People of the bottom: characters and destinies. M. Gorky "At the Lower Depths": description, characters, analysis of the play How Nastya ended up in a shelter

Essay on literature.

Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths,” written in 1902, belongs to a new type of social drama for that time. Her heroes are the inhabitants of the shelter, people thrown to the bottom of life.

“The sun rises and sets, but it’s dark in my prison,” sing the night shelters. The shelter really resembles a prison. Representatives of various strata of society found themselves in the cave-like basement, but everyone had the same fate. None of them can get out of here. And even here, at the bottom, the power of the “masters of life” continues, represented by the sinister figures of the owners of the shelter - the old man Kostylev and his wife Vasilisa.

The characters in the play talk little about how they lived before. But even in a few words their fates are revealed. “I don’t remember when I was full... All my life I walked around in rags,” says Anna. “There was a furrier... he had his own establishment,” Bubnov tells about himself. “I’ve been a thief since childhood,” Ash admits. Satin, a former telegraph operator and now a cardsharp, was considered an “educated person.” The Baron's wealthy life is a thing of the past, creative work Actor.

Gorky is an expert in the language of many classes and is fluent in the art of describing dialogue. Each shelterer's speech has characteristic features. Satin loves foreign and intricate words, his language is precise and expressive. The Baron, remembering his noble origins, speaks arrogantly to Luka. Kostylev’s speech is full of deliberately affectionate words: “fifty kopecks,” “butter,” “lamp.”

There is no clearly defined plot in the play, and the driving force is the confrontation between the social and philosophical views of the characters. Heated arguments often arise between the characters in the play.

The inhabitants of the shelter reject many generally accepted truths. “Those who have power and strength need honor and conscience,” Ash answers Mite’s reproach. “What is conscience for? “I’m not rich,” confirms Bubnov. When Kleshch notes that “thieves get money easily... they don’t work,” Satin retorts: “Make work enjoyable for me... When work is a duty, life is slavery.”

The night shelters talk a lot about lies and truth. “Give away the whole truth as it is!” – says Bubnov. His words infuriate Klesh: “Why do I need the truth? Damn her! Nastya escapes from cruel reality into the illusory world of fictional love, passing off fantasies as reality.

At the very bottom of life, in the most cruel circumstances, a dispute arises about a person. Here Luka and Satin come to the fore. Luka is a tramp without a passport, smart and with enormous experience. He tries to calm and encourage the person by consoling him with lies. Luke's humanism is compassionate; Luke calls for pity on a person, but does not fight to change his fate. Satin, on the contrary, is confident that one should not reconcile a person with difficult reality, but force reality itself to serve a person. He calls Luke's comforting lies "the religion of slaves and masters." “Do not feel sorry, do not humiliate him with pity, you must respect him!” - Satin says about Man.

In the last act of the play, the hopelessness of the life of the night shelters becomes visible. Vaska Pepel was sent to prison for the murder of Kostylev. The “Comforter” Luke disappeared, and the Actor, unable to bear the exposure of his lies “for salvation,” hanged himself. Anna's funeral "ate" Kleshch's tool, the mechanic turned into an unemployed slum dweller.

Unsightly pictures, similar to those depicted in Gorky’s play, can be found more than a century later, in our days. The images of the characters in the play, taken by the playwright a century ago from contemporary reality, are not at all outdated. Full of life's truth, these images will attract the attention of readers to the work for a long time.

Maxim Gorky's play "At the Lower Depths" is still the most successful drama in the collection of his works. She won the favor of the public during the author’s lifetime; the writer himself even described the performances in other books, ironizing about his fame. So why did this work captivate people so much?

The play was written at the end of 1901 - beginning of 1902. This work was not an obsession or a gust of inspiration, as is usually the case with creative people. On the contrary, it was written specifically for a troupe of actors from the Moscow Art Theater, created to enrich the culture of all classes of society. Gorky could not imagine what would come of it, but he realized the desired idea of ​​​​creating a play about tramps, where about two dozen people would be present. characters.

The fate of Gorky's play cannot be called the final and irrevocable triumph of his creative genius. There were different opinions. People were delighted or criticized such a controversial creation. It survived bans and censorship, and to this day everyone understands the meaning of the drama in their own way.

Meaning of the name

The meaning of the title of the play “At the Bottom” personifies the social position of all the characters in the work. The title gives an ambiguous first impression, since there is no specific mention of what day we are talking about. The author gives the reader the opportunity to use his imagination and guess what his work is about.

Today, many literary scholars agree that the author meant that his heroes are at the bottom of life in social, financial and moral sense. This is the meaning of the name.

