The problem of human communication at the bottom. Social issues of Gorky's play “At the Depths”
In the play "At the Bottom" M. Gorky explores the consciousness of people thrown to the "bottom" of life as a result of deep social processes. Researchers characterize this work as a social, everyday and socio-philosophical drama. In social conflict, three levels can be distinguished. Firstly, this is the problem of the relationship between the masters of life, endowed with power, and the powerless roomies. Secondly, this is the problem of human fate in an unjust society.
Thirdly, the problem of love as a boundary social conflict.
The conflict between the owners of the shelter, the Kostylev spouses, and its inhabitants is felt throughout the entire play.
Kostylev appears on stage in the first act, “humming something divine under his breath and suspiciously inspecting the shelter.” Already in this remark the author reveals the hypocrisy and falsehood of this hero. He is looking for his wife Vasilisa, suspecting her of treason. His selfishness and greed are shown in the dialogue with the former locksmith Kleshch. The owner is going to charge the guest “fifty dollars” for the place he occupies. The worker answers him rudely, without hiding his hatred: “You throw a noose over me and crush me... You’ll die soon, but you’re still thinking about fifty dollars.”
Kostylev behaves like Judas Golovlev: he pours out his affectionate, unctuous speech, using diminutive suffixes, often mentioning the name of God, hiding his greed behind his honeyed speech. Having praised the Actor for taking care of the sick Anna, the owner of the flophouse hypocritically declares: “In the next world, brother... there everything, every deed of ours is taken into account.” In response to his unctuous reasoning about kindness, the Actor remarks: “You are a rogue, old man.” Satin directly declares his dislike for the owner: “Who - except the devil - loves you? getting lost." It should be noted that another “crafty old man,” whom the residents of the shelter call both a “scoundrel” and a “charlatan,” is Luke. He also speaks of his special love for people: “I respect swindlers too, In my opinion, not a single flea is bad: all are black, all jump. .." Are these roll calls random? Perhaps the author wanted to emphasize by this that Luke is sowing a comforting lie. But Luke plants illusions in the souls of the night shelters, pitying them. Kostylev covers up selfish interests and the desire for profit with lies.
By exposing the exploitative nature of the owners, Gorky shows that they are not far from socially left the inhabitants of the shelter. Kostylev takes the stolen goods from the thief Vaska Pepel and resells them. The relationship between the owners and the night shelters only creates tension, but is not the basis of the dramatic conflict.
The fate of most of the residents of the shelter develops like a drama and ends like a tragedy. There is only one reason for this: indifference to people in a society based on the hypocrisy of bourgeois morality. People feel unwanted and rejected by society. “You are superfluous everywhere... and all the people on earth are superfluous...” - Bubnov declares to Nastya.
Each of the heroes experienced their own social conflict in the past, as a result of which they found themselves at the “bottom” of life, in a shelter.
Satin once worked at a telegraph office and read a lot of books. While defending his sister, in the heat of anger he accidentally kills the offender. loved one. So he ended up in prison, where he learned to play cards.
The actor once had the stage name Sverchkov-Zavolzhsky, and played a gravedigger in the drama “Hamlet.” But binge drinking began, and he lost his job in the theater.
Bubnov was a furrier and had his own establishment, but his wife got involved with the master. The hero leaves, leaving everything to his wife.
The tick has been working since an early age. He is proud to be a worker and at first considers himself superior to the rest of the night shelters. He has only been at the bottom for only six months, but hopes that after the death of his wife he will begin new life.
Anna trembled all her life over every bite, was afraid to eat too much, and endured beatings from her husband.
The Baron proudly announces that he belongs to " old surname from the time of Catherine," he likes to remember how coffee with cream was served to him in bed in the morning. He graduated from the noble institute, got married. Having lost government money, he was forced to put on a prisoner's robe.
Vaska Ash becomes a thief “by inheritance.” “...my parent spent his whole life in prison and ordered it for me too,” he says about himself.
Nastya - "a girl who lives on her own" - lives with dreams of beautiful love, about the feat of self-sacrifice.
