In the 90s of the XIX century there is a sharp acceleration of the capitalist development of the country. Millions of people, primarily peasants, find themselves landless, destitute, cut off from their homes. This process was painful, but it led to a change in the way of life of the population.

Gorky felt this breaking of habitual foundations and the intensity of the spiritual life of a person caused by them more sharply than his contemporaries. He embodied his idea of ​​a new worldview, born in the people's environment, in his romantic works. Such is the story "Old Woman Izergil", the analysis of which we will analyze.

In this work, romantic legends are organically fused with Gorky's contemporary folk life. A life rich in events, passions, rebellious disagreement with what was destined, with the principles of moderation and accuracy distinguishes the main character of the story.

Her life is full of heroism, an indomitable desire for freedom. Before her eyes, the soldiers of revolutionary Poland fought and died for their freedom, she knew and loved "one worthy pan with a chopped face" - a Pole who "fought for the Greeks", she condemned the Russians who went to beat the Magyars. Izergil may have been a witness to the bloody suppression of the revolution in Hungary by the troops of Nicholas I. Finally, the old woman tells how she herself helped the rebellious Poles escape from captivity.

Match the stories of her life and those legends that she tells to the passing. In contrast to the "were" Makar Chudra, where in a romantic light were given, although unusual, but still real facts of reality, Izergil's stories about Larra and Danko stand out as truly fabulous.

The hyperbolization of the fact in Makar Chudra's "were" did not go beyond the bounds of the possible. This, in particular, is indicated by the fact that the narrator could show himself as a witness to the drama that played out between Loiko and Radda. Another thing is the legends of the old woman Izergil. The exaggeration here clearly goes beyond the limits of reality, and in this case we should no longer talk about romantic coverage of reality, but about fabulousness, which is expressed primarily in the narrative of events of a fantastic nature.

The first of the legends that Izergil tells tells about the tragic fate of the son of a woman and an eagle - Larra.

The image of Larra ("Old Woman Izergil")

This young man, unfamiliar with the laws of his mother's tribe, and accustomed to consider himself the best, comes into conflict with the tribe, which demanded that he respect their laws and customs. But Larra himself wants to command, everywhere and in everything recognizing only his desire, his will, his right to be strong. And therefore he refuses to obey this demand, and as a result of a tragic collision with people, he was condemned by them to eternal loneliness. The justice of such a court, according to Izergil, was confirmed by heaven itself. This is what pride can bring a person to, and this is how God and people can punish the proud! she wants to say.

Both the passing one and the author himself, of course, could not accept either Larra's egoism or individualism. In criticism, it was rightly noted that, in the image of Larra, Gorky polemicized with the philosophy of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, who preached the contempt of the superman for the crowd, the people, the right of a “strong personality” to crime, violence, lack of jurisdiction, etc. However, if we try to delve deeper into the essence of the image of the tragic Larra's conflict with the people of the tribe, then the question of controversy will appear in all its complexity. The writer challenged not only the reactionary ideas of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, but also many inert folk concepts about life, about the hero, which the old woman Izergil follows.

Condemning Larra, Izergil concludes that he was smitten for his pride. Naturally, the writer was not inclined to unconditionally agree with the condemnation of a person for pride. After all, pride in the character's character could be combined with his love of freedom, respect for the rights to freedom of others. Arguing with Izergil, the writer (and passing along with him) seemed to want to say: Larra was struck not for pride in general, but for the pride of an individualist and egoist.

The old woman Izergil did not understand the essence of Larra's character, condemning him for pride (for pride in general!). And if we take into account at the same time that pride was also inherent in her, then the words of the author, which he said about the old woman, will become quite understandable: “And for some reason, it became terribly sorry for her. She led the end of the story in such a lofty, threatening tone, and yet in this tone there was a fearful, slavish note. Indeed, in her own way, having understood the reasons for the tragedy of Larra and condemned him for his desire to be independent, proud, she condemned herself. It is natural to ask: why did this happen? The answer to this is given by the life story of Izergil following the legend, which the old woman tells to the passer-by.

The image of the old woman Izergil

The criticism has already spoken in sufficient detail about the love of freedom of the Gorky heroine, her ability to "sacrifice herself." But this is not the whole truth, oddly enough, with all the love for independence, freedom, with all the condemnation of passing away from people, Izergil herself is selfish in spirit and internally had little connection with those people among whom she lived .

She is always attracted to strong, heroic natures, her sympathies are entirely on the side of these freedom fighters. But, being herself proud, beautiful and strong, she appreciates other people, first of all, for these qualities. The same political ideals that the people she loved fought for were far less interesting to her. This, I think, can explain the fact that Izergil could fall in love not only with the “worthy pan”, who fought against the “Turkish tyranny” for the freedom of the Greeks, but also with the despotic rich Turk.

The ideal of the life of the Gorky heroine was free love, which she puts above all else. And with those who tried to infringe on her rights in this, Izergil dealt decisively and severely. So it was with the “little Pole”, who said “a proud, insulting word” to her, for which the angry woman threw him off the bridge into the river, so it was with Pan Arkadek, whom she “gave ... a kick with her foot and would have hit him in the face, yes, he recoiled, ”for the fact that he wanted to love Izergil in gratitude for deliverance from captivity.

