What is the reason for the rapid fading of faith. The theme of faith and unbelief in Gorky's play "At the Bottom" (Maxim Gorky)

] The central image in the early Gorky is proud and strong personality embodying the idea of ​​freedom . Therefore, Danko, who sacrifices himself for the sake of people, is on a par with the drunkard and thief Chelkash, who does not perform any feats for the sake of anyone. “Power is virtue,” said Nietzsche, and for Gorky, the beauty of a person lies in strength and feat, even aimless: a strong person has the right to be “on the other side of good and evil”, to be outside ethical principles, like Chelkash, and a feat, from this point of view, is resistance to the general flow of life.
After a series of romantic works of the 90s, full of rebellious ideas, Gorky creates a play that has become, perhaps, the most important link in the entire philosophical and artistic system of the writer - the drama "At the Bottom" (1902). Let's see what heroes inhabit the "bottom" and how they live.

II. Conversation on the content of the play "At the bottom"
How is the scene depicted in the play?
(The scene is described in the author's remarks. In the first act, this "cave-like basement", "heavy, stone vaults, sooty, with crumbling plaster". It is important that the writer gives instructions on how the scene is lit: "from the viewer and from top to bottom" the light reaches the bedchambers from the basement window, as if looking for people among the basement inhabitants. Thin partitions fence off Ash's room.
"Everywhere on the walls - bunks". Except for Kvashnya, Baron and Nastya, who live in the kitchen, no one has their own corner. Everything is for show in front of each other, a secluded place only on the stove and behind the cotton canopy that separates the bed of the dying Anna from the others (this way she is already, as it were, separated from life). Dirt everywhere. "dirty cotton canopy", unpainted and dirty table, benches, stool, tattered cardboard, pieces of oilcloth, rags.
Third act takes place in the early spring in the evening on a wasteland, “littered with various rubbish and a yard overgrown with weeds”. Let's pay attention to the color of this place: the dark wall of a barn or stable "gray, covered with remnants of plaster" the wall of the rooming house, the red wall of the brick firewall blocking the sky, the reddish light of the setting sun, the black boughs of elderberry without buds.
Significant changes take place in the setting of the fourth act: the partitions of Ash's former room are broken, and the Tick's anvil has disappeared. The action takes place at night, and the light from the outside world no longer breaks into the basement - the stage is lit by a lamp standing in the middle of the table. However, the last "act" of the drama takes place in a wasteland - the Actor strangled himself there.)

- What kind of people are the inhabitants of the rooming house?
(People who have sunk to the bottom of life end up in a rooming house. This is the last refuge for tramps, outcasts, "former people." All social strata of society are here: the ruined nobleman Baron, the owner of the rooming house Kostylev, policeman Medvedev, locksmith Kleshch, kartuznik Bubnov, merchant Kvashnya , sharpie Satin, prostitute Nastya, thief Pepel. Everyone is equalized by the position of the dregs of society. Very young people live here (the shoemaker Alyoshka is 20 years old) and still not old people (the oldest, Bubnov, 45 years old). However, their life is almost over. Dying Anna introduces herself we are an old woman, and she, it turns out, is 30 years old.
Many shelters do not even have names, only nicknames remain, expressively describing their carriers. The appearance of the dumplings merchant Kvashnya, the character of the Mite, the ambition of the Baron are clear. The actor once bore the sonorous surname Sverchkov-Zadunaisky, and now there are almost no memories left - “I forgot everything.”)

What is the subject matter of the play?
(The subject of the image in the drama "At the bottom" is the consciousness of people thrown out as a result of deep social processes, to the "bottom" of life).

- What is the conflict of the drama?
(social conflict has several levels in the play. The social poles are clearly marked: on one, the owner of the bunkhouse, Kostylev, and the policeman Medvedev, who supports his power, on the other, the bunkhouses, essentially without rights. So it's obvious conflict between power and disenfranchised people. This conflict hardly develops, because Kostylev and Medvedev are not so far from the inhabitants of the rooming house.
Each of the hostels has experienced in the past your social conflict , resulting in a humiliating position.)
Reference:
A sharp conflict situation, played out in front of the audience, is the most important feature of drama as a kind of literature.

- What brought its inhabitants to the rooming house - Satin, Baron, Klesch, Bubnov, Actor, Nastya, Pepel? What is the backstory of these characters?
(satin got "to the bottom" after he served time in prison for murder: "He killed a scoundrel in his temper and irritation ... because of his own sister"; Baron went bankrupt; Mite lost his job: “I am a working person ... I have been working since I was young”; Bubnov he left the house away from sin so as not to kill his wife and her lover, although he himself admits that he is “lazy” and even a drunkard, “would drink the workshop away”; Actor drank himself, "drank away his soul ... died"; fate Ashes was predetermined already at his birth: “I am a thief from childhood ... everyone always told me: thief Vaska, thieves son Vaska!”
The Baron tells in more detail about the stages of his fall (act four): “It seems to me that all my life I have only changed clothes ... but why? I do not understand! He studied - he wore the uniform of a noble institute ... but what did he study? I don't remember... He got married - put on a tailcoat, then - a dressing gown... but he took a bad wife and - why? I don't understand... He lived everything he had - he wore some kind of gray jacket and red trousers... but how did he get mad? I didn't notice... I served in the Treasury Chamber... a uniform, a cap with a cockade... I squandered government money, - they put on me a prisoner's robe... then - I put on this... And that's it... like in a dream. .. a? That's funny? Each stage of the life of the thirty-three-year-old Baron seems to be marked by a certain costume. These dressings symbolize a gradual decline in social status, and there is nothing behind these “dressing up”, life passed “like in a dream”.)

- How is the social conflict interconnected with the dramatic one?
(The social conflict is taken offstage, relegated to the past, it does not become the basis of the dramaturgical conflict. We observe only the result of offstage conflicts.)

- What kind of conflicts, besides the social one, are highlighted in the play?
(The play has traditional love conflict . It is determined by the relationship between Vaska Pepel, Vasilisa, the wife of the owner of the hostel, Kostylev and Natasha, Vasilisa's sister.
Exposure of this conflict- the conversation of the roomers, from which it is clear that Kostylev is looking for his wife Vasilisa in the rooming house, who is cheating on him with Vaska Pepel.
The origin of this conflict- the appearance of Natasha in the rooming house, for the sake of which Pepel leaves Vasilisa.
During development of a love conflict it becomes clear that the relationship with Natasha revives Ash, he wants to leave with her and start a new life.
Conflict climax taken off stage: at the end of the third act, we learn from the words of Kvashnya that “they boiled the girl’s legs with boiling water” - Vasilisa knocked over the samovar and scalded Natasha’s legs.
The murder of Kostylev by Vaska Ashes turns out to be tragic ending of a love conflict. Natasha ceases to believe Ash: “She is at the same time! Damn you! You both…")

- What is the peculiarity of the love conflict?
(Love conflict becomes edge of social conflict . He shows that anti-human conditions cripple a person, and even love does not save a person, but leads to tragedy: to death, mutilation, murder, hard labor. As a result, Vasilisa alone achieves all her goals: she takes revenge on her former lover Pepl and her sister-rival Natasha, gets rid of her unloved and disgusted husband and becomes the sole mistress of the rooming house. There is nothing human left in Vasilisa, and this shows the enormity of the social conditions that have disfigured both the inhabitants of the rooming house and its owners. The roomers are not directly involved in this conflict, they are only bystanders.)

III. Final word of the teacher
The conflict in which all the characters are involved is of a different kind. Gorky depicts the consciousness of the people of the “bottom”. The plot unfolds not so much in external action - in everyday life, but in the dialogues of the characters. Exactly the conversations of the sleepers determine development of dramatic conflict . The action is transferred to the non-event series. It's typical of the genre. philosophical drama .
So, the genre of the play can be defined as a socio-philosophical drama .