These people are victims of social circumstances, and the events of the play confirm this. Vaska Pepel accidentally kills the owner of the shelter, Kostylev, in a fight, and hard labor awaits him in Siberia. He will go to the “golden side” not of his own free will, as Luke advised him. Her sister Natasha, mutilated by Vasilisa, goes missing more than once.
comforting the residents of the shelter. Anna, who was poor before her death, dies. After the death of his wife, Mite loses hope for a decent life as a worker: “the funeral ate up” the tool. Nastya becomes embittered against everyone because the kind Luka who knew how to support her is not around. The actor commits suicide, despairing and losing hope of a cure in a free hospital.
The fate and life of people at the bottom serves as irrefutable evidence of violence against the human person, which inevitably arises under the conditions of a bourgeois state based on the principles of lies and indifference to people.
A vivid accusation of this sounds in the speeches of Satin. “Make my work pleasant... When work is pleasure, life is good!” - he polemically objects to Klesh, who reproaches the residents of the shelter for not working.
In the finale, Satin makes a speech in defense of the freedom and dignity of man, no matter what level of the social ladder he is at. He rebels against the lies that justify “the weight that crushed the hand of the worker... and blames the man dying of hunger.” “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters,” says Gorky’s reasoner. He opposes obedience and humility, calls on people to fight for their rights.
The “love polygon” - the relationship between Kostylev, Vasilisa, Ash and Natasha - is a facet of social conflict. Vasilisa is cheating on her husband with Ash and hopes, with the help of her lover, to get rid of her old and boring husband. Ash leaves Vasilisa for Natasha. Love for a pure, modest girl fills his soul with hope for an honest working life. Climax love conflict taken off stage. We only learn from the remarks of the night shelters that the “beast woman” scalded her out of jealousy sister boiling water
The murder of Kostylev becomes tragic ending love conflict. We see that the inhumane conditions of the “bottom” cripple people’s souls. Love here does not lead to personal enrichment, but to injury and hard labor.
Thus, from this love conflict, it is the cruel hostess of the flophouse who achieves all goals at once: revenge ex-lover and her rival, gets rid of her unloved husband and becomes the sole owner of the shelter. Her moral impoverishment emphasizes her monstrosity social conditions, in which both the inhabitants of the shelter and its owners are located.
The creative concept of the play “At the Lower Depths” dates back to the very beginning of 1900. M. Gorky was going to create a “cycle of dramas” of four plays, each of which was dedicated to depicting a certain layer of Russian society. About the last of them he writes in mid-1901 to K.P. Pyatnitsky: “Another one: tramps. Tatar, Jew, actor, hostess of a rooming house, thieves, detective, prostitutes. It will be scary. I already ready plans, I see faces, figures, hear voices, speeches, motives for actions - are clear, everything is clear!..” Conceiving the play as a description of the life of the poorest population of Russian cities, Gorky first of all defined it as a socio-philosophical drama in which the main thing is conflict people who find themselves at the bottom of their lives with the outside world. In one of the handwritten editions the play was called: “At the Bottom of Life.” But at the same time, these people are also at the bottom of feelings and thoughts, each of them has to fight the decline in themselves. These conflicts develop in parallel throughout the play.
