Social types in drama at the bottom. "At the Bottom" as a socio-philosophical drama

/ / / The play “At the Depths” as a social philosophical drama

IN creative work M. Gorky "" raised enough actual question, which is often asked today. The author reflects on what is a person’s calling, how is personal freedom manifested? And in his play M. Gorky tries to find an answer to it.

He was quite familiar with the lower stratum of society, he saw how the poor lived, how those people existed who had long been forgotten. Therefore, it is precisely such heroes with lost destinies that are presented to the reader in the play “At the Bottom.” It can be defined only to one literary genre - drama. In the text of the play, we get acquainted with the tragic destinies of people who lived a joyless and gloomy life.

The social problem that triumphed in society at that time permeated all the work, from beginning to end. Only the title “At the Bottom” suggests that we will be talking about those people who have fallen deep into a hole from which it is quite difficult to get out.

The description of the buildings, houses, and shelter in which the heroes live is terrifying and sends goosebumps down your spine. Everything is collapsing, dirt and cobwebs fill the rooms. The residents of the shelter are poorly dressed, in most cases hungry and sick. Of course, each of them has their own bright dream, but it is very far from it, it is practically not real. Social status, poverty and misery make it clear that the heroes are in terrible conditions, they have practically resigned themselves to their fate and can only think about the good.

In the text of the play we are introduced to two philosophical thoughts. The wanderer Luke preaches joyful ideas that should bring a person back to life, and Satin says that one should not feel sorry for a person, because this will humiliate his dignity.

Of course, almost all the residents of the shelter are drawn to Luke’s sweet words. After all, their life consists of sheer horror. But reality and fictional illusions are not comparable. After all, after believing a lie, the lives of many characters are broken. M. Gorky reveals to us a picture of the terrible everyday life of the lower class of the population. Luke's philosophical instructions do not save them social status. Because of their weak character, the characters in the play commit suicide and are sent to hard labor in Siberia. After all, they do not have the strength to revive.

The author, in his creative work, tries to compare different opinions, different worldviews of the characters and understand the reality that surrounds them. Therefore, the play “At the Bottom” can be safely classified as a social and philosophical drama that raises simmering problems to the top, for everyone to see.

The play "At the Bottom" as a philosophical drama.

Gorky's play “At the Depths” was written in nineteen hundred and two. In these pre-revolutionary years, the writer was especially concerned about the question of Man. On the one hand, Gorky is aware of the circumstances that force people to sink to the “bottom of life”; on the other hand, he tries to study this problem in detail and, perhaps, find a solution. There are two conflicts unfolding in the drama. First
,social - between the owners of the shelter and the tramps, the other is philosophical, touching on the basic questions of existence, unfolds between the inhabitants of the shelter. He is the main one. The world of the flophouse is the world " former people».
Previously, they were people of different classes: here is a baron, a prostitute, a mechanic, an actor, a cap maker, and a merchant. And still in this scary world outcasts, these people search for truth, try to solve eternal problems.
How to bear the burden of life? What to contrast terrible force circumstances - open rebellion, patience based on sweet lies, or humility? These are the three positions that the characters in the play adhere to.

The darkest thinker in the shelter is Bubnov. He is unpleasant to Gorky because his remarks reflect the “truth of fact.” Life in Bubnov’s assessment is devoid of any meaning. It is monotonous and flows according to laws that a person cannot change: “everything is like this: they will be born, live and die... Why regret it?”
Dreams for him are a person’s desire to seem better, or, as the Baron said:
“All people have gray souls... everyone wants to brown up.”

With the appearance of Luka, the atmosphere in the shelter becomes tense. The Wanderer Luke is complex and interesting character in the play. His ideas are based on the fact that he does not believe in human capabilities; for him, all people are insignificant, weak, petty, in need of compassion and consolation. Luke believes that the truth may be
"butt" for a person. Sometimes it is better to deceive a person with fiction, to instill in him faith in the future: “man lives for the best.” But this is the philosophy of slavish obedience; it is not for nothing that Satin says that “... lies are the religion of slaves and masters.
She supports some, others hide behind her.” Luke’s ideas are aimed at making people either “get around” life, or try to adapt to it. The wanderer's advice did not help anyone: Vaska kills
Kostylev and goes to prison, the actor commits suicide. Of course, this is not Luke’s direct fault, it’s just that the circumstances turned out to be stronger than people. But he is indirectly to blame, or rather not he, but his ideas: they made changes in the lives of the shelters and in their worldviews, after which they could no longer continue to live normally.