Genre, direction, composition

The play is written in a genre called “social and philosophical drama.” The author touches on precisely such topics and problems. His direction can be designated as “critical realism,” although some researchers insist on the formulation “socialist realism,” since the writer focused the public’s attention on social injustice and the eternal conflict between the poor and the rich. Thus, his work took on an ideological connotation, because at that time the confrontation between the nobility and the common people in Russia was only heating up.

The composition of the work is linear, since all actions are chronologically consistent and form a single thread of the narrative.

The essence of the work

The essence of Maxim Gorky's play lies in the depiction of the bottom and its inhabitants. Show readers in the play's characters the marginalized, people humiliated by life and fate, rejected by society and severed ties with it. Despite the smoldering flame of hope - having no future. They live, argue about love, honesty, truth, justice, but their words are just empty words for this world and even for their own destinies.

Everything that happens in the play has only one purpose: to show the clash of philosophical views and positions, as well as to illustrate the dramas of outcast people to whom no one lends a helping hand.

The main characters and their characteristics

The inhabitants of the bottom are people with different life principles and beliefs, but they are all united by one condition: they are mired in poverty, which gradually deprives them of dignity, hope and self-confidence. She corrupts them, dooming the victims to certain death.

1. Mite– works as a mechanic, 40 years old. Married to Anna (30 years old), who suffers from consumption. The relationship with his wife is the main characterizing detail. Kleshch's complete indifference to her well-being, frequent beatings and humiliation speak of his cruelty and callousness. After Anna's death, the man was forced to sell his work tools in order to bury her. And only the lack of work unsettled him a little. Fate leaves the hero without a chance to get out of the shelter and without prospects for a further successful life.
2. Bubnov- a 45-year-old man. Previously the owner of a fur workshop. He is dissatisfied with his current life, but tries to maintain his potential to return to normal society. Lost possession due to divorce, as the documents were issued in the name of his wife. Lives in a shelter and sews hats.
3. Satin- about 40 years old, drinks until he loses his memory and plays cards where he cheats for a living. I read a lot of books, which I constantly remind not so much of my neighbors as of myself as a consolation that all is not lost. Served 5 years in prison for manslaughter committed during a fight over his sister's honor. Despite his education and occasional fall, he does not recognize honest ways of living.
4. Luke- a wanderer aged 60 years. He appeared unexpectedly for the residents of the shelter. He behaves intelligently, consoles and calms everyone around, but as if he came with a specific purpose. He tries to improve relations with everyone by giving advice, which incites even more disputes. A hero of a neutral character, despite his kind tone, always makes one want to doubt the purity of his intentions. According to his stories, it can be assumed that he served time in prison, but escaped from there.
5. Ash– name is Vasily, 28 years old. He constantly steals, but, despite the dishonest way of earning money, he has his own philosophical point of view, like everyone else. He wants to get out of the shelter and start a new life. He was imprisoned several times. He has a certain position in this society due to his secret relationship with the married Vasilisa, which everyone knows about. At the beginning of the play, the heroes separate, and Ash tries to look after Natasha in order to take her away from the shelter, but in a fight he kills Kostylev and goes to prison at the end of the play.
6. Nastya– young girl, 24 years old. Based on her treatment and conversations, we can conclude that she works as a call girl. Constantly wants attention, to be needed. Has a connection with the Baron, but not the one she comes up with in her fantasies after reading romance novels. In fact, she endures rudeness and disrespect from her boyfriend, while giving him money for alcohol. All her behavior is continuous complaints about life and requests to be sorry.
7. Baron– 33 years old, drinks, but due to unfortunate circumstances. He constantly reminds of his noble roots, which once helped him become a wealthy official, but were not of particular significance when accused of embezzlement of public funds, which is why the hero went to prison, remaining a beggar. Has love relationship with Nastya, but treats them for granted, shifts all his responsibilities to the girl, and constantly takes money for drinking.
8. Anna– Kleshch’s wife, 30 years old, suffers from consumption. At the beginning of the play he is in a dying state, but does not live to the end. For all the heroes, the flophouse is an unsuccessful piece of “interior”, making unnecessary sounds and taking up space. Until her death she hopes for a manifestation of her husband’s love, but dies in the corner from indifference, beatings and humiliation, which may have given rise to the disease.
9. Actor– male, approximately 40 years old. Just like all the residents of the shelter, he always remembers his past life. A kind and fair person, but excessively sorry for himself. He wants to quit drinking, having learned from Luke about a hospital for alcoholics in some city. He begins to save money, but, not having time to find out the location of the hospital before the wanderer leaves, the hero despairs and commits suicide.
10. Kostylev– Vasilisa’s husband, a 54-year-old shelter owner. He perceives people only as walking wallets, loves to remind them of debts and assert himself at the expense of the baseness of his own residents. Tries to hide his true attitude behind a mask of kindness. He suspects his wife of cheating with Ash, which is why he constantly listens to sounds outside his door. He believes that he should be grateful for the overnight stay. Vasilisa and her sister Natasha are treated no better than the drunkards who live at his expense. Buys things that Ash steals, but hides it. Due to his own stupidity, he dies at the hands of Ash in a fight.
11. Vasilisa Karpovna - Kostylev's wife, 26 years old. She is no different from her husband, but she hates him with all her heart. She secretly cheats on her husband with Ash and persuades her lover to kill her husband, promising that he will not be sent to prison. And he doesn’t feel any feelings towards his sister except envy and malice, which is why she gets the worst of it. Looks for benefit in everything.
12. Natasha– Vasilisa’s sister, 20 years old. The “purest” soul of the shelter. Endures bullying from Vasilisa and her husband. She cannot trust Ash with his desire to take her away, knowing all the meanness of people. Although she herself understands that she will be lost. Helps residents selflessly. He is going to meet Vaska halfway to leave, but he ends up in the hospital after Kostylev’s death and goes missing.
13. Kvashnya– a 40-year-old dumpling seller who experienced the power of her husband, who beat her during 8 years of marriage. Helps the residents of the shelter, sometimes trying to put the house in order. She argues with everyone and is not going to get married anymore, remembering her late tyrant husband. Over the course of the play, their relationship with Medvedev develops. At the very end, Kvashnya marries a policeman, whom she herself begins to beat due to her addiction to alcohol.
14. Medvedev- uncle of sisters Vasilisa and Natasha, policeman, 50 years old. Throughout the entire play he tries to woo Kvashnya, promising that he will not be like her ex-husband. She knows that her niece is being beaten by her older sister, but does not intervene. Knows about all the machinations of Kostylev, Vasilisa and Ash. At the end of the play, he marries Kvashnya and begins to drink, for which his wife beats him.
15. Alyoshka- shoemaker, 20 years old, drinks. He says that he doesn’t need anything, that he is disappointed in life. He drinks out of despair and plays the harmonica. Due to riotous behavior and drunkenness, he often ends up in the police station.
16. Tatar- also lives in a shelter, works as a housekeeper. He loves to play cards with Satin and Baron, but is always indignant at their dishonest play. An honest person does not understand swindlers. Constantly talks about laws, honors them. At the end of the play, Crooked Craw hits him and breaks his arm.
17. Crooked Goiter- another little-known inhabitant of the shelter, the housekeeper. Not as honest as Tatar. He also likes to pass the time playing cards, is calm about the cheating of Satin and Baron, and finds excuses for them. He beats Tatarin and breaks his arm, which causes him to have a conflict with policeman Medvedev. At the end of the play he sings a song with the others.

