Female images in the play “at the bottom. Pure and beautiful at the bottom of society

The play “At the Depths,” written by Maxim Gorky in 1902, brought him worldwide fame. It was the writer’s response to the most pressing problems of our time. The ideological topicality of “At the Lower Depths” immediately attracted the attention of the Russian public.

Thematically, the play completed the writer’s cycle of works about “tramps.” “It was the result of my almost twenty years of observations of the world of “former people”,” he wrote. The inhabitants of the shelter are already types in which Gorky gave enormous socio-philosophical generalizations.

The heroes of “At the Bottom” - Actor, Ash, Nastya, Natasha, Kleshch - strive to break free from the “bottom” of life, but they feel their own powerlessness before the constipation of this “prison”. They have a feeling of hopelessness of their fate and a craving for dreams, illusions that could give them at least some hope for the future. The Baron has this past wealth that he thinks about and dreams of returning. The Actor has his past service to art, Nastya has a fictional romance with a student, Natasha has the expectation of some extraordinary event that will change her whole life.

The most interesting type is, perhaps, Natasha. Her image is strikingly different from the other inhabitants of the shelter. The dignity, purity, and pride that so captivated Ash are clearly visible in her. The main intrigue is whether the heroine will be able to retain these qualities in herself? Most likely not. The proof is her sister Vasilisa. Natasha has a lot in common with her - the same will, directness, pride. Obviously, Vasilisa was once the same as Natasha, but became a “beast”, a “reptile”. There are hints in the play that explain this metamorphosis. Nastya says about Vasilisa: “You will become brutal in such a life... tie every living person to a husband like hers...” Vasilisa herself admits that she torments Natasha, and feels sorry for her, and cannot help herself: “... so - I beat... that I myself am crying out of pity... And I’m hitting.” Vasilisa had wonderful inclinations, and Natasha was a living reminder of this.

Here is a mirror that reflects Natasha's future. But for now the heroine does not know her future and lives the way she lives. Her behavior stands out from the general system of relations in the shelter. And especially her speech.

In his work “Notes on Mastery,” M. Gorky wrote: “When drawing a person as a person, as an individuality, a writer cannot ignore such an essential thing, his character traits, as speech, which with extreme flexibility reproduces culture, profession, psychological makeup, a person's state of mind. No two people speak the same way.

A character’s speech is a characteristic, generalized speech that conveys the main, essential features of his character.” Thus, by observing a character’s speech, you can get an idea about him, his culture and level of development.

Natasha's appearances on stage are always iconic. There are only four of them, but in each of them she is revealed to the reader from a new side. Unlike other characters (Bubnova, Luka, Baron, etc.), Natasha does not act on stage constantly, which emphasizes her certain detachment from what is happening in the shelter.

So, Natasha’s appearance on stage is inextricably linked with Luka. It is she who introduces him to the inhabitants of the “bottom”. This coincidence is, of course, no coincidence. Now, along with Luka, Natasha becomes a symbol of consolation. Her presence alone calms people down. This is what she says to Kleshch: “Andrey! Your wife is in our kitchen... you, after a while, come for her... You should treat her more kindly... it won’t be long.”

The heroine’s speech is simple and affectionate, and for this she is respected. The vocabulary is colloquial, which indicates the author’s social status, but it is not rude, unlike the speech of other “guests.” Natasha often uses affectionate words (grandfather, darling), calls Kleshch by name, but no one else addressed him like that. The heroine is natural and sincere in the manifestations of her character, this is indicated by the fact that the author practically does not give remarks to her words.

Natasha's second appearance on stage is associated with Anna's death. It is she who discovers that the patient has died. If in the first act Natasha was revealed with the help of the image of Luke, then here the heroine characterizes herself. This is what she says: “Here I am... someday like this... in the basement... crammed.” Here the girl speaks about death for the first time, and this thought will become her distinctive feature. Also, looking at Anna, she says: “After all... it’s good that she died... but it’s a pity... Lord!.. Why did the person live?”

A large number of ellipses indicates the extreme emotionality of the heroine’s character, as well as shyness and some “downtroddenness”. By the way, later we will hear aphoristic statements from Natasha more than once.