Satin opposes this harmful lie. In his monologue there is a demand for freedom and humane treatment to a person: “We must respect a person! Don’t feel sorry... don’t humiliate him with pity,... you need to respect him!” Satin is convinced of the following: it is necessary not to reconcile a person with reality, but to make this reality work for a person. “Everything is in man, everything is for man.” “Only Man exists, everything else is the work of his hands, his brain.” "Human! It sounds proud!

The author undoubtedly likes Satin, although he is a “hero of words.” Unlike most night shelters, he committed a decisive act in the past, for which he paid: he spent four years in prison. But he does not regret it: “A person is free, he pays for everything himself...”.

Thus, the writer argues that a person is able to change circumstances, and not adapt to them.

In 1902, the great Russian writer M. Gorky wrote the play “At the Lower Depths”. In it, the author raised a question that remains relevant to this day - this is the question of freedom and the purpose of man. M. Gorky was well acquainted with the life of the lower strata of society, and the sight of suffering and injustice aroused in him a feeling of acute rejection of reality. All his life he was looking for the image of an ideal Man, the image of a Hero. He tried to find answers to his questions in literature, philosophy, history, and in life. Gorky said that he was looking for a hero “where there are usually no people.” In the play “At the Bottom,” the author showed the lifestyle and thinking of precisely those people who are already considered lost, useless for society. The author changed the name of the play many times: “The Bottom”, “Without the Sun”, “Nochlezhka”. They are all joyless and sad. Although there is no other way: the content of the play requires dark colors. In 1901, the writer said about his play: “It will be scary...”
The play is quite ambiguous in its content, but its main meaning cannot be distorted or misunderstood.
In terms of literary genre, the play “At the Bottom” is a drama. Drama is characterized by plot-driven and conflict-ridden action. In my opinion, the work clearly identifies two dramatic principles: social and philosophical.
Even its title, “At the Bottom,” speaks of the presence of social conflict in the play. The stage directions placed at the beginning of the first act create a depressing picture of the shelter. “Cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, sooty, with crumbling plaster... There are bunks everywhere on the walls.” The picture is not pleasant - dark, dirty, cold. Next come descriptions of the residents of the shelter, or rather, descriptions of their occupations. What are they doing? Nastya is reading, Bubnov and Kleshch are busy with their work. It seems that they work reluctantly, out of boredom, without enthusiasm. They are all poor, pitiful, wretched creatures living in a dirty hole. There is also another type of people in the play: Kostylev, the owner of the shelter, and his wife Vasilisa. In my opinion, social conflict in the play is that the inhabitants of the shelter feel that they live “at the bottom”, that they are cut off from the world, that they only exist. They all have a cherished goal (for example, the Actor wants to return to the stage), they have their own dream. They are looking for strength within themselves to confront this ugly reality. And for Gorky, the very desire for the best, for the Beautiful, is wonderful.
All these people are put in terrible conditions. They are sick, poorly dressed, and often hungry. When they have money, celebrations are immediately held in the shelter. So they try to drown out the pain within themselves, to forget themselves, not to remember their miserable position as “former people”.
It is interesting how the author describes the activities of his characters at the beginning of the play. Kvashnya continues her argument with Kleshch, the Baron habitually mocks Nastya, Anna moans “every single day...”. Everything continues, all this has been going on for several days now. And people gradually stop noticing each other. By the way, the lack of a narrative beginning is distinctive feature dramas. If you listen to the statements of these people, what is striking is that they all practically do not react to the comments of others, they all speak at the same time. They are separated under one roof. The inhabitants of the shelter, in my opinion, are tired, tired of the reality that surrounds them. It’s not for nothing that Bubnov says: “But the threads are rotten...”.
Such social conditions, in which these people are placed, the essence of man is exposed. Bubnov notes: “No matter how you paint yourself on the outside, everything will be erased.” The residents of the shelter become, as the author believes, “involuntarily philosophers.” Life forces them to think about universal human concepts of conscience, work, truth.
The play most clearly contrasts two philosophies: Luke and Satine. Satin says: “What is truth?.. Man is the truth!.. Truth is God free man!” For the wanderer Luke, such “truth” is unacceptable. He believes that a person should hear what will make him feel better and calmer, and that for the good of a person one can lie. The points of view of other inhabitants are also interesting. For example, Kleshch believes: “... You can’t live... Here she is true!.. Damn her!”
Luka's and Satin's assessments of reality differ sharply. Luka brings a new spirit into the life of the shelter - the spirit of hope. With his appearance, something comes to life - and people begin to talk more often about their dreams and plans. The actor gets excited about the idea of ​​finding a hospital and recovering from alcoholism, Vaska Pepel is going to go to Siberia with Natasha. Luke is always ready to console and give hope. The Wanderer believed that one must come to terms with reality and look at what is happening around him calmly. Luke preaches the opportunity to “adapt” to life, not to notice its true difficulties and one’s own mistakes: “It’s true, it’s not always due to a person’s illness... you can’t always cure a soul with the truth...”
Satin has a completely different philosophy. He is ready to expose the vices of the surrounding reality. In his monologue, Satin says: “Man! It's great! It sounds... proud! Human! We must respect the person! Don’t feel sorry... Don’t humiliate him with pity... you must respect him!” But, in my opinion, you need to respect a person who works. And the inhabitants of the shelter seem to feel that they have no chance of getting out of this poverty. That’s why they are so drawn to affectionate Luka. The Wanderer surprisingly accurately looks for something hidden in the minds of these people and paints these thoughts and hopes into bright, rainbow-colored currents.
Unfortunately, in the conditions in which Satin, Kleshch and other inhabitants of the “bottom” live, such a contrast between illusions and reality has a sad result. The question awakens in people: how and what to live on? And at that moment Luka disappears... He is not ready, and he does not want to. answer this question.
Understanding the truth fascinates the inhabitants of the shelter. Satin is distinguished by the greatest maturity of judgment. Without forgiving “lies out of pity,” Satin for the first time rises to the realization of the need to improve the world.
The incompatibility of illusions and reality turns out to be very painful for these people. The actor ends his life, the Tatar refuses to pray to God... The death of the Actor is the step of a person who failed to realize the real truth.
In the fourth act, the movement of the drama is determined: life awakens in the sleepy soul of the “flopshouse”. People are able to feel, hear each other, and empathize.
Most likely, the clash of views between Satin and Luke cannot be called a conflict. They run parallel. In my opinion, if you combine the accusatory character of Satin and pity for the people of Luke, you would get the same an ideal person, capable of reviving life in a shelter.
But there is no such person - and life in the shelter remains the same. Same in appearance. Some kind of turning point occurs inside - people begin to think more about the meaning and purpose of life.
The play “At the Bottom” as dramatic work inherent conflicts that reflect universal human contradictions: contradictions in views on life, in lifestyle.
Drama like literary genre depicts a person in acute conflict, but not hopeless situations. The conflicts of the play are indeed not hopeless - after all (according to the author’s plan) the active principle, the attitude towards the world, still wins.
M. Gorky, a writer with amazing talent, in the play “At the Bottom” embodied the clash of different views on being and consciousness. Therefore, this play can be called a socio-philosophical drama.
In his works, M. Gorky often revealed not only the everyday life of people, but also the psychological processes occurring in their minds. In the play “At the Bottom,” the writer showed that the proximity of people brought to life in poverty with the preacher of patient waiting “ better man“surely leads to a change in people’s consciousness. In the night shelters M. Gorky captured the first, timid awakening human soul- the most beautiful thing for a writer.

