Dreams and cruel reality in the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom"

Dreams and cruel reality in the play by M. Gorky
Dreams and cruel reality in the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom"

The conflict between dreams and reality is a topic that is relevant at all times. The prose of life plunges us into vanity, suppresses cherished desires, contributes to the comprehension of the hopelessness of life. And often this conflict is insoluble, the denouement becomes tragic.

This theme is revealed in the drama by A.M. Gorky "At the Bottom". The hero who brings the dream to the lives of those around him is Luke in the play. This image is ambiguous. Luca is a subtle psychologist, he is smart, observant, has a huge life experience. The hero's ideological position is revealed by the story of two robbers and the parable of the "righteous land." Luka's ideological opponents are Tambourines, Baron and Satin. However, if Bubnov and Baron are cynical realists, then Satin sincerely believes in a person, in his spirit and inner strength.

What is the influence of Luke's "sermons" on the fate of the night lodgers? It promotes the birth of hope in the characters' lives: Anna promises to find the desired peace after death, the Actor talks about a free hospital for alcoholics, instills confidence in Vaska Ashes in the possibility of starting a new life in Siberia, supports Natasha's romantic love story. And the heroes themselves change at the end of the play. Critics noted the atmosphere of humanity, universal inspiration, which reigns in the shelter. For the first time, Tick is generous and kind to people, the Baron begins to think about life, Bubnov treats everyone, and the sounding song unites people. But the atmosphere of general enthusiasm is spoiled by the sudden death of the Actor. And this is already a tragic collision of dreams and reality. The rest also fail to realize their plans. Vaska Ashes goes to Siberia to hard labor, Natasha, who believes in romantic love, accuses the Baron of lying, Anna dies. This is the bitter result.

However, is it only on Luke that the author makes responsible for what is happening? What is the position of A.M. Gorky in the play? Let us note the writer's critical view of the social structure of Russian society, his designation of the heroes' internal conflicts (fear of life, weak will, laziness of the soul, fear of change). The author does not share either Luke's position or Satin's position. He poses one of the eternal questions in the play, calling the viewer to reflection and to his own assessment. Undoubtedly, Gorky the realist stands for human courage and self-confidence. However, Gorky the romantic highly valued a person's ability to dream. That is why the researchers wrote that the writer was more successful in the image of Luka than the image of Satin (V. Khodasevich). Also, critics noted a certain "kinship" of these characters. In the finale of the play, it is Satin who defends Luka. Heroes A.M. Gorky reflect the duality, contradictory nature of the writer himself. The author himself leaves this question open.

Thus, the collision of dreams and reality is often dramatic, capable of destroying human life, depriving us of hope and faith in the future.

Gorky's play At the Bottom, written during the winter and summer of 1902, brought him worldwide fame. She was the writer's response to the most pressing problems of our time. Ideological topicality immediately attracted the attention of the Russian public.
Thematically, the play completed the cycle of Gorky's works about “tramps”. “It was the result of my almost twenty years of observations of the world ... of 'former people',” Gorky wrote. As the social consciousness of Gorky was formed, it became deeper,

In comparison with the stories of the 90s, and the socio-psychological characteristics of the representatives of "trampled anarchism." The dwellers of the flophouse are already types in which the writer gave enormous socio-philosophical generalizations.

Gorky himself said this.
“When I wrote to Bubnov,” he noted, “I saw in front of me not only a familiar tramp, but also one of the intellectuals, my teacher. Satin - a nobleman, a postal and telegraph official, served four years in prison for murder, an alcoholic and a brawler, also had a "double" - he was the brother of one of the major revolutionaries who committed suicide while in prison. "
The play was written during an acute industrial and economic crisis that erupted in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. It reflects the actual facts and events of our time. In this sense, it was a sentence to the existing social order, which threw many people endowed with intelligence, feeling, talent, to the “bottom of life”, led them to a tragic death.
By the power of denunciation, the play towered over all the works of Gorky in the 1890s - 1900s. He argued that a society that distorted the human in man cannot exist.
The problem of the “bottom” and the “masters”, which gets political resonance in the play, is organically linked to the “cross-cutting” problem of all creativity - the problem of humanism. Gorky opposed the preaching of consolation that was “offensive to people”. Whatever the manifestations of consolation, he saw in them only a form of reconciliation with reality. The problems of consoling illusions are the content of many of the writer's works of the 90s ("Boles", "Rogue", "Reader").

