“The fate of the gentleman from San Francisco. Analysis of the work "Bunin

The story "The gentleman from San Francisco" was written by Ivan Alekseevich Bunin - the great Russian poet and Nobel Prize winner.

The history of the creation of this literary masterpiece also dates back to 1915. The author himself recalls that he was inspired to write the story by Thomas Mann's book The Death of Venice.

For the first time, Bunin saw this book in a bookstore on Kuznetsky Most, but for some reason did not buy it.

According to the plot, the book describes the sudden death of a resident of the United States of America who came to the island of Capri.

At first it was called Death on Capri. But then the author decided to change the title to "Mr. from San Francisco".

Interesting Facts:

• The story was written by the author in the Vasilievsky village in the Oryol province.
• The author claims that it took him only 4 days to write the story.

Important! This was the first work the author paid special attention to writing.

According to his reviews, the story turned out to be incredible, because he thought through every detail to the smallest detail and very emotionally endured all the events he wrote.

Summary

The plot of the text is divided into 2 parts:

1. The first part describes the events during the life of an elderly and wealthy entrepreneur who decided to go on a trip with his family to Capri.
2. The second part highlights the death of Mr. from a seizure and the main problems of the staff administration regarding hiding this tragedy from other guests.

Description of the characters

The story turned out to be very moral and philosophical. He reminds a person that everything he has conceived can collapse at any moment.

Note! This work very clearly conveys the character and mood of the main characters, which are described in great detail by the author in the text.

Table - characteristics of the characters:

The character	Short description
Mister or Mister from San Francisco	The author made the image of the protagonist very restrained, but temperamental. This character is denied a name due to his ambition to buy unsold items. He appreciates false values, loves work. It is work that helps the mister to become wealthy and financially independent. The age of the hero is 58 years old. His appearance is described in a very restrained manner. According to the description, the main character is a short and bald man. The personal characteristic consists of the fact that the author shows that the character loves to be content with money, he is happy to spend it in restaurants. It is very difficult to understand his character. For the entire period of his trip on the ship, he does not show emotion.
Mister's wife (mrs)	The wife of the protagonist also has no name. She acts as his faceless shadow. Throughout the story, she rarely expresses emotion. They can be seen in the text only after the death of the husband.
Mister's daughter	Shy, sweet, kind girl, nothing like her family

In addition to the above characters, there are many episodic characters in the story that indicate in detail the goals and aspirations in life.

The image of the main character

Quotes from the story indicate a person's constant dissatisfaction, even when they are in premium conditions.

Psychological portrait of the protagonist:

1. Indifference to morality, lack of spirituality. The main character cannot be called cruel, but he does not accept the requests and problems of strangers.

   He exists in his rich world, beyond which he is very afraid to go.

2. Limitation. Rubber stamp. Wealth imposed on him its own stereotypes of life, which are difficult not to obey.

Important! The main feature of the hero is narcissism.

Analysis and problem

Text analysis:

1. The main idea of ​​the story is that a person at one moment can lose his life, even having fabulous wealth.
2. Initially, it is very difficult to determine the genre of writing a work.

   But at the end of the story, we can conclude that this is a cautionary tale, indicating that fate is unpredictable and it is worth preparing for the most unforeseen situations.

3. The outline of the story can be indirectly divided into 2 parts: before and after the death of Mr.

   The first part is dominated by the features of indifference and willfulness of the protagonist, who does not reckon with society. He is not loved, but respected for many achievements in life.

In the second part, the hero dies, and respect for his person disappears.

The death occurs in the hotel, so the hotel manager immediately finds arguments and grounds for hiding the tragic incident from the public.

After death, other characters show fear for their position in society, neglecting the widow's feelings and emotions.

From the epigraphs of the characters, you can understand that the author wanted to highlight and highlight such problems:

• The true value of money.
• The purpose of man in the world.

Today the story is very popular. It is included in the school curriculum, so it is not forgotten.

On the basis of the work, schoolchildren write statements, retellings, notes, stage theatrical performances.

Many people think that the book is not well received by teenagers, but it is not. The work teaches you to cherish and be grateful for what you have.

Reading this story makes you want to rethink your actions, to become a more noble and kind person.

Today, films are being made on the basis of this work. This is a very instructive story that could help many people.

Thanks to technological progress, the work has appeared in the audiobook format, which allows you to listen to it, not read it.

Many literary critics advise you to read the full edition, and not the summary of the story, in order to feel its full meaning and understand the images of the main characters.

The idea of ​​the work symbolizes the desire for respect and disregard for life values ​​for the sake of earning money and personal pleasure.

Useful video

Gentleman from san francisco- at the very beginning of the story, the hero's absence of a name is motivated by the fact that "no one remembered him." G. “went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment. He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, pleasure, travel in all respects excellent. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life, despite his fifty-eight years. " Bunin sets out in detail the route of the upcoming trip: Southern Italy - Nice - Monte Carlo - Florence - Rome - Venice - Paris - Seville - Athens - Palestine - Egypt, "even Japan - of course, already on the way back." "Everything went fine at first," but in this impassive statement of what is happening, one can hear the "hammers of fate."

G.- one of the many passengers of the large ship Atlantis, which looks like "a huge hotel with all conveniences - with a night bar, with oriental baths, with its own newspaper." The ocean, which has long become a symbol of life in world literature in its mutability, menacing and unpredictability, “was terrible, but they did not think about it”; "On the tank every minute a siren howled with infernal gloom and screeched with fierce malice, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra." "Siren" is a symbol of world chaos, "music" - a calm harmony. The constant juxtaposition of these leitmotifs determines the dissonant stylistic intonation of the story. Bunin gives a portrait of his hero: “Dry, short, wrongly cut, but tightly stitched<...>... There was something Mongolian in his yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache, his large teeth glittered with gold fillings, his strong bald head was old ivory. Another deceptive detail, as it turns out later, is important: "The tuxedo and starched linen were very young" G.

When the ship arrived in Naples, G. together with his family decided to get off the ship and go to Capri, where, "everyone assured", it was warm. Bunin does not indicate whether G.'s tragic outcome was predetermined in the event that he remained on the "Atlantis". Already during the voyage on a small steamer to the island of Capri, G. felt "as befits him - quite an old man" and with irritation thought about the purpose of his journey - about Italy.

The day of his arrival in Capri became "significant" in the fate of G. He looks forward to an exquisite evening in the company of a famous beauty, but when he gets dressed, he involuntarily mutters: "Oh, this is awful!" He overcomes himself, waits for his wife in the reading room, reads newspapers - “when suddenly the lines flashed in front of him with a glass sheen, his neck strained, his eyes bulged, his pince-nez flew off his nose ... He rushed forward, wanted to take a breath of air - and wheezed wildly; his lower jaw fell off, illuminating his entire mouth with gold fillings, his head fell over his shoulder and wrapped around, the chest of his shirt protruded into a box - and the whole body, wriggling, lifting the carpet with his heels, crawled to the floor, desperately struggling with someone. " G.'s agony is depicted physiologically and dispassionately. However, death does not fit into the lifestyle of a wealthy hotel. “If there weren't a German in the reading room, the hotel would quickly and deftly hush up this terrible incident<...>would have rushed by the legs and the head of the gentleman from San Francisco, where to go - and not a single soul from the guests would not know what he had done. " G. "persistently fights death", but calms down "in the smallest, worst, coldest and dampest, at the end of the lower corridor" room. In a quarter of an hour everything is in order at the hotel, but the reminder of death "the evening was irreparably ruined."

On Christmas Day, the body of a “dead old man, having experienced a lot of humiliation, a lot of human inattention,” in a “long soda box of English water” sets off along the same path, first on a small steamer, then on “the same famous ship” goes home. But the body is now hiding from the living in the womb of the ship - in the hold. A vision of the Devil appears, observing "a ship, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of a New Man with an old heart."