However, Izergil herself turned out to be selfish in her love. Her kisses often brought suffering to people, led them to death. But Izergil looks at this as something ordinary, of little interest to her, now and then forgetting to tell the passerby the sad story of the fate of her former lover. And it is understandable, because in love she “only wants freedom for herself.”

Unlike legends, the life story of Izergil is quite real, but it is given in a romantic light. Like Makar Chudra, the old woman does not skimp on praising herself and her time. She, like Chudra (only to a greater extent), exaggerates the fact. This is also served by Izergil's lofty rhetorical style of narration with many aphorisms and lyrical and philosophical digressions, for example, a discussion about life and exploits, and a colorful description of her lover, and silence - for the time being - about the negative that was in them.

Throughout the story, and especially where Izergil herself speaks directly - and she mostly speaks alone - the elevated "philosophical" style of narration prevails.

Izergil wants to show himself as an example to follow, but her character is very contradictory. In this sense, the end of her story about her life is very indicative: “And for about three decades I have been living here ... I had a husband, a Moldavian; died a year ago. And I live here! I live alone... No, not alone, but with those over there.”

This stipulation is by no means accidental. She once again speaks of the deep inconsistency of the character of the heroine, her individualism and selfishness.

Nevertheless, the passer-by, wanting to make sure of this, asks the old woman to tell the legend about the burning heart of Danko, already known to him. “I heard,” says the passer-by, “something before about the origin of these sparks (from the burning heart of Danko), but I wanted to hear how old Izergil would tell about it.”

The image of Danko ("Old Woman Izergil")

Danko is portrayed as an old woman by a strong, courageous person, but standing, as it were, outside the team, the crowd. He looks down on his compatriots. All this - if you continue to follow the narrator - to some extent allows you to bring Danko closer to the character of another legend - Larra. As for the difference in their destinies, it again could be explained by the fact that in the legend about Larra the collective was portrayed as a “powerful tribe of people”, while in the legend about Danko the collective of the tribe turned out to be somehow weak, helpless in the misfortune that befell it : everyone "wanted to go to the enemy and bring him their will as a gift, and no one, frightened by death, was afraid of a slave life ...". But then, says Izergil, "Danko appeared and saved everyone alone." This “appeared” is very characteristic of her understanding of the hero. Danko definitely came from somewhere, although Izergil further explains: “Danko is one of those people ...” And then - not people who, doubting the ability of a heroic tribesman to lead them out of the darkness of forests and swamps, like animals, attacked him , not people, but it was he - Danko "saved all alone."

The whole legend about Danko, as presented by Izergil, is sustained in one tone. For the sake of saving people, the hero sacrifices himself and dies, "without asking them for anything as a reward for himself."

But it would, of course, be wrong, based on the assessment given by Izergil, to consider Danko an individualist or a personality that is contradictory in nature. The content of the legend gives reason to speak of Danko as a whole heroic personality, true to the interests of his people, living with the people with the same thoughts. It is noteworthy that the tribe without hesitation chose Danko as the leader of the campaign, on which the fate of everyone depended. And not with his beauty, as the old woman Izergil believes, but with his courage and determination, Danko made people believe in him and in themselves. "I have the courage to lead, that's why I led you!" he says to the people of the tribe. Through the harsh and condemning tone of the narration of the old woman Izergil, a living folk tale involuntarily breaks through about a man who gave his life for the people, and about the people, along with him going to the kingdom of light and freedom.

Functions of Romantic Legends

The images of romantic legends are significant in and of themselves. But Gorky needs them, first of all, to characterize the worldview of a real person. The admiration with which Izergil narrates about exploits, selflessness, love of freedom, disinterestedness and activity, and the indignation that permeates her attitude towards inglorious vegetation, selfishness, slavery, testifies to her own desire for freedom, shows that in her soul a person lives with a thirst for the new, the beautiful, that this person does not feel like a passive victim of circumstances.

The romantic worldview of the characters is manifested not only in what they tell, but also in how they tell. From the standpoint of the ideal, they consider the world as a ratio of only two categories: the sublime and the base. At the same time, they are not inclined to objective perception and presentation of facts. Going to the extreme, to the extreme, they defend what seems beautiful to them, and in the same way, going to the extreme, to the exaggeration, they deny what seems ugly. Therefore, the images of the legends are marked by the seal of poetic conventionality, unusualness and one-sidedness: each embodies one principle in its exclusive expression. So, Larra is a symbol of selfishness raised to such an extreme degree that the hero is able to kill a girl who neglected his desire. He is opposed by Danko, a hero who is the embodiment of love for people, a love so selfless that it makes him sacrifice his life. This concludes the analysis of the story "Old Woman Izergil".

In the story " Old Isergil”, the heroine, who has a rather complex character, still does not lose hope in high ideals. She is not afraid of judging anyone, and discussing, but at the same time being grateful to the heroes - fighters. This can only cause honor to the hero, who, along with the old woman, shares her beliefs.

The writer made the old woman the bearer of the beginning of the story. In the image of Izergil, the writer wanted to show the primacy of people's behavior, and their huge role in shaping their characters and fate. Appearance, like the character of Izergil, is very ambivalent, she realized, only at the age of how it was necessary to live. Now that she is many years old, she teaches the lives of young people. Whatever, they didn't make her mistakes. Having such great powers in her soul, she spent them for no reason at all.

