During their school years, many probably had the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of the respected Russian writer Maxim Gorky - the play “At the Lower Depths,” which without embellishment describes to all of us the familiar archetypes of people living in Russian realities.
Despite the fact that more than a century has passed since the publication of the drama, the situations that it touches on remain relevant today.
In this article we will analyze in detail the image of the character Luke from this play, get acquainted with his statements and talk about the attitude of other heroes of the work towards him.
In contact with
Where did the wanderer come from?
doesn't reveal the secret Luke's origins, only a passing reference is made to his wandering life. The wanderer has neither a homeland nor any specific place of residence. He himself talks about it this way: "To the old man – Where it’s warm, there’s homeland.”
The residents of the shelter are also not interested in the old man’s past; they are preoccupied with their problems and attempts "go out into the public", and not drag out an existence “at the bottom” for the rest of your life.
Character Characteristics Analysis
Luke appears before us in the form a kind-hearted old man, preaching goodness, love, pity and the will of man to create his life as his heart dictates.
The hero really emanates an aura of peacefulness and understanding, which, of course, endears him to the characters in the play, making them believe that the future is not hopeless and there is a chance to improve their social situation, fulfill their dreams and desires.
To everyone who, willy-nilly, ended up in a shelter, Luka selects the right words, gives everyone hope and encourages them to believe in their dreams, no matter how funny they may seem to themselves and others.
But no matter how sweet and comforting the stranger’s words sounded, they were only empty sounds, distracting homeless people from everyday troubles, and not real support that gives strength to get out of poverty and ignominy.
Nevertheless, Luka is not a liar, he just sincerely feels sorry for those around him and encourages them, even if it is absolutely pointless and useless.
Luke's relationship with other characters in the play "At the Lower Depths"
The characters relate to the old man in two ways:
- alone ( thief Vaska Ash, Actor, Anna, Nastya, Natasha) with relief they tell him about their life, confess and receive in response the necessary pity, sympathy and soothing statements;
- other ( card cap Bubnov, Satin, Baron, Klesch) do not trust a stranger too much and talk to him briefly and skeptically.
One thing is certain - no one remained indifferent to the appearance of such an extraordinary personality in such a dirty and doomed place.
After the sudden disappearance of the wanderer, the fate of some characters changed dramatically. The locksmith Kleshch's wife, Anna, died of tuberculosis, the Actor could not come to terms with the hopelessness of his life and hanged himself, Vaska Ash went to hard labor in Siberia because of an accidental murder, his dreams of an honest life with Natasha came to an end. The remaining heroes continued to while away their time in the shelter, but at the same time started to think about the meaning of one’s existence, one’s actions and the problems of others.
Parable of the Righteous Land
Luke's parable tells us about a man who endured all the hardships and suffering of earthly life, believing that there is a righteous land, where people live in excellent relationships, help each other and never lie. One day he went to a local scientist he knew and asked him to show the righteous land on a geographical map. He tried to find what he was looking for, but could not. Then the man got angry, hit the scientist, and then went home and hanged himself.
This parable seems to have predetermined the fatal fate of several characters - the death of Anna and the Actor, the imprisonment of the thief Vaska. They believed that their own righteous land would be found for them, that it was possible to get out of the bottom, poverty, but this did not happen. Luke soon left, and with him the hope that warmed the characters in the play went away.
Quotes
The play "At the Bottom" is rich thoughtful phrases and the statements of the characters, but, perhaps, the most significant of them are the words of Elder Luke.
Here are a few of his quotes that everyone who has read Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” should analyze and reflect on:
“And everyone is people! No matter how you pretend, no matter how you wobble, if you were born a man, you will die a man...”
"I don't care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: all are black, all jump..."
“You, girl, don’t be offended... nothing! Where is it, where are we supposed to feel sorry for the dead? Eh, honey! We don’t feel sorry for the living... we can’t feel sorry for ourselves... where is it!”
