One of the most frequently used terms in literary criticism is the author's position. It can form the basis for the topic of an essay, article, thesis or essay. The author's position in the text must be seen and understood as it is expressed.

Term transformation

It should be said that the author's position has undergone a number of qualitative changes throughout the development of literature. At the very beginning of the birth of mass literature (that is, when it separated from folklore, ceased to be of a political or religious nature), the author's assessment was expressed directly in the work. The author could speak openly about which hero seemed to him positive or negative, expressed his attitude to what was happening in digressions, in conclusions. Over time, this way of the author's presence in the text became unacceptable, the creator of the text began to distance himself, giving the reader the opportunity to decide on whose side he was. This process became especially aggravated in the 20th century, this phenomenon was called by R. Bart "the death of the author". However, not all researchers agree with him, noting that the author in any case assesses the situation, expresses his opinion, he just does it covertly, veiled, using different means.

Ways of expressing the author's position in drama, lyrics and epic

The author has been eliminated in the text, which is why Bakhtin called it polyphonic. Indeed, the text contains a lot of voices, opinions and assessments, among which one can hardly distinguish the author's one. However, everything in the novel says that it was most important for Dostoevsky to carry out the Gospel idea that the life of every person is valuable in itself, that one cannot transgress the main God's commandment either for the sake of an idea, or for the sake of money, or for the sake of good goals. Dostoevsky actively attracts symbols of various levels. The very surname of the protagonist is considered by researchers from different positions, one of which reminds of the schism that occurred in the history of the Russian Church. Repeated repetition of numbers 7, 3 again refers us to religious books. It took the Lord 7 days to create this world, 3 is a sacred number for Christians, symbolizing God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.

conclusions

Thus, the author's positions are important for understanding the ideological concept of the works. They can be expressed in different ways. when reading the works, one should pay attention, first of all, to the names and surnames of the heroes, the details that are mentioned in the text, the clothes of the characters, their portrait characteristics. It is also worth paying special attention to landscape sketches and lyrical digressions.

Does the author's position on truth, faith and man coincide with the disputes of the night-lodgers in M. Gorky's play "At the Bottom"?

Gorky's play At the Bottom is undoubtedly of a socio-philosophical nature. It reveals not only the gradual moral "dying" of people caught in the most difficult social conditions, but also the author's philosophical views on various problems. Without any doubt, we can say that one of the main themes of the work is meditation on the Man.

In fact, it seems unusual that each of the inhabitants of the shelter has a different position on this issue. Gorky in his work shows us the terrible world of complete poverty, hopeless suffering, the world of people placed in extremely inhuman conditions. And it is in this society that the dispute about Man is born.

Of course, each character in the play has its own point of view, but I would especially like to highlight three of them: Bubnova, Luka and Satina.

Bubnov's position is skepticism, fatalism, a desire to humiliate a person. He is cruel, does not want to retain any good qualities in himself. There is not a drop of compassion in Bubnov. From his point of view, it is at the absolute day of life that the true essence of a person is revealed, a layer of civilized, cultural life flies off him: "... everything faded away, one naked man remained." Apparently, by this he wants to say about the animal essence of man. Bubnov sees in him only low, selfish, unwilling to take into account the development of social, cultural life.

The philosophy of humane deception in the play is preached by the wanderer Luke. He appears, and with him pity and compassion enter the lives of the hostels. Luka can be called a humane person. But what is Luke's humanism? He has no faith in man. For him, all people are equally insignificant, weak, need only compassion and consolation: “I don't care! I respect crooks too; in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: everyone is black, everyone is jumping ... ”I think it would not be a mistake to assume that in fact Luca believed that the real situation of a person cannot be changed. You can only change the attitude of a person to himself and to those around him, to change his consciousness, well-being, to reconcile him with life. Hence Luke's comforting lie. He has a kind word for every suffering inhabitant of the shelter. To the dying Anna, he paints an affectionate death-consoler, a calm afterlife, Nastya maintains faith in the existence of the student Gaston and his fatal love. Drunkard Actor Luca talks about a free clinic for alcoholics. His philosophy is that a person must always be supported by inner faith. Luke's story about the search for a righteous land is a vivid picture of this. In this parable, it is said that the scientist, who destroyed the faith in the righteous land of one of its seekers, ruined this man - he hanged himself after his illusion was dispelled. Thus, Luke wanted to show the weakness of a person in the case when he does not have a goal in life, even a ghostly one.

It cannot be denied that Luke, in his own way, stands up for a person, for his dignity: “And everyone is people! No matter how you pretend, no matter how you wiggle, you were born a man, a man and you will die ... "Defending Anna, Luke says:" ... how can you leave a person like that? He - whatever he is - is always worth his price ... ”But still, first of all, Luke's position is that a person is worthy of pity. It is pity and affection that are capable of returning a human form to a frightened, brutalized creature with fear. He confirms this with his story about a meeting with fugitive convicts at the dacha: “Good men! .. If I hadn't pity them, they might have killed me ... And then - a court, but a prison, and Siberia ... what's the use? Prison - will not teach good, and Siberia will not teach ... and man - will teach ... ".