The old woman likes those people who understand what they are doing, who wish not only themselves, but also the rest of happiness, prosperity and well-being. In many statements about the fate of people, Izergil believes that a feat is a beautiful act, only if it is done for the benefit of people. She is convinced that in life you can always find a place for him. And if a person is ready for this feat, then he will be able to accomplish it under any circumstances. Her worldview and principles in life are not as categorical as those of the heroes from her legends, who are more suitable for real life.

The image of the old woman in the story performs several functions. The first of these is that the old woman is the main character who forms the plot of the story. Which are quite intricately intertwined in storylines. One is related to the plot of people. The second line is a depiction of the beautiful girl Izergil forty-fifty years ago, the third line is the legend of Larra, and Danko. Naturally, the image of the old woman is associated with the legendary and real world. Perhaps Izergil looks like a witch from a fairy tale. It should be concluded that all these plot lines are united not only by the image of the old woman, but also by the autobiographical author.

The integrity of the story is achieved by the fact that the author shows the relevance of social and philosophical problems for the time in which he lives. He is concerned about forms of social behavior. The role of the old woman in the story is not limited to the judge and the narrator. Between her stories, she also tells about her life, as a result, she becomes the face of interesting adventures. Recalling her many men, the old woman says that the main thing she had was love for people. She loves songs, freedom, beauty. But she is amorous, as soon as someone new appeared on the horizon, she immediately forgot about the old love.

Izergil, with her inconstancy of character, did not lose hope in spiritual ideals, she knew how to keep her courage and gratitude to the heroes - fighters. These traits evoke respect for the old woman in the autobiographical author.

Composition on the theme of the Old Woman Izergil

After reading Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil", many may encounter a sense of ambiguity: pity and some kind of condemnation for repeating the mistakes that the main character causes, make you think about the deep meaning of the work. Sometimes reckless, self-centered and thoughtless actions of Izergil adversely affected all her loves, while leaving the main character alone with her misfortune. The eternal question in the fate of Izergil and the right to choose who to be and whom to love has always been decided in favor of their own interests, thereby suppressing and crippling the fate of innocent people. Her desire for eternal passion and feelings killed her personal growth, development of potential and the opportunity to be something more than just an object of sigh.

The main character of Maxim Gorky's story shows generations of all ages that the soul and desires do not age. At any age, there is a place to be passion, and lust, and a desire to feel one's own superiority. It is the image of Izergil at the age of 40, shrouded in emerging gray hair, the absence of former charm and the hardships of the past years, that allow the reader to taste all the feelings of a woman. There was not a trace of her sparkling look and smile, her nose acquired a hooked shape, her back lowered Izergil to the ground every day, which is why the heroine is more and more afraid of loneliness. Realizing her imperfection, the heroine throws herself headlong into the pool and thereby destroys the lives of innocent people. All her love stories have radically different plots and different characters, but the ending of each is the same.

However, there is something about Izergil that is still alluring. Her faith in high ideals, bright feelings and fortitude of the people around her always led her to decent and bright people who gave all their feelings to an attractive and charming woman. The only question is how strong and desirable these moments were for the heroine herself. Her novels could last a week, or maybe half a year, but the whole point and at the same time the absurdity of the situation was that Izergil had strong feelings for all her chosen ones, even if after the relationship she could lead her beloved to death or endless suffering on her own. Izergil spends the sunset of his life behind stories about his novels to people who fell in love with a contradictory and sometimes strange old woman.

A self-created tragedy in love, which haunts Izergil throughout her life, destroys the fate of other people, thereby forcing the reader to think about our own role in the existence of others.

3 option

Alexei Maksimovich Peshkov, known to readers as Maxim Gorky, is a great Russian and Soviet writer. Born March 28, 1868 in Nizhny Novgorod in the family of a cabinetmaker. Childhood was difficult, from the age of 11 he earned his own living. In his youth, he traveled a lot, talked with people, listened to interesting stories, which he later described in his stories.

One of his most famous romantic works is The Old Woman Izergil, written in 1894. Consists of three parts. The main character is the old woman Izergil herself. She tells the interlocutor (author) interesting legends, as well as her own love stories. Apparently, she is loved here for her wisdom, for the beautiful and instructive tales that she keeps in her memory for many years.

The old woman tells a tale about the proud Larra, who put himself above everyone else and therefore remained alone forever. His shadow still roams the earth, seeking death and peace. Obviously, Izergil compares Larr's pride with his proud and bold nature. Seeing the sparks, she said that these were particles of Danko's heart and told another story about a beautiful young man who gave his heart to people. Izergil believes that all beautiful people are noble and courageous. After all, she, too, was ready to give both her heart and her life for her beloved.

