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Story idea gentleman from san francisco. The theme of the meaning of life in the story

Module 1

Ways and main trends in the development of Russian literature at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries.

Practical work

Answer the questions of the heuristic conversation based on I. Bunin's story "The Gentleman from San Francisco".

Heuristic conversation on

I. Bunin's story "The Gentleman from San Francisco"

Initially, this work had an epigraph, which the writer then removed, perhaps in order to keep the reader in suspense to the end, not to give him a ready answer.

After analyzing the story, we will have to guess what idea I. Bunin prefaced his story. To do this, we will need to formulate the main idea of the story.

Now let's turn to the text.

The story of I.A. Bunin is written in the best traditions of Russian classical literature, and therefore is saturated with an ironic note literally from the first lines:

- “He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, to pleasure, to travel in every way excellent. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just embarked on life, despite his fifty-eight years ”;

- “The ocean that walked behind the walls was terrible, but they didn’t think about it, firmly believing in the power of the commander, a red-haired man of monstrous size and weight ...”;

- “... on the tank, the siren was constantly screaming with hellish gloominess and screeching with furious malice, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in a two-light hall, festively flooded with lights, overflowing with low-cut ladies and men in tailcoats and tuxedos…”;

- “... a daughter, tall, thin, with magnificent hair, charmingly tucked away, with aromatic breath from violet cakes and with the most delicate pink pimples near her lips and between her shoulder blades, slightly powdered ...”

- “Naples grew and approached; musicians, shining with copper wind instruments, already crowded on the deck and suddenly deafened everyone with the triumphant sounds of the march, the giant commander, in full dress, appeared on his bridges and, like a merciful pagan god, waved his hand in greeting to the passengers. And when the Atlantis finally entered the harbor, rolled up to the embankment with its multi-storey bulk dotted with people, and the gangway rumbled - how many porters and their assistants in caps with gold galloons, how many all sorts of commission agents, whistling boys and hefty ragamuffins with packs of colored postcards in hands rushed to meet him with an offer of services!

Imperceptibly, irony is replaced by satire and reveals the inherent egoism of a person - directly and openly.

2. On what principle does the hero choose the route?

“A gentleman from San Francisco - no one remembered his name either in Naples or Capri - went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment.

…The people to whom he belonged used to start enjoying life with a trip to Europe, to India, to Egypt. He set out to do the same."

Which of the pleasures ahead of the hero alarm the reader?

“The route was developed by a gentleman from San Francisco extensive.

In December and January, he hoped to enjoy the sun of southern Italy, the monuments of antiquity, the tarantella, the serenades of itinerant singers and what people at his age feel especially thin - love of young Neapolitan women , even if not entirely disinterested; - it is not the romance of the ancient country that attracts the hero, but ordinary sensual passions, and the desire for them is based not so much on one’s own desire, but on the position “it’s customary”, on public opinion (“and here is public opinion, the spring of honor, our idol, and this is what the world revolves on! - A. Pushkin);

- « he thought of holding a carnival in Nice, in Monte Carlo, where at this time flocks the most select society , where some enthusiastically indulge in car and sailing races, others in roulette, still others in what is commonly called flirting, and fourth in shooting pigeons, which soar very beautifully from cages over an emerald lawn, against the backdrop of a sea of \u200b\u200bthe color of forget-me-nots, and immediately knock on white lumps on the ground; " - in principle, a rather aimless pastime, again for the sake of society, and not to himself (probably, the hero does not really realize his complete psychological dependence on the “spring of honor”, the desire to “break out into people” absorbed him as a person ...

Are there any inconsistencies?

- "he wanted to dedicate the beginning of March to Florence", - usually people come to this city to enjoy the magnificent architecture, sculpture, frescoes, paintings, learn more about the magnificent Lorenzo, at whose court opera, musical theater were born ...

- “to come to Rome to the passions of the Lord, to listen to Miserere there; 1" - from the pleasures of a secular, worldly person, the hero "draws" to cult religious and Christian values;

- "Venice, and Paris, and a bullfight in Seville, and swimming in the English Isles, and Athens, and Constantinople, and Palestine, and Egypt, were included in his plans," - again a set of pleasures of a person who has not decided on his addictions, but goes to one place or another, because it is customary to see something there;

- "and even Japan - of course, already on the way back..." - here is already undisguised hyperbole, reinforcing the satirical tone of the story.

Or maybe some phrase could be rearranged? Then the logic of the story would change.

Perhaps, if not for the following sentence ("And everything went great at first" ) , the story would not have been invective, but comical.

3. Why don't the main characters of the story have names? Which one is the most individual?

The literature of critical realism, in the tradition of which I. Bunin writes, strove for typification, generalization, which is presented in this story.

However, which may be unbelievable, Bunin's typical heroes have their own hidden history, somewhere similar to people, like a temperament, age, somewhere more individual. Everything is manifested in the light strokes with which Bunin depicts his characters.

So, for example, a portrait of the gentleman from San Francisco ("Dry, short, awkwardly tailored, but firmly sewn, he sat ... " ) gives enough scope to imagine how exactly this person earned his fortune. And what about the fleeting phrase about the man in the bowler hat? The image of the protagonist is certainly typified, but at the same time, his story may not be so common.

The same can be said about other characters.

It is quite easy to “read” the story of the daughter of the protagonist, who guesses a lot:“And the daughter, in some kind of vague awkwardness, tried not to notice him.” (father who “He kept looking at the famous beauty standing next to him, a tall, amazingly built blonde with eyes painted in the latest Parisian fashion, holding a tiny, bent, mangy dog on a silver chain and talking to her ...”) Many details make it possible to understand that the girl is sensual, attentive, yet naive, that her fate may not be easy:“... her heart was suddenly squeezed by melancholy, a feeling of terrible loneliness on this alien, dark island ...” The attitude of the owner of the hotel towards the wife and daughter of the deceased master changes dramatically. Why? Does the hero's money evaporate with the death of a hero? But the daughter anticipates her future "terrible loneliness...

An elegant couple in love”, about which only one commander knew that she was hired ... What circumstances forced these people to constantly dangle around the world, pretending that they were in love? Even peacefully inclined towards each other (the author does not say anything about the love of these heroes), the gentleman and lady from San Francisco began to quarrel, tired of swimming. And this couple?

And the "crown prince" is probably a typical gigolo? What an unusually vivid portrait accompanies this image:"a small man, all wooden, broad-faced, narrow-eyed, wearing golden glasses, slightly unpleasant - in that large his mustache showed through like a dead man , in general, cute, simple and modest " !..

You can also build the image of the owner of the hotel (what makes him show cruelty towards the relatives of the deceased, why does he explain the importance of the reputation of his apartments in rude forms?) ...

Less individual, perhaps, is the image of the master's wife. Her image is most of all, in my opinion, typified, universal.

4. How is the ship depicted? What did he look like?

Of course, the image of the ship is an allegory. The ship is a world of people whose thoughts are occupied with entertainment - the same as on solid ground: “There were many passengers, the steamer - the famous "Atlantis" - looked like a huge hotel with all amenities , - with a night bar, with oriental baths, with its own newspaper ... every minute on the tank howled with hellish gloominess and screeched with furious anger, a siren, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the two-light hall , festively flooded with lights, crowded with low-cut ladies and men in tailcoats and tuxedos, slender footmen and respectful head waiters, among which one, the one who took orders only for wine, even walked with a chain around his neck, like a lord mayor.

Let's turn to the daily routine on the ship. How can you describe in three or four words what the passengers were doing?

The passengers of the ship passed their time (strongly rested):“... life on it was very measured: they got up early, ... put on flannel pajamas, drank coffee, chocolate, cocoa; then they sat in the baths, did gymnastics, stimulating the appetite and feeling good, made daily toilets and went to the first breakfast; until eleven o'clock it was necessary to walk briskly on the decks, breathing the cold freshness of the ocean, or play sheflboard and other games to re-stimulate the appetite, and at eleven to refresh themselves with broth sandwiches; having refreshed themselves, they read the newspaper with pleasure and calmly waited for the second breakfast, even more nutritious and varied than the first; the next two hours were devoted to rest; all the decks were then lined with long reed chairs, on which the travelers lay, covered with blankets, looking at the cloudy sky and at the foamy hillocks flashing overboard, or dozing sweetly; at five o'clock they, refreshed and cheerful, were given strong fragrant tea with biscuits; at seven they announced with trumpet signals about what was the main goal of this entire existence, its crown ... "- dinner, similar to a soiree (or ball).

