“The main characters of Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil.” What role does the heroine-narrator play in the story “Old Woman Izergil”? Reason and feelings in the story of the old woman Izergil

Maxim Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil", written in the fall of 1884, was first published in Samara Gazeta a year later, in parts, in issues 80, 86 and 89. It is one of Gorky's early romantic works, in which his extraordinary writing talent first became visible.

The story is constructed in the form of a dialogue between the author and an old woman who has lived a stormy life and knows many different stories. Compositionally, the story can be divided into three parts: about Larra, about the old woman Izergil herself and about Danko, these are, as it were, three stories within one, dedicated to one goal: to find out what the meaning of human life is.

Using the example of the selfish Larra, who lived the way he wanted; his stormy, chaotic life, dedicated to the search for pleasure, frequent changes of lovers and “ended” somewhere at the age of forty; as well as the bright life-deed of Danko, who illuminated the path for people with his heart, Izergil tries to show that a person’s freedom lies in his right choice. Larra and she did the wrong thing, she now, at the end of her life, realized it.

Larra is a proud man, the son of a human woman and an eagle, unfamiliar with the concepts of love and self-sacrifice, a selfish insolent man who does not recognize respect for others, ready only to receive without giving anything in return. It is easy for him to kill a woman who rejected him, but he is aware of his loneliness despite his invulnerability, courage and the superiority that he feels over others. This eagle can fly high and feel happiness from the flight, not wanting to share it with anyone. Larra is half human. And people cannot bear loneliness, it breaks their hearts, no matter how stony they may seem.

The old woman Izergil in her youth also considered herself superior to others, endowed with beauty, selfish and reckless. She, unlike Larra, who did not experience feelings at all, experienced them when she was young, even in excess, getting what she wanted - and immediately forgetting about it. While she was young and men fell in love with her, she did not notice the value of her youth. They remained shadows for her, her half-forgotten lovers, for many of whom her love was fatal. When she fell in love herself, she was disappointed - they abandoned her and laughed at her. But feelings always guided Izergil.

She saved her ungrateful lover and refused to be loved in gratitude for her salvation. Human pride makes a person balance on the edge. This was the old woman's last loving memory. Then she simply tried to exist. When she loved and was loved, she lived. And now she is left with only fairy tales and stories that she tells to the young, wanting to once again see the sparkle in her eyes and try to feel those feelings that have always guided her life.

Danko is the third young “proud man” that Izergil talks about; he, like Izergil, is brave and reckless. The belief that he is the one who will save people forces him to lead them through the swamps, to a goal that may not exist. At the moment of their despair and readiness to rush at him, he risks himself for the sake of this faith, tearing his chest with his hands and illuminating the impenetrable darkness with his heart. He managed to do what Larra and Izergil could not - die. He was able to die not only in the prime of his life, but not uselessly, in the name of future human lives. The old woman Izergil, of course, secretly envies him: he was able to die young, and die brightly.

Although his feat continues to live in the memory of the people, having turned into a fairy tale, the old woman Izergil speaks of human ingratitude - Larra, accepted into his mother’s tribe, a handsome Pole, who finally decided to do a favor to Izergil, was ungrateful: “Now I will love you” , as well as the “cautious man” who extinguished Danko’s heart, and people who, having gained freedom, immediately forgot about the savior.

Human nature is capable of the greatest feats and the lowest crimes. But not everyone can live one day at a time, this is the choice of the chosen ones. The main thing is to be able to accomplish your feat. The old woman Izergil, realizing that she has grown old and will no longer have those hot feelings that always seethed in her, does her little thing - she saves her beloved, even going to murder for him. She contemptuously refuses Arcadek's love, which he offers as payment for salvation. And even though her heart breaks at this moment, she proudly watches him leave with the other prisoners. Danko's feat, as well as her self-sacrifice, remained unrewarded. But she believes that it’s better this way, and memories are all she has left for her lifetime.

The romantic heroes in this story are strong, brave, reckless - endowed with all the qualities that are inherent in youth. Feelings are heightened, it seems that there are many happy years ahead. But the story is called “Old Woman Izergil”; there is no mention of Larra and Danko in the title.

Perhaps Gorky wanted to say by the title of the story that youth is not eternal, that the outcome of life is summed up according to one’s actions? Everything you did in your youth will be remembered by you as an old man. And it is a person who chooses how he will live his life - whether fairy tales will be told about him, or his fate - to wander around the world as an unknown shadow who wants to die.