Izergil cannot be called either kind or cruel, neither good nor bad. Everything is mixed up in the life of this tired old woman. In her youth, she was beautiful and loved. The author gradually reveals her former beauty, peering into the senile twisted nose, into dull, watery eyes. He tries to see a 15-year-old girl who fell in love with a simple fisherman for the first time, giving all of herself to her lover. Ardent and passionate, but proud and freedom-loving, she could not be a prisoner of her feelings for a long time. Then there was a Hutsul, a robber, who was soon executed. She voluntarily became a concubine in the harem of a rich Turk, where she lived well and luxuriously. But soon the quiet boring life bothered her, she ran away with the very young son of a Turk. Obviously, the boy could not stand the irrepressible passion of the beautiful concubine and withered away. Even when he died, he continued to love her. Then there was a monk with a vile soul, a Pole who loved exploits, a Hungarian ... The last love of a forty-year-old woman was a young gentry, whom she rescued from captivity.

Almost all the beloved women died. But, despite the fact that her whole life is intertwined with threads of love, that she herself consists of love, that she is greedy for life and passion, Izergil remained extremely selfish. She never regretted the irrevocably gone lovers and would never want to meet them again. She went to Moldova and got married. She lived with her husband, who had died by that time, for 30 years. And again she has no regrets. Wrinkled skin, pointed chin, shriveled hands - all that remains of the one who was once kissed and madly loved.

Trust, but verify, as the saying goes. We are talking about the general most expedient attitude towards other people, that is, it is necessary to express a certain positive attitude in general.

Composition description of the painting Morning on the Kulikovo field of Bubnov

As you know, the history of mankind is the history of wars. In almost every era, people are at war with each other and the reasons for this can be very diverse.

Analysis of the episode Lament of Yaroslavna (The Tale of Igor's Campaign) essay Grade 9

Lament of Yaroslavna is one of the three parts of the poem, dedicated to the moment of grief of the wife of Prince Igor about the unsuccessful outcome of the battle in which his squad took part. This episode is recognized as one of the best in the whole work.

Maxim Gorky is known for being at the origins of socialist realism - the new art of the new country of the victorious proletariat. However, this does not mean at all that he, like many Soviet propagandists, used literature for political purposes. His work is imbued with touching romanticism: beautiful landscape sketches, strong and proud characters, rebellious and lonely heroes, sweet admiration for the ideal. One of the most interesting works of the author is the story "Old Woman Izergil".

The idea of ​​the story came to the author during a trip to southern Bessarabia in the early spring of 1891. The work was included in the "romantic" cycle of Gorky's works, dedicated to the analysis of the original and contradictory human nature, where baseness and sublimity alternately fight among themselves, and it is impossible to say for sure which will win. Perhaps the complexity of the issue made the writer think it over for a long time, because it is known that this idea occupied the writer for 4 years. "Old Woman Izergil" was completed in 1895 and published in Samarskaya Gazeta.

Gorky himself was very interested in the process of work and rejoiced at the result. The work expressed his views on the destiny of a person and his place in the system of social relations: “It seems that I will not write anything as harmoniously and beautifully as the Old Woman Izergil,” he wrote in a letter to Chekhov. In the same place, he spoke about the literary need to embellish life, to make it brighter and more beautiful on the pages of books, so that people would live in a new way and strive for a high, heroic, exalted calling. Apparently, this goal was pursued by the writer, writing his story about a selfless young man who saved his tribe.

Genre, genre and direction

Gorky began his literary career with stories, so the early work "The Old Woman Izergil" belongs precisely to this genre, which is characterized by brevity of form and a small number of characters. The genre features of the parable are applicable to this book - a short instructive story with a pronounced moral. So in the literary debuts of the writer, the reader can easily detect an instructive tone and a highly moral conclusion.

Of course, if we are talking about prose works, as in our case, the writer worked in line with the epic kind in literature. Of course, the fairy tale style of narration (in Gorky's stories the narration is conducted on behalf of the characters who frankly tell about their personal history) adds lyricism and poetic beauty to the plot outline of the book, but the "Old Woman Izergil" cannot be called a lyrical creation, it belongs to the epic.

The direction in which the writer worked is called "romanticism". Gorky wanted to push off from classical realism and present the reader with a sublime, embellished, exceptional world that reality could measure up to. In his opinion, admiration from virtuous and beautiful heroes pushes people to become better, bolder, kinder. This opposition of reality and ideal is the essence of romanticism.

Composition

The role of composition is extremely important in Gorky's book. This is a story within a story: an elderly woman told the traveler three stories: the Legend of Larra, the revelation about the life of Izergil, the Legend of Danko. The first and third parts are opposed to each other. They reveal the contradiction between two different views of the world: altruistic (disinterested good deed for the benefit of society) and egoistic (actions for the benefit of oneself without taking into account social needs and dogmas of behavior). As in any parable, the legends present extremes and grotesques so that the moral is clear to everyone.

If these two fragments are of a fantastic nature and do not pretend to be authentic, then the link that is located between them has all the features of realism. It is in this strange structure that the features of the composition of "The Old Woman Izergil" are composed. The second fragment is the story of the heroine about her frivolous, fruitless life, which passed as quickly as her beauty and youth left her. This fragment plunges the reader into a harsh reality, where there is no time to make the mistakes that Larra made, and the narrator herself made. She spent her life on sensual pleasures, but never found true love, just as thoughtlessly disposed of herself and the proud son of an eagle. Only Danko, having died in the prime of his life, achieved his goal, comprehended the meaning of life and was truly happy. Thus, the unusual composition itself pushes the reader to draw the right conclusion.

