Bitter mother are the main characters. Gorky M. “Mother”, brief analysis. The main theme and problems of the work

How Western “democracy” loves to call us “unwashed Russia.” We may be quietly offended or loudly indignant in response, but do we think that this definition stuck to us with the light hand of Lermontov, our compatriot? I’m such a meanie, I’m offended when Western authors, if they happen to write about our country, make all Russians look like fools, always drinking vodka, living in the dirt, alien to kindness and beauty, greedy, mean, evil, always using their hands. Why am I actually offended by foreigners, when our home-grown writers, in this case Gorky, see us exactly like that. And he portrays. For the whole world. And we erect monuments to him, rename cities in his honor, and go to schools. Bravo, they say, master! How did you get the essence? Yes, we are all rednecks (applause in the audience); dirty, embittered, stupid, always drunk redneck (there is applause in the hall and shouts of approval from the back rows).

Next is a little scientific theory. Among the cattle, suddenly, out of nowhere, the spark of revolution flares up. And it immediately transforms everyone it touches. And whoever it doesn’t touch, it also transforms! The evil, stupid and always drunken masses of Russians are not to blame for their anger, drunkenness, or stupidity; they simply don’t know that you can dream of a revolution, which means not being angry, stupid and drunk! But when they find out... When the revolution happens, and communism is handed over to everyone, then the Russians will suddenly stop drinking, beating and being stupid, and will become a model of humanity for all humanity. (“The reason why I was harmful was because I didn’t have a bicycle. And now I’ll immediately start to become kinder.” ©)

But I still believe that everything depends on the person. If he wants to see dirt, drunkenness and meanness around him, he will always see only them. And if he wants to see the bright in people, even in the most difficult times he will see this – the bright. You just need to want to see not a crowd of people, but the individuals that make up this crowd: people with their own emotions, thoughts, fears and aspirations - everyone has them. Gorky wanted to see the unwashed herd, and among this herd he created his artificial superheroes: pure-hearted revolutionaries... Snatched them out, painted their souls... And the more colors were spent on these “snatched” heroes, the darker, dumber and more unnecessary the remaining herd of extras turned out to be. Therefore, Gorky’s godlike heroes were never touched. Precisely because of its artificial animation against the backdrop of the denial of everything human in those around us.

And, let’s be honest, it’s implausible. Gray trash around, stupid downtrodden people. And suddenly - here you go! - one of these cattle, a semi-literate Domostroev housewife, is imbued with the ideas of the revolution. Having been inspired, he begins to love his son’s ideas more than the son himself, becoming more and more intoxicated by his importance in the world of “smart” people. And in this book, the word “mother” is nothing more than a party nickname for an activist, but in no way a woman’s social status, which imposes on her the obligation to blindly love her child and suffer for him. Here: no love, no suffering. Some kind of dope. If not, it’s a waste.

The only advantage of the book is that it once had a powerful educational moment.

Rating: 4

Spoilers!

M. Gorky - Mother. This work is worthy of the highest praise. I really liked it. The beauty of this work is in its scale and globality of the problems raised. The people are at a turning point. Something needs to change in the life of the people, because it is no longer possible to live like Pavel Vlasov’s father. So Paul decides it's time for a change. He becomes a socialist revolutionary. Pavel faces a difficult fate; he has to defend the rights of workers oppressed by the heavy hand of the current government. But the main character does not give up, carried away by the purest thoughts of doing good, he, with a banner in his hands, proudly steps towards the weapon raised at him. While reading, you become imbued with true love for Pavel, empathize with him, and understand him. It was not for nothing that Maxim Gorky called the novel “Mother”; the main character’s mother is a real heroine. Having learned that her son was engaged in a forbidden activity in the name of the people, she did not turn away from him, but, on the contrary, supported him in all his endeavors. She brought him news and food during his imprisonment, and joined the ranks of the revolutionaries in his place. Pavel Vlasov is overcome by feelings of pain for the people, for the injustice towards ordinary workers. The most important thing is that Pavel Vlasov acquired the meaning of life, and therefore, there is no doubt that he will not live this life in vain. The novel is easy and interesting to read, at ease. Although a whole century has passed since the book was written, the work is still relevant. This work raises many issues, if you think about these topics, a year will not be enough to get to the point, this novel is so deep. Love for his homeland helped Gorky write this novel, inspired him, and directed his thoughts.

This work helps to understand and more clearly analyze a very difficult period in the life of our country.

Rating: 9

I think I read excerpts from “Mother” as a teenager. I wonder how this book could have been on the school curriculum at the turn of the century. But nevertheless, this work was almost forgotten by me (it’s a dubious thing to get acquainted with a book in fragments). Thanks to the forum members for helping me remember her. Now I read it during a break between nonfiction, like most long-form books lately. But the novel is short, I devoured it in a week.

I now agree that it was a “very timely book” when it was written. Although by the second half of the century it became outdated and became more of a literary monument, now it is becoming relevant again.

Briefly about the plot. Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The worker's mother, following her son, becomes involved in underground revolutionary activities. All this completely changes the seemingly already mature woman. Despite the lack of a happy ending, the book leaves a surprisingly bright impression. The life of the heroes is difficult and dangerous, but it evokes envy because they have a clear goal.