Everyone has the right to accomplish their feat, the choice is only theirs.

In M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”, indifference and responsiveness are contrasted. Indifference to people is expressed in the image of the eagle's son Larra - a proud, self-centered young man who wants to remain completely free from people and responsibilities to them. Responsiveness is expressed in the image of Danko - he is a courageous, strong, responsible hero who decided to lead people out of the forests and swamps and show them the way. Therefore, this work is ideally suited to become literary material for arguments for the final essay.

1. Indifference never leads a person to happiness. For example, Larra, the son of an eagle, despises human laws and is indifferent to human feelings, which he does not experience. He does not respect anyone, kills a girl in front of people from her tribe, without fully realizing that he is acting cruelly: he hears only himself and his desires. But for this he is doomed to eternal suffering from loneliness. He was expelled from the tribe, and God “rewarded” the hero with eternal life so that he would know the abyss of despair for his pride. So, the unfortunate character became a wanderer, in whose eyes there was forever a longing that neither time nor space could satisfy.
2. Unfortunately, people do not always understand and appreciate responsiveness. For example, the noble Danko sacrifices himself to the interests of the tribe, and his people remain indifferent to the feat and do not realize his role in their salvation. Without the brave young man, they would never have gotten out. Even while on the way to the goal, the tribesmen began to condemn and reproach the leader for not knowing where he was leading them. Then, in a fit of philanthropy, he tore the flaming heart out of his chest and, illuminating the way with it, led the crowd to freedom, and he himself died. And someone even trampled on his heart - in this act, Gorky exposed the black ingratitude of society for its responsive attitude towards itself.
3. In the legend of Larra, people are more responsive than in the legend of Danko. They are trying to talk to the killer, understand him, explain to him the rules of life in human society. But the hero is their antagonist, he is callous, indifferent and does not want to delve into the essence of people. He considers them weak and limited: where is their freedom compared to his permissiveness? However, it is precisely this “limitedness” that elevates the tribe above the son of the eagle. The characters do not dare to take the life of a criminal; they did not dare to encroach on this sacred right, even though Larra gave rise to cruel punishment. The community simply sent him into exile, and a wiser solution in this case cannot be imagined. If people are ruled by responsiveness, harmony and wisdom come to them, but indifference promises only destruction and cruelty.
4. An individual's ability to be responsive is not influenced by society. For example, in the image of Larra and Danko two opposite sides of human nature are expressed: indifference and responsiveness. In the first legend, the images of people to a certain extent contain the traits of the responsive Danko, and in the third legend - the traits of the indifferent Larra. The images of the secondary characters contrast with the main characters of both legends. This is how the author shows the reader that every person simultaneously contains the qualities of Larra and Danko, and they will manifest themselves regardless of how the environment treats the individual.
5. Indifference leads a person to loneliness. For example, the old woman Izergil from Gorky’s story of the same name indulged in frivolous hobbies all her life, not sparing the feelings of her gentlemen. She often broke hearts and only amused herself in this process. But her beauty and strength were wasted, because they were not enough for true love. The man whom she saved from captivity, at the risk of death, could only love her out of gratitude, but out of pride she did not accept the handout. As a result, the “fatal beauty” lived out a lonely old age, because youth and success and men had abandoned her. This is what her indifference to other people's feelings led to. Now no one cared about her.
6. True responsiveness is philanthropy. For example, Danko sacrifices himself for the sake of the people, and only an all-consuming love for people could allow him to forgive the reproaches and laughter of a distant tribe. He, despite the ungrateful behavior of his fellow tribesmen and the lack of support, walked towards the goal and led the crowd. Anyone in his place would have given up seeing such treatment. However, the hero had an unshakable support for his responsiveness - love, which once forced Christ to ascend to Golgotha.
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COMPOSITION OF M. GORKY'S STORY “THE OLD WOMAN IZERGIL”

1. Introduction.

Realism and romanticism in the early works of M. Gorky.