“So, you’ll die, and you’ll be at peace... you won’t need anything else, and there’s nothing to be afraid of!”
“...it’s not the word that matters, but why the word is said? - that's the problem!"
Bottom line
Maxim Gorky's image of the wanderer Luke turned out to be very multifaceted and reflective main philosophical questions about life, love, principles and priorities of a person.
And not only Luke - all the characters in one way or another reflect those who we meet in real life.
The writer managed to reflect in his work entertaining philosophical and psychological ideas:
All of the above is important for a correct understanding of the work and simply situations happening to people around us, it teaches us to sympathize and correctly set life priorities.
Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” made a huge impression on the public at the beginning of the 20th century. The world of people who had sunk to the last degree of squalor at the very “bottom” of life was exposed without embellishment, into a world of cheaters, prostitutes and killers of thieves of various stripes. Maxim Gorky imbued the play “At the Lower Depths” with a protest against the social foundations of capitalist society and a call for a calm, equal and fair life.
Getting to the topic “Luka: Characteristics” (“At the Bottom”), it should be noted that people living in the cheapest shelter, reminiscent of a dark and dirty basement, became ugly victims of the cruel and unfair orders of society, when a person, thrown out of normal life, begins to live in wolf laws and turns into a powerless and pitiful creature.
Luke: characteristics
“At the Bottom” is a play that brings together several different characters. One of the residents of the shelter is old man Luka, who became the most ambiguous and contradictory hero of the play. It is with him that the main philosophical question of this work is connected: “What is better - compassion and “sublime and comforting lies” or truth?” Is it necessary to be so imbued with compassion that you then use lies as a saving tool?
"People" and "people"
Delving deeper into the topic of “Luka: Characteristics” (“At the Bottom”), it can be noted that it is this hero who becomes the only person who truly sympathizes with the inhabitants of the shelter. He notes that there are “people” and there are “humans”. “People” are by nature very weak and weak-willed, they constantly need the support and strength of another, and for them faith and hope can serve as a powerful incentive. “People” are, on the contrary, strong-willed people. These are those who do not need pity, compassion, or soothing lies. This is exactly what Hero Satin is, who believes that a person, first of all, must be respected, and pity only humiliates him, although Satin himself is a big cheater who deliberately lives by lies and deception.
The play "At the Bottom". Luke
Luke tells Tick's dying wife Anna that she should not be afraid of death, and that she will soon be happy in Heaven with God. He gives the actor hope for a city where alcoholics are treated for free, although he forgot the name of the city, but promised to remember.
In the play “At the Bottom”, Luke is affectionate, kind and merciful to everyone. He doesn’t say much about himself, he only jokes that he “was crushed a lot, that’s why he’s soft.” He has no bad or good people, he finds something good and bright in everyone, and he consoles and instructs everyone. He tells the prostitute Nastya that if you believe that you had true love, then you had it.
In the play “At the Bottom,” Luka advises the thief Ash and Natasha to go to Siberia for a free life, where it will be much easier for them to start all over again.
The unfortunate residents of the shelter had no choice but to believe his words, which, although they sounded implausible, gave faith, like rays of sunshine in pitch darkness.
A white lie or a bitter one, but really?
Luke in the play “At the Bottom” with his philosophy in some way calls for Christian humility, patience and sensitivity to others. He says to one of the heroes: “What is the truth to you?” After all, it can become like a blow to your head.
The goodness that this hero carries within himself awakens in a sheltered person, even a doomed one, the desire to live and be better. But when the old man disappears, the whole life of many people in this damned place will collapse.
In conclusion to the topic “Luke: Characteristics” (“At the Bottom”), it should be noted that there is no definite answer to this eternal question, but Gorky himself believes that truth is better than compassion. The author himself expresses complete confidence that only truth and a correct understanding of the significance of human compassion will help save humanity.
