Analysis "At the Bottom" Gorky. Maksim Gorky

The purpose of the lesson: to create a problematic situation and encourage students to express their own point of view on the image of Luke and his position in life.

Methodological techniques: discussion, analytical conversation.

Lesson equipment: portrait and photographs of A.M. Gorky of different years.

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During the classes.

1. Analytical conversation.

Let's turn to the extra-event series of the drama and see how the conflict develops here.

How do the inhabitants of the flophouse perceive their position before Luke's arrival?

(In the exhibition we see people who, in essence, have come to terms with their humiliating position. The cottagers sluggishly, habitually quarrel, and the Actor says to Satin: “One day they will completely kill you ... to death ...” “And you are a fool,” Satin snaps. “Why ? "- the Actor is surprised." Because - you can't kill twice. "These words of Satin show his attitude to the existence that they all lead in the flophouse. This is not life, they are all already dead. It seems that everything is clear. But the response is interesting. Actor: “I don’t understand ... why - is it impossible?” Perhaps it is the Actor who has died more than once on stage, who understands the horror of the situation more deeply than others. After all, it is he who will commit suicide at the end of the play.)

- What is the meaning of using the past tense in the characters' self-characteristics?

(People feel themselves to be "former": "Satin. I was an educated person" (the paradox is that the past tense in this case is impossible). "Tambourine. Here I am - a furrier." Don't paint yourself, everything will be erased ... everything will be erased, yes! ”).

Which of the characters is opposed to the rest?

(Only one Tick has not yet resigned himself to his fate. He separates himself from the rest of the hostels: “What kind of people are they? I won't break out of here? I’ll get out… I’ll rip off my skin, but I’ll get out… Wait a minute… the wife will die… "Tick's dream of another life is connected with the liberation that will bring him the death of his wife. He does not feel the monstrousness of his statement. And the dream will turn out to be imaginary. )

What scene is the plot of the conflict?

(The plot of the conflict is the appearance of Luke. He immediately announces his views on life: "I don't care! I respect crooks, too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: everyone is black, everyone is jumping ... so and so." also: "For an old man, where it is warm, there is a homeland ..." Luka is in the center of attention of the guests: "What an amusing old man you brought Natasha ..." - and the entire development of the plot is concentrated on him.)

How Does Luke Affect The Night Bats?

(Luka quickly finds an approach to the lodgers: "I'll look at you, brothers, - your life - oh-oh! ..." Bypasses unpleasant questions for him, he is ready to sweep the floor instead of the lodgers. Luka becomes necessary for Anna, pity her: “Is it possible to abandon a person like that?” Luka skillfully flattering Medvedev, calling him “underdog,” and he is immediately caught on this bait.)

What do we know about Luke?

(Luka practically does not say anything about himself, we only learn: "They crumpled a lot, that's why he is soft ...".)

What does Luke say to each of the denizens?

(In each of them, Luka sees a person, reveals their bright sides, the essence of their personality, and this makes a revolution in the lives of the heroes. It turns out that the prostitute Nastya dreams of beautiful and bright love; the drunken Actor gets hope of a cure for alcoholism; the thief Vaska Ash is planning to leave to Siberia and start a new life there with Natalia, to become a strong owner. Anna Luka gives consolation: "Nothing, nothing else will be needed, and there is nothing to be afraid of! Silence, peace - lie to yourself!" belief in the best.)

Did Luke lie to the lodgers?

(There may be different opinions on this. Luka disinterestedly tries to help people, instill in them faith in himself, awaken the best sides of nature. He sincerely wishes good, shows real ways to achieve a new, better life. After all, there really are hospitals for alcoholics, really Siberia - the golden side, and not just a place of exile and hard labor. As for the afterlife, which he beckons to Anna, the question is more complicated; it is a question of faith and religious convictions. What did he lie about? When Luka convinces Nastya that he believes in her feelings, in her love: "If you believe, you had real love ... then there was one! Was!"

How do the denizens feel about Luke's words?

(The hostels are at first distrustful of his words: “Why are you all lying?” Luke does not deny this, he answers the question with a question: “And ... why do you really need it painfully ... think about it! , but for you ... ". Even to a direct question about God, Luke answers evasively:" If you believe, there is; if you do not believe, no ... What you believe in is ... ".)

What groups can the heroes of the play be divided into?

"Believers" "unbelievers"

Anna believes in God. The tick doesn't believe in anything anymore.

Tartar - in Allah. Bubnov never believed in anything.

Nastya - into fatal love.

The Baron - into his past, perhaps an invented one.

What is the sacred meaning of the name "Luke"?

(The name "Luke" has a dual meaning: this name resembles the evangelist Luke, means "bright", and at the same time is associated with the word "wicked" (damn).)

(The author's position is expressed in the development of the plot. After Luka leaves, everything happens not at all as Luka convinced and as the heroes expected. Vaska Ashes really ends up in Siberia, but only to hard labor for the murder of Kostylev, and not as a free settler. faith in oneself, in one's own strength, exactly repeats the fate of the hero of the parable of Luke about the righteous land. showing the fate of the Actor, he assures the reader and the viewer that it is a false hope that can lead a person to commit suicide.)

Gorky himself wrote about his idea: “The main question that I wanted to pose is which is better, truth or compassion. What is more needed. Does compassion have to be made to use lies like Luke? This is not a subjective question, but a general philosophical one. "

Gorky opposes not truth and falsehood, but truth and compassion. How justified is this opposition?

(This belief did not manage to gain a foothold in the minds of the night lodgers, it turned out to be fragile and lifeless, with the disappearance of Luka, hope dies out.)

What is the reason for the rapid decline of faith?

(Maybe it's the weakness of the heroes themselves, their inability and unwillingness to do at least something to implement new plans. Dissatisfaction with reality, a sharply negative attitude towards it is combined with a complete unwillingness to do anything in order to change this reality.)

How does Luke explain the misfortunes of the lodgers' lives?

(Luke explains the failures of the night lodgers' lives by external circumstances, does not blame the heroes themselves for the failed life. That is why they were so drawn to him and were so disappointed, having lost their external support with the departure of Luke.)