The wanderer Luka is opposed to the position of the inhabitant of the flophouse Satin. He speaks of a free Man with a capital letter. Satin considers Luke's compassionate humanism humiliating: “We must respect a person! Do not regret ... do not humiliate him with pity ... "Satin condemns the comforting lie:" Lies are the religion of slaves and masters ... "; “Truth is the god of a free man!”; “Man - that's the truth!”; “There is only man, all the rest is the work of his hands and brain! Human! It's great! It sounds ... proud! " But what is a person for Satin? “What is a person? .. It’s not you, not me, not they… no! - it's you, me, they, the old man, Napoleon, Mohammed ... in one! "

But Satin's romantic dream of a proud, free, strong Man is contrasted with the reality of his life, his character. Satin is a skeptic. He is apathetic, passive in life. His protest consists in a call to “do nothing”: “I’ll give you one piece of advice: do nothing! Just - burden the earth! .. ”Satin was not just thrown to the“ bottom ”. He went there himself and settled there. It's more comfortable for him. And so he lives in the basement and drinks and loses his abilities, although by nature he is endowed with a lively mind. I would like to believe that a meeting with Luka can somehow change his life, give him activity, but we understand that this will not happen. This person will continue to deliberately ruin his life, he can only philosophize and do nothing.

So what is the position of the author himself? I think that Satin's thoughts about a person are in many ways the thoughts of Gorky himself. But the writer, of course, condemns the weak-willed position of his hero. He does not accept discrepancies between reasoning and deeds. It cannot be said that Gorky condemned Luke's position. Lying is indeed sometimes life-saving. And each person needs warmth, attention and compassion. Man sounds proudly. But we must not forget that this word means, first of all, a living being, who from time to time simply needs help and support. That is why we can say that Gorky's view of man is a reasonable combination of the positions of Luke and Satin.

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

Methodological techniques: discussion, analytical conversation.

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

Download:

Preview:

During the classes.

1. Analytical conversation.

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

How do the inhabitants of the flophouse perceive their position before Luke's arrival?

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

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

(People feel themselves to be "former": "Satin. I was an educated person" (the paradox is that the past tense in this case is impossible). "Tambourine. Here I am - a furrier." Don't paint yourself, everything will be erased ... everything will be erased, yes! ”).

Which of the characters is opposed to the rest?

(Only one Tick has not yet resigned himself to his fate. He separates himself from the rest of the hostels: “What kind of people are they? Will I get out of here? )

What scene is the plot of the conflict?

(The plot 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 is jumping ... so and so." also: "For an old man, where it is warm, there is a homeland ..." Luka is in the center of attention of the guests: "What an entertaining old man you brought Natasha ..." - and the entire development of the plot is concentrated on him.)

How Does Luke Affect The Night Shelters?

(Luka quickly finds an approach to the lodgers: "I'll look at you, brothers, - your life - oh-oh! ..." Bypasses unpleasant questions for him, he is ready to sweep the floor instead of the lodgers. Luka becomes necessary for Anna, pity her: “Is it possible to abandon a person like that?” Luka skillfully flattering Medvedev, calling him an “underdog,” and he is immediately caught on this bait.)

What do we know about Luke?

(Luka practically does not say anything about himself, we only learn: "They crumpled a lot, that's why he is soft ...".)

What does Luke say to each of the denizens?

(In each of them, Luka sees a person, reveals their bright sides, the essence of their 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 gets hope of a cure for alcoholism; the thief Vaska Ashes plans to leave to Siberia and start a new life there with Natalia, to become a strong master. Luka gives Anna consolation: "Nothing, nothing else will be needed, and there is nothing to be afraid of! Silence, peace - lie to yourself!" faith in the best.)

Did Luke lie to the lodgers?

(There may be different opinions on this matter. Luka disinterestedly tries to help people, instill faith in themselves, awaken the best sides of nature. - the golden side, and not just a place of exile and hard labor. As for the afterlife, which he beckons to Anna, the question is more complicated; it is a question 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 real love ... then there was one! Was!"

How do the denizens feel about Luke's words?

(The hostels 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! , but for you ... ". Even to a direct question about God, Luke answers evasively:" If you believe, there is; if you do not believe, no ... What you believe in is ... ".)

What groups can the heroes of the play be divided into?

"Believers" "unbelievers"

Anna believes in God. The tick no longer believes in anything.

Tatar - in Allah. Bubnov never believed in anything.

Nastya - into fatal love.

The Baron is in his past, perhaps invented.

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

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

(The author's position is expressed in the development of the plot. After Luka leaves, everything happens not at all as Luka convinced and as the heroes expected. Vaska Ashes really ends up in Siberia, but only to hard labor for the murder of Kostylev, and not as a free settler. faith in oneself, in one's own strength, exactly repeats the fate of the hero of the parable of Luke about the righteous land. showing the fate of the Actor, he assures the reader and the viewer that it is a false hope that can lead a person to commit suicide.)

Gorky himself wrote about his idea: “The main question that I wanted to pose is which is better, truth or compassion. What is more 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 opposes 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 night lodgers, it turned out to be fragile and lifeless, with the disappearance of Luka, hope dies out.)

What is the reason for the rapid decline of faith?

(Maybe the point is 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 is combined with a complete unwillingness to do anything in order to change this reality.)

How does Luke explain the misfortunes of the lodgers' lives?

(Luke explains the failures of the night lodgers' lives by external circumstances; he does not blame the heroes themselves for the failed life. That is why they were so drawn to him and were 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: which is better - truth or compassion? The question of truth is multifaceted. Each person understands the truth in his own way, still having in mind some final, higher truth. Let's see how truth and lies correlate in the drama At the Bottom.

What do the heroes of the play mean by truth?

