At the bottom is a description of the heroes. Was there a chance to live a different life? The history of the novel

Young people tend to build “castles in the air” and dream about something. Few people in their youth think that they will never achieve anything in life, will eke out a miserable existence, or even sink to the very “bottom” of life. Most often people dream of eternal love, fame, a comfortable life, serving the people and about simple human happiness. M. Gorky's play "At the Bottom" is precisely about such people, people who find themselves "at the bottom."

Initially, the play had something else no less self-explanatory name"No sun." Then this name was transformed into “Nochlezhka”. But this option was also rejected by the author. After much deliberation it is approved new option- "At the bottom of life." Just before the play was published - in 1902 - the title was shortened by one word. IN final version the name turned out to be the most appropriate of all those previously announced. The play reflected many of the contradictions of the early twentieth century. Both social and philosophical conflict are reflected here. There is a place and love drama. The action of the play takes place in the Kostylevs' rooming house, where "everything is unpainted and dirty," stone vaults...with the plaster falling off." The inhabitants of the "bottom" - the inhabitants of the Kostylevo shelter - found themselves thrown out of their ranks by society. The "bottom" threatens the stumbled, weak, unsettled people with moral or physical death. People with different characters, destinies and various social origin: a worker and a thief, a bankrupt baron and a drunken actor, lung woman behavior and righteousness. At the first meeting with the inhabitants of the shelter, it is clear that they are suffering and very lonely people. Gorky deliberately does not give full biography heroes. We can build it only from individual replicas. So what can we say about each hero?

In general, all the inhabitants of the shelter can be divided into three groups. The first are those who have come to terms with the existing state of affairs. Having found a saving dream, false and unrealizable in its essence, they found an excuse for themselves in refusing active life position. The second ones are those people who would like to start new life, get out of the "bottom". And the third and last image is Satin, taken separately from the others. Let us now consider each group separately.

Representatives of the first group are Bubnov, Nastya, Baron, Actor and Anna. We learn about Bubnov from his stories: he was once the owner of a dyeing workshop. His wife soon got along with the master, and Bubnov, fearing for his life, chose to simply leave. According to his theory, the very environment in which a person is placed shapes the latter and makes him completely dependent on itself. Bubnov's truth is the truth of external circumstances, in which a person is denied personal initiative. Here we see a true adherent of fatalism. The environment that surrounds him is vile and dirty. There is no good people, and therefore there is nothing to “color” yourself.

Nastya is a girl of easy virtue. Despite all the cruelty, humiliation and insults, she did not despair, did not become cruel and soulless. On the contrary, she sincerely dreams of big and bright love. But in the real reality surrounding her there is no place for pure love, except for its face value on pieces of paper. Not wanting to look at reality soberly, she created a past for herself in which a large and pure love. She presents her created world as real.

The Baron, like Nastya, lives in the past, but unlike her, it really happened. From time to time, remembering my former state, my famous family, The Baron is unable to fight the difficult reality. He finds salvation from memories and the bitterness of loss at the bottom of a glass. Author's attitude to such a hero is expressed in the following phrase: “You can’t go far in the carriage of the past.” So it is: the Baron’s “carriage” stands still, and he himself does not take any steps to change his life.

The actor is another inhabitant of the shelter. The real name of the hero is not known. In the past, he was a representative of the creative intelligentsia, but now he is just a man with no name. Remembering past glory, he colors it more every time bright colors than she really was. He escapes from the bitter “truth of life” just like the previous hero - by drinking.

The most pathetic and tragic character, in my opinion, is Anna. It’s harder for her than anyone: she’s sick and fading away every day. Anna Gorkovskaya is collective image an ordinary woman of the early twentieth century. She describes her life as follows: “I don’t remember when I was full... I was shaking over every piece of bread... I was trembling all my life... I was tormented... so as not to eat more than others... I walked around in rags all my life... all my unhappy life." Most likely she was born in an ordinary poor family. Then she got married, not so much out of love as out of necessity. Anna's image is rather neutral, characterizing the general mass gray people: those who do not do evil in life, but also do not represent a bright image. She completely resigned herself to the surrounding reality, hoping only for happiness in the afterlife.

All these people, having sunk to the very “bottom” after many hardships, became ruthless both to themselves and to others. In response to their complaints, they only receive laughter and mockery from others. The Baron, who lives off Nastya, is amused by her fantasies and tears. Everyone is closed in on their own grief and talks about it endlessly, without listening to those who may also need help.