What a story?

Maxim Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" tells how an old southern woman tells three stories to a traveler, and he carefully watches her, supplementing her words with his impressions. The essence of the work lies in the fact that two concepts of life, two heroes are opposed to each other: Larra and Danko. The narrator recalls the traditions of the places where she comes from.

1. In the first myth, we are talking about the cruel and arrogant son of an eagle and a stolen beauty - Larra. He returns to the people, but despises their laws, killing the elder's daughter for refusing his love. He is doomed to eternal exile, and God punishes him with the impossibility of dying.
2. Between the two stories, the heroine talks about her failed life, full of love affairs. This fragment is an enumeration of the adventures of Izergil, who was once a fatal beauty. She treated her fans ruthlessly, but when she fell in love herself, she was also rejected, although she painted life for the sake of saving her beloved from captivity.
3. In the third tale, the old woman describes Danko, a brave and selfless leader who led people out of the forest at the cost of his own life, tearing out their hearts and illuminating their path. Although the tribe did not support his aspirations, he was able to save him, but no one appreciated his feat, and the sparks of his burning heart were trampled "just in case."

Main characters and their characteristics

1. The image of Danko- a romantic hero, since he was much higher than society, was not understood, but proud of the realization that he managed to rise on the routine bustle of life. For many, he is associated with the image of Christ - the same martyrdom for the sake of people. He also felt his responsibility and did not get angry at swearing and misunderstanding. He understood that without him people would not cope and would die. Love for them made him strong and omnipotent. Enduring inhuman torments, the mission led its flock to light, happiness and new life. This is a role model for all of us. Everyone can do much more by setting themselves a good goal to help, and not to profit or deceive. Virtue, active love and participation in the fate of the world - this is the true meaning of life for a morally pure person, according to Gorky.
2. The image of Larra serves as a warning to us: we must not ignore the interests of others and come to a strange monastery with our charter. It is necessary to honor the traditions and customs accepted in society. This respect is the key to peace around and peace in the soul. Larra was selfish and paid for pride and cruelty with eternal loneliness and eternal exile. No matter how strong and handsome he was, neither one nor the other quality helped him. He begged for death, and people only laughed at him. No one wanted to lighten his burden, just as he did not want this when he came into society. It is no coincidence that the author emphasizes that Larra is not a person, he is rather a beast, a savage who is alien to civilization and a reasonable, humane world order.
3. Old Isergil- a passionate and temperamental woman, she is used to surrendering to a feeling whenever it comes up, without burdening herself with worries and moral principles. She spent her whole life on love adventures, treated people indifferently and selfishly pushed them around, but a real strong feeling passed her by. For the sake of saving her beloved, she went to murder and certain death, but he answered her with a promise of love in gratitude for the release. Then, out of pride, she drove him away, because she did not want to oblige anyone. Such a biography characterizes the heroine as a strong, courageous and independent person. However, her fate was aimless and empty, in her old age she lacked her family nest, so she ironically called herself "cuckoo".

Theme

The theme of the story "The Old Woman Izergil" is outstanding and interesting, which is distinguished by a wide range of issues raised by the author.

• The theme of freedom. All three characters are independent of society in their own way. Danko drives the tribe forward, ignoring his displeasure. He knows that his behavior will bring freedom to all these people who now, due to their limitations, do not understand his plan. Izergil allowed herself licentiousness and disregard for others, and in this crazy carnival of passions the very essence of freedom drowned, acquiring a vulgar, vulgar form instead of a pure and bright impulse. In the case of Larra, the reader sees permissiveness that violates the freedom of other people, and therefore loses value even for its owner. Gorky, of course, is on the side of Danko and that independence, which allows the individual to go beyond stereotypical thinking and lead the crowd.
• Theme of love. Danko had a big and loving heart, but he felt affection not for a particular person, but for the whole world. For the sake of love for him, he sacrificed himself. Larra was full of selfishness, so he couldn't really have strong feelings for people. He put his pride above the life of the woman he liked. Izergil was full of passion, but her subjects were constantly changing. In her unprincipled pursuit of pleasure, the true feeling was lost, and in the end it turned out to be unnecessary to the one to whom it was intended. That is, the writer prefers holy and selfless love for humanity, rather than its petty and selfish counterparts.
• The main themes of the story relate to the role of man in society. Gorky reflects on the rights and obligations of the individual in society, on what people should do for each other for general prosperity, etc. The author denies the individualism of Larra, who does not put the environment in anything and wants only to consume the good, and not give it away in return. In his opinion, a real "strong and beautiful" person should use his talents for the benefit of other, less prominent members of society. Only then will its strength and beauty be true. If these qualities are wasted, as in the case of Izergil, they will quickly fade, including in human memory, without finding a worthy application.
• Path theme. Gorky allegorically depicted the historical path of human development in the Legend of Danko. From the darkness of ignorance and savagery, the human race moved towards the light thanks to gifted and fearless individuals who serve progress without sparing themselves. Without them, society is doomed to vegetate in stagnation, but these outstanding fighters are never understood in life and become victims of cruel and short-sighted brethren.
• Time theme. Time is fleeting, and it must be spent with a purpose, otherwise its run will not be slowed down by a belated awareness of the futility of being. Izergil lived without thinking about the meaning of days and years, gave herself to entertainment, but in the end she came to the conclusion that her fate was unenviable and unhappy.