At the end of the story, Bunin redescribes the brilliant and easy life of the ship's passengers, including the dance of a pair of hired lovers: and no one knew their secret and fatigue from pretense, no one knew about G.'s body “at the bottom of a dark hold, in the neighborhood of gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, heavily overcoming the darkness, ocean, blizzard ... ". This finale can be interpreted as a victory over death and at the same time as subordination to the eternal circle of being: life - death. T. Mann put the story on a par with "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by L. Tolstoy.

The story was originally called Death on Capri. Bunin linked the idea of ​​the story with Thomas Mann’s story “Death in Venice”, but even more so with the memories of the sudden death of an American who came to Capri. However, as the writer admitted, “both San Francisco and everything else” he invented, living on the estate of his cousin in the Yelets district of the Oryol province.

Module 1

Ways and main trends in the development of Russian literature at the turn of the XIX - XX centuries.

Practical work

Answer the questions of the heuristic conversation based on the story of I. Bunin "The gentleman from San Francisco".

Heuristic conversation on

to the story of I. Bunin "The gentleman from San Francisco"

Initially, this work had an epigraph, which the writer later removed, possibly in order to keep the reader in suspense to the end, not to give him a ready answer.

After analyzing the story, we will have to guess what idea I. Bunin prefaced to his story. To do this, we will need to formulate the main idea of ​​the story.

Now let's turn to the text.

The story of I.A. Bunin was written in the best traditions of Russian classical literature, and therefore is saturated with an ironic note literally from the first lines:

“He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, to enjoy, to travel in all respects excellent. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just begun life, despite his fifty-eight years ”;

- "The ocean that walked outside the walls was terrible, but they did not think about it, firmly believing in the power of the commander over it, a red-haired man of monstrous size and weight ...";

- “... on the tank every minute howled with infernal gloom and screeched with fierce anger, a siren, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the two-story hall, festively flooded with lights, overflowing with men with decollete ladies and warrior ladies tailcoats and tuxedos ... ";

- "... daughter, tall, thin, with magnificent hair, charmingly tucked, with breath aromatic from violet cakes and with the most delicate pink pimples near the lips and between the shoulder blades, slightly powdered ..."

- “Naples grew and approached; the musicians, glittering with brass wind instruments, were already crowded on the deck and suddenly deafened everyone with the triumphant sounds of the march, the giant commander, in full dress, appeared on his walkways and, like a merciful pagan god, shook his hand at the passengers in greeting. And when the Atlantis finally entered the harbor, it rolled over to the embankment with its multi-storey bulk, strewn with people, and the gangways rumbled - how many porter and their assistants in caps with gold braids, how many commission agents, whistling boys and hefty ragamuffins with packs of colored postcards in hands rushed to meet him with an offer of services! "...

Imperceptibly irony gives way to satire and reveals the egoism peculiar to man - directly and openly.

2. By what principle does the hero choose the route?

“The gentleman from San Francisco - no one remembered his name either in Naples or in Capri - went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment.

…The people to whom he belonged had the custom of starting the enjoyment of life with a trip to Europe, to India, to Egypt. He decided to do the same. "

Which of the upcoming pleasures of the hero are alarming the reader?

“The route was developed by the gentleman from San Francisco.

In December and January, he hoped to enjoy the sun of southern Italy, the monuments of antiquity, the tarantella, the serenades of itinerant singers, and what people in his years feel especially delicately - the love of young Neapolitan women , even if not completely disinterested; " - it is not the romance of the ancient country that attracts the hero, but the usual sensual passions, and the desire for them is based not so much on his own desire, but on the position “so accepted”, on public opinion (“and here is public opinion, spring of honor, our idol, and that's what the world revolves on! " - A. Pushkin);

- « he thought to hold the carnival in Nice, in Monte Carlo, where at this time the most selective society , where some enthusiastically indulge in car and sailing races, others to roulette, others to what is commonly called flirting, and the fourth to shooting pigeons, which soar beautifully from the cages above the emerald lawn, against the background of the sea of ​​forget-me-not colors, and immediately knock white lumps on the ground; " - in principle, a rather aimless pastime, again for the sake of society, and not for himself (probably, the hero is not really aware of his complete psychological dependence on the "spring of honor", the desire to "break out into the people" swallowed him as a person ...

Are there any inconsistencies?

- "He wanted to devote the beginning of March to Florence", - usually people strive to this city to enjoy the magnificent architecture, sculpture, frescoes, paintings, to learn more about the magnificent Lorenzo, at whose court the opera, musical theater was born ...

- “to the passion of the Lord to come to Rome to listen to Miserere there; 1" - from the pleasures of a secular, worldly person, the hero is "drawn" to cult religious and Christian values;

- "Included in his plans and Venice, and Paris, and bullfighting in Seville, and bathing in the English islands, and Athens, and Constantinople, and Palestine, and Egypt", - again a set of pleasures of a person who has not decided on his predilections, but who goes to this or that place, because it is customary to look there;

- "And even Japan, - of course, already on the way back ..." - there is already undisguised hyperbole, reinforcing the satirical tone of the story.

Or maybe some phrase could be rearranged? Then the logic of the story would change.

Perhaps, if not for the subsequent sentence ("And everything went fine at first" ) , the story would not turn out to be injective, but comic.

3. Why do the main characters of the story have no names? Which of them is the most individual?

Literature of critical realism, in the traditions of which I. Bunin writes, strove for typification, generalization, which is presented in this story.

However, which, perhaps, is incredible, the typical heroes of Bunin have their own hidden history, somewhere similar to people like a warehouse of character, age, somewhere more individual. Everything is manifested in the light strokes with which Bunin depicts his characters.

So, for example, a portrait of the gentleman from San Francisco ("Dry, short, wrongly cut, but tightly sewn, he was sitting ... " ) gives enough scope for understanding how exactly this person earned his fortune. What about a fleeting phrase about a man in a bowler hat? The image of the protagonist is certainly typified, but, at the same time, his story may not be so common.

The same can be said for the other characters.

The story of the protagonist's daughter, who guesses a lot, is quite easy to "read":"And my daughter, in some vague awkwardness, tried not to notice him." (father who "All looked at the famous beauty standing next to him, a tall, surprisingly built blonde with eyes painted in the latest Parisian fashion, holding a tiny, bent, shabby dog ​​on a silver chain and talking to her ...") Many details make it possible to understand that the girl is sensual, attentive, still naive, that her fate may be very difficult:"... her heart was suddenly gripped by longing, a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island ..." The attitude of the owner of the hotel to the wife and daughter of the deceased master drastically changes. Why? Does his money evaporate with the death of a hero? But the daughter has a presentiment of her future "terrible loneliness "...

An elegant couple in love ”, about which only one commander knew that she was hired ... What circumstances forced these people to constantly dangle around the world, pretending to be in love? Even peacefully attuned to each other (the author does not say anything about the love of these heroes), the lord and madam from San Francisco began to quarrel, tired of swimming. And this couple? ..

And the "crown prince" is probably a typical gigolo? What an unusually vivid portrait that accompanies this image:“The person is small, all wood, broad-faced, narrow-eyed, wearing gold glasses, slightly unpleasant - because large his mustache was like a dead man's , in general, sweet, simple and modest " !..

You can also build the image of the hotel owner (what makes him show cruelty towards the relatives of the deceased, why does he explain the importance of the reputation of his apartments in rough forms?) ...

Less individual, perhaps, is the image of the master's wife. Her image is most of all, in my opinion, typified, universal.

4. How is the ship depicted? What did he look like?

Of course, the image of the ship is an allegory. The motor ship is a world of people whose thoughts are occupied with entertainment - the same as on solid ground: “There were many passengers, the steamer - the famous "Atlantis" - looked like a huge hotel with all amenities , - with a night bar, with oriental baths, with its own newspaper ... on the tank every minute howled with hellish gloom and squealed with fierce anger, a siren, but few of the diners heard a siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the double-lighted hall festively flooded with lights, crowded with low-necked ladies and men in tailcoats and tuxedos, slender lackeys and respectful head waiter, among whom one, the one who took orders only for wine, even walked with a chain around his neck, like the Lord Mayor. "

Let's turn to the daily routine on the ship. How can you describe in three or four words what the passengers were doing?