In this episode, the heroine is revealed as a compassionate person (“Lord! If only they had pity... if only someone would say a word!”) and afraid of death. But most importantly, she is perhaps the only one of all the characters who thinks about her life. This quality of hers will manifest itself in a conversation with Ash.

The third act begins with Nastya talking about her love for the student Raoul, whom she invented for herself. Natasha listens patiently to Nastya and does not interrupt. Nastya and Luka also listen attentively... Everyone else laughs at the inventions and brings Nastya to tears. Natasha consoles the girl with words that once again speak of her gentleness: “They are out of envy... they have nothing to say about themselves...” Another aphorism.

But Natasha can also show some cruelty. This is what she answers to the Baron in response to his nagging towards Nastya: “You! Be silent... if God killed..." This, of course, is not the abusive speech of tramps, but still a rather rude phrase.

A little later, Natasha talks about the truth and lies: “Apparently, lies... are more pleasant than the truth... Me too...” Then the reader learns that she dreams of something special, but immediately declares: “And so... in fact - what can you expect? This inconsistency of character becomes the cause of the heroine’s tragedy. Hence the thoughts about death, which she expects from day to day.

Natasha's language is generally quite primitive, even when she talks about her dreams. There are no metaphors or epithets in it, which indicates the low level of culture and education of the heroine. But, despite this, she has a sober mind and prudence, which helps her not to become embittered and become the second Vasilisa: “Who wants to live well? Everyone feels bad... I see...”

This quality of her character comes out most clearly in a conversation with Ash, when he invites her to “go” with him. Natasha initially refuses him, and the reason for this was: “... loving you... I don’t really love you.” Here it is, that sincerity and purity that other inhabitants of the shelter lack so much. That is why the suspicion of a conspiracy between Ash and Vasilisa was such a blow for the girl.

At the end of the fourth act, the reader sees a completely different Natasha, she is “thrashing about in unconsciousness.” Her speech instantly changes, becomes rude: “Damn you!”, “Here he is, the damned one!” She screams, the ellipses indicating only pauses in speech, not uncertainty. The kind, sweet girl is no longer in front of us, she died...

The image of Natasha is logically completed; the environment destroyed her too. And Gorky proved that such an environment cannot exist, since it kills everything human in a person.