At the beginning of the play, we see the inhabitants of the shelter, dissatisfied with life, with themselves, with each other. Many of them used to live better, but ended up here because of some misfortune. So, Baron and Satin ended up here after prison, Bubnov left his wife, leaving her his workshop, the Actor became an alcoholic. Some, for example Nastya, have never seen another life. Some have already come to terms with this situation and understand that it is impossible to rise from the bottom, while others hope that all this is happening to them temporarily. So, Kleshch thinks that after his wife’s death he will work hard and be able to provide himself with a better existence. He believes that if you live “honorably,” you can achieve anything. The actor, on the contrary, tries to find peace in alcohol, thereby further aggravating his plight. He no longer expects to leave this shelter and remembers his former life with bitterness. And here among these oppressed people appears stranger- Luke, a wandering old man without a passport. Full of compassion for all people, he brings hope to many of the shelter's inhabitants. Anna, Kleshch's wife, lies dying and experiences terrible suffering. And this old man makes it easier for her last hours. Expecting the same torment after death, she hopefully hears his words: “Nothing will happen! Nothing! Believe it! Calm down and nothing more!..” He tells the actor about the existence of a free hospital for alcoholics, and he even abstained from drinking for one day and worked sweeping the street. Luke advises Ash to go with Natasha to Siberia and start a new life there. The inhabitants of the shelter begin to feel confident that they can break free from the captivity of a hard life. And here the author raises a deeply philosophical question: “Do these people need lies?” After all most of Luke's words are a lie spoken out of pity, with the goal of comforting and helping. He also supports Nastya in her stories about “ true love”, although it is quite obvious that nothing like this happened to her, that all this was read from books. The answer to this question can be found in the words of Satin: “Whoever is weak at heart... and who lives on other people’s juices - those who need lies... some are supported by it, others hide behind it... And who is their own master... who is independent and doesn’t eat someone else’s food - why would he lie? Lies are the religion of slaves and masters... Truth is the god of a free man!” The response is the entire development of the action. We see the collapse of all hopes: Anna dies, and Kleshch’s instruments are sold out for her funeral - he is left without a livelihood; Vaska Pepel kills Kostylev in a fight, which, apparently, will lead him to prison; The Tatar crushed his hand and lost his job. It seems that Luke brought only worse changes into their lives, since after his departure the situation in the shelter becomes even more deplorable than at the beginning of the play. These tramps sank even deeper to the “bottom”, they lost another clash with their fate, and finally lost faith in their strength. All this is emphasized at the end of the play. The actor, deprived of Luka's support and constantly convinced by Satin that all the talk about a free hospital for alcoholics is a lie, commits suicide. And, as an illustration of the hopelessness of the situation of the night shelters, Satin’s ordinary words sound: “Eh... ruined the song... stupid cancer!”
Taking as the basis of his play the conflict between the lower classes of society and their difficult life, Gorky managed to fulfill the main task - to show all the facets of the existence of these people who remained “at the bottom” for a long time or forever, all possible manifestations of their characters. We see the practical impossibility of any positive changes in their lives, despite all their efforts and hopes, since they are not free people. Free man, according to Gorky, must boldly face the truth, and not find solace in beautiful lies, being content with his position. And only when a person becomes free will he be able to overcome difficulties and escape from the abyss of the shelter. Only then can hopes for better life not only for one person, but for the whole society.
The man in M. Gorky's play "At the Bottom".
Human! It's great!
It sounds... proud! Human!
M. Gorky
M. Gorky's play "At the Depths" was written in 1902. It was a colossal success and was staged on stages not only in Russia, but also European theaters. Interest in it is primarily explained by the fact that the writer depicted in detail and accurately the life of people who found themselves at the “bottom”. Previously, on the pages of Russian classics, people who belonged to the high society. Now the floor was given to those who were usually not only not listened to, but also not noticed.
In his work, Gorky encourages his contemporaries to think about what is better for a person at the bottom: the bitter truth or the sweet lie? The characters in the play talk about truth and lies. Man and his purpose occupy almost the main place in the conversations of the night shelters.
In his drama, the writer condemns the existing system, the victims of which were ordinary people. Kostylev, the owner of the shelter, brazenly sucks out the last pennies of the inhabitants of this “hole” in one night spent here. Before us appears a world of outcasts, who have been deprived of faith in a better life, human dignity trampled into the mud" strongmen of the world this." However, as Satin argues, man is the master of his fate, and the fact that the night shelters found themselves in such plight They themselves are to blame. If the Actor had not started drinking, he would not have lost his job and would not have sunk to such a degree.