Luke is a living image precisely because he is contradictory and ambiguous.

1. Discussion of D.Z.

The philosophical question posed by Gorky himself: which is better - truth or compassion? The question of truth is multifaceted. Each person understands the truth in his own way, still having in mind some final, higher truth. Let's see how truth and lies correlate in the drama "At the Bottom".

What do the heroes of the play mean by truth?

(This word is ambiguous. See dictionary.

Two levels of "truth" can be distinguished.

D.Z.

Prepare for an essay on the works of M. Gorky.

Initially, Maxim Gorky called the play "Without the Sun", among the options were "Little House", "The Bottom", "At the Bottom of Life", but he settled on the most appropriate and meaningful title - "At the Bottom". Indeed, it is not as transparent as "At the Bottom of Life", because it examines not only the social position of the heroes, but also their state of mind.

The play takes place in a shelter, and its inhabitants are thieves, bums, drunkards and even murderers, those who have long been abandoned by society. None of them, except for Kvashnya, a trader in dumplings, had a job and did not want to do labor. The baron used to serve somewhere, was an aristocrat, but he got caught stealing and ended up in prison. Satin, protecting his sister, killed her husband. Nastya is a great inventor who tells ridiculous stories about her lovers. The actor was kicked out of the theater for drunkenness.

Bubnov owned a dye shop, but fearing that he might kill his wife and her lover, he left, leaving them all his property. Locksmith Tick sits without work and blames his wife for his miserable situation, whom he himself brought to death by eternal beatings and drunkenness. All these people once had something, but due to weakness or vices, they could not keep it, and ended up at the “bottom”.

But, despite poverty, crampedness and a stifling atmosphere of indifference to others, each of the night shelters dreams of something. Nastya, reading romance novels, awaits with trepidation her prince, who will lead her to another, pure life. The actor somehow admits that it is difficult for him to do without a name, as if it does not exist at all. He justifies his way of life with "illness", alcohol poisoning, but continues to dream of the stage and only thinks about how he will find a hospital, but did not start searching.

The tick is sure that his life is about to change for the better as soon as he gets rid of his wife. But Anna was gone, and the desired freedom did not bring him anything but disappointment. They all wanted to break out of this environment, and with the arrival of Luke, they finally had hope. The old man made everyone understand that their fate is in their hands, you just have to try. Yes, the lodgers were inspired by the opportunity to start everything from scratch, but, apparently, their hearts indifferent to their lives became ballast, preventing them from rising from this “bottom”. It is convenient for them to live this way, they are used to living almost without "oxygen", they forgot what willpower is, therefore they were content with vague dreams and did nothing.

According to Gorky, “bottom” means not so much the social status, the place of stay of the heroes, but their way of life. All of them seem to be satisfied with the position of the lumpen, a miserable and impoverished life, spiritual emptiness and moral baseness. Sunlight is not visible at the bottom - there is only darkness, coldness and loneliness. And this is the life of the characters in the play.

A. M. Gorky "At the Bottom"
The meaning of the play
Gorky about the meaning of the play: “The main question that I wanted to pose is which is better - truth or compassion? What is more needed? Does compassion have to be made to use lies like Luke? This is not a subjective question, but a general philosophical one.
The play is philosophical, but everything universal in it is inseparable from the deeply vital and concretely historical. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the social and everyday obsession of the play. The fact that the heroes previously known from the stories of Gorky, tramps, are given in a reduced plan. Gorky saw and reflected in the play not the tragedy of the Russian people, but the tragedy of Russian life.
In the title, it was important for the author to highlight not the place of action, not the nature of the conditions, not even social status, but what the soul is filled with, what happens at the bottom of human life, at the bottom of the human soul.

Luke
Outwardly, Luke does not in any way affect the life of the hostels, but a serious robot begins in their minds, therefore, the subject of research in the play is the social conditions of reality and their reflection in the minds of people. In each of the heroes, Luke saw the bright sides of his personality, all his conversations are aimed at supporting the person, his faith in the best. Therefore, he speaks only with those who live by the truth of hope, with unbelievers he has nothing to talk about. In an effort to comprehend human nature, Luke makes a series of wise observations. The essence of these observations is that a person is worthy of respect, love and pity. The origins of this attitude towards a person lie in Luke's conviction that a person is initially good, and only the social disorder of life makes him bad and imperfect. Therefore, the hostels reached out to Luke, who is kind and sincere with us and unselfish in his desire to help. He does not deceive anyone and does not lie to anyone. Thus, Luke acts as the ideologue of passive consciousness, and in the dispute about the truth that arises between him and Bubnov, the Baron, Luke asserts the charity of a consoling lie. The parable of the righteous land expresses the idea that a person cannot be deprived of hope, even if it is scanty.

Luke's Truth and Satin's Truth
Luke's sermon gave Satin an impetus for the emergence of a new life position, which is also based on respect for a person, but the emphasis is shifted towards the active participation of a person in life. Satin's monologue is only the first step towards the formation of an active human consciousness. Gorky's attitude to Luka is ambiguous, the author's reproach to Luka is felt in the development of the plot, because all illusions have collapsed. On the other hand, the author accuses of what happened to the people not Luka, but the night shelters themselves, and thereby reveals one of the main features of the Russian national character. Dissatisfaction with life, a critical attitude towards it and the inability to change something.

His work tells us about the shelter, where the heroes of the work gathered, and at first the author called his masterpiece that way - Nochlezhka. But this name would take us only to a specific place, namely, to the place of lodging, which was owned by Kostylev and where the heroes of the play gathered. It was a basement with a heavy ceiling, where there weren't any normal chairs, and instead of beds there were bunks. A small square window only occasionally let light through. In a word, the name Nochlezhka could not fully convey the meaning of the play. And Gorky wanted the work to be wider and deeper. More revealing the essence. The author thought about giving another name to his play. For example, the title Without the Sun would be profound, but not quite in line with the theme. Although the heroes had little joy and warmth in life, they could see the sunlight.

The meaning of the title of the play At the bottom

What is the meaning of the title of the play At the Bottom?
When Gorky renamed his work, the meaning of the title played with different colors, and we will try to speculate a little about the meaning of the title of the play At the bottom in ours.