But in none of them was it developed with such completeness as in the play At the Bottom. Gorky exposed this problem in its most diverse ideological manifestations, and condemned those who succumbed to the illusions of their comforters.
The heroes of the play - Actor, Ashes, Nastya, Natasha, Klesh, Baron - strive to break free from the “bottom” of life, but feel their own powerlessness before the constipation of this “prison”. They have a feeling of hopelessness of their fate and a craving for a dream, an illusion that gives at least some hope for the future. The Baron has this past wealth, which he thinks about and dreams of returning.

The Actor has his former service to art, Natasha has the expectation of some extraordinary event that will turn her whole life, Nastya has a fictional romance with a student.
Thus, the characters in the play are prepared for the appearance of Luke with his “gospel of mirages”. Luke maintains all illusions and sows new ones. To the dying Anna, he paints an affectionate death-consoler, a calm afterlife; in Nastya, he strengthens the belief in the existence of a student, the Frenchman Gaston and his fatal love. Ashes Luka instilled belief in a happy, free, rich country - Siberia, advised to move there.

That was also a lie; In tsarist Russia, settlers in Siberia fell into a plight, died in thousands, in the end ruined, returned back. In Satin, Luke supports the idea of ​​the illusion of wandering liberty, imaginary freedom.
But the strongest argument against Luke's preaching is the fate of the Actor. Luca assured him of the existence of a wonderful free clinic for alcoholics. The actor believed the fairy tales of Luke the most, and he is going on a journey - to look for a marble hospital. The inspired Actor recalls the verses he once read:
Gentlemen! If the truth is saint
The world cannot find a way, -
Honor to the madman who will inspire
To chevovestvo, a golden dream!
These verses sound like a hymn to illusion.
When the illusory hopes become apparent, these people die. “The loss of hope caused the death of his soul,” Gorky said about the fate of the Actor. Works hard, passionately wants to return to work life Tick. Reality breaks his illusion to achieve the truth only for himself. The main question of the play is “which is better, truth or compassion?

Is it necessary to bring compassion to the point of using lies like Luke? " Around this issue, heated debates about a person, about the meaning and truth of life, about the paths to the future unfold in the play.
Luke appears to be the bearer of the idea of ​​consoling deception in the play, as we have already said. The principle of his relationship to a person is the idea of ​​compassion. Its practical expression becomes a consoling deception, a consoling illusion, in the name of which one can sacrifice the terrible truth of life that oppresses a person. Turning to Ash, Luka will ask: "And ... why do you really need it painfully ... why kill yourself?"

This is the main question of the play, formulated by Gorky - what does a person need, true, no matter how difficult it is, or compassion? What is man - the creator of life or its slave? This question is, as it were, asked to each of the inhabitants of the shelter, on each of them the possible result of consoling compassion is tested.

Thus, Luke's philosophy is put to the test of life.
On the doorstep of the lodging house, Luke appears with words of sympathy and sympathy. From his first words, a dispute begins about a person and attitude towards a person. For Luke, people are weak and insignificant in front of the circumstances of life, which, in his opinion, cannot be changed.

And if so, it is necessary to reconcile a person with life, instilling a compassionate "truth" convenient for him. And there are as many such truths as there are those who are eager to find it. It is with this principle of attitude towards a person that Luka approaches every inhabitant of the shelter - Anna, Ash, Natasha, the Actor, creating for them the illusion of happiness.