Topics

Despite the seemingly fairly simple plot and the absence of sharp climactic turns, the work is replete with themes that provide food for thought.

1. Theme of hope stretches through the entire play until the very denouement. She hovers in the mood of the work, but not once does anyone mention her intention to get out of the shelter. Hope is present in every dialogue of the inhabitants, but only indirectly. Just as each of them once fell to the bottom, so someday they dream of getting out of there. In everyone there glimmers a small opportunity to return again to a past life, where everyone was happy, although they did not appreciate it.
2. Fate theme is also quite important in the play. It defines the role of evil fate and its meaning for the heroes. Fate can be the driving force in a work that could not be changed, that brought all the inhabitants together. Or that circumstance, always subject to change, which had to be overcome in order to be able to achieve great success. From the lives of the inhabitants, one can understand that they have accepted their fate and are trying to change it only in the opposite direction, believing that they have nowhere to fall lower. If one of the residents tries to make an attempt to change their position and get out of the bottom, they collapse. Perhaps the author wanted to show in this way that they deserved such a fate.
3. Theme of the meaning of life looks quite superficial in the play, but if you think about it, you can understand the reason for such an attitude towards the life of the shack’s heroes. Everyone considers the current state of affairs to be the bottom from which there is no way out: neither down, nor, especially, up. The characters, despite different age categories, are disappointed in life. They lost interest in her, and stopped seeing any meaning in their own existence, let alone sympathy for each other. They do not strive for another fate because they cannot imagine it. Only alcohol sometimes adds color to existence, which is why sleepovers love to drink.
4. Theme of truth and lies in the play is the main idea of ​​the author. This topic is a philosophical question in Gorky’s work, which he reflects on through the lips of the characters. If we talk about truth in dialogues, then its boundaries are erased, because sometimes the characters say absurd things. However, their words contain secrets and mysteries that are revealed to us as the plot of the work progresses. The author raises this topic in the play, as he considers the truth as a way to save the inhabitants. Show the heroes the real state of affairs, opening their eyes to the world and to their own lives, which they lose every day in the hut? Or hide the truth under the guise of lies and pretense, because it’s easier for them? Everyone chooses the answer independently, but the author makes it clear that he likes the first option.
5. Theme of love and feelings touches in the work because it makes it possible to understand the relationships between the inhabitants. There is absolutely no love in a shelter, even between spouses, and it is unlikely to have the opportunity to appear there. The place itself seems to be saturated with hatred. All were united only by a common living space and a sense of injustice of fate. There is indifference in the air, both towards healthy and sick people. Only squabbles, like dogs squabbling, amuse the night shelters. Along with interest in life, the colors of emotions and feelings are lost.

