"At the Depths" by M. Gorky as a social philosophical drama
M. Gorky. "At the Bottom"
Gorky's play "At the Lower Depths" not only has not left the stages of domestic theaters for about a hundred years, but has also gone around the largest theaters in the world. To this day, it excites the minds and hearts of readers and viewers; more and more new interpretations of images (especially Luke) arise. All this suggests that M. Gorky managed not only to look with a fresh, truthful look at the tramps of people who had sunk into the very dirt, “to the bottom” of life, erased from active life society" former people", outcasts. But at the same time, the playwright acutely poses and tries to solve serious questions that have worried and will worry every new generation, all thinking humanity: what is a person? What is truth and in what form do people need it? Does an objective world exist or “what you believe in is what it is”? and, most importantly, what is this world like and is it possible to change it?
In the play, we encounter people who are useless outcasts in society, but they are the ones who are interested in questions about man’s place in the world around him. The characters in the play are not similar to each other neither in their views, nor in their thoughts, nor in their life principles, nor the way of life itself. The only thing they have in common is that they are superfluous. And at the same time, almost each of the inhabitants of the shelter is the bearer of a certain philosophical concept on which they try to build their lives.
Bubnov believes that the world is vile and dirty, there is no good people, everyone is just pretending, painting themselves, but “no matter how you paint yourself on the outside, everything will be erased.”
“real” life: “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 break out of here? I’ll get out... I’ll rip off my skin, but I’ll get out.”
"... the main thing is talent... And talent is faith in yourself, in your strength."
Nastya, a woman who sells her body, dreams of genuine, sublime love, which real life unattainable.
Satin the sharp-philosopher has an opinion opposite to the principles of Kleshch: “Work? For what? To be well-fed?” It seems pointless to him to spend his whole life spinning on a wheel: food is work. Satin owns the final monologue in the play, elevating man: “Man is free... he pays for everything himself: for faith, for disbelief, for love, for intelligence... Man is the truth!”
begin with the appearance of Luke the elder wanderer, who managed to awaken this sleepy kingdom, console and encourage many, instill or support hope, but at the same time, was the cause of many tragedies. Luke’s main desire: “I want to understand human affairs.” And he, indeed, very soon understands all the inhabitants of the shelter. On the one hand, having endless faith in people, Luka believes that it is very difficult to change life, so it is easier to change yourself and adapt. But the principle “what you believe in is what it is” forces a person to come to terms with poverty, ignorance, injustice, and not fight for a better life.
“At the bottom,” timeless, they arise among people of different eras, ages, and religions. That is why the play arouses keen interest among our contemporaries, helping them understand themselves and the problems of their time.
Everything is in man, everything is for man! Only man exists, everything else is the work of his hands and his brain! M. Gorky. At the Lower Depths Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” not only has not left the stages of domestic theaters for about a hundred years, but has also gone around the largest theaters in the world. To this day, it excites the minds and hearts of readers and viewers; more and more new interpretations of images (especially Luke) arise. All this suggests that M. Gorky managed not only to look with a fresh, truthful look at tramps - people who have sunk to the very dirt, “to the bottom” of life, who have been erased from the active life of society as “former people”, outcasts. But at the same time, the playwright sharply poses and tries to solve serious questions that have worried and will worry every new generation, all thinking humanity: what is a person? What is truth and in what form do people need it? Does the objective world exist or “what you believe in is what it is”? and, most importantly, what is this world like and can it be changed? In the play, we encounter people who are useless outcasts in society, but they are the ones who are interested in questions about man’s place in the world around him. The heroes of the play are not similar to each other either in their views, or thoughts, or life principles, or the way of life itself. The only thing they have in common is that they are superfluous. And at the same time, almost each of the inhabitants of the shelter is the bearer of a certain philosophical concept on which they try to build their lives. Bubnov believes that the world is vile and dirty, there are no good people here, everyone is just pretending, painting themselves, but “no matter how you paint yourself on the outside, everything will be erased.” Klesch is embittered with people, cruel to his wife Anna, but believes that hard, exhausting, but honest work can return him to “real” life: “I am a working man... I’m ashamed to look at them... I 