(This word is ambiguous. See dictionary.

Two levels of "truth" can be distinguished.

D.Z.

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

The fox knows a lot of truths, and the Hedgehog knows one, but a big one.
Archilochus
The play "At the Bottom" is a socio-philosophical drama. More than a hundred years have passed since the creation of the work, the social conditions that Gorky exposed have changed, but the play has not become outdated to this day. Why? Because it raises an “eternal” philosophical theme that never ceases to excite people.

Usually, for a Gorky play, this topic is formulated as follows: a dispute about truth and lies. Such a formulation is clearly insufficient, since truth and falsehood do not exist by themselves.

- they are always associated with a person. Therefore, it would be more accurate to formulate the philosophical theme “At the Bottom” in a different way: a dispute about true and false humanism.

Gorky himself, in the famous monologue of Satin from the fourth act, connects truth and lies not only with humanism, but also with human freedom: “A person is free ... he pays for everything himself: for faith, for unbelief, for love, for the mind - a person for everything pays himself, and therefore he is free! Man - that's the truth! ”. It follows that the author in the play talks about man - truth - freedom, that is, about the main moral categories of philosophy.

Since it is impossible to unambiguously define these worldview categories (“the last questions of mankind,” as FM Dostoevsky called them), Gorky presented in his drama several points of view on the problems posed. The drama became polyphonic (the theory of polyphonism in a work of fiction was developed by MM Bakhtin in his book The Poetics of Dostoevsky's Creativity). In other words, several heroes-ideologists act in the play, each with its own “voice”, that is, with a special point of view on the world and man.
It is generally accepted that Gorky portrayed two ideologues - Satin and Luka, but in fact there are at least four of them: Bubnov and Kostylev should be added to those named. According to Kostylev, the truth is not needed at all, as it threatens the well-being of the “masters of life”. In the third act, Kostylev talks about real wanderers and simultaneously expresses his attitude to the truth: “A strange man ... not like the others ...

If he is really weird ... knows something ... learned something ... something nobody needs ... maybe he learned the truth there ... well, not every truth is needed ... yes! He - keep it to himself ... and - shut up! If he is really strange ... he is silent!

Otherwise he says that no one understands ... And he does not want anything, does not interfere with anything, does not stir up people in vain ... ”(III). Indeed, why does Kostylev need the truth?

In words, he is for honesty and work ("It is necessary that a person be useful ... so that he works ..." III), but in fact he buys stolen goods from Ashes.
Bubnov always speaks the truth, but this is the “truth of the fact”, which only captures the disorder, the injustice of the existing world. Bubnov does not believe that people can live better, more honestly, helping each other, as in a righteous land. Therefore, he calls all dreams of such a life "fairy tales" (III). Bubnov frankly admits: “In my opinion - bring down the whole truth as it is!

Why be ashamed? " (III). But man cannot be satisfied with the hopeless "truth of the fact." Bubnov's truth is opposed by the Tick when he shouts: “What is the truth? Where is the truth? (…) No work… no strength!

That's the truth! (...) You have to breathe ... here it is, really! (...) What is it to me - the truth? " (III). Another hero also opposes the "truth of fact", the one who believed in the righteous land. This faith, says Luke, helped him live. And when the belief in the possibility of a better life was destroyed, the man hanged himself.

There is no righteous land - this is “the truth of the fact”, but to say that it should never exist at all is a lie. That is why Natasha explains the death of the hero of the parable as follows: “I could not bear the deception” (III).
The most interesting ideological hero in the play is, of course, Luke. Critics' assessments of this strange wanderer are very different - from admiration for the old man's generosity to the exposure of his harmful consolation. Obviously, these are extreme estimates, and therefore one-sided. More convincing seems to be an objective, calm assessment of Luka, which belongs to I.M.Moskvin, the first performer of the role of an old man on the stage.

The actor played Luka as a kind and intelligent person, in whose consolations there is no self-interest. The same is noted in the play by Tambourines: "Here Luka, approximately, lies a lot ... and without any benefit to himself ... Why would he?" (III).
The reproaches leveled at Luke do not stand up to serious criticism. It should be specially noted that the old man does not "lie" anywhere. He advises Ash to go to Siberia, where he can start a new life.

And it is true. His story about a free hospital for alcoholics, which made a strong impression on the Actor, is true, which is confirmed by special investigations of literary critics (see the article by Vs. Troitsky "Historical realities in the play by M. Gorky" At the bottom "" // Literature at school, 1980 , No. 6). Who can say that Luke is disingenuous in describing the afterlife to Anna?

He comforts a dying person. Why blame him? He tells Nastya that he believes in her romance with the noble Gaston-Raoul, because he sees in the story of the unfortunate girl not just a lie, like Bubnov, but a poetic dream.

Luka's critics also declare that the harm from the old man's consolations tragically affected the fate of the night lodgers: the old man did not save anyone, did not help anyone really, the death of the Actor was on Luke's conscience. How easy it is to blame one person for everything! He came to the degraded people, to whom no one cares, and consoled them as best he could. Neither the state, nor the officials, nor the lodgers themselves are to blame - Luka is to blame!

True, the old man did not save anyone, but he did not destroy anyone either - he did what was in his power: he helped people feel like people, the rest depended on themselves. And the Actor - a drunken drunkard with experience - has absolutely no willpower to stop drinking. Vaska Ashes in a stressful state, having learned that Vasilisa crippled Natalia, accidentally kills Kostylev.