And it turns out that even in this world, where compassion would be the natural expression of a kind attitude towards a person, a comforting lie leads to a tragic outcome. And it comes in the fourth act of the play.
Illusions dissipated. The sweeter the “golden dream” inspired by the old man was, the more tragic the awakening turned out to be - the hostels fall into despair. The Actor dies, Nastya rushes about.

The shelter is a picture of complete destruction. So the course of real events leads to the exposure of Luke's attempts to reconcile a person with life.
Gorky, introducing the moral ideas of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky into the concrete conditions of modern life, showed the falsity of their truth. He exposed not only ideology, but also the psychology of people who gave birth to illusions and lived by them. It is no accident that the author endowed Luca with the psychology of a slave.

He always reconciles himself before force, tries to stay away from the dispute, and in the third act, he imperceptibly disappears, as if frightened of the consequences. Gorky thereby emphasizes the close connection between slave psychology and Luke's principle of life. This idea is expressed in the famous words of Satin: “Whoever is weak in soul ... and who lives in other people's juices - those need lies ... some it supports, others hide behind it ... lies are the religion of slaves and masters.”
Gorky contrasted the philosophy of non-resistance, the psychology of obedience with the truth about a free Man, rejecting a compassionate lie that humiliates man. Gorky put his thoughts on this into Satin's lips. He speaks of the great possibilities of man and mankind, who, with their own hands, with their thoughts, will create the life of the future: “Man is the truth ... only man exists, all the rest is the work of his hands and his brain!

Human! - It's great! It sounds proud! ”.
One of the original genres of Gorky's drama - the genre of a social-philosophical play - was coined in the play "At the Bottom". In this work, the problem is not formed by the clash of individuals in the struggle for personal gain, but for life in general. There are no positive characters in the play, and there cannot be any.

That is why the main idea here is that everyone has the right to happiness.