P.S. As I wrote in my review of Ariel, a hundred years ago writing “nod your head” was the norm. This phrase appears frequently in the book.

Rating: 8

Characteristics of a literary hero

Vlasov Pavel Mikhailovich is the son of the main character of the novel, a hereditary worker who became a professional revolutionary. The prototype of the character was the Sormovo worker P. Zalomov. At the same time, the fate of Gorky's character is connected with the symbolism of an atoning sacrifice; Since the beginning of the story depicts a sharp change in the life of P., who turns from an ordinary factory guy into a conscious political fighter, it is permissible to see in his name a hint of a connection with the image of the apostle. P.’s first decisive act is to resist beatings from his father, mechanic Mikhail Vlasov, whose subconscious social protest results in drunkenness and aggressive behavior. After the death of his father, P. tries to imitate him, but a meeting with members of an underground circle dramatically changes his internal and external appearance. It is characteristic that, having experienced “rebirth,” P. hangs on the wall a picture of Christ going to Emmaus; He tells his mother about his new beliefs “with all the strength of youth and the fervor of a student, proud of knowledge, sacredly believing in their truth”: “Now everyone stands differently for me - I feel sorry for everyone, or what?” In P.'s house, meetings of the underground circle begin (Andrei Nakhodka, teacher Natasha, the thief's son Nikolai Vesovshchikov, factory worker Fyodor Sizov, etc.). After the first meeting, P. warns his mother: “There is a prison ahead for all of us.” P.’s asceticism and severity seem “monastic” to his mother: for example, he calls on Andrei to give up personal happiness and family “for business,” and he admits that he himself made a similar choice; in a conversation with Nilovna, Nakhodka calls P. “iron man.” Members of the circle distribute leaflets at the factory; A search is carried out in Pavel's house. The next day after the search, P. talks with the fireman Rybin who came to him: he claims that “strength” is given by the heart, not the “head”, and believes that it is necessary to “invent a new faith... we need to create God for other people”; P. claims that only reason will free a person. During a spontaneous conflict between workers and the factory administration (“the story of the “swamp penny”), P. makes a speech calling for an organized struggle for their rights and proposes starting a strike. However, the workers do not support him, and P. experiences this as evidence of his own “weakness.” He is arrested at night, but released a few months later. Members of the circle are preparing to celebrate May Day; P. is determined to carry the banner himself during the demonstration. Seeing his mother’s anxiety and pity, he declares: “There is love that prevents a person from living.” When Nakhodka abruptly cuts him off, condemning him for his ostentatious “heroism” in front of his mother, P. asks her for forgiveness. During the May Day demonstration, he carried a banner at the head of the crowd, and was arrested among the leaders (about 20 people). This concludes the first part. In the future, P. appears only in the final chapters, in the court scene: he gives a detailed speech, setting out the Social Democratic program. The court sentences P. to exile in Siberia.

Essay on literature on the topic: Pavel Vlasov (Mother Gorky)

Other writings:

1. From his youth, Gorky dreamed of a real person. He searched, but found only a beautiful romantic fairy tale about the proud and brave Danko. Gorky saw the living embodiment of his dream only after meeting professional revolutionaries. These people amazed him with their spiritual Read More......
2. Mother The novel takes place in Russia in the early 1900s. Factory workers with their families live in the working settlement, and the whole life of these people is inextricably linked with the factory: in the morning, with the factory whistle, workers rush to the factory, in the evening it throws them out Read More ......
3. By revealing the historical and literary significance of the novel “Mother”, its effective influence on the revolutionary education of the masses, we will help students see the enduring ideological and aesthetic value of the book, created at the dawn of the emergence of new literature, and its consonance with our modernity. Raising during the analysis such questions as the choice of life path, the importance of Read More......
4. In 1909, M. Gorky wrote: “I do not know a brighter image than a mother, and a heart more capacious for love than a mother’s heart.” These words could be used as an epigraph for the entire work. Choosing Nilovna, not Pavel Vlasov, in Read More......
5. Pelageya Nilovna Vlasova Characteristics of the literary hero Nilovna, Vlasova Pelageya Nilovna is the main character of the story, whose image symbolizes Russia (cf. “Mother Motherland”), and also contains evangelical associations. The dominant point of view in the story is connected with N. - the universal, “folk” perception of events. Character dynamics Read More ......
6. The novel takes place in Russia in the early 1900s. Factory workers with their families live in the working settlement, and the whole life of these people is inextricably linked with the factory: in the morning, with the factory whistle, workers rush to the factory, in the evening it throws them out of their Read More ......
7. People can arouse sympathy with their erudition, courage, temperament... But you never know how many virtues a person has! But the main thing is his pre-. dignity, in my opinion, is determination, the willingness to follow the chosen road to the end. Purposefulness is like the core, without which character, Read More......
8. “A worthy person is not one who has no shortcomings, but one who has merits.” I don’t remember who this phrase belongs to, and therefore I don’t give it as an epigraph, but it is very accurate and you can’t do without it. Read More......

