Can Chelkash be called a romantic hero? Analysis of the story "Chelkash" (M. Gorky)

This story is dedicated to the topic of vagabondage.

Tramps are a special category of people who fall to the "bottom" of life. These people choose their own way of life - freedom, about one story from the life of a tramp, and this work tells (the author calls it a little drama). The main characters are Chelkash and the village lad Gavrila, but the story is called "Chelkash", so the author distinguishes the tramp against the background of a prosperous village guy, the philosophy of life of a free thief is higher than that of a "greedy slave".

The opposition of the two heroes is as follows: Chelkash is internally free, Gavrila is a slave in his soul, he is a slave of money, wealth, prosperity. This "slavery" pushes him even to murder - he is ready to do anything for the sake of money.

Chelkash is a thief, this is bad, but he has a wide soul, a free view of the world. It is Gavrila who thinks that Chelkash is "unnecessary on earth" a person. Chelkash does not judge the uselessness of the human, he lives as he knows how.

A slavish and free attitude to the world is the basis of their confrontation.

The worldview position of Maxim Gorky throughout the writer's life gravitated towards revolutionary romanticism, which presupposes the necessity and inevitability of correcting the world order by external influence. It is well known that Gorky was ...

MAXIM GORKY IN THE STORY "CHELKASH" REVEALS TWO, ON THE ONE SIDE, VERY SIMILAR, ON THE OTHER SIDE, IN DIFFERENT IMAGES. LET'S TALK TO EACH OF THEM AND LET'S TRY TO FIND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE. GRISHKA CHELKASH - A HARD DRINKER, NICE ...

"Chelkash" is an early story by Gorky, one of a series of stories about people from the people who carry high ethical qualities. The main pathos is the approval of high creative opportunities a man of the people. By the definition of the author himself, "Chelkash" -...

The main feature of Maxim Gorky's work is the exposure of bourgeois morality and individualism. In his works it is glorified heroic feat in the name of freedom and happiness. He realizes the idea of ​​a man-activist, fighter, hero. His works ...

Gorky not only showed the victims of the unjust social order, but deeply penetrated their psychology, revealed the individual identity of the personality of each, even the most downtrodden person. The severity of life and the struggle for existence disfigure the psyche of people ...

Most of M. Gorky's works are written in the style of realism, but in his early stories there is a romantic spirit. The protagonists of these stories live in close connection with nature. The writer identifies nature and man. In his works, he gives preference to people who are free from the laws of society. These heroes have interesting views, behavior. The main character always has an antagonist - a hero who has an opposite view of the world. A conflict arises between these characters, which is the basis of the work, the plot of the work is revealed on it.

Like most of Gorky's stories, "Chelkash" tells about human relationships, the work depicts nature and its relationship with state of mind characters.

The events that Gorky talks about in "Chelkash" took place on the seashore, in a seaport. The main characters are Chelkash and Gavrila. These characters are opposed to each other. Chelkash is a rather elderly thief and drunkard who does not have his own home. Gavrila is a young peasant who ended up in these places after a failed attempt to find work in order to earn money.

Grishka Chelkash is known to everyone in the port as an inveterate drunkard and a clever thief. His appearance was similar to other "tramp figures" found in the port, but he was surprised by his resemblance to the "steppe hawk". He was a "long, bony, slightly stooped" man, "with a hunchbacked predatory nose and cold gray eyes."

He had thick and long mustache brown, which "shuddered every now and then," he kept his hands clasped behind his back and constantly rubbed them, nervously twisting his long, crooked and tenacious fingers. At first glance, his gait was calm, but vigilant, like the flight of a bird, which the whole appearance of Chelkash resembled.

Chelkash traded in the port by stealing, sometimes his deals were successful and then he had money, which he immediately drank.

Chelkash and Gavrila met when Chelkash walked along the harbor and pondered how he could accomplish the "business" that was to come tonight. His partner broke his leg, which made the whole thing very complicated. Chelkash was very annoyed.

Gavrila was returning home after a failed attempt to earn extra money in the Kuban. He, too, had a reason for grief - after the death of his father, he could get out of poverty in only one way - “go to sons-in-law in good house”, Which meant - to become a farm laborer.

Chelkash quite by chance saw a strong young guy dressed in a torn red cap, shod in bast shoes and sitting right on the sidewalk.

Chelkash touched the guy, got into a conversation with him and suddenly decided to take him with him to the "case".