The play “At the Bottom” by the greatest writer Maxim Gorky is a work that has a deep philosophical meaning. It examines many problems that are characteristic of modern Russian society. The main problem in the play is truth. The question immediately arises: what is better: “a cruel truth or a sweet lie?” This question is at the center of the plot of the work.
From the first pages of the play “At the Bottom,” a conflict is brewing when Luka appears. This image is the most complex and contradictory. His appearance in the “quiet” life of the inhabitants of the shelter, the so-called people from the bottom, is quite unexpected. Who are these inhabitants? Here are the mechanic Kleshch, his wife Anna, who suffered beatings all her life, the thief Ash, Nastya - a girl of easy virtue, a cap holder, a former master, an alcoholic Actor and many others. All of them have long ago given up their hopes for a bright future and are people desperate for life.
But Luke sees extraordinary value in each of these people. "I don't care. I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad,” he immediately declared when he appeared. For Luke, a person’s past and what is happening to him now do not matter. The most important thing for him is faith in the future.
With the arrival of Luke, discord occurs in the lives of the inhabitants of the shelter. He assures Nastya that everything will be fine in her life and she will meet true love. There is also great news for the Actor. He is informed that there is a hospital that will help cure his problem with alcohol, and it is free. He promises Anna, who was already on her last breaths, that her afterlife will be bright and calm. But despite this, many heroes try to resist Luke. They don't believe him, they claim that he is a charlatan and a liar.
I believe that many heroes simply did not understand what the simple truth was. It was hard for them to understand that a person, and especially an inhabitant of the “bottom,” does not need the truth, but he truly needs consolation, hope and compassion.
After Luke leaves, it becomes clear that he was the only ray of light in the darkness of the “bottom”. Everyone's life doesn't end well. The actor shortened his life by suicide. In a fight, Ash kills Kostylev and goes to prison. Everything returns to its place again. Everything around is sad, depressing and there is a prevailing feeling of misunderstanding that everything can be changed. Only those who fought for the truth and trusted Luke were victorious.
I believe that the image of Luke is the embodiment of a special truth of “sweet lies” instead of “bitter truth”. Despite all the cunning and hypocrisy, Luka is still a positive character for me.
1. “Truth” of Luke.
2. Interpretation of the image of Luke.
3. The role of Luke in the life of the inhabitants of the “bottom”.
The social and philosophical drama “At the Lower Depths” was conceived by Gorky in 1900. The play was first published in Munich in 1902. In Russia, the work was published by the publishing house “Znanie” in 1903. The play shows the life of the inhabitants of the shelter. These are degraded, unhappy, disadvantaged people. There is nothing bright left in their lives.
The image of Luke is rightfully considered the most complex in the play. This man is trying to console those who are suffering. His position directly contradicts the phrase: “Truth is the god of a free man.” Luke does not accept the cruel and evil “truth.” For him, truth is the “truth” that a person believes in.
Luke is very kind to others. He finds for everyone exactly the words that a person needs. Let this consolation have nothing to do with the real truth of life. But on the other hand, if you can make a person at least a little happier, why neglect this opportunity? The play poses a complex philosophical question: is Luke’s compassion better than the naked “truth”, which reveals to the inhabitants of the “bottom” all the wretchedness of their existence... Everyone can answer this question differently. But one cannot help but admit that Luke’s role in the lives of other characters in the play is great.
Luke is not trying to convince anyone of anything: He simply consoles those who need it. He does not impose his point of view, and this shows his wisdom. Luke is sure: “What you believe in is what it is.” One cannot but agree with this. A person’s subjective perception of the surrounding reality may differ greatly from the opinions of others. But the opinion of others does not necessarily have to be considered true. Luke helps the downtrodden find hope. But this is very important for a person.