The only one who believes in the possibility of salvation, of escaping from the “bottom” is Kleshch, a representative of the second group. Yes, he is embittered towards people, sometimes cruel to Anna, his wife. But the only one who sees salvation in exhausting, hard, but honest work: “I am a working man... I’m ashamed to look at them... I’ve been working since I was a small child... Do you think I won’t break out of here? I will... I’ll rip off the skin and come out.”

And finally, third, last group. Its only representative is Konstantin Satin. Why does he stand out among others? He is the bearer of the philosophy of the truth of life in his dispute with Luke. In his opinion, you shouldn’t give up, you need to openly look at troubles and try to solve them. All we know about him is that in the present he is a card sharper. Previously, he worked as a telegraph operator, but after the crime he committed, he found himself at the bottom. In many ways, he stands out from the general mass of “gray” rooming houses: with his remarks, education and intelligence. In their dispute with Luka, they are united by the fact that both stand in positions of respect for a person. But only everyone sees it in their own way. Satin, in his fiery monologue, asserts that “lies are the religion of slaves and masters. Truth is God free man". He is also against any compassion for a person: "We must respect a person! Don’t feel sorry... don’t humiliate him with pity.” And therefore, apparently, he opens everyone’s eyes to Luka’s deception: He assures the actor that there are no free hospitals for alcoholics, he jokingly pushes Vaska Pepla into crime. And what did it ultimately lead to? such truth? To the death of the Actor and the exile of Ash to Siberia. That is the whole truth of Konstantin Satin.
The night shelters appear before us as wretched and pitiful. Not one of them was able to get out of the “bottom”, nor was they able to change anything about themselves. So they all stayed to live out their short life"at the bottom".

“At the Bottom” by Gorky M.Yu.

Chekhov's tradition in Gorky's dramaturgy. Gorky said in an original way about Chekhov’s innovation, which “killed realism” (of traditional drama), raising images to a “spiritualized symbol.” This was how the author of “The Seagull” departed from acute collision characters, from a tense plot. Following Chekhov, Gorky sought to convey the leisurely pace of everyday, “eventless” life and highlight in it the “undercurrent” of the characters’ inner motivations. Naturally, Gorky understood the meaning of this “trend” in his own way. Chekhov's plays contain refined moods and experiences. In Gorky there is a clash of heterogeneous worldviews, the same “ferment” of thought that Gorky observed in reality. His dramas appear one after another, many of them are pointedly called “scenes”: “The Bourgeois” (1901), “At the Lower Depths” (1902), “Summer Residents” (1904), “Children of the Sun” (1905), “Barbarians” ( 1905).

“At the Bottom” as a socio-philosophical drama. From the cycle of these works, “At the Bottom” stands out with its depth of thought and perfection of construction. Delivered Art Theater, which was a rare success, the play amazed with its “non-stage material” - from the lives of tramps, cheaters, prostitutes - and, despite this, philosophical richness. The author’s special approach to the inhabitants of the dark, dirty flophouse helped to “overcome” the gloomy coloring and frightening way of life.

The play received its final title theater poster, after Gorky went through others: “Without the Sun”, “Nochlezhka”, “The Bottom”, “At the Bottom of Life”. Unlike the original ones, which emphasized the tragic situation of the tramps, the latter clearly had ambiguity and was perceived broadly: “at the bottom” not only of life, but first of all of the human soul.

Bubnov says about himself and his roommates: “...everything faded away, only one naked man remained.” Because of their “shadyness” and loss of their previous position, the heroes of the drama actually bypass particulars and gravitate towards some universal concepts. In this embodiment, it appears visibly internal state personality. " Dark Kingdom” made it possible to highlight the bitter meaning of existence, imperceptible under normal conditions.

The atmosphere of spiritual separation of people. The role of the polylogue. Characteristic of all literature of the early 20th century. the painful reaction to a disunited, spontaneous world in Gorky’s drama acquired a rare scale and convincing embodiment. The author conveyed the stability and extreme mutual alienation of Kostylev’s guests in the original form of a “polylogue”. In Act I, all the characters speak, but each, almost without listening to the others, talks about his own things. The author emphasizes the continuity of such “communication”. Kvashnya (the play begins with her remark) continues the argument that began behind the scenes with Kleshch. Anna asks to stop what goes on “every single day.” Bubnov interrupts Satin: “I’ve heard it a hundred times.”

