2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
M. Gorky (real name Alexei Peshkov) is the largest literary figure of the Soviet era. He began to write in the 19th century, even then his works seemed to everyone revolutionary and propagandistic. However, the early work of the writer is significantly different from the subsequent. After all, the author began with romantic stories. Gorky's play "At the Bottom" is an example of a realistic drama, in the center of which is the image of the oppressed, hopeless life of the lower classes of Russian society. In addition to social issues, there is an extensive philosophical layer in the work: the characters of the play talk about important issues, in particular, about what is better: truth or compassion?
Genre problem
As for the genre of this work, not all researchers are unanimous. Some people think that it is most fair to call the plays social drama. After all, the main thing that Gorky shows is the problems of people who have sunk to the bottom of life. The heroes of the play are drunkards, cheaters, prostitutes, thieves… The action takes place in a godforsaken rooming house, where no one is interested in their "neighbor". Others believe that it would be more correct to call the work a philosophical drama. According to this point of view, in the center of the image there is a clash of views, a kind of conflict of ideas. The main question that the heroes argue about is: what is better - truth or compassion? Of course, everyone answers this question in their own way. And in general, it is not completely clear whether there is an unambiguous answer. One way or another, the philosophical layer in the play is connected with the appearance of Luke in it, which encourages the inhabitants of the rooming house to think about their own lives.
Heroes of the play
The main characters of the play are the inhabitants of the rooming house. The action involves the owner of the rooming house Kostylev, his wife Vasilisa, Actor (former actor of the provincial theater), Satin, Kleshch (locksmith), Natasha, Vasilisa's sister, thief Vaska Pepel, Bubnov and Baron. One of the characters is a "stranger", this is the wanderer Luka, who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere after the third act. These characters appear throughout the play. There are other characters, but their roles are auxiliary. The Kostylevs are a married couple who can hardly digest each other. Both of them are rude and scandalous, besides cruel. Vasilisa is in love with Vaska Pepel and persuades him to kill her elderly husband. But Vaska does not want to, because he knows her, and knows that she wants to exile him to the labor market in order to separate him from her sister Natalya. The actor and Sateen have a special role in the drama. The actor drank himself a long time ago, his dreams of a big stage are not destined to come true. He, like the man in Luke's story who believed in a righteous land, commits suicide at the end of the play. Sateen's monologues are important. The semantic load, he opposes Luke, although at the same timetime, he does not blame him for lying, unlike other residents of the rooming house. It is Satin who answers the question: what is better - truth or compassion. In the play "At the bottom" there are several deaths. Anna, Klesch's wife, dies at the very beginning of the play. Her role, though not long, but very important. Anna's death against the backdrop of a game of cards makes the situation tragic. In the third act, Kostylev dies in a fight, which further aggravates the situation of the inhabitants of the rooming house. And at the very end, the Actor's suicide occurs, which, however, almost no one pays attention to.
Philosophical content of the play
The philosophical content of the drama falls into two layers. The first is the question of truth. The second is the answer to the central question in the drama: which is better, truth or compassion?
The truth in the play
Hero Luke - an old man, comes to the rooming house and begins to promise a bright future for all the heroes. He tells Anna that after death she will go to heaven, where peace awaits her, there will be no troubles and torments. Luka tells the actor that in some city (he forgot the name) there are hospitals for drunkards where you can get rid of alcoholism absolutely free. but the reader immediately understands that Luke has not forgotten the name of the city, because what he is talking about simply does not exist. Peplu Luka advises to go to Siberia and take Natasha with him, only there they will be able to improve their lives. Each of the inhabitants of the rooming house understands that Luka is deceiving them. But what is truth? That's what the debate is about. according to Luke, the truth cannot always be healed, but a lie that is uttered for good -it's not a sin. Bubnov and Pepel declare that the bitter truth is better, even if it is unbearable, than a lie. But Tick is so confused in his life that he is no longer interested in anything. The truth is that there is no job, no money, and no hope for a better existence. The hero hates this truth as much as Luke's false promises.
Which is better: truth or compassion (based on Gorky's play "At the Bottom")
This is the main question. Luke solves it unambiguously: it is better to lie to a person than to bring him pain. As an example, he cites a man who believed in a true land, he lived and hoped that someday he would get there. But when he found out that there was no such land, there was no hope left, and the man strangled himself. Pepel and Bubnov deny such a position, they are sharply negative towards Luka. Satin takes a slightly different position. He believes that Luka cannot be accused of lying. After all, he lies out of pity and mercy. However, Satin himself does not accept this: a person sounds proud, and one cannot humiliate him with pity. The question "which is better - truth or compassion" in the play "At the bottom" is unresolved. Is there any answer to such a complex and vital question? Perhaps there can be no single answer. Each hero decides it in his own way, and each person has the right to choose what is better - truth or compassion.
Based on Gorky's play "At the Bottom", they write essays and write on various topics, but one of the most popular concerns this particular problem, the problem of lying "for salvation".
How to write an essay?
First of all, you need to remember about the right composition. In addition, in an essay-reasoning, it is necessary to give as an example not only episodes from the work, but also to reinforce what was said with examples from life or other books. The theme "Which is better: truth or compassion" does not allow one-sided interpretation. it must be said that in each situation it is necessary to act differently. Sometimes the truth can kill a person, then the question is: did the person say this, being afraid of sin, or, on the contrary, decided to harm his neighbor and act cruelly. However, not everyone wants to be deceived either. If a person has a chance to fix something, to start life differently, isn't it better to know the truth? But if there is no other way, and the truth turns out to be disastrous, then you can lie. What is better: truth or compassion, what is more needed - everyone decides in his own way at a certain point in his life. You should always remember about humanity and mercy.
So, the play is a complex work with a two-level conflict. At the philosophical level, this is a question: what is better - truth or compassion. The heroes of the Gorky play turned out to be at the bottom of their lives, perhaps Luke's lie for them is the only bright moment in life, so can then what the hero says be considered a lie?
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