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, but I’ll get out.” The actor, who became a drunkard and lost his name, hopes that his gift will return to him: “... the main thing is talent... And talent is faith in yourself, in your strength.” Nastya, a woman who sells her body, dreams of genuine, sublime love, which is unattainable in real life. Satin, a sharp-witted philosopher, has an opinion opposite to the principles of Kleshch: “Work? For what? To be full? It seems pointless to him to spin on a wheel all his life: food is work. Satin owns the final monologue in the play, elevating man: “Man is free... he pays for everything himself: for faith, for disbelief, for love, for intelligence. .. Man - that’s the truth!” The inhabitants of the shelter, brought together in a cramped room, at the beginning of the play are indifferent to each other, they hear only themselves, even if they are all talking together. But serious changes in the internal state of the heroes begin with the appearance of Luke, an old wanderer who managed to awaken this sleepy kingdom, console and encourage many, instill or support hope, but, at the same time, was the cause of many tragedies. Luke’s main desire: “I want to understand human affairs.” And he, indeed, very soon understands all the inhabitants of the shelter. On the one hand, having endless faith in people, Luka believes that it is very difficult to change life, so it is easier to change yourself and adapt. But the principle “what you believe in is what you believe in” forces a person to come to terms with poverty, ignorance, injustice, and not fight for a better life. The questions raised by M. Gorky in the play “At the Lower Depths” are timeless; they arise among people of different eras, ages, and religions. That is why the play arouses keen interest among our contemporaries, helping them understand themselves and the problems of their time.Purpose of the lesson: to show Gorky’s innovation; identify the components of genre and conflict in a play.
Methodical techniques: lecture, analytical conversation.
Lesson equipment: portrait and photographs of A.M. Gorky from different years, illustrations “At the Bottom.”
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Progress of the lesson.
- Conversation on the content of the play “At the Bottom”.
In the early romantic works Gorky reflected some of Nietzsche's philosophical and aesthetic works. Centrally 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. “Strength is virtue,” Nietzsche asserted, and for Gorky, the beauty of a person lies in strength and even aimless feats: a strong person has the right to be “beyond good and evil,” to be outside of ethical principles, like Chelkash, but a feat, from this point vision is resistance to the general flow of life.
In 1902, Gorky created the drama “At the Lower Depths”.
How is the scene depicted?
The location of the action is described in the author's remarks. In the first act it is a cave-like basement, heavy, stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster. It is important that the writer gives instructions on how the scene is illuminated: “from the viewer and from top to bottom,” the light reaches the shelters from the basement window, as if looking for people among the basement inhabitants. Thin partitions screen off Ash's room. “Everywhere along the walls there are bunks.” Apart from Kvashnya, Baron and Nastya, who live in the kitchen, no one has their own corner. Everything is on display in front of each other, a secluded place is only on the stove and behind the chintz canopy separating the dying Anna’s bed from the others (by this she is already, as it were, separated from life). There is dirt everywhere: a dirty chintz canopy, unpainted and dirty tables, benches, stools, tattered cardboards, pieces of oilcloth, rags.
The third act takes place in an early spring evening in a vacant lot, “littered with various rubbish and a yard overgrown with weeds.” Let's pay attention to the coloring of this place: the dark wall of a “barn or stable”, the “gray wall of a shelter covered with the remains of plaster”, the red wall of a brick firewall covering the sky, the reddish light of the setting sun, black elderberry branches without buds.
In the setting of the fourth act, significant changes occur: the partitions of Ash’s former room are broken, the Tick’s anvil has disappeared. The action takes place at night, and light from the outside world no longer penetrates into the basement - the scene is illuminated by a lamp standing in the middle of the table. However, the last act of the drama takes place in a vacant lot - the Actor hanged himself there.
What kind of people live in the shelter?
People who have sunk to the bottom of life end up in a shelter. This is the last refuge for tramps, marginalized people, “former people.” All social strata of society are here: the bankrupt nobleman Baron, the hostel owner Kostylev, the policeman Medvedev, the locksmith Kleshch, the cap maker Bubnov, the merchant Kvashnya, the sharpie Satin, the prostitute Nastya, the thief Ash. Everyone is equalized by the status of the dregs of society. Here live very young (shoemaker Alyoshka is 20 years old) and not yet old people (the oldest, Bubnov, is 45 years old). However, their life is almost over. Dying Anna appears to us as an old woman, and she is 30 years old.