Thus, the reproaches made against Luke seem unconvincing: Luke is not “lying” anywhere and is not to blame for the misfortunes that happened to the night lodgers.
Usually, researchers, condemning Luke, agree that Satin, in contrast to the cunning wanderer, formulates the correct ideas about freedom - truth - man: "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters ... Truth is the god of a free man!" Satin explains the reasons for the lie in the following way: “Those who are weak in soul ... and who live in other people's juices - those need lies ... some it supports, others hide behind it ...

And who is his own master ... who is independent and does not eat someone else's - why should he lie? " (Iv). If you decipher this statement, you get the following: Kostylev lies because he “lives in someone else's juices,” and Luka - because he is “weak at heart”. Kostylev's position, obviously, should be rejected immediately, Luka's position requires serious analysis. Satin demands to look life directly in the eyes, and Luka looks around in search of a consoling deception.

Satin's truth differs from Bubnov's truth: Bubnov does not believe that a person can rise above himself; Satin, unlike Bubnov, believes in a person, in his future, in his creative talent. That is, Satin is the only character in the play who knows the truth.
What is the author's position in the dispute about truth - freedom - a person? Some literary scholars argue that only in the words of Satin the author's position is stated, however, it can be assumed that the author's position combines the ideas of Satin and Luke, but is not completely exhausted even by both of them. In other words, in Gorky, Satin and Luka as ideologists are not opposed, but complement each other.
On the one hand, Satin himself admits that Luke, with his behavior and conversations-consolations, pushed him (in the past, an educated telegraph operator, and now a tramp) to think about Man. On the other hand, Luke and Satin - both talk about good, about faith in the best that always lives in a person's soul. Satin recalls how Luke answered the question: "What do people live for?"

The old man said: "For the best!" (Iv). And does not Satin, speaking about Man, repeat the same thing? Luke says about people: “People ...

They will find everything and come up with it! You only need to help them ... you need to respect ... ”(III). Satin formulates a similar thought: “We must respect a person!

Do not regret ... do not humiliate him with pity ... must be respected! " (Iv). The difference between these statements is only in the fact that Luke emphasizes respect for a particular person, and Satin - a Person. Diverging in particulars, they agree on the main thing - in the assertion that man is the highest truth and value of the world.

In Satin's monologue, respect and pity are opposed, but one cannot say for sure that this is the author's final position: pity, like love, does not exclude respect. On the third hand, Luke and Satin are outstanding personalities who never once clash in the play. Luke realizes that Satin does not need his consolations, and Satin, carefully observing the old man in the shelter, never once ridiculed him, did not cut him off.
Summing up what has been said, it should be noted that in the socio-philosophical drama "At the Bottom", the main and most interesting is the philosophical content. This idea is proved by the very construction of Gorky's play: almost all the heroes participate in the discussion of the philosophical problem of man - truth - freedom, while in the everyday storyline only four sort things out (Ash, Natalya, the Kostylev couple). Numerous plays have been written showing the hopeless life of the poor in pre-revolutionary Russia, but it is very difficult to name another play except the drama At the Bottom, in which, along with social problems, the “last” philosophical questions would be posed and successfully resolved.
The author's position (the fifth in a row, but perhaps not the last) in the play "At the Bottom" is created as a result of repulsion from false points of view (Kostylev and Bubnov) and the complementarity of two other points of view (Luke and Satina). The author in a polyphonic work, according to the definition of M. M. Bakhtin, does not join any of the points of view expressed: the solution of the philosophical questions posed belongs to more than one hero, but is the result of a search for all participants in the action. The author, as a conductor, organizes a polyphonic chorus of heroes “singing” the same theme in different voices.
Still, there is no final solution to the question of truth - freedom - in Gorky's drama. However, this is how it should be in a play that poses “eternal” philosophical questions. The open ending of the work makes the reader himself think about them.

(No Ratings Yet)

Related posts:

1. “Fathers and Sons” is a work with a complex structure that warns of impending social conflicts. I. S. Turgenev, together with traditional characters, introduced an invisibly present Author into the novel, expressing the thoughts of the writer himself. The plot of the novel is revealed mainly from the point of view of ideas, supported by arguments and passionate speeches of the heroes. Quite often their actions are accompanied by the author's characteristics, comments and remarks. Affected by [...] ...
2. Man - that's the truth! M. Gorky. At the Bottom The play “At the Bottom” was written by M. Gorky in 1902, on the eve of the first Russian revolution. It gives a vivid idea not only of class antagonism and social ulcers of the old society, but also of those complex processes of mental fermentation that gripped even the most backward, restless strata of the people. The main philosophers [...] ...
3. Who is Right in the Dispute about the Truth The drama "At the Bottom" is one of the key works of Maxim Gorky. It was written in 1901-1902. and was held with great success at the Moscow Art Theater. The central characters of the play were mainly people from the lower strata of the population, for various reasons, sank to the bottom. Having become guests of a squalid shelter, many of them [...] ...
4. In the play At the Bottom, Gorky raises some of the most important questions that a person should ask. What is truth? What is the purpose of man on earth? And what is the meaning of life? In his work, the author shows a world of complete poverty and suffering, a world of people. Placed in extremely inhuman living conditions. It is here that three truths collide: Luke, Bubnova and [...] ...
5. Honor to the madman who will bring a golden dream to mankind. Beranger Perhaps, even today, on the way through the painfully burning uncertainty, a bitter and anticipatory word is much more useful than a sleepy gusli. L. Leonov I. M. Gorky's Dream of Man. Proud and strong, beautiful and free, people “with the sun in their blood” are the heroes of the writer's early works. II. Gorky is looking for a man everywhere, [...] ...
6. 1. The system of characters in the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom". 2. The originality of the conflict and composition of the play by M. Gorky "At the bottom". 3. Which is better: truth or compassion? (Based on the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom".) 4. Man and Truth in the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom". 5. The play by M. Gorky "At the bottom" as a socio-philosophical drama. 6. Problems of goodness and truth [...] ...
7. Two truths that hate each other are capable of giving birth to thousands of types of lies. Vl. Grzegorczyk The play At the Bottom is the pinnacle of Maxim Gorky's drama. The central idea of ​​the play is a dispute about a person, about what a person is, what he needs more - the truth, often a cruel, or beautiful lie. The choice between “uplifting” truth and “comforting, reconciling” lie, and on such a level that [...] ...
8. Gorky's play At the Bottom is undoubtedly of a socio-philosophical character. It reveals not only the gradual moral “dying” of people caught in the most difficult social conditions, but also the author's philosophical views on various problems. Without any doubt, we can say that one of the main themes of the work is meditation on the Man. In fact, it seems unusual that each of the inhabitants of the shelter [...] ...
9. “At the Bottom” is a complex, contradictory work. And like any truly great work of art, the play does not tolerate one-line, unambiguous interpretation. In his work, the writer gives two completely different approaches to human life, without clearly showing his personal relationship to any of them. In the play At the Bottom, Gorky summed up his observations of life for many years [...] ...
10. Truth is curative, and only it can cure us. M. Gorky A work of art that touches on eternal questions usually has a long life. I wonder why? Probably because it is the eternal that always finds a response in the hearts of people, makes people think about life. Such is the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom". In all the works of M. Gorky, passive humanism, addressed only to [...] ...
11. At first glance, Luke and Satin are opposing figures in Gorky's play At the Bottom. Luke is a supporter of "false humanism", the so-called lie for the sake of salvation. Satin preaches "true humanism", justifies immorality, despises moral values ​​and takes the concept of "free man" to the extreme. Indeed, from this point of view, the beliefs of Luke and Satin are completely opposite. Luka pity everyone, [...] ...
12. Play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom" (1902). This drama was the result of the life experience and philosophical quest of the writer. “The main question I wanted to pose was which is better: truth or compassion? What is more 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, ”the author noted in an interview in 1903 [...] ...
13. The play shows the “humiliated and insulted”, thrown to the bottom of life. Each of them has his own biography, his own history, his own dream. These in the past worthy people are victims of the conditions prevailing in society, where no one cares about another, where wolf laws operate. The fate of each of them is tragic, since it is neither a drunken actor nor [...] ...
14. The Dispute about a Man in M. Gorky's Play "At the Bottom" I. Introduction The problem of Man is central to Gorky's work. The solution to this problem is in the early stories; romantic ideal of a person (pride, freedom, strength, ability to feat) in the images of Danko, Chelkash, etc. II. Main part 1. Man in the conditions of capitalist reality: suppression of the high essence of man, inhumanity of society (fate [...] ...
15. The play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom" was written in 1902. This play was only approved for production by the Moscow Art Theater. The censors hoped for its failure, but the performance was a huge success. M. Gorky showed us the life of people who have sunk to the bottom and will never rise to another life. Gorky in his play does not give a detailed description [...] ...
16. It is not possible to give an unambiguous answer to this question. After all, everyone has their own truth. And it is very difficult to make out in the play what is truth and what is a lie. After all, the truth is - true, correct, united, destroying, something heavy, especially in the current situation. Compassion is a fog, something distant, incomprehensible, like regret, condolence, illusion, empathy. [...] ...
17. Maxim Gorky wrote his play At the Bottom in 1902. In this work, a “naked” person appears before the reader. It is devoid of all external layers (cultural, class, professional) acquired in human society. The study of the behavior of a “naked” person, who is faced with the need to live and act in extremely difficult circumstances for him, is the play “At the Bottom”. The very “bottom” [...] ...
18. The play shows the “humiliated and insulted”, thrown to the bottom of life. Each of them has his own biography, his own history, his own dream. These in the past worthy people are victims of the conditions prevailing in society, where no one cares about another, where wolf laws are in effect. The fate of each of them is tragic, since it is neither a drunken actor nor [...] ...
19. Maxim Gorky is one of the few writers who boldly showed the poverty of life. In the play At the Bottom, he tells about people who have lost the meaning of life. With this work, like other stories of the early period of creativity, the author tried to draw the attention of society to the problems of the social lower classes. One and a half dozen inhabitants of the shelter represent the world of outcasts. These degraded people have lost touch with society, [...] ...
20. In the play, Gorky opposes false humanism, preaching universal humility, obedience to fate, and genuine humanism, the essence of which is in the struggle against everything that oppresses a person, depriving him of dignity and faith in his own strength, against the slave life of mankind. These are the two main truths that Luke and Satin argue about in the play - characters that immediately stand out from the general [...] ...