2. Main part.

2.1 Composition of the story “Old Woman Izergil”.

2.2 The legend of Larra.

2.3 The fate of the old woman-storyteller.

2.4 The legend of Danko.

2.5 The image of the hero in the early stories of M. Gorky.

2.6 The image of the narrator.

3. Conclusion.

In the early work of Maxim Gorky, two literary trends were realized - realism and romanticism. The writer's realistic stories do not hide the harsh truth of life, vividly depicting the difficult reality. Attempts by heroes to escape from a hopeless existence are, as a rule, doomed to failure. But their characters attract people with their love of freedom and independence. Gorky’s romantic works are reminiscent of beautiful legends, poetic and mysterious, fabulous and heartfelt. Such is the story “Old Woman Izergil”.

The work consists of three parts: the legend of Larra, the story of the old woman Izer Gil about her life and the tale of Danko. This composition is full of meaning. The legend of Larra, selfish and cruel, opens the work. The hero, the son of an eagle and a woman, is not afraid to go against his fellow tribesmen. In life, he is guided only by his own desires and needs, “considers himself the first on earth and, apart from himself, sees nothing,” causing hostility, hatred and fear in those around him.

Undoubtedly, the hero is strong and courageous. But selfishness and pride make him ruthless. For the murder of a girl, Larra is sentenced to eternal loneliness. At first, he does not understand the horror of the punishment he received. And only after many years the hero realizes that loneliness is worse than death and he himself is to blame for the fact that people have turned away from him.

Larra seeks death, but death does not take him. He is condemned to eternal wandering, he has no place among people. The author believes that a person should not consider himself higher and better than others; this path leads to loneliness and despair.

What follows is the story of the old woman Izergil about her own life, also reminiscent of the legend. Many years ago, young, strong and beautiful Izergil lived, obeying only the dictates of her heart. She loved many men, throwing herself headlong into the pool of a new feeling, not knowing any restrictions or prohibitions and thinking only about herself.

Izergil can be cruel, like Larra, but unlike him, he is also generous and sensitive. For the sake of her beloved, the heroine is capable of self-sacrifice. She evokes admiration and sympathy.

The image of the old woman Izergil combines two legends she told. Izergil’s character has traits of both Larra and Danko. But kindness and willingness to forget about herself for the sake of her beloved bring her character closer to Danko’s character.

The third part of the work is the legend of Danko, who sacrificed his life for the sake of people. To save his people and lead them out of the forest, he rips the heart out of his chest, illuminating the way for them. Larra and Danko have many similarities. This is strength, courage, contempt for danger, courage. But Danko is ready to give up his life to save people; he, unlike Larra, is humane. Both heroes are opposed to the crowd.

Larra perceives other people as enemies who do not allow him to live the way he wants. Danko, despite the misunderstanding of his fellow tribesmen, is ready to sacrifice for them.

The two legends framing the biography of the old woman Izergil are built on contrast. This technique is aimed at creating the image of a romantic hero of the work. He becomes a proud and free person, capable of sacrificing his life for the sake of the happiness of other people.

Each legend depicts its own concept of human existence. On the one hand, you can live only for yourself, without caring about anyone, but remain lonely and abandoned by everyone. On the other hand, you can live for others, sacrificing yourself for the sake of their lives.

Izergil’s biography is the center of the work, combining both concepts. It is clear that the author considers the correct life position according to which a person lives not for himself, but for others.

The image of the narrator is the unifying principle for all three narratives. This is a man wandering around his native land in search of legends, stories, tales of glory.

nom past of his people. The narrator identifies himself with the heroes of some stories. Through his perception we guess the author's position. This image also bears the stamp of romanticism. It is no coincidence that the narrator’s object of attention is the landscape, bright, beautiful, unusual.

The narrator admires the delightful southern nature, against which it is easy to imagine the romantic and heroic events described in the legends. He is amazed by the story of the old woman Izergil, admires Danko’s feat, and does not accept Larra’s selfishness.

Works based on the work “The Old Woman Izergil” (Gorky M.)

