Why death is not enough punishment for larra. The image and characteristics of Larra in the story of the bitter old woman Izergil essay

Maxim Gorky entered literature as an author romantic stories. Among them was the work "Old Woman Izergil", written in 1894. In it, the author tries to evaluate a person based on an analysis of his actions. Benefit for other people becomes their measure. Thus, the concept of an ideal and an anti-ideal, characteristic of romanticism, was realized.

Three heroes are in the center of the writer's attention: Izergil, who acts as a narrator, condemned to eternal immortality Larra and who gave his life to save the Danko tribe. A comparative analysis of all three stories (the legends are successfully intertwined with the fate of the old woman herself) is the key to understanding the answer to the question that never loses its relevance: what is the meaning of human existence on earth? In this regard, it is interesting to speculate on what Larra was punished for. Is he the only one to blame for what happened?

Background to the legend of Larra

The story takes place in evening time on the seashore - a typical backdrop for a romantic work. The majestic free nature surrounding the narrator and the old Moldavian lives according to its own laws and at the same time reflects the aspirations of a person, helps to understand his inner world.

The legend that tells about who Larra is, the old woman Izergil remembers not by chance. She points out to her interlocutor the shadows floating across the boundless sky. One of them was "darker and thicker", and moved faster than the others. “He lives for thousands of years… This is what God can do to a man for pride!” - these words became the beginning of a fairy tale about the incredible pride of the eagle man, which became the cause of his curse and immortality.

The story of the birth of the hero

Understanding what Larra was punished for begins with his origins. Once a mighty eagle stole a girl from a strong and powerful tribe. She returned only twenty years later, and next to her was a beautiful young man - a son born from an eagle. The king of birds, which began to weaken, rose up and, folding its wings, rushed to the sharp rocks.

Now his descendant stood before the people - outwardly seemingly like them, but still distinguished by proud and cold eyes. And all his actions emphasized that he felt superior to the rest - even with the elders, the young man spoke as an equal to them. The reason is simple. The young man from birth was distinguished by a different psychology, which makes him unlike people, therefore he has no place among them. This is the first characteristic of Larra - the son of a mighty and freedom-loving eagle and an earthly woman.

Murder of a girl

Immediately opposing himself to the entire tribe, Larra calmly deals with the daughter of one of the elders. She first lured him with her eyes, and then pushed him away, frightened of her father. Everyone around was shackled with fear - for the first time before their eyes, a woman was so cruelly killed. And the son of the eagle proudly stood over his victim, not lowering his head and feeling his superiority over the others, for which he was punished.

Larra embarrassed the elders with his behavior. For a long time they tried to understand the act of the young man. Not finding an answer to their questions, they turned to him himself. And for Larra, everything was simple: “I killed her because ... because she pushed me away.” So the reason for the opposition of one person to the crowd, characteristic of a romantic work, was the exorbitant pride and individualism inherited from the royal bird.

Alienation from people

The elders thought for a long time what punishment Larra deserved. The old woman Izergil said that they went through many options, until the young man himself, with his speeches, prompted them to answer. He considered himself the first on earth, and therefore, as one of the elders noted, freedom would be the worst punishment for him. The “thunder from heaven” that suddenly burst out at that moment convinced them of the correctness of the decision. Larra was released, and since then he has become an "outcast" - this is the meaning of his name.

More than a thousand years have passed, and his shadow still roams the earth alone. At first he lived freely, like a bird, doing whatever he wanted. Nobody paid any attention to him. But one day the proud son of the eagle himself came to the people: he stood for a long time and did not budge. Someone guessed that he was looking for death. However, everyone remembered what Larra was punished for, and therefore they only laughed, looking at him. Then Larra grabbed a knife and stabbed himself in the chest. But it bounced off his body like a stone.

His flesh has long withered away, and he, turning into a shadow, is still looking for death, which he will never find.

The image of Larra: assessment and meaning

The author condemns his hero for his extreme individualism, for daring to oppose himself to the whole tribe. According to M. Gorky, the main objective human existence- service to people. This is how Danko is presented in the story. Larra, on the other hand, is an anti-ideal, for whose behavior and deed there is no justification.

However, do not forget that Larra is not an ordinary person. He is the son of an eagle, who grew up far from people and was not accustomed to human laws. But his trouble is that he is not a bird, like his father. Therefore, Larry deserves not only condemnation, but also sympathy. His tragedy was predetermined at birth.