Additional material for the teacher
To record at the beginning of the lesson, you can suggest the following plan for analyzing a dramatic work:
1. Time of creation and publication of the play.
2. The place occupied in the work of the playwright.
3. The theme of the play and the reflection of certain life material in it.
4. Actors and their grouping.
5. The conflict of a dramatic work, its originality, the degree of novelty and sharpness, its deepening.
6. Development of dramatic action and its phases. Exposition, plot, ups and downs, climax, denouement.
7. Composition of the play. The role and significance of each act.
8. Dramatic characters and their connection with action.
9. Speech characteristics of the characters. Relationship between character and word.
10. The role of dialogues and monologues in the play. Word and action.
11. Identification of the author's position. The role of remarks in drama.
12. Genre and specific originality of the play. Correspondence of the genre to the author's predilections and preferences.
13. Comedy means (if it's a comedy).
14. Tragic flavor (in case of tragedy analysis).
15. Correlation of the play with the aesthetic positions of the author and his views on the theater. The purpose of the play for a particular scene.
16. Theatrical interpretation of the drama at the time of its creation and beyond. The best acting ensembles, outstanding directorial decisions, memorable incarnations of individual roles.
17. The play and its dramatic traditions.

Homework
Identify the role of Luke in the play. Write out his statements about people, about life, about truth, about faith.

Lesson 2 The role of Luke in the drama "At the Bottom"
The purpose of the lesson: create a problematic situation and encourage students to express their own point of view on the image of Luke and his position in life.
Methodical methods: discussion, analytical conversation.

During the classes
I. Analytical conversation
Let us turn to the extra-event series of the drama and see how the conflict develops here.

- How do the inhabitants of the rooming house perceive their situation before the appearance of Luka?
(AT exposure we see people, in essence, resigned to their humiliating position. The roommates languidly, habitually quarrel, and the Actor says to Sateen: “One day they will completely kill you ... to death ...” “And you are a blockhead,” Satine snaps. "Why?" - the Actor is surprised. "Because you can't kill twice."
These words of Sateen show his attitude towards the existence that they all lead in a rooming house. This is not life, they are all already dead. Everything seems to be clear.
But the Actor's retort is interesting: “I don’t understand ... Why not?” Perhaps it is the Actor, who has died more than once on the stage, who understands the horror of the situation more deeply than others. He is the one who commits suicide at the end of the play.)

- What is the meaning of using past tense in the self-characteristics of the characters?
(People feel "former":
"Satin. I was an educated person” (the paradox is that the past tense is impossible in this case).
"Bubnov. I'm a furrier was ».
Bubnov pronounces a philosophical maxim: “It turns out - don’t paint yourself outside, everything will be erased... everything will be erased, Yes!")

- Which of the characters opposes himself to the rest?
(Only one The tick has not reconciled yet with your fate. He separates himself from the rest of the roomers: “What kind of people are they? Roar, golden company... people! I'm a working man... I'm ashamed to look at them... I've been working since I was little... Do you think I won't get out of here? I’ll get out... I’ll rip off my skin, and I’ll get out... Just wait... my wife will die...”
The dream of another life is connected with the Tick with the liberation that the death of his wife will bring him. He does not feel the enormity of his statement. Yes, and the dream will be imaginary.)

What scene is the beginning of the conflict?
(The beginning of the conflict is the appearance of Luke. He immediately announces his views on life: “I don’t care! I respect crooks too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: everyone is black, everyone jumps ... that's it. And one more thing: “To the old man - where it is warm, there is the homeland ...”
Luke turns out in the center of guests' attention: “What an interesting old man you brought, Natasha ...” - and all the development of the plot is concentrated on him.)

- How does Luka behave with each of the inhabitants of the rooming house?
(Luke quickly finds an approach to the overnight stays: "I'll look at you, brothers - your life - oh-oh! .."
He takes pity on Alyoshka: "Oh, boy, you're confused ...".
He does not respond to rudeness, skillfully bypasses questions that are unpleasant for him, and is ready to sweep the floor instead of the bedchambers.
Luka becomes necessary for Anna, pities her: “How can you leave a person like that?”.
Luka skillfully flatters Medvedev, calling him "under", and he immediately falls for this bait.)

- What do we know about Luke?
(Luka says almost nothing about himself, we only learn: “They crumpled a lot, that’s why he is soft ...”)

- How does Luke affect the overnight stays?
(In each of the lodging-houses, Luka sees a man, reveals their bright sides, the essence of personality , and this produces revolution in life heroes.
It turns out that the prostitute Nastya dreams of beautiful and bright love;
the drunken Actor receives hope for a cure for alcoholism - Luke tells him: “A person can do anything, if only he wants to ...”;
thief Vaska Pepel plans to leave for Siberia and start a new life there with Natasha, to become a strong master.
Anna Luca gives consolation: “Nothing, dear! You - hope ... That means you will die, and you will be calm ... you will not need anything else, and there is nothing to be afraid of! Quiet, calm - lie to yourself!
Luke reveals the good in every person and inspires faith in the best.)

- Did Luka lie to the rooming-houses?
(There may be different opinions on this.
Luke selflessly tries to help people, to instill in them faith in themselves, to awaken the best sides of nature.
He sincerely wants the best shows real ways to achieve a new, better life . After all, there really are hospitals for alcoholics, indeed Siberia is the “golden side”, and not just a place of exile and hard labor.
As for the afterlife with which he beckons Anna, the question is more complicated; it is a matter of faith and religious beliefs.
What did he lie about? When Luka convinces Nastya that he believes in her feelings, in her love: “If you believe, you had true love ... then it was! Was!" - he only helps her find the strength in herself for life, for real, not fictional love.)

- How do the inhabitants of the rooming house relate to the words of Luke?
(The overnight stayers are at first distrustful of Luka’s words: “Why are you lying all the time? Luka does not deny this, he answers the question with a question: “And ... why do you really need it painfully ... think about it! She, really, can , butt for you ... "
Even to a direct question about God, Luke answers evasively: “If you believe, there is; if you don’t believe it, no ... What you believe in is what it is ...”)

What groups can the characters of the play be divided into?
(The heroes of the play can be divided into "believers" and "non-believers" .
Anna believes in God, Tatar - in Allah, Nastya - in "fatal" love, Baron - in her past, perhaps invented. Tick ​​no longer believes in anything, and Bubnov never believed in anything.)

- What is the sacred meaning of the name "Luka"?
(At the name "Luka" dual meaning: this name is reminiscent of Evangelist Luke, means "light coloured", and at the same time associated with the word "sly"(euphemism for the word "crap").)

- What is the author's position in relation to Luke?
(The author's position is expressed in the development of the plot.
After Luke left everything happens not at all as Luke convinced and as the heroes expected .
Vaska Pepel really ends up in Siberia, but only to hard labor, for the murder of Kostylev, and not as a free settler.
The actor, who has lost faith in himself, in his strength, exactly repeats the fate of the hero of Luke's parable about the righteous land. Luke, telling a parable about a man who, having lost faith in the existence of a righteous land, strangled himself, believes that a person should not be deprived of dreams, hopes, even imaginary ones. Gorky, showing the fate of the Actor, assures the reader and viewer that it is false hope that can lead a person to commit suicide .)
Gorky himself wrote about his plan: The main question I wanted to ask is what is better, truth or compassion. What is needed. Is it necessary to bring compassion to the point of using lies, like Luke? This is not a subjective question, but a general philosophical one.

- Gorky contrasts not truth and falsehood, but truth and compassion. How justified is this opposition?
(Discussion.)

- What is the significance of Luke's influence on the overnight stays?
(All characters agree that Luke instilled in them false hope . But after all, they didn’t promise to lift them from the bottom of life, he simply showed their own capabilities, showed that there is a way out, and now everything depends on them.)

- How strong is the faith in yourself awakened by Luke?
(This belief did not have time to gain a foothold in the minds of the roommates, it turned out to be fragile and lifeless, with the disappearance of Luke, hope goes out)

- What is the reason for the rapid fading of faith?
(Maybe the thing in the weakness of the heroes themselves , in their inability and unwillingness to do at least something to implement new plans. Dissatisfaction with reality, a sharply negative attitude towards it, are combined with a complete unwillingness to do anything to change this reality.)

- How does Luke explain the failures of the overnight stay life?
(Luke explains the failures of the life of overnight shelters by external circumstances , does not blame the heroes themselves for a failed life. Therefore, she reached out to him so much and was so disappointed, having lost external support with the departure of Luke.)