Critics could not come to clear conclusions regarding the image of Luke. Some believed that Luka is a positive hero, because he helps people find something good in themselves. Others considered Luka a negative character, because after he left the shelter, the inhabitants of the “bottom” had an even harder time, because they were forced to say goodbye to illusions. Gorky's own attitude towards Luka was very contradictory. In 1910, the writer said about the hero of the play: “Luke is a swindler. He doesn't really believe in anything. But he sees how people suffer and rush about. He feels sorry for these people. So he says different words to them - for comfort.”
The inhabitants of the shelter treat Luka as a storyteller. They are not deluded by the old man’s words. For example, Ash says: “You lie well... You tell fairy tales nicely! Lie! Nothing...". This means that Luke’s words still find a response in the souls of tormented people.
Luke consoles Anna with conversations about the peace that will come after death. For a dying woman, these words can mean much more than the reasoning of the “working man”, her husband Kleshch, that after her death he will be able to arrange his life. This means that in this case, Luke’s role is certainly positive. To the actor suffering from drunkenness, Luka talks about special hospitals where alcoholics can be cured. This hope could give strength. And it cannot be blamed on Luke that, having lost hope, the Actor decides to commit suicide. Hope for a better life could make a person stronger if he initially had at least a little more strength and desire to break out of the vicious circle.
Luka tells Vaska Pepl that his life in Siberia will not be so bad. “And the good side is Siberia! Golden side! He who has strength and intelligence is like a cucumber in a greenhouse!” Let the old man's words raise doubts. But on the other hand, an attempt to instill confidence in the future is better than the intention to trample a person into the dirt, to deprive him of his last dream.
It is no coincidence that Luke tells a parable about how a certain man believed that somewhere there was a righteous land. And when faith was destroyed by a scientist who was able to prove that this land does not exist, the man hanged himself. He could not survive the collapse of his hopes. The old man is sure that a lie can bring salvation, but the truth, on the contrary, is dangerous and cruel.
The image of Luke is the personification of humanity and love for mankind. Paradoxically, he himself is just as much an inhabitant of the “bottom” as others. But he has not lost his human qualities; he finds in himself kindness and compassion for those around him. The rest have long ceased to find even a drop of sympathy for those around them. How did Luke manage to maintain kindness within himself? Perhaps the reason for this is that, unlike those around him, he never ceases to love and respect the people around him. Even in cases where there is nothing to love and respect them for. Attempts to console the suffering are not valuable in themselves for Luke. He does not revel in his role as a comforter; he uses lies as a means to awaken something human in the dead souls of the inhabitants of the “bottom”. And it’s not his fault for the lack of results. One can blame Luka for the fact that after his departure, the life of the inhabitants of the shelter became even more difficult. They had to give up illusions, and again they found themselves face to face with the realities of life. But on the other hand, the reproaches against the elder seem unfounded. The trouble with the inhabitants of the “bottom” is that they are inactive, submit to circumstances, and do not try to do anything to change their fate. Luke could become a guiding star for the Actor. But it’s easier for him to believe Satin. It was not Luka, but Satin and the Baron who caused the Actor’s suicide. After all, it was they who convinced the unfortunate man that there were no hospitals for alcoholics. On the other hand, did it really matter in hospitals? Couldn't the Actor believe in his future and try to change something in his life? Luke tried to influence him, he said to Satin: “And why are you confusing him?” The rest are indifferent to the words, both their own and those of others.
Luka leaves the shelter because he cannot change the course of things. It is not in his power to help people leave the “bottom” and become full members of society. Luke understands that his help to the disadvantaged cannot be something material, tangible. The role of a comforter cannot be permanent, otherwise it will become devalued. Attempts to instill hope and encouragement should resemble a flash of light in impenetrable darkness. And then people will decide for themselves whether to do anything or not. The play does not answer whether the life of any of the inhabitants of the bottom will change. And, in my opinion, this is no coincidence; In his work, Gorky posed the most difficult questions, which everyone can answer in their own way.