Composition

The heroes of Gorky's early works are proud, strong, courageous people who single-handedly enter the fight against dark forces. One of these works is the story "Old Woman Izergil".

The plot is based on the memories of the old woman Izergil about her life and the legends she told about Larra and Danko. The legend tells about the brave and handsome young man Danko, who loves people more than himself - selflessly and with all his heart. Danko - real hero- courageous and fearless, in the name of a noble goal - helping his people - he is capable of a feat. When seized with fear, exhausted by a long wandering through impenetrable forest the tribe already wanted to go to the enemy and bring him their freedom as a gift, Danko appeared. Energy and living fire shone in his eyes, the people believed in him and followed him. But weary the hard way, people again lost heart and stopped believing in Danko, and in this crucial moment, when the embittered crowd began to surround him more densely in order to kill him, Danko tore his heart out of his chest, illuminating the path to salvation.

The image of Danko embodies a high ideal - a humanist, a person of great spiritual beauty, capable of self-sacrifice in order to save other people. This hero, despite his painful death, does not evoke a feeling of pity in the reader, because his feat is higher than such feelings. Respect, admiration, admiration - this is what the reader feels when he imagines a young man with a fiery gaze, holding a heart sparkling with love in his hand.

positive lofty image Danko Gorky contrasts the "negative" image of Larra - a proud and selfish Larra considers himself the chosen one and looks at the people around him as miserable slaves. When asked why he killed the girl, Larra replies: “Do you only use your own? I see that each person has only speech, hands and feet, and he owns animals, women, land ... and much more.

His logic is simple and terrible, if everyone began to follow it, then a miserable handful of people would soon be left on earth, fighting for survival and hunting each other. Understanding the depth of Larra's wrong, unable to forgive and forget the crime he committed, the tribe condemns him to eternal loneliness. Life outside of society creates in Larr a feeling of inexpressible longing. “In his eyes,” says Izergil, “there was so much longing that one could poison all the people of the world with it.”

Pride, according to the author, is the most wonderful trait of character. It makes the slave free, the weak - strong, the insignificance turns into a person. Pride does not tolerate anything philistine and "common". But hypertrophied pride gives rise to absolute freedom, freedom from society, freedom from all moral foundations and principles, which ultimately leads to dire consequences.

It is this idea of ​​Gorky that is the key in the story of the old woman Izergil about Larr, who, being just such an absolutely free individual, dies spiritually for everyone (and, above all, for himself), remaining to live forever in his physical shell. The hero found death in immortality. Gorky recalls the eternal truth: one cannot live in society and be free from it. Larra was doomed to loneliness and considered death for himself true happiness. True happiness, according to Gorky, lies in giving yourself to people, as Danko did.

Distinctive feature this story- a sharp contrast, the opposition of good and bad, good and evil, light and dark.

Ideological meaning The story is complemented by a depiction of the image of the narrator - the old woman Izergil. Her memories of her life path- also a kind of legend about a brave and proud woman. The old woman Izergil values ​​freedom most of all, she proudly declares that she has never been a slave. Izergil speaks with admiration of love for a feat: "When a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and finds where it is possible."

In the story "Old Woman Izergil" Gorky draws exceptional characters, glorifies the proud and strong in spirit people for whom freedom is above all. For him, Izergil, Danko and Larra, despite the extreme inconsistency of the nature of the first, the seeming futility of the feat of the second and the infinite remoteness from all the living third, are true heroes, people who bring the idea of ​​​​freedom to the world in its various manifestations.

However, in order to truly live life, it is not enough to “burn”, it is not enough to be free and proud, feeling and restless. You need to have the main thing - the goal. A goal that would justify the existence of man, because "the price of a man is his business." "In life there is always a place for a feat." "Forward! - higher! everything - forward! and - above - this is the credo of a real Man.

Other writings on this work

Maxim Gorky entered literature as an author of romantic stories. Among them was the work "Old Woman Izergil", written in 1894. In it, the author tries to evaluate a person based on an analysis of his actions. Benefit for other people becomes their measure. Thus, the concept of an ideal and an anti-ideal, characteristic of romanticism, was realized.

Three heroes are in the center of the writer's attention: Izergil, who acts as a narrator, condemned to eternal immortality Larra and who gave his life to save the Danko tribe. of all three stories (the legends are successfully intertwined with the fate of the old woman herself) is the key to understanding the answer to the question that never loses its relevance: what is the meaning of human existence on earth? In this regard, it is interesting to speculate on what Larra was punished for. Is he the only one to blame for what happened?