Neither in the work of Gorky himself before 1905, nor in the work of any other Russian or foreign writer, was there such a penetrating depiction of the process of soul renewal, such a subtle disclosure of all the nuances of the formation of a new revolutionary consciousness, which we find in the novel “Mother”.

The above applies primarily to the image of Nilovna. She is the main, main character of the novel. The decisive importance of this image in the structure of the book is already clear from its title.

The most remarkable thing in Nilovna’s history seems to be

a harmonious combination of the theme of the mother's heart with the theme of social and political.

A kind of psychological chronicle unfolds before us.

And how many emotional nuances are captured in it! The quiet and submissive sadness of a woman beaten down by a degenerate, wild husband; the same submissive and painful sadness caused by the fact that the young son seemed to have moved along his father’s - wild and inhuman - path; the first joys in her life that she experienced when her son managed to overcome the cheap temptations of drunken and wild entertainment; then a new anxiety of the mother’s heart at the sight of the fact that the son is “focused and stubbornly

floats out somewhere to the side from the dark stream of life”... The author is in no hurry. He knows that there are no instant renewals of the soul, And day after day passes before us in the life of a mother; we observe both her doubts and the alienation that arose in certain moments from her son and from his friends - and we observe how new moods and concepts gradually form in her spiritual world. And how complex, how rich her spiritual world turns out to be!

In Gorky's novel, the eternal takes on a new meaning and a new poignancy, for it is shown in a very complex dramatic social context; and the ideological quests and insights of women at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries become vibrantly alive, because they are permeated with the eternal light of maternal feeling.

The advent of a new historical era and a new literary era was announced to the world by the image of Pavel Vlasov, not as rich in psychological nuances as the image of the Mother, but also charming, monumental, and filled with deep meaning. This was the first image in world literature of a political leader of the workers, bringing to the masses the ideas of scientific socialism, organizing the masses for a living, practical, revolutionary cause.

The image of Paul, like the image of the Mother, is drawn simultaneously in sober realistic and elevated romantic tones. These colors are suggested to the writer by life itself. The revolutionary struggle of the working class required a scientific comprehension of social reality, a strict consideration of all its factors, and it also demanded that spiritual uplift, that enthusiasm, without which victory would have been impossible. Therefore, Pavel Vlasov is shown as a sober analyst, as a highly restrained person, reaching “monastic severity” in his understanding of his duty, and he is also shown in the dramatic moments of his life, when he wanted to “throw people his heart, lit by the fire of a dream of truth.” " Reading such lines, we remember Danko. But if the hero of the legend was tragically lonely, then the hero of the novel is strong due to his ever-growing connection with the working collective, with the advanced intelligentsia. The era of historical creativity of the broadest strata of workers - workers and peasants - has arrived, an era that brought forward a completely new type of hero. And this is perfectly shown in the novel.

Gorky's innovation was also evident in revealing the beneficial changes that were introduced by the socialist ideal into family relationships. We see how the friendship of Pelageya Vlasova and Pavel Vlasov arises and develops, a friendship that was generated not only by maternal love and filial love, but also by joint participation in a great historical cause. The complex dialectic of the relationship between these two remarkable people is very subtly and soulfully revealed by Gorky. Pavel has a strong spiritual influence on Nilovna. Communication with her son re-opens her eyes to the world. However, she also influences her son. And its influence, as Gorky shows with the help of subtle psychological and everyday nuances, was no less significant. Maybe even more significant! Communication with his Mother was for the stern, at first somewhat straightforward and harsh Pavel, a school of heartfelt kindness, modesty and tact. He became softer towards people close to him, his soul became more flexible, sensitive and wise. Thanks to communication with the Mother, he achieved that high humanity, without which a true revolutionary is unthinkable.

Sources:

Gorky M. Selected / Preface. N. N. Zhegalova; Il. B. A. Dekhtereva.- M.: Det. lit., 1985.- 686 pp., ill., 9 l. ill. Abstract: The volume includes selected works of M. Gorky: the stories “Childhood” and “In People”, the stories “Makar Chudra”, “Chelkash”, “Song of the Falcon”, “Once in the Autumn”, “Konovalov”, “Former people”, etc.


Other works on this topic:

1. Pavel (Vlasov Pavel Mikhailovich) is the son of the main character of the novel, a hereditary worker who became a professional revolutionary. The prototype of the character was the Sormovo worker P. Zalomov. In the same time...
2. A completely different image is the image of Pelageya Nilovna, Pavel’s mother. In the first part of the novel we see a downtrodden woman, oppressed by life, who madly loves her unlikeable man...
3. Gorky wrote “Mother” in an exceptionally short time. The first drafts of the novel, made in 1903, disappeared during a search. Starting work again in July 1906...
4. The people depicted in the novel “Mother” are divided into two camps, completely hostile to each other. They stand on opposite sides of the barricade of class struggle: on the one hand...
5. Gorky's later works were written in the genre of socialist realism. People are now skeptical about our country's socialist past, but novels like Mother show socialist revolutionaries with...
6. The novel is called “Mother”. Thus, Gorky emphasizes the particular importance of the image of Pavel Vlasov’s mother, Nilovna, for understanding the ideological significance of the novel. Using her life as an example, Gorky...