In the stream of fragmentary remarks and altercations, words that have a symbolic sound are shaded. Bubnov repeats twice (while working as a furrier): “But the threads are rotten...” Nastya characterizes the relationship between Vasilisa and Kostylev: “Tie every living person to such a husband...” Bubnov remarks about Nastya’s own situation: “You’re the odd one out everywhere.” . Phrases said on a specific occasion reveal the “subtextual” meaning: the imaginary connections, the superfluity of the unfortunate.

The originality of the internal development of the play. The situation changes with the appearance of Luke. It is with his help that illusory dreams and hopes come to life in the recesses of the souls of the night shelters. Acts II and III of the drama make it possible to see in the “naked man” an attraction to another life. But, based on false ideas, it ends only in misfortune.

Luke's role in this outcome is very significant. A smart, knowledgeable old man looks indifferently at his real surroundings, believes that “people live for the best... For a hundred years, and maybe more - for better man live." Therefore, the delusions of Ash, Natasha, Nastya, and Actor do not touch him. Nevertheless, Gorky did not at all limit what was happening to the influence of Luke.

The writer, no less than human disunity, does not accept naive faith in miracles. It is precisely the miraculous that Ash and Natasha imagine in some “righteous land” of Siberia; for the actor - in a marble hospital; Tick ​​- in honest work; Paste - in love happiness. Luke’s speeches were effective because they fell on the fertile soil of secretly nurtured illusions.

The atmosphere of Acts II and III is different compared to Act I. A cross-cutting motive arises for the inhabitants of the shelter to leave for some unknown world, a mood of exciting expectation and impatience. Luke advises Ash: “...from here, step by step! - leave! Go away..." The actor says to Natasha: "I'm leaving, leaving...<...>You, too, leave...” Ash persuades Natasha: “... you have to go to Siberia of your own free will... We’re going there, okay?” But then other, bitter words of hopelessness sound. Natasha: “There’s nowhere to go.” Bubnov once “came to his senses in time” - he walked away from the crime and remained forever in the circle of drunkards and cheaters. Satin, recalling his past, sternly asserts: “There is no move after prison.” And Kleshch painfully admits: “There is no shelter... there is nothing.” In these remarks from the inhabitants of the shelter, one senses a deceptive liberation from circumstances. Gorky's tramps, due to their rejection, experience this eternal drama for man with rare nakedness.

The circle of existence seems to have closed: from indifference to an unattainable dream, from it to real shocks or death. Meanwhile, it is in this state of the characters that the playwright finds the source of their spiritual turning point.

The meaning of Act IV. In Act IV the situation is the same. And yet something completely new happens - the previously sleepy thoughts of the tramps begin to ferment. Nastya and Actor for the first time angrily denounce their stupid classmates. The Tatar expresses a conviction that was previously alien to him: it is necessary to give the soul a “new law.” The tick suddenly calmly tries to recognize the truth. But the main thing is expressed by those who have long believed in no one and nothing.

The Baron, admitting that he “never understood anything,” thoughtfully notes: “... after all, for some reason I was born...” This bewilderment binds everyone. And the question “Why were you born?” is extremely intensified. Satin. Smart, daring, he correctly assesses tramps: “dumb as bricks”, “brutes” who know nothing and do not want to know. That’s why Satin (he is “kind when he’s drunk”) tries to protect the dignity of people, to open their possibilities: “Everything is in a person, everything is for a person.” Satin's reasoning is unlikely to be repeated, the life of the unfortunate will not change (the author is far from any embellishment). But Satin’s flight of thought fascinates listeners. For the first time, they suddenly feel like a small part of a big world. That is why the actor cannot stand his doom, ending his life.

The strange, not fully realized rapprochement of the “bitter brethren” takes on a new shade with the arrival of Bubnov. “Where are the people?” - he shouts and suggests “singing... all night”, “crying out” your fate. That is why Satin reacts sharply to the news of the Actor’s suicide: “Eh... ruined the song... fool.”

Philosophical subtext of the play. Gorky's play is a socio-philosophical genre and, despite its vital concreteness, was undoubtedly directed towards universal human concepts: alienation and possible contacts of people, imaginary and real overcoming a humiliating situation, illusions and active thought, sleep and awakening of the soul. The characters in “At the Bottom” only intuitively touched the truth, without overcoming the feeling of hopelessness. This psychological collision enlarged philosophical sound a drama that revealed the universal significance (even for the outcasts) and the difficulty of achieving genuine spiritual values. The combination of the eternal and the momentary, the stability and at the same time the instability of habitual ideas, a small stage space (a dirty flophouse) and thoughts about big world humanity allowed the writer to embody complex life problems in everyday situations.