The passengers of the ship passed their time (they were resting hard):“... life on it proceeded very measuredly: we got up early, ... thrown on our flannel pajamas, we drank coffee, chocolate, cocoa; then they sat in the bathtubs, did gymnastics, stimulating appetite and well-being, made daytime toilets and went to their first breakfast; until eleven o'clock they were supposed to walk briskly on the decks, breathing the cold freshness of the ocean, or play sheffleboard and other games for a new stimulation of appetite, and at eleven - to refresh themselves with sandwiches with broth; having refreshed themselves, they read the newspaper with pleasure and calmly waited for the second breakfast, even more nutritious and varied than the first; the next two hours were devoted to rest; all the decks were then filled with long reed chairs, on which the travelers lay, covered with blankets, looking at the cloudy sky and at the foamy mounds that flashed overboard, or dozing sweetly; at five o'clock, refreshed and cheerful, they were given strong fragrant tea with cookies; at seven, they announced with trumpet signals what constituted the main goal of all this existence, its crown ... "- dinner, similar to a party (or ball).

5. What episodes and details show that the main character is a purely material person, selfish, with a sleeping soul, somewhat immoral, just like other passengers of Atlantis?

Bunin uses the antithesis, depicting the rich passengers of the ship who do not want to think about the terrible, boundless ocean, not think and not notice the people who provide passengers not only with coziness, but with luxurious comfort.

“Lunch lasted more than an hour, and after dinner there were dances in the ballroom, during which the men - including, of course, a gentleman from San Francisco - lifted their legs, smoked Havana cigars until their raspberry reddishness and drank liqueurs in the bar , where Negroes served in red coats, with squirrels that looked like peeled hard eggs. The ocean roared behind the wall as black mountains, the blizzard whistled strongly in the heavy rigging, the steamer trembled all over it, and these mountains, as if with a plow toppling their unsteady, now and then boiling and high-flying masses of foamy tails, into the siren, choked by the fog, moaned to death anguish, the watchmen on their watchtower were freezing from the cold and were prancing from the unbearable strain of attention, to the gloomy and sultry depths of the underworld, its last, ninth circle was like the underwater womb of a steamer - the one where the gigantic furnaces who devoured the mouths of a pile of coal, thrown into them with a roar, doused with caustic, dirty sweat and to the waist with naked people, crimson from the flame; and here, in the bar, they carelessly threw their feet on the arms of the chairs, sipped cognac and liqueurs, swam in waves of spicy smoke, in the dance hall everything shone and poured out light, warmth and joy, couples were spinning in waltzes, then twisting into tango - and music persistently, in sweet-shameless sorrow, she prayed for one thing, all for the same ... "

6. Why are the 9 circles of hell mentioned? To which work is the author referring us? Can we talk about duplication?

The story does not just mention 9 circles of hell (“her(underworld) the last, ninth circle was like the underwater womb of a steamer " ) - this comparison brighterly illustrates the monotonous (albeit filled with many sounds, colors, movements) world and strengthens the antithesis, opposing the careless passengers (who “they carelessly threw their feet on the arms of the chairs, sipped cognac and liqueurs, swam in waves of spicy smoke .. ") and " to the waist of naked people, crimson from the flame " furnaces.

Like N. Gogol, who conceived a poem about Chichikov in 3 volumes, and then M. Bulgakov in the novel The Master and Margarita, I. Bunin turns to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, where the lyric hero, wishing to see his deceased beloved again, first descends into the underworld, having passed all 9 (as represented in Christian mythology) circles of hell.

Both Gogol and Bunin, and then Bulgakov, use not duplication, but a kind of reference to the medieval text. So the space of the story expands, becoming not a single episode, but a universal, typification. In addition, this comparison expresses the author's attitude.

7. Do these pictures only sound a social theme or a philosophical one too? In what episodes is the social theme still heard in the story?

Of course, the description of the pastime of the passengers of "Atlantis" (where the name of the ship is symbolic) and the people who provide this voyage are both social and philosophical pictures: everyone lives as it is prepared for him, and also because of the choice that he himself performs ("in love" dancing couple).

When passengers disembark, in Italy - a country of romance, antiquity, beauty - the same atmosphere reigns, however, as aboard the Atlantis:“So it was everywhere, so it was in sailing, so it should have been in Naples.

Life in Naples immediately flowed routinely : early in the morning - breakfast in a gloomy dining room, cloudy, little promising sky and a crowd of guides outside the lobby door ; then the first smiles of the warm pinkish sun, the view from the high-hanging balcony to Vesuvius, shrouded to the foot of the shining morning steam, to the silvery-pearl ripples of the bay and the thin outline of Capri on the horizon, running below, along the embankment, tiny donkeys in carts and detachments of small soldiers walking somewhere with cheerful and challenging music; then - exit to the car and slow traffic along crowded narrow and damp corridors of streets , among tall, multi-windowed houses, inspection of the deathly clean and even, pleasant, but boring, like snow, illuminated museums or cold, wax-smelling churches, in which everywhere the same thing: the stately entrance, closed by a heavy leather curtain, and inside there is a huge emptiness, silence , the quiet lights of the seven-branched candlestick, blushing in the depths on the throne, decorated with lace, lonely old woman among dark wooden desks , slippery tombstones underfoot and someone's "Descent from the Cross", certainly famous; at one o'clock - lunch on Mount San Martino, where he arrives by noon a lot of people of the very first class and where once the daughter of a gentleman from San Francisco almost got sick: it seemed to her that the prince was sitting in the hall, although she already knew from the newspapers that he was in Rome; at five - tea in the hotel, in the elegant salon, where it is so warm from carpets and burning fireplaces; and there again preparations for dinner - again the powerful, imperious hum of the gong on all floors, strings again rustling silks up the stairs and reflected in the decollete mirrors give , Again wide and welcoming open dining room , and red the musicians' jackets on the stage, and the black crowd of footmen near the head waiter , with extraordinary skill in pouring thick pink soup into bowls ... "

8. Why are the ocean, waves, wind, siren described in such detail? What does Bunin want to say about modern man? Does he approve of him?

Nature (ocean, waves, wind ...) is not in harmony with the people who are on "Atlantis":“It was the end of November, until Gibraltar itself I had to sail in the icy haze, then amidst a storm with sleet ... The ocean that walked behind the walls was terrible ... The ocean roared behind the wall with black mountains, the blizzard whistled strongly in the heavy rigging, the steamer was trembling all over , overcoming both her and these mountains, - as if by a plow topple them to the sides, the unstable, now and then boiling and soaring high with their foamy tails - the siren stifled by the fog was wailing in mortal anguish ... ", as if warning people to remember the main thing (maybe about God, about duty, about their mission ...) But the passengers did not hear the sirens, intoxicated with all kinds of entertainment; but on watch, in order to stay alive, in order to save the ship, it is necessary to overcome the force of the elements (“The watchmen on their watchtower were freezing from the cold and were pissed off from the unbearable exertion of attention "), And then a comparison with the underworld follows ...

And in the behavior of passengers,

And in behavior “All those who fed and watered him (gentleman from San Francisco), from morning till evening they served him, preventing his slightest desire, guarded his purity and peace, dragged his things, called porters for him, delivered his chests to hotels ", as well as the belongings of other wealthy passengers.

And the last lines of the story confirm this."And again painfully wriggled and sometimes convulsively collided among this crowd, among the glitter of lights, silks, diamonds and naked female shoulders, a thin and flexible pair of hired lovers: shy girl with drooping eyelashes, with an innocent hairstyle, and a tall young man with black, as if glued-on hair, pale with powder, in elegant patent leather shoes, in a narrow tailcoat with long tails - handsome man looking like a huge leech ... And no one knew anything that already bored for a long time this couple feign to torment with their blissful torment to shamelessly sad music, nor what stands deep, deep under them, at the bottom of a dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, heavily prevailed darkness, ocean, blizzard ... "

9. What descriptions and episodes of the story foreshadow the death of the protagonist? Does God or fate give him signs that he needs to prepare for the most important thing?

