ideological and artistic originality of M. Gorky’s play “at the bottom”

M. Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” is a complex and ambiguous work. When analyzing it, as a rule, they pay attention to the ideological side, losing sight of artistic merit plays. However artistic originality“At the Bottom”, in my opinion, also deserves a lot of attention.

One of the leading techniques in constructing this work is the “nonlinearity” of the plot. We see that part important events The play takes place off stage, for example, the fight between Vasilisa and Natasha, Vasilisa’s revenge, and so on. In addition, Kostylev’s murder takes place around the corner of the shelter. I think the author does this deliberately. Thus, he invites us to listen to other, more important actions - to the content of the numerous conversations and disputes of the night shelters.

Compositionally, the plot disunity of the characters, their alienation from each other - everyone thinks about his own, worries about himself - is expressed in the organization of the stage space. We see that the characters are scattered across different corners of the stage and are closed in unconnected mini-spaces:

Anna. I don’t remember when I was full......All my life I walked around in rags...all my unhappy life...For what?

Luke. Oh, baby! Tired? Nothing!

Actor. Move with jack... jack, damn it!

Baron. And we have a king.

Mite. They will always beat you.

Satin. This is our habit...

Medvedev. King!

Bubnov. And I... w-well...

Anna. I'm dying, that's it...

In this fragment of the play, all the lines are heard from different angles: dying words Anna is confused with the cries of the night shelters playing cards (Satin and Baron) and checkers (Bubnov and Medvedev). Thus, Gorky seeks to emphasize the disunity of his heroes, their indifference and cynicism towards each other.

In addition, the author uses other techniques that deepen the meaning of the drama. This is, for example, the use of “rhyming” (mirror) episodes. Thus, two dialogues between Nastya and Baron, symmetrically located relative to each other, are mirrored. At the beginning of the play, Nastya defends herself from the Baron’s skeptical remarks. The attitude of this hero to Nastya’s story about “ fatal love” and Gastoucher is formulated by the saying “If you don’t like it, don’t listen, and don’t bother lying.” After Luka leaves, Nastya and the Baron seem to change roles: all the Baron’s stories about “wealth... hundreds of serfs... horses... cooks... carriages with heroes” are accompanied by the same remark from Nastya: “It wasn’t!”

The exact “semantic rhyme” in the play consists of Luke’s parable about the righteous land and the episode with the Actor’s suicide. Both fragments coincide verbatim in the final lines: “And after that I went home and hanged myself...” - “Hey... you! Go... come here!... There. The actor... hanged himself!

This compositional “linking” expresses, it seems to me, the author’s position regarding the results of Luke’s “preaching” activity.

The fate of the Actor is also connected with a twice-repeated episode in which the night shelters sing their song - “The sun rises and sets.” The actor “ruined” this particular song - in final action the lines “That’s what I want” were never sung in it. to freedom... I can’t break the chain.”

It is important that “rhyming” episodes do not carry new information about the characters, but give the action semantic unity and integrity. The system of literary and theatrical echoes in the play also serves the same purpose.

Thus, at the beginning of the work, the Actor mentions “ good play", referring to Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. Quote from it - “Ophelia! Oh... remember me in your prayers!..” - already in the first act he predicts the future fate of the Actor himself. His last words before suicide, addressed to Tatarin are as follows: “Pray for me.”

In addition to Hamlet, the Actor quotes King Lear several times (“Here, my faithful Kent...”). The phrase “I am on the way to rebirth”, which is important for the Actor, is also attributed to Lear.

In addition, the Actor’s “favorite poem” was Beranger’s poem, which in the context of the play received the meaning of a philosophical declaration: “Honor to the madman who will bring a golden dream to Humanity.” Along with quotes from Western classics, a Pushkin line slips into the Actor’s speech: “Our nets brought in a dead man” (“The Drowned Man”).

The meaning of all these literary echoes is departure from life, death. The plot path of the Actor, thus, is set at the very beginning of the work, and by those artistic means that determine his profession - a “foreign” word, a quote pronounced from the stage.