The heroes of this novel are representatives of a new historical force - the working class, which has entered the decisive phase of the struggle against the old world in the name of creating a socialist society. “Mother” is a novel about the resurrection of the human soul, seemingly tightly crushed by the unjust system and the squalor of the surrounding life. This topic could be explored especially broadly and convincingly using the example of a person like Nilovna. This is a woman on whom her husband takes out his countless grievances, and besides, she is a mother living in eternal anxiety for her son.

1. Gorky’s first works “Makar Chudra”, “The Girl and Death”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Chelkash”, “Song of the Falcon” - immediately attracted attention with their romantic pathos, depiction of proud and brave people, and life-affirming humanism. Almost...
2. To reveal to a person the depths of his soul - every writer achieves this to one degree or another. One of the main, perhaps the main goals of art is to reveal this secret. Especially this...
3. (based on M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”) M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” was written in 1902. It was a difficult time for Russia. On the one hand, the rapid growth of the capitalist sector in...
4. This can be explained by the many problems posed by the author, problems that at different stages of historical development acquire new relevance. This is also explained by the complexity and inconsistency of the author’s position. Influenced the fate of the work, its...
5. Pavel Vlasov is the first image of a communist worker in literature. In his revolutionary-romantic works, A. M. Gorky glorifies people “who do not know how to feel sorry for themselves,” who perform heroic deeds. Later Gorky meets...
6. Among the books I have read recently, I would note as the most striking the trilogy of M. Gorky “Childhood”, “In People” and “My Universities”. I was deeply moved by the childhood story of Alyosha Peshkov, a boy...
7. In the first decades of the life of the young Soviet state, in the era of the most intense struggle between two worlds, the theater, according to Gorky, should take on the responsibility of “stimulant. class-revolutionary emotions.” Theater of Our Days, he wrote...
8. M. Gorky’s work “The Old Woman Izergil consists of three parts”: a fairy tale about Larra, a story about Danko, a story about the life of Izergil herself. The narration is told on behalf of the author, who allegedly heard this story...
9. There is a lie on which people, as if on bright wings, rise to the sky; there is a truth, cold, bitter, in which... worldly scientists are very knowledgeable and accurate, but which chains a person to the earth...
10. In the play “At the Bottom” Gorky showed us the life of tramps who have lost: their own names, spiritual values, life guidelines. Only one of the characters in the play, the owner of the flophouse, has a first name, patronymic and...
11. Gorky is the author of completely contradictory statements about man. He said to Chekhov: “You need to be a monster of virtue in order to love, feel sorry for, and help live the trashy midges with guts that we are.” He claimed to Repin...
12. In the play “At the Bottom,” M. Gorky strives not only to depict a terrible reality to draw attention to the plight of disadvantaged people. He created a truly innovative philosophical and journalistic drama. Contents for the first...
13. Vividly, with irreconcilable hatred, he depicts the bitter world of the “masters of life”, profit, dooming millions of people to poverty, hunger and lawlessness. But this world is already splitting from the inside; it is not monolithic, as we would like...
14. The theme of historical regularity and the inevitability of the Great October Socialist Revolution was also developed by Gorky in the novel “The Life of Klim Samgin.” The novel was conceived after 1905. Gorky started working on it in 1925, immediately...
15. The work is based on an acute social conflict: the contradiction between a person’s actual position in society and his high purpose. The social conflict is complicated by a philosophical one: the clash of false humanism, the humanism of passive compassion and humanism...
16. M. Gorky began to write his first stories in the 90s of the nineteenth century. This was a time of rapid development of capitalism in Russia. A poor and hungry village moved to the city in search of work...
17. In Gorky’s understanding, only ardent love for people, for one’s work, for one’s native land gives a person firmness in life’s trials. Danko, who sacrifices himself for the sake of others, is stronger than Larra. In connection with...M. Gorky stood guard over the proletarian revolution and lived in the interests of the working class and its party. Newspapers, magazines, numerous letters and living people from Russia provided him with rich material. Gorky saw that...

Image of Pavel Vlasov

Novel"Mother" reveals a completely clear position of the author in relation to social transformations; the work is imbued with the pathos of the struggle for the reconstruction of life, which for a long time gave rise to a very one-sided assessment of it within the framework of Soviet ideology. Behind the “heroic struggle of the new generation of revolutionaries” they did not notice / or did not want to notice / living people, with their internal contradictions, suffering, and moral quests. And it was precisely the inner spiritual world of man that interested the greatest Russian writers, whose works are recognized as classics of world literature. A one-sided approach to this work, imposed by communist ideology, undoubtedly cannot satisfy the modern reader.

It would probably be more appropriate to consider this work by exploring the spiritual world of the heroes. Thus, the best feelings arising in the hearts call people to the service of a high and bright idea. But when this idea overshadows everything else, enslaving a person, it suppresses in his soul the very feelings that prompted him to serve it.

This paradox is tragic. And it manifests itself most clearly in the image of Pavel Vlasov, who until recently was considered as unconditionally positive. But it is here that the “obsession with an idea” manifests itself most strongly, and it is here that this phenomenon takes on its most destructive forms. The desire for his own high goal, developing into fanaticism, suppresses in his soul such eternal human feelings as sons, love, love for home, for a woman. Cruelly, unfilially, he tells his mother that he is doomed to die for his idea, he does not want to listen to it before the demonstration.