The drama "At the Depths" is a landmark work in creative biography Gorky. Descriptions of the heroes will be presented in this article.

This work was written at a turning point for the country. In Russia in the 90s of the 19th century, a serious outbreak broke out. Masses of impoverished, ruined peasants left the villages after each crop failure in search of work. Plants and factories were closed. Thousands of people found themselves without means of livelihood and shelter. This led to the appearance big number"tramps" who have sunk to the bottom of life.

Who lived in the dosshouses?

Enterprising slum owners, taking advantage of the fact that people found themselves in a hopeless situation, found how to extract benefit from fetid basements. They turned them into shelters in which beggars, the unemployed, thieves, tramps and other representatives of the “bottom” lived. This work was written in 1902. The heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are just such people.

Maxim Gorky throughout creative path I was interested in personality, man, the secrets of his feelings and thoughts, dreams and hopes, weakness and strength - all this is reflected in the work. The heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are people who lived at the beginning of the 20th century, when the old world, and a new life arose. However, they differ from the rest in that they are rejected by society. These are people from the bottom, outcasts. The place where Vaska Pepel, Bubnov, Actor, Satin and others live is unsightly and scary. According to Gorky's description, this is a cave-like basement. Its ceiling is stone vaults with crumbling plaster, smoked. Why did the inhabitants of the shelter find themselves “at the bottom” of life, what brought them here?

Heroes of the play "At the Bottom": table

What ruined the lives of these people?

Addiction to alcohol ruined the Actor. By his own admission, he used to have good memory. Now the Actor believes that everything is over for him. Vaska Pepel is a representative of the “thieves’ dynasty”. This hero had no choice but to continue his father’s work. He says that even when he was little, even then he was called a thief. Former furrier Bubnov left his workshop because of his wife’s infidelity, as well as out of fear of his wife’s lover. He went bankrupt, after which he went to serve in one “treasury chamber”, in which he committed embezzlement. One of the most colorful figures in the work is Satin. He was a former telegraph operator, and went to prison for the murder of a man who insulted his sister.

Who do the shelter's inhabitants blame?

Almost all the characters in the play “At the Bottom” tend to blame life circumstances rather than themselves for the current situation. Perhaps, if they had turned out differently, nothing would have changed significantly, and the same fate would have befallen the night shelters anyway. The phrase that Bubnov said confirms this. He admitted that he actually drank the workshop away.

Apparently, the reason for the fall of all these people is their lack of a moral core, which constitutes a person’s personality. You can cite the words of the Actor as an example: “Why did you die? I had no faith...”

Was there a chance to live a different life?

By creating the images of the characters in the play “At the Lower Depths,” the author provided each of them with the opportunity to live a different life. That is, they had a choice. However, for each, the first test ended in the collapse of life. The baron, for example, could improve his affairs not by stealing government funds, but by investing money in profitable businesses that he had.

Satin could have taught the offender a lesson in another way. As for Vaska Ash, would there really be few places on earth where no one would know anything about him and his past? The same can be said about many of the inhabitants of the shelter. They have no future, but in the past they had a chance not to get here. However, the heroes of the play "At the Bottom" did not use it.

How do the heroes console themselves?

All they can do now is live unrealistic hopes and illusions. Baron, Bubnov and Actor live. The prostitute Nastya amuses herself with dreams of true love. At the same time, the characterization of the heroes of the play “At the Bottom” is complemented by the fact that these people, rejected by society, humiliated, wage endless debates about moral and spiritual problems. Although it would be more logical to talk about since they live from hand to mouth. Author's description heroes of the play "At the Bottom" says that they are interested in such issues as freedom, truth, equality, work, love, happiness, law, talent, honesty, pride, compassion, conscience, pity, patience, death, peace and much more other. They are also even more concerned important problem. They talk about what a person is, why he is born, what his true meaning being. The philosophers of the shelter can be called Luka, Satina, Bubnova.

With the exception of Bubnov, all the heroes of the work reject the “losing” lifestyle. They hope for a lucky turn of fortune that will bring them from the “bottom” to the surface. Kleshch, for example, says that he has been working since he was young (this hero is a mechanic), so he will definitely get out of here. “Wait a minute... my wife will die...” he says. The actor, this chronic drunkard, hopes to find a luxurious hospital in which health, strength, talent, memory and the applause of the audience will miraculously return to him. Anna, an unfortunate sufferer, dreams of bliss and peace in which she will finally be rewarded for her torment and patience. Vaska Pepel, this desperate hero, kills Kostylev, the owner of the shelter, because he believes the latter incarnation evil. His dream is to go to Siberia, where he will start a new life with his beloved girl.