In general, the speech of the characters is important artistic medium in the play. In “At the Bottom” one is struck by the incredibly “dense” aphorism: “such a life that you get up in the morning and howl”; “expect some sense from the wolf”; “when work is a duty, life is slavery!”; “not a single flea is bad: all are black, all jump”; “Where it is warm for an old man, there is his homeland”; “Everyone wants order, but there is a lack of reason.”

Aphoristic judgments acquire particular significance in the speech of the main “ideologists” of the play - Luka and Bubnov - heroes whose positions are indicated most clearly and definitely. The philosophical dispute, in which each of the characters in the play takes its own position, is supported by general folk wisdom, expressed in proverbs and sayings. True, this wisdom, as the author shows, is not absolute, it is crafty. A statement that is too “round” can not only “push” towards the truth, but also lead away from it.

Thus, M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” is outstanding in artistically work. The author uses a large number of original techniques: non-linear construction of plot action, “rhyming” episodes, the use large quantity literary allusions, aphoristic speech of the characters. All this helps Gorky tell the truth about the “people of the bottom” and pose important philosophical and social questions to his readers - what is a person? What's the point human life? What are the highest human values?

Describing life in the basements of Kitai-Gorod, Maxim Gorky fully justified his pseudonym: the play is permeated with bitterness and hopelessness real destinies inhabitants of the shelter. At the very bottom of society, the contradictions between the working class and the bourgeoisie, the lower classes, who could not live in the old way, and the upper classes, who could not change the existing system, are clearly visible. The author polemicizes with the idealistic philosophy of Vl. Solovyov, revealing to the reader the cruel and brutal reality of desperate and degenerate people. According to Gorky, sugary consolations and empty hopes cannot help them: they need practical measures that none of the philosophers removed from life can offer.

The nochlezhka is a society of that time in miniature: all its prisoners are sentenced by difficult and sometimes simply tragic life circumstances to indefinite penal servitude of poverty. All of them are “former” actors or artisans, striving to break free, but buried alive in dark dungeons. Each of them in their own way is powerless to return to normal life. The image of the Actor, for example, symbolizes the death of the soul. The tick is an egoist, incapable of comprehending his own wrong: he cannot get out alone, but he does not want to go free with someone, but only in unity is he found full strength of people.

The play “At the Lower Depths” continues the tradition Chekhov theater. There are many storylines, lyrical leitmotif and speech characteristics(Luke leans on folk wisdom in proverbs and sayings, Satin operates scientific terms and academic vocabulary).

Philosophical issues are expressed in the heroes' disputes about man, the categories of evil and good, about truth and humanism. The catalyst for these polylogues is the image of Luke, who preaches maxims like “A person can do anything - if only he wants to.” Satin supports Luke’s ideas, but does not talk about pity for people, but that they need to be taught to use freedom. Both of them understand and see: a person is humiliated, but they want to “elevate” him in different ways. On the issue of truth, Luke and Satin defend opposing points of view. Luke preaches and uses lies for salvation, and Satin, on the contrary, considers the truth to be saving, but a bitter and disgusting mixture for the improvement of society.

The course of events refutes Luka's utopian philosophy: the actor commits suicide, Anna dies in an atmosphere of general indifference, Vaska Pepla is exiled to Siberia. The preacher leaves, leaving behind him deceived people with vain expectations. Specifics philosophical drama is that Satin’s ideas (fair views that the author himself defends) are at odds with his way of life, that is, he is just the voice of the writer, a shell for thought as the basis of the work. The hero himself is secondary, what he says is important. The ideal of man blurs in a monologue about proud man, he is abstract and has no logical connection to Satin: no one should look up to him, but his passionate speech in defense of human dignity is an exemplary idea that everyone must take into arms against lies.