II. Final word of the teacher
Gorky does not accept passive consciousness, whose ideologist he considers Luke.
According to the writer, it can only reconcile a person with the outside world, but this world will not move him to change.
Although Gorky does not accept Luka's position, this image seems to be getting out of the author's control.
According to the memoirs of I. M. Moskvin, in the production of 1902, Luka appeared as a noble comforter, almost the savior of many desperate inhabitants of the rooming house. Some critics saw in Luka "Danko, who was given only real features", "the spokesman of the highest truth", found elements of Luka's exaltation in Beranger's verses, which the Actor shouts out:
Lord! If the truth is holy
The world can't find the way,
Honor to the madman who will inspire
Mankind has a golden dream!
K. S. Stanislavsky, one of the directors of the play, planned path "decrease" hero.“Luke is cunning”, “looking slyly”, “slyly smiling”, “insinuatingly, softly”, “it is clear that he is lying”.
Luke is a living image precisely because he is contradictory and ambiguous.

Homework
Find out how the question of truth is resolved in the play. Find statements of different characters about the truth.

Lesson 3
The purpose of the lesson: to reveal the positions of the heroes of the play and the author's position in relation to the question of truth.
Methodical methods: analytical conversation, discussion.

During the classes
I. Teacher's word
A philosophical question posed by Gorky himself: Which is better, truth or compassion? The question of truth is multifaceted. Each person understands the truth in his own way, having in mind some final, higher truth. Let's see how the truth and lies correlate in the drama "At the Bottom".

II. Dictionary work
- What do the heroes of the play mean by "truth"?
(Discussion. This word is ambiguous. We advise you to look into the explanatory dictionary and identify the meanings of the word “truth”.

Teacher comment:
Can be distinguished two levels of "truth".
One is " private truth, which the hero defends, assures everyone, and above all himself, of the existence of an extraordinary, bright love. Baron - in the existence of his prosperous past. Kleshch calls his situation true, which turned out to be hopeless even after the death of his wife: “There is no work ... there is no strength! Here is the truth! Shelter... there is no shelter! You need to breathe ... here it is, really! For Vasilisa, the “truth” is that she is “tired” of Vaska Pepl, that she mocks her sister: “I’m not boasting - I’m telling the truth.” Such a "private" truth is at the level of a fact: it was - it was not.
Another level of "truth" "worldview"- in Luke's remarks. Luke's "truth" and his "falsehood" are expressed by the formula: "What you believe is what you are."

III. Conversation
- Do you really need the truth?
(Discussion.)

- The position of which character opposed to Luke's position?
(Positions of Luke, compromising, comforting, opposes the position of Bubnov .
This is the darkest figure in the play. Bubnov enters into an argument implicitly, like talking to myself , supporting the polyphony (polylogue) of the play.
First act, scene at the bedside of the dying Anna:
Natasha (to Tick). You should, tea, treat her more kindly now .., after all, not for long ...
Mite. I know...
Natasha. You know... It's not enough to know, you understand. It's scary to die...
Ash. And I'm not afraid...
Natasha. How! .. Courage ...
Bubnov (whistling). And the threads are rotten ...
This phrase is repeated several times throughout the play, as if

The purpose of the lesson: to create a problem situation and encourage students to express their own point of view on the image of Luke and his position in life.

Methodical techniques: discussion, analytical conversation.

Lesson equipment: portrait and photographs of A.M. Gorky of different years.

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During the classes.

1. Analytical conversation.

Let us turn to the extra-event series of the drama and see how the conflict develops here.

How do the inhabitants of the rooming house perceive their situation before the appearance of Luke?

(In the exposition, we see people, in fact, resigned to their humiliating position. The roommates languidly, habitually quarrel, and the Actor says to Satin: “One day they will completely kill you ... to death ...” “And you are a blockhead,” Satin snaps. “Why "- the Actor is surprised. "Because - you can’t kill twice." These words of Sateen show his attitude to the existence that they all lead in a rooming house. This is not life, they are all already dead. It seems everything is clear. But the response is interesting Actor: “I don’t understand… why not?” Perhaps it is the Actor, who has died more than once on the stage, who understands the horror of the situation more deeply than others. After all, it is he who commits suicide at the end of the play.)

- What is the meaning of using the past tense in the self-characteristics of the characters?

(People feel like “former”: “Satin. I was an educated person” (the paradox is that the past tense is impossible in this case). “Bubnov. I was a furrier.” Bubnov utters a philosophical maxim: don’t paint yourself, everything will be erased ... everything will be erased, yes!”).

Which character is opposed to the rest?

(Only one Kleshch has not yet resigned himself to his fate. He separates himself from the rest of the rooming houses: “What kind of people are they? Ran, a golden company ... people! I am a working person ... I am ashamed to look at them ... I have been working since I was young ... I won’t get out of here? )

Which scene is the beginning of the conflict?

(The outset of the conflict is the appearance of Luka. He immediately announces his views on life: “I don’t care! I respect crooks, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: everyone is black, everyone jumps ... that’s it.” And also: “An old man - where it’s warm, there is a homeland ...” Luka is in the center of attention of the guests: “What an interesting old man you brought Natasha ...” - and all the development of the plot is concentrated on him.)

How does Luke affect the overnight stays?

(Luka quickly finds an approach to the rooming houses: “I’ll take a look at you, brothers, - your life - oh-oh! ....” He pities Alyoshka: “Oh, boy, you are confused ....” He does not respond to rudeness, skillfully bypasses questions that are unpleasant for him, is ready to sweep the floor instead of bed-beds. Luka becomes necessary for Anna, pities her: “How can you leave a person like that?” Luka skillfully flatters Medvedev, calling him “under”, and he immediately falls for this bait.)

What do we know about Luke?

(Luka says almost nothing about himself, we only learn: “They crushed a lot, that’s why he is soft ...”.)

What does Luke say to each of the inhabitants of the rooming house?

(In each of them, Luka sees a person, reveals their bright sides, the essence of personality, and this makes a revolution in the lives of the heroes. It turns out that the prostitute Nastya dreams of beautiful and bright love; the drunken Actor receives hope for a cure for alcoholism; the thief Vaska Pepel plans to leave to Siberia and start a new life there with Natalia, to become a strong master.Anna Luka gives consolation: "Nothing, nothing more will be needed, and there is nothing to be afraid of! Quiet, rest - lie to yourself! "Luke reveals the good in every person and inspires faith in the best.)

Did Luke lie to the rooming-houses?

(There may be different opinions on this matter. Luke selflessly tries to help people, inspire faith in themselves, awaken the best aspects of nature. He sincerely wishes for good, shows real ways to achieve a new, better life. After all, there really are hospitals for alcoholics, indeed Siberia - the golden side, and not just a place of exile and hard labor. As for the afterlife with which he beckons Anna, the question is more complicated; this is a matter of faith and religious beliefs. What did he lie about? When Luka convinces Nastya that he believes in her feelings, in her love: "If you believe, you had true love ... it means - it was! It was! "- he only helps her find the strength in herself for life, for real, not fictional love.)

How do the inhabitants of the rooming house feel about Luke's words?

(The overnight stayers are at first distrustful of his words: “Why are you all lying?” Luka does not deny this, he answers the question with a question: “And ... why do you really need it painfully ... think about it! She, really, can , butt for you ... ". Even to a direct question about God, Luka answers evasively: "If you believe, there is; if you don’t believe, no ... What you believe, that is ... ".)

What groups can the characters in the play be divided into?

"believers" "non-believers"

Anna believes in God. Tick ​​no longer believes in anything.

Tatar - in Allah. Bubnov never believed in anything.

Nastya - in fatal love.

Baron - in his past, perhaps invented.

What is the sacred meaning of the name "Luke"?

(The name "Luka" has a dual meaning: this name resembles the evangelist Luka, meaning "bright", and at the same time associated with the word "evil" (hell).)

(The author's position is expressed in the development of the plot. After Luka's departure, everything happens completely different from what Luka convinced and how the heroes expected. Vaska Pepel really ends up in Siberia, but only to hard labor, for the murder of Kostylev, and not as a free settler. The actor who lost faith in himself, in his strength, exactly repeats the fate of the hero of Luke's parable about the righteous land.Luke, telling a parable about a man who, having lost faith in the existence of a righteous land, strangled himself, believes that a person cannot be deprived of dreams, hopes, even imaginary. while showing the fate of the Actor, he assures the reader and viewer that it is precisely false hope that can lead a person to suicide.)

