What is better truth or compassion essay. Which is better: truth or compassion (based on Gorky's play "At the Bottom"). Which is better truth or compassion

What is Truth? This question occupies the minds of philosophers, writers, sometimes we also think about this question. For me, the truth is not easy, the truth is the only truth, you cannot argue with it. Regardless of the person, his beliefs and outlook on life, the truth remains the same for everyone. Truth cannot be good or bad, it just is, and it is unshakable. What is compassion? This is a sincere feeling, it is never selfish. Compassion means taking on a part of the suffering of another person, suffering with him.

At first glance, Gorky's work "At the Bottom" does not seem interesting, there are few events, the life of the inhabitants is not beautiful. But if you read it carefully, put yourself in the place of each character, if you feel the characters, it becomes clear how much the author has invested in his heroes.

The monotonous life of a flophouse, it was like a stagnant body of water. They all suffered, but each suffered separately from the other. Once together, they each lived on their own. The appearance of the wanderer Luke woke them up. He did not bring fresh ideas, thoughts, he just paid attention to everyone. Gorky is ambivalent about this character, Luka is described as a kind, cunning old man. That seems to say good words, but unpleasant. Why? And this is unpleasant because Luke did not sympathize, he pitied the inhabitants of the shelter. He did not feel their pain, he spoke kind words, but his heart remained cold.

And yet, Luke changed people, they began to think. The scary thing is that Luke did not give these people hope. Hope makes you not only dream, it sets a goal and awakens the desire for this goal. Luke gave the lodgers an illusion, an illusion is passive, it does not call for itself, it immerses in itself. When Luka left, the inhabitants returned from their illusory worlds and saw how terribly they live, hopelessness, poverty, illness, it would seem that everything is the same, but it all became simply unbearable. Luka gave the children a beautiful toy and then took it away, it broke their hearts.

Another protagonist, the lover of truth, Satin. His words are rude, but true, he does not pretend. But is his truth really that good? How did she help at least one of the shelters? Why is he so passionate in a monologue about a person, absolutely indifferent to the death of the Actor?

Reading the play, it becomes scary from the soullessness of people, it becomes bitter and insulting. It is terrible that an inhuman society is killing and maiming human souls. But the main thing in the play, in my opinion, is that Gorky made his contemporaries feel even more acutely the injustice of the social system, which destroys people, ruins them, made them think about man, his freedom.

Which is better, "bitter truth" or "sweet lie"? I do not know. How can you tell this bitter truth to a seriously ill person and extinguish a spark of hope in his eyes? Does he want to hear the words: "You are dying"? I believe that the most important thing is to love a person, then the heart will tell you what to say.

Which is better, truth or compassion? And how can you choose? Truth is not chosen, it is either accepted or not. And compassion is what we must live for. Not to flatter, not to pity, but to be compassionate, to share suffering with others, to take away some of their pain. If we understand this, we will be human.

Which is better - truth or compassion? What is more needed?

Reflections on the pages of the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom"

What is Truth? Truth (in my understanding) is absolute truth, that is, a truth that is the same for all cases and for all people. I think that such a truth cannot be. Even the fact, it would seem, is obviously an unambiguous event, different people perceive in different ways. So, for example, the news of death can be understood as news of another, new life. Often the truth cannot be absolute, the same for everyone, because words are ambiguous, because the meaning of the same word is understood in different ways. Therefore, I would not speak about the truth - an unattainable concept - but about the truth, which is designed for the "average" person. The juxtaposition of truth and compassion gives the word “truth” a certain tinge of harshness. Truth is hard and cruel truth. Souls are wounded by the truth, and therefore need compassion.

It cannot be said that the heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are a more or less homogeneous mass of people - impersonal, characterless. Each of the heroes feels, dreams, hopes or remembers. More precisely, it carries something precious and intimate within itself, but since the world in which they live is heartless and cruel, they are forced to hide all their dreams as far as possible. Although a dream, which would have been at least some proof in harsh real life, could help weak people - Nastya, Anna, Actor. They - these weak people - are overwhelmed by the hopelessness of real life. And in order to live, only to live, they need a saving and wise lie about the “righteous land”. As long as people believe and strive for the best, they will find the strength and desire to live. Even the most pitiful of them, even those who have lost their name, can be cured with pity and compassion and even partially resurrected. But the people around them would know about it! Perhaps, then, out of self-deception, even a weak person would have built for himself a better, acceptable life for him? But the people around do not think about it, they expose the dream, and the person ... “went home - and hanged himself! ..”