The image of Pavel Vlasov, a revolutionary worker, largely determines the innovative essence of M. Gorky's novel. This image embodies the main meaning of historical time, those trends that are directed into the future.

In our opinion, analyzing the image of Paul cannot be limited to just searching for an answer to the question: how did an ordinary working guy master the theory and practice of revolutionary struggle? After all, Paul’s path is connected with internal growth, with the formation of character, with decisive changes in the psychology of the working man.

Let's consider one of the most striking episodes where the greatness of the spirit of the young revolutionary, the strength of his ideological conviction, and unshakable determination are fully revealed. There is a situation in the novel “Mother”: during the May Day demonstration, there comes a moment when the head of the crowd “as if hit something”: the street was blocked by a gray wall of soldiers. From this silent, motionless wall, a cold breath blew across the workers, and people backed away, began to move to the side, pressing themselves against houses and fences. But Pavel’s voice still sounded clear and distinct.

“Comrades!” said Pavel. “All our lives forward - there is no other road for us!”

Next to Pavel at the demonstration are his comrades - people who consciously chose the path of struggle and did not flinch when meeting the soldiers. Why is Pavel still ahead? Why does he insist on his right to carry the banner? Of course, he is not guided by ambitious considerations, but by the interests of the cause he serves: he was the first to begin the work of educating the masses in the settlement, he stood at the head of the Social Democratic circle, people came to him for advice, they believed in him. He represented the party of revolutionaries, and when the party led the political struggle of the workers, he had to stand in the most visible and dangerous place. The attitude of the workers to revolutionary propaganda, the truth that was dearer to Paul than life, depended on this.

The first bid for independence was a protest against the beatings of his father. The fourteen-year-old teenager stopped the hand raised above his head and firmly stated: “I won’t give in again...”.

More serious evidence of the birth of personality is the dissatisfaction with the usual life of factory youth and the search for a different path. When Pavel tells Nilovna that he is reading forbidden books, that he can be put in prison for this, the mother, measuring with her heart all the troubles that threaten her son, will sigh: “You have changed dangerously, oh my God!”

An independent, bold mind and great courage were needed in order to, contrary to centuries-old traditions, contrary to the rules and customs to which both fathers and grandfathers obeyed, leave the beaten path, choose the difficult path to the kingdom of justice. Didn't this mean taking that step forward that only heroic natures can do?

And Paul will always be ready to face danger in the name of the Truth that he understood. When there is unrest at the factory because of the “swamp penny,” Vlasov will stand next to the director and, on behalf of the workers, loudly demand that the order to deduct the penny be canceled. But for this they could be kicked out of work or arrested.

When the wall of soldiers bristling with bayonets “evenly and coldly” moves towards the demonstrators and Andrei involuntarily rushes forward to block Pavel, he sharply demands: “Come alongside, comrade!,.. There is a banner ahead!”

When his comrades suggested that Pavel escape from prison, he rejected this plan: he had to “stand up to his full height,” openly, loudly proclaim the slogans of Social Democracy, and set out the program of his party.

A portrait of Pavel is almost always given through the perception of his mother, who, worrying about him, still cannot help but admire and be proud of him: “The son’s eyes burned beautifully and brightly,” “His blue eyes, always serious and stern, now burned so softly and affectionately,” “he was the most beautiful of all,” “The mother looked into his face and saw only his eyes, proud and bold, burning,” “she saw her son’s face, his bronze forehead and eyes, burning with the bright fire of faith.” The depiction of a son through the mother’s perception is one of the methods of expressing the author’s position. By infecting the reader with the feelings of his mother, making him proud and admire Pavel, Gorky affirms his aesthetic ideal.

Looking at the portrait characteristics of Pavel, one cannot help but notice that they repeat the same definitions that describe Danko.

The fire of love for people also burns in Pavel’s heart, and the main motive of his activities is the same as that of the hero of the legend - “What will I do for people?”

The hero of Gorky's legend is a symbol that reflected the thirst for heroic deeds, which was felt more and more clearly in advanced Russian society, in the proletarian environment at the turn of two centuries.

In real life circumstances, the determination to change the world in the name of the triumph of Truth and Justice led proletarians to the ideas of socialism. In specific historical conditions, a new type of figure was formed - a conscious worker, a fighter for socialism. In the novel "Mother" Gorky creates a realistic image of a revolutionary worker, showing a hero of the new time in typical life circumstances. The character of Pavel Vlasov is given in development, in formation, in internal growth.

Here Pavel listens to his mother’s gentle reproaches and seems to see her for the first time, tortured by work, humiliated by fear of growing old prematurely, and for the first time he thinks about her fate. This pity for the mother, thoughts about her life are so natural, so humanly understandable. At the same time, perhaps, from this moment Paul’s spiritual awakening begins, the work of consciousness that will lead him to the revolutionary path: from thoughts about the suffering of a loved one - to thoughts about the life of a workers’ settlement - to an awareness of the historical role of the class with whose hands everything is done All.