Gorky himself wrote about his plan: “The main question I wanted to pose is what is better, truth or compassion. What is needed. Is it necessary to bring compassion to the point of using lies, like Luke? This is not a subjective question, but a general philosophical one.

Gorky contrasts not truth and falsehood, but truth and compassion. How justified is this opposition?

(This belief did not have time to gain a foothold in the minds of the roommates, it turned out to be fragile and lifeless, with the disappearance of Luka, hope goes out.)

What is the reason for the rapid fading of faith?

(Perhaps the point is the weakness of the heroes themselves, their inability and unwillingness to do at least something to implement new plans. Dissatisfaction with reality, a sharply negative attitude towards it, is combined with a complete unwillingness to do anything to change this reality.)

How does Luke explain the failures of the overnight stay life?

(Luke explains the failures of the life of the rooming houses by external circumstances, does not at all blame the heroes themselves for the failed life. Therefore, they were so drawn to him and so disappointed, having lost their external support with the departure of Luke.)

Luke is a living image, precisely because he is contradictory and ambiguous.

1. Discussion of D.Z.

The philosophical question posed by Gorky himself: what is better - truth or compassion? The question of truth is multifaceted. Each person understands the truth in his own way, having in mind some final, higher truth. Let's see how the truth and lies correlate in the drama "At the Bottom".

What do the characters in the play mean by truth?

(This word has many meanings. See the dictionary.

There are two levels of "truth".

Prepare for an essay on the work of M. Gorky.

1. The "truth" of Luke.
2. Interpretation of the image of Luke.
3. The role of Luke in the life of the inhabitants of the "bottom".

The socio-philosophical drama "At the Bottom" was conceived by Gorky in 1900. The play was first published in Munich in 1902. In Russia, the work was published by the Znanie publishing house in 1903. The play shows the life of the inhabitants of the rooming house. These are degraded, unfortunate, destitute people. There is nothing bright in their lives.

The image of Luke is rightfully considered the most complex in the play. This man is trying to console the suffering. His position directly contradicts the phrase: "Truth is the god of a free man." Luke does not accept the cruel and evil "truth". For him, the truth is the “truth” in which a person believes.

Luka is very kind to those around him. He finds for everyone exactly those words that a person needs. Let this consolation have nothing to do with the real truth of life. But on the other hand, if you can make a person even a little happier, why neglect this opportunity? The play raises a complex philosophical question, whether Luke's compassion is better than the bare "truth" that reveals to the inhabitants of the "bottom" all the wretchedness of their existence... Everyone can answer this question in different ways. But one cannot but admit that the role of Luke in the life of other characters in the play is great.

Luke is not trying to convince anyone of anything: He simply consoles those who need it. He does not impose his point of view, and this shows his wisdom. Luke is sure: "What you believe is what you are." One cannot but agree with this. A person's subjective perception of the surrounding reality can be very different from the opinions of others. But the opinion of others is not necessarily considered true. Luke helps the underprivileged find hope. But this is very important for a person.

Critics could not come to unambiguous conclusions about the image of Luke. Some believed that Luka is a positive hero, because he helps people find something good in themselves. Others considered Luka a negative character, because after he left the rooming house, the inhabitants of the "bottom" had even more difficulty, because they were forced to say goodbye to illusions. The attitude of Gorky himself towards Luka was very contradictory. In 1910, the writer spoke about the hero of the play: “Luka is a crook. He doesn't really believe in anything. But he sees how people suffer and rush about. He feels sorry for these people. So he says different words to them - for consolation.

The inhabitants of the rooming house treat Luka as a storyteller. They do not delude themselves about the words of the old man. For example, Pepel says: “You lie well ... You speak tales nicely! Lie! Nothing...". So, Luke's words still find a response in the souls of tormented people.

Anna Luca consoles with talk about the peace that will come after death. For a dying woman, these words can mean much more than the reasoning of the "working man", her husband Klesch, that after her death he will be able to arrange his life. So, in this case, the role of Luke is certainly positive. To an actor suffering from drunkenness, Luke talks about special hospitals where alcoholics can be cured. This hope could give strength. And Luka cannot be blamed for the fact that, having lost hope, the Actor decides to commit suicide. Hope for a better lot could make a person stronger if he initially had at least a little more strength and desire to break out of the vicious circle.

Vaska Peplu Luka says that his life in Siberia will not turn out so badly. “And the good side is Siberia! Golden side! Whoever is in power and in the mind is there - like a cucumber in a greenhouse! Let the old man's words be doubtful. But on the other hand, an attempt to instill confidence in the future is better than the intention to trample a person into the dirt, to deprive him of his last dream.

It is no coincidence that Luke tells a parable about how a certain person believed that somewhere there is a righteous land. And when the faith was destroyed by a scientist who managed to prove that this land does not exist, the man hanged himself. He could not survive the collapse of his hopes. The old man is sure that a lie can bring salvation, but the truth, on the contrary, is dangerous and cruel.

The image of Luke is the personification of humanity and philanthropy. Paradoxically, he himself is the same inhabitant of the "bottom" as the others. But he has not lost his human qualities, he finds in himself kindness and compassion for those around him. The rest for a long time no longer find in themselves at least a drop of sympathy for those who are nearby. How did Luke manage to keep kindness in himself? Perhaps the reason for this is that, unlike those around him, he does not cease to love and respect the people around him. Even in those cases when there is nothing to love and respect them for. Attempts to console the suffering for Luke are not valuable in themselves. He does not revel in his role as a comforter, he uses lies as a means to awaken something human in the dead souls of the inhabitants of the "bottom". And it is not his fault for the lack of results. Luka can be reproached for the fact that after his departure, the life of the inhabitants of the rooming house became even more difficult. They had to part with illusions, again they found themselves face to face with the realities of life. But on the other hand, the reproaches against the elder look unfounded. The trouble with the inhabitants of the “bottom” is that they are inactive, submit to circumstances, do not try to do anything to change their fate. Luke could be a guiding light for the Actor. But it's easier to believe Sateen. Not Luca, but Satin and the Baron caused the Actor's suicide. After all, it was they who convinced the unfortunate that there are no hospitals for alcoholics. On the other hand, was it in hospitals? Couldn't the Actor believe in his future and make attempts to change something in life? Luka tried to influence him, said to Sateen: “And you, why are you confusing him?” The rest are indifferent to the words, both their own and those of others.

Luca leaves the rooming house because he can't change the course of things. It is not in his power to help people leave the "bottom", to become full members of society. Luke understands that his help to the disadvantaged cannot be something material, tangible. The role of the comforter cannot be permanent, otherwise it will depreciate. Attempts to inspire hope, to encourage should resemble a flash of light in impenetrable darkness. And then people will decide for themselves whether to do something or not. The play does not answer whether the life of at least one of the inhabitants of the bottom will change. And, in my opinion, this is not accidental; Gorky in the work posed the most difficult questions, which everyone can answer in their own way.

In school years, many probably had a chance to get acquainted with the work of the respected Russian writer Maxim Gorky - the play “At the Bottom”, without embellishment, describing to all of us the familiar archetypes of people living in Russian realities.

Despite the fact that more than a century has passed since the publication of the drama, the situations that it touches on remain relevant today.

In this article, we will analyze in detail the image of the character Luke from this play, get acquainted with his statements and talk about the attitude of other heroes of the work towards him.

Where did the wanderer come from

does not reveal the secret the origin of Luke, only a fleeting mention of his wandering life. The wanderer has neither a homeland, nor at least some definite place of residence. He himself says this about it: "Old man – where it is warm, there is the homeland”.

The inhabitants of the rooming house are also not interested in the past of the old man, they are preoccupied with their problems and attempts "get out in public", and not drag out an existence “at the bottom” for the rest of your life.

Analysis of character characteristics

Luke appears before us in the form soft-hearted old man preaching goodness, love, pity and the will of a person to create his life as his heart tells.