Is it worth blaming the old man for lying, who is the only one of the inhabitants of the little house who thinks not about himself, not about money, not about drinking, but about people? He tries to caress (“It is never harmful to caress a person”), he inspires hope with calmness and pity. It was he who, in the end, changed all people, all the inhabitants of the shelter ... Yes, the Actor hanged himself. But not only Luke is guilty of this, but also those who did not regret, but cut to the heart with the truth.

There is some stereotype about the truth. It is often believed that the truth is always good. Of course, it is valuable if you always live in truth, reality, but then dreams are impossible, and after them - another vision of the world, poetry in the broad sense of the word. It is a special outlook on life that gives birth to beauty, serves as the basis of art, which in the end also becomes a part of life.

How do stronger people perceive compassion? Here is Bubnov, for example. Bubnov, in my opinion, is the toughest and most cynical of all the inhabitants of the flophouse. Bubnov “mumbles” all the time, stating naked, heavy truths: “no matter how you paint yourself, everything will be erased”, he does not need conscience, he is “not rich” ... in the middle of the conversation he inserts that the threads are rotten. Usually, no one specifically talks to Bubnov, but from time to time he inserts his remarks into a variety of dialogues. And the very same Bubnov, Luka's main opponent, sad and cynical, in the final treats everyone with vodka, growls, shouts, offers to “take away the soul”! And only drunken, generous and talkative Bubnov, according to Alyoshka, “looks like a man”. Apparently, Luka touched Bubnov with kindness, showed him that life is not in the gloom of everyday melancholy, but in something more cheerful, hopeful - in dreams. And Bubnov is dreaming!

Luka's appearance rallied the “strong” inhabitants of the shelter (Satin, Kleshch, Bubnov in the first place), and even an integral general conversation arose. Luke is a man who was compassionate, pitied and loved, managed to influence everyone. Even the Actor remembered his favorite poems and his name.

Human feelings and dreams, his inner world are the most precious and valuable of all, because the dream does not limit, the dream develops. Truth does not give hope, truth does not believe in God, and without faith in God, without hope, there is no future.

What is Truth? Truth (in my understanding) is absolute truth, that is, a truth that is the same for all cases and for all people. I think that such a truth cannot be. Even the fact, it would seem, is obviously an unambiguous event, different people perceive in different ways. So, for example, the news of death can be understood as news of another, new life. Often the truth cannot be absolute, the same for everyone, because words are ambiguous, because the meaning of the same word is understood in different ways. Therefore, I would not speak about the truth - a concept unattainable - but about the truth, which is designed for the "average" person.

The juxtaposition of truth and compassion gives the word "truth" a certain tinge of harshness. Truth is hard and cruel truth. Souls are wounded by the truth, and therefore need compassion.

It cannot be said that the heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are a more or less homogeneous mass of people - impersonal, characterless. Each of the heroes feels, dreams, hopes or remembers. More precisely, it carries something precious and intimate within itself, but since the world in which they live is heartless and cruel, they are forced to hide all their dreams as far as possible. Although a dream, which would have been at least some proof in harsh real life, could help weak people - Nastya, Anna, Actor. They - these weak people - are overwhelmed by the hopelessness of real life. And in order to live, only to live, they need a saving and wise lie about the "righteous land." As long as people believe and strive for the best, they will find the strength and desire to live. Even the most pitiful of them, even those who have lost their name, can be cured with pity and compassion and even partially resurrected. But the people around them would know about it! Perhaps, then, out of self-deception, even a weak person would have built for himself a better, acceptable life for him? But the people around do not think about it, they expose the dream, and the person ... "went home - and hanged himself! .."

Is it worth blaming the old man for lying, who is the only one of the inhabitants of the little house who thinks not about himself, not about money, not about drinking, but about people? He tries to caress (“It is never harmful to caress a person”), he inspires hope with calmness and pity. It was he who, in the end, changed all people, all the inhabitants of the shelter ... Yes, the Actor hanged himself. But not only Luke is guilty of this, but also those who did not regret, but cut to the heart with the truth.