5. What episodes and details show that main character- a purely material person, selfish, with a sleeping soul, somewhat immoral, just like the other passengers of the Atlantis?

Bunin uses the antithesis, portraying the rich passengers of the ship, who by all means do not want to think about the terrible, boundless ocean, not to think and not notice people who provide passengers not just comfort, but chic comfort.

“Dinner lasted more than an hour, and after dinner dances opened in the ballroom, during which men - including, of course, the gentleman from San Francisco - with their legs up, their faces crimson red, smoked Havana cigars and drank liquors in a bar , where Negroes served in red camisoles, with squirrels that looked like peeled hard-boiled eggs. The ocean roared behind the wall in black mountains, the blizzard whistled strongly in the heavy gear, the steamer trembled all over, overcoming both it and these mountains, - as if with a plow, breaking apart their unsteady, now and then boiling up and high foamy tails huge masses, the siren choked with mist moaned in mortal anguish, the watchmen on their watch tower froze from the cold and went crazy from the unbearable strain of attention, to the gloomy and sultry bowels of the underworld, its last, ninth circle was like the underwater womb of the steamer, - the one where the gigantic furnaces devouring with their red-hot mouths of heaps of coal, with a roar thrown into them, drenched in acrid, dirty sweat and waist-deep naked people, purple from the flames; and here, in the bar, they carelessly threw their legs on the arms of their chairs, sipped cognac and liquors, floated in waves of spicy smoke, everything in the dance hall shone and poured out light, warmth and joy, couples either spun in waltzes, or bent into tango - and the music insistently, in sweet, shameless sadness, she prayed all about one thing, all about the same ... "

6. Why are the 9 circles of hell mentioned? To which work does the author refer us? Can we talk about duplication?

The story does not just mention the 9 circles of hell ("her(underworld) the last, ninth circle was like the underwater womb of a steamer" ) - this comparison more clearly illustrates the monotonous (albeit filled with many sounds, colors, movements) world and strengthens the antithesis, opposing careless passengers (who "carelessly threw their legs on the arms of their chairs, sipped cognac and liqueurs, swam in waves of spicy smoke ..”) And " waist-deep naked people, purple from the flames" furnaces.

Like N. Gogol, who conceived a poem about Chichikov in 3 volumes, and then M. Bulgakov in the novel "The Master and Margarita", I. Bunin refers to the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, where the lyrical hero, wanting to see the deceased beloved again, first descends into the underworld, having passed all 9 (as it is represented in Christian mythology) circles of hell.

Both Gogol and Bunin, and then Bulgakov, do not use duplication, but a kind of reference to a medieval text. Thus, the space of the story expands, becoming not a single episode, but a universal, typification. In addition, this comparison expresses the author's attitude.

7. Do these pictures only have a social theme or a philosophical one too? In what episodes does the social theme still sound in the story?

Of course, the description of the pastime of the passengers of the Atlantis (where the name of the ship is symbolic) and the people who provide this voyage are both social and philosophical pictures: everyone lives the way it is destined for him, and also because of the choice that he himself commits ("in love" dancing couple).

When passengers go ashore, in Italy - the country of romance, antiquity, beauty - the same atmosphere reigns, however, as on board the Atlantis:“So it was everywhere, so it was in navigation, so it should have been in Naples.

Life in Naples immediately flowed according to routine : early in the morning - breakfast in a gloomy dining room, cloudy, little promising sky and crowd of guides at the lobby door ; then the first smiles of the warm pinkish sun, the view from the high-hanging balcony of Vesuvius, shrouded to the foot in radiant morning vapors, of the silver-pearl ripples of the bay and the delicate outline of Capri on the horizon, of those running below, along the embankment, tiny donkeys in gigs and on detachments of small soldiers walking somewhere with cheerful and defiant music; then - exit to the car and slow traffic along crowded narrow and damp corridors of streets , among the tall, many-windowed houses, the inspection of deadly clean and even, pleasant, but boring, like snow, lit museums or cold, wax-smelling churches in which everywhere the same thing: a majestic entrance, covered with a heavy leather curtain, and inside - a huge emptiness, silence , quiet lights of the menorah, reddening in the depths on the throne, adorned with lace, lonely old woman among dark wooden desks , slippery tombstones underfoot and someone's "Descent from the Cross", certainly famous; at one o'clock - second breakfast on Mount San Martino, where he arrives at noon many people of the first class and where one day the daughter of a gentleman from San Francisco almost became ill: it seemed to her that the prince was sitting in the hall, although she already knew from the newspapers that he was in Rome; at five, tea in the hotel, in a smart salon, where it is so warm from the carpets and blazing fireplaces; and there again preparations for dinner - again a powerful, imperious rumble of the gong on all floors, strings again rustling on the stairs with silks and reflected in the mirrors of low-cut ladies , again wide and hospitably open dining hall , and red jackets of musicians on the stage, and a black crowd of lackeys near the head waiter , with extraordinary skill, pouring thick pink soup on plates ... "

8. Why are the ocean, waves, wind, siren described in such detail? What does Bunin want to say about modern man? Does he approve?

Nature (ocean, waves, wind…) is not in harmony with the people who are on "Atlantis":“It was the end of November, until Gibraltar I had to sail either in the icy haze, or in the midst of a storm with sleet ... The ocean that walked behind the walls was terrible ... The ocean with a rumble walked behind the wall with black mountains, the blizzard whistled hard in the heavy tackle, the ship was trembling all over , overcoming both her and these mountains, - like a plow breaking their unsteady masses to the sides, now and then boiling up and flying high with foamy tails, - a siren choked by fog wailed in mortal anguish ... " as if warning people to remember the main thing (maybe about God, about duty, their destiny ...) But the passengers did not hear the sirens, intoxicated with all kinds of entertainment; but watchmen, in order to stay alive, to save the ship, it is necessary to overcome the force of the elements (“froze from the cold and went crazy from the unbearable strain of attention watchmen on their tower ”), and then follows a comparison with the underworld ...

And in the behavior of passengers,

And in behavior "all those who fed and watered him (gentlemen from San Francisco), from morning to evening they served him, preventing his slightest desire, guarded his cleanliness and peace, dragged his things, called porters for him, delivered his chests to hotels, ” as well as the belongings of other wealthy passengers.

And the last lines of the story confirm this."And again painfully writhed and sometimes convulsively faced among this crowd, among the brilliance of lights, silks, diamonds and naked female shoulders, a thin and flexible pair of hired lovers: sinfully modest girl with lowered eyelashes, with an innocent haircut, and a tall young man with black hair, as if glued on, pale from powder, in the most elegant patent leather shoes, in a narrow, long-tailed tailcoat - a handsome man who looks like a huge leech . And no one knew either that already got bored a long time ago this couple pretend to suffer with their blissful torment to shamelessly sad music, nor what stands deep, deep below them, at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, heavily overcome darkness, ocean, blizzard ... "

9. What descriptions and episodes of the story foreshadow the death of the protagonist? Does God or fate give him signs that he needs to prepare for the most important thing?

1. “On the day of departure - very memorable for a family from San Francisco! - even in the morning there was no sun . Heavy fog Vesuvius hid to its very foundation, low gray above the leaden swell of the sea. The island of Capri was not visible at all - as if it never really existed ».

2. " And a little boat... so rolled from side to side, that the family from San Francisco was lying in layers on the sofas in the miserable wardroom of this steamboat, wrapping rugs around their legs and closing their eyes from nausea ... Mister, lying on his back, in a wide coat and a large cap, did not open his jaws all the way ; his face became dark, his mustache white, his head was seriously ill: the last few days, thanks to bad weather, he drank too much in the evenings and admired the “living pictures” too much in some brothels.

3. At the stops, at Castellammare, at Sorrento, it was a little easier; but even here it waved terribly, the coast with all its cliffs, gardens, pines, pink and white hotels, and smoky, curly-green mountains flew up and down outside the window, as if on a swing ... And a gentleman from San Francisco, feeling as he should - a very old man , - I already thought with longing and anger about all these greedy, garlic-stinking little people called Italians ... "

4. “Politely and elegantly bowed master, remarkably elegant young man, met them, for a moment struck the master from San Francisco: he suddenly remembered that this night, among other confusion that besieged him in a dream, he saw this particular gentleman , exactly the same as this one, in the same business card and with the same mirror-combed head. Surprised, he almost stopped. But since not even the mustard seed of any so-called mystical feelings remained in his soul for a long time, his surprise immediately faded: he jokingly told his wife and daughter about this strange coincidence of dream and reality, walking along the corridor of the hotel. His daughter, however, looked at him with alarm at that moment: her heart was suddenly gripped by melancholy , a feeling of terrible loneliness on this alien, dark island ... "

five. " And after a pause, after thinking something, but without saying anything, the gentleman from San Francisco dismissed him with a nod of his head.