An aura of peacefulness and understanding comes from the hero, which, of course, disposes the characters of the play to him, making them believe that the future is not hopeless and there is a chance to improve their social position, fulfill dreams and desires.

To everyone who, willy-nilly, ended up in a rooming house, Luke chooses the right words, gives everyone hope and encourages them to believe in their dreams, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to themselves and others.

But no matter how sweet and comforting the words of the wanderer sounded, they were only empty sounds, distracting roommates from everyday hardships, and not real support, giving strength to get out of poverty and dishonor.

However, Luka is not a liar, he just sincerely pities those around him and cheers them up, even if it is absolutely pointless and useless.

Luke's relationship with other characters in the play "At the Bottom"

The characters relate to the elder in two ways:

• alone ( thief Vaska Pepel, Actor, Anna, Nastya, Natasha) tell him with relief about their life, confess and receive in response the necessary pity, sympathy and soothing statements;
• other ( kartuznik Bubnov, Satin, Baron, Tick) do not trust a stranger too much and speak to him briefly and skeptically.

One thing is certain - nobody remained indifferent to the appearance of such an extraordinary personality in such a dirty and doomed place.

After the sudden disappearance of the wanderer, the fate of some characters has changed dramatically. The wife of the locksmith Kleshch, Anna, died of tuberculosis, the Actor could not come to terms with the hopelessness of his life and hanged himself, Vaska Pepel went to hard labor in Siberia due to an accidental murder, his dreams of an honest life with Natasha came to an end. The rest of the heroes continued to while away their time in a rooming house, but at the same time started thinking about the meaning of their existence, their actions and the problems of others.

Parable of the Righteous Land

The parable of Luke tells us about a man who endured all the hardships and sufferings of earthly life, believing that there is a righteous land where people live in great relationships, help each other and never lie. One day he went to a local scientist he knew and asked him to show the righteous land on a map. He tried to find what he was looking for, but could not. Then the man got angry, hit the scientist, and then went home and strangled himself.

This parable seemed to predetermine the fate of several characters - the death of Anna and the Actor, the imprisonment of the thief Vaska. They believed that their own righteous land would be found for them, that it was possible to get out of the bottom, poverty, but this did not happen. Luka soon left, and with him the hope that warms the heroes of the play also left.

Quotes

The play "At the bottom" is rich thoughtful phrases and the statements of the characters, but perhaps the most significant of them are the words of Elder Luke.

Here are a few of his quotes, which should be analyzed and pondered by everyone who has read the play “At the Bottom” by Gorky:

“All of them are people! No matter how you pretend, no matter how you wiggle, but you were born a man, you will die a man ... "

"I don't care! I respect crooks too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: everyone is black, everyone jumps ... "

“You, girl, do not be offended ... nothing! Where is it, where are we to pity the dead? E, honey! We don’t feel sorry for the living… we can’t feel sorry for ourselves… where is it!”

“Here, then, you will die, and you will be calm ... you will not need anything else, and there is nothing to be afraid of!”

“... not in the word - the point, but - why is the word spoken? - that's the problem!"

Outcome

The image of the wanderer Luka in Maxim Gorky turned out to be very multifaceted and reflective major philosophical questions about life, love, principles and human priorities.

And not only Luke - all the characters in one way or another reflect those who we meet in real life.

The writer managed to reflect in his work entertaining philosophical and psychological ideas:

All of the above is important for a correct understanding of the work and simply the situations that happen to people around us, it teaches us to sympathize and set life priorities correctly.

Russian writers have always shown an interest in philosophical problems, that is, in the problems of human existence and the meaning of life. The work of M. Gorky was no exception, and the play "At the Bottom" is rightfully considered the first Russian socio-philosophical drama. One of the most complex in the play is the image of Luke. It is with him that the main philosophical question is connected: “Which is better: truth or compassion?”.

Luke is an itinerant preacher. He appears in a rooming house in the midst of disputes of its inhabitants about conscience and honor. Do they need people who are at the very bottom of life?

The mission of the comforter falls to the share of Luke. He calms everyone and promises deliverance from suffering to everyone. And Luke does not invent anything. Knowing how to feel the dreams and desires of people surprisingly subtly, he only convinces them of what they themselves hope for in the depths of their souls. Luke's position in life is based on the phrase he himself said: "What you believe is what you are." He advises the dying Anna not to be afraid of death, because death will free her from pain and torment. He tells the actor about the possibility of recovering from alcohol in a special hospital. Ash after the words of Luke begins to believe that he will find his happiness with Natasha on the "golden side" of Siberia.

The inhabitants of the rooming house have different attitudes towards the old man. So, Nastya, for example, after Luka left, says: “The old man was good!” The tick especially emphasizes that Luke is compassionate. And even Luka's antagonist Satin notes that Luka "was like crumb for the toothless", that he acted on him, "like acid on a rusty coin." But the Baron calls him a charlatan, and the same Klesch says that the old man did not like the truth. And again, oddly enough, Satin rushes to Luke's defense. He interrupts the Baron with the words: "Silence! .. be silent about the old man!" How do you evaluate Luka anyway?

A number of researchers associate the name of Luke with the evil one, with the tempter. But still this is not entirely true. He does not seduce or tempt anyone. However, his name, apparently, is connected with the word "crafty" in the meaning of "cunning". Luka is not as simple as it seems at first glance: he is an outstanding person with great life experience. He quickly navigates the situation, finds an approach to almost everyone. In addition, the name of the hero is associated with the gospel apostle Luke. Before us is a certain bearer of wisdom, the spokesman of his truth, which is connected in a significant way with the Christian commandments. Luke's story about how he took pity on two robbers who were plotting a murder and fed them (that is, responded to evil with good), just confirms this.

Yet for all its complexity and ambiguity, Luke deserves respect. First of all, this person is kind and sympathetic. He is sincere in his attitude towards the people of the “bottom”. In addition, he does not impose his views on anyone. And most importantly, he himself has no personal benefit from this lie. According to Luke, a person lives "for the best." This means that his dreams, hopes, self-esteem should be strengthened, which he does, driven by pity and mercy.

The question of the author's attitude to Luke is very complicated. It is known that the writer more than once called him a swindler, a saint and a rogue. Yes, indeed, Luke expresses his compassion in a peculiar form - in the form of a lie, a beautiful fairy tale. But his lie is not everyday, it can sometimes even be called high. This is a kind of Christian lie for salvation. He believes that the truth is too scary for people, and therefore wants to embellish their existence, bringing a "golden dream" into it.

No matter how Gorky opposed his hero, nevertheless, the writer turned out to be better, wiser and kinder than he originally conceived. When at the end of the play the rooming houses try to “judge” Luka, the author refuses them: Satin immediately and irrevocably stops all conversations.

Thus, in the play "At the Bottom" M. Gorky creates a very interesting and controversial image. On the one hand, Luka is kind and helps people not to lose heart. On the other hand, his lies lead to the fact that the most weak-minded people do not endure, and their return from the land of dreams to the horror of everyday life is too hard for them to bear. Thus, for example, the loss of faith leads the Actor to suicide.

Gorky, of course, stands in the position of Sateen and condemns Luka. However, there is no such direct condemnation in the play. The reader and the viewer themselves will have to decide what is better: the truth of Sateen or a lie to save Luke. Or maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

So, Luke takes part in the fate of people thrown to the bottom of life. In his speeches and actions, he tries to distract people from their bleak life, although he knows the sad result of each of the overnight stays. Luke's humanity is necessary for people, because he awakens sympathy, compassion in people, those main values ​​without which one cannot be called a man. But, of course, pity in itself is not able to save people from suffering. Decisive changes in reality are needed. Therefore, Luka and Satin are not antagonists, but rather allies. Luke, like a doctor, patiently and wearily heals tormented souls, and Satin is a dreamer, endowed with the gift of bold creative thought, able to see far and vigilantly. But, unlike Luke, Satin is not a worker in the field of human suffering, but a contemplative. People in and of themselves don't interest him. He is far from their suffering. He is only interested in his own thought, breaking out far beyond the walls of the rooming house.