Among the people of the “bottom” it is difficult to meet anyone who is ready and capable not of death, but of life. From Luke’s point of view, there are “people” and there are “men,” just as there is land that is inconvenient for sowing... and there is productive land.” All the inhabitants of the shelter are just people, so the only grace that will be granted to them is death. That's why Luke convinces Anna to face death as a long-awaited deliverance from a painful existence. Only Natasha and Ash find the meaning of life in each other. They are still young and can break free from the power of circumstances. According to Luke, they are able to find faith in God, which means , worthy of hope and grace. The rest of the inhabitants of the shelter deserve only pity. And Luke takes pity on them, not realizing that his deception has a detrimental effect on everyone.
In my opinion, the antipode of Luke in the matter of attitude towards a person is Satin. He declares man to be the only legislator who determines his own destiny. Everyone's will is strong. A person is free in his actions. He is able to independently achieve grace, he just needs to believe in himself, and not in God, not in " righteous land", not for anything else. It is pointless to feel sorry for yourself or someone else, since no one but the person himself is to blame for his sorrows. Is it possible to feel sorry for someone who has carried out his own will? If for the believer Luke, “blessed are the poor in spirit,” then for the atheist Satin, “blessed are the strong in spirit.”
At the same time, Satin has a dream of free life, clean, honest, bright, but he does not want to work, realizing that in the existing exploitative society it is impossible to live by honest work. That is why he laughs when Kleshch, in a fit of despair and powerlessness, declares that he will escape from the “bottom” of life and become a normal person, he just needs to work. Satin hates and despises people who “care too much about being well-fed.” He accuses Luka of lying, but understands that the old man was “crumbs for the toothless”; he understands that a comforting lie is similar to the lies of the owners. That's why he says: "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters. Truth is the god of a free man."
However, at a critical moment, Luka’s comforter disappeared and ran away, discrediting himself and his idea. And this is not the only plot device that allows us to judge author's position, to believe that the author himself is on Satin’s side.
A person tortured by life may lose all faith. This is what happens to the Actor, who, having lost faith in the mercy of God and not relying on himself, commits suicide. But, it seems to me, suicide is one of the manifestations of free will. The death of the Actor means for Gorky the victory of the satinist view of the man. That is why Satin reacts so calmly to the terrible news. In his opinion, the Actor has found true faith into yourself.
The play “At the Bottom” is strong not so much for its answers as for its questions that arise from the very thick of life, from the most pressing human needs. This is where the main motive of the play comes from - the contradiction between the master’s lies and the freedom of Man. And this question sounded like hope for those who despaired and resigned themselves to their situation.
Written by Maxim Maksimovich Peshkov) in 1902, it is the second in a row after the drama "The Bourgeois" (1901). All over the world it is recognized as the best dramatic creation of this author. The work is written on life material well known to the writer. In the Nizhny Novgorod night shelters, Gorky observed with his own eyes the prototypes of almost all the characters in the play. Each of them is important for expression general meaning, carries its own “truth”, different from others.
"Former People"
The fact that most of the characters in the work are “former people” is extremely important. Each of them was once a member of society, fulfilling a social role. Now, in the shelter, the differences between the heroes have been erased; they are all just people, to some extent devoid of individuality. In order to understand the image of the “bottom” in the play “At the Bottom,” it is necessary to take into account this feature of its characters.
Issues of the play
The author focuses not only on social roles, how much on the general, most important for most features of human consciousness. “What helps and hinders life?”, “how to gain human dignity?” - Maxim Gorky is looking for answers to these questions. Therefore, the content of the play is not limited to social issues, including philosophical and ethical ones. "Bottom" is the bottom of life in the widest human existence in general, and not just in a social context.
The image of the “bottom” in the play “At the Depths”
Russian society at the turn of the century was acutely aware of the impending threatening social catastrophe. In his work, the writer depicted the state of the contemporary world in apocalyptic tones. Heroes living in “pits” and basements are waiting for Judgment Day. This life is a kind of test: who is capable of resurrection, of new life, and who is completely lost.