Reading the work of Gorky, we will get acquainted with the heroes of the shelter - embittered, weak-willed, sick people. From their stories and conversations, we conclude that they have already lost faith in life, have lost meaning and hope in it. These lost people no longer expect anything from life, and they do not want to change anything in their existence. All this directly suggests that they are already at the very bottom of the social ladder. Heroes cannot live without drunkenness, scandals, and lies. They constantly scold, but still we see that the people of the bottom are still able to talk about truth and freedom. But each of them has its own truth. The title At the Bottom fully reveals the essence of the play. Thanks to the well-chosen name, the author showed that we are talking not only about a place to sleep, which looks like a cave and it seems as if you are at the very bottom. But he was also able to convey the atmosphere that was in this shelter. Moral and moral ugliness of the people who gathered there. Subsequently, Gorky's "at the bottom" became symbolic and revealed not only the essence of the play, but also the way of life of some people in our society.

The play “At the Bottom” by Maxim Gorky is still the most successful drama in the collection of his works. She won the public's favor during the author's lifetime, the writer himself even described performances in other books, ironing about his fame. So why did this work so hook people?

The play was written in late 1901 - early 1902. This work was not an obsession or a rush of inspiration, as is usually the case with creative people. On the contrary, it was written specifically for a troupe of actors from the Moscow Art Theater, created to enrich the culture of all classes of society. Gorky could not imagine what would come of it, but he embodied the desired idea of ​​creating a play about tramps, where about two dozen characters would be present.

The fate of Gorky's play cannot be called the final and irrevocable triumph of his creative genius. There were different opinions. People were delighted or criticized such a controversial creation. She survived prohibitions and censorship, and still everyone understands the meaning of the drama in their own way.

The meaning of the name

The meaning of the title of the play "At the Bottom" embodies the social position of all the characters in the work. The name gives an ambiguous first impression, since there is no specific mention of which day it is talking about. The author gives the reader the opportunity to show imagination and guess what his work is about.

Today, many literary scholars agree that the author meant that his characters are at the bottom of their lives in a social, financial and moral sense. This is the meaning of the name.

Genre, direction, composition

The play is written in a genre called "socio-philosophical drama." The author touches on just such topics and problems. Its direction can be designated as "critical realism", although some researchers insist on the wording "socialist realism", since the writer focused the public's attention on social injustice and the eternal conflict between the poor and the rich. Thus, his work took on an ideological connotation, because at that time the confrontation between the nobility and the common people in Russia was only heating up.

The composition of the work is linear, since all actions are chronologically consistent and form a single thread of the narrative.

The essence of the work

The essence of Maxim Gorky's play is to depict the bottom and its inhabitants. Show readers in the characters of the play marginalized, people humiliated by life and fate, rejected by society and severed ties with it. Despite the smoldering fire of hope - having no future. They live, argue about love, honesty, truth, justice, but their words are just an empty sound for this world and even for their own destinies.

Everything that happens in the play has only one purpose: to show the clash of philosophical views and positions, as well as to illustrate the dramas of outcast people to whom no one lends a helping hand.

The main characters and their characteristics

The dwellers of the bottom are people with different life principles and beliefs, but all of them are united by one condition: they are mired in poverty, which gradually deprives them of dignity, hope and faith in themselves. She corrupts them, condemning the victims to certain death.