Background to the legend of Larra

The action of the story takes place in the evening on the seashore - a typical backdrop for a romantic work. The majestic free nature surrounding the narrator and the old Moldavian lives according to its own laws and at the same time reflects the aspirations of a person, helps to understand his inner world.

The legend that tells about who Larra is, the old woman Izergil remembers not by chance. She points out to her interlocutor the shadows floating across the boundless sky. One of them was "darker and thicker", and moved faster than the others. “He lives for thousands of years… This is what God can do to a man for pride!” - these words became the beginning of a fairy tale about the incredible pride of the eagle man, which became the cause of his curse and immortality.

The story of the birth of the hero

Understanding what Larra was punished for begins with his origins. Once a mighty eagle stole a girl from a strong and powerful tribe. She returned only twenty years later, and next to her was a beautiful young man - a son born from an eagle. The king of birds, which began to weaken, rose up and, folding its wings, rushed to the sharp rocks.

Now his descendant stood before the people - outwardly seemingly like them, but still distinguished by proud and cold eyes. And all his actions emphasized that he felt superior to the rest - even with the elders, the young man spoke as an equal to them. The reason is simple. The young man from birth was distinguished by a different psychology, which makes him unlike people, therefore he has no place among them. This is the first characteristic of Larra - the son of a mighty and freedom-loving eagle and an earthly woman.

Murder of a girl

Immediately opposing himself to the entire tribe, Larra calmly deals with the daughter of one of the elders. She first lured him with her eyes, and then pushed him away, frightened of her father. Everyone around was shackled with fear - for the first time before their eyes, a woman was so cruelly killed. And the son of the eagle proudly stood over his victim, not lowering his head and feeling his superiority over the others, for which he was punished.

Larra embarrassed the elders with his behavior. For a long time they tried to understand the act of the young man. Not finding an answer to their questions, they turned to him himself. And for Larra, everything was simple: “I killed her because ... because she pushed me away.” So the reason for the opposition of one person to the crowd, characteristic of a romantic work, was the exorbitant pride and individualism inherited from the royal bird.

Alienation from people

The elders thought for a long time what punishment Larra deserved. The old woman Izergil said that they went through many options, until the young man himself, with his speeches, prompted them to answer. He considered himself the first on earth, and therefore, as one of the elders noted, freedom would be the worst punishment for him. The “thunder from heaven” that suddenly burst out at that moment convinced them of the correctness of the decision. Larra was released, and since then he has become an "outcast" - this is the meaning of his name.

More than a thousand years have passed, and his shadow still roams the earth alone. At first he lived freely, like a bird, doing whatever he wanted. Nobody paid any attention to him. But one day the proud son of the eagle himself came to the people: he stood for a long time and did not budge. Someone guessed that he was looking for death. However, everyone remembered what Larra was punished for, and therefore they only laughed, looking at him. Then Larra grabbed a knife and stabbed himself in the chest. But it bounced off his body like a stone.

His flesh has long withered away, and he, turning into a shadow, is still looking for death, which he will never find.

The image of Larra: assessment and meaning

The author condemns his hero for his extreme individualism, for daring to oppose himself to the whole tribe. According to M. Gorky, the main goal of human existence is to serve people. This is how Danko is presented in the story. Larra, on the other hand, is an anti-ideal, for whose behavior and deed there is no justification.

However, do not forget that Larra is not an ordinary person. He is the son of an eagle, who grew up far from people and was not accustomed to human laws. But his trouble is that he is not a bird, like his father. Therefore, Larry deserves not only condemnation, but also sympathy. His tragedy was predetermined at birth.

The work "Old Woman Izergil" - romantic story, which tells the story of three legends. From the lips of an elderly woman, the author learns about two mythical characters: and Larre. Poetic images convey edification and morality, which the author broadcasts to the public through the composition.

History of creation

"Old Woman Izergil" is included in the cycle of romantic stories written by Gorky. This work was created in 1891 during a trip to Bessarabia. Literary critics consider him an example early creativity author. main motives and distinctive features Gorky are seen in this work. It includes three short stories combined general idea. Through three legends, the author describes the value human life. The images of the heroes - Danko and Larra - help to understand the writer's attitude to human freedom.

The legend of Larra presents the reader with the characteristics of an egoist with a mass of negative qualities. To achieve the goal, the young man goes to any extent, demonstrating what permissiveness leads to. In this regard, he is opposed by Danko, who chooses self-sacrifice as the only right decision in life. The old woman Izergil personifies the reality that Gorky allows readers to judge. The meaning of human life main topic a work on which the author argues, introducing the audience to the characters.