Luke's role in the work

These illusions are supported by Luke, the wanderer. He masters the skill of a comforter and preacher. Maxim Gorky portrays this hero as a doctor who considers all people to be terminally ill and sees his calling in softening their pain and hiding it from them. However, at every step life refutes the position of this hero. Anna, to whom he promises divine reward in heaven, suddenly wants to “live a little more....” Having first believed in a cure for alcoholism, the Actor commits suicide at the end of the play. Vaska Pepel defines true value to all these consolations of Luke. He claims that he “tells fairy tales” pleasantly, because there is so little good in the world.

Satin's opinion

Luka is full of sincere pity for the inhabitants of the shelter, but he cannot change anything, help people live a different life. In his monologue, Satin rejects this attitude, because he considers it humiliating, suggesting the failure and wretchedness of those to whom this pity is directed. The main characters of the play "At the Bottom" Satin and Luka express opposing opinions. Satin says that it is necessary to respect a person and not humiliate him with pity. These words probably express the author’s position: “Man!.. This sounds... proud!”

The further fate of the heroes

What will happen to all these people in the future, will the heroes of Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” be able to change anything? It's not hard to imagine them future fate. For example, Tick. At the beginning of the work he tries to get out of the “bottom”. He thinks that when his wife dies, everything will magically change for the better. However, after the death of his wife, Kleshch is left without tools and money and gloomily sings along with others: “I won’t run away anyway.” In fact, he will not run away, like the other inhabitants of the shelter.

What is salvation?

Are there any ways to escape from the “bottom” at all, and what are they? A decisive way out of this difficult situation may be outlined in Satin’s speech when he talks about the truth. He believes that the purpose strong man- to eradicate evil, and not to console the suffering, like Luke. This is one of the firmest convictions of Maxim Gorky himself. People can rise from the bottom only by learning to respect themselves and gaining self-esteem. Then they will be able to bear the proud title of Man. It still needs to be earned, according to Gorky.

Declaring his belief in creative forces, the abilities and intelligence of a free person, Maxim Gorky affirmed the ideas of humanism. The author understood that in the mouth of Satin, a drunken tramp, words about free and proud man sound artificial. However, they had to sound in the play, expressing the ideals of the writer himself. There was no one to say this speech to except Satin.

In his work, Gorky refuted the main principles of idealism. These are the ideas of humility, forgiveness, non-resistance. He made it clear what beliefs the future belongs to. This is proven by the fate of the heroes of the play "At the Bottom". The entire work is imbued with faith in man.

The work, which appeared in 1902, was innovative in its genre. There is no traditional plot in this socio-philosophical drama; the action develops in the dialogues of the characters. The place of events is a shelter for “former” people who found themselves “at the bottom” of life.

Maxim Gorky defined the main question of the play as follows: “What is better, truth or compassion? What is more necessary? . The problems of the drama are diverse: the place of man and his role in life, faith in man, the legitimacy of the existence of a comforting lie, the opportunity to change one’s own life.

After reading summary“At the bottom”, based on the actions, you can get an idea of ​​the characters and main conflicts of the play. The play is included in the 11th grade literature curriculum.

Main characters

KostylevMichael, 54 years old, owner of a lodging house.

Vasilisa- Kostylev’s wife, 26 years old, Ash’s mistress.

Natasha– Vasilisa’s sister, 20 years old. Dreams of a wonderful future. Because of his sister's beatings, he ends up in the hospital, after leaving it, he disappears.

Luke– a wanderer, 60 years old, preaches a comforting lie.

Vaska Ash- thief, 28 years old, the desire to change his life awakens in him.

Klesch Andrey Mitrich- “working man”, a 40-year-old mechanic, hopes to return to his former life.

Bubnov– cap-maker, 45 years old. I am convinced that all people on earth are superfluous.

Baron- a 33-year-old former aristocrat, Nastya’s roommate, is sure that “everything is in the past” for him.

Satin– a guest, about 40 years old, believes that a person should be spiritually free.

Actor- drunkard, former actor, not seeing the possibility of change, commits suicide.

Other characters

Medvedev Abram- a 50-year-old policeman, uncle of Vasilisa and Natasha. I am convinced that “a person should behave quietly.”

Anna– Kleshch’s wife, 30 years old, kind-hearted and calm, died in a shelter.

Alyoshka– shoemaker, 20 years old.