And then he again began to prepare for the wedding : he turned on electricity everywhere, filled all the mirrors with a reflection of light and brilliance, furniture and open chests, began to shave, wash and ring every minute, while along the entire corridor rushed and interrupted his other impatient calls - from the rooms of his wife and daughter ... The floor was still rocking under him, his fingertips were very painful, the cufflink sometimes bit hard flabby skin in the recess under the Adam's apple, but he was persistent and finally, with eyes shining with tension, all gray from the overly tight collar that squeezed his throat , did finish the job - and in exhaustion sat down in front of the dressing table, all reflected in it and repeated in other mirrors.

- not trying to understand, not thinking what exactly is terrible ».

Of course, fate warns the hero:

Heavy fog hides the island, as if it does not exist (so the hero will go into oblivion),

On the steamboat, the gentleman was very sick, he feels old, weak (this is an occasion to think about life and death once again!),

The heart of the master's daughter, probably a sensual and emotional girl, was suddenly compressed by melancholy when her father told her and his wife that he had seen the owner of the hotel in which they stayed, in a dream the day before (an extremely unpleasant sign!),

When the gentleman dresses for dinner, the objects surrounding him (floor, cufflink, collar) seem to disobey the person...

And what does it mean to prepare for death?

« What did the gentleman from San Francisco feel and think on that so significant evening for him? ?

He, like anyone who has experienced pitching, only really wanted to eat, dreamed with pleasure of the first spoonful of soup, the first sip of wine and did the usual business of the toilet, even in some excitement, leaving no time for feelings and reflections .

Having shaved, washed, properly inserted a few teeth, standing in front of the mirrors, he moistened and cleaned with brushes in a silver frame the remnants of pearl hair around a swarthy-yellow skull, pulled on a strong senile body with a waist plump from enhanced nutrition, and on dry legs with flat feet - black silk socks and ballroom shoes, crouching, he put in order the black trousers and the snow-white shirt with a protruding chest, which were highly pulled up with silk straps, set the cufflinks into the shiny cuffs and began to suffer with catching under the hard collar of the cufflinks of the neck.

But then loudly, as if in a pagan temple, the second gong hummed throughout the house ... "

Starting “on the contrary”, it can be noted that the author thinks about the approach of death: it is necessary to devote some time “for feelings and reflections” and, of course, not to worry about food and costume at this moment.

10. Does he catch the signs of fate, does he think about death, about God? At least a second of insight was?

Unfortunately, the gentleman from San Francisco does not see the signs of fate, does not notice, and frankly ignores them. Seeing the owner of the hotel in which the hero was destined to die, "surprised, he almost stopped. But as in his soul for a long time not even the mustard seed of any so-called mystical feelings remained, his surprise immediately faded: he jokingly said about this strange coincidence of dream and reality to his wife and daughter, walking along the corridor of the hotel " .

Perhaps a spark of insight ran through the mind of the hero when, dressed for dinner, he looked at himself in the mirror: “... The floor was still swaying under him, his fingertips were very painful, the cufflink sometimes bit hard on the flabby skin in the recess under the Adam's apple, but he was persistent and finally, with eyes shining from tension, all gray from the excessively tight collar that squeezed his throat, he finished the job - and in exhaustion sat down in front of the dressing table, all reflected in it and repeated in other mirrors.

- Oh, it's terrible! he muttered, lowering his strong bald head and not trying to understand, not thinking what it was that was terrible…”

11. How did he spend the last, as it turned out, 2 hours before his death? Did you sin, as usual, or become thoughtful, sad? Does the attitude of the reader change? At what point?

The last, as it turned out, 2 hours before his death, the gentleman from San Francisco spent the same way as many other hours on this trip - dressing up for dinner. Of course, he did not commit mortal sins while dressing in front of a mirror, nor did he feel sad, although more than once he suddenly felt old and tired, but he tried to drive away these thoughts and feelings as unnecessary, false. But in vain.

As I said, the story begins with lines riddled with irony, sometimes sarcasm. But Russian writers are unique in that they are unusually humane. Just as Bazarov “deceived” Turgenev’s plan, so Bunin, denouncing an indifferent “well-fed” person, does not dare to mock Death and denounces the callousness and indifference of those who do not console the widow and daughter, but as if on purpose make everything more painful for them, in the worst conditions sending the body of the gentleman from San Francisco home to America ...

Death is always unsightly and terrible. Describing the last hours and minutes of his hero's life, Bunin presents us no longer a master, but simply a man.

12. How does the last 2 minutes of his life characterize him?

“... hastily getting up from his seat, the gentleman from San Francisco pulled his collar even more with a tie, and his stomach with an open waistcoat, put on a tuxedo, straightened his cuffs, once again looked at himself in the mirror ... cheerfully leaving his room and walking across the carpet to the next one, wife, loudly asked if they were soon?

- In five minutes! - a girl's voice answered loudly and already cheerfully from behind the door.

- Great, said the gentleman from San Francisco.

And he slowly walked down the corridors and stairs, covered with red carpets, down, looking for a reading room.

- Oncoming servants huddled against him against the wall, and he walked, as if not noticing them.

- An old woman late for dinner, already stooped, with milky hair, but low-cut, in a light gray silk dress, hurried ahead of him with all her might, but funny, like a chicken, and he easily overtook her.

- Near the glass doors of the dining room, where everyone was already assembled and began to eat, he stopped in front of a table cluttered with boxes of cigars and Egyptian cigarettes, took a large manilla and threw three lira on the table;

- on the winter veranda, he casually glanced out the open window: from the darkness a gentle air blew on him, he imagined the top of an old palm tree, spreading its fronds across the stars, which seemed gigantic, there came the distant steady sound of the sea ... "

As soon as we get to know the hero, we learn that he recovers on his journey, being“I am firmly convinced that he has every right to rest, to enjoy, to travel in all respects excellent.

For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just embarked on life, despite his fifty-eight years. Until that time, he had not lived, but only existed, though not badly, but still pinning all his hopes on the future. He worked tirelessly - the Chinese, whom he ordered to work for him by the thousands, knew well what this meant! - and finally he saw that a lot had already been done, that he had almost caught up with those whom he had once taken as a model, and decided to take a break ».

These lines present us with a person who has achieved wealth with great difficulty (which, in principle, cannot but cause at least some respect for him). Probably, the road up was (as is usually the case) not easy, I often had to hide my true feelings, and even more so the pain. The hero quite "cheerfully" went into the fatal room for him, behaving (or pretending?) at ease: I think that this is a strong character, quite stubborn, stubborn. You can hardly call him stupid, but an entangled "idol" (as Pushkin calls public opinion) - certainly.

13. Prove that social and philosophical themes are intertwined in the scene of the master's death. The death of a loved one shows the true relationship in the family. What can you say about it?

“Wife, daughter, doctor, servants stood and looked at him. Suddenly, what they expected and feared happened - the wheezing stopped. And slowly, slowly, in front of everyone, pallor flowed down the face of the deceased, and his features began to thin, brighten ... "- Moreover, in the previous sentence, Bunin wrote that“It was no longer the gentleman from San Francisco, he was no longer there, but someone else.” So from the ironic image the author moves to the philosophical, vital, wise experience of the years lived, personal losses ...

“The owner came in. "Gia e morto" the doctor whispered to him. host with impassive face shrugged. Mrs., with tears quietly rolling down her cheeks, went up to him and timidly said that now it is necessary to transfer the deceased to his room.

- Oh no, madam - hastily, correctly, but already without any courtesy and not in English, but in French objected the owner, who was not at all interested in those trifles that those who came from San Francisco could now leave in his cashier. “It is absolutely impossible, madam,” he said, and added in explanation that he greatly appreciated this apartment, that if he granted her desire, then all of Capri would know about it and tourists would begin to avoid them.

Miss , who had been looking at him strangely all the time, sat down on a chair and, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, she sobbed . Mrs.'s tears immediately dried up, her face flushed . She raised her tone, began to demand, speaking her own language and still not believing that respect for them was completely lost.