There are five female characters in the play. Anna is the wife of Kleshch, who humbly dies in the second act, the compassionate and economical Kvashnya, the young Vasilisa is the wife of the owner of the shelter and the mistress of Vaska Pepla, the young and downtrodden Natasha, and Nastya, designated in the author’s remark by the bashful word “maiden”.
In the semantic context of the work, female images are represented by two pairs of opposite characters: Kvashnya - Nastya and Vasilisa - Natasha. Outside of these pairs is Anna, who personifies pure suffering in the play. Her image is not clouded by passions and desires. She dies patiently and obediently. He dies not so much from a mortal disease, but from the consciousness of his uselessness to the world. She is one of those “naked people” for whom the truth of existence is intolerable. “I’m sick,” she admits to Luka. The only aspect of death that worries her is: “What’s it like there – is it also torment?” Downtrodden, unsuitable for anything in this world, it resembles a thing. She doesn't move around the stage - she gets moved. They take him out, leave him in the kitchen, and forget about him. Just like a thing, it is treated after death. “We have to drag it out!” “We’ll pull it out...” She passed away - as if a prop had been taken away. “That means I’ve stopped coughing.”
Not so with the others. In the first pair, Kvashnya represents the semantic dominant. She almost always does housework. He lives from his labors. Makes dumplings and sells them. What these dumplings are made of and who eats them, only God knows. She has been married for a long time and now it’s a no-brainer for her: “I did it once, it’s memorable for the rest of my life...” And when her husband “died,” she “sat alone” all day out of happiness and joy. She is always alone in the play. Conversations and events touch the edge, as if the inhabitants of the shelter are afraid of her. Even Medvedev, the personification of law and power, her roommate, talks with Kvashnya respectfully - there is too much incurious reason, common sense and hidden aggression in her.
Her opposite is Nastya - unprotected and accessible. She's not busy, she's not doing anything. She is a "maiden". She hardly reacts to the realities of the world around her. Her mind is not burdened with reflection. She is as self-sufficient as Kvashnya. Gorky implanted in her a strange, not invented by him, world of “women’s novels,” a meager and meaningless dream of a beautiful life. She is literate and therefore reads. “There, in the kitchen, a girl is sitting, reading a book and crying,” Luka is surprised. This is Nastya. She weeps over a fiction that miraculously seems to her to be her own life. She resembles a little girl who dreamed of a toy. Having woken up, she fiddles with her parents and demands this toy for herself. At a tender age, children do not separate dreams from reality. This happens later, in the process of growing up. Nastya not only doesn’t grow up, she doesn’t wake up. In reality she dreams of these confectionery, sinless dreams: “And his left-hander is huge, and loaded with ten bullets... My unforgettable friend... Raoul...” The Baron rolls over her: “Nastya! But... after all, last time it was Gaston! Nastya behaves like a child. Having poked her nose into reality, she becomes capricious, gets excited, throws a cup on the floor, threatens the inhabitants: “I’ll get drunk today... So I’ll get drunk.” Getting drunk means escaping reality again. Forget yourself. Judging by the indirect hints, the Baron is a gigolo with her, but she is not aware of this either. The rays of reality only glare on the surface of her consciousness, without penetrating inside. One day Nastya opens up, and it becomes clear that her life is fueled by the energy of hatred. Running away, she shouts to everyone: “Wolves! May you breathe out! Wolves! She utters this line at the end of the fourth act, and therefore there is hope of waking up.
Vasilisa represents the authoritative beginning of the play. She is the Pallas Athena of the flophouse, her evil genius. She alone acts - all the others exist. The criminal and melodramatic intrigues of the plot are connected with her image. For Vasilisa there are no internal prohibitions. She, like everyone else in the shelter, is a “naked person”, “everything is allowed” to her. And Vasilisa takes advantage of this while the others are just talking. The author gave her a cruel and merciless character. The concept of “impossible” lies beyond her moral consciousness. And she thinks consistently: “To enjoy is to kill to enjoy.” Her antipode Natasha is the purest and brightest image of the play. Out of jealousy for Vaska Ash, Vasilisa constantly beats and tortures Natasha; her husband, old Kostylev, helps her. The pack instinct kicks in. Natasha alone believes and still hopes, waits not for haberdashery, but for real love, and searches for it. But,
Unfortunately, the geography of its search takes place on the part of the bottom where Spanish galleons loaded with gold do not rest. The dim light coming “from above, from the viewer” allows one to see only the faces of the permanent inhabitants. Natasha doesn't trust anyone. Neither Luke nor Ash. It’s just that she, like Marmeladov, “has nowhere to go.” When Kostylev is killed, she shouts: “Take me too... throw me in prison!” It is clear to Natasha that Ash did not kill. Everyone has wine. Everyone was killed. This is her truth. Hers, not Satina. Not the truth of a proud, strong person, but the truth of the humiliated and insulted.
The female characters in Gorky's play “At the Depths” carry a serious semantic load. Thanks to their presence, the damaged world of the inhabitants of the shelter becomes closer and clearer. They are like guarantors of its reliability. It is through their voices that the author openly speaks about compassion and the unbearable boredom of life. They have their own book predecessors; many literary projections from the previous artistic tradition converged on them. The author does not hide this. Another thing is more important: they are the ones who evoke the most sincere feelings of hatred or compassion among readers and spectators of the play.

The play “At the Depths,” written by Maxim Gorky in 1902, brought him worldwide fame. It was the writer’s response to the most pressing problems of our time. The ideological topicality of “At the Lower Depths” immediately attracted the attention of the Russian public.

Thematically, the play completed the writer’s cycle of works about “tramps.” “It was the result of my almost twenty years of observations of the world of “former people”,” he wrote. The inhabitants of the shelter are already types in which Gorky gave enormous socio-philosophical generalizations.

The heroes of “At the Bottom” - Actor, Ash, Nastya, Natasha, Kleshch - strive to break free from the “bottom” of life, but they feel their own powerlessness before the constipation of this “prison”. They have a feeling of hopelessness of their fate and a craving for dreams, illusions that could give them at least some hope for the future. The Baron has this past wealth that he thinks about and dreams of returning. The Actor has his past service to art, Nastya has a fictional romance with a student, Natasha has the expectation of some extraordinary event that will change her whole life.