1. “On the day of departure, very memorable for a family from San Francisco! - even in the morning there was no sun ... Heavy fog Vesuvius hid to the very bottom, gray low over the leaden swell of the sea. The island of Capri was not visible at all - as if he never existed in the world ».

2. " And the little steamer ... so did it from side to side, that a family from San Francisco lay in layers on sofas in the pitiful wardroom of this steamer, wrapping their legs in rugs and closing their eyes from nausea ... Mister, lying on his back, in a wide coat and a large cap, did not open his jaws all the way ; his face became dark, his mustache white, his head ached badly: in recent days, thanks to the bad weather, he drank too much in the evenings and admired too much “live pictures” in some brothels. "

3. The stops at Castellammare, Sorrento, were a little easier; but even here it was swinging scary, the coast with all its cliffs, gardens, pine trees, pink and white hotels, and smoky, curly-green mountains flew up and down outside the window, like on a swing ... And gentleman from San Francisco, feeling as befits him - quite an old man , - already with longing and anger I thought about all these greedy people, stinking of garlic, called Italians ... "

4. "Politely and exquisitely bowed master, a superbly elegant young man, who met them, for a moment struck the master from San Francisco: he suddenly remembered that that night, among other confusion that besieged him in his sleep, he saw this particular gentleman , exactly the same as this one, in the same business card and with the same mirror-combed head. Surprised, he almost paused. But as not even a mustard seed of any so-called mystical feelings remained in his soul for a long time, his surprise immediately faded: he jokingly said about this strange coincidence of dream and reality to his wife and daughter, walking along the hotel corridor. The daughter, however, looked at him anxiously at that moment: her heart was suddenly gripped by longing , a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island ... "

5. " And, hesitating, thinking something, but saying nothing, the gentleman from San Francisco released him with a nod of his head.

And then he again began to prepare for the crown : he lit up electricity everywhere, filled all the mirrors with the reflection of light and shine, furniture and open chests, began to shave, wash and call every minute, while his other impatient calls rushed and interrupted all the corridor - from the rooms of his wife and daughter ... The floor was still rocking under him, the fingertips were very painful, the cufflink sometimes bit hard loose skin in the depression under the Adam's apple, but he was persistent and finally, with eyes shining with tension, all gray from a tight collar that squeezed his throat , he finished the job - and in exhaustion he sat down in front of the pier glass, all reflected in it and repeating in other mirrors.

- not trying to understand, not thinking what exactly is awful ».

Of course, fate warns the hero:

Heavy fog hides the island, as if it did not exist (this is how the hero will disappear into oblivion),

On the steamer, the gentleman was very seasick, he feels old, weak (this is an occasion to once again think about life and death!),

The heart of the master's daughter, probably a sensual and emotional girl, was suddenly gripped by longing when her father told her and his wife that he had seen the owner of the hotel in which they were staying in a dream the day before (an extremely unpleasant sign!),

When the gentleman dresses for dinner, the objects surrounding him (floor, cufflink, collar) seem to disobey the person ...

And what does it mean to prepare for death?

« What he felt, what the gentleman from San Francisco thought on this so significant evening for him ?

He, like everyone who experienced a pitching, only really wanted to eat, with delight he dreamed of the first spoonful of soup, the first sip of wine and performed the usual toilet routine even in some excitement, leaving no time for feelings and reflections .

Having shaved, washed, well inserted a few teeth, he stood in front of the mirrors, moistened and tidied up the remnants of pearl hair around his dark yellow skull with brushes in a silver frame, pulled a cream silk tights on a strong senile body with a waist that was growing fat from increased nutrition, and on dry legs with flat feet - black silk socks and ballroom shoes, squatting, put in order the black trousers and a snow-white shirt with a protruding chest, tucked up high with silk braids, put cufflinks into shiny cuffs and began to suffer from catching cufflinks under a solid collar.

But then loudly, as if in a pagan temple, the second gong hummed throughout the house ... "

Starting from the “opposite”, it can be noted that the author thinks about the approach of death: it is necessary to devote some time “for feelings and reflection” and, of course, not to take care of food and costume at this moment.

10. Does he catch the signs of fate, does he think about death, about God? Did you even have a second of epiphany?

Unfortunately, the gentleman from San Francisco does not see the signs of fate, does not notice, frankly ignores them. Seeing the owner of the hotel in which the hero was destined to die, “surprised, he almost paused. But as in his soul for a long time there was not even a mustard seed of any so-called mystical feelings, then his surprise immediately faded: he jokingly said about this strange coincidence of dream and reality to his wife and daughter, passing along the hotel corridor. " ...

Perhaps a spark of insight ran through the hero's mind when, dressed for dinner, he looked at himself in the mirror: “... The floor was still rocking under him, his fingertips were very painful, the cufflink sometimes bit hard on the flabby skin in the depression under the Adam's apple, but he was persistent and finally, with eyes shining with tension, all gray from the overly tight collar that squeezed his throat, he finished the job - and in exhaustion he sat down in front of the pier glass, all reflected in it and repeating in other mirrors.

- Oh, this is awful! - he muttered, lowering his strong bald head and not trying to understand, not thinking what exactly is awful "...

11. How did he spend the last, as it turned out, 2 hours before his death? Did you sin, as usual, or did you become thoughtful, sad? Does the reader's attitude towards him change? At what point?

The last, as it turned out, 2 hours before his death, the gentleman from San Francisco spent the same way as many other hours on this trip - dressing up for lunch. Of course, he did not commit mortal sins, dressing in front of the mirror, and he also did not feel sad, although more than once he suddenly felt old, tired, but tried to drive these thoughts and sensations away as unnecessary, false. And in vain.

As I said, the story begins with lines laced with irony, sometimes sarcasm. But Russian writers are unique in that they are unusually humane. Just as Bazarov “deceived” Turgenev’s plan, so Bunin, denouncing an indifferent “well-fed” person, does not dare to mock Death and denounces the callousness and indifference of those who do not comfort the widow and daughter, but as if on purpose makes everything more painful for them, in the worst conditions sending the body of the master from San Francisco home to America ...

Death is always ugly and scary. Describing the last hours and minutes of his hero's life, Bunin no longer introduces to us a master, but just a person.

12. How are the last 2 minutes of his life characterized?

“... hastily getting up from his place, the gentleman from San Francisco pulled his collar even more with a tie, and his belly with an open waistcoat, put on a tuxedo, straightened his cuffs, once again looked at himself in the mirror ... cheerfully left his room and walked across the carpet to the next one, wife, asked loudly if they were soon?

- In five minutes! - A girlish voice answered loudly and already cheerfully from behind the door.

- Great, said the gentleman from San Francisco.

And he walked slowly down the corridors and down the stairs covered with red carpets, looking for a reading room.

- The oncoming servants huddled against the wall from him, and he walked, as if not noticing them.

- An old woman who was late for dinner, already stooped, with milky hair, but low-cut, in a light gray silk dress, hurried ahead of him with all her might, but funny, chicken-like, and he easily overtook her.

- Near the glass doors of the dining room, where everyone was already assembled and began to eat, he stopped in front of a table cluttered with boxes of cigars and Egyptian cigarettes, took a large manilla and threw three lira on the table;

- on the winter veranda glanced in passing through the open window: a gentle air blew at him from the darkness, the top of an old palm tree spread out over the stars, which seemed gigantic, came the distant smooth sound of the sea ... "

As soon as we get to know the hero, we find out that he is recovering on his journey, being“I am firmly convinced that I have every right to rest, enjoyment, and excellent travel in all respects.