Tatar, Crooked Zob– loaders.

Nastya, a girl of easy virtue, 24 years old, dreams of true love.

Kvashnya– a woman about 40 years old, selling dumplings.

Act one

The action takes place in the morning early spring in the basement of a cave-like shelter.

Sitting near one of the walls, Kleshch picks up the keys to the old locks. In the center, at a large dirty table, Kvashnya is “hosting”, Baron is eating bread, Nastya is reading a tattered book. Behind the unwashed curtain on the bed in the corner, Anna is coughing. The Actor is tossing and turning on the stove. Sitting down on a bunk, Bubnov is getting ready to sew a cap.

Turning to the Baron, Kvashnya claims that, having been married, she will never give up her freedom again. Klesch teases the woman with the words that she is lying and will be glad to marry Medvedev, who proposed to her. Kvashnya responds by saying that he drove his wife half to death.

The Baron, snatching the book from Nastya, and reading the title - “ Fatal love" - laughs.

Anna asks to stop screaming and quarreling, to let her die in peace.

Satin, Bubnov, Actor and Kleshch are having a leisurely conversation. Satin says that he was before cultured person. Bubnov recalls that his profession is a furrier and that he once had “his own establishment.” The actor thinks that the most important thing in life is not education, but talent.

Kostylev appears, looking for his wife. He knocks on the door of Ash's room (the room is fenced off with thin boards in the corner of the shelter), intending to talk, but Ash drives him away. Kostylev leaves.

From the further conversation of the inhabitants of the basement, it becomes clear: Ash is having an affair with the wife of the owner of the rooming house, Vasilisa.

Satin asks Ash for money, he gives it, and Satin talks about money and work. He believes that life is good when work is pleasure, and if work is a duty, then life turns into slavery.

The actor and Satin leave.

Natasha appears, with her new guest, Luka. Ash flirts with Natasha, but she does not accept advances.

Alyoshka, drunk, enters; he cannot understand why he is worse than others, why he is driven everywhere.

Ash, turning to Mite, says that he “creaks in vain.” Kleshch says that he will break out of here, he does not want to live like everyone else here - “without honor and conscience.” Ash believes that the people in the shelter are no worse than the Tick. Ash and Baron leave.

Vasilisa appears, she kicks out the drunken Alyoshka and scolds the guests for being dirty. Then he asks if Natasha came in and talked to Vasily. Leaves.

Noise and screams are heard in the entryway: Vasilisa is beating Natasha. Medvedev, Kvashnya and Bubnov run to separate the sisters.

Act two

The play takes place in the same setting. Several guests are busy playing cards, and the Actor and the Tick are watching them. Medvedev and Bubnov play checkers. Luka is sitting next to Anna's bed.

Talking with Luka, Anna complains about her life. The elder calms her down, promising paradise and rest after death.

The actor is about to “recite the verses” to Luka, but discovers that he has forgotten the verses. He laments that it’s all over for him - he “drank away his soul.” Luka replies that not everything in the Actor’s life is lost: there are free hospitals for drunkards, but he doesn’t remember in which city. He persuades the Actor to be patient and refrain from drinking. “A person can do anything... if only he wants to,” says Luka.

A gloomy Ash enters. He turns to Medvedev, asking if Vasilisa beat her sister badly. He refuses to speak, noting that this is none of his business, the thief. Ash in response threatens to tell the investigator that “Mishka Kostylev and his wife” tricked him into stealing and bought stolen goods.

Luka tries to intervene in their conversation, but Ash asks why Luka is lying, telling everyone that everything is good everywhere. Luka convinces Vasily that instead of searching for the truth, he needs to go to the “golden side”, Siberia, that is where he can find his way.

Vasilisa enters. She talks to Ash, and he admits that he is tired of Vasilisa - she “has no soul.” Vasilisa invites Ash to marry his sister in exchange for killing her annoying husband.

Kostylev enters, a quarrel breaks out between him and Vasily, but Luka prevents the fight. He advises Ash not to deal with Vasilisa, but to leave the shelter with the one the thief likes - Natasha.

The wanderer, looking behind the curtain where Anna lies, discovers that she has died.

Gradually, all the residents of the shelter gather around Anna’s bed.

Act three

The action takes place in a “wasteland”, a cluttered and overgrown yard of a shelter.

Nastya tells listeners her love story. Bubnov and Baron laugh at her story, not believing, and the girl passionately proves what she experienced true love. She's crying. Luka calms her down, says that since she herself believes, then there was such love, and her roommate laughs, because there was nothing real in his life.