21. In the play At the Bottom, the author poses many rhetorical questions. The work reveals not only the tragedy of the gradual moral death of people who fell into cruel social conditions, but also the author's view of various problems of the public. Of course, one of the main themes of the play is Man. It seems strange that the inhabitants of the flophouse can have any positions on this issue. But this […]...
22. CLASSICS THE PROBLEM OF LIES AND TRUTH IN THE PLAY BY M. GORKY “AT THE BOTTOM” AND IN THE STORY OF O. HENRY “THE NICK DEATER” The concept of the play by M. Gorky “At the Bottom” is based on two concepts - the lie “comforting, reconciling” and the truth “uplifting”. In O. Henry's novella “The Vile Deceiver,” we do not find a champion of truth, at least as inconsistent as Satin in Gorky's play. [...] ...
23. The dispute about the capabilities of a person and the meaning of his life is at the heart of the play "At the Bottom" by Maxim Gorky. The play takes place in a place cut off from the world of people - the Kostylevs' little house. Almost all the inhabitants of the shelter are well aware that their situation cannot be called normal, because all the most important ties (spiritual, social, professional, family) have been cut off between them and the rest of society. [...] ...
24. “There are people, and there are others — and people ...” (Based on the play by M. Gorky “At the Bottom”.). At the heart of Maxim Gorky's play At the Bottom (1902) is a dispute about Man and his capabilities. The action of the work takes place in the Kostylevs' little house - a place outside the human world. Almost all the inhabitants of the shelter perceive their position as abnormal: between them and [...] ...
25. Maxim Gorky is the greatest writer of his time. All the vices of modern society are revealed in his play At the Bottom. The author describes the life and everyday life of people who have fallen to the bottom of society. These people, different in social origin, upbringing and education, once stumbled in life or simply went broke and ended up in a flophouse, where everyone is equal, and there is no hope of getting out. V […]...
26. In 1902 M. Gorky created his second play "At the Bottom". In it, the writer again turned, as in the stories of the early period, to the world of the outcast. But the playwright's intention is not limited to depicting people of the “bottom”, crippled by the social system. The play is a passionate and agitated debate about a person, about different paths to human happiness. Reading the play, we find ourselves [...] ...
27. What is truth and what is falsehood? Mankind has been asking this question for many hundreds of years. Truth and lies, good and evil always stand side by side, one simply does not exist without the other. The clash of these concepts is the basis of many world famous literary works. Among them is the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom". Its essence is in the clash of vital [...] ...
28. In Gorky's socio-philosophical drama At the Bottom, the main philosophical problem is the heroes' understanding of the truth. They view their truth from different perspectives. The worldviews of Satin and Luke are especially prominent here, which have differences and interact with each other in the development of the action of the play. Luca from the first moment he appears in the shelter begins to tell people about his views. His attitude towards people [...] ...
29. M. Gorky in his play depicted the terrible reality, the ugly way of life of most people. In his work, he also touched on many important and topical issues of that time. One of them was the problem of the truth and its perception and understanding by the characters of the play. Three basic truths and their opposition can be identified in the plot. The first truth is the truth of Satin. This […]...
30. The play At the Bottom, according to Gorky, was the result of “almost twenty years of observation over the world of“ former people ”." The main philosophical problem of the play is the dispute about the truth. Young Gorky, with his characteristic determination, took up a very complex topic, over which the best minds of mankind are still struggling. Unambiguous answers to the question "What is truth?" have not yet found. In hot [...] ...
31. The concept of M. Gorky's play “At the Bottom” is based on two concepts - “comforting, reconciling” lie and “uplifting” truth. In O. Henry's novella “The Vile Deceiver,” we do not find a champion of truth, at least as inconsistent as Satin in Gorky's play. Nevertheless, the problem in these two works is the same - the choice between truth and falsehood, and on this [...] ...
32. Throughout Gorky's play At the Bottom, the playwright forces readers to solve a dilemma - which is better, truth or falsehood, truth or compassion. Written in 1902, on the eve of revolutionary events, the play exposes the social and psychological truth about the life of the “lower classes”. Realistically, mercilessly, the playwright shows all the wretchedness and hopelessness of the existence of people who have sunk to the very bottom of life. Locksmith Tick, [...] ...
33. “At the Bottom” is a complex, contradictory work. And, like any truly great creation, the play does not tolerate one-line, unambiguous interpretation. Gorky gives in it two completely different approaches to human life, without clearly showing his personal relationship to any of them. The main characters of this work are Luke and Satin. They express two truths, two dots [...] ...
34. Gorky's play At the Bottom has a social and philosophical character. All of Gorky's works are endowed with complex moral problems. But in the play "At the Bottom" the moral and philosophical problems of concern to the author are most fully revealed. In this play, Gorky combined many theories, opinions, assumptions. The author made his heroes the inhabitants of the shelter, people who have sunk socially and morally to the very bottom. After all, it is on the [...] itself ...
35. The question of lying and honesty is far from straightforward. That is why all the thinkers of mankind have been fighting over it for many centuries. These two completely opposite concepts, as well as good and evil, are always next to each other, and cannot exist separately. Many literary figures in their works posed these questions to society and to themselves. [...] ...
36. The play "At the Bottom" was written by M. Gorky in 1902. Its premiere took place in the same year. The play was a stunning success. According to V. I. Kachalov, “the auditorium received the play stormily and enthusiastically, like a“ petrel play, ”which foreshadowed the coming storms and called to the storms”. The main source of the content of the play was the impressions of the reality of the beginning of the nine hundredth years. V […]...
37. The work of Maxim Gorky "On the Day" can be defined as a socio-philosophical drama. The presence of social issues in the play is evidenced not only by the bright and telling title, but also by the appearance of its characters. The heroes of the work are degraded people, outcasts of society, who for various reasons have lost their place in a civilized society. With a little closer reading, it becomes obvious that these people are completely [...] ...
38. In the play At the Bottom, M. Gorky strives not only to draw attention to the fate of disadvantaged people by depicting a terrible reality. He created a truly innovative philosophical and journalistic drama. The content of seemingly disparate episodes is a tragic collision of three truths, three ideas about life. The first truth is Bubnov's truth, it can be called the truth of the fact. Bubnov is convinced that [...] ...
39. In the realistic works of Maxim Gorky, a person is portrayed as a rejected by society, an outcast. The author is interested in the inner world of the hero, his experiences, emotions. The play At the Bottom was written at the end of 1901. At a time when a person is ready and able to declare his rights and freedom. In the play, the author posed two questions that have always been important. This is a question of freedom [...] ...
40. Purpose: to draw attention to the proximity of the poem to folklore works; continue to develop group work skills; practice public speaking; develop observation and attention; educate citizenship. The very choice of this subject [of the historical Past. - Auth.] Testifies to the state of the poet's Spirit, dissatisfied with modern Reality and transferred from it to the distant past, in order to look for life there, which he does not see in [...] ...