For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just begun life, despite his fifty-eight years. Until that time, he did not live, but only existed, it is true, very well, but still pinning all hopes on the future. He worked tirelessly - the Chinese, whom he signed out to work with as many as thousands, knew very well what that meant! - and finally saw that a lot had already been done, that he almost caught up with those whom he once took as a model, and decided to take a break ».

These lines represent to us a person who has achieved wealth by hard work (which, in principle, cannot but arouse at least some respect for him). Probably, the way up was (as is usually the case) not easy, I often had to hide my true feelings, and even more so the pain. The hero quite “cheerfully” went into the fatal room for him, behaving (or pretending?) At ease: I think that this is a strong character, rather stubborn, stubborn. You can hardly call him stupid, but undoubtedly an entangled "idol" (as Pushkin calls public opinion).

13. Prove that social and philosophical themes are intertwined in the master's death scene. The death of a loved one shows the true relationship in the family. What can you say about this?

“His wife, daughter, doctor, servants stood and looked at him. Suddenly what they had been waiting for and feared came to pass - the wheezing stopped. And slowly, slowly, in front of everyone's eyes, pallor began to flow down the face of the deceased, and his features began to thin out, brighten ... "- Moreover, in the previous sentence, Bunin wrote that“It was no longer the gentleman from San Francisco — he was no longer there — but someone else.” So from an ironic depiction, the author moves on to a philosophical, life-like, sophisticated experience of past years, personal losses ...

“The owner came in. "Già é morto" the doctor said in a whisper. Host with impassive face shrugged. Mrs, whose tears were quietly rolling down her cheeks, came up to him and timidly said that now it is necessary to transfer the deceased to his room.

- Oh no, madam - hastily, correctly, but without any courtesy and not in English, but in French objected the owner, who was not at all interested in those trifles that those who had arrived from San Francisco could now leave at his checkout. “It’s completely impossible, madam,” he said and added in an explanation that he really appreciates these apartments, that if he fulfilled her wish, then all of Capri would become aware of this and tourists would begin to avoid them.

Miss , all the while looking at him strangely, sat down on a chair and, holding her mouth with a handkerchief, burst into tears . Mrs. tears immediately dried up, her face flushed ... She raised her tone, began to demand, speaking in her own language and still not believing that respect for them was completely lost. "

The highlighted expressions illustrate those social aspects when sincere human feelings are manifested:

Callousness, greed, fear for the reputation of the establishment - on the part of the owner,

Pain, compassion, experience - on the part of relatives, as well as the strength of character of the Mrs., offended by that, "that respect for them (a few years ago to her alive! husband, to herself, to her daughter)finally lost. "

14. In condemning the world of the rich, does the author idealize the world of the poor? Prove it.

While condemning the world of the rich, Bunin does not idealize the world of the poor.

Perhaps the writer relies on the opinion of Pushkin, who, reflecting on the correct, precise words to "Anchar", left the following lines in the final edition: "But human human sent to Anchar by the imperious look, and he obediently dripped on the way and in the morning he returned with poison. He brought mortal tar and a branch with withered leaves, and the sweat rolled down his pale brow in cold streams. Brought , and weakened, and lay under the arch of the hut on barks, and died poor slave at the feet of the invincible lords …»

Likewise, Bunin's “ordinary people” are not endowed with those qualities that make us admire them and be proud of them.

- «… when the Atlantis finally entered the harbor, she rolled over to the embankment with her multi-storey bulk, strewn with people, and the gangway rumbled, - how many receptionists and their assistants in caps with gold braids, how many commission agents, whistle boys and hefty ragamuffins with packs of colored postcards in their hands threw himself to meet him with an offer of services! »

- “The dead remained in the dark, blue stars looked at him from the sky, a cricket sang on the wall with sad carelessness ... In the dimly lit corridor, two maids were sitting on the windowsill, mending something. Luigi came in with a bunch of dresses on his arm, in his shoes.

- Pronto? (Ready?) - he asked anxiously in a sonorous whisper, pointing with his eyes to the terrible door at the end of the corridor. And he gently shook his free hand in that direction. - Partenza! - he shouted in a whisper, as if seeing off the train, what is usually shouted in Italy at stations when trains leave, - and maids choking on silent laughter , fell their heads on each other's shoulders ".. .

Although, of course, not all people are like that. Bunin introduces them to us, too, living carefree, at ease, with reverence for God and his Mother.

But the writer idealizes not the world of people, but the image of the Mother of God - inanimate, molded by human hands and illuminated by the Creator: “...all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and splendor, stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from bad weather ... "

15. Are there characters in the story who, from the author's point of view, live righteously, correctly, or at least naturally (in some ways they relate more correctly to life and death, sin and God)?

Yes, and such images - sincere and natural - are presented by Bunin in his short story.

« Only a market in a small square traded in fish and herbs, and there were only ordinary people there, among whom, as always, without any business, stood Lorenzo, tall old boatman, carefree reveler and handsome , famous throughout Italy, more than once served as a model for many painters: he brought and already sold for a pittance two lobsters he caught at night, rustling in the apron of the cook of the very hotel where the family from San Francisco spent the night, and now he could stand calmly even until the evening , with a regal demeanor, glancing around, showing off with his rags, a clay pipe and a red woolen beret lowered over one ear.

And along the cliffs of Monte Solaro, along the ancient Phoenician road, carved in the rocks, along its stone steps, they descended from Anacapri two Abruzzian highlanders ... One had a bagpipe under a leather cloak — a large goat fur with two pipes, the other — something like a wooden yarn. They walked - and a whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched beneath them: the stony humps of the island, which was almost entirely at their feet, and that fabulous blue in which he swam, and shining morning steam over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun, which was already warming up hot, rising higher and higher, and the misty azure, still in the morning unsteady massifs of Italy, its near and distant mountains, the beauty of which is powerless to express a human word.

Halfway through, they slowed down: over the road, in the grotto of the rocky wall of Monte Solaro, all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and splendor, stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from bad weather, mother of God, meek and merciful, with eyes raised to heaven, to the eternal and blessed abodes of her thrice-blessed son ... They bared their heads - and naive and humbly joyful praises poured on their sun, morning, her, the immaculate intercessor of all those suffering in this evil and beautiful world, and born of her womb in the cave of Bethlehem, in the poor shepherd's shelter, in the distant land of Judah ... "

16. Why do you think the ship is named Atlantis and why the gentleman from San Francisco was there again?

The ship was named "Atlantis" for a reason:

Firstly, written in 1915, the huge ship, undoubtedly, has something in common with the tragically famous "Titanic" in its name;

And secondly, ancient Atlantis is a legendary island, where the ancient civilization reached incredible heights of technical and terrible human sins, for which it was punished by the gods and wiped off the face of the earth.

Everything in life makes its own circle and returns to its origins - so the master (more precisely, what was before him) returns to his homeland. This is the first thing. And secondly, what is the contrast without a description of a living millionaire who went to Europe with incredible comfort, and a description of a pitiful coffin with his body on the way back ?!

Is it just a hotel like a ship?

In principle, the answer to this question has already been given: the ship is an allegory of a secular society, satiated with pleasures, all kinds of prosperous - FOOD - life, where people do not think about what surrounds them, and are even afraid to think about it. "The ocean that walked outside the walls was terrible, but they did not think about it, firmly believing in the power of the commander over it ... few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of the beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the two-story hall ... "

As mentioned above, the ironic intonation of the story is replaced by deep philosophical comprehension.

The bright, dazzling atmosphere of the dining room on the ship is represented by cheerful, joyful faces: “...in the dance hall

everything shone and poured out light, warmth and joy,

couples were spinning in waltzes, then twisting in tango - and the music persistently, in sweet-shameless sadness prayed for one thing, all for the same ...

Was among this brilliant crowd a certain great rich man, shaved, long, in an old-fashioned tailcoat,

was famous Spanish writer,

was world beauty ,

there was an elegant couple in love, whom everyone watched with curiosity and who did not hide their happiness: he danced only with her, and everything came out so subtly, charmingly ... " A series of vivid enumerations ends with a description of a couple in love. And the following remark is more discordant with this false joy: “...only one commander knew that this couple had been hired by Lloyd to play love for good money and had been sailing on one or another ship for a long time.