Characteristics of the hero
A notable phenomenon of Russian literature at the beginning of the 20th century was Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”. What explained its exceptional success? A strong impression on the viewer was made by the combination of an extremely realistic depiction of people who have reached the last degree of squalor, despair and lawlessness, with the glorification of Man and his truth. For the first time, an unprecedented world of thieves, tramps, cheaters, that is, people who had sunk to the “bottom” of life, appeared before the eyes of the public. And in it, as in an overturned mirror, was reflected the world from which these people were overthrown. M. Gorky's play was imbued with a protest against the social unrest of capitalist society and a passionate call for a just and peaceful life. “Freedom at any cost is its spiritual essence,” this is how K. S. Stanislavsky defined the idea of the play, who staged it on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater.
The gloomy life of the Kostylevo doss house is depicted by Gorky as the embodiment of social evil. The fate of the inhabitants of the “bottom” is a formidable indictment against an unjust social system. The people living in this cave-like basement are victims of an ugly and cruel order, in which a person ceases to be a person, turning into a powerless creature, doomed to drag out a miserable existence. The inhabitants of the “bottom” are thrown out of normal life due to the wolf laws that reign in society. Man is left to his own devices. If he stumbles, gets out of line, then he faces inevitable moral, and often physical death. Lack of faith in justice forced Satin to take revenge on the scoundrel who killed his sister. This revenge brought him to prison, which determined his future fate. Bubnov is forced to leave home, leaving the workshop to his wife and her lover, since he did not hope for protection from representatives of the law. Of course, the people who find themselves in the Kostylevo shelter are not at all ideal. They make mistakes, do stupid things, but they do not deserve to be thrown to the bottom of life by society without providing any support. Vaska Pepel, the son of a thief, born in prison, is doomed to follow in the footsteps of his parent, because no other path has been ordered for him. The hard work and perseverance of Kleshch, who did not want to accept the fate of a homeless shelter, did not help him rise from the “bottom” of life.
Turning to depicting the life of the urban lower classes, the playwright touched upon a pressing problem of our time: what is the way out of this situation, what is the salvation of the people of the “bottom”? According to Gorky himself, the main question of the play
Which is better: truth or compassion? Will the passive-compassionate humanism of a comforting lie be healing for the inhabitants of the shelter? Its bearer, pitying and comforting people, is the wanderer Luke in the play. He sincerely sympathizes with the victims of life, humiliated and insulted people, selflessly strives to alleviate their suffering and help them. He promises the dying Anna life in paradise after death, where she will rest from earthly suffering. The old man advises Ash and Natasha to start a new life in the golden country of Siberia. He tells the actor about a free hospital for alcoholics, the address of which he has forgotten, but will definitely remember, giving this drunken person hope of returning to his former life.
Luke's position is the idea of compassion for man, the idea of a "sublime deception" that allows a person to bear the burden of "low truths" encountered on his thorny path. Luke himself formulates his position. Turning to Ash, he says: “...why do you really need it? Think about it, maybe it’s just for you.” Then he talks about the “righteous land.” Luke, without returning her, knows that she is gone. He is too short-sighted to see this land that Satine foresees. Luke is ready to welcome any idea if it can console a person, alleviate his suffering even for a minute. He does not think about the consequences of a lie that will sooner or later be revealed. Trying to protect a person, Luka at the same time does not believe in him, for him all people are insignificant, weak, pathetic, in need of consolation: “I don’t care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they’re all black, everyone is jumping."
Thus, the main feature of Luke's ideology is the feature of slavery. And here Luka echoes Kostylev, the philosophy of patience - with the philosophy of oppression, the point of view of a slave
From the owner's point of view. Gorky puts this thought into Satin’s mouth: “Whoever is weak at heart and who lives on other people’s juices needs a lie... Some people are supported by it, others hide behind it... But whoever is his own master, who is independent and does not take what someone else has, why should he lie?" Luke's humanism is based on passive compassion, which, while bringing momentary relief, deepens the gap between a person's dream of happiness and his real hopeless situation. The Actor, who learned that the old man had lied and that there was no hospital, which means there was no hope for the future, could not bear this breakup. There is only one way out - suicide. Instead of the happy life in Siberia that Luke promised Ash, he ends up in hard labor for the murder of Kostylev. This means that Luke’s comforting lie only worsens the situation of the outcasts.