1. Mite- works as a mechanic, 40 years old. Married to Anna (30 years old) with consumption. The relationship with the wife is the main characteristic feature. Mite's complete indifference to her well-being, frequent beatings and humiliation speak of his cruelty and callousness. After Anna's death, the man was forced to sell his working tools in order to bury her. And only lack of work unsettled him a little. Fate leaves the hero without a chance to get out of the flophouse and without the prospect of a further successful life.
2. Bubnov- a man of 45 years old. Formerly the owner of a fur workshop. Dissatisfied with the current life, but tries to maintain the potential for returning to a normal society. Lost possession due to a divorce, as the documents were issued for his wife. Lives in a shelter and sews hats.
3. Satin- about 40 years old, drinks until he loses his memory and plays cards, where he cheats, what makes his living. I read many books, which I constantly remind not so much to my neighbors as to myself as a consolation, that all is not lost yet. Served in prison for 5 years for manslaughter during a fight over his sister's honor. Despite his education and an accidental fall, he does not recognize honest ways of existence.
4. Luke- a wanderer at the age of 60. Appeared unexpectedly for the residents of the shelter. He behaves intelligently, consoles and calms everyone around, but as if he came with a specific purpose. Tries to mend relationships with everyone by giving advice, which incites more controversy. A neutral character, despite his kind tone, always wants to doubt the purity of intentions. According to his stories, it can be assumed that he served time in prison, but escaped from there.
5. Ash- name is Vasily, 28 years old. He constantly steals, but, despite the dishonest way of making money, he has his own philosophical point of view, like everyone else. He wants to get out of the shelter and start a new life. He was in prison several times. Has a certain position in this society due to a secret relationship with a married Vasilisa, which everyone knows about. At the beginning of the play, the heroes part, and Ashes tries to court Natasha in order to take her away from the shelter, but, in a fight, he kills Kostylev and ends up in prison at the end of the play.
6. Nastya- a young girl, 24 years old. Based on her treatment and conversations, it can be inferred that she works as a call girl. Constantly wants attention, to be needed. Has a connection with the Baron, but not the one that she comes up with in her fantasies after reading romance novels. In fact, she endures rudeness and disrespect from her boyfriend, while giving him money for alcohol. All her behavior is sheer complaints about life and requests to be sorry.
7. Baron- 33 years old, drinks, but due to unfortunate circumstances. He constantly reminds of his noble roots, which once helped to become a wealthy official, but were not particularly significant when accused of embezzling government funds, because of which the hero ended up in prison, remaining a beggar. He has a love relationship with Nastya, but takes them for granted, passes all his duties to the girl, constantly takes money for booze.
8. Anna- Tick's wife, 30 years old, has consumption. At the beginning of the play, he is in a dying state, but does not live to see the end. For all the heroes, the shelter is an unfortunate piece of "interior" that makes unnecessary sounds and takes up space. Until his death, he hopes for the manifestation of her husband's love, but dies in a corner from indifference, beatings and humiliation, possibly giving rise to the disease.
9. Actor- a man, about 40 years old. Just like all the tenants of the shelter, he always remembers his past life. A kind and fair person, but excessively sorry for himself. He wants to quit drinking, having learned from Luke about a hospital for alcoholics in some city. He begins to save money, but not having time to find out the location of the hospital before the wanderer leaves, the hero despairs and ends his life with suicide.
10. Kostylev- Vasilisa's husband, a 54-year-old housekeeper. He perceives people only as walking wallets, he likes to remind of debts and assert himself at the expense of the lowland of his own tenants. Tries to hide his true attitude behind a mask of kindness. Suspects his wife of treason with Ash, which is why he constantly listens to the sounds outside his door. He believes that he should be grateful for the night. Natasha treats Vasilisa and her sister no better than drunkards living at his expense. Buys things that Ash steals, but hides it. By his own stupidity, he dies at the hands of Ashes in a fight.
11. Vasilisa Karpovna - Kostylev's wife, 26 years old. No different from her husband, but hates him with all his soul. Secretly cheating on her husband with Ashes and persuading her lover to kill her husband, promising that he will not be sent to prison. And she does not feel any feelings for her sister, except for envy and anger, which is why she gets the most. He is looking for benefits for himself in everything.
12. Natasha- Vasilisa's sister, 20 years old. The most "clean" soul of the flophouse. Tolerates bullying from Vasilisa and her husband. She cannot trust Ash with his desire to take her away, knowing all the meanness of people. Although she herself understands that she will be lost. Helps tenants disinterestedly. He is going to meet Vaska in order to leave, but he ends up in the hospital after the death of Kostylev and disappears without a trace.
13. Kvashnya- 40-year-old dumplings trader who experienced the strength of her husband, who beat her during 8 years of marriage. Helps residents of the shelter, sometimes tries to put the house in order. Argues with everyone and is no longer going to marry, remembering his late tyrant spouse. Their relationship with Medvedev develops over the course of the play. At the very end, Kvashnya marries a policeman, whom she herself begins to beat because of his addiction to alcohol.
14. Medvedev- Uncle of sisters Vasilisa and Natasha, policeman, 50 years old. Throughout the play, she tries to woo Kvashna, promising that she will not be like her ex-husband. Knows that her niece is beaten by her older sister, but does not interfere. Knows about all the machinations of Kostylev, Vasilisa and Ash. At the end of the play he marries Kvashna, begins to get drunk, for which his wife beats him.
15. Alyoshka- 20-year-old shoemaker, drinking. He says that he does not need anything, that he is disappointed in life. Drinks out of despair and plays the accordion. Because of the riot and drunkenness, he often ends up at the police station.
16. Tatar- also lives in a shelter, works as a housekeeper. He loves to play cards with Satin and Baron, but is always indignant at their unfair play. An honest person and does not understand crooks. He constantly talks about the laws, honors them. At the end of the play, Crooked Zob hits him and breaks his arm.
17. Crooked Goiter- another little-known housekeeper, housekeeper. Not as honest as Tartar. He also likes to pass the time with cards, calmly treats the cheating of Satin and the Baron, finds excuses for them. He beats Tatarin, breaks his arm, which is why he has a conflict with the policeman Medvedev. At the end of the piece he sings a song with the others.

Themes

Despite the seemingly simple plot and the absence of sharp climactic turns, the work is replete with themes that give rise to thought.

1. Hope theme stretches through the entire play until the very end. She hovers in the mood of the piece, but no one ever mentions their intention to get out of the flophouse. Hope is present in every dialogue of the inhabitants, but only indirectly. As once each of them fell to the bottom, so someday they dream of getting out of there. In everyone there is a small opportunity to return again to a past life, where everyone was happy, although they did not appreciate it.
2. Destiny theme is also very important in the play. It defines the role of evil doom and its meaning for the heroes. Fate can be in the work of the driving force that could not be changed, which brought all the inhabitants together. Or that circumstance, always subject to betrayal, which had to be overcome in order to be able to achieve great success. From the life of the inhabitants, one can understand that they have accepted their fate and are trying to change it only in the opposite direction, believing that they have nowhere to fall below. If one of the tenants tries to make an attempt to change their position and get out of the bottom, they fail. Perhaps the author wanted to show in this way that they deserved such a fate.
3. The theme of the meaning of life looks rather superficial in the play, but if you think about it, you can understand the reason for such an attitude towards the life of the characters in the shack. Everyone considers the current state of affairs to be the bottom, from which there is no way out: neither down nor, especially, up. Heroes, despite different age groups, are disappointed in life. They lost interest in her, and ceased to see any meaning in their own existence, let alone sympathy for each other. They do not strive for another fate, because they do not represent it. Only alcohol sometimes gives color to the existence, which is why the lodgers love to drink.
4. The theme of truth and lies in the play is the main idea of ​​the author. This topic is a philosophical issue in the work of Gorky, about which he reflects through the lips of heroes. If we talk about the truth in dialogues, then its boundaries are erased, because sometimes the heroes say absurd things. Nevertheless, in their words there are secrets and secrets that are revealed to us in the course of the plot of the work. The author raises this topic in the play, since he considers the truth as a way to save the inhabitants. Show the heroes the real state of affairs, opening their eyes to the world and their own lives, which they lose every day in the hut? Or hide the truth under the masks of lies, pretense, because it is easier for them? Everyone chooses the answer independently, but the author makes it clear that he likes the first option.
5. The theme of love and feelings affects in the work, since it makes it possible to understand the relationship of the inhabitants. Love in a flop, even between spouses, is absolutely absent, and it hardly has the opportunity to appear there. The place itself seems to be steeped in hatred. All were united only by a common living space and a sense of the injustice of fate. Indifference to both healthy and sick people is in the air. Only squabbles, like dogs gnawing, amuse the night lodgers. Along with the interest in life, the colors of emotions and feelings are lost.