The symbolic, apocalyptic sound of the play was especially keenly felt by some modern theater and film directors. Thus, in the production of the Moscow Theater in the South-West (directed by Valery Romanovich Belyakovich), the shelter turns into an empty dark space with rows of two-story bunks, losing its everyday features. All characters wear white clothes and pectoral crosses, as if before the Day of Judgment. The course of the play is interspersed with “existential” scenes: the shelter is filled with “afterlife” blue light and clouds of smoke, and its inhabitants suddenly fall silent and, like somnambulists, begin to roll on the bunks and writhe, as if they are tormented by an evil unknown force. The image of the “bottom” in the play “At the Bottom” in this interpretation is extremely expanded, going beyond the social context.
Symbolism and realism in the work
The symbolism of the sound of the work is combined with the adherence in the depiction to the principles of socio-psychological realism. The theme of the “pit”, the basement as a symbol of the humiliated, oppressed existence of people, is heard especially loudly. This reflects not only the realities of life (the poor in Russia at that time really lived mainly in basements), but also something significantly more. Gorky wanted a person to achieve the “divine” essence, to repeat the “divine” feat in spiritual terms. To do this, however, he had to perform a painful and difficult act of resurrecting his own soul. It is no coincidence that the stone vaults of the shelter resemble a cave with the tomb of Christ. Characterization of images (“At the Bottom”) is carried out on the basis of comparison with this biblical character, the ability to become like him.
People and "people"
In this basement a man finds himself thrown out of Everyday life deprived of property and savings, social status, often even the name. Many of the characters in the play have only nicknames, which vividly characterize the images of the heroes of “At the Bottom.” Gorky) creates a whole gallery of characters: Actor, Baron, Krivoy Zob, Kvashnya, Tatar. It seems that only semblances of these people remain. The author, performing this psychological experiment on the heroes of his work, wants to say that, despite the depth of the fall, these “former people” still retained living soul and can perform the "resurrection".
The system of images “at the bottom of life” also includes another type. Representatives of the “upper”, above-basement world of the “owners” - Kostylev, the owner of the flophouse, a bloodsucker and a hypocrite, his wife Vasilisa, inciting her lover Vaska Pepel to commit the murder of her own husband - are shown as incapable of rebirth, completely lost creatures. One of the “mysterious” phrases uttered by Elder Luke becomes clearer: “There are people, and there are others - people...”. Then he explains to Kostylev that “people” are those whose souls are like plowed fertile land, capable of producing new shoots.
Contrast "true-false"
Alexei Maksimovich Gorky, a writer and a person, was always tormented by the insoluble opposition between “truth and lies.” The comparison of two “truths” - the one that hits a person over the head and the one that stimulates creative energy - lies at the heart of the play “At the Bottom.” The images of Baron, Kleshch, Bubnov, Ash are carriers of bitter truth, and the author’s own ideas about it are embedded in famous monologue Satina (“Everything is in man, everything is for man!”).
Dostoevsky once admitted that if he had to choose between Jesus Christ and the truth, he would choose Christ. Nastya, Luka, Actor and others would have chosen him. The images of the heroes of "At the Bottom" are largely characterized by adherence to this point of view or another (Baron, Bubnov, Kleshch, Ashes). Alexey Maksimovich, with his creativity, and especially this work, declared that he was making a choice in favor of man.
Reaction from readers and critics
Despite the enormous success of the play, “Na was not entirely satisfied with what he ended up with. He understood from the reaction of most critics and the public that the preacher of “comforting lies” Luke emerged as the most important and significant figure for whom there was no worthy opponent. In later reviews and interviews, Alexei Maksimovich reviled the “deceitful” Luka, but subconsciously, probably, loved him. That’s why the elder turned out to be so contradictory and mysterious. Gorky convinced his readers of the harmfulness of “comforting lies” almost until the end of his life.
Conclusion
Gorky managed to show one of the most painful and dangerous traits psychology and human consciousness - dissatisfaction with reality, its criticism, and at the same time dependence on outside help, weakness to the possibility of “miraculous” salvation and deliverance from troubles, unwillingness to be responsible for one’s life and create it independently. This is the very “bottom” of life, where a representative of any class can find himself and social status. For such people, Luke’s “comforting lies” are harmful and dangerous, even deadly (remember the Actor who hanged himself at the end of the play), since the truth that they will sooner or later have to face is by no means so idyllically beautiful.