"Old Isergil"

The story is typical of romantic works Start. The action takes place in nature. The story is told by an elderly Moldovan woman, whose life is built according to its own laws. The legend of Larra reminds an old woman of a cloud passing by.

The biography of the hero is unusual. He was the son of an eagle and a simple woman. His father stole the girl at a young age and made him his wife. Larra's mother returned to the family twenty years later, when her betrothed died, crashing against the rocks. The son of the courageous eagle was with her. Loneliness and life outside of society are destined for the hero, who is ruled by pride. He put himself above those around him. The psychology of the hero was different from the psychology of his fellow tribesmen, which made him superfluous among them.

Getting out of the crowd, Larra allowed himself to commit a crime, the punishment for which was inevitable. He became interested in the elder's daughter, and when she refused the young man, he killed the girl in front of everyone. The son of the eagle did not lose his composure at this moment. The act remained unsolved by people. Proud and selfish Larra could not forgive the refusal. The hero's decisions were dictated by his origin. The eagle's genes called for self-exaltation. The elders were looking for punishment for the young man for a long time. One of the judges decided that freedom would be his full measure.

First among all, he could not be so alone. "Outcast" - this has been the meaning of the name Larra since then. He wandered the earth alone. At first, such an existence was to the liking of the hero. But one day the young man reappeared in the tribe, and it became clear that he longed for death. No one dared to give Larra such atonement. The young man tried to kill himself with a knife, but the weapon did not succumb to him, as his body turned into a shadow. To this day, he walks through the expanses of the earth, not finding peace.

Gorky exalted service to people above all else, so Larra, in his view, is an anti-hero who cannot be justified. The son of an eagle cannot live according to human laws. But he is not a bird, but a man. This is the tragedy of the hero, predicted by his birth.

Larra personifies lack of spirituality, presenting himself as an ideal and breaking laws human society. In the absence of human destiny he does not find rest and is doomed to eternal wanderings. Larra's eyes, which the old woman Izergil described in detail, symbolize his character. Cold and full of pride, they distinguish the young man from everyone else. Boundless pride pervades the image of Larra and can be seen in his actions.

Quotes

“Everyone was even scared when they realized what kind of loneliness he doomed himself to. He had no tribe, no mother, no livestock, no wife, and he didn't want any of that."

“And now he walks, walks everywhere ... You see, he has already become like a shadow and will be like that forever! He doesn't understand people's speech, their actions, nothing. And he is looking for everything, walking, walking ... He has no life, and death does not smile at him. And there is no place for him among people ... That's how a man was struck for pride!

In the story “Old Woman Izergil”, the author, Maxim Gorky, tells about strong-willed people who are different from other people. The story is told on behalf of an old woman named Izergil. One of the legends that sounded in this story is the legend of Larra. The story began with the fact that Izergil saw a shadow in the distance. She noted that this is Larra, wandering restlessly through the deserts as a punishment for boundless pride.

Larra was the son of an eagle and a woman. Once upon a time, a proud bird stole a girl from her native village and took her away. After 20 years, the eagle died, and the girl returned, taking her son with her.

The boy grew up very arrogant, did not consider other people's opinions and put himself above others. This cannot be called an adequate perception of reality. After all, the young man was not something better than others, but he looked down on everyone. He did not take into account either the advice of the elders or the opinions of other people.

The people of the village were outraged by this behavior of Larra. But the last straw was terrible act young men, when he killed a girl in front of everyone who rejected Larra's selfish desire to take possession of her heart at all costs.

The people for a long time could not come up with a punishment for the young man. They could not understand why he committed such a cruel act, and tried to talk to him in order to find out the motives for such behavior. But Larra was adamant and did not want to explain himself to the people. Then the wisest elder realized that the worst punishment for him would be eternal loneliness, and the inhabitants expelled the young man from the village.

Since then, Larra wandered in splendid isolation and eventually began to be tormented by him. He realized that the worst thing that could be is to be aware of the eventfulness of what is happening around, but not to take any part in this process. Alone with thoughts for an eternity - a terrible torment.

He was immortal and could only die, so he returned to the village, begging to be killed. But the wise elders understood what was the matter and did not do this, again expelling him.

Since then, he has been wandering the world like a shadow, dreaming only of finding peace in eternal torment.