TOPICS OF PRACTICAL LESSONS

LESSON No. 1

LESSON No. 2

Historical novel A.N. Tolstoy "Peter the Great".

The concept of personality and assessment of the activities of Peter I in the novel

1. The reasons for A. N. Tolstoy’s appeal to the era and personality of Peter I. The concept of the personality of Peter I in the story “The Day of Peter.”
2. The problem of “personality and era” in the novel. The idea of ​​the historical necessity of the reforms of Peter I. The image of Peter, his evolution.
3. Image Features historical era in the novel. Friends of Peter I and opponents of his reforms (Lefort, Menshikov, Brovkins, Buinosovs, etc.). Women's images in the novel.
4. Techniques for creating characters in a novel. Language and style of the novel.

1. Varlamov A. Alexey Tolstoy. – M., 2006.
2. Petelin V.I. The Life of Alexei Tolstoy: The Red Count. – M., 2002.
3. Polyak L.M. Alexey Tolstoy is an artist. Prose. – M., 1964.
4. Kryukova A.M. A.N. Tolstoy and Russian literature. Creative individuality V literary process. – M., 1990.

LESSON No. 3

E. Zamyatin’s novel “We” as a novel – dystopia

1. The reasons for E. Zamyatin’s appeal to a new genre. The genesis and main features of the novel are dystopian. Russian traditions and European literature.
2. Characteristics of the United State in the novel. Criticism of American-European civilization and any form of totalitarianism is the author’s main idea. The fate of art in One State.
3. The conflict between the individual and the state in the novel “We”. Tragedy D-503, its causes. Image 1-330.
4. Features of expressionism in the novel.