The highlighted expressions illustrate those social aspects when sincere human feelings are manifested:

Callousness, greed, fear for the reputation of the institution - on the part of the owner,

Pain, compassion, experience - from relatives, as well as the strength of the character of Mrs., offended by the fact, “that respect for them (to her living a few years ago! to her husband, to herself, to her daughter)completely lost."

14. In condemning the world of the rich, does the author idealize the world of the poor? Prove it.

Condemning the world of the rich, Bunin does not idealize the world of the poor.

Perhaps the writer relies on the opinion of Pushkin, who, reflecting on the correct, accurate words to "Anchar", left the lines in the final version: "But human person sent to the Anchar by the powerful look, And he obediently flowed on the way and returned in the morning with poison. He brought mortal resin and a branch with withered leaves, and sweat rolled down his pale brow in cold streams. brought , and weakened, and lay down under the arch of the hut on the bast, and died poor slave at the feet of the invincible lords …»

So Bunin's "ordinary people" are not endowed with those qualities that make us admire them and be proud of them.

- «… when the Atlantis finally entered the harbor, rolled up to the embankment with its many-storied bulk, dotted with people, and the gangway rumbled, - how many porters and their assistants in caps with gold galloons, how many all kinds of commission agents, whistling boys and hefty ragamuffins with bundles of colored postcards in hand rushed to meet him with an offer of services! »

- “The dead man remained in the dark, blue stars looked at him from the sky, a cricket sang with sad carelessness on the wall ... In the dimly lit corridor, two maids were sitting on the windowsill, mending something. Luigi entered with a bunch of dresses on his arm, in shoes.

- Pronto? (Ready?) - he asked anxiously in a ringing whisper, pointing with his eyes at the terrible door at the end of the corridor. He waved his free hand lightly in that direction. - Partenza! - he shouted in a whisper, as if seeing off the train, what is usually shouted in Italy at the stations when trains depart, - and maids, choking on silent laughter dropped their heads on each other's shoulders. .

Although, of course, not all people are like that. Bunin presents us and them, living carefree, at ease, with reverence for God and his Mother.

But the writer idealizes not the world of people, but the image of the Mother of God - inanimate, molded by human hands and illuminated by the Creator: “...all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and brilliance, she stood in snow-white gypsum clothes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from bad weather ... "

15. Are there any characters in the story who, from the author's point of view, live righteously, correctly, or at least naturally (in some ways they relate to life and death, sin and God more correctly)?

Yes, and such images - sincere and natural - are presented by Bunin in his short story.

« Only the market on a small square traded in fish and herbs, and there were only ordinary people among whom, as always, without any business, stood Lorenzo, a tall old boatman, a carefree reveler and a handsome man , famous throughout Italy, who more than once served as a model for many painters: he brought and already sold for a pittance two lobsters he caught at night, rustling in the apron of the cook of the very hotel where the family from San Francisco spent the night, and now he could calmly stand even until the evening , glancing around with regal habit, showing off with his rags, a clay pipe and a red woolen beret lowered over one ear.

And along the cliffs of Monte Solaro, along the ancient Phoenician road carved into the rocks, along its stone steps, descended from Anacapri two Abruzzi highlanders . One, under a leather cloak, had a bagpipe - a large goat fur with two pipes, the other - something like a wooden tong. They walked - and a whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched under them: and the rocky humps of the island, which lay almost entirely at their feet, and that fabulous blue in which he swam, and the shining morning vapors over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun, which was already warming hot, rising higher and higher, and the misty-azure, unsteady massifs of Italy, its near and distant mountains, the beauty of which is powerless to express the human word.

Halfway they slowed down: over the road, in the grotto of the rocky wall of Monte Solaro, all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and brilliance, stood in snow-white plaster clothes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from bad weather, mother of God, meek and merciful, with eyes raised to heaven, to the eternal and blessed abodes of her thrice-blessed son . They bared their heads - and naive and humbly joyful praises poured out to their sun, morning, to her, the immaculate intercessor of all those who suffer in this evil and beautiful world, and who was born from her womb in the cave of Bethlehem, in a poor shepherd's shelter, in the distant land of Judah ... "

16. Why do you think the ship is called "Atlantis" and why the gentleman from San Francisco was there again?

The ship is called "Atlantis" not by chance:

Firstly, written in 1915, a huge ship, of course, its name echoes the tragically famous Titanic;

And secondly, ancient Atlantis is a legendary island where an ancient civilization reached incredible heights of technical and terrible human sins, for which it was punished by the gods and wiped off the face of the earth.

Everything in life makes its circle and returns to its origins - so the master (more precisely, what was before him) returns to his homeland. This is first. And secondly, what is the contrast without a description of a living millionaire who went with incredible comfort to Europe, and a description of a miserable coffin with his body on the way back?!

Does the ship only look like a hotel?

In principle, the answer to this question has already been given: the ship is an allegory of a secular society, satiated with pleasures, all sorts of options for a prosperous - FAT - life, where people do not think about what surrounds them, and are even afraid to think about it. "The ocean that went beyond the walls was terrible, but they did not think about it, firmly believing in the power of the commander over it, ... few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the two-light hall ... "

As mentioned above, the ironic intonation of the story is replaced by a deep philosophical understanding.

The bright, dazzling atmosphere of the dining room on the ship is represented by cheerful, joyful faces: “...in the dance hall

everything shone and poured out light, warmth and joy,

the couples now whirled in waltzes, then bent in tango - and the music insistently, in sweetly shameless sadness, begged all for one thing, all for the same ...

Was among this brilliant crowd some great rich man, shaved, long, in an old-fashioned tailcoat,

was famous spanish writer,

was universal beauty ,

there was an elegant couple in love, whom everyone watched with curiosity and who did not hide their happiness: he danced only with her, and everything came out of them so subtly, charmingly ... " A series of vivid enumerations ends with a description of a couple in love. And the following remark is more dissonant with this false joy: “...only one commander knew that this couple was hired by Lloyd to play love for good money and had been sailing on one ship or another for a long time.

When the tone of the story changes from ironic to philosophical, when the body of the gentleman from San Francisco returns in a completely different way on this brilliant ship, the author’s bitter remark reinforces the main idea of the work: “And no one knew either what this couple had long been bored with pretending to suffer their blissful torment to shamelessly sad music, nor what stands deep, deep under them, at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, hard overcome darkness, ocean, blizzard... »

What can you say about Bunin's concept of love?

Bunin's concept of love is tragic. Moments of love, according to Bunin, become the pinnacle of a person's life.

Only by falling in love can a person truly feel another person, only a feeling justifies high demands on himself and his neighbor, only a lover is able to overcome his egoism. The state of love is not fruitless for Bunin's heroes, it elevates souls.

In the story “The Gentleman from San Francisco”, the theme of love is not the leading one, but some points can be noted in dotted lines:

Does the protagonist's wife love her husband?

What is the fate of the hero's daughter?

What kind of love does the writer praise?

Considering the image of the wife of a Mr. from San Francisco, at first you perceive this woman in the same way as the rest of the images sarcastically presented in the story: she does not go to Europe of her own desire, personal aspiration, hobby, but because “it is customary in society”, “so the daughter will find a worthy match”, perhaps also because “the husband said so”. But death takes the master, takes the man - and the image of this heroine becomes "warmer", more humane: we feel sorry for the woman who has lost a loved one (how often men climb to the top of the hierarchical ladder, leaning on the shoulders of a faithful wife!), who is unexpectedly insulted, humiliated her husband's ashes...Mrs.'s tears immediately dried up, her face flushed. She raised her voice, began to demand, speaking her own language and still not believing that respect for them was finally lost. The owner, with polite dignity, rebuked her: if Madame does not like the order of the hotel, he does not dare to detain her; and firmly stated that the body should be taken out this very day at dawn, that the police had already been given to know that their representative would immediately appear and carry out the necessary formalities ... Can even a simple ready-made coffin be obtained in Capri, Madame asks? Unfortunately, no, in no case, and no one will have time to do it. We'll have to do something else... Soda English water, for example, he gets in large and long boxes... the partitions from such a box can be removed..."