Problems

The play has a rich range of issues. Maxim Gorky tried in one work to indicate the current, at that time, moral issues, which, however, still exist today.

1. The first problem is conflict between the inhabitants of the shelter, not only with each other, but also with life. From the dialogues between the characters you can understand their relationship. Constant quarrels, differences of opinion, basic debts lead to eternal squabbles, which is a mistake in in this case. The homeless shelters need to learn to live under one roof in harmony. Mutual assistance will make life easier and change the general atmosphere. The problem of social conflict is the destruction of any society. The poor are united by a common problem, but instead of solving it, they create new ones through common efforts. The conflict with life lies in the lack of an adequate perception of it. Former people they are offended by life, which is why they do not take further steps to create a different future and simply go with the flow.
2. Another problem can be identified as a pressing question: “ Truth or Compassion?. The author creates a reason for reflection: to show the heroes the realities of life or to sympathize with such a fate? In the drama, someone suffers from physical or psychological abuse, and someone dies in agony, but receives his share of compassion, and this reduces his suffering. Each person has his own view of the current situation, and we react based on our feelings. The writer, in Satin’s monologue and the disappearance of the wanderer, made it clear whose side he was on. Luka acts as Gorky's antagonist, trying to bring the inhabitants back to life, show the truth and console the suffering.
3. Also raised in the play problem of humanism. More precisely, its absence. Returning again to the relationship between the inhabitants, and their relationship to themselves, we can consider this problem from two positions. The lack of humanity on the part of the heroes towards each other can be seen in the situation with the dying Anna, to which no one pays attention. During Vasilisa’s bullying of her sister Natasha and Nastya’s humiliation. An opinion is emerging that if people are at the bottom, then they don’t need any more help, it’s every man for himself. This cruelty to themselves is determined by their current lifestyle - constant drinking, fights, which carry disappointment and loss of meaning in life. Existence ceases to be the highest value when there is no goal towards it.
4. The problem of immorality rises in connection with the lifestyle that residents lead based on social location. Nastya's work as a call girl, playing cards for money, drinking alcohol with the ensuing consequences in the form of fights and being taken to the police, theft - all these are the consequences of poverty. The author shows this behavior as a typical phenomenon for people who find themselves at the bottom of society.

The meaning of the play

The idea of ​​Gorky's play is that all people are absolutely the same, regardless of their social and financial status. Everyone consists of flesh and blood, the differences lie only in upbringing and character, which give us the opportunity to react differently to current situations and act based on them. No matter who you are, life can change in an instant. Any of us, having lost everything we had in the past, having sunk to the bottom, will lose ourselves. There will no longer be any point in keeping oneself within the bounds of social decency, looking appropriate and behaving appropriately. When a person loses the values ​​​​established by others, he becomes confused and falls out of reality, as happened with the heroes.

The main idea is that life can break any person. Make him indifferent, bitter, having lost any incentive to exist. Of course, an indifferent society will be to blame for many of his troubles, which will only push the falling one. However, the broken poor are often themselves to blame for the fact that they cannot rise up, because it is difficult to find someone to blame for their laziness, depravity and indifference to everything.

Gorky's author's position is expressed in Satin's monologue, which scatters into aphorisms. “Man – sounds proud!” - he exclaims. The writer wants to show how to treat people in order to appeal to their dignity and strength. Endless regret without concrete practical steps will only harm the poor man, because he will continue to feel sorry for himself rather than work to get out of the vicious circle of poverty. This is it philosophical meaning dramas. In the debate about true and false humanism in society, the winner is the one who speaks directly and honestly, even at the risk of incurring indignation. Gorky in one of Satin’s monologues connects truth and lies with human freedom. Independence comes only at the cost of comprehension and search for truth.