There is evil in the world, and we need to confront it, and not run away from it into the world of dreams and fantasies. People who prefer fiction are weak. They are opposed by those more adapted to life, who can withstand the truth. Alexey Maksimovich acts as a genuine humanist, opening people’s eyes to true position things without clouding his vision with comforting promises based on lies that humiliate a person.
The image of the “bottom” in the play “At the Bottom” is one of the most powerful images in the writer’s work, to which readers and critics return again and again, drawing thoughts, ideas and inspiration.
Falling to the bottom of society is as easy as passing two bytes. To do this, you do not need to have special knowledge or skills. Just remain human, think not only about everyday things, but also speak out philosophical topics- not everyone can do this. After all, a person who is at the bottom has only three options: slide into the abyss, turn into a philosopher, or rise from the ashes.
The legacy of Maxim Gorky
Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov cherished the dream that the world would be inhabited by “new people.” People who are impeccable in terms of intellectual and physical development, manners and principles. These new people are distinguished by their fearlessness and thirst for freedom, they don’t care about any obstacles, they can achieve anything they want. And even if their goals are beyond the realm of possibility, they can do it.
During this time, he managed to write 5 novels, 10 novellas, 18 stories and essays, 16 plays and published 3 cycles of journalistic articles. The writer, novelist and playwright was nominated 5 times for Nobel Prize in the field of literature. He became known as one of the most famous Russian thinkers and writers. He left behind a rich legacy, and one of the pearls of his collection is the play “At the Bottom.”
"At the bottom"
The play “At the Bottom” saw the world in 1902. Before publishing the material, the author for a long time I couldn't choose which title to go with. He had a choice among several options: “The Bottom”, “Nochlezhka”, “At the Bottom of Life”, “Without the Sun”. Ultimately, the play received the short and laconic title “At the Bottom.” Two years after its release, in 1904, the play was awarded the Griboyedov Prize.
The first performance based on the work was staged on December 18, 1902 at the Moscow Art Theater. IN Soviet time The production delighted the audience 9 times. Last time it could be seen in 1956. But this did not detract from her success. More than once the play was staged abroad in cities such as Berlin, Krakow, Helsinki, Paris, Tokyo, New York, London, Tunisia. From 1996 to the present, more than 20 productions have been staged in different countries peace. The play was filmed 10 times not only by domestic cinema, but also in Hungary, Japan and France.
What attracted the public so much to this play: the problem moral choice; the realization that each person has his own truth; or the very image of the bottom in the play “At the Bottom” touched the strings human soul? Let's try to figure it out.
M. Gorky, “At the Bottom”: summary
The events of the work take place in a place like a flophouse. The lodging house is the property of M.I. Kostylev. People live here who have long sunk to the bottom of society. Some of them still believe that they can get out of this hell and change their destiny for the better, while others have long given up and slipped into the farthest channels of the “bottom.”
There are complex relationships between the residents of the shelter. They have different destinies, different views for a living, so it’s hard for them to find mutual language, because of which quarrels constantly arise. The owner's wife, Vasilisa, loves Vaska Pepla, who earns his living by stealing. She persuades the thief to kill her husband so that they will be free and no one will bother them. Only Vaska does not reciprocate Vasilisa’s feelings, since he has long been in love with her younger sister Natalya. Vasilisa notices this and mercilessly beats Natalya, which is why she ends up in the hospital. After being discharged, she no longer returns to the shelter.
What next does the work that M. Gorky created (“At the Depths”) tell about? Summary even in the second part it is tragic. Appears among the guests new person Luke, who inspires everyone that life will get better. But when a conflict arises between Kostylev and Vaska, as a result of which Vaska accidentally kills Kostylev and the thief is arrested, Luka miraculously disappears. The actor, who had become attached to Luka and believed him, is upset by his disappearance and hangs himself in the yard. The reader is struck by the final phrase of the work, uttered by Satin after he learned of the death of the Actor: “What a fool, he just ruined the song.”