There is some stereotype about the truth. It is often believed that the truth is always good. Of course, it is valuable if you always live in truth, reality, but then dreams are impossible, and after them - another vision of the world, poetry in the broad sense of the word. It is a special outlook on life that gives birth to beauty, serves as the basis of art, which in the end also becomes a part of life.

How do stronger people perceive compassion? Here is Bubnov, for example. Bubnov, in my opinion, is the toughest and most cynical of all the inhabitants of the flophouse. Bubnov "mumbles" all the time, stating naked, heavy truths: "no matter how you paint yourself, everything will be erased," he does not need conscience, he is "not rich" ... in the middle of the conversation he inserts that the threads are rotten. Usually, no one specifically talks to Bubnov, but from time to time he inserts his remarks into a variety of dialogues. And the very same Bubnov, Luka's main opponent, sad and cynical, in the final treats everyone with vodka, growls, shouts, offers to "take away the soul"! And only drunk, generous and talkative Bubnov, according to Alyoshka, "looks like a man." Apparently, Luka touched Bubnov with kindness, showed him that life is not in the gloom of everyday melancholy, but in something more cheerful, hopeful - in dreams. And Bubnov is dreaming!

Luka's appearance rallied the "strong" inhabitants of the shelter (Satin, Kleshch, Bubnov in the first place), and even a whole general conversation arose. Luke is a man who was compassionate, pitied and loved, managed to influence everyone. Even the Actor remembered his favorite poems and his name.

Human feelings and dreams, his inner world are the most precious and valuable of all, because the dream does not limit, the dream develops. Truth does not give hope, truth does not believe in God, and without faith in God, without hope, there is no future.

The play begins with a description of the gloomy life of the Kostylevo flophouse, which Gorky portrays as the embodiment of social evil. The author describes this orphanage for the poor and orphan. A cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoky, with crumbling plaster. There are different people gathered here: men and women, old and young, healthy and sick. These people have a terrible present, but no future. And from all these bed-lodgers, Gorky singles out two: Satin and the wanderer Luka are two opposite philosophies.

Much has changed since Luka's arrival in the flophouse. To Anna's admiration for his kindness, the wanderer spoke of himself: he was crumpled a lot, that's why he was soft. His difficult life experience and homeless wanderings determined the main features of his psychology. Among them is a keen interest and compassion for people. I want to understand human affairs, - Luke defines his main desire. He understands all the inhabitants of the shelter and each individually. Attentive to the troubles and sufferings of the hostels. Is it any wonder that the inhabitants of the Kostylevsky basement are drawn to the wanderer! Luke seems to them the only protector of the unfortunate. He believes that a person is worthy of pity, that people do not need the truth. Luke calms down, inspires hope with his tales of the best. The lie in this little house is associated with the name of Luke. On a warm word, desperate people are drawn to the old man, and he offers them an illusory way out. Almost every night lodge receives a false hope of salvation. An outburst of illusion obscures the true state of affairs from the unfortunate. Luka manages to talk to almost everyone everywhere. Only three - Satin, Bubnov, Baron evade the old man's advice: the beating of Natasha by Vasilisa, the arrest of Ash, who killed Kostylev in a fight, the Actor's suicide. It is difficult to imagine another, equally strong outcome of Luke's dangerous activities.

Satin was the exact opposite of the wanderer. He correctly assessed the effectiveness of Luke's convictions and made far-reaching conclusions: Everything in a person, everything for a person! There is only man, yet the rest is the work of his hands and his brain.

Maturity of judgment has always distinguished Satin, he believed that he needed to face the truth, believe in his own strength and change the world for the better. Satin did not forgive lies out of pity for dependent people. He brought the lodgers into contact with the truth. And reality is destructive for them, for example, the Actor cuts off his own life. And his departure from life is the result of the death of his illusions (hopes for a cure from alcoholism) is a step of a person who has failed to realize the true truth: It seems to me that the truth should not be hidden from people, no matter what, and the death of the Actor is not because Satin opened his eyes, but because of his weakness and gullibility. A person cannot act on the basis of his consciousness; he needs to be pushed towards this. And it is better to do it without hiding the truth from him. And the actions that he takes will completely depend on him. Man is the creator of his own destiny and there is no need to blame the truth.