Conclusion

Each reader will draw his own conclusion. The play “At the Bottom” can help a person understand that in life it is always worth striving for something, because it gives strength to move on without looking back. Don't stop thinking that nothing will work out.

Using the example of all the heroes, one can see absolute inaction and disinterest in their own fate. Regardless of age and gender, they are simply mired in their current situation, making the excuse that it is too late to resist and start all over again. A person himself must have the desire to change his future, and in case of any failure, do not blame life, do not be offended by it, but gain experience by experiencing the problem. The inhabitants of the shelter believe that suddenly, for their suffering in the basement, a miracle should fall on them that will bring them a new life, as it happens - Luka appears to them, wanting to cheer up all the despairing, help with advice to make life better. But they forgot that words cannot help the fallen man; he extended his hand to them, but no one took it. And everyone is just waiting for action from anyone, but not from themselves.

Criticism

It cannot be said that before the birth of his legendary play, Gorky did not have any popularity in society. But, it can be emphasized that interest in him intensified precisely because of this work.

Gorky managed to show everyday, everyday things surrounding dirty, uneducated people from a new angle. He knew what he was writing about, since he himself had experience in achieving his position in society; after all, he was from the common people and an orphan. There is no exact explanation why the works of Maxim Gorky were so popular and made such a strong impression on the public, because he was not an innovator of any genre, writing about all known things. But Gorky’s work was fashionable at that time, society liked to read his works and visit theatrical performances according to his creations. It can be assumed that the degree of social tension in Russia was rising, and many were dissatisfied with the established order in the country. The monarchy had exhausted itself, and popular actions in subsequent years were harshly suppressed, and therefore many people gladly looked for disadvantages in the existing system, as if reinforcing their own conclusions.

The peculiarities of the play lie in the way of presentation and presentation of the characters' characters, in the harmonious use of descriptions. One of the issues raised in the work is the individuality of each hero and his struggle for it. Artistic tropes and stylistic figures very accurately depict the living conditions of the characters, because the author saw all these details personally.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

The fate of the heroes of Gorky's play "At the Lower Depths"

In the play “At the Bottom,” Gorky showed us the life of tramps who have lost: their own names, spiritual values, life guidelines. Only one of the characters in the play - the owner of the flophouse - has a first name, patronymic and last name. Others have only a name or nickname. The poster itself gives us an idea of ​​what social position the characters in the play occupied before they fell “to the bottom.” The list of characters includes seventeen heroes. Only a few of them have a job (locksmith, policeman), and the majority are just old. I want to dwell in more detail on the fate of the Actor.

Mentioned only once in the play real name Actor-Sverchkov-Zavolzhsky. The first part of the surname is something small, inconspicuous, afraid to be seen. Zavolzhsky is something broad and great. His fate can be divided into two parts before and after the loss of his surname. Sverchkov is suitable for the first part, and Zavolzhsky for the second.

From some statements we can guess about the past of the Actor. He says: “Hamlet - good thing… I played a gravedigger in it.” This role is a supporting one, which does not require any special acting talent. Did the Actor have talent? I think he was a talented actor. Apparently, there was a moment when he was unable to “break through”, and this broke him. The actor says: “Talent is faith in yourself, in your strength.” He did not have enough faith in his own strength, and without this it is impossible to achieve success. The actor had to gather willpower into a fist in order to “rise” after the first failure and again go to the heights of acting. Instead of doing this, he began to drink vodka over his failures. Gradually, the Actor loses what was good in him. Then he loses his given name, which is replaced by a nickname. Among the inhabitants of the shelter, he considers himself a representative of the creative intelligentsia: wiping off dust is not for him. After Luka told him about a hospital where he could be cured of alcoholism, the Actor, it seemed to me, became infected with this idea. Then why didn't he bring it to life? I think that he no longer had the moral strength to get out of the hole into which he fell. To do this, he also needed support. But could any of the inhabitants of the shelter provide it? No. That is why the Actor will soon hang himself. He simply couldn't continue living like this. He had to choose: either live like a human being, or not live at all. He couldn’t bring the first one to life, so he chose the second...