Luka and the inhabitants of the rooming house. Disputes about ways to achieve the ideal in M. Gorky's play "At the Bottom"

Teacher: Potapushkina

Irina Grigorievna

Biysk, 2007

Objectives: 1) in the course of observing the fate of the heroes, to show the reasons for the tragic fate of the heroes, the clash of different opinions about the truth;

2) the formation of the skill of analytical reading, the ability to generalize and systematize.

During the classes:

Formulation of the problem.

What is the conflict in the play?

At first glance, social, since the position of the heroes in society is obvious - they turned out to be outcasts, there is an ambivalent attitude towards such people: on the one hand, they cause disgust, on the other hand, one cannot but sympathize with them. But there is no obvious contradiction, for example, between the inhabitants of the rooming house and the rest of the characters in the play. In the dialogues and monologues of the characters on seemingly completely mundane and mundane topics, we see a hidden (or obvious) desire for the ideal, the desire to comprehend the meaning of life.

It is no coincidence that the key word of the play is the word "truth" as a philosophical category. The characters have different ideas about the truth. We have to find out which "truth" is the truth, or maybe all the heroes are right in their own way?

On the eve of the lesson, groups of 2-3 people receive a task: select material from the text on the character, answer the questions proposed by the teacher, and draw conclusions. At the lesson, each group presents to the attention of classmates the results of their work, which should be recorded in a table. During the lesson, students turn to the text, answer questions from the teacher.

Recently, there was a story on television news from Holland that temples and churches in this country are becoming unclaimed. People stop attending churches. And the need for them disappears by itself. Instead of temples, people visit discos, bars, nightclubs. Even the monasteries are empty. And immediately there are clever businessmen who decided to sell church real estate for these same clubs, discos and bars.

Once upon a time we were horrified by what the Bolsheviks did to churches. They didn't blow them all up either. Some of them were used for clubs, cultural centers, hostels, warehouses, elevators and even prisons.

There was no revolution in the West, and there were no militant atheists either. Atheism did not become the state religion there, but what is happening now in Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Norway and even England very vividly resembles the times of atheists in the USSR, only with a bourgeois touch.

What happened? In temples and monasteries, on ancient altars they drink alcohol, under the ancient vaults heavy rock rumbles. Top climbing competitions are held on the walls of the bell towers. Churches host casinos and nightclubs. Hostels for emigrants in monasteries. Where did this decline of the church come from? Why even the Pope once said that you need to know the true face of God. Why can't even a single sermon in the United States be done without comparing anything to dollars, to private property? In sermons they talk about anything, but not about the higher and the spiritual. We asked the spirit of Jesus to comment on the situation. What did he say?

Any religion had its decline in the history of the Earth. There are many external reasons for this. This is the benefit of people. First of all - clergymen, and forging any faith to suit their interests, rewriting the Scriptures in order to do their own deeds with the help of the Scriptures, to justify their sins. This was the case with almost all ancient religions. But all this is not the cause of the fading of faith, but rather the consequence of some deeper cause and is simply a sign of the decline of religion. No religion would have its decline if those who corrupt it would effectively here and now receive what they deserve from the society worshiped by the followers of religions. But that doesn't happen.

In ancient times, when Zeus was alive in the physical body, those who believed in him truly felt their god, but when he was removed by the forces of darkness, no one punished for lawlessness in the temples of Zeus and Jupiter. There, too, they began to create original clubs, arrange feasts, bacchanalia and orgies. The followers of the faith decided that everything is allowed in the world. And if the gods allow fornication and lawlessness even in their temples, then these are not gods. Thus, there is no need to believe in them. Faith and holiness are gone and only cynicism remains. This is how religions die. If a religion dies, then it is not true. It turns out that not a single religion is true on Earth. And what I brought, too.

I believed in God the Father, spoke His commandments. I thought that he is the real Father and Creator, that the world is so conceived by him, and that one has only to forgive and pity the lost, how they will change, pray for their enemies, and let it not be they themselves in this ignorant consciousness, their souls, which did my Father, all will someday understand and come to God. But I was sadly and horribly wrong. Turns out they don't have souls at all. And the black demons that sit in them, by their physical nature, will never become angels and light spirits.

I thought that God the Father knows everything, that he leads each soul in his own way, that he specifically gives it the opportunity to suffer in order to purify itself. But the overwhelming majority of souls become embittered from suffering and turn black. Or rather, they do not even turn black, they simply disintegrate, suppressed and captivated by the artificial essence of the mind and ego and eaten by the black essences of hell. Their place is taken by these entities themselves. The mistake of all religions, including the teaching that I gave 2000 years ago, is that God is the Supreme Deity, the Cosmic Mind, as you say now, the Absolute is itself half black, half white. With one hand he creates, with the other he destroys. He has no grand plan for the creation and upbringing of souls. Therefore, he himself creates chaos, in which the well-known natural selection takes place, where the strongest survive.

And translated into your consciousness, the strongest does not mean physically strong. It is also the most dodgy, arrogant. The one who does not hesitate to take away from the one who is weaker. The one who thinks only of himself. About how to save your own skin at the expense of others and remain profitable at the same time. And they do it all. It turns out to cheat and rob. It turns out to build happiness on someone else's misfortune. It turns out to take ownership of other people's souls and at the same time live in abundance, without encountering refusal in anything. It turns out that the world was made for them. Where, then, is that divine justice?

A person begins to look for her at least in the next world. Christianity also speaks of Divine justice in the afterlife. But no one wants the kind of justice that will be there. For centuries and millennia, people hoped and believed in this justice, but nowhere was there a confirmation of their faith. The crisis of faith came a long time ago. Almost already then, at the very beginning of its inception. Then, when the hierarchs of the church allowed themselves to benefit from religion. They allowed themselves to rule people on behalf of God.

All this means that they were the first to stop believing in what they were talking about. After all, if they believed, they would not dare to accumulate such a sin in order to profit from religion. And if they did not believe, then everything is allowed to them. And religion turned out to be a complete farce and hypocrisy. Your current time has just exposed the problem even more. Faith was lost not only by those who serve in churches, but also by all the rest.

An ideology has come into the world that all faith is a bluff, that this is a fairy tale, but the reality is completely different. That this reality is very cruel, that you need to survive in this world as best you can, not even shunning holy truths. Pragmatism rules the world. Everything is bought and sold. And everything benefits. The so-called "teachers" create sects, which, in fact, are their business. Isn't that what the church does?

So the human consciousness rebels, even hitting into Satanism, mocking shrines and temples - thus protesting the cynicism of religion. That is, cynicism comes in response to cynicism. The man has lost faith in everything. After all, justice is nowhere to be found.

What can he think? And that there is no God. Or that he forgot about everyone and everything. Satan really rules the world. Either no one controls this world at all and chaos reigns in it. What could this state of affairs lead to? To the complete decline and destruction of civilization.

Unfortunately, all these centuries the world has been based on illusions that there is a higher justice. Without this thought, a person cannot survive, he is weak. This means that full responsibility and guilt for what is happening lies with those who must ensure this justice. That is, to the Higher Powers. It is they who do not show a person that there is justice, they do not put everything in its place. Those who sneer are not given any retribution. And pure, bright souls continue to suffer.

All of us, teachers, also lived in illusions, because we considered the image of a mighty and just Creator to be absolutely indisputable. Because they believed that everything in the world was arranged correctly and fairly. And everything that happens in the bad world was adjusted to this basic dogma. They justified evil and suffering. After all, everything in the world has already been done right. We dare not say that this is not the case. After all, if we said this, then no doctrine would be built, people would fall into despair, and civilization would immediately turn into followers of darkness. Before teaching people something, we and the higher hierarchs had to remove injustice from the world ourselves, and not justify it by putting on a mask of piety.

First, of course, we had to understand this ourselves. And we ourselves were zombified by the forces of darkness. Your world, just like our common world, has stepped on a dangerous edge. And from this point there are only two ways. Either chaos, Satanism and the death of civilization, or salvation, but salvation is not through illusions. Some people call me the comforter. But now I think it's enough to comfort. Sweet dreams will not help anyone, there is no justice in the world, and it must be created so that he does not die.