In the history of Russian culture there are many names known throughout the world. Among them, the name of M. Gorky occupies a worthy place. As an artist, he enriched world literature new themes, plots, conflicts and images. Among Gorky’s works, the play “At the Lower Depths” occupies a special place. The writer showed in it the life of outcasts, people who have severed ties with society and are completely rejected by it. In my opinion, it is very interesting that the age-old philosophical debate about man is conducted not by sophisticated representatives of the intelligentsia, but by people from the lowest levels of life, barefoot and undressed, hungry and deprived of all rights. They discuss spiritual, social and ethical problems, which in the play have acquired extreme depth and intensity. The inhabitants of the shelter are not indifferent to the problems of good and evil, freedom, conscience, honor, happiness, life and death. All this interests them in connection with even more important issue: what is a person, why does he appear on earth, what is the meaning of his life? I think that it is in acute collision ideas, one should look for the originality of the play “At the Bottom”.
Disputes, passionate and emotional discussion of issues that concern a person, allow us to make a fairly accurate conclusion about his character, about those traits that are usually hidden. Like alive real people the gloomy fatalist and skeptic Bubnov, the wanderer-comforter Luke, the preacher of truth and the greatness of man Satin and others appear before us. Behind each of them there is a whole system of moral and aesthetic views. Apparently, they did not know or read Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky - real contradictions real life force them to painfully search for an explanation for the situation in which they find themselves.
The play sharply compares the images of the characters, their thoughts, feelings and experiences. Sharp dialogues capture the reader's attention, creating an atmosphere of tension and conflict. Gorky uses bright, succinct words to express the main idea - about the purpose of Man.
The concept of “man” is revealed in the writer’s work different faces, even in those works where, as in the play “At the Bottom,” attention is focused on dark sides life. Characteristic feature The play is that the hymn to Man sounds especially loudly in it, as if in contrast to the terrible living conditions, poverty and hopelessness.
The literature of previous years, depicting “little” people, humiliated and insulted, expressed deep compassion for them. But when people stop being “small,” pity for them is not enough. It seems to me that the image of the wanderer-comforter Luke was introduced partly in order to emphasize this idea. To this day, the image of this “apostle of comforting lies” causes heated debate. Who is he - positive hero or negative, does he pity people or is indifferent to them, strives to heal them with consolations or pursues other goals? I agree with B. Bialik’s point of view that in the very formulation of the question there is an error, “a lack of understanding of the entire complexity and depth of Gorky’s play. The point is not whether Luke pities people (of course he does), and whether he wants to help them with his consolations (of course he does), but how he understands people, how he evaluates a person.”
On the one hand, Luka sees a person in every inhabitant of the shelter. But at the same time, such pity implies powerlessness to change anything in life. Luke's consolations support the illusions that the characters in the play live by, trying to isolate themselves from the surrounding abomination. And the effect of Luke’s “fairy tales” is somewhat reminiscent of drugs: they do not cure an illness, but allow a person to reduce pain for a while and feel better.
Satin feels and understands all this. I think that is why he says: “He (Luke)... acted on me like acid on an old and dirty coin...”. Satin’s famous monologue: “Man! It's great! It sounds... proud! Human! We must respect the person! Don’t feel sorry... don’t humiliate him with pity, you need to respect him!” - is a reaction to Luke’s worldview. Gorky contrasts consoling and reconciling lies with faith in free man who only needs the truth, no matter how harsh it may be.
Thus, the ideological and artistic originality of M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths” is determined by ideological problems. On their basis, the plot is built and the author’s position is expressed. Portraying Russian reality in extremely harsh tones, which breaks people, causing them grief and suffering, Gorky persistently “collected small, rare crumbs of everything that could be called unusual - kind, selfless, beautiful,” and sought to reveal in the soul of the most “destroyed” person the undestroyed inclinations or remnants of humanity. The work of M. Gorky is full of love for man and pain for him, for all his humiliation. And at the same time, the writer expresses faith in a happy future for humanity.