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The play At the Bottom is the pinnacle of M. Gorky's drama. The central idea of ​​the play is a dispute about a person, about what a person is, what he needs more - the truth, often a cruel, or beautiful lie. The author's position is expressed by Satin, the opposite - by Luke. The play was a tremendous success upon its release, but the author himself was dissatisfied with it. The reader, inevitably, likes Luke's humanism and humanity more than the fiery words uttered by the sharper: “Man - it sounds proudly!” Satin, speaking these words, does not even try to change his position: “Work? For what? .. Man is above satiety! .. ”Gorky could not find a more“ positive ”hero at the bottom of society, capable of uttering words about the proud Man. And that is why we feel false, unnatural in Satin's speeches. No wonder later, Gorky will write the play "The Old Man", in which he will try to deprive the image of Luke of its charm by telling about the dark past of his hero.
A shelter for the poor is a symbol, an image of the last bottom, to which people have sunk, who have lost the meaning of life, who have lost hope and faith in themselves. The play begins with a description of the gruesome environment of the flophouse. All characters are “former people”: Baron is a former aristocrat, Actor is an artist, Tick is a worker. Some of them are already desperate: the Actor, Anna, Ash, Nastya are looking for a way out in dreams, and only Tick really wants to get out of here. The extreme position is taken by Satin, who despises labor and any social conventions.
With the advent of Luke, with his philosophy of love and pity for man, the monotonous life of the shelter changes. Luca was originally conceived as a negative character, while Satine is a positive one.
But the author, being a realist writer, created the image of the wanderer much more complex and richer than it was initially assumed. There is an opinion that L. Tolstoy with his philosophy of non-resistance is parodically shown in the image of Luke.
We know very little about Luke himself: a wanderer of "about sixty years." He is kind (in any case, this is how he appears before us), he pities people, tries to awaken hope in them, preaches compassion for man. He believes that the complete truth is destructive for a person, and therefore he tells a story about a poor man who lived with one hope - to find a righteous land - and did not experience disappointment in his dream. Indeed, the Actor commits suicide, unable to bear the "truth" of Satin. No wonder the play ends with the words of Satin: "Eh ... ruined the song ... foolish cancer!"
Luke consoles Anna, promises her an afterlife: "You will rest there! .." believes Nastya: "I - believe! .. If you believe, you had true love ... then it was!" The old man gives hope to the Actor: “You ... get well! They are now treating drunkenness ... Free of charge ... ", points the way to Ash:" ... Get out of here with her ... ". And he is right in his own way. Indeed, why should women, who have lived in a cruel reality since childhood and have never seen beauty in their lives, need a cruel truth - let them be happy at least in their dreams. The actor and Ash really believed Luka and decided to escape from poverty and dirt. And who knows, perhaps they would have succeeded ... So, the Actor says: “I worked today ... but did not drink vodka”. He finally felt like a man, he developed an interest in life, he even began to remember poetry.
With the appearance of Luke, the play's main conflict arises. A dispute about a person ensues between two heroes: Satin and Luka. The Wanderer has a tremendous influence on all the inhabitants of the shelter, including Satin. He “woke up” the sharper, awakening the person in him. Luke's position is unacceptable to Satin, but he, at least, makes him think. No wonder Satin forbids everyone to speak badly about the old man: “He is a clever girl! .. He ... acted on me like acid on an old and dirty coin ...” It is now that Satin pronounces his famous monologue: “I - I understand the old man .. . Yes! He lied ... but this is out of pity ... Those who are weak in soul ... and who live in other people's juices - those need lies ... Lies are the religion of slaves and masters. " "Truth is the god of a free man!" - this is the motto of Satin. A person must know how low he has fallen in order to start a new life, says the sharper. A person is “above everything,” he does not need anything: neither love, nor pity, nor compassion. A real, free, strong person deserves the truth. Of course, Satin's philosophy is the early romantic philosophy of the author, according to which “man is above pity”, “man is everything” and “there is nothing but man”.
And it is difficult to argue with this, especially since the plot develops in accordance with the position of the author: Ashes are arrested, Natasha disappears, the Actor and Anna die, and even Tick resigns himself to poverty and loses his last hope for a new life, that is, Luka did not really improve anyone's life ... Luke's consolation does not last long: the truth again leads a person to disappointment, but at least for some time he will be happy, and sometimes this is already important.
Thus, despite the author's definite position, the main issue of the play remains unresolved. Everyone decides it anew for himself. It seems to me that any person sometimes needs support and sympathy, although it is also pointless to live on illusions.

At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher examines in detail the attitude of the inhabitants of the flophouse in the play "At the Bottom" by Maxim Gorky to people, reveals the image of Luke and his understanding of the truth of life.
The shelter is a symbol of human life in general, the desire to escape from this world into some kind of dream, for a dream gives rise to people who promote the world. The plays "At the Bottom" by Maxim Gorky are the most remarkable phenomenon of the early 19th century.

Topic: Russian literature of the late XIX - early XX centuries.

Lesson: Maxim Gorky. “At the bottom”: what is truth?

The play "At the Bottom" is a socio-philosophical work, which, in the opinion of many literary critics, is central to the writer's work. “No matter how you relate to Gorky, the drama At the Bottom will survive both the abuse of his enemies and the hysterical raptures of obsequious friends,” wrote the literary critic D. V. Filosofov. "The main question that I wanted to pose," Gorky himself said, "is which is better: truth or compassion?"

“At the Bottom” is an ambiguous play, admitting various interpretations, including those that disagree with the intention of its author. It reflects the personal conflict of the author himself: the contradiction between Gorky the ideologist and the Gorky man. The play got its final name on the theatrical poster, after Maksim Gorky went through others: "Without the sun", "Nochlezhka", "Bottom", "At the bottom of life." In contrast to the initial ones, which set off the tragic position of tramps, the latter clearly had a polysemy, was perceived widely: not only "at the bottom" of life, but first of all - "at the bottom" of the human soul.