Tragic fate The actor is typical: a man who has failed in professional activity, in his personal life he often breaks down, slides down an inclined plane, becomes an alcoholic and a homeless person. By inertia, he continues to consider himself what he was before the fall: an actor, poet, artist and even a baron. Such people blame everything for their failures. white light, just not yourself. Continuing to sink lower and lower, they indulge in dreams of returning to past life without making any effort to do so. And only those few for whom the aphorism: “Man – this sounds proud!” becomes a life attitude, they are able to find the strength to get out of the bottom of life.

1. The conflict of the drama “At the Bottom”..
2. “What you believe in is what it is.”
3. Faith in a person is an expression of the author’s position.

It is an excellent position to be a human being on earth!
M. Gorky

M. Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” is a socio-philosophical drama. She appeared in print and on stage on the eve of the first Russian revolution. This work reflects the contradictions of Russian life. The setting of the play is the Kostylevs' lodging house. Almost all the characters in the play are inhabitants of the shelter. They got here in different ways, but there is only one conclusion - there is no turning back. They were rejected by society, no one needs them. Their present is terrible, but they have no future. Everything is just in the past. Here is a former actor, a former baron, and a former locksmith. Their names are more reminiscent of nicknames: Ash, Mite, Actor, Baron, Tatar. The shelter is like a prison, you can’t get out of it. Even the song that the night shelters sing sounds tragic and ominous - “The sun rises and sets, but it’s dark in my prison...”.

Rude and harsh life in a lodging house. The laws of survival reign here. There is no place for pity or compassion. No one reacts to the torment of Anna, who is dying of consumption, not even her husband Kleshch. If a person cannot work, he becomes a burden here. Kleshch justifies his callous soul by saying that he wants to leave the shelter, leave the “bottom,” but for this he must look for work. Sick Anna takes up both time and money, because they need to be spent on her maintenance. The tick looks down on all the inhabitants of the shelter, calling himself a “working man”; he considers them “lost people” because they live without a goal, without meaning. He says that he will leave them when Anna dies. But with the death of his wife, he sells his tools to bury her, and loses his last hope of becoming a full member of society. The tick is opposed by Vaska Ash. This is a thief who lives better than Kleshch, since “he gets money easily.” Ash doesn't like Mite because... that he is proud and evil. Kleshch declares: “If you value people based on their work... then a horse is better than any person... It drives and is silent!” In response to Kleshch’s words that he is disgusted by people without conscience and honor, Ash says that conscience and honor are needed by those who have strength and power. Ash considers himself a free person. He is having an affair with Vasilisa, the wife of the owner of the flophouse. But Vaska is able to show the breadth of his soul. He lends money to the Actor, although he knows that the Actor will not repay him. Ash is able to fall in love with Natasha, Vasilisa’s sister. He invites her to leave together and change her life. But he fails to carry out his plans. It all ended with the murder of Kostylev, which Vasilisa set up, and a trial.

Life in a shelter is unbearable and hopeless. Each of the inhabitants of the “bottom” is looking for an outlet for themselves in order to forget about their joyless existence at least for a while. The actor and cap-wearer Bubnov are drinking, the prostitute Nastya is reading sentimental novels and fantasizing about true love, the dying Anna dreams of a calm afterlife. The wanderer Luke understands all this perfectly. He suddenly appeared in the shelter and suddenly disappeared. He takes pity on people and calms them down. Luka consoles Anna, talks to her about the bright life of heaven, and convinces Nastya that she will find her true and pure love. He tells the drunken Actor that there are special free hospitals for alcoholics, and there he will be cured, and he will definitely play on stage again. But gradually Gorky reveals the harmfulness of this self-deception for weak-willed people; it is no coincidence that the Actor reads aloud the poems of P. J. Beranger, which came to his memory:

Gentlemen! If the truth is holy
The world doesn't know how to find a way,
Honor the madman who inspires
A golden dream for humanity!

Luke makes it clear what can happen to a person if hope is taken away from him. He tells a parable about a righteous land. One poor man was about to go in search of a righteous land. He lived very poorly, but did not lose heart, he dreamed of leaving for this righteous land. And he lived in Siberia, where he met an exiled scientist. He asked the scientist to show him on a map where this land was. But it wasn’t on the map, and it couldn’t have been. The man even beat the scientist out of anger and resentment, and then left and hanged himself. The actor repeats the fate of this person. He learned that there were no such free hospitals for alcoholics, and out of despair he hanged himself. We understand that Luke is aware that going into the world of illusions is scary, because returning to reality will be painful and scary. The main question that the playwright is trying to resolve in this play is the question of what is better: a beautiful lie or a terrible truth.