I have already spoken about the daughter of the hero: it seems to me that she could have had a very difficult fate (for example, if the girl had connected her life with the “crown prince”), perhaps the girl will have many trials now. The lines of L.N. Tolstoy, with which his novel “Anna Karenina” begins, became an aphorism: “All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

But in the story there is still the sound of love: for the beautiful past - magnificent Italy, for the incomprehensible and majestic Nature, for God and the Virgin Mary.

- “After ten minutes the family from San Francisco got off into a large barge, after fifteen they stepped on the stones of the embankment, and then got into a bright trailer and buzzed up the slope, among the stakes in the vineyards, dilapidated stone fences and wet, clumsy, covered in some places straw canopies of orange trees, with a brilliance of orange fruits and thick glossy foliage, gliding downhill, past the open windows of the trailer ... The land in Italy smells sweet after rain, and each of its islands has its own special smell!

- “And at dawn, when it turned white outside the window of number forty-three and the damp wind rustled the torn banana leaves, when the blue morning sky rose and stretched over the island of Capri and turned golden against the sun rising behind the distant blue mountains of Italy, the clean and clear peak of Monte Solaro ... But the morning was fresh, in such air, in the middle of the sea, under the morning sky, the hop soon disappears and carelessness soon returns to the person ..., The steamboat, lying far below like a beetle, on the gentle and bright blue, which the Gulf of Naples is so densely and full of, already gave the last beeps - and they cheerfully responded throughout the island, each bend of which, each ridge, each stone was so clearly visible from everywhere, as if there was no air at all.

- “They walked - and a whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched under them: and the rocky humps of the island, which almost all lay at their feet, and that fabulous blue in which he swam, and shining morning vapors over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun, which was already warming hotly, rising higher and higher, and the misty-azure, unsteady massifs of Italy, its near and distant mountains, the beauty of which is powerless to express the human word. Halfway they slowed down: over the road, in the grotto of the rocky wall of Monte Solaro, all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and brilliance, stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from bad weather, the Mother of God, meek and merciful , with eyes raised to heaven, to the eternal and blessed abodes of her thrice-blessed son. They bared their heads - and naive and humbly joyful praises poured out to their sun, morning, to her, the immaculate intercessor of all those who suffer in this evil and beautiful world, and who was born from her womb in the cave of Bethlehem, in a poor shepherd's shelter, in the distant land of Judah .. ."

17. Why is the raging ocean again depicted in detail? Why is the devil watching the ship from the rocks? Why does the ship seem to be winking at him?

Bunin's story is designed for a thoughtful, attentive reader who knows how to compare the images presented by the writer with the main questions of mankind: why do we live, what do we do wrong, since troubles and misfortunes do not lag behind a person (what to do? Who is to blame? Does God exist?) Ocean - this is the personification of existence, the element of life, sometimes merciless and evil, sometimes incredibly beautiful and full of freedom ...

In this story, the ocean is raging: nature does not accept the crazy fun of the passengers of the Atlantis, which is opposed to Nature.“And again, again the ship went on its distant sea route. At night he sailed past the island of Capri, and his lights, slowly hiding in the dark sea, were sad for him who looked at them from the island. But there, on the ship, in the bright halls shining with chandeliers, there was, as usual, a crowded ball that night. Therefore, it is logical that the devil is watching the ship from the rocks, counting how many souls will soon go to hell...

The expression "people's ball" is perceived in a negative sense, in some way, perhaps, associative with a satanic ball. And then Bunin draws a parallel between the image of the Devil and the ship: “The Devil was as huge as a cliff, but so was the ship, many-tiered, many-trumpeted, created by the pride of a New Man with an old heart.” And so they, created by pride, wink at each other.

18. Remember when the story was written? What were the moods in the society?

The story was written in 1915, following the tragic years of 1912 and 1914.

The wreck of the Titanic - maritime disaster that occurred on the night of 14 to 15 Aprilwhen the Filipino crashed

To understand the causes of the First World War, one must remember the balance of power in Europe, where the three major world powers - the Russian Empire, Great Britain and England - are XIX century already divided spheres of influence among themselves.

Having strengthened economically and militarily at the end of the 19th century, Germany began to urgently need a new living space for a growing population and markets for its goods. Colonies were needed, which Germany did not have. To achieve this, it was necessary to start a new redistribution of the world by defeating the allied bloc of three powers - England, Russia and France. In response to the German threat, the Entente alliance was created, consisting of Russia, France and England that joined them.

In addition to the desire of Germany to win back its living space and colonies, there were other reasons for the First World War. This question is so complex that there is still no single point of view on this matter.

Another reason for the war is the choice of the path of development of society. Could the war have been avoided? - this question was asked by everyone, probably, in these difficult years.

All sources unanimously say that it is possible if the leadership of the countries participating in the conflict would really want it. Germany was most interested in the war, for which she was fully prepared, and made every effort to start it.

And every thoughtful writer sought to explain the causes of the war not only by political and economic reasons, but by moral and spiritual ones.

In principle, the word "criticism" does not have a negative meaning (it is a literal translation of the word "judgment"), but the definition of literature (both Russian and world) of the 2nd half of the 19th century is the literature of critical - accusatory - realism. And Bunin in the story "The Gentleman from San Francisco" continues the tradition of exposing the moral character of a person, vividly represented in the works of critical realism.

Also along with the word "Armageddon " is used in the senseor catastrophes on a planetary scale.

In this work, no doubt, the word is used in the latter sense. All the more, this strengthens the comparison of the ship with the Devil, the comparison of the boilers of the steamer with fiery hell, and the actions of the passengers with satanic reckless revelry.

"- Blizzard fought in his (ship) rigging and wide-mouthed pipes, white with snow, but he was steadfast, firm, majestic and terrible .

- On the uppermost roof of it rose alone among the snow whirlwinds those cozy, dimly lit chambers, where, immersed in a sensitive and anxious drowsiness, he sat above the whole ship overweight driver (commander of the ship, a red-haired man of monstrous size and weight),like a pagan idol. He heard heavy howls and furious squeals of a siren choked by a storm, but he calmed himself by the proximity of that, ultimately for him the most incomprehensible, what was behind his wall: that armored cabin, which was constantly filled with a mysterious rumble, trembling and dry crackling blue lights flashing and bursting around a pale-faced telegraph operator with a metal half-hoop on his head. - At the bottom, in the underwater womb of Atlantis, dimly shone with steel, the thousand-pound bulks of boilers sizzled with steam and oozed boiling water and oil and all sorts of other machines, that kitchen, heated from the bottom by infernal furnaces, in which the movement of the ship was cooked, - forces terrible in their concentration bubbled, transmitted to its very keel, into an infinitely long dungeon, into a round tunnel, weakly illuminated by electricity, where slowly, with a rigor that overwhelms the human soul, a gigantic shaft rotated in its oily bed, like a living monster, stretching in this tunnel, like a vent.

- And the middle of "Atlantis", dining and ballrooms she poured out light and joy, buzzed with the talk of the smart crowd , fragrant with fresh flowers, sang with a string orchestra.

This ship-underworld parallel opens the narrative and completes it, as if placing the image of a person in the circle of this lexical paradigm.

20. Formulate the main idea of the story. How does this idea resonate with the epigraph to the story, which was later filmed by the author?

The original title of the story was "Death on Capri". As an epigraph, the author took the lines from the Apocalypse: "Woe to you, Babylon, strong city!" The meaning of the statement is revealed if we recall the sad fate of Babylon, which turned out to be far from being as strong as it seemed. So, nothing lasts forever on earth. Especially a person whose life is a moment compared to eternity.

In the process of working on the work, the author abandoned the title, which contained the word "death". Despite this, the feeling of catastrophe, indicated in the first version of the title and epigraph, permeates the entire content of The Gentleman from San Francisco. I. A. Bunin, with the help of symbolic images, speaks of the inevitability of the death of the kingdom of gain and lust.
Only in the very last edition, shortly before his death, Bunin removed a meaningful epigraph. He removed it, perhaps because these words, taken from the Apocalysis, seemed to him too frankly expressing his attitude to what was described. But he left the name of the ship on which the American rich man sails with his wife and daughter to Europe - "Atlantis", as if wanting to once again remind readers of the doom of existence, the main content of which was the passion for pleasure.

I. Bunin is one of the few figures of Russian culture appreciated abroad. In 1933 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for the rigorous skill with which he develops the traditions of Russian classical prose." One can relate differently to the personality and views of this writer, but his skill in the field of belles-lettres is undeniable, therefore his works are at least worthy of our attention. One of them, namely "The Gentleman from San Francisco", received such a high rating from the jury that awards the most prestigious prize in the world.