The most interesting type is, perhaps, Natasha. Her image is strikingly different from the other inhabitants of the shelter. The dignity, purity, and pride that so captivated Ash are clearly visible in her. The main intrigue is whether the heroine will be able to retain these qualities in herself? Most likely not. The proof is her sister Vasilisa. Natasha has a lot in common with her - the same will, directness, pride. Obviously, Vasilisa was once the same as Natasha, but became a “beast”, a “reptile”. There are hints in the play that explain this metamorphosis. Nastya says about Vasilisa: “You will become brutal in such a life... tie every living person to a husband like hers...” Vasilisa herself admits that she torments Natasha, and feels sorry for her, and cannot help herself: “... so - I beat... that I myself am crying out of pity... And I’m hitting.” Vasilisa had wonderful inclinations, and Natasha was a living reminder of this.

Here is a mirror that reflects Natasha's future. But for now the heroine does not know her future and lives the way she lives. Her behavior stands out from the general system of relations in the shelter. And especially her speech.

In his work “Notes on Mastery,” M. Gorky wrote: “When drawing a person as a person, as an individuality, a writer cannot ignore such an essential thing, his character traits, as speech, which with extreme flexibility reproduces culture, profession, psychological makeup, a person's state of mind. No two people speak the same way.

A character’s speech is a characteristic, generalized speech that conveys the main, essential features of his character.” Thus, by observing a character’s speech, you can get an idea about him, his culture and level of development.

Natasha's appearances on stage are always iconic. There are only four of them, but in each of them she is revealed to the reader from a new side. Unlike other characters (Bubnova, Luka, Baron, etc.), Natasha does not act on stage constantly, which emphasizes her certain detachment from what is happening in the shelter.

So, Natasha’s appearance on stage is inextricably linked with Luka. It is she who introduces him to the inhabitants of the “bottom”. This coincidence is, of course, no coincidence. Now, along with Luka, Natasha becomes a symbol of consolation. Her presence alone calms people down. This is what she says to Kleshch: “Andrey! Your wife is in our kitchen... you, after a while, come for her... You should treat her more kindly... it won’t be long.”

The heroine’s speech is simple and affectionate, and for this she is respected. The vocabulary is colloquial, which indicates the author’s social status, but it is not rude, unlike the speech of other “guests.” Natasha often uses affectionate words (grandfather, darling), calls Kleshch by name, but no one else addressed him like that. The heroine is natural and sincere in the manifestations of her character, this is indicated by the fact that the author practically does not give remarks to her words.

Natasha's second appearance on stage is associated with Anna's death. It is she who discovers that the patient has died. If in the first act Natasha was revealed with the help of the image of Luke, then here the heroine characterizes herself. This is what she says: “Here I am... someday like this... in the basement... crammed.” Here the girl speaks about death for the first time, and this thought will become her distinctive feature. Also, looking at Anna, she says: “After all... it’s good that she died... but it’s a pity... Lord!.. Why did the person live?”

A large number of ellipses indicates the extreme emotionality of the heroine’s character, as well as shyness and some “downtroddenness”. By the way, later we will hear aphoristic statements from Natasha more than once.

In this episode, the heroine is revealed as a compassionate person (“Lord! If only they had pity... if only someone would say a word!”) and afraid of death. But most importantly, she is perhaps the only one of all the characters who thinks about her life. This quality of hers will manifest itself in a conversation with Ash.

The third act begins with Nastya talking about her love for the student Raoul, whom she invented for herself. Natasha listens patiently to Nastya and does not interrupt. Nastya and Luka also listen attentively... Everyone else laughs at the inventions and brings Nastya to tears. Natasha consoles the girl with words that once again speak of her gentleness: “They are out of envy... they have nothing to say about themselves...” Another aphorism.

But Natasha can also show some cruelty. This is what she answers to the Baron in response to his nagging towards Nastya: “You! Be silent... if God killed..." This, of course, is not the abusive speech of tramps, but still a rather rude phrase.

A little later, Natasha talks about the truth and lies: “Apparently, lies... are more pleasant than the truth... Me too...” Then the reader learns that she dreams of something special, but immediately declares: “And so... in fact - what can you expect? This inconsistency of character becomes the cause of the heroine’s tragedy. Hence the thoughts about death, which she expects from day to day.