The meeting of the heroes is described by Gorky in detail. We hear the conversation, inner experiences and thoughts of each character. The author pays special attention to Chelkash, noticing every detail, the slightest change in the behavior of his character. These are reflections on his former life, on the peasant boy Gavril, who, by the will of fate, found himself in his “wolf's paws”. Either he feels domination over someone, while feeling pride in himself, then his mood changes, and he wants to swear or hit Gavrila, then suddenly he wants to pity him. He once had a house, a wife, parents, but then turned into a thief and an inveterate drunkard. However, to the reader, he does not seem to be a complete person. We see in him a proud and strong nature. Despite the fact that it has an unpresentable appearance, an extraordinary personality is felt in the hero. Chelkash can find an approach to everyone, he can come to an agreement with everyone. It has its own special relationship to the sea and nature. Being a thief, Chelkash loves the sea. His inner world the author even compares it to the sea: "an ebullient nervous nature", he was greedy for impressions, looking at the sea, he experienced a "wide warm feeling" that enveloped his whole soul and cleansed it of everyday filth. Among the water and air, Chelkash felt himself the best, there his thoughts about life, and, incidentally, life itself lost value and poignancy.

We see Gavrila completely different. First, we are faced with a “downtrodden” by life, distrustful village guy, and then a slave frightened to death. After the successful completion of the "case", when Gavrila saw big money for the first time in his life, he seemed to "burst out". The author describes the feelings overwhelming Gavril very vividly. Unveiled greed becomes visible to us. Immediately, compassion and pity for the village boy disappeared. When, falling to his knees, Gavrila began to beg Chelkash to give him all the money, the reader saw a completely different person - a "vile slave" who forgot about everything, wishing only to beg from his master more money... Experiencing acute pity and hatred for this greedy slave, Chelkash throws him all the money. At this moment, he feels like a hero. He is sure that he will never become so, despite the fact that he is a thief and a drunkard.

However, after Gavrila's words that he wanted to kill Chelkash and throw him into the sea, he experiences a burning rage. Chelkash takes the money, turns his back on Gavrila and leaves.

Gavril could not survive this, grabbing a stone, he threw it at Chelkash's head. Seeing what he had done, he again began to beg forgiveness.

And in this situation Chelkash was higher. He realized that Gavrila had a mean and petty soul, and threw the money right in his face. Gavrila first looked after Chelkash, staggering and holding his head, but then sighed, as if free, crossed himself, hid the money and headed in the opposite direction.

He called the beautiful a dream ...

He looked at the world mockingly -

And nothing in all nature

He didn't want to bless.
A.S. Pushkin

M. Gorky himself spoke about his early work in the following way: on the one hand, in childhood and adolescence he was surrounded by a "painfully poor, gray life", which he wanted to decorate, to bring into it the dream of a free man; on the other hand, the future writer "at the dawn of his foggy youth" (A. V. Koltsov) had so many difficult impressions that he "could not help but write" the truth about life, that is, he could not avoid a realistic depiction of reality, and such an image inevitably led to denunciation modern society... This complex perception of the world was reflected in Gorky's early stories about tramps - “former people” (“ Former people"(1897) - the title of M. Gorky's story). It was these heroes who brought the writer loud glory at the very beginning of his career.

The protagonist of the story "Chelkash" (1894) is Grishka Chelkash, an inveterate drunkard and a clever, brave port thief. The image of a tramp who has put himself outside of society is the theme of this work. By social characteristics(thief) the hero belongs to the "scum of society." It seems that in such people neither human dignity, no convictions, no conscience. But the writer breaks the usual view of the tramp and shows his hero as a bright personality with a complex character and his own philosophy of life. This is how the idea of ​​the work is presented.

The story "Chelkash" is an action-packed novella, built on a psychological paradox: when in the finale the port thief begins to divide money, he, contrary to the widespread view of tramps, unexpectedly shows a breadth of character and emotional sensitivity, and a respectable poor peasant Gavrila demonstrates disgusting greed and philistine aggressiveness. Seeing a wad of money in Chelkash's hands, he instantly forgets all Christian moral commandments and is ready to kill his partner, justifying himself by the fact that this tramp is “unnecessary on earth” (III), that no one will exact his death.

Gorky portrays Chelkash as a romantic hero. At first, the romantic singularity of the port thief's appearance is emphasized by his resemblance to a hawk: “Even here, among hundreds of sharp tramp figures like him, he immediately attracted attention by his resemblance to the steppe hawk, his predatory thinness and this aiming gait, smooth and calm in appearance, but internally excited and vigilant, like the flight of that bird of prey, which he resembled ”(I).