In the history of Russian culture there are many names known throughout the world. Among them, the name of M. Gorky occupies a worthy place. As an artist, he enriched world literature with new themes, plots, conflicts and images. Among Gorky’s works, the play “At the Lower Depths” occupies a special place. The writer showed in it the life of outcasts, people who have severed ties with society and are completely rejected by it. In my opinion, it is very interesting that the age-old philosophical debate about man is conducted not by sophisticated representatives of the intelligentsia, but by people from the lowest levels of life, barefoot and undressed, hungry and deprived of all rights. They discuss spiritual, social and ethical problems, which in the play have acquired extreme depth and intensity. The inhabitants of the shelter are not indifferent to the problems of good and evil, freedom, conscience, honor, happiness, life and death. All this interests them in connection with an even more important problem: what is a person, why does he appear on earth, what is the meaning of his life? I think that it is precisely in the acute clash of ideas that one should look for the originality of the play “At the Bottom.”
Disputes, passionate and emotional discussion of issues that concern a person, allow us to make a fairly accurate conclusion about his character, about those traits that are usually hidden. The gloomy fatalist and skeptic Bubnov, the wanderer-comforter Luke, the preacher of truth and the greatness of man Satin and others appear before us as living, real people. Behind each of them there is a whole system of moral and aesthetic views. Apparently, they did not know or read Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky - the real contradictions of real life force them to painfully search for an explanation for the situation in which they find themselves.
The play sharply compares the images of the characters, their thoughts, feelings and experiences. Sharp dialogues capture the reader's attention, creating an atmosphere of tension and conflict. Gorky uses bright, succinct words to express the main idea - about the purpose of Man.
The concept of “man” reveals different facets in the writer’s work, even in those works where, as in the play “At the Bottom,” attention is focused on the dark sides of life. A characteristic feature of the play is that the hymn to Man sounds especially loudly in it, as if in contrast to the terrible living conditions, poverty and hopelessness.
The literature of previous years, depicting “little” people, humiliated and insulted, expressed deep compassion for them. But when people stop being “small,” pity for them is not enough. It seems to me that the image of the wanderer-comforter Luke was introduced partly in order to emphasize this idea. To this day, the image of this “apostle of comforting lies” causes heated debate. Who is he - a positive hero or a negative one, does he pity people or is indifferent to them, strives to heal them with consolations or pursues other goals? I agree with B. Bialik’s point of view that in the very formulation of the question there is an error, “a lack of understanding of the entire complexity and depth of Gorky’s play. The point is not whether Luke pities people (of course he does), and whether he wants to help them with his consolations (of course he does), but how he understands people, how he evaluates a person.”
On the one hand, Luka sees a person in every inhabitant of the shelter. But at the same time, such pity implies powerlessness to change anything in life. Luke's consolations support the illusions that the characters in the play live by, trying to isolate themselves from the surrounding abomination. And the effect of Luke’s “fairy tales” is somewhat reminiscent of drugs: they do not cure an illness, but allow a person to reduce pain for a while and feel better.
Satin feels and understands all this. I think that is why he says: “He (Luke)... acted on me like acid on an old and dirty coin...”. Satin’s famous monologue: “Man! It's great! It sounds... proud! Human! We must respect the person! Don’t feel sorry... don’t humiliate him with pity, you need to respect him!” - is a reaction to Luke’s worldview. Gorky contrasts the consoling and reconciling lie with faith in a free Man, who needs only the truth, no matter how harsh it may be.
Thus, the ideological and artistic originality of M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths” is determined by ideological problems. On their basis, the plot is built and the author’s position is expressed. Portraying Russian reality in extremely harsh tones, which breaks people, causing them grief and suffering, Gorky persistently “collected small, rare crumbs of everything that could be called unusual - kind, selfless, beautiful,” and sought to reveal in the soul of the most “destroyed” person the undestroyed inclinations or remnants of humanity. The work of M. Gorky is full of love for man and pain for him, for all his humiliation. And at the same time, the writer expresses faith in a happy future for humanity.