Luke's lies lead the night shelters into a world of illusions, which deprives them of their last strength to fight social evil, social injustice, because of which Kostylev's night shelters exist. Luke's antipode Satin verbally refutes the philosophy of comforting lies: “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters,” “Truth is the god of a free man.” He believes in a person, in his ability to withstand the truth, no matter how bitter it may be. “Man is the truth,” says the hero. Unlike Luke, Satin is demanding of people and believes that a person can do anything, since everything depends on his deeds and ideas. He does not need to be consoled by lies born of pity. To feel sorry for a person means to humiliate him by disbelief in his ability to achieve his happiness, it means to seek support in all types of deception and lies that will replace the missing will to live. Under the dark and gloomy arches of the shelter, among the pitiful, unfortunate, homeless vagabonds, words about Man, about his calling, strength and beauty sound like a solemn hymn. “Man - this is the truth! Everything is in man, everything is for man! Only man exists, everything else is the work of his hands and brain! Man! This is magnificent! It sounds... proud!”
Man himself is the creator of his own destiny, hidden within him are the forces with the help of which he is able to overcome the most severe hardships, the treachery of fate, the injustice of the world, his own mistakes and the social ills of society. Pity and compassion are wonderful qualities that are very necessary for all of us, but only a truthful, adequate understanding of one’s mistakes and capabilities can give a person a chance to overcome his evil lot and become truly free and happy.
Luke is perhaps the most complex character in the play. It is with this that the main philosophical question of the work is connected. Which is better: truth or compassion? Is it necessary to take compassion to the point of using lies, like Luke? This wanderer is the only bearer of the idea of compassion in the play. He realizes: there are “people” and there are “humans”. The weak (“people”) need support: in hope, in faith, in the strength of another. For faith and hope are the most powerful incentive for all human actions. Anna Luka is trying to ease the pain of leaving this life; he instills hope in Actor and Ashes that they can change their lives for the better. But, on the other hand, after the disappearance of the old man, the hope people have found turns out to be not only an illusion, but also turns into its complete opposite, which leads the heroes to disaster. People with a strong spirit (“people”), those who find support in themselves, do not need either pity or soothing lies. They create their own destiny, their own happiness and their own misfortune. Thus, Luke's philosophy includes Christian long-suffering, sensitivity to the suffering of others, and sober realism. But the main thing is that it is addressed to the good in the soul of every person. This goodness awakens in him the desire to become better.
Satin is an exponent of a different life position: “Everything is in a person, everything is for a person! Only man exists, everything else is the work of his hands and his brain." "A person must be respected, the hero believes, pity only humiliates. But who is Satin himself? A sharper, a man who lives a deliberate lie. He speaks beautifully, but declares contempt for those to the unfortunate who work for a crust of bread: "Work? For what? To be well-fed?.. I have always despised people who care too much about being well-fed. " He speaks of respect, but humiliates the very “little man” to whom Russian literature sympathized, starting with Pushkin. Educated, intelligent, strong Satin himself, obviously, could escape from the “bottom” of life, but does not want to do this: why? So the idea of a “free man” (like the idea of \u200b\u200bthe consolation of Luke’s lies) turns into in its complete opposite - into a philosophy of self-will, and Satin becomes an involuntary ideologist of evil, turning it into a form of existence on earth and justifying it.
Thus, in the play there is no clear answer to the question: what is better - truth or compassion? Gorky expresses both his confidence that only truth can save humanity, and his understanding of the importance of compassion in people’s lives.