An important quality for a writer is observation, because from the most fleeting episodes and impressions you can create a whole work. Bunin accidentally saw the cover of Thomas Mann's book "Death in Venice" in the store, and a few months later, having arrived to visit his cousin, he remembered this name and connected it with an even older memory: the death of an American on the island of Capri, where the author himself was resting. And so one of the best Bunin stories turned out, and not just a story, but a whole philosophical parable.

This literary work was enthusiastically received by critics, and the outstanding talent of the writer was compared with the gift of L.N. Tolstoy and A.P. Chekhov. After that, Bunin stood with venerable connoisseurs of the word and the human soul in the same row. His work is so symbolic and eternal that it will never lose its philosophical focus and relevance. And in the age of the power of money and market relations, it is doubly useful to remember what life leads to, inspired only by hoarding.

What a story?

The main character, who has no name (he's just a gentleman from San Francisco), spent his whole life increasing his wealth, and at the age of 58 he decided to devote time to rest (and at the same time family). They go on the steamer "Atlantis" on their entertaining journey. All passengers are immersed in idleness, but the attendants work tirelessly to provide all these breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas, card games, dances, liqueurs and cognacs. The stay of tourists in Naples is also monotonous, only museums and cathedrals are added to their program. However, the weather does not favor tourists: the Naples December turned out to be rainy. Therefore, the Lord and his family rush to the island of Capri, which pleases with warmth, where they check into the same hotel and are already preparing for routine “entertainment” activities: eating, sleeping, chatting, looking for a groom for their daughter. But suddenly the death of the protagonist breaks into this "idyll". He died suddenly while reading a newspaper.

And here the main idea of the story is revealed to the reader that in the face of death everyone is equal: neither wealth nor power can save from it. This Gentleman, who just recently wasted money, contemptuously spoke to the servants and accepted their respectful bows, is lying in a cramped and cheap room, respect has disappeared somewhere, the family is being kicked out of the hotel, because his wife and daughter will leave “trifles” at the cash desk. And now his body is being taken back to America in a soda box, because even a coffin is not to be found in Capri. But he is already riding in the hold, hidden from high-ranking passengers. And no one is particularly grieving, because no one will be able to use the dead man's money.

The meaning of the name

At first, Bunin wanted to name his story "Death on Capri" by analogy with the title "Death in Venice" that inspired him (the writer read this book later and rated it as "unpleasant"). But already after writing the first line, he crossed out this title and called the work by the “name” of the hero.

From the first page, the attitude of the writer to the Lord is clear, for him he is faceless, colorless and soulless, therefore he did not even get a name. He is the master, the top of the social hierarchy. But all this power is fleeting and unsteady, the author recalls. A hero useless for society, who has not done a single good deed for 58 years and thinks only of himself, remains after death only an unknown gentleman, about whom they only know that he is a rich American.

Characteristics of heroes

There are few characters in the story: the gentleman from San Francisco as a symbol of eternal fussy hoarding, his wife, depicting gray respectability, and their daughter, symbolizing the desire for this respectability.

The gentleman “worked tirelessly” all his life, but these were the hands of the Chinese, who were hired by the thousands and died just as plentifully in hard service. Other people generally mean little to him, the main thing is profit, wealth, power, savings. It was they who gave him the opportunity to travel, live at the highest level and do not give a damn about others who were less fortunate in life. However, nothing saved the hero from death, you can’t take money to the next world. Yes, and respect, bought and sold, quickly turns into dust: after his death, nothing has changed, the celebration of life, money and idleness continued, even there is no one to worry about the last tribute to the dead. The body travels through the authorities, this is nothing, just another piece of luggage that is thrown into the hold, hiding from "decent society".
The hero's wife lived monotonously, in a philistine way, but with chic: without any problems and difficulties, no worries, just a lazily stretching string of idle days. Nothing impressed her, she was always completely calm, probably having forgotten how to think in the routine of idleness. She is only worried about the future of her daughter: she needs to find a respectable and profitable party for her, so that she can also comfortably go with the flow all her life.
The daughter did her best to portray innocence and at the same time frankness, attracting suitors. That was what interested her the most. Meeting with an ugly, strange and uninteresting man, but a prince, plunged the girl into excitement. Perhaps this was one of the last strong feelings in her life, and then the future of her mother awaited her. However, some emotions still remained in the girl: she alone had a premonition of trouble ("her heart was suddenly squeezed by melancholy, a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island") and wept for her father.

Main themes

Life and death, everyday life and exclusivity, wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness - these are the main themes of the story. They immediately reflect the philosophical orientation of the author's intention. He encourages readers to think about themselves: are we chasing something frivolously small, are we mired in routine, missing out on true beauty? After all, a life in which there is no time to think about yourself, your place in the Universe, in which there is no time to look at the surrounding nature, people and notice something good in them, is lived in vain. And you can't fix a life you've lived in vain, and you can't buy a new one for any amount of money. Death will come anyway, you can’t hide from it and don’t pay off, so you need to have time to do something really worthwhile, something to be remembered with a kind word, and not indifferently thrown into the hold. Therefore, it is worth thinking about everyday life, which makes thoughts banal, and feelings faded and weak, about wealth that is not worth the effort expended, about beauty, in the venality of which lies ugliness.

The wealth of the “masters of life” is contrasted with the poverty of people who live just as ordinary, but suffer poverty and humiliation. Servants who secretly mimic their masters, but grovel before their eyes. Gentlemen who treat servants like inferior beings, but who grovel before even richer and nobler people. A couple hired on a steamboat to play passionate love. Daughter of the Lord, depicting passion and trepidation to lure the prince. All this dirty, base pretense, although presented in a luxurious wrapper, is opposed by the eternal and pure beauty of nature.

Main problems

The main problem of this story is the search for the meaning of life. How to spend your short earthly vigil not in vain, how to leave behind something important and valuable for others? Everyone sees his destiny in his own way, but no one should forget that a person’s spiritual baggage is more important than material. Although it has been said at all times that all eternal values have been lost in modern times, every time this is not true. Both Bunin and other writers remind us readers that life without harmony and inner beauty is not life, but a miserable existence.

The problem of transience of life is also raised by the author. After all, the Gentleman from San Francisco spent his spiritual strength, made money, made money, postponing some simple joys, real emotions for later, but this "later" did not begin. This happens with many people who are mired in everyday life, routine, problems, and affairs. Sometimes you just need to stop, pay attention to loved ones, nature, friends, feel the beauty in the environment. After all, tomorrow may never come.

The meaning of the story

It is not for nothing that the story is called a parable: it has a very instructive message and is intended to give a lesson to the reader. The main idea of the story is the injustice of class society. Most of it is interrupted from bread to water, and the elite mindlessly burns life. The writer states the moral squalor of the existing order, because most of the "masters of life" achieved their wealth in a dishonest way. Such people bring only evil, as the Master from San Francisco pays and ensures the death of Chinese workers. The death of the protagonist emphasizes the thoughts of the author. Nobody is interested in this recently so influential person, because his money no longer gives him power, and he has not committed any respectable and outstanding deeds.

The idleness of these rich people, their effeminacy, perversion, insensitivity to something living and beautiful prove the accidental and injustice of their high position. This fact is hidden behind the description of the leisure time of tourists on the steamer, their entertainment (the main of which is lunch), costumes, relationships between themselves (the origin of the prince, whom the daughter of the protagonist met, makes her fall in love).

Composition and genre

"The Gentleman from San Francisco" can be seen as a story-parable. What is a story (a short work in prose containing a plot, conflict and having one main storyline) is known to most, but how can a parable be characterized? A parable is a small allegorical text that guides the reader on the right path. Therefore, the work in terms of plot and form is a story, and in philosophical, meaningful terms - a parable.

Compositionally, the story is divided into two large parts: the journey of the Lord from San Francisco from the New World and the stay of the body in the hold on the way back. The climax of the work is the death of the hero. Prior to this, describing the ship "Atlantis", tourist places, the author gives the story an anxious mood of expectation. In this part, a sharply negative attitude towards the Master is striking. But death deprived him of all privileges and equated his remains with luggage, so Bunin softens and even sympathizes with him. It also describes the island of Capri, its nature and local residents, these lines are filled with beauty and understanding of the beauty of nature.