Problems

The play is rich in problems. Maxim Gorky tried in one work to indicate the actual, at that time, moral problems, which, however, still exist to this day.

1. The first problem is conflict between the inhabitants of the flophouse, and not only with each other, but also with life... From the dialogues between the characters, you can understand their relationship. Constant quarrels, differences of opinion, elementary debts lead to eternal squabbles, which is a mistake in this case. Nightcrawlers need to learn to live in harmony over one roof. Mutual assistance will make life easier, change the general atmosphere. The problem of social conflict is the destruction of any society. The poor are united by a common problem, but instead of solving it, they create new ones by joint efforts. The conflict with life lies in the lack of an adequate perception of it. Former people are offended at life, because of which they do not take further steps to create a different future and just go with the flow.
2. Another problem is the acute question: “ Truth or Compassion? ". The author creates a reason for reflection: to show the heroes the realities of life or to sympathize with such a fate? In the drama, someone suffers from physical or psychological abuse, and someone dies in agony, but receives their share of compassion, and this reduces their suffering. Each person has his own view of the current situation, and we react on the basis of our feelings. In Satin's monologue and the wanderer's disappearance, the writer made it clear which side he was on. Luka acts as the antagonist of Gorky, trying to bring the inhabitants back to life, show the truth and console the suffering.
3. Also in the play rises the problem of humanism... More precisely, its absence. Returning again to the relationship between the inhabitants, and their relationship to themselves, you can consider this problem from two positions. The lack of humanism on the part of the heroes towards each other can be seen in the situation with the dying Anna, to which no one pays attention. During Vasilisa's abuse of her sister Natasha, humiliation of Nastya. There is an opinion that if people are at the bottom, it means that they no longer need any help, every man for himself. This cruelty to themselves is conditioned by their current way of life - constant drinking, fights, which carry disappointment and loss of meaning in life. Existence ceases to be the highest value when there is no goal for it.
4. The problem of immorality rises in connection with the lifestyle that residents lead based on social disposition. Nastya's work as a call girl, playing cards for money, drinking alcohol with the ensuing consequences in the form of fights and being brought to the police, theft - all these are the consequences of poverty. The author shows this behavior as a typical phenomenon for people who find themselves at the bottom of society.

The meaning of the play

The idea of ​​Gorky's play is that all people are absolutely the same, regardless of their social and material status. Everything is made of flesh and blood, the differences lie only in upbringing and character, which give us the opportunity to react differently to the current situations and act on the basis of them. Whoever you are, life can change overnight. Any of us, having lost everything that we had in the past, having sunk to the bottom, will lose ourselves. There will no longer be any point in keeping oneself within the bounds of the decency of society, to look and behave appropriately. When a person loses the values ​​set by others, he gets confused and falls out of reality, as happened with the heroes.

The main idea is that life can break any person. Make him indifferent, bitter, having lost any incentive to exist. Of course, in many of his troubles, an indifferent society will be guilty, which will only push the falling one. However, the broken poor are often themselves to blame for the fact that they cannot rise, because in their laziness, depravity and indifference to everything, it is still difficult to find those to blame.

The author's position of Gorky is expressed in Satin's monologue, which exploded into aphorisms. "Man - sounds proudly!" he exclaims. The writer wants to show how to treat people in order to appeal to their dignity and power. Endless regret without concrete practical steps will only harm the poor, because he will feel sorry for himself, and not work in order to get out of the vicious circle of poverty. This is the philosophical meaning of the drama. In a dispute about true and false humanism in society, the winner is the one who speaks directly and honestly, even at the risk of incurring indignation. Gorky, in one of Satin's monologues, connects truth and lies with human freedom. Independence is given only at the cost of comprehension and search for truth.

Conclusion

Each reader will make his own conclusion for himself. The play "At the Bottom" can help a person understand that in life it is always worth striving for something, because it gives strength to go further without looking back. Don't stop thinking that nothing will work out.

On the example of all the heroes, one can see the absolute inaction and disinterest in their own destiny. Regardless of age and gender, they are simply mired in their current situation, excuses that it is too late to resist and start all over again. A person should himself have a desire to change his future, and for any failure, not blame life, not be offended by it, but gain experience, experiencing a problem. The inhabitants of the shelter believe that suddenly, for their suffering in the basement, a miracle should fall on them, which will bring them a new life, as it happens - Luke comes to them, wanting to cheer up all the desperate, to help with advice to make life better. But, they forgot that a word cannot help the fallen one, he held out his hand to them, only no one took it. And everyone is just waiting for action from anyone, but not from themselves.

Criticism

It cannot be said that before the birth of his legendary play, Gorky did not have any popularity in society. But, it can be emphasized that interest in him has increased precisely because of this work.

Gorky managed to show everyday, everyday things that surround dirty, uneducated people from a new angle. He knew what he was writing about, since he himself had experience in achieving his position in society, after all, he was a native of the common people and an orphan. There is no exact explanation why the works of Maxim Gorky were so popular and made such a strong impression on the public, because he was not an innovator of any genre, writing about all known things. But Gorky's work at that time was fashionable, society liked to read his works, attend theatrical performances based on his creations. It can be assumed that the degree of social tension in Russia was rising, and many were dissatisfied with the established order in the country. The monarchy exhausted itself, and the popular actions of subsequent years were severely suppressed, and therefore many people were happy to look for disadvantages in the existing system, as if supporting their own conclusions.

The peculiarities of the play lie in the way of presentation and presentation of the characters' characters, in the harmonious use of descriptions. One of the issues raised in the work is the individuality of each character and his struggle for it. Artistic paths and stylistic figures very accurately depict the living conditions of the characters, because the author saw all these details personally.

Interesting? Keep it on your wall!