Natasha's language is generally quite primitive, even when she talks about her dreams. There are no metaphors or epithets in it, which indicates the low level of culture and education of the heroine. But, despite this, she has a sober mind and prudence, which helps her not to become embittered and become the second Vasilisa: “Who wants to live well? Everyone feels bad... I see...”

This quality of her character comes out most clearly in a conversation with Ash, when he invites her to “go” with him. Natasha initially refuses him, and the reason for this was: “... loving you... I don’t really love you.” Here it is, that sincerity and purity that other inhabitants of the shelter lack so much. That is why the suspicion of a conspiracy between Ash and Vasilisa was such a blow for the girl.

At the end of the fourth act, the reader sees a completely different Natasha, she is “thrashing about in unconsciousness.” Her speech instantly changes, becomes rude: “Damn you!”, “Here he is, the damned one!” She screams, the ellipses indicating only pauses in speech, not uncertainty. The kind, sweet girl is no longer in front of us, she died...

The image of Natasha is logically completed; the environment destroyed her too. And Gorky proved that such an environment cannot exist, since it kills everything human in a person.

Natasha is one of the female characters in Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”, the sister of the hostess of the shelter, a kind and kind-hearted girl. Her image is noticeably different from the other guests. Natasha combines kindness, purity, dignity and pride. It was with these qualities that she charmed Vaska Pepla. The intrigue of the play is whether she will be able to maintain these qualities under the influence of a rough and cruel environment. She is essentially a victim of her ruthless sister and her husband. She endured difficult trials, ranging from poverty to constant bullying from her sister.

She is also characterized by honesty and directness. When Vaska invites her to leave everything and go with him to Siberia for a new life, she openly admits that she doesn’t really love him and doesn’t fully trust his intentions. The sister, having learned that Vaska is in love with Natasha and wants to leave with her, locks her at home and severely beats her, even dousing her with boiling water. The girl is saved in time, but then Vaska accidentally kills Kostylev during a fight. Natasha believes that this is an evil plot between her sister and Vaska and leaves him.

Unable to withstand such tests, she ends up in the hospital. The girl is broken physically and mentally. She never returns to the shelter and disappears in an unknown direction.

June 12 2011

At the heart of Maxim Gorky's play “At the Depths” (1902) is a dispute about Man and his capabilities. The action of the work takes place in the Kostylevs' shelter - a place located outside the world of people. Almost all the inhabitants of the shelter are aware of their situation as abnormal: all the most important connections between them and the world are severed - social, professional, spiritual, public family. There is nothing connecting the night shelters themselves - they are just people who accidentally came together in one place and do not want to know anything about each other. Each of them knows the truth about themselves, and each has their own.

The characters in the drama conduct philosophical debates without ultimately coming to a single conclusion. Gorky’s work shows the “bottom” of human life and souls. And in this mud, in the darkness of hopelessness, women, glorified by many poets and writers, traditionally described as lovely, gentle and airy creatures, are forced to exist.

In the ongoing dispute about man, three positions are especially important - Bubnova, Luka and Satin. Bubnov's position is fatalistic. powerless to change anything in his fate. Hence, indifference not only to the suffering of others, but also to one’s own fate. In his opinion, all people are “superfluous”, since the world is dominated by ruthless laws that govern and dominate man. People float with the flow, like chips, powerless to change anything. Bubnov's truth is the truth of the external circumstances of life. Satin is an exponent of a different life position: “Everything is in man, everything is for man. Only man exists; everything else is the work of his hands and brain.” A person must be respected, Satin believes, pity only humiliates. Luke is the most difficult in. It is with this that the main philosophical question of the work is connected: “What is better: truth or compassion? Is it necessary to take compassion to the point of using lies, like Luke?” In essence, Luke with his theory of pity is the main image of the play. With his appearance, the actual dramatic development of the plot begins. Luke stirred up the stagnant swamp of the “bottom” and made people think and reason.

And female characters in Gorky’s play also take part in this dispute. And they, too, must find the answer to the question “What is more important - the bitter truth or the hope-giving lie?”