The fox knows a lot of truths, and the Hedgehog knows one, but a big one.
Archilochus
The play "At the Bottom" is a socio-philosophical drama. More than a hundred years have passed since the creation of the work, the social conditions that Gorky exposed have changed, but the play has not become outdated to this day. Why? Because it raises an “eternal” philosophical theme that never ceases to excite people. Usually, for a Gorky play, this topic is formulated as follows: a dispute about truth and lies. Such a formulation is clearly insufficient, since truth and falsehood do not exist by themselves.

- they are always associated with a person. Therefore, it would be more accurate to formulate the philosophical theme “At the Bottom” in a different way: a dispute about true and false humanism. Gorky himself, in the famous monologue of Satin from the fourth act, connects truth and lies not only with humanism, but also with human freedom: “A person is free ... he pays for everything himself: for faith, for unbelief, for love, for the mind - a person for everything pays himself, and therefore he is free! Man - that's the truth! ”. It follows that the author in the play talks about man - truth - freedom, that is, about the main moral categories of philosophy. Since it is impossible to unambiguously define these worldview categories (“the last questions of mankind,” as FM Dostoevsky called them), Gorky presented in his drama several points of view on the problems posed. The drama became polyphonic (the theory of polyphonism in a work of fiction was developed by MM Bakhtin in his book The Poetics of Dostoevsky's Creativity). In other words, several heroes-ideologists act in the play, each with its own “voice”, that is, with a special point of view on the world and man.
It is generally accepted that Gorky portrayed two ideologues - Satin and Luka, but in fact there are at least four of them: Bubnov and Kostylev should be added to those named. According to Kostylev, the truth is not needed at all, as it threatens the well-being of the “masters of life”. In the third act, Kostylev talks about real wanderers and simultaneously expresses his attitude to the truth: “A strange man ... not like the others ... I found out there ... well, not every truth is needed ... yes! He - keep it to himself ... and - shut up! If he is really strange ... he is silent! Otherwise he says that no one understands ... And he does not want anything, does not interfere with anything, does not stir up people in vain ... ”(III). Indeed, why does Kostylev need the truth? In words, he is for honesty and work ("It is necessary that a person be useful ... so that he works ..." III), but in fact he buys stolen goods from Ashes.
Bubnov always speaks the truth, but this is the “truth of the fact”, which only captures the disorder, the injustice of the existing world. Bubnov does not believe that people can live better, more honestly, helping each other, as in a righteous land. Therefore, he calls all dreams of such a life "fairy tales" (III). Bubnov frankly admits: “In my opinion - bring down the whole truth as it is! Why be ashamed? " (III). But man cannot be satisfied with the hopeless "truth of the fact." Bubnov's truth is opposed by the Tick when he shouts: “What is the truth? Where is the truth? (…) No work… no strength! That's the truth! (...) You have to breathe ... here it is, really! (...) What is it to me - the truth? " (III). Another hero also opposes the "truth of fact", the one who believed in the righteous land. This faith, says Luke, helped him live. And when the belief in the possibility of a better life was destroyed, the man hanged himself. There is no righteous land - this is “the truth of the fact”, but to say that it should never exist at all is a lie. That is why Natasha explains the death of the hero of the parable as follows: “I could not bear the deception” (III).
The most interesting ideological hero in the play is, of course, Luke. Critics' assessments of this strange wanderer are very different - from admiration for the old man's generosity to the exposure of his harmful consolation. Obviously, these are extreme estimates, and therefore one-sided. More convincing seems to be an objective, calm assessment of Luka, which belongs to I.M.Moskvin, the first performer of the role of an old man on the stage. The actor played Luka as a kind and intelligent person, in whose consolations there is no self-interest. The same is noted in the play by Tambourines: "Here Luka, approximately, lies a lot ... and without any benefit to himself ... Why would he?" (III).
The reproaches leveled at Luke do not stand up to serious criticism. It should be specially noted that the old man does not "lie" anywhere. He advises Ash to go to Siberia, where he can start a new life. And it is true. His story about a free hospital for alcoholics, which made a strong impression on the Actor, is true, which is confirmed by special investigations of literary critics (see the article by Vs. Troitsky "Historical realities in the play by M. Gorky" At the bottom "" // Literature at school, 1980 , No. 6). Who can say that Luke is disingenuous in describing the afterlife to Anna? He comforts a dying person. Why blame him? He tells Nastya that he believes in her romance with the noble Gaston-Raoul, because he sees in the story of the unfortunate girl not just a lie, like Bubnov, but a poetic dream.