Essay based on the work of M. Gorky "Old Woman Izergil"

M. Gorky’s work “The Old Woman Izergil consists of three parts”: the tale of Larra, the story of Danko, the story of the life of Izergil herself.
The narration is told on behalf of the author, who allegedly heard this story in Bessarabia.
...The Moldovans finished the grape harvest and walked to the sea. They were very beautiful, and their women were “strange and fabulous.” The author and old woman Izergil were sitting on the shore. Looking at the old woman, the author thought that she was once very beautiful, but now “time has bent her in half.” When the moon rose, the old woman said that it was “Larra coming” and pointed to a vague shadow in the steppe. Then she began the story about Lara.
...Many thousands of years ago, “in the country of the big river” lived a tribe of powerful people. One day, an eagle carried away a girl from the tribe. They searched for her, but to no avail. “But twenty years later she herself came, exhausted and withered.” With her was a young man, handsome, similar to her in his youth. The woman said that the eagle lived with her in the mountains, as with his wife, and then died. And the young man is the son of an eagle. The people of the tribe looked at the young man in surprise and saw that he was no better than them, “only his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of the birds.” The young man spoke to everyone as equals, and treated the elders without the necessary respect. The young man liked one of the girls from the tribe, and he approached her and hugged her. She pushed the young man away. In response, the eagle's son hit her, and when she fell, he put his foot on her chest. The girl died, but the young man was not even embarrassed. He was captured and decided to be executed. Before his death, the young man asked permission to say his last word. He said he considered himself "the first on earth." The tribe decided that it would be better if they simply expelled him from the tribe - loneliness would be the worst execution for the young man. ...Since then the young man was called Larra, which means “rejected.” For many years, Larra kidnapped cattle and girls from the tribe; the arrows did not take him because he was under a curse. But one day the day came when Larra himself came to the people, wanting to be killed. But people didn't touch him. Larra tried to stab himself in the chest, but the knife broke. Larra began to beat his head on the ground, but “the earth also moved away from him.” Since then, Larra has been walking everywhere, waiting for death... This is how the old woman’s story about Larra ends. She then tells the author her life story.
Once upon a time the old woman Izergil was young and very popular with men. The first one to whom she gave her body and soul was the “black-moustached young fisherman.” But soon Izergil met the “Handsome Hutsul.” He sometimes beat her, for which Izergil once sank her teeth into his cheek. Later, both the fisherman and the Hutsul were gone. Izergil became the ninth wife in the harem of a middle-aged Turk. She then ran away from him along with his sixteen-year-old son. The boy soon died, but even in his death “love burned.” After this, Izergil ended up in a monastery, and from there she went to Poland “along with a monk who fell in love with her.” He, in her words, was “mean and cunning.” Once Izergil bought one “Jew”. She herself agreed to this because she “didn’t know how to work,” and rich Poles who “paid a lot” began to come to her. At the age of forty, Izergil suddenly fell in love with a young nobleman, spoiled and proud. When he was captured "by the Russians, she even saved him by killing a soldier." But he didn't need her. Izergil realized that “the feathers had faded” and began to live alone and in one place.” Moldovan youth does not leave Izergil, and often listens with interest to her stories.
Then Izergil told the story about Danko. He was a wonderful young man who sacrificed himself for his people. For some time now, the Danko people lived in a terrible and dark forest - other tribes drove them out of their former places. It was possible to survive only outside the forest. But the people's way was blocked by trees of enormous height. Danko led the people through the forest, people fell and died, but they walked. However, melancholy and despair soon took possession of them, they began to scream and scold Danko. And he felt sorry for the people who hated him, and he tore his heart out of his chest. Danko raised his heart above his head, and it glowed brighter than the sun. The young man moved forward, and the enchanted people “rushed after him, enchanted.” Soon the forest parted and the steppe appeared. Blood flowed from Danko's wound and he died. But no one noticed his death, and one person even stepped on his heart, causing it to crumble into sparks. Since then, blue lights appear in the steppe before a thunderstorm - sparkles of Danko’s heart...
At this point the old woman finished her story and dozed off...
This is how M. Gorky’s work “The Old Woman Izergil” ends.

Rescue of Arcadek from captivity (analysis of an episode from M. Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”)

The story “Old Woman Izergil” belongs to Gorky’s early works; it contains a lot of unusual, romantic and heroic things.

The story is told from the perspective of the old woman Izergil. The main character lived a stormy, “rebellious life,” but there was no high goal in her. Izergil’s life was not illuminated by creative work or a noble desire to serve people. There was no real thing in her life that could elevate and ennoble her. Therefore, at the end of the work, one feels sorry for this heroine, and her life seems meaningless.

The analyzed episode occupies a relatively small part of the entire work. But this fragment has its own composition and is characterized by the completeness of the action. It talks about how the already old Izergil fell in love with the nobleman Arcadek. The handsome young man rejected the heroine, but she, despite this, saves him from Russian captivity, killing the sentry in the process. The cynical Arcadek does not thank Izergil - he says that he is ready to love her for his salvation. Proud Izergil does not accept such a sacrifice and rejects the nobleman. The heroes part.

