2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
"The Gentleman from San Francisco" is a work that belongs to the ranks of Russian classics. The genre of "The Gentleman from San Francisco" cannot be defined immediately, it is necessary to disassemble the work, analyze it, and only then draw any definite conclusions. But it is important to say right away that the work carries a very large semantic load. The theme of the story "The Gentleman from San Francisco" touches on very important vital problems of society.
A few words about the plot
Speaking about the description of the gentleman from San Francisco, it is important to note that the author himself does not name his main character in any way. In other words, the name of the main character is unknown to the reader, because, as Bunin himself writes, no one remembers the name of the man, which is already an indicator that the main character was an ordinary rich man who did not bring any benefit to society.
Besides, as revealed at the end of the story, no one will miss the gentleman from San Francisco. This also proves the fact that amongthe man had no friends and relatives who would truly love and appreciate him, and did not perceive him as a fat wallet that could pay for any whim.
Contents of "The Gentleman from San Francisco" by Bunin
To properly analyze a story, you need to know its content. Continuing the description of the gentleman from San Francisco, let's look at the plot that unfolds around the main character. A man, this very gentleman, goes on a journey with his family, consisting of his wife and daughter. He worked hard throughout his life and now, finally, he can afford such a vacation, as he is pretty rich.
Going to a place of rest on a huge and expensive ship, the master does not deny himself any comfort: the ship has baths, gyms, and ballrooms. Many passengers simply stroll along the decks. From the description of the conditions on this ship, the reader can immediately see that the people on board are rich. They can indulge in all sorts of pleasures: multiple meals, liquors, cigars and more.
When the ship arrives at its final destination - Naples, a gentleman from San Francisco, along with his family, goes to an expensive hotel. Even at the hotel, everything goes as planned: in the morning - breakfast, a walk, in the afternoon - visiting museums and sightseeing, in the evening - a rich table and a hearty dinner. But this year turned out to be not very warm for Naples - it rains incessantly and an icy wind blows. Then the family of the lord ofSan Francisco decides to head to the island of Capri, where rumor has it that the heat is on and the lemons are in bloom.
Death of a rich man
Sitting on a small steamboat, the family does not find a place for itself - they have seasickness, from which they are very exhausted. Having reached the island, the master's family stays at a small hotel. More or less recovered from the hard journey, the family begins to prepare for dinner. Having gathered before his daughter and wife, the man goes to a quiet reading room. Upon opening the newspaper, the gentleman suddenly felt unwell and died of a heart attack.
The body of a San Francisco gentleman is carried into one of the smallest bedrooms in the entire hotel. The wife, daughter and several employees standing around look at him and do not know what to do next - whether to rejoice, or to grieve. The master's wife asks the hotel owner for permission to transfer the body of her late husband to their apartment, but is refused. According to the owner, these rooms are too valuable for his hotel and he simply cannot afford to ruin the reputation of his business. The master's wife also asks where she can order a coffin for the deceased. The owner of the hotel explains that such things cannot be found here, and instead offers the widow a huge soda box as a coffin.
Already at dawn, the body of the late gentleman from San Francisco is sent to his native land. The body, which lies in a well-tarred soda box, is at the very bottom of the ship. Heads home the same way, deep sea waters still terribly noisy around the master.
Protagonist's World
Speaking ofGenre from San Francisco, it's important to say that this is a short story. This is immediately evident from the first lines of the work, which tell the reader about the world from which the man came.
The world from which the main character came is striking in its materiality: there is no place in it for human emotions or miracles - only calculation, only banknotes. The author of "The Gentleman from San Francisco" shows readers how much society has degraded - money has come to the fore, pushing into the background all the spiritual values \u200b\u200bthat were laid down in man by nature.
Main characters
The main characters of "The Gentleman from San Francisco", as you can see even from the summary, are we althy people who do not know any financial difficulties. Their journey was planned for two years, which already indicates that it was carefully thought out. The protagonist is a gentleman from San Francisco, a man whose life is dominated by order and order. Ivan Bunin especially emphasizes all the preparations of the protagonist for this journey. After carefully considering every detail of this trip, the main character shows himself as a responsible person, intolerant of any surprises that can put him in an awkward position, cause difficulties.
The wife of this gentleman is a woman who is used to accepting all kinds of signs of attention from her husband. She is not a support for him, but only takes everything for granted. It is quite ordinary for her that he devoted his life to work in order tokeep your family we althy. The master's daughter is a spoiled girl who has known neither problems nor any hardships throughout her life. Raised in excellent material conditions, she always got everything she wanted. This journey for the girl, as well as for her mother, is something ordinary and acceptable, despite the hard work of her father in his youth. In addition, it cannot be said that the girl loves her father - in her relationship with him one feels cold and indifferent.
About the author
It is worth saying a few words about the author of "The Gentleman from San Francisco". Ivan Bunin, who is already well known to everyone interested in literature at the age of 12-13, became the author of this work. However, "The Gentleman from San Francisco", whose genre is a story, is not at all like those works that are often found in the writer's literary archive. In this story, there is a main character around whom the plot develops. Usually, the writer has works that contain descriptions of landscapes and landscapes that are “stored in memory”, like paintings. For example, Bunin's "Antonov's apples" became exactly the work that does not have any main plot, but contains a description of the beautiful nature that once surrounded the writer.
The image of the gentleman
The story "The Gentleman from San Francisco", whose images are diverse and have a different role for the work, is able to teach readers to take material we alth for granted,unable to prolong life. As we see in the example of the protagonist, who had everything he wanted, money could not save him from a heart attack. And even despite the fact that the gentleman was very rich, his body was transported home not in an expensive coffin, but in an ordinary box, which was hidden at the very bottom of the ship. Money could not even provide him with a worthy "last" way.
Wife and daughter: images
Female images in "The Gentleman from San Francisco" have become an indicator of commercialism in the work. Accustomed to living in abundance, not denying themselves anything for many years, these two figures take all the benefits for granted. The master has become something ordinary for these two heroines, but without any value. Even after the master died, the heroines did not know how to react to his death - on the one hand, they must fall into grief, as a loving wife and daughter would do; on the other hand, the death of the master was desired, she removed the stone from the shoulders of the heroines, freeing them from the onslaught of the man.
General conclusion for the work
Having considered the content of "The Gentleman from San Francisco", whose genre is defined as a story, its main characters, having analyzed all the images, it must be said that the author tried to show how society has deteriorated in a few years. Bunin talks about the degradation of the whole society, which chose money as the main value, forgetting about the simple things that made up the spiritual side of everyone. In addition, in The Gentleman from San Francisco, Ivan Bunin shows the other side of human nature - a person gets used to everything. This is evidenced by the images of the daughter and wife of the master, who take the blessings of a man for granted, not bearing any value. However, they are not developed spiritually. For them, the material, as well as for the rest, comes first, but they do not know the value of money, therefore they are able to throw it to the wind. They do not support the master, they are not even upset by his death. The man's death only ruined the evening for them.
Ivan Bunin touches on a very important topic in the story "The Gentleman from San Francisco" that society is faced with: placing material we alth at the forefront in people's lives and the complete denial of everything spiritual in a person.
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