When the tone of the story changes from ironic to philosophical, when the body of the gentleman from San Francisco returns in a completely different way on this brilliant ship, the author's bitter remark reinforces the main idea of ​​the work: “And no one knew anything that had long bored this couple of pretending to be tormented by their blissful torment under shamelessly sad music, nor that which stands deep, deep under them, at the bottom of a dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, it is hard overcoming the darkness, ocean, blizzard ... »

What can you say about Bunin's concept of love?

Bunin's concept of love is tragic. Moments of love, according to Bunin, become the pinnacle of a person's life.

Only by falling in love, a person can truly feel another person, only feeling justifies the high demands on himself and his neighbor, only a lover is able to overcome his egoism. The state of love is not fruitless for Bunin's heroes, it uplifts souls.

In the story "Master from San Francisco", the theme of love is not the leading one, but some points can be noted dotted:

Does the protagonist's wife love her husband?

What is the further fate of the hero's daughter?

What kind of love does the writer greet, praise?

Considering the image of the wife of Mr. from San Francisco, at first you perceive this woman in the same way as the other images sarcastically presented in the story: she is not going to Europe at her own will, personal desire, hobby, but because “it is so customary in society ”,“ so the daughter will find herself a worthy party ”, perhaps because“ the husband said so ”. But death takes the master, takes the person - and the image of this heroine becomes "warmer", more humane: we feel sorry for the woman who has lost a loved one (how often men climb the top of the hierarchical ladder, leaning on the shoulders of a faithful wife!), Who is suddenly insulted, humiliated her husband's ashes ... "Mrs. tears immediately dried up, her face flushed. She raised her tone, began to demand, speaking in her own language and still not believing that respect for them was completely lost. The owner, with polite dignity, besieged her: if Madame does not like the order of the hotel, he does not dare to delay her; and firmly declared that the body should be taken out today at dawn, that the police had already been given to know that their representative would now appear and carry out the necessary formalities ... Is it possible to get at least a simple ready-made coffin on Capri, Madame asks? Unfortunately, no, in any case, and no one will have time to do it. He'll have to do something differently ... English soda water, for example, he gets in large and long boxes ... partitions from such a box can be removed ... "

I have already spoken about the hero's daughter: it seems to me that she could have had a very difficult fate (for example, if the girl had connected her life with the “crown prince”), perhaps the girl will have many trials even now. The aphorism was the lines of Leo Tolstoy, with which his novel "Anna Karenina" begins: "All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way "...

But in the story there is still a sound of love: to the beautiful past - magnificent Italy, to the incomprehensible and majestic Nature, to God and the Virgin Mary.

“Ten minutes later, a family from San Francisco stepped into a large barge, fifteen minutes later stepped on the stones of the embankment, and then got into a light trailer and whirred up the slope, among the stakes in the vineyards, dilapidated stone fences and wet, gnarled, covered here and there straw canopies of orange trees, with the shine of orange fruits and thick glossy foliage sliding downhill, past the open windows of the trailer ... The earth smells sweet in Italy after the rain, and each of its islands has its own special smell! "

- “And at dawn, when it turned white outside the window of the forty-third room and the humid wind rustled with torn banana leaves, when the blue morning sky rose and spread over the island of Capri and turned gold against the sun rising behind the distant blue mountains of Italy, the clear and clear peak of Monte Solaro ... But the morning was fresh, in such air, among the sea, under the morning sky, the hops soon disappear and soon carelessness returns to the person ... already gave the last beeps - and they cheerfully responded throughout the island, every bend of which, every crest, every stone was so clearly visible from everywhere, as if there was no air at all. "

- “They walked - and the whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched beneath them: the stony humps of the island, which was almost entirely at their feet, and that fabulous blue in which he swam, and shining morning vapors over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun, which was already warming up hot, rising higher and higher, and the misty azure, still in the morning unsteady massifs of Italy, its near and distant mountains, the beauty of which is powerless to express a human word. Halfway through, they slowed down: above the road, in the grotto of the rocky wall of Monte Solaro, all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and splendor, stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from bad weather, mother of God, meek and merciful , with eyes raised to heaven, to the eternal and blessed abodes of her thrice-blessed son. They bared their heads - and naive and humbly joyful praises poured down to their sun, morning, her, the immaculate intercessor of all those suffering in this evil and wonderful world, and born of her womb in the cave of Bethlehem, in the poor shepherd's shelter, in the distant land of Judah ... . "

17. Why is the raging ocean depicted in detail again? Why is the devil watching the ship from the rocks? Why does the ship seem to wink at him?

Bunin's story is designed for a thoughtful, attentive reader who knows how to compare the images presented by the writer with the main questions of mankind: why do we live, what do we do wrong, since troubles and misfortunes keep up with man (what to do? Who is to blame? Does God exist?) Ocean - it is the personification of existence, the element of life, sometimes merciless and evil, sometimes incredibly beautiful and full of freedom ...

In this story, the ocean is raging: nature does not accept the insane fun of the passengers of "Atlantis", opposed to Nature.“And again, again the ship set out on its distant sea route. At night he sailed past the island of Capri, and his lights, slowly hiding in the dark sea, were sad for those who looked at them from the island. But there, on the ship, in the bright halls shining with chandeliers, there was, as usual, a crowded ball that night. " Therefore, it is logical that the devil is watching the ship from the rocks, counting how many souls will soon go to hell ...

The expression "crowded ball" is perceived in a negative sense, in some way, perhaps, associative with a satanic ball. And then Bunin draws a parallel between the image of the Devil and the ship: “The devil was huge, like a cliff, but the ship was also huge, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of a New Man with an old heart. " And so they, created by pride, wink at each other.

18. Remember when the story was written? What were the moods in society?

The story was written in 1915, following the tragic years of 1912 and 1914.

Wreck of the steamer "Titanic" - a sea disaster that occurred on the night of April 14-15when the filipino crashed

To understand the causes of the First World War, one must remember the balance of power in Europe, where three major world powers - the Russian Empire, Great Britain and England by the 19th century had already divided spheres of influence among themselves.

Having strengthened economically and militarily at the end of the 19th century, Germany began to desperately need a new living space for a growing population and sales markets for its goods. Colonies were needed, which Germany did not have. To achieve this, it was necessary to start a new redivision of the world by defeating the allied bloc of three powers - England, Russia and France. In response to the German threat, the Entente alliance was created, consisting of Russia, France and England, which joined them.

In addition to Germany's desire to reclaim its living space and colonies, there were other reasons for the First World War. This question is so complicated that there is still no single point of view on this matter.

Another reason for the war is the choice of the path of development of society. "Could the war have been avoided?" - probably every person asked himself this question in these difficult years.

All sources unanimously say that it is possible if the leadership of the countries participating in the conflict really wanted this. Germany was most interested in the war, for which it was fully prepared, and made every effort to get it started.

And every thoughtful writer strove to explain the causes of the war not only by political and economic reasons, but also by moral and spiritual ones.

In principle, the word "criticism" does not have a negative meaning (this is a literal translation of the word "judgment"), but the definition of literature (both Russian and world) of the 2nd half of the 19th century is the literature of critical - accusatory - realism. And Bunin in the story "The gentleman from San Francisco" continues the tradition of denouncing the moral image of man, vividly presented in the works of critical realism.

Also together with the word "Armageddon »Is used in the meaningor a catastrophe of a planetary scale.

In this work, no doubt, the word is used in the last meaning. Moreover, this strengthens the comparison of the ship with the Devil, the comparison of the boilers of the steamer with the fire of hell, and the actions of the passengers with the satanic reckless revelry.

"- The blizzard fought in his (ship) tackle and wide-necked pipes, white with snow, but he was stalwart, firm, dignified and terrible .