Idea

The main idea in this work is the search for the meaning of human life, and the writer found it - it consists in disinterested and selfless service to society. This point of view can be clarified with a specific historical example. In allegorical form, Gorky extolled the heroes of the resistance (underground revolutionaries, who even then aroused sympathy in the author), those who sacrificed themselves, leading the people out of the wilderness towards a new, happy time of equality and brotherhood. This idea is the meaning of the story "Old Woman Izergil". In the image of Larra, he condemned all those who thought only about themselves and their gain. So the people were tyrannized by many nobles, not recognizing the laws and not sparing their lower compatriots - workers and peasants. If Larra recognizes only the dominance of a strong personality over the masses and harsh dictates, then Danko is a real people's leader, he gives his all to save people, without even demanding recognition in return. Such a silent feat was performed by many freedom fighters who protested against the tsarist regime, against social inequality and the oppression of defenseless people.

The peasants and workers, like the Danko tribe, doubted the ideas of the socialists and wanted to continue slavery (that is, not change anything in Russia, but serve those in power). The main idea in the story “Old Woman Izergil”, the writer’s bitter prophecy, is that the crowd, although it breaks into the light, accepting the sacrifice, tramples the hearts of its heroes, is afraid of their fire. So many revolutionary leaders were later illegally accused and “eliminated”, because the new government was already afraid of their influence and strength. The tsar and his henchmen, like Larra, were rejected by society, getting rid of them. Many were killed, but even more people who did not accept the great October Revolution were expelled from the country. They were forced to wander without a fatherland and without citizenship, since at one time they proudly and authoritatively violated moral, religious and even state laws, oppressing their own people and taking slavery for granted.

Of course, Gorky's main idea today is perceived much more broadly and suits not only the revolutionary figures of the past, but also all people of the present century. The search for the meaning of life is renewed in each new generation, and each person finds it for himself.

Problems

No less rich in content are the problems of the story "Old Woman Izergil". Here are presented both moral, ethical and philosophical issues that deserve the attention of every thinking person.

• The problem of the meaning of life. Danko saw him in saving the tribe, Larra - in the satisfaction of pride, Izergil - in love affairs. Each of them had the right to choose his own path, but which of them felt satisfied with his decision? Only Danko, because he chose the right one. The rest were severely punished for selfishness and cowardice in determining the goal. But how to take a step so as not to regret later? Gorky is trying to answer this question, helping us to trace for ourselves what meaning of life turned out to be true?
• The problem of selfishness and pride. Larra was a narcissistic and proud person, so he could not live normally in society. His "paralysis of the soul", as Chekhov would say, did not give him rest from the very beginning, and the tragedy was a foregone conclusion. No society will tolerate abuse of its laws and principles from an insignificant self-lover who imagines himself to be the navel of the earth. The example of the son of an eagle allegorically shows that one who despises the environment and exalts himself above it is not a man at all, but already half a beast.
• The problem with an active life position is that many people try to counteract it. It comes into conflict with the eternal human passivity, unwillingness to do anything and change. So Danko stumbled upon a misunderstanding in his environment, trying to help and get things off the ground. However, people were in no hurry to meet him, and even after the successful finale of the path, they were afraid of the revival of this activity, trampling the last sparks of the hero's heart.
• The problem with self-sacrifice is that, as a rule, no one appreciates it. People crucified Christ, destroyed scientists, artists and preachers, and none of them thought that he replies for good with evil, and for a feat with betrayal. On the example of Danko, the reader sees how the people treat those who helped him. Black ingratitude settles in the souls of those who accept the sacrifice. The hero saved his tribe at the cost of his life, and did not even receive the respect he deserved.
• The problem of old age. The heroine lived to an advanced age, but now she can only remember her youth, since nothing can happen again. The old woman Izergil lost her beauty, strength and all the attention of men, whom she was once so proud of. It was only when she was weak and ugly that she realized that she had wasted herself in vain, and it was necessary even then to think about the family nest. And now the cuckoo, which has ceased to be a proud eagle, is of no use to anyone and cannot change anything.
• The problem of freedom in the story is manifested in the fact that it loses its essence and turns into permissiveness.

Output

The old woman Izergil is one of the most interesting stories from the school literature course, if only because it contains three independent stories that are relevant for all time. The types that Gorky described are not often found in life, but the names of his heroes have become household names. The most memorable character is Danko, the image of self-sacrifice. It is conscientious, selfless, heroic service to people that the work teaches on his example. He was remembered by people most of all, which means that a person by nature is drawn to something good, bright and great.

The moral in the story "Old Woman Izergil" is that selfishness and indulgence in one's own vices will not bring a person to good. In this case, society turns away from them, and without it, people lose their humanity and remain in painful isolation, where the achievement of happiness becomes impossible. The work makes us think about how dependent we are on each other, how important it is for us to be together, even if our characters, abilities and inclinations are different.