Many night shelters do not have names; only nicknames remain, expressively describing their bearers. The appearance of the dumpling seller Kvashnya, the character of Kleshch, and the Baron’s ambition are clear. The actor once wore sonorous surname Sverchkov-Zadunaisky, and now there are almost no memories left - “I forgot everything.”
What is the subject of the play? What is the conflict of the drama?
Reference: A sharp conflict situation that plays out in front of the audience is the most important feature of drama as a type of literature.
The subject of the drama is the consciousness of people thrown out as a result of deep-seated social processes, to the bottom of life. Social conflict has several levels in the play. The social poles are clearly indicated: on one, the owner of the shelter, Kostylev, and the policeman Medvedev, who supports his power, on the other, the essentially powerless roomies. Thus, the conflict between the authorities and the disenfranchised people is obvious. This conflict hardly develops, because the Kostylevs and Medvedevs are not so far from the inhabitants of the shelter.
Each of the night shelters experienced his own social conflict, as a result of which he found himself in a humiliating position.
What brought its inhabitants - Satin, Baron, Kleshch, Bubnov, Actor, Nastya, Ash - to the shelter? What is the backstory of these characters?
Satin hit rock bottom after serving time in prison for murder; The Baron went bankrupt; Mite lost his job; Bubnov left home “out of harm’s way” so as not to kill his wife and her lover, although he himself admits that he is lazy, and even a heavy drunkard; The actor drank himself to death; Ash’s fate was predetermined already at his birth: “I have been a thief since childhood... everyone always told me: Vaska is a thief, Vaska’s son is a thief!” The Baron talks in more detail than others about the stages of his fall (act 4). Each stage of the life of the 33rd Baron seems to be marked by a certain costume. These changes symbolize the gradual decline social status, and nothing stands behind these disguises, life passed as in a dream.
What is the peculiarity of the social conflict of each inhabitant of the shelter?
How is social conflict related to dramaturgical conflict?
These social conflicts are taken off stage, pushed into the past, they do not become the basis of a dramatic conflict.
What kind of conflicts, other than social ones, are highlighted in the play?
The play contains a traditional love conflict. It is determined by relationships
Vaska Pepla, Vasilisa, the wife of the owner of the shelter, Kostylev and Natasha, Vasilisa’s sister. The exposition of this conflict is a conversation between the night shelters, from which it is clear that Kostylev is looking for his wife Vasilisa in the rooming house, who is cheating on him with Ash. The beginning of this conflict is the appearance of Natasha in the shelter, for whose sake Ashes leaves Vasilisa. During development love conflict it becomes clear that the relationship with Natasha revives Ash, he wants to leave with her and start new life. The culmination of the conflict is taken off stage: at the end of the third act, we learn from Kvashnya’s words 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 Ash turns out to be the tragic outcome of a love conflict. Natasha stops believing Ash: “They are at the same time! Damn you! Both of you..."
What is unique about a love conflict?
A love conflict becomes a facet of a social conflict. It shows that anti-human conditions cripple a person, and even love does not save a person, but leads to tragedy: death, injury, murder, hard labor. As a result, Vasilisa alone achieves all her goals: she takes revenge on her former lover Ash and her sister - rival Natasha, gets rid of her unloved and disgusted husband and becomes the sole mistress of the shelter. There is nothing human left in Vasilisa, and this shows the monstrosity of the social conditions that disfigured both the inhabitants of the shelter and its owners. The night shelters are not directly involved in this conflict, they are only third-party spectators.
- Teacher's word.
The conflict in which all the heroes participate is of a different kind. Gorky depicts the consciousness of people at the bottom. The plot unfolds not so much in external action - in everyday life, but in the dialogues of the characters. It is the conversations of the night shelters that determine the development of the dramatic conflict. The action is transferred to a non-event series. This is typical for the genre of philosophical drama.
Bottom line. The genre of the play can be defined as a socio-philosophical drama.
D.Z.
Identify Luke's role in the play. Write down his statements about people, about life, about truth, about faith.
// / The play “At the Bottom” as a socio-philosophical drama
IN creative work M. Gorky's "" raised a fairly pressing question, which is often asked today. The author reflects on what is a person’s calling, how is personal freedom manifested? And in his play M. Gorky tries to find an answer to it.