The meaning of the name "At the bottom"

The meaning of the name. For a long time Gorky could not find the exact title of the play. Initially it was called "Nochlezhka", then "God of the Sun", "At the bottom of life" and only then "At the bottom". The name itself has a deep meaning. People who have fallen to the bottom will never rise to the light, to a new life. As a result of the economic crisis in the 90s of the XIX century. the masses of workers and peasants found themselves in terrible poverty, without shelter over their heads. Then the first shelters began to appear in Russia. “The dormitory is a home for homeless people. Maintained by a private individual for a commercial purpose, or by a charitable society or institution. The inhabitants of the shelter were day laborers, visiting workers who could not find a place for themselves, vagabonds, etc. The shelter worked from 6 pm to 7 am. For 5 kopecks. the client, in addition to a place on the bunks, received bread and stew in the evening, bread and tea in the morning. Terrible cramped conditions and unsanitary conditions reigned in the shelter due to the desire of the owners to get the maximum income. Often, the night house was a den of criminals "(Belovinsky LV Russian Historical and Household Dictionary. - M., 1999.) Gorky, continuing the traditions of Gogol, Dostoevsky, Gilyarovsky, turned to the image of the world of the humiliated and insulted. The play is set in a shelter owned by Kostylev. The author describes the scene, in many respects corresponding to the shelters existing in reality: “A basement that looks like a cave. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoky, with crumbling plaster. The light is from the audience and, from top to bottom, from the square window on the right side. " The furnishings of this basement are striking in their wretchedness: instead of chairs, there are dirty stumps of wood, a roughly hammered table, bunks along the walls. The original name "Nochlezhka" was specific, but the latter fully corresponded to the author's intention. The title of the play “At the Bottom” is not only the “cave” in which Gorky's heroes found themselves, it is the very atmosphere of indifference and moral ugliness that reigns in the flophouse. The title of the play is deeply symbolic, it reveals the meaning of the whole work.

The work of M. Gorky "At the Bottom" touches upon a huge layer of moral, moral and spiritual problems of society. The author used the principle of the great minds of the past: the truth is born in a dispute. His play - Dispute is designed to raise the most important questions for a person, so that he himself can answer them. A complete analysis of the work can be useful for 11th grade students in preparation for literature lessons, test assignments, and creative work.

Brief analysis

Year of writing- late 1901 - early 1902.

History of creation- the play was created specifically for staging in the theater, Gorky put the most important questions of life into the lips of his heroes, reflected his own view of life. Shows the period of the late 19th century, a deep economic crisis, unemployment, poverty, ruin, the collapse of human destinies.

Topic- the tragedy of rejected people who find themselves at the very bottom of their lives.

Composition- linear composition, events in the play are built in chronological order. The action is static, the characters are in one place, the play consists of philosophical reflections and arguments.

genre- socio-philosophical drama, debate play.

Direction- critical realism (socialist realism).

History of creation

The play was conceived by Gorky a year before its creation, once in a conversation with Stanislavsky, he mentioned that he wanted to create a play about the inhabitants of a flophouse who had sunk to the very bottom. In 1900-1901 the author made some sketches. During this period, Maxim Gorky was seriously carried away by the plays of A.P. Chekhov, their staging on stage and the acting of actors. This was crucial for the author in terms of working in a new genre.

In 1902, the play "At the Bottom" was written, and in December of the same year it was staged at the Moscow Art Theater with Stanislavsky's participation. It should be noted that the writing of the work was preceded by a crisis that happened in Russia in the late 90s of the 19th century, factories and plants stopped, unemployment, ruin, poverty, hunger - all this is a real picture in the cities of that period. The play was created with a specific purpose - to raise the level of culture of all classes of the population. Its production caused a resonance, largely due to the genius of the author, as well as the controversy of the problems voiced. In any case - the play was spoken of with envy, discontent or admiration - it was a success.

Topic

The work intertwines several topics: fate, hope, meaning of life, truth and lies. The heroes of the play talk on lofty topics, being so low that it is no longer possible to go down further. The author shows that a poor person can have a deep essence, be highly moral, spiritually rich.

At the same time, any person can sink to the very bottom, from which it is almost impossible to rise, it delays, gives freedom from conventions, allows you to forget about culture, responsibility, upbringing and moral aspects. Gorky only voiced the most acute Problems modernity, he did not solve them, did not give a universal answer, did not show the way. Therefore, his work is called a dispute play, it is based on a dispute in which truth is born, its own for each character.

Problematic the works are diverse, the most burning, perhaps it is worth considering the dialogues of the heroes about the saving lies and the bitter truth. The meaning of the name the play is that the social bottom is a stratum where there is also life, where people love, live, think and suffer - it exists in any era and no one is immune from this bottom.

Composition

The author himself defined the composition of the play as “scenes”, although its genius corresponds to the masterpieces of Russian and foreign classics. The linearity of the play is due to the chronological sequence of events. The plot of the play is the appearance of Luke in the shelter with his dissimilarity and impersonality. Further, in several actions, the development of events takes place, passing to the most powerful intensity - a dialogue about the meaning of existence, about truth and lies. This is the culmination of the play, followed by the denouement: the Actor's suicide, the loss of hopes of the last inhabitants of the shelter. They are not able to save themselves, which means they are doomed to death.

genre

In the play “At the Bottom,” analysis allows us to draw a conclusion about the uniqueness of the Gorky genre - the play-dispute. The main thing in the development of the plot is the conflict, it drives the action. The heroes are in a dark basement and dynamics is achieved through the collision of opposing points of view. The genre of the work is usually defined as a socio-philosophical drama.

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30.03.2013 46970 0

Lessons 13-14
Socio-philosophical drama
M. Gorky "At the bottom"

Goals : to give an initial idea of ​​socio-philosophical drama as a genre of drama; to acquaint with the ideological content of Gorky's play "At the Bottom"; develop the ability to analyze a dramatic work.

Tasks : to determine the philosophical meaning of the title of Gorky's play "At the Bottom"; to find out the author's methods of conveying the atmosphere of spiritual separation of people, disclosing the problem of imaginary and real overcoming a humiliating situation, sleep and awakening of the soul.

Lesson progress

I. Introductory remarks.

1. Teacher. Gorky became an innovator not only in Russian romanticism, but also in drama. Originally, he spoke about the innovation of Chekhov, who "killed realism" (traditional drama), raising images to a "spiritualized symbol". But Gorky himself followed Chekhov.

Gorky's drama turns 105 in 2007 (the premiere took place on 18 December 1902 old style at the Moscow Art Theater); Since then, the play has been staged, filmed in Russia and abroad many times, dozens of critical, scientific works have been devoted to it, but hardly anyone would dare to say that even today everything is known about this work.