Criticism

“If Gorky had been born into a rich and enlightened family, he would not have written four volumes in such a short time ... and we would not have seen many undeniably bad things,” critic Menshikov wrote about the writer’s romantic stories. Indeed, then Alexei Peshkov was an unknown, novice author, so the reviewers did not spare his early works. In addition, many did not like that literature, the art of the elites in the Russian Empire, was raised by a person from the poorest strata of the population, who, due to his origin, was underestimated by many. The snobbery of the critics was explained by the fact that their shrine was increasingly encroached upon by those whom the venerable gentlemen did not want to see as equals. Here is how Menshikov explained his negative reviews:

Our author here and there falls into pretentiousness, into a noisy, cold gesticulation of words. Such are his imitative things, clearly suggested by bad reading - “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil” ... ... Gorky cannot stand the economy of feelings

His colleague J. Ankhenvald agreed with this critic. He resented the fact that the author spoiled the legends with his pretentious and artificial style:

Gorky's fiction is more insulting than anyone else's; his artificiality is worse than anywhere else. It is even annoying to see how, in his distrust of the natural eloquence of life itself, he sins against it and against himself, destroys his own work by deception and does not know how to truthfully draw to the end, to the final effect of truth.

AV Amfiteatrov categorically disagreed with those who did not accept the new talent in literature. He wrote an article where he exalted Gorky's creations and explained why his mission in art is so responsible and incomprehensible to many critics.

Maxim Gorky is a specialist in the heroic epic. The author of The Petrel, The Song of the Falcon, Izergil, and countless epics about former people of various names, he ... succeeded in awakening a sense of human dignity and a proud consciousness of a dormant force in the most hopeless and lost class of Russian society

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

"Old Woman Izergil" refers to early period of creativity of Maxim Gorky, develops ideas and elements of romanticism. According to the writer himself, this work is one of the best among all written. What the Old Woman Izergil teaches us: analysis of the work.

In contact with

History of creation

In 1891 (the exact date is unknown), Alexey Peshkov known to everyone under the pseudonym Maxim Gorky, roams the southern lands of Bessarabia. He spends the spring in search of impressions that will later be reflected in his works. This creative time in the life of the writer reflects his admiration for the personality, integrity and unity of man.

It is with such romantic thoughts that Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" is filled. Its heroes are legendary people of their time who are faced with various life obstacles, the author vividly showed the various results of the confrontation between the individual and the crowd. The main stories in the direction of romanticism are:

1. "Old Isergil",
2. "Girl and Death"
3. "Song of the Falcon".

There is no exact information about the date of writing "Old Woman Izergil". The work was published in 1895, and was written presumably in 1894. It was placed in three spring issues of Samara Newspaper. The author himself highly appreciated his story and even admitted in letters to A.P. Chekhov: "It seems that I will not write anything as harmoniously and beautifully as I wrote "Old Woman Izergil." The name is closely related to the author's last name, because it is one of those that brought him popularity.

The work "Old Woman Izergil" was supposedly written in 1894.

Composition

The storyline is very unusual. The composition consists of three parts.

• Legend of Larra;
• The story of the storyteller's life;
• Legend of Danko.

And two of them are fairy tales told by the main character. This leads to the principle that story within a story. The author uses this technique because he wants to focus not only on the personality of the hero, but on his stories that live in the memory of the character and the people.

The main feature is opposition of legends according to its meaning. It is very difficult to define "Old Woman Izergil" - this is a story or a story, since the boundaries of these genres are very blurred. However, literary scholars are inclined to believe that this work is not a story, since the number of heroes and storylines is limited here.

Through all three chapters of "Old Woman Izergil" the main theme runs - life values. The author tries to find an answer to the question, what is freedom and the meaning of life. All chapters give different interpretations and an attempt to explain the answers. But despite their dissimilarity, they make this story single and unified work.

An introduction should also be added to the plan of the story of the main character, the old woman Izergil, because it is in it that the reader is immersed in the mysterious seaside atmosphere and gets acquainted with the narrator of fairy tales.

In the introduction of the story, the youth of the male protagonist, who leads talking to an old woman, is contrasted with the advanced years of the old woman Izergil and her weariness from life.

It is not only the description of her appearance that helps to imagine the image of an old woman against the backdrop of the sea and vineyards, but also the raspy voice in which she told her life and legends, captivating the reader with its attractiveness and fabulousness. What is the story of the old woman Izergil about?

Legend of Larra

The central figure of the first story is proud and selfish young man Larra. Having a handsome appearance, he was the son of a simple woman and an eagle. From the bird of prey, the young man inherited an indomitable temper and the desire to achieve anyone, by all means. Instincts deprive him of all human features, only outwardly it is impossible to distinguish him from other people. Inside this character completely soulless. The value for him is only himself, the satisfaction of his pleasures is the goal of his life. Therefore, the hero easily goes to kill.

His belief in his own perfection and disregard for other lives lead him to deprived of ordinary human destiny. For his selfishness, he receives a terrible punishment - Larra is doomed to eternal and complete loneliness. God gave him immortality, but it cannot be called a gift.

Hero name means "rejected". Being away from people is the most terrible punishment that a person can suffer, according to the author.

Attention! The principle of life of this hero is "To live without people for yourself."