In the play “At the Bottom”, five women stand out among the heroes. This is Vasilisa Karpovna, the wife of the owner of the shelter Kostylev, her sister, Kleshch’s wife Anna, the dumpling seller Kvashnya and the girl Nastya. Judging by the lines from the “Characters” of the play, these are all young women - aged from 20 (Natasha) to 30 (Anna) years, with the exception of Kvashnya, who is 40 years old. What are they? Why are they included in the action of the play?

Vasilisa - her image is usually assessed with the following epithets: “immoral”, “cynical”, etc. Her behavior indeed seems to be like that. Vasilisa systematically beats her sister, she cheats on her husband and tries to persuade Ash to kill her husband, in the end she puts Ash under arrest, accusing him of murdering Kostylev, and scalds her sister Natasha with boiling water. But it’s worth re-reading the pages and wondering: is it only Vasilisa’s nature that is the reason for this? And at the very beginning we see that Vasilisa’s husband is 54 years old, she is 26, that is, almost thirty years of age difference. This to some extent explains Vasilisa’s infidelity.

From the pages of the play it becomes clear what the owner of the shelter, Kostylev, is like. He is the owner of the shelter and considers himself the master of life. From the description of the rooming house environment, we see what conditions he creates for his “stayers.” In general, as Nastya says, with a husband like Kostylev, everyone will go wild.

Natasha, Vasilisa’s sister, is a gentle and spiritually pure creature. Natasha is kind, and this becomes clear from the pages of the play. Natasha tells Klesch to come for Anna later and be kind to her, she is dying and she is scared. When Anna dies, Natasha is surprised that no one feels sorry for her. Natasha is the only one who sympathizes with Nastya's fantasies. She herself dreams that tomorrow a special stranger will come and something very special will happen. But unlike the romantic Nastya, she understands that there is nothing to wait for - a miracle will not happen to her, no matter how much she wants it.

The final fate of the heroine remains in question. After Vasilisa scalded her legs, Natasha was taken to the hospital. And in the last act it turns out that Natasha left the hospital a long time ago and disappeared. Maybe she has found hers? But, unfortunately, such an outcome is hard to believe.

Anna, a woman sick with consumption and tired of life, dies. She says that “she was shaking all over every piece of bread... she was tormented... All her life she walked around in rags.” For this heroine, Luke's theory paid off. Luke calms and encourages the dying woman with the hope that for her earthly torments, after death she will find peace and eternal bliss in heaven. The miserable, meaningless, joyless existence on earth is compensated by eternal bliss in heaven.

The fallen woman Nastya is naive, touching and helpless at heart. She dreams of pure and devoted love, and in these illusions she strives to hide from the surrounding dirt, darkness and hopelessness. Her fantasies do not evoke understanding. The Baron, who exists at her expense, only laughs in response to her tears and fantasies. Nastya loves to read novels, the content of which constitutes most of her dreams.

Kvashnya - Kvashnya, a forty-year-old dumplings seller, seems to be a kind of optimist. Perhaps she has already gotten used to the life of the “bottom”. But this woman is strikingly different from all the other heroines of the play. A refrain that runs through the entire play is her thought that she is a free woman and will never agree to “give herself up to the fortress,” that is, to get married. And in the finale, he begins to cohabit with Medvedev, Vasilisa and Natasha’s uncle, a policeman. Kvashnya is the only heroine who was not affected by the “coming” of Luke. The rest came under his influence in one way or another.

Anna dies, reassured by Luke’s lies about the bright and gentle “other world.” Nastya, even without Luka’s influence, created a “saving lie” for herself - in her fantasies. And she still remains in the shelter, not outwardly striving for any achievements. Vasilisa is taken under arrest along with Vaska Pepl, and the night shelters are arguing about who will put whom behind bars for a longer term. In essence, everything remains virtually unchanged. Only Natasha’s fate seems incomprehensible. After leaving the hospital, she disappeared. But where and why? Maybe she decided to seek her happiness?

In my opinion, with the female characters in the play “At the Lower Depths,” Gorky sought to show both the depth of moral decline and the spiritual purity of “tender, lovely creatures.” Here, as in the entire play, polyphony sounds. Gorky does not have a single answer to the question of how to live, is it possible to get out of a difficult situation? But even in difficult, gloomy conditions of life, not every one of Gorky’s heroines finally sinks to the bottom. Someone is trying to adapt, someone does not lose faith in the future, trying to retain at least tiny particles of goodness and light and love.