2. Individual message student "The stage fate of the play" At the Bottom "by Gorky.

The archive of the Moscow Art Theater contains an album containing over forty photographs taken by the artist M. Dmitriev in the Nizhny Novgorod shelters. They served as visual material for actors, make-up artists and costume designers when staging a play at the Moscow Art Theater by Stanislavsky.

On some of the photographs, Gorky's hand made remarks, from which it follows that many of the characters of At the Bottom had real prototypes in the environment of the Nizhny Novgorod vagrant. All this suggests that both the author and the director, in order to achieve the maximum stage effect, strove, first of all, to life's authenticity.

The premiere of At the Bottom, which took place on December 18, 1902, was a phenomenal success. The roles in the play were performed by: Satin - Stanislavsky, Luka - Moskvin, Baron - Kachalov, Natasha - Andreeva, Nastya - Knipper.

Such an inflorescence of famous actors, plus the originality of the author's and director's decisions, gave an unexpected result. The fame of At the Bottom itself is a kind of cultural and social phenomenon of the early 20th century and has no equal in the entire history of world theater.

“The first performance of this play was a continuous triumph,” wrote MF Andreeva. - The audience was on a rampage. The author has been summoned countless times. He resisted, did not want to go out, he was literally pushed onto the stage. "

On December 21, Gorky wrote to Pyatnitsky: "The success of the play is exceptional, I did not expect anything like this ..." Pyatnitsky himself wrote to L. Andreev: "Maksimych's drama is delight! He, like a shaft, will have enough of it on the foreheads of all those who talked about the decline of his talent. " “At the Bottom” was highly appreciated by A. Chekhov, who wrote to the author: “She is new and undoubtedly good. The second act is very good, this is the best, the most powerful, and when I read it, especially the end, I almost jumped up and down with pleasure. "

"At the Bottom" is the first work of M. Gorky, which brought the author world fame. In January 1903, the premiere of the play took place in Berlin at the Max Reinhardt Theater, directed by Richard Valletin, who played the role of Satin. In Berlin, the play went through 300 performances in a row, and in the spring of 1905 its 500th performance was celebrated.

Many of his contemporaries noted in the play a characteristic feature of early Gorky - rudeness.

Some called it a flaw. For example, A. Volynsky wrote to Stanislavsky after the play At the Bottom: “Gorky does not have that tender, noble heart that sings and cries like Chekhov. It is coarse for him, as if not mystical enough, not immersed in any kind of grace. "

Others saw this as a manifestation of a remarkable whole personality who came from the lower classes and, as it were, “exploded” the traditional ideas about the Russian writer.

3. Teacher. “At the Bottom” is a program play for Gorky: created at the dawn of the just beginning of the 20th century, it expressed many of his doubts and hopes in connection with the prospects of man and humanity to change themselves, transform life and open the sources of creative forces necessary for this.

This is stated in the symbolic timing of the play, in the remarks of the first act: “The beginning of spring. Morning". His correspondence eloquently testifies to the same direction of Gorky's thoughts.

On the eve of Easter 1898, Gorky promisingly greeted Chekhov: "Christ is risen!" He is everything. He even created God ... I am sure that man is capable of endless improvement, and all his activities - together with him, will also develop ... from century to century. I believe in the infinity of life, and I understand life as a movement towards the perfection of the spirit. "

A year later, in a letter to Leo Tolstoy, he almost literally repeated this thesis of principle for himself in connection with literature: “Even a great book is only dead, a black shadow of a word and a hint of truth, and man is a repository of the living God. I understand God as an indomitable striving for perfection, for truth and justice. Therefore, a bad person is better than a good book. "

4. What are your impressions of the read Gorky's play?

II. Work on the topic of the lesson. Working with the text of Gorky's play.

1. How do you understand the title of the play: "At the Bottom"?

Teacher . How did Gorky combine faith in man - "the repository of the living God" capable of "endless improvement", faith in life - "movement towards the perfection of the spirit" - and vegetation "At the bottom of life" (this is one of the variants of the name of the drama)?

Do not his words, in comparison with the characters of the play, seem to be a mockery of a person, and its characters against the background of these words - a caricature of humanity?

No, because we have before us two sides of Gorky's common outlook: in letters - ideal impulses, in creativity - an artistic study of human capabilities.

The God-man and the “bottom” are contrasts, and the contrast made us look for invisible but existing secret laws of being and spirit, capable of “harmonizing the nerves”, changing a person “physically”, pulling him out of the bottom and returning him “to the center of the life process”.

This philosophy is realized in the system of images, composition, leitmotifs, symbolism, in the word of the play.

Bottom in the play it is ambiguous and, like much in Gorky, it is symbolic. The title correlates the circumstances of life and the soul of a person.

Bottom- this is the bottom of life, of the soul, an extreme degree of decline, a situation of hopelessness, a dead end, comparable to the one about which Dostoevsky's Marmeladov bitterly said - "when there is nowhere else to go."

“The bottom of the soul” is the innermost, hidden far away in people. “It turns out: outside, no matter how you paint yourself, everything will be erased,” stated Bubnov, recalling his bright, painted in the literal and figurative sense of his past, and soon, turning to the Baron, clarified: “What happened was, but nothing remained ... "

2. What can you say about the location of the action? What are your impressions of the setting in which the main events take place?

The Kostylevs' dormitory resembles a prison, it is not for nothing that its inhabitants sing the prison song "The sun rises and sets." Those trapped in the basement belong to different strata of society, but everyone has the same fate, they are renegades of society, and no one manages to get out of here.

An important detail: the inside of the shelter is not as gloomy, cold and anxious as outside. Here is a description of the outside world at the beginning of the third act: “Wasteland - a yard littered with various rubbish and overgrown with weeds. Deep inside is a tall brick firewall. It covers the sky ... Evening, the sun goes down, shining a reddish light on the firewall. "

It's early spring, the snow has recently melted. "Fridge dog ..." - says, shivering, Tick, entering from the entrance. In the finale, the Actor hanged himself on this vacant lot.