- On the uppermost roof of it, lonely, among the snow whirlwinds, stood those cozy, dimly lit chambers, where, immersed in a sensitive and alarming slumber, he sat over the whole ship overweight driver (the commander of the ship, a red-haired man of monstrous size and weight),like a pagan idol. He heard heavy howls and furious squeals of a siren, suffocated by the storm, but he reassured himself by the proximity of what, in the end, for him the most incomprehensible, what was behind his wall: that kind of armored cabin that was filled with a mysterious rumble, trembling and dry crackling every now and then. blue lights that flashed and burst around the pale-faced telegraph operator with a metal half-hoop on his head. - At the bottom, in the underwater womb of Atlantis, shone dimly with steel, hissing steam and oozing boiling water and oil, a thousand-pound bulk of boilers and all sorts of other machines, that kitchen, heated from the underside by hellish furnaces, in which the movement of the ship boiled, - forces, terrible in their concentration, were bubbling, transmitted to its very keel, into an endlessly long dungeon, into a round tunnel, weakly illuminated by electricity, where slowly, with a rigidity overwhelming the human soul, a gigantic shaft revolved in its oily bed, like a living monster, stretching in this vent-like tunnel.

- And the middle of "Atlantis", dining rooms and ballrooms she was poured out with light and joy, buzzed with the talk of the smart crowd , smelled of fresh flowers, sang with a string orchestra. "

This parallel ship-underworld opens the narrative and completes it, as if in the circle of this lexical paradigm, placing the image of a person.

20. Formulate the main idea of ​​the story. How does this idea resonate with the epigraph to the story, which was later filmed by the author?

The original title of the story was Death on Capri. As an epigraph, the author took lines from the Apocalypse: "Woe to you, Babylon, mighty city!" The meaning of the statement is revealed if we remember the sad fate of Babylon, which turned out to be far from being as strong as it seemed. This means that nothing lasts forever on earth. Moreover, a person whose life is an instant compared to eternity.

In the process of working on the work, the author abandoned the title, which contained the word "death". Despite this, the feeling of disaster, indicated in the first version of the title and epigraph, permeates the entire content of "The Lord of San Francisco". IA Bunin, with the help of symbolic images, speaks of the inevitability of the death of the kingdom of profit and lust.
Only in the most recent edition, shortly before his death, Bunin removed a meaningful epigraph. He took it off, perhaps because these words, taken from the Apocalypse, seemed to him too frankly expressing his attitude to what was described. But he left the name of the steamer on which the American rich man and his wife and daughter sail to Europe - "Atlantis", as if wishing to once again remind readers of the doom of existence, the main filling of which was the passion for pleasure.

The main character Bunin's story is an elderly American from San Francisco. All his life he worked hard to make money. Finally, it's time to enjoy life. The hero goes to rest in Europe with his wife and daughter.

The trouble is that he has been putting off life for too long. When he had at his disposal everything that a rich man was supposed to have, he forgot how to enjoy. The hero moves from hotel to hotel, settles in the best rooms. However, dressed in expensive toilets, the gentleman indifferently looks at the luxury that surrounds him. He was fed up with everything: spectacles, treats, excellent service. The journey, for which he had been preparing for a long time, brought him nothing but disappointment.

Master's wife also shows little emotion. The author made her appearance impersonal. A woman obediently follows her husband, without showing her own individuality. The fact that she is a living person, capable of feelings, is mentioned the only time when she demands to treat the deceased with respect and transfer his body to a luxurious room.

Master's daughter- a pale, sickly girl. She is always carefully combed and dressed in expensive toilets. Nothing else is known about her. The daughter, like her mother, is silent and submissive.

One of the characters in the story is a certain prince unknown Asian power. Outwardly, he looks repulsive: swarthy, ugly, resembling an underdeveloped child. However, the daughter of the master was captivated by the loud title and plunged into dreams about him.

Plays a secondary role in the work hotel owner. When a blow happens to the hero, he is in no hurry to help the dying man. The cunning businessman seeks to hide death from other guests. He is only interested in living customers who bring money to the cashier. A dead body in a hotel destroys the festive atmosphere and frightens off visitors. Therefore, the owner of the hotel does not wait until the coffin is made, but packs the deceased in an empty container and sends it away from his household.

The story mentions several times couple of lovers that are not. These are hired young people. Their task is to excite the feelings of the passengers of the liner. In front of everyone's eyes, a beautiful couple skillfully plays out passion, and those present envy and admire. This makes the situation on the ship especially colorful. People busy with their own affairs are indifferent to the tragedy of a person whose body rests in the hold. And he, the master lying in a wooden box, no longer needs money and honors.

Option 2

The story "The gentleman from San Francisco" was written in 1915 and published in the journal "Sovremennik". The plot is based on the story of the journey of an unknown gentleman, his wife and adult daughter. This story made a stormy impression among the readers of that time, since Bunin touched upon a sensitive topic, the relationship to money and the meaning of life, which are intertwined. While reading, we become witnesses of how greed, and a passionate desire for higher, material values, do terrible things to people. This is especially evident in the description of each of the heroes, whose individual traits betray their inner essence. Therefore, we should focus our attention on the characteristic details of each hero and make their characteristics.

A gentleman from San Francisco.

The main characteristic feature of this hero is the absence of a name, which accordingly means something. Outwardly, this person has the following features: small stature, bald, inharmonious, but strong body proportions, so to speak, awkwardly cut, but tightly sewn. The face had a yellowish tint, large golden teeth stood out. As we learn from the story, at 58 years old, he was just beginning to live, the rest of the time he worked uncontrollably, all the time, thinking about the future, and after so many years he decided to reward himself with a journey. Wherever he is, everywhere he tries to create an opinion of himself as a very rich person. And he tries to taste all the delights of a luxurious, rich life.

Wife

Mr. N did not come alone, but accompanied by his wife and daughter, like him, they are all devoid of names. As it seems to me, the writer, by this fact, emphasize the nondescriptness of their personality, as if they were nameless creatures. Outwardly, it was a plump, broad woman, without emotions, the only moment that excited her was the refusal to leave her husband's body in their rich apartment.

Daughter

Little has been written about her, and we can only find out that she is slender and outwardly beautiful. Admires the prince, who outwardly is not very good, but is infinitely rich.

Minor characters.

Luigi

The hotel employee, a calm person, endowed with an excellent sense of humor, enjoys the simple joys of life. Unlike the gentleman from San Francisco, he does not pursue the goods of high society. But he is full of life, energetic and cheerful.

Graceful couple in love

On the ship, there was a beautiful, loving couple, whose goal was to portray love and passion, to create a certain atmosphere on the ship.

Lorenzo

A boatman who despises money and is absolutely indifferent to it. Without them, he leads a completely happy, full, life.

Output

As we can see, in his work, Bunin created each hero endowed with certain qualities, and against the background of all opposites and differences, we see an inner portrait of each. And further from everything, we make an unambiguous conclusion, throughout the work.

If a few years ago someone had asked: what is social media or the Internet? Anyone would find it difficult to answer this question. Now everyone knows what the Internet is. And I think that in our time anyone can give an answer to this question.

Composition How beautiful this world is Grade 5

Our world is doubly beautiful, since nature not only amazes with its beauty, but also people create this world in their own way.

"The gentleman from San Francisco" is one of the most famous stories of the Russian prose writer Ivan Alekseevich Bunin. It was published in 1915 and has long become a textbook; it is taught in schools and universities. Behind the seeming simplicity of this work, deep meanings and problems are hidden, which never loses its relevance.

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History of creation and plot of the story

According to Bunin himself, the inspiration for writing "Mister ..." was the story of Thomas Mann "Death in Venice". At that time, Ivan Alekseevich did not read the work of his German colleague, but only knew that an American was dying in it on the island of Capri. So "The Lord of San Francisco" and "Death in Venice" are not connected in any way, except perhaps by a good idea.