Symbols

The work is replete with symbols confirming Bunin's thoughts. The first of them is the steamship Atlantis, on which an endless celebration of luxurious life reigns, but there is a storm, a storm, even the ship itself is trembling overboard. So at the beginning of the twentieth century, the whole society was seething, experiencing a social crisis, only the indifferent bourgeois continued to feast during the plague.

The island of Capri symbolizes real beauty (therefore, the description of its nature and inhabitants is fanned with warm colors): a “joyful, beautiful, sunny” country filled with “fabulous blue”, majestic mountains, the charm of which cannot be conveyed by human language. The existence of our American family and people like them is a pathetic parody of life.

Features of the work

Figurative language, vivid landscapes are inherent in Bunin's creative manner, the skill of the artist of the word was reflected in this story. At first, he creates an unsettling mood, the reader expecting that, despite the splendor of the rich environment around the Master, something irreparable will soon happen. Later, the tension is erased by natural sketches, painted with soft strokes, reflecting love and admiration for beauty.

The second feature is the philosophical and topical content. Bunin castigates the senselessness of the existence of the top of society, its spoiledness, disrespect for other people. It was precisely because of this bourgeoisie, cut off from the life of the people, having fun at its expense, that two years later a bloody revolution broke out in the writer's homeland. Everyone felt that something needed to be changed, but no one did anything, which is why so much blood was shed, so many tragedies happened in those difficult times. And the topic of searching for the meaning of life does not lose its relevance, which is why the story is still of interest to the reader even after 100 years.

Which the rest of his days, not accepting the new government in his homeland, spent in exile. Ivan Alekseevich wrote his work back in 1915, when he lived in Russia, but at that time the crisis of the world of civilization was already felt. And in this troubled and turbulent time, the author of a wonderful and profound work decided to turn to problems that were not related to his native country, but are the most pressing and relevant.

Despite the fact that Bunin the writer constantly shows in his works that he does not accept the bourgeois world and that it only causes indignation and indignation in him, it is this world that becomes the storyline of his story. The pathos of the work lies in the fact that the author feels the death of this very world, and there can no longer be a return to the previous existence.

But let's try to consider the image of the main character, which the author draws. He does not give his name, shows that he is not very handsome outwardly either. The rich gentleman is a little over 50 years old. He devoted his whole life to work in order to earn as much money as possible. For him, wealth is more important than family and any other moral values. But the people who find themselves next to him on a journey are no better than him. They also value only material values and for them money and gold jewelry are more important than human life.

The writer, using the technique of contrast, contrasts the external well-being of the protagonist, who could afford everything and did not deny himself anything, with his strange and empty inner world, which is completely undeveloped and rather primitive. Therefore, Bunin gives such an unusual description to his main character. He describes the rich gentleman using a simile. But the unusual thing is that for comparison, he takes inanimate objects. So, the author compares the bald head of a rich gentleman with the bone of an elephant, and the hero himself, his way of life and behavior with a robot and a doll.

Throughout the story, there are no lines that the protagonist would utter. The author deprives him of this opportunity, since he, like the entire wealthy and wealthy society in which he exists, is soulless and inanimate. This closed little world has its own laws that allow you to ignore the fact that there are ordinary poor people around them. But they do not consider them, do not perceive them and do not respect them at all, but treat them with disgust and with great contempt.

The meaning of life of people like the protagonist and the bourgeois society surrounding him is eating, drinking, smoking and getting other pleasures. But is life given to a person for this? Is this the meaning of human life? According to the path planned by the rich gentleman, the whole family of the protagonist visits museums and inspects the monuments, but they do it completely indifferently, they are not interested in anything. They do this only because money has already been paid for these excursions, but they have nothing to do with the masterpieces they have seen from the world of art.

The steamboat, on which a rich gentleman sails with his family, is also interesting. Already the name of this ship - " Atlantis"Indicates the legend of the mythical island. The ship itself, on which the millionaire sets off on a long voyage, is shown by Ivan Alekseevich as a diagram of the society in which the main character lived. The deck of the ship consists of three tiers. On the first tier is the captain himself, who symbolizes evil spirits. He, like a devil in smoke, looks at the world that lives on his ship. The second tier is the wealthy bourgeoisie. And the third tier is the working people who serve the rich second tier. The author describes this last tier as if it were hell. Around the clock at the most high temperature without sleep and rest, exhausted workers throw coal into the furnace.

This ship is sailing on the raging waves of the ocean, but people are not afraid of it. Millionaires are not afraid of the ocean, they are not afraid that something might happen to them. They probably do not even understand this, believing that the money they paid for this trip can do everything impossible. With gold and lots of money, rich people began to consider themselves masters of nature itself. They think that if they paid, then the ship and the captain simply have to deliver them to their final destination. The writer points out to the reader that all these people live in the illusion of wealth and do not think about anything. And therefore, even the name of a steamship is a symbol of the disappearance of the world of the rich, because such a world simply cannot exist without meaning and purpose.

The main character's death scene also requires special attention. Bunin describes in detail and in stages the death of a rich gentleman. The author does this in order to clearly show that death does not divide people into classes. According to the plot of the text, a rich man who had only worked for many years, having become rich, decided in two years to immediately get all the pleasures that exist in the world. But instead, he dies quite suddenly and unexpectedly. But, as it is not surprising, his death does not cause any emotions in anyone, no one showed sympathy for him. His death causes only displeasure and commotion. The owner of the hotel where the rich gentleman is staying also has to apologize to the visitors for the fact that the death of one of them brought them temporary inconvenience.

And the rich society itself, which recently included the rich gentleman himself, is outraged that someone dared to ruin their vacation. Now they treat the hero of the story and his family with disgust and disdain, even with some disgust. And the corpse in a simple and dirty box is loaded onto the ship, but lowered into the darkest hold in order to forget about it for a while. And here the writer emphasizes how the attitude towards the already dead rich gentleman, and indeed towards his family, is changing. Even the owner of the hotel ceases to please them and be amiable. The same happens with servants who become rude. The rich man no longer has power over them, since it is just a dead body.

But in the story there is also a bright and open opposition to the rich gentleman, whose body turned out to be useless to anyone. This is the boatman Lorenze, who, according to Bunin, is a rich poor man. He knows the taste of life, therefore he is completely indifferent to money, but he loves life in all its manifestations. The writer once again affirms those truths that are known to everyone: nature, its beauty, life, not existence, feelings and emotions are the main values in human life. And the story of Ivan Alekseevich "The Gentleman from San Francisco" is the author's philosophical reflections on the meaning of life, on the purpose of a person in this world, on his death and immortality.

The meaning of the title and the problems of the story by I.A. Bunin
"Sir from San Francisco"
(composition preparation lesson)

Stage 1. Topic analysis.

Making sense of each word of the topic

meaning - meaning, essence, essence, inner content, depth.

title - title, title, title, topic, idea.

problems - set of problems, range of questions.

work - story, short story, narration.

Bunin - wonderful Russian writer of the early twentieth century, author, writer.

Keyword highlighting

The meaning of the name

issues

I.A. Bunin

"Sir from San Francisco"

Phrasing the topic in other words

The meaning of the title and the range of questions of the story by I.A. Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco".

The depth of the name and the totality of the problems I.A. Bunin's story "The Gentleman from San Francisco".

Stage 2. Search for a task contained in a topic.

What is the meaning of the name and what are the problems of the story by I.A. Bunin “The Gentleman from San Francisco”?

Why did I.A. Bunin call his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco”?

Is the story of I.A. Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco" instructive?

Is the human claim to dominance valid?

Stage 3. Formulation of the thesis.

IN title story I.A. Bunina"The Gentleman from San Francisco" summarized his content. AND "mister", And members his families remain nameless, while minor characters - Lorenzo, Luigi- endowed proper names. elements living life Bunin opposes venality bourgeoisie hostility to natural life, lack of compassion. In the story, hard work and idleness, decency and depravity, sincerity and deceit collide in an irreconcilable conflict. Problems to which it refers author in his story, "eternal themes" literature.

Stage 4. Structuring the essay.

Highlighting keywords.

Combining key concepts into semantic "nests".

I.A. Bunin, “The Gentleman from San Francisco”, conflict.

The master and his family, nameless, faceless; not life, but existence, profiteering, venality, idle life, attitude towards nature, natural life, disintegration of human ties, lack of compassion, hostility to natural life, idleness, depravity, deceit.

Secondary characters: Lorenzo, Luigi, proper names, elements of living, natural life, individuality, uniqueness of personality, diligence, decency, sincerity.