There are some traditional plot elements that stand out in this episode. A kind of exposition is the narration about the relationships of the heroes before the capture of Arcadek. The plot of the action is the description of the Izergil road to the place of captivity of the beloved. The development of the action is a story about how a woman sneaks up to prisoners at night, begs the sentry, arousing pity in him, to help her date with Arcadek. The sentry remains unshaken, and Izergil kills him. The climax of the episode is the rescue of Arcadek and three prisoners, as well as the “moment of gratitude” of the nobleman. The denouement of the episode is the separation of the characters.

Despite the fact that this episode occupies a small part of the work, it is important for revealing the idea of ​​the entire story and the characteristics of the main character.

The old woman Izergil’s story about her own life is framed by two legends: about Larra and Danko. Izergil kills in the name of love, but still she is compared with the proud and proud Larra, and not with Danko, who performs a feat of sacrifice for the sake of other people.

This episode reveals such character traits of the heroine as her unbridled passion, the ability to love passionately and even kill for the sake of love. The courage, cunning, strength and toughness of Izergil’s nature and, of course, her pride are also emphasized. The heroine does not accept sacrificial love, which is imposed by gratitude and duty. Izergil needs a different love - passionate, sincere, unbridled, mutual. She doesn't get this from Arcadek and therefore drives him away.

If we recall the heroine’s previous stories about her love adventures and compare them with the story about Arcadek, it becomes clear that Izergil truly loved only the nobleman. She never spoke about anyone else with such tenderness and regret, passion and sincerity. For the sake of others, the heroine did not commit such desperate acts as murder. She herself says: “I felt sad because I thought that people had crawled after me before, ... but here it is, the time has come - and I crawled like a snake on the ground after a man and, perhaps, crawled to my death.”

Izergil tells how after the noble’s release she eagerly awaited his reaction, and these moments were the most beautiful for her. But immediately after Arcadek’s words, the heroine was overcome by boredom and disappointment, even anger. She gave him a kick and wanted to hit him in the face, but he stepped back in time.

Pride, self-esteem, intransigence with lies, especially if this lie concerns the sphere of feelings, did not allow Izergil to accept his love-sacrifice from Arcadek.

In this episode, the heroine no longer acts as an egoist, because Izergil could accept love from the nobleman and enjoy it. If earlier the heroine only “consumed” the feelings of others, now she loves herself and does not want to be nice to the person who is next to her only out of gratitude.

The most significant artistic details of this episode are the heroine’s speech and the description of her feelings and thoughts. Izergil alternately whispers and begs the sentry to allow her a meeting with the prisoner. Obsessed with a flaring desire to see her beloved, she begs with different, hot words. The rebellion and determination of the heroine’s spirit is conveyed by verbs: she knocked the soldier to the ground, crushed his head, squeezed him into the mud, rushed to the barn, whispered in the cracks, looked at her master, became bored, and was attacked by laziness. In the episode there is a description of natural bad weather, reflecting the heroine’s state: “It was raining... the wind howled, and roared, and pushed.... then in the back, then in the chest.”

Since the story “Old Woman Izergil” is a romantic work, this passage is also distinguished by its romanticism and poetry. The author uses a variety of figurative and expressive means: metaphors (the wind howled and roared, desire flared up); epithets (stone soldier, cold word, small, dry soldier, hot words, greedy life, lying dog); comparisons (crawled like a snake).

This episode reveals the exoticism and ardor of the heroine’s nature, the unbridled nature of her character. The author does not hide anything from the reader. He honestly describes the murder of the sentry, revealing all the details and details of this crime.

The main idea of ​​this episode is the rejection of sacrificial love, insincere love out of obligation. The strength of human nature lies in refusing both your love and the sacrifice that is offered to you.

However, as noted above, Izergil is compared to the proud Larra, capable of murder, and not to Danko, who makes a sacrifice for the sake of love for people. Larra’s shadow clarifies the shadow of the old woman Izergil, who has dried up and become like a bag of bones. A life filled with feelings and selfish passions led her to this state.

Man in the works of M. Gorky - option 3

"Human! It's great! It sounds... proud!
Human! You have to respect the person."
M. Gorky. At the bottom.