Rice. 1.K.S.Stanislavsky, A.M. Gorky and M.P. Lilina ()

Here, under the gloomy and gloomy arches of the night-house, people of the most varied character and social status found themselves, people from almost all strata of the then Russian society. Different paths have brought them to the "bottom", they all deserve a better fate. Most of them face imminent moral and even physical death. But it is here, "at the bottom" among the pitiful crippled vagabonds, among the darkness and hopelessness, a dispute arises about a person and the meaning of his life ...

The play by Maxim Gorky "At the Bottom" excited society with its appearance. Her first performance caused a shock: did real bed-lodgers go on the stage instead of actors? The action of the play in the basement, which looks like a cave, attracts attention not only with the unusualness of the characters, but also with its polyphony. It is only at the first moment when the reader or viewer sees the "heavy stone vaults" of the ceiling, "Bubnov's bunk", "a wide bed covered with a dirty chintz canopy" it seems that the faces here are all the same - gray, gloomy, dirty. Act 1 is preceded by a detailed description of the basement. The author wanted to introduce the viewer into this particular basement. It looks like a cave. But this is the house of the lodgers, they are tied to their dwelling. But the heroes started talking.

Satin appeared not with words, but with a growl. His first line says that he is a card sharper and a drunkard. He once served in the telegraph office, was an educated person. He pronounces words that are incomprehensible to those around him. “Organon” in translation means “instrument”, “organ of knowledge”, “mind”. (Maybe Satin means that it is not the human body that is poisoned, but the very intelligence of life.) Sicambr is an ancient Germanic tribe that means "dark man". With these words, Satin shows his superiority over the rest of the lodgers.

The actor is a drunkard, constantly recalling his acting past. He is harmless, does no harm to anyone, helps Anna, takes pity on her. His citation of classical works speaks in favor of the hero. He prefers solitude, the company of himself, or rather, his thoughts, dreams, memories. The remarks to his remarks are characteristic: "after a pause," "suddenly, as if waking up." He has no name (his name was Sverchkov-Zavolzhsky, but "no one knows that"). Like a drowning man, he grasps at any straw if it creates the illusion of this name, individuality. "My body is poisoned with alcohol." The remark “with pride” explains a lot: here I also have something that others do not have.

Bubnov. From the first remarks, the hero's slow-wittedness and indifference are manifested. V. Luzhsky, who played the role of Bubnov in M ​​HT, recalls a conversation with Maxim Gorky: “He asked me to be even dumber in the third act”.

Mite. In the 1st act - the remark “gloomy” twice. This is the darkest figure. He looks at life soberly and gloomily.

Nastya appears in Act 1 with the novel Fatal Love. (Newspapers reported that such tabloid novels constituted the traditional "culture" of the city prostitute.) She had already found "exalting deception" before Luke came.

Luke appears with the words: "Good health, honest people." To Vasilisa's question: "Who are you?" replies: "Passing ... itinerant."

Most of these people are indifferent to each other, often do not hear,

what others say, do not try to understand. In the 1st act, all the characters speak, but each, almost without listening to the others, speaks of his own. Indeed, everyone lives in this basement the way they want, everyone is preoccupied with their own problems (for someone it is a problem of freedom, for someone it’s a problem of punishment, for someone it’s a problem of health, survival in the current conditions). The development of the conflict begins with the appearance of Luke. The playwright has been thinking about the problem of man for many years. Probably, the appearance of Luke in the first act of the play is the culmination of this action, not only because the hero outlines one of the main problems - how to relate to a person; Luke's appearance is also the most striking moment because the rays-thoughts are drawn from him to the next actions of the drama.

Bubnov, cap, 45 years old

Reference. The nickname Tambourine was given to: 1) a master making a percussion musical instrument; 2) to the one who constantly chatters, indistinctly mutters, a talker, a liar, a swindler; 3) someone who has squandered or lost at cards (metonymy based on the name of a card suit) or a poor fellow who has gone bankrupt; 4) a fool (tambourines in the head - without a king in the head), a lazy person, a henchman. Wed also the expression "hammered head", that is, a lost person.