- "Eternal themes" of literature: close attention to nature, the "inner" course of human life.

Establishing internal links between "nests" of keywords.

Determination of the optimal number of parts of the essay.

I.A. Bunin I

"Sir from San Francisco"

Mr and his family II

don't have a name

lifestyle reasons

Tragedy

Proper names of people living natural life

Problems

"Eternal themes" of literature

Arranging the structural elements of the composition in a logical order.

Stage 5 Introduction to essay.

Meaning- this is a subjective meaning, the attitude of a person (author) to what he is talking about, reasoning.

Name- the main idea put forward by the author in the title.

Issues- this is what worries the writer, questions that make you think.

Bunin- a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century.

The meaning of the title and the range of questions of the story by I.A. Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco".

Why did I.A. Bunin call his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco”? Why didn’t he give a name to his hero, how do the heroes of the work live, what moral qualities does the writer endow them with?

Let's try to find the answer to this question by understanding how the characters of the story live.

I.A. Bunin is a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century. His work is characterized by an interest in ordinary life, the ability to reveal the tragedy of life. In his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” the writer discusses the place of man in the world and believes that man is not the center of the universe, but a grain of sand in a vast world, that the universe is not subject to man. The story is based on the story of a nameless gentleman. Why did I.A. Bunin call his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco”? Why didn't you name your hero? Perhaps we will find answers to these questions, having understood how and how the characters of the story live, what moral qualities the writer endows them with?

Stage 6 Main part design.

I.A. Bunin is a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century.

The problems and meaning of the title of the story by I.A. Bunin “The Gentleman from San Francisco”.

The gentleman from San Francisco is the personification of a man of bourgeois civilization.
Lack of spirituality.
Bunin's rejection of the hostility of high society to nature, to natural life.
The world of natural people.
The collapse of human ties, the lack of compassion is the worst thing for Bunin.

Bunin's appeal to the "eternal themes" of literature.

Stage 7. Essay writing.

I.A. Bunin is a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century. His work is characterized by an interest in ordinary life, the ability to reveal the tragedy of life. In his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” the writer discusses the place of man in the world and believes that man is not the center of the universe, but a grain of sand in a vast world, that the universe is not subject to man. The story is based on the story of a nameless gentleman. Why did I.A. Bunin call his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco”? Why didn't you name your hero? Perhaps we will find the answers to these questions by understanding how and how the characters of the story live, what moral qualities the writer endows them with.

The gentleman from San Francisco is the personification of a man of bourgeois civilization. The hero is called simply "master" because that is his essence. He himself considers himself a master and revels in his position. He can afford "only for the sake of entertainment"" to go with his family "to the Old World for two whole years", can enjoy all the benefits guaranteed by his status, believes "in the care of all those who fed and watered him, served from morning to evening him, warning his slightest desire, ”may contemptuously throw the“ ragamuffins ”through his teeth: “Get out!” The gentleman from San Francisco is valuable to others not as a person, but as a master. While he is rich, full of energy, the owner of the hotel "politely and elegantly" bows to his family, and the head waiter makes it clear that "there is and cannot be any doubt about the correctness of the master's desires."

Describing the appearance of the gentleman, I.A. Bunin uses epithets that emphasize his wealth and his unnaturalness: “silver mustache”, “golden fillings” of teeth, “strong bald head” is compared with “old ivory”. There is nothing spiritual in the master, his goal is to become rich and reap the fruits of this wealth: “... he almost equaled those whom he once took as a model ...” The desire came true, but he did not become happier from this. The description of the gentleman from San Francisco is constantly accompanied by the author's irony. The human begins to manifest itself in the master only at death: “It was no longer the gentleman from San Francisco who was wheezing, he was no more, but someone else.” Death makes him a man: "his features began to thin, brighten ...". And the author calls his hero now "dead", "deceased", "dead". The attitude of those around him also changes dramatically: the corpse must be removed from the hotel so as not to spoil the mood of other guests, the coffin cannot be provided - only a soda box, the servant, who trembled before the living master, mockingly laughs at the dead, the hotel owner speaks with his wife “already without any courtesy”, and puts the deceased in the cheapest room, firmly stating the need for urgent removal of the body. The attitude of the master towards people is transferred to him. At the end of the story, the author says that the body of "a dead old man from San Francisco returns" home, to the grave, to the shores of the New World" in a black hold: the power of the "master" turns out to be illusory.

The writer does not give a name not only to the main character. The passengers of the ship represent the nameless “cream” of society, of which the gentleman from San Francisco so wanted to become a member: “There was a certain great rich man among this brilliant crowd, ... there was a famous Spanish writer, there was a universal beauty, there was an elegant couple in love ...” Their life is monotonous and empty: "get up early, ... drink coffee, chocolate, cocoa, ... sit in the bath, do gymnastics, stimulating appetite and well-being, make daily toilets and go to the first breakfast ..." This is the impersonality, lack of individuality of those who consider themselves masters of life . This is an artificial paradise, because even the "graceful couple in love" only pretended to be in love: she was "hired by Lloyd to play love for good money." Life on a ship is illusory. It is “huge”, but around it is the “water desert” of the ocean and the “cloudy sky”. And in the "underwater womb of the steamer", similar to the "gloomy and sultry bowels of the underworld", people were working naked to the waist, "crimson in flames", "doused with caustic, dirty sweat." The social gap between the rich and the poor is nothing compared to the abyss that separates man from nature and natural life from non-existence. And, of course, Bunin does not accept the hostility of high society to nature, to natural life.

In contrast to "artificial" life, Bunin shows the world of natural people. One of them - Lorenzo - "a tall old boatman, a carefree reveler and a handsome man", probably the same age as the gentleman from San Francisco. Only a few lines are devoted to him, but a sonorous name is given, in contrast to the title character. Both Lorenzo and the Abruzzi highlanders personify the naturalness and joy of being. They live in harmony, in harmony with the world, with nature: “They walked - and a whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched under them: and the stony humps of the island, which almost all lay at their feet, and that fabulous blue, in which he swam, and the shining morning vapors over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun ... "The goat-fur bagpipe and the mountaineer's wooden toe are contrasted" with the "beautiful orchestra" of the steamer. The highlanders give their lively, artless music praises to the sun, the morning, “the immaculate intercessor of all those who suffer in this evil and beautiful world, and born from her womb in the cave of Bethlehem ...” These are the true values of life, in contrast to the brilliant, expensive, but artificial , imaginary values of "masters".

Thus, the theme of the end of the existing world order, the inevitability of the death of a soulless and soulless civilization gradually grows in the story. The writer considers the most terrible thing is the disintegration of human ties, the lack of compassion. And this is exactly what we see in the story "The Gentleman from San Francisco." For Bunin, nature is important, however, in his opinion, the highest judge of a person is human memory. The picturesque poor man, old Lorenzo, will live forever on the canvases of artists, and the rich old man from San Francisco was deleted from life and forgotten before he could die. And, therefore, the title of the story was not chosen by chance. It is an impetus to understanding the meaning, meaning of the story, which makes you think about the eternal problems of life, death, love, beauty.

The title of I.A. Bunin’s story “The Gentleman from San Francisco” fully summarizes its content. Both the "master" and the members of his family remain nameless, while the minor characters - Lorenzo, Luigi - are endowed with their own names. Bunin contrasts the elements of living life with the venality of the bourgeoisie, hostility to natural life, lack of compassion. In the story, hard work and idleness, decency and depravity, sincerity and deceit collide in an irreconcilable conflict. The problems that the author addresses in his story are the "eternal themes" of literature.

The work "The Gentleman from San Francisco", the analysis of which we will now do, is a story in its genre. Written by Ivan Bunin. The cruel plan literally excited Bunin's critics and contemporaries. This story differs significantly from his earlier works. The story was published in the Slovo magazine in 1915.

Genre originality and composition of the story

Speaking about the genre of the work, and this is very important to understand when analyzing "The Gentleman from San Francisco", let's clarify that this is not just a story, but a socio-philosophical story. That is, the author's idea is much deeper than just to please the reader with an interesting plot and a beautiful story. Important questions are raised, the answers to which can be seen by peering into the author's point of view, or thought out independently, based on an analysis of events. The composition of the story is interesting in that the story can be divided into two parts:

1. Boat trip from San Francisco

2. Travel to the USA in the hold

Thus, when creating the story, a circular composition was used. those. The way the story started, the way it ended.