In the history of Russian culture there are many names known throughout the world. Among them, the name of M. Gorky occupies a worthy place. As an artist, he enriched world literature with new themes, plots, conflicts and images. Among Gorky’s works, the play “At the Lower Depths” occupies a special place. The writer showed in it the life of outcasts, people who have severed ties with society and are completely rejected by it. In my opinion, it is very interesting that the age-old philosophical debate about man is conducted not by sophisticated representatives of the intelligentsia, but by people from the lowest levels of life, barefoot and undressed, hungry and deprived of all rights. They discuss spiritual, social and ethical problems, which in the play have acquired extreme depth and intensity. The inhabitants of the shelter are not indifferent to the problems of good and evil, freedom, conscience, honor, happiness, life and death. All this interests them in connection with an even more important problem: what is a person, why does he appear on earth, what is the meaning of his life? I think that it is precisely in the acute clash of ideas that one should look for the originality of the play “At the Bottom.”
Disputes, passionate and emotional discussion of issues that concern a person, allow us to make a fairly accurate conclusion about his character, about those traits that are usually hidden. The gloomy fatalist and skeptic Bubnov, the wanderer-comforter Luke, the preacher of truth and the greatness of man Satin and others appear before us as living, real people. Behind each of them there is a whole system of moral and aesthetic views. Apparently, they did not know or read Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky - the real contradictions of real life force them to painfully search for an explanation for the situation in which they find themselves.
The play sharply compares the images of the characters, their thoughts, feelings and experiences. Sharp dialogues capture the reader's attention, creating an atmosphere of tension and conflict. Gorky uses bright, succinct words to express the main idea - about the purpose of Man.
The concept of “man” reveals different facets in the writer’s work, even in those works where, as in the play “At the Bottom,” attention is focused on the dark sides of life. A characteristic feature of the play is that the hymn to Man sounds especially loudly in it, as if in contrast to the terrible living conditions, poverty and hopelessness.
The literature of previous years, depicting “little” people, humiliated and insulted, expressed deep compassion for them. But when people stop being “small,” pity for them is not enough. It seems to me that the image of the wanderer-comforter Luke was introduced partly in order to emphasize this idea. To this day, the image of this “apostle of comforting lies” causes heated debate. Who is he - a positive hero or a negative one, does he pity people or is indifferent to them, strives to heal them with consolations or pursues other goals? I agree with B. Bialik’s point of view that in the very formulation of the question there is an error, “a lack of understanding of the entire complexity and depth of Gorky’s play. The point is not whether Luke pities people (of course he does), and whether he wants to help them with his consolations (of course he does), but how he understands people, how he evaluates a person.”
On the one hand, Luka sees a person in every inhabitant of the shelter. But at the same time, such pity implies powerlessness to change anything in life. Luke's consolations support the illusions that the characters in the play live by, trying to isolate themselves from the surrounding abomination. And the effect of Luke’s “fairy tales” is somewhat reminiscent of drugs: they do not cure an illness, but allow a person to reduce pain for a while and feel better.
Satin feels and understands all this. I think that is why he says: “He (Luke)... acted on me like acid on an old and dirty coin...”. Satin’s famous monologue: “Man! It's great! It sounds... proud! Human! We must respect the person! Don’t feel sorry... don’t humiliate him with pity, you need to respect him!” - is a reaction to Luke’s worldview. Gorky contrasts the consoling and reconciling lie with faith in a free Man, who needs only the truth, no matter how harsh it may be.
Thus, the ideological and artistic originality of M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths” is determined by ideological problems. On their basis, the plot is built and the author’s position is expressed. Portraying Russian reality in extremely harsh tones, which breaks people, causing them grief and suffering, Gorky persistently “collected small, rare crumbs of everything that could be called unusual - kind, selfless, beautiful,” and sought to reveal in the soul of the most “destroyed” person the undestroyed inclinations or remnants of humanity. The work of M. Gorky is full of love for man and pain for him, for all his humiliation. And at the same time, the writer expresses faith in a happy future for humanity.