Here is the first speech about the truth. Both the conviction and youth of Pavel are felt very well in it. He speaks excitedly, passionately, rejoicing that he found words understandable to his mother - “young pride with the power of words elevated his faith in himself.”

And after an unsuccessful attempt to organize a strike, Pavel walks around gloomy, tired: “I’m young, I’m weak, that’s what! They didn’t believe me, they didn’t follow my truth, which means I didn’t know how to tell it!..” But he doesn’t back down, he believes: today If they don’t understand, they will understand tomorrow. In communicating with people, with the mass of workers, he verifies the truth of the knowledge obtained from books, acquires the necessary experience, and develops as a leader. And here before us is a revolutionary with an established worldview, an active fighter against the evil that exists in the world. His speech at the trial not only ignites, it convinces with irrefutable logic.

Among the techniques for creating character, dialogues and debates play an important role, in which the reader involuntarily gets involved: he compares the positions of the disputants, ponders the thoughts they express, and looks for arguments for or against. One of the issues discussed in the pages of the novel is the power of the mind and heart. “Only reason will free a person!” Paul said firmly. “The mind does not give strength!” Rybin objected loudly and persistently. “The heart gives strength - not the head...”

Who is right? What is the strength of the mind and what is the strength of the heart?

The power of reason, in Paul’s understanding, is, first of all, the power of advanced social ideas, revolutionary theory, which allows you to see the deep processes of life, understand its patterns, like a searchlight, illuminating the path to the future. However, advanced theories are not the fruit of cold calculations of the mind. They appear on the basis of the difficult experience of many generations, often paid for by the feat of self-denial, selfless sacrifices.

Nilovna, thinking about people who “suffer for the people, go to prison and go to Siberia,” says: “They love! They love purely!” And the workers followed Paul, because his heart was turned to them.

It was noted above that Paul often appears before the reader, illuminated by maternal love, and in this way the author expresses his attitude towards the hero. But the mother’s perception of her son and his work is also verified by popular opinion: the workers’ settlements have recognized him as their leader, his fate worries the people unfamiliar to his mother gathered at the courthouse, his name is pronounced with pride and admiration by members of workers’ circles in the city (“He was the first to openly raise the banner our party!"), leaflets with his words are greedily snatched from Nilovna's hands by people at the station.

The novel does not contain a love affair, which was often the driving force of the plot in Russian novels of the 19th century known to students. However, the question of what place love and family occupy in the life of a revolutionary arises more than once during the narration of the life of Pavel and his comrades.

A person who has chosen the path of struggle must know what awaits his family, his children, and must find the strength to endure the longing for his loved ones and fear for them. No less moral strength is needed in order to put business above all else and abandon the family. But such self-denial does not at all indicate inferiority, or deafness of heart. Not many pages of the novel talk about love, but from these pages comes the light of high humanity and moral purity. The love of Pavel and Sashenka is chaste and strict. The words in which pent-up tenderness breaks through are rare and stingy, but these words are precious because they are genuine. Worried about Pavel's health and life, Sashenka understands that the most important thing for him is business, and, allowing herself to dream a little about how she will settle in Siberia with Pavel and maybe have children, she returns to reality, ready for new partings: after all, Pavel will not live in Siberia, he will definitely leave to continue the fight. “He should not take me into account, and I will not embarrass him. It will be difficult for me to part with him, but, of course, I can handle it.”

As we see, the image of Paul is the image of a man who makes, although not out of malice, unhappy those to whom he is dear. This is especially evident from his love story. In life, he constantly faces a choice between an idea and a living soul. And he chooses an idea... Therefore, the image of Pavel Vlasov, in our opinion, is tragic. In the soul of this man there was a discord between the deepest, root, vital foundations and the idea, the goal set by him.

Image of Andrey Nakhodka

Understanding the character of Pavel, it is impossible to ignore Andrei Nakhodka. By placing these characters side by side, the writer encourages readers to compare and contrast them, and through this comparison, the meaning of the artistic picture and the assessment of life phenomena contained in it is more deeply comprehended.

The find is usually liked by readers. He is simpler, more understandable than Paul.

Readers usually have a good idea of ​​Andrei’s appearance: an awkward long figure, in which there was something funny and inviting, a round cropped head, soft light blue eyes and a smile so wide that it seemed as if “the ears had moved to the back of the head.” Nakhodka attracts readers with its warmth, sensitivity, attentive attitude towards people, and readiness to help them.

Nakhodka rejects a world in which anger and hatred triumph. He lives a dream of a time when there will be no wars, hostility, cruelty, or lies on earth, “when people will begin to admire each other, when each will be like a star in front of the other.” But is it bad that in his soul the idea of ​​“a future holiday for everyone on earth” lives so clearly, so palpably, that he so wants to see people kind, strong, free and proud? After all, it is this bright dream, the “amazing” that is in his soul, that makes him strong and persistent, helps him on the thorny revolutionary path.

We see how Nakhodka suffers from the fact that he did not prevent the murder of the vile and pathetic spy Isaika, his heart rebels against cruelty. However, Andrei immediately says that for the sake of his comrades, for the sake of the cause, he can do anything: “If Judas stands in the way of the honest, waiting to betray them, I will be Judas myself when I do not destroy him!”