Chelkash appears to the reader as a mysterious, romantic person. Firstly, the story of his life and the reasons for the transformation of the guy from a rich one are unknown from the story. peasant family, as he sees himself in memories (II), in a port thief. Secondly, Gorky does not give the “history of the soul” (M.Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”: Preface to Pechorin's magazine) of the protagonist, that is, the evolution of his views and beliefs. The author shows the depth and originality of Chelkash's character, but this character remains static, as it should be for a romantic hero. As Chelkash enters the story, he leaves in the final along the seashore - as a man tragic fate, wearable, decisive, courageous.

Chelkash's love for the sea testifies to his romantic spiritual mood: in the endless sea (exotic landscape) the hero feels absolute freedom, to which he strives himself: “He, a thief, loved the sea. His ebullient, nervous nature, greedy for impressions, was never satiated with the contemplation of this dark breadth, boundless, free and powerful ”(II). Maybe that's why the variability seascape he never gets bored. Romantic writers loved to portray the harmony of the feelings of the hero and wildlife, seeing in this subtle emotional experiences that made romantic heroes unusual among ordinary people.

Drawing his hero, Gorky proceeds from the conviction: personality, of course, is formed by the environment, but more importantly, “a person is created by his resistance environment". Chelkash's resistance to society (the main feature of the romantic hero) was expressed in the denial of generally accepted values ​​and norms of behavior. The hero lives in contempt of all human laws. For example, in the port they know that he is a thief, and they say it to his eyes. However, the "truth lovers" somehow shyly keep silent about the fact that everyone in the port is stealing: customs officials, watchmen, and loaders. Therefore, Chelkash only grins at offensive words addressed to him: let them call him whatever you like, because no one can catch him red-handed. For his thieves' dexterity, "the old, poisoned wolf" (I), the customs watchman Semyonich, both loaders and tramps are respected, but they are afraid for his sharp tongue.

Chelkash created for himself his own philosophy of life, in which the main value is the highest and absolute (that is, romantic) freedom - from land property, from money, from any human society, from God. This tramp is ready to give up normal living conditions, from all personal attachments, live from hand to mouth, but be completely free. For her, most of all, the feeling of superiority that he experiences when he passes by tired loaders in the port (unfortunate, forced people, from his point of view) or when he hires Gavrila and takes him to a tavern: “And they walked along the street next to each other, Chelkash - with an important face of the owner, twisting his mustache, the guy - with an expression of complete readiness to obey ... ”(I). Chelkash remains faithful to his philosophy to the end, since in the final he refuses money, which is worshiped by everyone around. The tramp feels like a hero, observing the behavior of a peasant guy who has just received a bundle of rainbow bills: “Chelkash listened to his joyful cries, looked at his shining face, distorted with delight of greed, and felt that he was a thief, a reveler, cut off from everything that was dear to him. will be so greedy, low, not remembering himself. It will never be like this! " (III).

Throughout the story, from the moment of the meeting, a philosophical argument-dialogue about freedom is being conducted between a barefoot and a village guy. Gavrila understands freedom in the following way: “He is his own master, go wherever you like, do what you like ... Of course! If you manage to keep yourself in order, but you have no stones on your neck - the first thing! Take a walk, know how you like, just remember God ... "(I). Gavrila constantly thinks about his responsibilities to his mother, the household, plans to marry and have children, he does not at all strive for absolute freedom, which Chelkash values ​​so much, running away in a straightforward and figuratively from his previous life (the motive of flight is often used by romantic writers, suffice it to recall the poem by M.Yu. Lermontov "Mtsyri"). Therefore, the tramp contemptuously asks the village boy: "What do you want - freedom? .. Do you love freedom?" (I). The port thief is outraged that the village "sucker" "dares to love freedom, which does not know the price and which he does not need" (I). But it is Gavrila who debunks the philosophy of absolute freedom, which is so dear to Chelkash: a naive guy calls a proud tramp “unnecessary on earth”: “Lost, you are ... There is no way for you ...” (III). At these words, the thief feels that "never, in his entire life, he was not beaten so painfully, and never was he so angry" (III). It was after these words that Chelkash took the money from Gavrila, which he himself generously gave a few minutes before.