Luka's critics also declare that the harm from the old man's consolations tragically affected the fate of the night lodgers: the old man did not save anyone, did not help anyone really, the death of the Actor was on Luke's conscience. How easy it is to blame one person for everything! He came to the degraded people, to whom no one cares, and consoled them as best he could. Neither the state, nor the officials, nor the lodgers themselves are to blame - Luka is to blame! True, the old man did not save anyone, but he did not destroy anyone either - he did what was in his power: he helped people feel like people, the rest depended on themselves. And the Actor - a drunken drunkard with experience - has absolutely no willpower to stop drinking. Vaska Ashes in a stressful state, having learned that Vasilisa crippled Natalia, accidentally kills Kostylev. Thus, the reproaches made against Luke seem unconvincing: Luke is not “lying” anywhere and is not to blame for the misfortunes that happened to the night lodgers.
Usually, researchers, condemning Luke, agree that Satin, in contrast to the cunning wanderer, formulates the correct ideas about freedom - truth - man: "Lies are the religion of slaves and masters ... Truth is the god of a free man!" Satin explains the reasons for the lie in the following way: “Who is weak in soul ... and who lives in other people's juices - those need a lie ... it supports some, others hide behind it ... And who is his own master ... who is independent and does not eat someone else's - why does that lie?” (Iv). If you decipher this statement, you get the following: Kostylev lies because he “lives in someone else's juices,” and Luka - because he is “weak at heart”. Kostylev's position, obviously, should be rejected immediately, Luka's position requires serious analysis. Satin demands to look life directly in the eyes, and Luka looks around in search of a consoling deception. Satin's truth differs from Bubnov's truth: Bubnov does not believe that a person can rise above himself; Satin, unlike Bubnov, believes in a person, in his future, in his creative talent. That is, Satin is the only character in the play who knows the truth.
What is the author's position in the dispute about truth - freedom - a person? Some literary scholars argue that only in the words of Satin the author's position is stated, however, it can be assumed that the author's position combines the ideas of Satin and Luke, but is not completely exhausted even by both of them. In other words, in Gorky, Satin and Luka as ideologists are not opposed, but complement each other.
On the one hand, Satin himself admits that Luke, with his behavior and conversations-consolations, pushed him (in the past, an educated telegraph operator, and now a tramp) to think about Man. On the other hand, Luke and Satin - both talk about good, about faith in the best that always lives in a person's soul. Satin recalls how Luke answered the question: "What do people live for?" The old man said: "For the best!" (Iv). And does not Satin, speaking about Man, repeat the same thing? Luke says about people: “People ... They will find and invent everything! You only need to help them ... you need to respect ... ”(III). Satin formulates a similar thought: “We must respect a person! Do not regret ... do not humiliate him with pity ... must be respected! " (Iv). The difference between these statements is only in the fact that Luke emphasizes respect for a particular person, and Satin - a Person. Diverging in particulars, they agree on the main thing - in the assertion that man is the highest truth and value of the world. In Satin's monologue, respect and pity are opposed, but one cannot say for sure that this is the author's final position: pity, like love, does not exclude respect. On the third hand, Luke and Satin are outstanding personalities who never once clash in the play. Luke realizes that Satin does not need his consolations, and Satin, carefully observing the old man in the shelter, never once ridiculed him, did not cut him off.
Summing up what has been said, it should be noted that in the socio-philosophical drama "At the Bottom", the main and most interesting is the philosophical content. This idea is proved by the very construction of Gorky's play: almost all the heroes participate in the discussion of the philosophical problem of man - truth - freedom, while in the everyday storyline only four sort things out (Ash, Natalya, the Kostylev couple). Numerous plays have been written showing the hopeless life of the poor in pre-revolutionary Russia, but it is very difficult to name another play except the drama At the Bottom, in which, along with social problems, the “last” philosophical questions would be posed and successfully resolved.
The author's position (the fifth in a row, but perhaps not the last) in the play "At the Bottom" is created as a result of repulsion from false points of view (Kostylev and Bubnov) and the complementarity of two other points of view (Luke and Satina). The author in a polyphonic work, according to the definition of M. M. Bakhtin, does not join any of the points of view expressed: the solution of the philosophical questions posed belongs to more than one hero, but is the result of a search for all participants in the action. The author, as a conductor, organizes a polyphonic chorus of heroes “singing” the same theme in different voices.
Still, there is no final solution to the question of truth - freedom - in Gorky's drama. However, this is how it should be in a play that poses “eternal” philosophical questions. The open ending of the work makes the reader himself think about them.

Other works on this topic:

1. “Fathers and Sons” is a work with a complex structure that warns of impending social conflicts. I.S.Turgenev, together with traditional characters, introduced the invisible present into the novel ...
2. Man - that's the truth! M. Gorky. At the Bottom The play “At the Bottom” was written by M. Gorky in 1902, on the eve of the first Russian revolution. She gives a bright ...
3. Who is Right in the Dispute about the Truth The drama "At the Bottom" is one of the key works of Maxim Gorky. It was written in 1901-1902. and with more ...