The author gives us the answer to the question he himself posed. Only a strong-willed person can change his life for the better. Only weak people are saved by lies, because they cannot accept freedom of choice. M Gorky puts his thoughts about a person into the mouth of the former telegraph operator Satin, who once went to prison because he dared to stand up for his sister. After Luka leaves, Kleshch remembers that the old man did not like the truth. But Satin enters into an argument and says that Luke was not a charlatan and knew the whole truth: “Man, that’s the truth!” He understood this... You don’t! He lied... but it was out of pity for you... There are comforting lies, reconciling lies... Those who are weak at heart... and those who live on other people's juices need lies... some are supported by it, others hide behind it . And who is his own master... who is independent and does not eat other people's things - why does he need lies? Lies are the religion of slaves and masters... Truth is the god of a free man!” To console himself, a person wants to hear lies, is afraid of life, is afraid to make a choice. The writer tells us that if a person is not ready to move along the chosen difficult life path, then he needs a lie “for salvation.” Satin’s bitter words affirm the idea that a lie can humiliate only those who are strong in spirit, for whom the word “man” “sounds proud.” And for the spiritually weak, who do not fight for the right to be called human, self-deception, pity, lies and compassion are necessary.

In the drama “At the Bottom,” M. Gorky showed us a certain model of society where there are people who have fallen to the very “bottom” of life. Each of them experiences their situation and their future differently. The writer sought to find a way out of the impasse and tried to proclaim the idea of ​​a person freely choosing his future. The problems raised by the author of the play “At the Bottom” are of a universal human nature. The most important thing is to believe in yourself, in your strength. The active, life-affirming principle lies within the person himself. And only movement along the path can lead to happy life. The play “At the Bottom” showed a difficult stage in the life of the writer himself. The heroes of the play demonstrate the contradictory nature of the rebellious nature and M. Gorky himself. The main problems that the playwright solved on the pages of this work were the problems of spiritual alienation of people, real and illusory overcoming of the nightmarish state of affairs, utopian thoughts and the awakening of the soul. But the most main idea This play is the writer's faith in Man.

The drama "At the Depths" is a landmark work in creative biography Gorky. Descriptions of the heroes will be presented in this article.

This work was written at a turning point for the country. In Russia in the 90s of the 19th century, a serious outbreak broke out. Masses of impoverished, ruined peasants left the villages after each crop failure in search of work. Plants and factories were closed. Thousands of people found themselves without means of livelihood and shelter. This led to the emergence of a large number of “tramps” who sank to the bottom of life.

Who lived in the dosshouses?

Enterprising slum owners, taking advantage of the fact that people found themselves in a hopeless situation, found how to extract benefit from fetid basements. They turned them into shelters in which beggars, the unemployed, thieves, tramps and other representatives of the “bottom” lived. This work was written in 1902. The heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are just such people.

Maxim Gorky throughout creative path I was interested in personality, man, the secrets of his feelings and thoughts, dreams and hopes, weakness and strength - all this is reflected in the work. The heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are people who lived at the beginning of the 20th century, when the old world, and arose new life. However, they differ from the rest in that they are rejected by society. These are people from the bottom, outcasts. The place where Vaska Pepel, Bubnov, Actor, Satin and others live is unsightly and scary. According to Gorky's description, this is a cave-like basement. Its ceiling is stone vaults with crumbling plaster, smoked. Why did the inhabitants of the shelter find themselves “at the bottom” of life, what brought them here?

Heroes of the play "At the Bottom": table

What ruined the lives of these people?

Addiction to alcohol ruined the Actor. By his own admission, he used to have a good memory. Now the Actor believes that everything is over for him. Vaska Pepel is a representative of the "thieves' dynasty". This hero had no choice but to continue his father’s work. He says that even when he was little, even then he was called a thief. Former furrier Bubnov left his workshop because of his wife’s infidelity, as well as out of fear of his wife’s lover. He went bankrupt, after which he went to serve in one “treasury chamber”, in which he committed embezzlement. One of the most colorful figures in the work is Satin. He was a former telegraph operator, and went to prison for the murder of a man who insulted his sister.

Who do the shelter's inhabitants blame?

Almost all the characters in the play “At the Bottom” tend to blame life circumstances rather than themselves for the current situation. Perhaps, if they had turned out differently, nothing would have changed significantly, and the same fate would have befallen the night shelters anyway. The phrase that Bubnov said confirms this. He admitted that he actually drank the workshop away.

Apparently, the reason for the fall of all these people is their lack of a moral core, which constitutes a person’s personality. You can cite the words of the Actor as an example: “Why did you die? I had no faith...”

Was there a chance to live a different life?