It's still warm inside and people live here.

- Who are they?

3. Quiz on the content of the work.

A) Which of the characters in the play "At the Bottom" ...

1)… declares that he “seems to have no character”? (Baron.)

2) ...does not want to be reconciled with life at the bottom and declares:
"I am a working person ... and from an early age I have been working ... I’ll get out ... I’ll rip off my skin, but I’ll get out"? (Mite.)

3) ... dreamed of such a life “so that you could respect yourself”? (Ash.)

4) ... lives with dreams of great, true human love? (Nastya.)

5) ... believes that she will be better in the next world, but still wants to live at least a little more in this world? (Anna.)

6) ... "lay down in the middle of the street, plays the accordion and yells:" I don't want anything, I don't want anything "? (Shoemaker Alyoshka.)

7) ... says to the person who offered her to marry him: "... to get married to a woman is the same as jumping into an ice-hole in winter"? (Kvashnya.)

8) ... hiding behind the service of God, robbing people! “... and I’ll throw half a coin on you, - I’ll buy oil in the icon lamp ... and my sacrifice will burn in front of the holy icon ...”? (Kostylev.)

9) ... is indignant: “And why do they separate people when they fight? Let them beat each other freely ... they would fight less, because they would remember the beatings longer ... "? (Policeman Medvedev.)

10) ... ended up in a shelter because he left his wife, afraid to kill her, being jealous of another? (Tambourines.)

11) ... he consoled everyone with a beautiful lie, and at a difficult moment "disappeared from the police ... like smoke from a fire ..."? (Wanderer Luke.)

12) ... beaten, scalded with boiling water, asks to be taken to prison? (Natasha.)

13) ... asserted: "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters ... Truth is the god of a free man!"? (Satin.)

B) What circumstances brought each of them to Kostylev's shelter?

1) A former official in the Treasury? (The Baron was sent to prison for embezzlement of state money, and then ended up in a shelter.)

2) A watchman in the country? (Luka's shelter is just one of the points of his wanderings.)

3) A former telegraph operator? (Sateen, because of his sister, "killed the scoundrel in passion and irritation," went to jail, after jail ended up in a shelter.)

4) Furrier? (Bubnov was once the owner of his own workshop; after leaving his wife, he lost “his institution” and ended up in a flop.)

Teacher . These people are forced to live in the same room, which only weighs on them: they are not ready to help each other with anything.

- Reread the beginning of the play (before Luke appears in the flophouse).

1. Gorky conveyed the stability of the alienation of people in the form polylogue, composed of replicas that do not fit together. All remarks sound from different angles - Anna's dying words alternate with the cries of the night shelters playing cards (Satin and Baron) and checkers (Bubnov and Medvedev):

Anna . I don’t remember - when I was full…. All my life I walked in rags ... all my unhappy life ... For what?

Luke. Oh you, child! Tired? Nothing!

Actor (Crooked Goiter). Jack go ... jack, damn it!

Baron. And we have a king.

Tick. They will always beat.

Satin. This is our habit ...

Medvedev. King!

Bubnov. And I have ... n-well ...

Anna . I'm dying, here ...

2. In separate remarks, words that have a symbolic sound are highlighted. Bubnov's words “the strings are rotten” hint at the absence of ties between the night lodgers. Bubnov notes about Nastya's position: "You are superfluous everywhere." This once again indicates that the residents of Kostylev hardly "tolerate" each other.

3. Outcasts of society reject many accepted truths. It is worth, for example, to Tick to tell that the night lodgers live without honor and conscience, as Bubnov will answer him: “What is conscience for? I am not rich, "and Vaska Ashes quotes Satin's words:" Every person wants his neighbor to have his conscience, but, you see, it is not profitable for anyone to have it. "

5. What is the difference between the atmosphere of the 2nd and 3rd acts from the 1st?

Students reflect on examples from the text.

The atmosphere of acts 2 and 3 is different in comparison with 1. A through-going motive arises for the inhabitants of the flophouse to leave for some illusory world. The situation changes with the appearance of the wanderer Luke, who, with his "fairy tales", revives dreams and hopes in the souls of the night lodges.

Passportless vagabond Luka, who has been "crushed" a lot in life, has come to the conclusion that a person is worthy of pity, and generously endows the lodgers with it. He acts as a comforter who wants to cheer a person up or reconcile him with a joyless existence.

The old man advises dying Anna not to be afraid of death: she brings peace, which the eternally hungry Anna never knew. The drunken actor Luka inspires hope for a cure in a free clinic for alcoholics, although he knows that there is no such clinic. He talks to Vaska Peplu about the opportunity to start a new life with Natasha in Siberia.

But all this is just a comforting lie, which can only temporarily calm a person down by muffling a difficult reality.

The night-lodgers understand this too, but they listen with pleasure to the old man: they want to believe his "fairy tales", dreams of happiness awaken in them.

Bubnov. And why is it ... a person loves to lie so much? Always - as before the investigator is ... right!

Natasha. Apparently lies are ... more pleasant than the truth ... Me too ...

Natasha. I make it up ... I make it up and - I wait ...

Baron. What?

Natasha (smiling embarrassedly). So ... So, I think tomorrow ... someone will come ... someone ... special ... Or something will happen ... also - unprecedented ... I wait a long time ... always - I'm waiting ... And so ... in fact - what can you ask for?

There is a deceptive liberation from the circumstances in the remarks of the night lodgers. The circle of existence seemed to be closed: from indifference - to an unattainable dream, from it - to real shocks or to death (Anna dies, Kostylev is killed). Meanwhile, it is in this state of the heroes that the playwright finds the source of their emotional change.

III. Summary of lessons.

- Make a generalization: what are the features of Gorky's drama - in the development of the action, in the content?

This is an example socio-philosophical drama. How do you understand this definition?

In the play At the Bottom, the author did not confine himself to portraying the characteristic social and everyday aspects of Russian reality. This is not an everyday, but a socio-philosophical play, which is based on a dispute about a person, his position in society and attitude towards him. And in this dispute (to one degree or another), almost all the inhabitants of the shelter are involved.

Individually: problem Human in Gorky's play At the Bottom.