The viewer sees Bubnov and Anna only within the limits of the Kostylevskaya shelter. Even in Act III, when all the other bed-lodgers find themselves "free" (in the "wasteland"), he remains in the basement, looking out the window from there.

.. “The whole soul is in the beloved” - one can agree with this statement of Luke. The captain Bubnov has a "favorite" - a cautious song that he selflessly sings with Crooked Goiter - the one that the Actor "spoiled".

In response to Luka's remark: "I will look at you, brothers, - your life - oh-oh! .." - Bubnov replies: "Such a life that he got up in the morning and howling." At the same time, the card-holder alters the proverb: "Living without truth - getting up, and for howling."

Satin, under 40

Reference. Satin - from Sat, Satya - abbreviated versions of the name Satyr (in Greek mythology of satyr - the gods of fertility from the retinue of Dionysus, the god of wine; they are cocky, lustful, amorous, impudent, love wine).

The surname Satin is also associated with the "prince of darkness" - Satan.

Literary critic A. Novikova calls Satin "a new Danko who has turned from a romantic into a realist" who "cannot lead people, illuminating the path with the rays of his own heart", because "he has no strength."

Satin's words: “What is a person? .. It's not you, not me, not they ... no! - it's you, me, they, the old man, Napoleon, Mohammed ... in one! "?

Luke, the wanderer, 60

reference... Luke - Lucian (Latin - light, luminous). Luke was also the name of one of the 70 disciples of Christ, sent by Him “to every city and place where he himself wanted to go,” the author of one of the canonical Gospels and “Acts of the Apostles,” a skilled physician. The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the love of Christ for the poor, harlots, and sinners in general. The crafty one is cunning, deliberate, cunning, secretive and evil, deceitful, feigned. The wanderer type has taken root in Russian literature for a long time. Remember, for example, Feklusha from the drama A. N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm".

Luka's appearance is described in some detail: the author reports on his things: a stick, a knapsack, a bowler hat and a teapot, but he is silent about his height, physique and other "signs".

In the last conversation, Kostylev teaches Luka: "Not every truth is needed"?

For the lodgers, the truth becomes unbearable, they are at the bottom, they cannot cope with the truth. None of the heroes need the truth about their unnecessary life.

They all dream of breaking out of this shelter. Each hero has a passionate dream, and Luca sees everyone's dream, he respects the world that the heroes have invented for themselves.

How does Luke perceive people? He does not need to assert himself, he does not quarrel with other people, he is interested in them, treats with curiosity. Each person has its own value for him. On the other hand, people are "too fussing about."

For Luke, civilization has no value. Luka begins to put things in order in the shelter with the forces that he has, and Luka listens to everyone and listens to everyone. He gives advice to everyone, which correlates with the inner desire of a person. He says: "A man can do anything as long as he wants."

A dream can beautify life, but the truth is sometimes merciless. Each hero in his own way does not withstand reality. "Why .. really?"

Luca is exactly the character who can extract from people what they really are, extract from them this inner conflict of dreams and reality and present it to the audience. Luke is the only person who does not divide people into good or bad. Evil and aggression in a person arises when he does not see a normal attitude towards himself, does not see love, pity, or compassion. He sometimes feels when to tell the truth, and when to lie in the name of the truth.

One of the main (if not the most important) points of all the arguments of the characters in the play is the question of the purpose of human life (or humanity).

The first truth- the truth of Bubnov, it can be called the truth of the fact. Bubnov is convinced that a person is born to die and there is no need to feel sorry for him: “Everything is like this: they will be born, live, die. And I will die ... and you ... What to feel sorry for ... You are superfluous everywhere ... and all people on earth are superfluous. " As you can see, Bubnov completely denies both himself and others, his despair is generated by unbelief. For him, truth is a cruel, murderous oppression of inhuman circumstances.