By creating the images of the characters in the play “At the Bottom,” the author provided each of them with the opportunity to live a different life. That is, they had a choice. However, for each, the first test ended in the collapse of life. The baron, for example, could improve his affairs not by stealing government funds, but by investing money in profitable businesses that he had.

Satin could have taught the offender a lesson in another way. As for Vaska Ash, would there really be few places on earth where no one would know anything about him and his past? The same can be said about many of the inhabitants of the shelter. They have no future, but in the past they had a chance not to get here. However, the heroes of the play "At the Bottom" did not use it.

How do the heroes console themselves?

All they can do now is live with unrealistic hopes and illusions. Baron, Bubnov and Actor live. The prostitute Nastya amuses herself with dreams of true love. At the same time, the characterization of the heroes of the play “At the Bottom” is complemented by the fact that these people, rejected by society, humiliated, wage endless debates about moral and spiritual problems. Although it would be more logical to talk about since they live from hand to mouth. The author's description of the characters in the play "At the Bottom" suggests that they are interested in such issues as freedom, truth, equality, work, love, happiness, law, talent, honesty, pride, compassion, conscience, pity, patience, death, peace and much more. They are also concerned about an even more important problem. They talk about what a person is, why he is born, what is the true meaning of existence. The philosophers of the shelter can be called Luka, Satina, Bubnova.

With the exception of Bubnov, all the heroes of the work reject the “losing” lifestyle. They hope for a lucky turn of fortune that will bring them from the “bottom” to the surface. Kleshch, for example, says that he has been working since he was young (this hero is a mechanic), so he will definitely get out of here. “Wait a minute... my wife will die...” he says. The actor, this chronic drunkard, hopes to find a luxurious hospital in which health, strength, talent, memory and the applause of the audience will miraculously return to him. Anna, an unfortunate sufferer, dreams of bliss and peace in which she will finally be rewarded for her torment and patience. Vaska Pepel, this desperate hero, kills Kostylev, the owner of the shelter, because he considers the latter the embodiment of evil. His dream is to go to Siberia, where he will start a new life with his beloved girl.

Luke's role in the work

Luke, the wanderer, supports these illusions. He masters the skill of a comforter and preacher. Maxim Gorky portrays this hero as a doctor who considers all people to be terminally ill and sees his calling in softening their pain and hiding it from them. However, at every step, life refutes the position of this hero. Anna, to whom he promises divine reward in heaven, suddenly wants to “live a little more....” Having first believed in a cure for alcoholism, the Actor commits suicide at the end of the play. Vaska Pepel determines the true value of all these consolations of Luka. He claims that he “tells fairy tales” pleasantly, because there is so little good in the world.

Satin's opinion

Luka is full of sincere pity for the inhabitants of the shelter, but he cannot change anything, help people live a different life. In his monologue, Satin rejects this attitude because he considers it humiliating, suggesting the failure and wretchedness of those at whom this pity is directed. The main characters of the play "At the Bottom" Satin and Luka express opposing opinions. Satin says that it is necessary to respect a person and not humiliate him with pity. These words probably express the author’s position: “Man!.. This sounds... proud!”

The further fate of the heroes

What will happen to all these people in the future, will the heroes of Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” be able to change anything? It is not difficult to imagine their future fate. For example, Tick. At the beginning of the work he tries to get out of the “bottom”. He thinks that when his wife dies, everything will magically change for the better. However, after the death of his wife, Kleshch is left without tools and money and gloomily sings along with others: “I won’t run away anyway.” In fact, he will not run away, like the other inhabitants of the shelter.

What is salvation?

Are there any ways to escape from the “bottom” at all, and what are they? A decisive way out of this difficult situation may be outlined in Satin’s speech when he talks about the truth. He believes that the purpose strong man- to eradicate evil, and not to console the suffering, like Luke. This is one of the firmest convictions of Maxim Gorky himself. People can rise from the bottom only by learning to respect themselves and gaining self-esteem. Then they will be able to bear the proud title of Man. It still needs to be earned, according to Gorky.

Declaring his belief in the creative powers, abilities and intelligence of a free person, Maxim Gorky affirmed the ideas of humanism. The author understood that in the mouth of Satin, a drunken tramp, words about free and proud man sound artificial. However, they had to sound in the play, expressing the ideals of the writer himself. There was no one to say this speech to except Satin.

In his work, Gorky refuted the main principles of idealism. These are the ideas of humility, forgiveness, non-resistance. He made it clear what beliefs the future belongs to. This is proven by the fate of the heroes of the play "At the Bottom." The entire work is imbued with faith in man.