Can you call Larra negative character? Certainly. But is this behavior understandable? On the one hand, the young man was the son of an eagle. And the eagles are distinguished by their proud disposition, because Larra, in general, is not to blame for the fact that he inherited such a character. On the other hand, he was at the same time the son of a man, which means that he must have self-awareness and understand that cynicism must be justified and supported by experience, as well as reflection.

Composition about Larra

In Gorky's work "Old Woman Izergil" Larra appears as the main character. We learn about Larra from the story of the old woman Izergil herself. Larra is a rude, cruel and devoid of any feelings of a person. His name is a symbol, meaning "rejected". At the beginning of the story, the old woman points to the shadow, calling her Larra, more precisely those what's left of it. This was the punishment for young man who dared to show his pride.

Larra was born from an eagle that stole a girl. About twenty years passed after the incident, then the girl returned with her child to her homeland. The eagle died, she was left alone.

In the new environment, Larra showed himself not with the most better side. He did not honor other people, did not show respect for the leaders in the community, did not equal himself with common people considering them unworthy. Larra did not want to make contact with other people, he answered only at his own request, completely ignoring others.

The most terrible was not his antics, but the murder of an innocent girl, which he committed main character. Larra was not used to getting rejected, he always achieved what he wanted by any means. When the girl rebuffed the hero, she pushed him away from herself, to endure such proud Larra failed and killed her.

The members of the community did not tolerate such an ignorant and barbaric attitude, it was decided to punish the protagonist. Of course, before that, they tried to understand the meaning of his actions, but all to no avail. Then the wisest elder said that the best punishment for such a person is exile from people.

And, true, Larra tormented himself, being alone. He returned back to the people, but he was chased away by silence. He wanted death, but could not get it, while other people did not touch him - they knew his motives.

Larra was forced to wander alone forever, such was his punishment for excessive pride.

The protagonist wanted freedom, did not want to obey the rules of society, which led to his eternal wanderings, during which he became a shadow, gradually disappearing.

Larra - villain, using his example, the writer shows what selfishness, excessive selfishness and disrespect for other people can lead to. Larra only at the very end realized what a mistake he had made, but it was already impossible to fix something.

Characteristics of Larra

In the story "Old Woman Izergil" the author tells about people who are strong, proud, different from others. Such is his heroine herself - the old Izergil. She talks about her life, often saying that now there are less and less strong and strong-willed people and that now they do not know how to live at all. From her lips the author heard two legends.

One of them is a legend about a proud man. His name was Larra. This name means - a rejected person. The old woman begins her story about him, drawing the attention of her listener to a shadow in the distance. She says that this is he - the man who was punished for his exorbitant pride.

Larra was the son of an eagle and an ordinary earthly woman. Once upon a time, a strong bird carried her away from her native village while still young. But, 20 years later, the woman returned with her child. She told that his father, an eagle, had died.

The young man was very arrogant and proud. Pride helps a person to be stronger, makes him independent from others and from general laws. Everything would be fine, but in moderation. But this young man did not know her. He considered himself better than others and put himself above all.

He showed no respect for the elders, speaking to them as if they were his equals. When he was asked about something, he answered only if he wanted to. And when people began to explain to him that it was necessary to respect the elders, the young man replied that he did not want to do this. And if he doesn’t want to do something, it means he won’t.

This behavior of the young man outraged and offended everyone. But, most of all, the people were struck by such an act of his, which even none of them could even think of. In front of everyone, he kills the girl who pushed him away. He did it because he wanted to.

After that, people tied him up. Then they began to come up with a punishment for him. They thought for a long time, many executions came to their minds. But, they couldn't pick it up. They tried to talk to him, to understand him. But, all this was in vain.

And so, someone offered to punish him with loneliness and eternal exile. It couldn't have been better. own pride so exhausted Larra that a few years later he himself appeared to those people. He longed for death, wanted them to kill him. But he couldn't die.

He was doomed to immortality. However, it became a curse for him, since his exile remained eternal. The words that there is no place for him among people doomed the unfortunate proud man to endless torment and wandering.

The image of Larra in the legend shows this vice in its highest development. The proud man was pleased with himself, he was free, independent and happy. But, it didn't last long. He destroyed himself. After all, living among people, it is impossible not to be a part of society, not to respect its laws and do everything the way only you want, without thinking about anyone else.

The proud man understands this only when, having had enough of his freedom, he realizes that it is his curse and he has long been spiritually dead. He is just a shadow.

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