What is the truth of Bubnov?

“What is my conscience for? I'm not rich! " "People all live ... like chips on the river float ..." "All people on earth are superfluous ..." "All fairy tales ..." "It's all like this: they will be born, live, die. And I will die ... and you ... "

Second truth- the truth of Luke - the truth of compassion and faith in God. Having looked closely at the tramps, he finds words of consolation for everyone. He is sensitive, kind to those who need help, he instills hope in everyone: he tells the Actor about a hospital for alcoholics, advises Ash to go to Siberia, Anna talks about happiness in the afterlife. What Luke says is not just a lie. Rather, he instills the belief that there is a way out of any hopeless situation. "Everyone is looking for people, everyone wants - what's best, give them, Lord, patience!" - Luke says sincerely and adds: "He who seeks will find ... Only they need help ..." Luke brings people saving faith. He thinks that pity, compassion, mercy, attention to a person can heal his soul, so that the very last thief would understand: “You have to live better! You have to live like this ... so that you can ... respect yourself ... "

What is Luke's truth?

“What you believe in is ...” “Christ pitied everyone and ordered us” “A person can do anything ... if only he wants to ...” the heart is adjusted, and it lives ... "

The third truth is true satin. He believes in man as in God. He believes that a person can believe in himself and rely on his own strength. He sees no point in pity and compassion. "What good is it to you if I feel sorry for you?" He asks

Tick. And then he pronounces his famous monologue about a person: “There is only a person, all the rest is the work of his hands and his brain! Human! It's great! It sounds - proudly! " Satin is not just talking about a strong personality. He talks about a person who is able to rebuild the world at his own discretion, to create new laws of the universe - about a man-god.

What is the truth of Satin?

“Everything is in a person, everything is for a person. There is only man, all the rest is the work of his hands and brain! Human! It's great! It sounds - proudly! We must respect the person! Do not regret, do not humiliate him with pity ... "" What is truth? Man - that's the truth! " "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters ... Truth is the god of a free man!"

There is another nuance in the play against dream, lie and truth: a dream is what gives rise to madmen who look at life in a strange way. Each of the heroes strives for the beautiful, art (reading a novel, poetry). In a flophouse, art (scraps) is the only source of vivid emotion that is lacking here, where everything is dark and gray. The final remark of Satin - "Fool, ruined the song" - refers both to the Baron (who reports that the Actor hanged himself), and to the Actor himself (who hanged himself). This song is a piece of art.

"Three Truths" tragically collide, which determines this very ending of the play. The problem is that in each of the truths there is a part of lies and that the very concept of truth is multidimensional. A striking example of this - and at the same time the moment of collision of different truths - Satin's monologue about a proud man. This monologue is delivered by a drunken, degraded person. And the question immediately arises: is this drunkard, degraded person the same one who “sounds proudly”? A positive answer is doubtful, and if negative, then what about the fact that “only man exists”?

It turns out that in order to perceive the truth of Satin's words about a proud person, one must not see Satin, whose appearance is also true.

It is terrible that an inhuman society is killing and maiming human souls. But the main thing in the play is that M. Gorky makes us even more acutely feel the injustice of the social order, think about man, his freedom. He says: do not put up with untruth, injustice, you need to preserve in yourself kindness, compassion, mercy.

Conclusion

In the play At the Bottom, M. Gorky strove not only to draw attention to the fate of disadvantaged people by portraying the terrible reality. He created a truly innovative philosophical and journalistic drama. The content of seemingly disparate episodes is a tragic collision of three truths, three ideas about life.

There is no one answer, what is the truth?