Why was the tramp so offended by Gavrila's words? Perhaps because in his heart he understood their justice: absolute freedom, in principle, is unattainable. However, the last act of Chelkash refutes the "correct", moderate truth of Gavrila, which makes the story ultra-romantic: the tramp gives almost all the money to Gavrila, experiencing a moment of absolute freedom and proving that a person can be "above satiety" (M. Gorky "At the Bottom", IV ) that the ideal start is alive in human soul... Thanks to this, the port thief becomes an undoubtedly positive hero for Gorky.

Summing up, it must be said that the story "Chelkash" is just as romantic as "Makar Chudra", "Old Woman Izergil", "Song of the Falcon". In his stories about tramps, Gorky continues the theme of freedom, which he raised already in the images of Loiko and Radda, Larra and Danko, Uzh and Sokol, but transfers this theme from the legendary fantasy world to modern reality. Therefore, in the story "Chelkash" there is a real background (port, tavern, sea), Gavrila is described quite realistically, and the author emphasizes in his image, along with peasant industriousness, a philistine, aggressive feeling of ownership. The writer soberly (that is, realistically) assesses the character and capabilities of Chelkash: a tramp, being even a proud dreamer, is not capable of real work and feat and can only be a “knight for an hour” (“A knight for an hour” (1863) - a poem by N.A. Nekrasov). This expression denotes a weak-willed person who experiences momentary noble impulses, but does not have mental strength to bring them to life.

And yet, in the image of Chelkash, the features of a romantic hero prevail, which is especially noticeable when comparing him with Gavrila. At first glance, this conclusion seems unexpected, since usually romantic heroes were brilliant aristocrats (Childe Harold by J.G. Byron), great theomachists (Cain by J.G. Byron, Demon by M.Yu. Lermontov), outstanding people(Manfred by J.G. Byron, Ammalat-Bek by A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky). And suddenly the proud human self, opposed to the whole world around him, Gorky discovers in a ragged tramp Grishka Chelkash. However, the external differences of the heroes of J.G. Byron, M.Yu. Lermontov, A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky and M.Gorky do not negate the deep inner commonality of all these images. Opposing oneself to others, loneliness, a difficult spiritual life, the desire for absolute freedom emphasize the unusualness of the romantic hero, distinguishing him from other characters in the work.

The story opens with a description of the port. The voices of people barely make their way through the noise of steamer propellers, the ringing of anchor chains, etc. etc.

Grishka Chelkash, "an inveterate drunkard and a clever, brave thief", appears. “Even here, among hundreds of sharp tramp figures like him, he immediately attracted attention by his resemblance to a steppe hawk, his predatory thinness and this aiming gait, smooth and calm in appearance, but internally excited and vigilant, as years of that bird of prey that he resembled. "

Chelkash is looking for Mishka, with whom he steals together. One of the guards informs him that Mishka has crushed his leg and he was taken to the hospital. Chelkash feels confident in the frenzied hustle and bustle of the port. He is going “on business”, regrets that Mishka will not be able to help him. Chelkash meets young guy, gets to know him, talks heart to heart, enters into his confidence, introduces himself as a fisherman (who, however, does not fish). The guy, whose name is Gavrila, says that he needs money, he cannot cope with his household, they don’t give out girls with a dowry for him, he cannot earn money. Chelkash offers the guy to earn money, Gavrila agrees.

Chelkash invites Gavrila to dinner, and borrows food, and Gavrila is immediately filled with respect for Chelkash, "who, despite his appearance as a swindler, enjoys such fame and trust." At dinner, Chelkash drunk Gavrila, and the guy is completely in his power. Chelkash “envied and regretted this young life, laughed at her and even grieved for her, imagining that she could once again fall into such hands as his ... And all feelings eventually merged in Chelkash into one - something paternal and household. It was a pity for the little one, and the little one was needed. "

At night Chelkash and Gavrila go by boat "to work". A description of the sea and the sky follows (psychological landscape: “There was something fatal in this slow movement of soulless masses” - about the clouds). Chelkash does not tell Gavrila the true purpose of their journey, although Gavrila, sitting on the oars, already guesses that they did not go out to sea to fish. Gavrila is frightened and asks Chelkash to let him go. Chelkash is only amused by the guy's fear. Chelkash takes Gavrila's passport so that he does not run away.

They stick to the wall, Chelkash disappears and returns with something "cubic and heavy". Gavrila turns back, dreaming of one thing: "to finish this damned work as soon as possible, to get down to earth and run away from this man, until he really killed or took him to prison." Gavrila rowing very carefully, and they manage to slip past the guards. However, a searchlight beam is rummaging through the water, Gavrila is scared half to death, but they again manage to hide.