He was quite familiar with the lower stratum of society, he saw how the poor lived, how those people existed who had long been forgotten. Therefore, it is precisely such heroes with lost destinies that are presented to the reader in the play “At the Bottom.” It can be defined only to one literary genre - drama. In the text of the play we are introduced to tragic destinies people who lived joyless and gloomy lives.
The social problem that triumphed in society at that time permeated all the work, from beginning to end. Only the title “At the Bottom” suggests that we will be talking about those people who have fallen deep into a hole from which it is quite difficult to get out.
The description of the buildings, houses, and shelter in which the heroes live is terrifying and sends goosebumps down your spine. Everything is collapsing, dirt and cobwebs fill the rooms. The residents of the shelter are poorly dressed, in most cases hungry and sick. Of course, each of them has their own bright dream, but it is very far from it, it is practically not real. Social status, poverty and misery make it clear that the heroes are in terrible conditions, they have practically resigned themselves to their fate and can only think about the good.
In the text of the play we are introduced to two philosophical thoughts. The wanderer Luke preaches joyful ideas that should bring a person back to life, and Satin says that one should not feel sorry for a person, because this will humiliate his dignity.
Of course, almost all the residents of the shelter are drawn to Luke’s sweet words. After all, their life consists of sheer horror. But reality and fictional illusions are not comparable. After all, after believing a lie, the lives of many characters are broken. M. Gorky reveals to us a picture of the terrible everyday life of the lower class of the population. Luke's philosophical instructions do not save them social status. Because of their weak character, the characters in the play commit suicide and are sent to hard labor in Siberia. After all, they do not have the strength to revive.
The author, in his creative work, tries to compare different opinions, different worldviews of the characters and understand the reality that surrounds them. Therefore, the play “At the Bottom” can be safely classified as a socio-philosophical drama that raises simmering problems to the top, for everyone to see.
In 1902, the great Russian writer M. Gorky wrote the play “At the Depths”. In it, the author raised a question that remains relevant to this day - this is the question of freedom and the purpose of man. M. Gorky was well acquainted with the life of the lower strata of society, and the sight of suffering and injustice aroused in him a feeling of acute rejection of reality. All his life he was looking for the image of an ideal Man, the image of a Hero. He tried to find answers to his questions in literature, philosophy, history, and in life. Gorky said that he was looking for a hero “where there are usually no people.” In the play “At the Bottom,” the author showed the lifestyle and thinking of precisely those people who are already considered lost, useless to society. The author changed the name of the play many times: “The Bottom”, “Without the Sun”, “Nochlezhka”. They are all joyless and sad. Although there is no other way: the content of the play requires dark colors. In 1901, the writer said about his play: “It will be scary...”
The play is quite ambiguous in its content, but its main meaning cannot be distorted or misunderstood.
In terms of literary genre, the play “At the Bottom” is a drama. Drama is characterized by plot-driven and conflict-ridden action. In my opinion, the work clearly identifies two dramatic beginnings: social and philosophical.
Even its title, “At the Bottom,” speaks of the presence of social conflict in the play. The stage directions placed at the beginning of the first act create a depressing picture of the shelter. “Cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster... There are bunks everywhere along the walls.” The picture is not pleasant - dark, dirty, cold. Next come descriptions of the residents of the shelter, or rather, descriptions of their occupations. What are they doing? Nastya is reading, Bubnov and Kleshch are busy with their work. It seems that they work reluctantly, out of boredom, without enthusiasm. They are all poor, pitiful, wretched creatures living in a dirty hole. There is also another type of people in the play: Kostylev, the owner of the shelter, and his wife Vasilisa. In my opinion, the social conflict in the play lies in the fact that the inhabitants of the shelter feel that they live “at the bottom,” that they are cut off from the world, that they only exist. They all have a cherished goal (for example, the Actor wants to return to the stage), they have their own dream. They are looking for strength within themselves to confront this ugly reality. And for Gorky, the very desire for the best, for the Beautiful, is wonderful.
All these people are put in terrible conditions. They are sick, poorly dressed, and often hungry. When they have money, celebrations are immediately held in the shelter. So they try to drown out the pain within themselves, to forget themselves, not to remember their miserable position as “former people”.