People of the bottom
The people of the bottom in Gorky's play "At the Depth" are the most ordinary. They got into a difficult situation life situation. The main characters of the work:
- Mikhail Kostylev is in charge of the shelter.
- Vasilisa is Kostylev’s wife, loves the thief Ash.
- Natalya, Vasilisa’s sister, suffers beatings from her older sister and disappears after leaving the hospital.
- Luke is a wanderer who suddenly appears and disappears, skillfully comforting everyone with lies.
- Vaska Pepel is a thief who wants to change his destiny.
- Mite is an ordinary hard worker who wants to return to his past life.
- The Baron is an impoverished aristocrat, confident that best moments his life is a thing of the past.
- Satin is a sharper, he is sure that the main thing for a person is spiritual freedom
- Actor - once actually performed on big stage, currently a drunkard who couldn't think of anything better to do than commit suicide.
Play Analysis
Why did Gorky write “At the Lower Depths”? Analysis of this work shows that among the moral dirt of outcasts of society there is a small smoldering ember that unobtrusively hisses: “Man is proud, man is good!” This is especially clearly visible when guests face a small problem.
Truth or lie?
The problem of moral choice in Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” is very acute. What should people believe? A sweet lie or a bitter truth, which is what Gorky flavored his play “At the Depths” with? Analysis shows that the master sweet lies in the work the wanderer Luke appears, he is sure that people need to be told what they want to hear. He reassures all the inhabitants of the shelter. Gives you faith that there is a chance to change your life if you do this or that. But when he suddenly disappears, everyone becomes uneasy. The guests feel abandoned, and the Actor, who believed Luke’s words more than anyone else, commits suicide.
The truth in Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” is personified by its hero, Satin. This man is not best representative human race- he is dishonest, likes to drink, gets into fights, and looks to the future with pessimism. But there is a little more knowledge and understanding of what is happening. It comes from him simple truth: “You should be proud to be a human being.” Satin is not a charismatic personality who can lead a crowd, he is not a revolutionary, not a psychologist or a politician - he simply pointed out the obvious, which lit a special spark in the eyes of every inhabitant who had not yet completely despaired. And it will not fade away when Satin disappears, as happened with Luke’s beautiful lie.
The image of the bottom in the play “At the Bottom”
What else can be said about this creation of a classic of Russian literature? Why is it so captivating even to our contemporaries? Maybe because the topic raised by Alexei Maksimovich is relevant at all times?
The play written by M. Gorky (“At the Depths”) can rightfully be called social and philosophical. Here social life And philosophical reflections do not intersect, but complement each other perfectly, making the play complete, lively and real work. The image of the bottom in the play “At the Bottom” represents harsh reality lower strata of society. There are no fictitious facts here, but only real life, such as she is. The fate of the outcasts, those who no longer have a chance to rise. For the first time in world drama, the hopeless fate of “ former people" In the sticky darkness of the musty basement, crippled people, disfigured by fate, gathered. Every day they desperately fight for their existence. Some people have enough strength to survive, while others surrender to the embrace of death. The only ray of hope in this pitchless darkness was brought by Luke, who reassured people and then disappeared. It is difficult not to give up in such a situation, but Satin’s words instill in people faith not in the future, but in their own human dignity. The image of the bottom in the play “At the Bottom” is a torture chamber, where His Majesty disappointment acts as the executioner. It mercilessly beats people who have long been covered in dirt.
The image of the bottom in the play “At the Bottom” is something dark and hopeless, but with a person inside. And where there is a person, there will always be a little hope, because a person is wonderful.
The truth is always recognizable
The public reacted ambiguously to the play written by M. Gorky (“At the Depths”). People have always been alien to the suffering of the lower class of society. But the truthfulness of his story, the characters and fates of his heroes became recognizable not only in the Soviet Union, but throughout the world - from America to Japan.