The inhabitants of the “bottom” talk about truth and lies.

Natasha says that she too is inventing and waiting for someone “special” or something “unprecedented”. Although, what to expect - she doesn’t understand, “life is bad for everyone.”

Bubnov believes that people often lie in order to “touch up their soul,” he himself sees no point in lying, it’s better for him to “tell the whole truth as it is!” Why be ashamed?

The tick hates people and really has no use for it. Having said this, he runs away

Ash appears and joins the conversation. He asks Luka why he is lying, saying that it’s good everywhere. Luke replies that “you can’t always cure a soul with truth,” so you should feel sorry for the person. He says that he will soon leave the shelter.

Ash calls Natasha to leave with him, confesses his love, and promises to give up stealing. He feels that he needs to change his life, “to live so that I can respect myself.” Natasha is thoughtful, but still decides to believe him.

Kostylev and his wife approach. Vasilisa (she heard the conversation between Ash and Natasha) tries to push Ash and her husband apart, but Luka calms Vasily.

Kostylev talks to Luka, says that a person must live according to the rules, and that’s all good people have a passport. Luka openly says that he thinks: Kostylev will never change, because he is like land unsuitable for harvest - good for nothing.

The owners of the shelter drive Luka away, and he promises to leave at night.

Bubnov tells Luka that “it’s always better to leave on time” and tells his story.

Satin and Actor, arguing about something, go into the basement. Satin says that the Actor will not go anywhere and demands to know what Luka promised the Actor. The wanderer asks how Satin could have ended up in the shelter. He reluctantly says that he went to prison because of his sister: “he killed the scoundrel in his passion and irritation,” and after prison all roads are closed.

A gloomy Tick enters - he was forced to sell all the tools to bury Anna and does not understand how to live on.

Natasha’s scream can be heard from the Kostylevs’ apartment: “They’re beating me!” They are killing! . The actor and Satin go out to figure out what is happening. Individual voices are heard, and it is clear from the remarks that the guests are trying to separate Vasilisa and Natasha.

Kvashnya and Nastya appear and help Natasha walk - she is beaten and her legs are scalded with boiling water. Behind them come Kostylev, Vasilisa, and the inhabitants of the shelter. Ash, who appears, sees Natasha and hits Kostylev with a swing. He falls. Vasilisa shouts that they killed her husband and points to Ash. Vasily says that Kostyleva herself persuaded him to kill her husband.

Natasha, in hysterics, accuses her sister and Ash of conspiracy and, almost losing consciousness, asks to be taken to prison.

Act Four

Early spring. Night. Basement of the shelter. At the table are Kleshch, Nastya, Satin, Baron. On the stove - Actor. In the corner where Ash's room was (now the partitions are broken), lies Tatar.

The inhabitants of the basement remember Luka, who disappeared during the turmoil around Natasha and Kostylev. Nastya believes that he understood everything and saw everything. He called his interlocutors “rust.” Mite agrees - the old man is good and compassionate. The Tatar believes that Luke lived by the law “Do not offend a person.”

For Satin, the “old man” is “like crumb for the toothless,” and besides, Luka confused the minds of the inhabitants of the shelter.

The Baron calls Luka a charlatan.

Nastya, who has become disgusted with both life and people, wants to go “to the ends of the world.” The Baron, inviting the girl to take the Actor with her, mocks his dream of being cured.

Kleshch notices that the wanderer Luka “beckoned somewhere, but did not tell him the way.” In his opinion, he “revolted very much against the truth. That’s right - and without her there’s nothing to breathe.”

Satin, in excitement, orders to “keep silent about the old man” - he, unlike everyone else, understood that “the truth is a person,” and he deceived out of pity for people. The Wanderer influenced his attitude to the world like “acid on an old and dirty coin.”

Conversation about the murder of Kostylev. Having ended up in the hospital after being bullied by her sister and leaving it, Natasha disappeared. Everyone thinks that Vasilisa will get out of it, and Ash will end up, if not in hard labor, then in prison - for sure.

Satin argues that a person should be respected, and “not humiliated with pity.” The Baron admits that he lives as if in a dream, not seeing or understanding the meaning of life.

The actor suddenly gets off the stove and runs out of the basement.

Medvedev and Bubnov enter, followed by other inhabitants of the shelter. Someone settles down for the night, several people sing. The door swings open. The Baron shouts from the doorway - the Actor has hanged himself in the vacant lot.

Satin says: “Oh, I ruined the song, you fool!”