He knows that the revolution will not be bloodless, that victory can only be achieved with weapons in hand, and in this struggle there is no place for pity for the enemies of the people: after all, “every drop of their blood is washed in advance by lakes of the people’s tears...”

In the novel, Nakhodka is shown as a consistent and persistent fighter. He had been persecuted more than once, spent many days in prison, but did not retreat, was not afraid of danger. None of Nakhodka’s comrades doubt the purity, sincerity of his convictions, his reliability and loyalty. Rybin speaks of this gentle and kind man like this: “Sometimes I listen to him speak at the factory, and I think - you can’t doubt this, only death will overcome him. A wiry man!”

Pavel and Andrey are two different characters. However, they are not opposed by the writer. What underlies the strong friendship of these very different people? Of course, sympathy, interest in another person, the need to communicate with him can arise unconsciously. But true friendship requires mutual understanding, similarity of basic life positions. Pavel and Andrey are like-minded people, comrades-in-arms. Disputes often arise between them, but in disputes the commonality of their views only strengthens. Most importantly, they understand each other and trust each other. They are nearby everywhere. During the May Day demonstration, Andrei is ready to carry the banner in order to take the main blow. And although Pavel defended his right to go ahead, Nakhodka does not lag behind him. In the general chorus of voices singing a revolutionary song, Andrei’s soft and strong voice merges with Pavel’s thick, bass voice. Together they walk towards the menacingly bristling line of soldiers. “As long as we are together, we will go everywhere side by side, just know that!” - says Andrey Nilovna.

Perhaps the most touching moment in the history of their relationship is the “explanation of friendship” after Andrei “gave a beating” to Pavel, who had offended his mother with a harsh word (chapter XXIII of the first part). Pavel, embarrassed, admits his guilt, Nilovna is touched, in whose heart the resentment towards her son lingered for a short time. Shocked by the power of his mother's love, Andrei especially acutely feels how dear these people are to him - both his son and his mother. And then comes the moment of complete spiritual unity, when three hearts, overflowing with love and gratitude, merge into one. Andrey “looked at the mother and son with slightly reddened eyes and, blinking, said quietly:

Two bodies - one soul... In the context of the work and in this image, as well as in general the storyline of “Paul and Andrei”, the unity of workers of different nations is affirmed, that international brotherhood, which Pavel Vlasov’s comrades spoke with such enthusiasm in the classes of the circle.

Two destinies, closely intertwined in the plot of the novel, unfolded with almost equal completeness, suggest that both heroes are necessary in the sound of the main theme - the theme of revolution. Pavel's tenacity and will, his mind, striving to understand the causes of all phenomena, looking for a connecting thread in the diversity of facts, the iron logic of his accusations are complemented by Andrei's ardent aspiration for the future, his bright dream of the kingdom of kindness of heart.

If with the image of Paul the writer proves the regularity of the revolution and the achievability of the future, then the main meaning of the image of Nakhodka is that the socialist ideal, the image of the future, will be tangibly, concretely presented to the readers in its entirety.

Image of Pelageya Nilovna

The central image of the novel"Mother" is the image of Pelageya. Nilovna participates in all the events of the novel. The title of the novel follows from this compositional role of the image. It is she who is “entrusted” with her heart to judge Rybin, Fedya Mazin, and Sophia. Her assessments of people in the novel are extraordinary; she feels what others do not yet see; Her “dreams” in the novel are subtle and symbolic. In the novel "Mother" Gorky shows the process of enriching a mother's natural love for her child with a feeling of spiritual closeness. The theme of the resurrection of the human soul, the theme of the second birth of man, is connected with the image of the mother. Gorky takes the most difficult version of this resurrection. Firstly, Nilovna is 45 - a “woman’s age”, for a woman of that time it was a lot. Take the difficult option of rebirthing an old person with an already established fate and character. Secondly, Gorky chooses a religious woman as his heroine; the writer sees in the mother’s faith a certain system of values ​​and views on the world that helps her live; that is why she is so afraid of the destruction of her faith in God. This means that the process of mother’s rebirth is associated with changes in worldview. Thirdly, Nilovna is a woman, and according to traditional ideas, the role of a woman was limited to family and children, and this also complicates her inclusion in active work. The main source of the rebirth process is maternal love. From the desire to be closer to the son, or at least not to anger him, grows the desire to understand him and help him. But this is only the beginning, then she was captured by the idea itself. Nilovna's fate is proof of the fruitfulness of revolutionary ideas.

The main change in Nilovna is overcoming the fear of life. She was afraid of the new appearance of her son. Participation in her son’s affairs and expanding her circle of acquaintances helps her better understand and love people. It is this love and goodwill that lead Nilovna to the point that she ceases to be afraid of people. She becomes a mother to all her close friends and even distant people. Nilovna’s state of mind is visible in her portraits: “She was tall, slightly stooped, her body, broken by hard work and beatings from her husband, moved silently and somehow sideways, as if she was afraid of hurting something... She was all soft, sad, submissive ..."