Gavrila is already refusing the reward, Chelkash begins to "tempt" the guy: after all, upon returning to home village the former dull, hopeless life awaits that, reports that in one tonight he earned half a thousand. Chelkash says that if Gavrila worked with him, he would be the first rich man in the village. Chelkash even got emotional and spoke about peasant life... He recalls his childhood, his village, his parents, his wife, he remembers how he served in the guards, and how his father was proud of him in front of the whole village. Reflections distract Chelkash, and the boat almost passes by a Greek ship, on which Chelkash must give the goods.

Chelkash and Gavrila spend the night on a Greek ship. Chelkash receives money, persuades Gavrila to work with him again. He shows Gavrila a mountain of papers that the Greeks paid him with. With a trembling hand, Gavrila grabs the forty rubles allocated to him by Chelkash. Chelkash notes with displeasure that Gavrila is greedy, but believes that another should not be expected from the peasant. Gavrila speaks with excitement about how good it is to live in a village with money.

On the bank, Gavrila pounces on Chelkash, asking him to give him all the money. Chelkash gives him the banknotes, "trembling with excitement, acute pity and hatred for this greedy slave." Gavrila humbly thanks, shudders, hides the money in his bosom. Chelkash feels “that he, a thief, a reveler, cut off from everything that is dear, will never be so greedy, low, and does not remember himself.” Gavrila mutters that he thought to kill Chelkash, because no one will try to find out where he disappeared. Chelkash grabs the guy by the throat, takes away the money, then turns with contempt and leaves.

Gavrila grabs a heavy stone, throws it at Chelkash's head, he falls. Gavrila runs away, but then comes back and asks to forgive him and remove sin from his soul. Chelkash chases him away with contempt: "Vile! .. And you don’t know how to fornicate! .." Chelkash gives Gavrila almost all the money, except for one piece of paper. Gavrila says that he will take it only if Chelkash forgives him. It starts to rain, Chelkash turns and leaves, leaving the money lying on the sand. His legs are buckling, and the bandage on his head is becoming more and more soaked in blood. Gavrila rakes up the money, hides it and walks away in the opposite direction with wide, firm steps. Rain and splashing waves wash away the blood stain and footprints in the sand. “And on deserted coast there was nothing left of the sea in the memory of a small drama played out between two people. "

There are many names in Russian literature that can rightfully be called great. Among such names is M. Gorky - a man who lived difficult life, having experienced all the hardships of fate. But, despite all the difficulties that haunted him, he remained true to himself and wrote wonderful works.
From early creativity Gorky, such stories as “The Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”, “Emelyan Pilyay” are known. But the work that brought the author wide fame is "Chelkash".
Chelkash is one of the main characters of the story of the same name. This is "an old poisoned wolf, well known to the Havana people, an inveterate drunkard and a clever, brave thief." On this moment he does not have a penny, since the things stolen before have long been spent on drink and lost at cards, and therefore Chelkash is plotting a new business. He can't do it alone - he needs a partner. And this partner becomes Gavrila. "The guy was broad-shouldered, stocky, fair-haired, with a tanned and chapped face and big blue eyes that looked trustingly and good-naturedly." Chelkash noticed that this is a childishly stupid naive boy who came from the provinces to earn money to restore his father's economy, who loves freedom and wants to break out of poverty, but who has not succeeded so far.
Chelkash offers the youngster a job: rowing while fishing. And the guy agrees. At night, when they sailed from the coast, Gavrila noticed that there were no fishing nets in the boat, and realized that they were not going fishing. He went through a lot during this time: fear of being caught, fear of death, hatred and anger towards Chelkash. Forgetting about money, he thought of only one thing: he would rather get to the coast and run away from it. cruel man... But when the danger passed and Gavrila learned about the amount of money stolen, he changed dramatically. Not remembering himself, he falls at the feet of Chelkash, asks to give the loot in an amicable way, which humiliates himself. He is capable of meanness, which he does for the sake of money.
In the story "Chelkash" Gorky reflects one of the most terrible human qualities: greed. He says that a man who has stolen his whole life and drank everything that is, rude and uncouth, behaves nobler than a young village boy, seized by a fit of greed. And it is because of this vice that many absurd acts are committed.
Gorky in his works masterfully knew how to reveal the character of a person. Putting his heroes in extreme situations, the author shows the human essence, tells the reader that one does not always need to believe the first impression, it is important to be able to recognize the truth.