Conclusion

Gorky's play "At the Lower Depths" lives on and finds its readers and viewers more than a century, attracting with the ambiguity of the questions posed, prompting us to think again and again about what faith, love is in a person’s life and what are human capabilities. Giving only general idea about the play brief retelling“At the Bottom” assumes the reader’s further work with full text dramas.

Play test

After reading the summary of Gorky’s work, try to answer the questions:

Retelling rating

Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 9633.

Man was created not to drag chains, but to soar above the earth with his wings spread wide.
V. Hugo
It's good when a book you read leaves a mark on your soul. And if it is bright, we think about what meaning this work has for us, what it gave us. Now that we are again talking about humanism and mercy, when we call for “mercy for the fallen,” M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths” again acquires great importance. Apparently, his plays are not allowed to die at all. He is predestined long life. One can say about his play “At the Bottom” that it is an encyclopedia of pre-revolutionary Russia, a history captured truthfully and masterfully. And we must not forget that there is a lot of universal humanity in it, suitable not only for the past, but also for the present life.
“The man is wonderful! That sounds... proud!” These words, spoken at the dawn of the 20th century, determined the writer’s creative line. He came out with a passionate and ardent protest against everything that humiliated man, against all “ leaden abominations» life.
In the play "At the Bottom" with great strength and unsurpassed artistic skill Gorky showed those terrible living conditions that push people to the “bottom” of it, into the “pit”. And then the person ceases to be a person. And are these the people who appear before us in Kostylev’s disgusting flophouse? They have lost everything human, even lost the appearance of a person, and turned into pitiful, useless creatures. Of course, in many ways they themselves are to blame for what happened to them: they did not have enough firmness or the ability to fight fate, the desire to work, to overcome difficulties. But this is also to blame social conditions. Gorky showed the era of the enrichment of some people at the expense of the impoverishment of others. In each inhabitant of the shelter, in his ruined fate, we see a combination of social and personal problems fused together.
But even here, “at the bottom” of life, their inexorable wolf laws operate. Here there are “kings” and their subjects, exploiters and exploited, masters and workers. The laws of society pursue a person from birth to death. They push people to commit crimes, callousness, and dishonesty. Vaska Pepel has been stealing and stealing. From birth his destiny was predetermined. This is how he himself talks about it: “My path is marked out for me! My parent spent his whole life in prison and ordered the same for me... When I was little, at that time they called me a thief, a thief's son...” Anna dies in terrible agony. Until the very last moment she believes in her recovery: “Or... maybe... maybe I’ll recover?” But her spirit, her inner faith are undermined by the words of the inhabitants of the shelter: “For what? For flour again? The Actor finally becomes an alcoholic. They can't get up anymore! But these are people who once knew and
another life. Now what do they have left? Probably just faith. "We don't have a name! Even dogs have nicknames, but we don’t!” - the Actor exclaims with bitter feeling. And in this exclamation there is an unbearable resentment of a person thrown overboard of life. Everything was taken away from them, from these forgotten people, but they couldn’t take away faith, faith in the best. Gorky himself possessed this quality; he endowed it with his heroes.
The wanderer Luke, who appears in the play, managed to plant and ignite a spark of hope and dreams in everyone’s heart. He lit it in the Actor, which then flared up into a flame, into a flame of salvation. The actor believed in a hospital where he could recover from alcoholism. Luka advises Vaska Ash to start a new life - an honest life, without theft. But has Luke's philosophy helped anyone? After his departure, life for the night shelters became even more difficult. These people are so broken that they can no longer change anything in their fate. The hope expressed by Luke only aggravated their wounds even more. In general, they have nothing to wait for. The old man lit a ray of hope in their hearts, beckoned them, but did not show them the way.
Mite's dreams of a better time are crushed like a nutshell, and as a result we see him falling extremely low. He will never get out of here again. And we, the readers, feel uneasy from these words.
The play says: you can’t live like this!
The author puts many of his thoughts into Satin’s mouth. In Satin, a remarkable nature, a strong, clear mind, perished. Proud words about a person have become popular; they make one believe that people deserve a better fate.
The play “At the Bottom” is imbued with an ardent, passionate appeal to love a person, to make this name truly sound proud. No, there can be no happiness until a person is free, while injustice dominates at every step. A person deserves happiness and freedom because he is a Human!
Gorky's play is not only historical document, is not just an outstanding creation of the human mind, it is a work that will again and again turn people’s gaze to eternal problems goodness, mercy, social justice.