1. Zamyatin E. We. Tomorrow. I'm afraid. About literature, revolution, entropy and other things - M., 1988.

2. Zverev A. When he shoots last hour nature... // Questions of literature. 1989. No. 1.

3. Mikhailov O. Grandmaster of Literature // Zamyatin Evgeniy. Favorites. – M., 1989.

4. Sukhikh Igor. About the city of the sun, heretics, entropy and the last revolution // Zvezda. 1999. No. 2.

5. Shaitanov I. Master. // Questions of literature. 1988. No. 12.

6. Kostyleva I.A. Traditions and innovation in the work of E. Zamyatin (synthesis of realism and expressionism) // Creative heritage E. Zamyatina: a view from today. Tambov, 1994.

LESSON No. 4

LESSON No. 5

LESSON No. 6

LESSON No. 7

The story by A. Platonov “The Pit”.

LESSON No. 8

« Quiet Don"M. Sholokhov as an epic novel.

LESSON No. 9

LESSON No. 10

LESSON No. 11

“Summer of the Lord” by I. Shmelev

LESSON No. 12

Art world V. Nabokov. Novel "The Defense of Luzhin"

Lesson No. 13

« Short prose» A. Solzhenitsyn. “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” and “ Matrenin Dvor" Subject tragic fate person in the 20th century.

1. Description of camp life in the story “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.” Portraits of prisoners.
2. The image of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov. Traits of autobiography. Inner world hero, his moral and philosophical principles. Traditions of L.N. Tolstoy in depicting the character of the Russian peasant. Ivan Denisovich and Platon Karataev. The problem of real and imaginary freedom.
3. The image of the narrator in the work "Matrenin's Dvor" and the theme of returning to free life. Personality traits.
4. Image of a Russian village in a story.
5. The character and fate of Matryona Vasilievna. Portrait of the heroine. Her attitude towards the world. National and individual in the image. The meaning of the ending.

1. Niva Zh. Solzhenitsyn. - M., 1991.

2. Saraskina L. I. Alexander Solzhenitsyn. - M.: Young Guard, 2009.

3. Sarnov B. Solzhenitsyn’s phenomenon. - M.: Eksmo, 2012.

4. Chalmaev V. Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Life and art. – M., 1994.

5. Vinokur T. Happy new year, sixty-second (about the style of “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”) // Questions of Literature. 1991. No. 11-12.

LESSON No. 14

LESSON No. 15

TOPICS OF PRACTICAL LESSONS

1. M. Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” as a socio-philosophical drama.
2. Historical novel by A.N. Tolstoy "Peter the Great". The concept of personality and assessment of the activities of Peter I in the novel.
3. E. Zamyatin’s novel “We” as a novel is a dystopia.
4. Creative evolution S. Yesenina.
5. Poetic innovation of V. Mayakovsky.
6. Poetry of B. Pasternak. A wealth of ideas and images.
7. The story by A. Platonov “The Pit”. Search for the meaning of common and separate existence
8. “Quiet Don” by M. Sholokhov as an epic novel. The fate of the people and the fate of man in the revolutionary era.
9. M. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” in the context of the world fiction.
10. Subject " little man"in the works of M. Zoshchenko ( humorous stories and "Sentimental Stories")
11. “The Summer of the Lord” by I. Shmelev and the theme of loss and return Orthodox Russia
12. The artistic world of V. Nabokov. The novel “The Defense of Luzhin” and the problem of gift in the writer’s work.
13. “Small Prose” by A. Solzhenitsyn. “One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich” and “Matrenin’s yard”. The theme of the tragic fate of man in the 20th century.
14. The skill of V. Shukshin - short story writer. “The history of the soul” of the Russian peasant as the main theme of the writer’s work.
15. Philosophical prose of V. Rasputin. Dramatic fate Russia in the artist’s work (“Live and Remember”, “Farewell to Matera”)

LESSON No. 1

M. Gorky's play “At the Depths” as a socio-philosophical drama

1. Time and history of the creation of the play. “At the Bottom” as a socio-philosophical drama. Bottom theme. Images of homeless shelters, their “truth”.

2. Dispute about a person in the play. Theme of truth and lies. The complexity of Luke's image. A modern interpretation of this image.

3. The image of Satin, his philosophy. Is he an antagonist to Luke?

1. Basinsky P. Gorky. – M., 2005.

2. Bialik B.A. Gorky is a playwright. – M., 1977.

3. Gachev D. Logic of things and man. Debate about truth and lies in M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths.” – M., 1992.

4. Spiridonova L.M. M. Gorky: dialogue with history. – M., 1994.

5. Khodasevich V. Gorky // October. 1989. No. 12.