Life of an old woman

In the second part of the story, you can follow the actions of the old woman Izergil. Looking at her, the male narrator finds it hard to believe that she was young and beautiful once upon a time, as she constantly claims. On the path of life Izergil had to go through a lot. Her beauty has gone, but wisdom has come to replace it. The woman's speech is rich in aphoristic expressions. The main one here is love theme- this is personal, unlike legends, which mean love not for an individual, but for a people.

The deeds of the old woman cannot be called unambiguous, because Izergil lived, listening to her heart. She is ready to rescue the person she loves from captivity, not being afraid to kill another. But, having felt falsehood and insincerity, even as a young girl, she could proudly continue her life journey alone. Being at the end of her life, she comes to the conclusion that there are much fewer beautiful and strong people in the world than when she was full of energy.

Legend of Danko

The last tale that the woman tells helps the reader to conclude how to live correctly.

Danko - fairy tale character who sacrificed himself at a terrible moment to save people. Despite the bitterness of others, he felt only love for each person. The meaning of his life give heart to others to serve for good.

Unfortunately, Gorky says in the story, people are not able to treat such a sacrifice with full understanding of it. Little of, many fear such rejection.

All that remains of Danko, who tore his fiery heart out of his chest, is only blue sparks. They continue to flicker among people until now, but few people pay attention to them.

Important! Danko did his act free of charge, solely for the sake of love. Danko and Larra are two opposites, but both were driven by the same feeling.

What does Gorky's story teach

"Old Woman Izergil" shows the reader not only the attitude towards the crowd of an individual, in this case compared Danko and Larra but also the love of people for each other. For a writer, living together with people and for people is of great value. However, even in this case, it is possible conflicts and misunderstandings.

Old Isergil. Maxim Gorky (analysis)

Features of romanticism in Maxim Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil"

Conclusion

After analyzing the work and the characters of "Old Woman Izergil", the reader may come to the conclusion that in Gorky's story, indeed, deep issues and issues related to life and others. They make you think about the main human values.

"Old Woman Izergil" Gorky M.Yu.

M. Gorky's story "" was written in 1895, the author himself admitted in a letter to A.P. Chekhov in that he considers him the most slender and beautiful of his work. A distinctive feature of the story is the presence in the narrative of the hero-narrator. This manner is called "skazovoy" and was often used by the writer to create the effect of the authenticity of the events described.

At the very beginning of the work, a romantic picture of the sea and vineyards is drawn, against which a company of happy and cheerful people is described returning from work in the vineyards.

The mood of people is in harmony with the beauty of the surrounding world. Everything around is like a fairy tale.

The old woman Izergil tells the hero several stories, two of which are opposed to each other in the structure of the story. This is the legend of Larra and the legend of Danko.

Larra is a fabulous young man born from an earthly woman and an eagle. He differs from ordinary people in that "his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds." He refused to obey the elders in the tribe. The motif of the tragic denouement of the legend is outlined by the bloody landscape, which anticipates the first appearance of Larra's name in the story: “The moon has risen. Her disk was large, blood-red, she seemed to have come out of the depths of this steppe, which in her lifetime had swallowed so much human meat and drank blood, which is probably why she became so fat and generous. Larra was expelled from the human tribe for pride and selfishness. Before leaving, he killed the girl who pushed him away.

Behind the legend is worldly wisdom: the egoist himself voluntarily dooms himself to loneliness. God punished Larra with immortality, and he himself was tired of his loneliness: “There was so much longing in his eyes that one could poison all the people of the world with it.”

The second legend is dedicated to Danko, the man who brought people out of the captivity of impenetrable forests. To light their way, the hero did not spare his own heart and tore it out of his chest.

The artistic space in the story is transformed according to the laws of the fairy tale genre: “And suddenly the forest parted before him, parted and remained behind, dense and dumb, and Danko and all those people immediately plunged into a sea of ​​sunlight and clean air washed by rain.”

Seeing that he had saved people, Danko laughed proudly, but his pride had nothing to do with Larra's pride: he fulfilled his cherished desire - saved people at the cost of his own life, accomplished a feat. Danko's altruistic act and Larra's selfishness are extremes. It is no coincidence that it is between these legends that a realistic story about the life of the old woman Izergil herself, about her youth, about how this golden time irrevocably passes. Izergil fell in love more than once and after the end of the love story she never met those she loved.

Looking at the old woman withered by life, it is hard to believe that she was once a beautiful girl. Youth is gone, it is replaced by wisdom. It is no coincidence that aphorisms are so often found in Izergil’s speech: “To live, you must be able to do something”, “In life, you know, there is always a place for exploits”, “Everyone is his own destiny!”. With pain in his heart, Izergil realizes his old age. Remembering all her life and comparing the past and present, she notes that there are fewer and fewer beautiful and strong people in the world.

The story ends, as it began, with a landscape, but this is no longer the romantic landscape that we see at the beginning, but sad and deserted: “It was quiet and dark in the steppe. Clouds were all crawling across the sky, slowly, boringly ... The sea was muffled and mournful. This landscape correlates with the old age of Izergil. In the life of a woman there were joys, there were also betrayals: selfishness and altruism alternately took precedence in her fate.

In one work, the writer combines realistic and romantic manners of narration. The story accumulates Gorky's ideas about the transience of human life, reflections on the meaning of being and the beauty of this world.