer or an airplane. The greatest achievement of any civilization, any human community is language, that method of communication that makes a person human. Not a single animal communicates with its own kind using words, does not pass on records to future generations, does not build a complex non-existent world on paper with such plausibility that the reader believes in it and considers it real. Any language has endless possibilities for […]
- In the early 900s Dramaturgy became the leading one in Gorky’s work: one after another the plays “The Bourgeois” (1901), “At the Lower Depths” (1902), “Summer Residents” (1904), “Children of the Sun” (1905), “Barbarians” (1905), “Enemies” (1906). The social and philosophical drama “At the Lower Depths” was conceived by Gorky back in 1900, first published in Munich in 1902, and on January 10, 1903 the play premiered in Berlin. The play was performed 300 times in a row, and in the spring of 1905 the 500th performance of the play was celebrated. In Russia “At the Lower Depths” was published by […]
- Poets and writers of different times and peoples used descriptions of nature to reveal the inner world of the hero, his character, and mood. The landscape is especially important at the climax of the work, when the conflict, the hero’s problem, and his internal contradiction are described. Maxim Gorky could not do without this in the story “Chelkash”. The story, in fact, begins with artistic sketches. The writer uses dark colors (“the blue southern sky darkened with dust is cloudy”, “the sun looks through a gray veil”, […]
- As was customary in classicism, the heroes of the comedy “The Minor” are clearly divided into negative and positive. However, the most memorable and striking are the negative characters, despite their despotism and ignorance: Mrs. Prostakova, her brother Taras Skotinin and Mitrofan himself. They are interesting and ambiguous. It is with them that comic situations are associated, full of humor, and bright liveliness of dialogues. Positive characters do not evoke such vivid emotions, although they are sounding boards that reflect […]
- Evgeny Bazarov Anna Odintsova Pavel Kirsanov Nikolay Kirsanov Appearance Long face, wide forehead, huge greenish eyes, nose, flat on top and pointed below. Long brown hair, sandy sideburns, a self-confident smile on her thin lips. Naked red arms Noble posture, slender figure, tall stature, beautiful sloping shoulders. Light eyes, shiny hair, a barely noticeable smile. 28 years old Average height, thoroughbred, about 45. Fashionable, youthfully slender and graceful. […]
Composition
The heroes of Gorky's early works are proud, strong, brave people who alone enter into the fight against dark forces. One of these works is the story “Old Woman Izergil”.
The plot is based on the memories of the old woman Izergil about her life and the legends she told about Larra and Danko. The legend tells about a brave and handsome young man Danko, who loves people more than himself - selflessly and with all his heart. Danko is a real hero - courageous and fearless, in the name of a noble goal - helping his people - he is capable of a feat. When the tribe, gripped by fear, exhausted by a long journey through the impenetrable forest, already wanted to go to the enemy and bring him their freedom as a gift, Danko appeared. Energy and living fire shone in his eyes, the people believed in him and followed him. But tired of the difficult path, people again lost heart and stopped believing Danko, and at this turning point, when the embittered crowd began to surround him more closely to kill him, Danko tore his heart out of his chest, illuminating the path to salvation for them.
The image of Danko embodies a high ideal - a humanist, a person of great spiritual beauty, capable of self-sacrifice for the sake of saving other people. This hero, despite his painful death, does not evoke a feeling of pity in the reader, because his feat is higher than this kind of feeling. Respect, delight, admiration - this is what the reader feels when imagining in his imagination a young man with a fiery gaze, holding a heart sparkling with love in his hand.
Gorky contrasts the positive, sublime image of Danko with the “negative” image of Larra - a proud and selfish Larra considers himself chosen and looks at the people around him as miserable slaves. When asked why he killed the girl, Larra replies: “Do you only use yours? I see that every person has only speech, arms and legs, but he owns animals, women, land... and much more.”
His logic is simple and terrible; if everyone began to follow it, then a pitiful handful of people would soon remain on earth, fighting for survival and hunting each other. Understanding the depth of Larra’s wrongness, unable to forgive and forget the crime he committed, the tribe condemns him to eternal loneliness. Life outside society gives rise to a feeling of inexpressible melancholy in Larra. “In his eyes,” says Izergil, “there was so much melancholy that one could poison all the people of the world with it.”
Pride, according to the author, is the most wonderful character trait. It makes the slave free, the weak - strong, the insignificance turns into a person. Pride does not tolerate anything philistine and “generally accepted.” But hypertrophied pride gives rise to absolute freedom, freedom from society, freedom from all moral principles and principles, which ultimately leads to terrible consequences.
It is this idea of Gorky that is key in the old woman Izergil’s story about Larra, who, being just such an absolutely free individual, dies spiritually for everyone (and above all for himself), remaining to live forever in his physical shell. The hero has found death in immortality. Gorky reminds us of the eternal truth: you cannot live in society and be free from it. Larra was doomed to loneliness and considered death to be his true happiness. True happiness, according to Gorky, lies in giving oneself to people, as Danko did.
A distinctive feature of this story is a sharp contrast, the opposition of good and bad, kind and evil, light and dark.
The ideological meaning of the story is complemented by the depiction of the image of the narrator - the old woman Izergil. Her memories of her life's journey are also a kind of legend about a brave and proud woman. Old woman Izergil values freedom most of all; she proudly declares that she has never been a slave. Izergil speaks with admiration about his love for feats: “When a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and will find where it is possible.”
In the story “Old Woman Izergil,” Gorky draws exceptional characters, exalts proud and strong-willed people for whom freedom is above all. For him, Izergil, Danko and Larra, despite the extreme contradictions in the nature of the first, the seeming uselessness of the feat of the second and the infinite distance from all living things of the third, are genuine heroes, people who bring into the world the idea of freedom in its various manifestations.
However, in order to truly live life, it is not enough to “burn”, it is not enough to be free and proud, feeling and restless. You need to have the main thing - a goal. A goal that would justify a person’s existence, because “a person’s price is his business.” “There is always a place for heroic deeds in life.” "Forward! - higher! everyone - forward! and - above - this is the credo of a real Man.”