It is interesting how the author describes the activities of his characters at the beginning of the play. Kvashnya continues to argue with Kleshch, the Baron habitually mocks Nastya, Anna moans “every single day...”. Everything continues, all this has been going on for several days now. And people gradually stop noticing each other. By the way, the lack of a narrative beginning is distinctive feature dramas. If you listen to the statements of these people, what is striking is that they all practically do not react to the comments of others, they all speak at the same time. They are separated under one roof. The inhabitants of the shelter, in my opinion, are tired, tired of the reality that surrounds them. It’s not for nothing that Bubnov says: “But the threads are rotten...”.
In such social conditions, in which these people are placed, the essence of man is exposed. Bubnov notes: “No matter how you paint yourself on the outside, everything will be erased.” The residents of the shelter become, as the author believes, “involuntarily philosophers.” Life forces them to think about universal human concepts of conscience, work, truth.
The play most clearly contrasts two philosophies: Luke and Satine. Satin says: “What is truth?.. Man is the truth!.. Truth is the god of a free man!” For the wanderer Luke, such “truth” is unacceptable. He believes that a person should hear what will make him feel better and calmer, and that for the good of a person one can lie. The points of view of other inhabitants are also interesting. For example, Kleshch believes: “...It’s impossible to live... Here she is true!.. Damn her!”
Luka's and Satin's assessments of reality differ sharply. Luka brings a new spirit into the life of the shelter - the spirit of hope. With his appearance, something comes to life - and people begin to talk more often about their dreams and plans. The actor gets excited about the idea of finding a hospital and recovering from alcoholism, Vaska Pepel is going to go to Siberia with Natasha. Luke is always ready to console and give hope. The Wanderer believed that one must come to terms with reality and look at what is happening around him calmly. Luke preaches the opportunity to “adapt” to life, not to notice its true difficulties and one’s own mistakes: “It’s true, it’s not always due to a person’s illness... you can’t always cure a soul with the truth...”
Satin has a completely different philosophy. He is ready to expose the vices of the surrounding reality. In his monologue, Satin says: “Man! This is great! It sounds... proud! Human! We must respect the person! Don’t feel sorry... Don’t humiliate him with pity... you must respect him!” But, in my opinion, you need to respect a person who works. And the inhabitants of the shelter seem to feel that they have no chance of getting out of this poverty. That’s why they are so drawn to affectionate Luka. The Wanderer surprisingly accurately looks for something hidden in the minds of these people and paints these thoughts and hopes into bright, rainbow-colored currents.
Unfortunately, in the conditions in which Satin, Kleshch and other inhabitants of the “bottom” live, such a contrast between illusions and reality has a sad result. The question awakens in people: how and what to live on? And at that moment Luka disappears... He is not ready, and he does not want to. answer this question.
Understanding the truth fascinates the inhabitants of the shelter. Satin is distinguished by the greatest maturity of judgment. Without forgiving “lies out of pity,” Satin for the first time rises to the awareness of the need to improve the world.
The incompatibility of illusions and reality turns out to be very painful for these people. The actor ends his life, the Tatar refuses to pray to God... The death of the Actor is the step of a person who failed to realize the real truth.
In the fourth act, the movement of the drama is determined: life awakens in the sleepy soul of the “flopshouse”. People are able to feel, hear each other, and empathize.
Most likely, the clash of views between Satin and Luke cannot be called a conflict. They run parallel. In my opinion, if you combine the accusatory character of Satin and pity for the people of Luke, you would get the same ideal man, capable of reviving life in a shelter.
But there is no such person - and life in the shelter remains the same. Same in appearance. Some kind of turning point occurs inside - people begin to think more about the meaning and purpose of life.
The play “At the Bottom” as dramatic work inherent conflicts that reflect universal human contradictions: contradictions in views on life, in lifestyle.
Drama like literary genre depicts a person in acute conflict, but not hopeless situations. The conflicts of the play are indeed not hopeless - after all (according to the author’s plan) the active principle, the attitude towards the world, still wins.
M. Gorky, a writer with amazing talent, in the play “At the Bottom” embodied the clash of different views on being and consciousness. Therefore, this play can be called a socio-philosophical drama.
In his works, M. Gorky often revealed not only the everyday life of people, but also the psychological processes occurring in their minds. In the play “At the Bottom,” the writer showed that the proximity of people brought to life in poverty with the preacher of patient waiting “ better man“surely leads to a change in people’s consciousness. In the night shelters M. Gorky captured the first, timid awakening human soul- the most beautiful thing for a writer.