In the story, a gentleman from San Francisco, along with his wife and young daughter, set off on a long journey from the New World to the Old World. The gentleman worked all his life and amassed a solid fortune. Now, like all people of his status, he can afford a well-deserved rest. The family is sailing on a luxurious ship called Atlantis. The ship looks more like a luxury mobile hotel, where an eternal holiday lasts and everything works in order to bring pleasure to its obscenely rich passengers.

The first tourist point on the route of our travelers is Naples, which welcomes them unfavorably - the city has disgusting weather. Soon, the gentleman from San Francisco leaves the city to go to the shores of sunny Capri. However, there, in a cozy reading room of a fashionable hotel, he will die unexpectedly from an attack. The gentleman is hastily transferred to the cheapest room (so as not to spoil the hotel's reputation) and in a deaf box, in the hold of "Atlantis", sent home to San Francisco.

Main characters: characteristics of images

Gentleman from san francisco

We get to know the gentleman from San Francisco from the first pages of the story, because he is the central character of the work. Surprisingly, the author does not honor his hero with a name. Throughout the entire story, he remains “master” or “mister”. Why? The writer honestly admits this to his reader - this person is faceless "in his desire to buy the delights of real life with the available riches."

Before we put up labels, let's get to know this gentleman better. What if he's not that bad? So, our hero has been working hard all his life (“the Chinese, whom he signed out to work with as many as thousands, knew it well”). He turned 58 years old and now he has the full material and moral right to arrange for himself (and his family in combination) a great vacation.

"Until that time, he did not live, but only existed, it is true, very good, but still pinning all hopes on the future."

Describing the appearance of his nameless master, Bunin, who was distinguished by his ability to notice individual traits in everyone, for some reason does not find anything special in this person. He casually paints his portrait - "dry, short, wrongly cut, but tightly sewn ... a yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache ... large teeth ... a strong bald head." It seems that behind this rough "ammunition", which is issued complete with a solid state, it is difficult to consider the thoughts and feelings of a person, and, perhaps, everything sensual simply turns sour in such storage conditions.

On closer acquaintance with the gentleman, we still learn little about him. We know that he wears elegant expensive suits with suffocating collars, we know that at dinner at Antlantis he eats his fill, smokes red-hot cigars and drinks liquor, and it brings pleasure, but in fact we don't know anything else.

It is amazing, but during the entire long journey on the ship and stay in Naples, not a single enthusiastic exclamation was heard from the gentleman, he does not admire anything, is not surprised at anything, does not reason about anything. The trip brings him a lot of inconvenience, but he cannot not go, because all people of his rank do this. So it should be - first Italy, then France, Spain, Greece, certainly Egypt and the British Isles, exotic Japan on the way back ...

Exhausted by seasickness, he sails to the island of Capri (a must-see point on the way of any self-respecting tourist). In the luxurious room of the best hotel on the island, the gentleman from San Francisco constantly says “Oh, this is terrible!”, Without even trying to understand what exactly is terrible. Injections of cufflinks, stuffiness of a starchy collar, disobedient gouty fingers ... would rather go to the reading room and drink local wine, all respected tourists will certainly drink it.

And having reached his "Mecca" in the hotel reading room, the gentleman from San Francisco dies, but we do not feel sorry for him. No, no, we do not want righteous reprisals, we simply do not care, as if a chair broke. We wouldn't cry over the chair.

In pursuit of wealth, this deeply limited man did not know how to manage money, and therefore bought what society imposed on him - uncomfortable clothes, unnecessary travel, even the daily routine according to which all travelers were obliged to rest. Early rise, first breakfast, a walk on the deck or “enjoying” the sights of the city, second breakfast, voluntary-forced sleep (everyone should be tired at this time!), Packing and a long-awaited dinner, hearty, hearty, drunk. This is how the imaginary "freedom" of a rich man from the New World looks like.

Master's wife

The wife of the gentleman from San Francisco, alas, also has no name. The author calls her "Mrs." and describes her as "a large, broad and calm woman." She, like a faceless shadow, follows her wealthy husband, walks along the deck, has breakfast, dines, “enjoys” the sights. The writer admits that she is not very impressionable, but, like all elderly American women, she is a passionate traveler ... At least she is supposed to be.

The only emotional outburst occurs after the death of a spouse. Mrs. is indignant that the manager of the hotel refuses to place the body of the deceased in expensive rooms and leaves him to “spend the night” in a squalid damp little room. And not a word about the loss of a spouse, they have lost respect, status - that's what the unfortunate woman occupies.

Master's daughter

This sweet miss does not evoke negative emotions. She is not capricious, not arrogant, not talkative; on the contrary, she is very restrained and shy.

"Tall, thin, with magnificent hair, perfectly tucked away, with breath aromatic from violet cakes and with the most delicate pink pimples near the lips and between the shoulder blades."

At first glance, the author is supportive of this lovely person, but he does not even give a name to his daughter, because again there is nothing individual about her. Remember the episode when she is in awe while talking aboard the Atlantis with the crown prince who was traveling incognito. Everyone, of course, knew that this was an oriental prince and knew how fabulously rich he was. The young miss went crazy with excitement when he paid attention to her, perhaps she even fell in love with him. Meanwhile, the eastern prince was not at all good-looking - small as a boy, a thin face with taut swarthy skin, a sparse mustache, an unattractive European outfit (after all, he travels incognito!). It is supposed to fall in love with princes, even if he is a real freak.

Other characters

As a contrast to our cold trinity, the author gives interspersed descriptions of characters from the people. This is the boatman Lorenzo ("carefree reveler and handsome"), and two mountaineers with bagpipes at the ready, and a simple Italian meeting the boat from the shore. All of them are inhabitants of a joyful, cheerful, beautiful country, they are its masters, its sweat and blood. They do not have myriad fortunes, tight collars and secular responsibilities, but in their poverty they are richer than all the gentlemen from San Francisco put together, their cold wives and gentle daughters.

The gentleman from San Francisco understands this on some subconscious, intuitive level ... and he hates all these “garlic-smelling people”, because he cannot just go and run barefoot along the shore - he has lunch on a schedule.

Analysis of the work

The story can be roughly divided into two unequal parts - before and after the death of the gentleman from San Francisco. We are witnessing a vivid metamorphosis that has occurred literally in everything. How the money and the status of this person, this self-proclaimed ruler of life, suddenly depreciated. The manager of the hotel, who a few hours ago broke into a sweet smile in front of a wealthy guest, now allows himself an open familiarity with regard to Mrs, Miss and the deceased gentleman. Now this is not a guest of honor who will leave a substantial sum at the box office, but just a corpse, which risks casting a shadow on a high-society hotel.

With expressive strokes, Bunin paints the chilling indifference of everyone around to the death of a person, starting with the guests, whose evening is now darkened, and ending with his wife and daughter, whose journey is hopelessly ruined. Fierce selfishness and coldness - everyone thinks only of themselves.

The ship Atlantis becomes a generalized allegory of this thoroughly false bourgeois society. It is also divided into classes by its decks. In the luxurious halls, the rich have fun and drink with their companions and families, and in the holds until the seventh sweat work those whom the representatives of the high society do not consider for people. But the world of money and lack of spirituality is doomed, which is why the author calls his ship-allegory in honor of the sunken continent “Atlantis”.

Problems of the work

In the story "The gentleman from San Francisco" Ivan Bunin raises the following questions:

• What is the true meaning of money in life?
• Can you buy joy and happiness?
• Is it worth enduring constant hardship for the sake of a phantom reward?
• Who is freer: the rich or the poor?
• What is the purpose of man in this world?

The last question is especially interesting for reasoning. It is certainly not new - many writers wondered what the meaning of human existence is. Bunin does not go into complex philosophy, his conclusion is simple - a person must live in such a way as to leave a trace behind him. Whether it will be works of art, reforms in the lives of millions, or a fond memory in the hearts of loved ones, it does not matter. The gentleman from San Francisco did not leave anything, no one will sincerely grieve about him, not even his wife and daughter.

Place in literature: Literature of the XX century → Russian literature of the XX century → Works of Ivan Bunin → Story “The Lord from San Francisco” (1915).