Additional

Drama (Greek - action) is the most effective type of literature. It is designed to be staged on stage. Therefore, the playwright, unlike the author of an epic work, cannot directly express his position - the only exceptions are the author's remarks, which are intended for the reader or actor, but which the viewer will not see. The playwright is limited both in the volume of the work (the performance can go on for two to three hours), and in the number of actors (all of them must fit on the stage and be in time

realize yourself). Therefore, in the drama, a special load falls on the conflict - a sharp clash between the characters on a very significant occasion for them. Otherwise, the characters simply will not be able to realize themselves in the limited volume of drama and stage space.

The playwright ties such a knot, when untangled, a person shows himself from all sides. At the same time, there can be no superfluous heroes in the drama - all heroes must be included in the conflict.

Homework

Make a quotation description of Luke.

Bibliography

1. Chalmaev V.A., Zinin S.A. Russian literature of the twentieth century .: Textbook for grade 11: 2 hours - 5th ed. - M .: OOO 2TID "Russian Word - RS", 2008.

2. Agenosov V.V . Russian literature of the 20th century. Methodical manual M. "Bustard", 2002

3. Russian literature of the 20th century. Textbook for those entering universities M. uch.-nauch. Center "Moscow Lyceum", 1995.

4. Wiktionary.

5. Troitsky V.Yu. Play by M. Gorky "At the bottom" // Literature at school. 1998 No. 8

6. Yuzovsky Yu. "At the Bottom" by M. Gorky. M., 1968

Video and audio material

The play "At the Bottom" tells about the fate of people who found themselves at the "bottom" of life. Every resident of the flophouse has their own dreams and desires, which are faced with a brutal reality. Dream and Reality (At the Bottom) is the central theme of M. Gorky's work.

Hero dreams

In the course of the story, the reader learns about what the residents of the Kostylevs' shelter are striving for. The former actor, nicknamed the Actor, wants to return to his former life on stage. The girl of easy virtue Nastya dreams of pure and sincere love. Thief Vaska Ash wants a happy life with Natasha. Natasha herself dreams of an unusual life event that will completely change her difficult existence. The tick wants to return to its old life, so it works hard.

Luke occupies an important place in the system of images. The appearance of the old man in the shelter excited all its inhabitants. Luca supported the dreams of the characters: he tells the actor that there is a hospital that will allow him to recover from alcoholism and return to the stage; it strengthens Nastya's belief that she is truly worthy of love and that a French student exists; he tells Vaska Peplu that he can find happiness with Natasha if he leaves with her to Siberia. In addition, Luka tells dying Anna about a happy afterlife, that is, she forms a kind of dream.

Dream collision with reality

M. Gorky shows how the dreams of the central characters are shattered.

The tick, which has not completely lost its ability to change and fix everything, understands that life "at the bottom" has completely dragged it out. He no longer considers himself to be special, Tick is the same inhabitant of the shelter, like the rest.

Vaska Ashes, dreaming of a happy life in Siberia, kills the husband of his former mistress, the owner of the shelter Kostylev, and ends up in prison.

The worst fate was for the Actor, who realized that Luke's stories about the hospital were a lie. The hero commits suicide, as he realizes that his dream is impracticable.

Causes of the conflict

The theme of dreams and reality in the work is closely related to the image of Luke. The hero supports the aspirations of the residents of the shelter, and in some cases creates new dreams for them. However, Luke, who sought to use lies in the name of salvation, does not understand that his instructions and advice can destroy vulnerable people. Luka says that Vaska Ashes will find happiness in Siberia, but there were no conditions for existence. Luca tells the Actor about a non-existent hospital, wanting to motivate the Actor to change his life, but Luka's good intentions turn into a tragedy.

However, the main reason for the collision of dreams and reality is the inaction of the characters. Inhabitants of the shelter are only ready to think about a better life, to constantly dream about something, but they are not ready to take concrete actions to achieve their goals. Luka wanted to give the heroes hope for the best, the fulfillment of the dream remained with the person. The desire to move on turned out to be only words, not actions. M. Gorky in his play "At the Bottom" demonstrated that reality is cruel in relation to a dream, if a person does not make any effort to realize it.