All religions and teachings create an illusory world of prosperity. And they talk about the temporality of your suffering. And, in fact, the atheists were right in calling them opium for the people. But atheism won't get you anywhere either. The very denial of justice will not restore it, but will lead to even greater chaos. Therefore, the world will either perish or change. And he still has a chance to change. When justice begins to triumph, no religion in its current sense will be needed, no consolation will be needed.

The hierarchs will have to change the foundations of the world so that people can see it. And then the world will be ruled not by blind faith in illusions, but by knowledge. And no one dares to prevaricate. New knowledge, new teaching should not become another fairy tale about a bright future and about the Gardens of Eden. Otherwise, it will again be swallowed up by the crisis. Any faith that is not confirmed in reality will someday have a crisis.

Do not expect my second coming with new tales of the future. Only when the world is corrected will we be able to give you a new, true teaching that will not be another lie. Strive to do good deeds, correct yourself. And the hierarchs will take care of the laws of the world. New knowledge and teaching will come if the world does not perish...

KOLOSYUK Lyubov Leontievna

TO MAIN

Lesson 15 "THREE TRUTHS" IN GORKY'S PIECE "AT THE BOTTOM"

Lesson 15
"Three Truths" in Gorky's play "At the Bottom"

Goals : consider the understanding of the heroes of Gorky's play "truth"; find out the meaning of the tragic collision of different points of view: the truth of a fact (Bubnov), the truth of a comforting lie (Luke), the truth of faith in a person (Satin); to determine the features of Gorky's humanism.

During the classes

Lord! If the truth is holy

The world can't find the way,

Honor to the madman who will inspire

Mankind has a golden dream!

I. Introductory talk.

- Restore the sequence of events of the play. What events take place on stage, and which ones take place behind the scenes? What is role in the development of the dramatic action of the traditional "conflict polygon" - Kostylev, Vasilisa, Pepel, Natasha?

The relationship between Vasilisa, Kostylev, Ash, Natasha only outwardly motivates the stage action. Some of the events that make up the plot outline of the play take place outside the stage (the fight between Vasilisa and Natasha, Vasilisa's revenge - the overturning of the boiling samovar on her sister, the murder of Kostylev are committed around the corner of the rooming house and are almost invisible to the viewer).

All other characters in the play are not involved in a love affair. The compositional and plot disunity of the characters is expressed in the organization of the stage space - the characters are dispersed in different angles scenes and "closed» in unconnected microspaces.

Teacher . Thus, two actions are going on in parallel in the play. First, we see on the stage (supposed and real). Detective story with conspiracy, escape, murder, suicide. The second is the exposure of "masks" and the revelation of the true essence of man. This happens as if behind the text and requires decoding. For example, here is the dialogue between the Baron and Luke.

Baron. Lived better... yes! I... used to... wake up in the morning and, lying in bed, drink coffee... coffee! - with cream ... yes!

Luca. And all are people! No matter how you pretend, no matter how you wiggle, but you were born a man, you will die a man ...

But the Baron is afraid to be "just a man". And "just a man" he does not recognize.

Baron. Who are you, old man? Where did you come from?

Luca. Am I?

Baron. Wanderer?

Luca. We are all wanderers on earth... They say, I heard, that the earth is also our wanderer.

The culmination of the second (implicit) action comes when the “truths” of Bubnov, Sateen and Luka collide on the “narrow worldly platform”.

II. Work on the problem stated in the topic of the lesson.

1. Philosophy of truth in Gorky's play.

What is the main theme of the play? Which of the characters is the first to formulate the main question of the drama "At the Bottom"?

The dispute about the truth is the semantic center of the play. The word “truth” will sound already on the first page of the play, in Kvashnya’s remark: “Ah! You can't stand the truth!" Truth is a lie (“You're lying!” - Klesch's sharp cry, which sounded even before the word “truth”), truth - faith - these are the most important semantic poles that determine the problems of "At the Bottom".

– How do you understand the words of Luke: “What you believe is what you are”? How are the characters of "At the Bottom" divided depending on their attitude to the concepts of "faith" and "truth"?

In contrast to the "prose of fact", Luke offers the truth of the ideal - the "poetry of fact". If Bubnov (the main ideologist of the literally understood “truth”), Satin, Baron are far from illusions and do not need an ideal, then the Actor, Nastya, Anna, Natasha, Pepel respond to Luka’s remark - for them, faith is more important than truth.

Luke’s uncertain story about hospitals for alcoholics sounded like this: “They are now treating drunkenness, listen! They treat for free, brother, ... such a hospital is built for drunkards ... You admitted, you see, that a drunkard is also a person ... "In the actor's imagination, the hospital turns into a" marble palace ":" An excellent hospital ... Marble .. .marble floor! Light... cleanliness, food... everything is free! And a marble floor. Yes!" The actor is a hero of faith, not the truth of fact, and the loss of the ability to believe is fatal for him.

- What is the truth for the heroes of the play? How to compare their views?(Work with text.)

A) How does Bubnov understand the “truth”? What are the contradictions between his views and Luke's philosophy of truth?

The truth of Bubnov consists in the exposure of the wrong side of being, this is the "truth of the fact." “What kind of truth do you need, Vaska? And why? You know the truth about yourself ... and everyone knows it ... ”he drives Ash into the doom of being a thief when he was trying to figure himself out. “I stopped coughing, that means,” he reacted to Anna’s death.

After listening to Luke's allegorical story about his life at a dacha in Siberia and sheltering (rescuing) fugitive convicts, Bubnov admitted: “But I ... can't lie! What for? In my opinion, bring down the whole truth as it is! Why be ashamed?

Bubnov sees only the negative side of life and destroys the remnants of faith and hope in people, while Luka knows that in a kind word the ideal becomes real: “A person can teach good things ... very simply,” he concluded the story about life in the country, and outlining the "story" of the righteous land, he reduced it to the fact that the destruction of faith kills a person. Luka (thoughtfully, to Bubnov): “Here ... you say - the truth ... She, the truth, is not always due to illness to a person ... you can’t always cure the soul with truth ... " Luke heals the soul.

Luke's position is more humane and more effective than Bubnov's naked truth, because it appeals to the remnants of the human in the souls of the overnight stays. A person for Luke, "whatever it is - but always worth its price." “I only say that if someone did not do well to someone, then he did badly.” "To caress a person– never harmful."

Such a moral credo harmonizes relations between people, cancels the wolf principle, and ideally leads to the acquisition of inner completeness and self-sufficiency, confidence that, despite external circumstances, a person has found truths that no one will ever take away from him.

B) In what does Satine see the truth of life?

One of the climaxes of the play is Sateen's famous monologues from the fourth act about man, truth, and freedom.

A trained student reads Sateen's monologue by heart.

It is interesting that Satin supported his reasoning with the authority of Luke, the person in respect of whom we are at the beginning of the play represented Sateen as an antipode. Furthermore, Satine's references to Luke in act 4 prove the closeness of both. "Old man? He is smart! .. He ... acted on me like acid on an old and dirty coin ... Let's drink to his health! "Man, that's the truth! He understood that…you don’t!”

Actually, the "truth" and "falsehood" of Sateen and Luke almost coincide.

Both believe that “one must respect a person” (emphasis on the last word) - not his “mask”; but they differ on how to communicate their "truth" to people. After all, she, if you think about it, is deadly to those who fall into her area.

If everything "faded" and one "naked" person remained, then "what's next"? Actor this thought leads to suicide.

Q) What role does Luke play in solving the problem of "truth" in the play?

For Luke, the truth is in the "comforting lie".

Luke takes pity on the man and comforts him with his dream. He promises Anna an afterlife, listens to Nastya's tales, and sends the Actor to a hospital. He lies for the sake of hope, and this, perhaps, is better than the cynical "truth" of Bubnov, "an abomination and a lie."

In the image of Luke there are hints of the biblical Luke, who was one of the seventy disciples sent by the Lord "to every city and place where He Himself wanted to go."

Gorkovsky Luke makes the inhabitants of the bottom think about God and man, about the "better man", about the highest calling of people.

"Luke" is also light. Luka comes to illuminate Kostylev's basement with the light of new ideas forgotten at the bottom of feelings. He talks about how it should be, what should be, and it is not at all necessary to look for practical recommendations or instructions for survival in his reasoning.