For every fireman under the cat))) Under the sea, two pages of printed text, as for me - delirium, according to the teacher of literature - a good essay))

Which is better: truth or compassion? What is more needed?
(Composition based on the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom")

Showing the life of the inhabitants of the shelter - people who have sunk to the very bottom of life, M. Gorky throughout the play tries to find an answer to the question: what is better, what is more necessary for people: truth or compassion?
According to the author himself, compassion and pity give rise to "comforting lies" and carry only harm. And Gorky expresses his thoughts through Satin's monologue: "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters. ... Truth is the god of a free man!" And Luka, as the antagonist character of Satin, was introduced into the play precisely in order to show all the uselessness, senselessness of compassion, because in the end, after the old man left, everything became not only no better, but even worse! But, despite the author's intention, it is impossible to say unequivocally who is right - Satin or Luke, and what is still better for a person - a cruel truth or a comforting lie.
When the reader first meets the inhabitants of the shelter, he sees despondent, desperate people thrown to the sidelines of life. Nobody cares about anyone, even the neighbors are busy exclusively with their own problems. However, these people also have their own dreams, desires, someone, like the Baron, memories of a past life - and it is impossible to understand whether they are true or invented, like Nastya's "true love". And Luka, appearing for the first time in this dark and inhospitable place, finds a kind word for almost everyone. So, he tells the Actor about the hospital, Anna - that she will be fine in the next world, in words he believes Nastya's stories. And it is as if a sunbeam penetrates the shelter - people are inspired by hope, they believe - or, like Vaska Ashes, want to believe - Luka, because his words coincide with their own dreams. Luka is crafty, he is not like Bubnov, who believes that "get the whole truth as it is," Luka tells people exactly what they want to hear, even if it runs counter to the true state of affairs. He is no stranger to compassion, and he is ready to pity the people gathered in the shelter. He had seen a lot in his life, and came to the conclusion that "you cannot always cure your soul with the truth." A striking example of this can be the story told by Luke about a man who believed in a righteous land: he lived, worked and endured hardships and hardships, because he believed - there is such a land! But, having learned the truth, he lost all meaning of life: "... went home - and hanged himself! .." The truth did not bring this man anything good, only deprived him of the hope that he lived. And so is Luke - he supports the residents of the shelter, encourages them and gives hope, even if it is false. And under his influence, seemingly completely desperate people begin to dream, even make plans. They change for the better, draw strength from the emerging hope to fight for their dream. Vaska Pepel is ready to leave for Siberia and start life there from scratch, he says words that a completely devastated thief would not say: "We must live this way ... so that I can respect myself." The actor goes to work, saves money for a hospital and even remembers his stage name. It would seem that everything is going well, because now people have hope, they have a purpose in life - and this raises them above their previous position.
But what - as soon as Luka disappears, the haze of bright hopes dissipates, the heroes are faced with the cruel truth of life, in which, however, Satin plays an important role with his sarcastic, contemptuous and denunciatory remarks. And, having lost their newfound hope, the heroes return to their former state, only now it is even more difficult for them to overcome adversity in their life path, their mental strength is already running out, and for someone, like the Actor, this is manifested to an extreme degree, like that person from the story of the righteous land. And this is also Luke's fault. As Klesch correctly put it: "he beckoned them somewhere ... but he himself did not say the way ..." Once again faced with the cruel truth, the heroes are disappointed in life. And the stronger their disappointment, the stronger the hope for the best. And here again you can turn to the story of the righteous land. After all, the inhabitants of the little house do not understand her at all the way Luke wants to present it: "I could not stand the deception," says Natasha. Who told this person and why that a righteous land exists? Why give him false hope, if in the end the disappointment in life turned out to be so great that suicide turned out to be the best way out for the hero? Indeed, in fact, this story is practically no different from the events unfolding in the play. And Luke's compassion, his comforting lie, told not at all for selfish purposes, but to cheer - all this went only to the detriment of the heroes.
But at the same time, there is in this tragic ending and the guilt of the characters themselves. After all, the old man's words were not an absolute lie: both Vaska Pepel could start his life from scratch in Siberia, and the Actor, even if he did not find a hospital, could rise from the bottom of life. Luke only gave them an initial impetus, give them hope and faith that the fulfillment of their dreams is possible. Another thing is that, having lost external support and encouragement with the departure of Luke, they could not find in themselves that inner core that would allow them to continue to pursue their intended goal. Weak in spirit, they would need constant support from the outside - but there was only one person in the shelter who was ready for this - Luca. But he left, and Satin remained, who is alien to the following: "What use is it to you if I regret it?" - he asks the Tick. And oddly enough, it is Satin who understands Luka and his motives best of all: “The old man is not a charlatan!<…>I - I understand the old man ... yes! He lied ... but - it's out of pity for you. "
And after all, not everyone in the shelter Luka gave advice or tried to cheer. Satin, Bubnov, Tick - Luka did not even approach them with consolations, because they do not need it. The tick clearly distinguishes between truth and falsehood, even if he himself does not need the truth: "True - what is the truth here? And without it - there is nothing to breathe ..." - he says. Bubnov does not dream, he is indifferent to those around him and stands for "blame the whole truth as it is." Satin is a sharpie, a gambler - why does he need Luke's pity? After all, he himself does not accept pity, considering himself a "free man": "We must respect a person! Do not regret ... do not humiliate him with pity ... you must respect!" He says. Of course, the words about respect, spoken by people like Satin, do not sound particularly true, but here the words of Satin are spoken by the author himself, and this is the author's position.
So which is better, truth or compassion? Strong people need neither compassion nor pity - in case of failure, faced with the true state of affairs, they will be able to survive it and move on with renewed vigor, if, of course, they themselves need it. The situation is different with people like the Actor: on the one hand, compassion and "lying to save" can support their hope, can give them the strength to endure and move on; on the other hand, when faced with the cruel truth, the loss of hope can finally deprive them of their strength and desire to fight further. Thus, each person must decide for himself what is best for him: truth or compassion. In the end, as the same Luke said: "What you believe is what you believe."