The main theme of M. Gorky's entire work can be considered the study of man - his nature and place in life. The writer's solution to this issue is constructed romantically. Thus, Gorky’s favorite heroes (the stories “Old Woman Izergil”, “Chelkash” and others) expressed the romantic ideals of love, freedom, serving people, transforming the world.
In “Old Woman Izergil” the image of the young man Larra is contrasted with the image of Danko. With the help of such a contrast, the writer condemned many human vices - selfishness, narcissism, pride. The greatest good, life, becomes hard labor for Larra precisely because the hero lives only for himself, without thinking about others. Gorky emphasizes: freedom alone is not freedom. Freedom has value only when it is connected with society, with people.
Larra was convinced by his own example that a person, even if he is the son of an eagle, cannot live outside of society. Man is a social being and must do everything to live in peace and harmony with other people.
The young man Danko is the complete opposite of Larra. For the sake of the freedom of his tribe, he makes a great sacrifice - he gives his life for the good of his native tribe. And if the pathetic Larra remains a shadow that forever wanders the earth, then people will always remember Danko’s feat.
It is important that Danko did not expect gratitude for his sacrifice. The purpose of his life, unlike Larra, is to exist for the sake of people, for their good, for the sake of improving life. Danko did not remember about himself, constantly thinking about others. This hero is Gorky’s romantic ideal.
The story “Chelkash” is also built on the opposition of two heroes. This helps to highlight Grishka Chelkash, whom Gorky admires, more clearly. This is “an old poisoned wolf, well known to the Havana people, an inveterate drunkard and a clever, brave thief.” Chelkash is already a mature person, a bright and extraordinary nature. Even in a crowd of tramps like him, this hero stood out for his predatory strength and integrity.
Chelkash lives by robbing ships and then selling his loot. Such activities and lifestyle suit this hero quite well. They satisfy his need for a sense of freedom, risk, unity with nature, a sense of his own strength and unlimited possibilities.
Gorky emphasizes that Russian society does not allow rich human potential to be revealed. He is satisfied only with the Gavrils with their slavish psychology and average capabilities. There is no place for extraordinary people who strive for freedom, flight of thought, spirit and soul in such a society. Therefore, they are forced to become tramps, outcasts.
The play “At the Bottom” belongs to a later period of the writer’s work. Throughout the play, the heroes of the work argue about important issues. It is in this society that a dispute about Man, about the meaning of his life, is born.
The textbook opponents in the debate about man are Luke and Satin. The philosophy of deception in the name of man in the play is preached by the wanderer Luke. He can be called a humane person. But for him, all people are equally insignificant, weak, and only need compassion and consolation. I think it would not be a mistake to assume that in fact Luke believed that the real situation of a person cannot be changed. You can only change a person’s attitude towards himself and towards others, change his consciousness, well-being, self-esteem, and reconcile him with life.
Hence the comforting lie of this hero. He has a kind word for every suffering inhabitant of the shelter. For the dying Anna, Luka paints a gentle, comforting death, a calm afterlife; Nastya maintains her faith in the existence of the student Gaston and his fatal love. Luke tells the drunken actor about a free clinic for alcoholics...
The philosophy of this hero is that a person must always be supported by inner faith. A clear picture of this is Luke’s story about the search for a righteous land.
The wanderer Luke is contrasted with the position of the inhabitant of the rooming house Satin. He speaks of a free Man with a capital F. Satin considers Luke’s compassionate humanism humiliating: “We must respect a person! Do not feel sorry... do not humiliate him with pity..." Satin also condemns the comforting lie: "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters...", "Truth is the god of a free man!"
But Satin’s romantic dream of a proud, free, strong Man is contrasted with the reality of his life, his character. Satin is a skeptic. He is apathetic, passive in life. His protest consists of a call for “doing nothing”: “I’ll give you one piece of advice: don’t do anything! Just burden the earth!..”
Thus, using the example of Gorky’s early stories and his play “At the Lower Depths,” we can trace the creative evolution of the writer’s concept of man, his search for the meaning of life and truth. In his early stories, Gorky only proclaimed his romantic ideal: the meaning of life is in the struggle for common happiness, the truth of life is in existing for the sake of others. In his more mature work, the writer developed a correlation between ideals and real life. Pathos and faith in man did not go away, but all this was complicated by an understanding of the real situation, difficult living conditions, and incorrect state policies.