Evangelist Luke was a doctor. In his own way, Luka heals in the play - with his attitude to life, advice, word, sympathy, love.

Luke heals, but not everyone, but selectively, those who need words. His philosophy is revealed in relation to other characters. He sympathizes with the victims of life: Anna, Natasha, Nastya. Teaches, giving practical advice, Ash, Actor. Understanding, ambiguously, often without words, he explains with clever Bubnov. Skillfully avoids unnecessary explanations.

The bow is flexible, soft. “They crumpled a lot, that’s why it’s soft ...” - he said at the end of the 1st act.

Luke with his "lie" is sympathetic to Satine. "Dubye... keep quiet about the old man!.. The old man is not a charlatan!.. He lied... but - it's out of pity for you, damn you!" Still, Luke's "lie" doesn't suit him. “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters! Truth is the god of a free man!”

Thus, while rejecting the “truth” of Bubnov, Gorky does not deny either the “truth” of Sateen or the “truth” of Luka. In essence, he singles out two truths: “truth-truth” and “truth-dream”.

2. Features of Gorky's humanism.

Problem Human in Gorky's play "At the Bottom" (individual communication).

Gorky put his truth about man and overcoming the dead end into the mouths of the Actor, Luka and Sateen.

At the beginning of the play, indulging in theatrical memories, Actor selflessly spoke about the miracle of talent - the game of transforming a person into a hero. Responding to the words of Satin about the books he read, education, he divided education and talent: “Education is nonsense, the main thing is talent”; “I say talent, that's what a hero needs. And talent is faith in yourself, in your strength ... "

It is known that Gorky worshiped knowledge, education, books, but he valued talent even more. Through the Actor, he polemically, maximalistically sharpened and polarized two facets of the spirit: education as the sum of knowledge and living knowledge - a “system of thought”.

In monologues satin the ideas of Gorky's thoughts about man are confirmed.

Man is “he is everything. He even created God”; “man is the container of the living God”; "Faith in the power of thought ... is a person's faith in himself." So in Gorky's letters. And so - in the play: “A person can believe or not believe ... this is his business! Man is free... he pays for everything himself... Man is the truth! What is a man... it's you, me, they, an old man, Napoleon, Mohammed... in one... In one - all beginnings and ends... Everything is in a person, everything is for a person! Only man exists, everything else is the work of his hands and his brain!

The Actor was the first to speak about talent and self-confidence. Satin summarized everything. What is the role Luke? He carries ideas dear to Gorky of transforming and improving life at the cost of human creative efforts.

“And that’s all, I look, people are getting smarter, more and more interesting ... and even though they live, it’s getting worse, but they want it, it’s getting better ... stubborn!” - the elder confesses in the first act, referring to the common aspirations of all for a better life.

At the same time, in 1902, Gorky shared his observations and moods with V. Veresaev: “The vital mood is growing and expanding, vigor and faith in people are more and more noticeable, and - it’s good to live on earth - by God!” Some words, some thoughts, even intonations are the same in a play and a letter.

In the fourth act satin remembered and reproduced Luka's answer to his question "Why do people live?" , everything, as it is, live for the best! That is why every person must be respected ... After all, we do not know who he is, why he was born and what he can do ... ”And he himself, continuing to talk about a person, said, repeating Luke:“ We must respect a person! Do not pity ... do not humiliate him with pity ... you must respect! Satin repeated Luke, speaking of respect, did not agree with him, speaking of pity, but something else is more important - the idea of ​​a “better person”.

The statements of the three characters are similar, and, mutually reinforcing, they work for the problem of the triumph of Man.

In one of Gorky's letters, we read: “I am sure that a person is capable of endless improvement, and all his activities will also develop along with him ... from century to century. I believe in the infinity of life...” Again, Luka, Satin, Gorky - about one thing.

3. What is the significance of the 4th act of Gorky's play?

In this act, there is the former situation, but the “fermentation” of the previously sleepy thoughts of the tramps begins.

It started from the scene of Anna's death.

Luke says over the dying woman: “Much-merciful Jesus Christ! Accept the spirit of your newly-departed servant Anna in peace ... "But Anna's last words were words about life: “Well ... a little more ... to live ... a little! If there is no flour there ... here you can endure ... you can!”

- How to regard these words of Anna - as a victory for Luke or as his defeat? Gorky does not give an unequivocal answer; it is possible to comment on this phrase in different ways. One thing is clear:

Anna spoke for the first time positive about life thanks to Luke.

In the last act, a strange, completely unconscious rapprochement of the “bitter brethren” takes place. In the 4th act, Kleshch repaired Alyoshka's harmonica, having tried the frets, the already familiar prison song sounded. And this ending is perceived in two ways. You can do this: you can’t leave the bottom - “The sun rises and sets ... but it’s dark in my prison!” It can be otherwise: at the cost of death, a person cut off the song of tragic hopelessness ...

Suicide actor interrupted the song.

What prevents the overnight stays from changing their lives for the better? Natasha's fatal mistake is disbelief in people, Ashes (“I somehow don’t believe ... in any words”), who hopes to change fate together.

“That’s why I’m a thief, because no one has ever guessed to call me by another name ... Call me ... Natasha, well?”

Her answer is convinced, endured: "There's nowhere to go... I know... I thought... But I don't trust anyone."

One word of faith in a person could change the lives of both, but it did not sound.

The Actor, for whom creativity is the meaning of life, a vocation, did not believe in himself either. The news of the death of the Actor came after the well-known monologues of Satin, shading them in contrast: he didn’t cope, he didn’t play, but he could, he didn’t believe in himself.

All the characters in the play are in the zone of action of seemingly abstract Good and Evil, but they become quite concrete when it comes to the fate, attitudes, relationships with the life of each of the characters. And people are connected with good and evil by their thoughts, words and deeds. They directly or indirectly affect life. Life is a path of choosing your direction between good and evil. In the play, Gorky examined a person and tested his capabilities. The play is devoid of utopian optimism, as well as the other extreme - disbelief in man. But one conclusion is indisputable: “Talent, that's what a hero needs. And talent is faith in yourself, your strength ... "

III. Aphoristic language of Gorky's play.

Teacher . One of the characteristic features of Gorky's creativity is aphorism. It is characteristic of both the author's speech and the speech of the characters, which is always sharply individual. Many aphorisms of the play "At the Bottom", like the aphorisms of "Songs" about the Falcon and the Petrel, have become winged. Let's recall some of them.

- Which characters of the play belong to the following aphorisms, proverbs, sayings?

a) Noise - death is not a hindrance.

b) Such a life that as soon as he got up in the morning, so much for howling.

c) Wait for the sense of the wolf.

d) When work is a duty, life is slavery.

e) Not a single flea is bad: all are black, all are jumping.

f) Where it is warm for an old man, there is a homeland.

g) Everyone wants order, but there is a lack of reason.

h) If you don’t like it, don’t listen, but don’t interfere with lying.

(Bubnov - a, b, g; Luka - d, f; Satin - d, Baron - h, Pepel - c.)

– What is the role of aphoristic statements of characters in the speech structure of the play?

Aphoristic judgments receive the greatest significance in the speech of the main "ideologists" of the play - Luka and Bubnov, heroes whose positions are indicated very clearly. The philosophical dispute, in which each of the heroes of the play takes his position, is supported by common folk wisdom, expressed in proverbs and sayings.

IV. Creative work.

Write reasoning, expressing their attitude to the read work. (Answer to one question of your choice.)

- What is the meaning of the dispute between Luke and Satine?

- Whose side do you adhere to in the dispute "about the truth"?

- What problems raised by M. Gorky in the play "At the Bottom" did not leave you indifferent?

When preparing your answer, pay attention to the speech of the characters, how it helps to reveal the idea of ​​the work.

Homework.

Select an episode for analysis (oral). This will be the topic of your future essay.

1. Luke's story about the "righteous land". (Analysis of an episode from the 3rd act of Gorky's play.)

2. Dispute of rooming houses about a person (Analysis of the dialogue at the beginning of the 3rd act of the play "At the Bottom".)

3. What is the meaning of the finale of Gorky's play "At the Bottom"?

4. The appearance of Luke in a rooming house. (Analysis of a scene from the 1st act of the play.)