Which is better - truth or compassion? This is a question that, upon deeper examination, raises more doubts than certainties.

True

What is Truth? It is something that exists in reality, a statement verified by experience. What is compassion? - empathy, sympathy for the misfortunes of another person. These concepts are difficult to oppose to each other. But this is exactly what M. Gorky, the author of the play At the Bottom, does.

The play takes place in a shelter for tramps, “former people”. This place looks more like a prison basement than a room suitable for living. The residents of the shelter are people embittered with life, who have lost all hope for a better future, indifferent to each other and to themselves. They have forgotten their past, they have no present, they will have no future. They themselves say that they do not live, but exist. Some critic noted that At the Bottom is a stunning picture of a cemetery where people who are valuable for their inclinations are buried alive. "

The light wanderer Luke bursts into this black world. He tries to console people, give them a new outlook on life, expand the closure of the flophouse with dreams and hopes. And people are drawn to him. Nastya finds hope for true love, Ash thinks about a trip to a new life in Siberia, the Actor begins to dream of an infirmary for drunks, Anna dies with thoughts of heavenly tranquility.

Contrasting Luca

He is clearly opposed to Luka Bubnov - a cynical and gloomy man with whom no one even wants to talk, he only manages to insert his phrases into someone else's conversation. He is convinced that it is necessary to directly speak the whole truth, as it is, without hesitation. And when Luka disappears, Bubnov accuses the old man of disturbing the souls of the night lodgers with false hope and abandoning them.

Satin adheres to a slightly different position. Satin is a former telegraph operator, a man who supports the views of the philosopher F. Nietzsche, shouting after him that "God is dead!" He says that Luke is not a charlatan, because he lies out of compassion, from the kindness of his soul. And Satin exclaims: "Man - that's the truth!" He is sure that compassion humiliates people, because of self-pity, a person is not able to change the cruel world. For a revolution, people need to take a sober view of life.

The answer to the question

Which one is right? Gorky does not give an unambiguous answer. On the one hand, Luke's compassion leads to the Actor committing suicide. On the other hand, it is possible that those who discovered the truth about fictitious hospitals for drunkards were guilty of his death.

We do not know which side the author is on either. Contemporaries claim that M. Gorky cried when he read scenes of Anna's consolation by the elder Luka. Perhaps it is his position that is closest to the writer, and the positions of the other heroes were introduced to confirm Luke's rightness?

In my opinion, the truth is certainly important for a person, but there come such moments when without consolation, without faith in something better, life simply cannot continue. And faith is life itself.