A hero who carries a spiritual principle, in whom the best human feelings are strong, is undoubtedly Nilovna. The mighty power of her maternal love keeps Paul from complete immersion and fanatical madness. It was in the image of the mother that faith in a high goal and the richest spiritual world were most organically combined. Here, of course, it is necessary to note Nilovna’s deep and strong connection with the people, which has always been assessed in Russian literature as the wealth of a person’s soul, his closeness to the origins, the roots of national culture. The idea inspires Nilovna, allows her to rise up and gain faith in herself, but does not develop in her mind into a goal for fanatical service. This does not happen, probably because Nilovna’s connection with folk roots is very strong. Obviously, it is this connection that determines a person’s inner resilience. Let us note that Andrei Nakhodka, Paul’s comrade-in-arms, is much deeper than him spiritually. This image is also close to the people, this is evidenced by his attitude towards Nilovna: tenderness, care, affection. Paul doesn't have this. The author shows how dangerous it is for a person to move away from his folk roots when all true spiritual values ​​are lost.

The name of the novel was not chosen by chance by the writer. After all, it is the mother /eternal image/ who is the true, humane, loving, sincere image.

Peasantry in the novel

One of the main meaning- and plot-forming ideas of the novel is the idea of ​​uniting people in the revolutionary struggle.

An important aspect of the unity of people in the revolutionary cause is overcoming distrust of people, especially among people of different social groups, especially the distrust of workers and peasants in intellectuals. Gorky soberly sees the difficulties arising during the revolutionary process, and with the instinct of an artist he predicts ways to overcome them.

The theme of the peasantry occupied Gorky, because Russia, a primordially peasant country, is taking the path of revolutionary struggle and introducing into this struggle the traditions of peasant ideology and behavior.

In the conversation between Pavel and Andrei, Gorky’s attitude towards this clearly manifests itself: “We must follow our path, without stepping aside one step,” Pavel said firmly.

And along the way we will stumble upon several tens of millions of people who will greet us as enemies...

The mother understood that Pavel did not like the peasants, and the Little Russian stood up for them, proving that the peasants also needed to be taught goodness... She understood Andrei more, and he seemed right to her..."

As the central image, Gorky chooses Mikhail Rybin, a seemingly atypical figure for peasants: he is a worker who has already found his place in the working environment. But Rybin has a typically peasant psychology, not altered even by a proper stay in the city; Gorky puts him at the center of “peasant” events.

In the novel, Rybin’s appearance is vividly created: a respectable, sedate man with burning, piercing eyes and a black beard, he evokes both respect and at the same time fear.

Every word of Rybin is weighed and filled with inner strength. Rybin loves people who “don’t jump too fast,” he says about Pavel. It is this inner strength and significance that makes others listen to him and allows him to become a propagandist among the peasants. Rybin pays a high emotional price for every word. Rybin says rightly that “the beginning is not in the head, but in the heart!”, “the heart gives strength, not the head.”

Rybin has a unique view of people. At the beginning of the novel, he proceeds from a distrust of people in general. Man, according to Rybin, is “unkind”; he has a lot of anger, resentment, and “jags” that prevent people from uniting together. Rybin, not without reason, believes that “theirs,” in the narrow sense of the word, is too dear to people and, not seeing the prospects, they can refuse to greatly enrich themselves in the future in the name of the “short” present. He bases his reasoning on this when the strike fails because of the “swamp penny.” Rybin's ideal is the moral renewal of a person through suffering, which gives him the right to influence others.

But on his path to renewal, Rybin, who stands up for justice, is ready to use forms and methods that are by no means from the arsenal of conscience. Gradually Rybin overcomes his mistrust of man and reason. It is he who asks Pavel and takes from Nilovna books and leaflets for the peasants, using books to influence their consciousness.

The strength of Rybin’s image lies in its non-one-dimensionality and non-linearity. the writer clearly reveals in him the power of the earth, so strong in the peasant. Gorky gives Rybin a difficult and complex fate not only in the background, but also in the plot of the novel. And this is natural, since different people have different paths to revolution. For people like Rybin, it could not be simple. Gorky led his heroes to revolution, each in his own way.

It is important to find the universal and eternal in the fish and in the peasants. Psychologically, it is important for peasants to have predecessors and followers in order to be included in the new. Only a few are able to pave the way (Paul). The path of Rybin and many others to the revolution is different from that of Pavel.

They go not through book ideas to the “deed”, but through the “deed” - to the book. It is more important for them to verify the facts and create a theory. It is important for them to have their own point of view - someone else’s experience, three times good, is not as important to them as their own, hard-won experience. The difficulties of such people’s path to revolution cannot be ignored.

The images of the peasant Peter, who came to listen to Nilovna after Rybin’s arrest, are noteworthy; he will follow the path of the revolution to the end.

It is curious how Gorky paints rural landscapes. It would seem that after urban scenes, rural landscapes should be light. However, this is not the case. Gloomy pictures of nature fit more accurately into the general ideological and artistic concept of Gorky’s worldview

Depiction of the old world in the novel "Mother"

One of the key problems of analysis, most closely related to with the aspirations of modern man - the theme of personality formation.

For Gorky, one of the incentives for staging it was the process of “destruction of personality” he observed in Russia under capitalism, when the majority of people from top to bottom become slaves to private property.

In the novel "Mother" Gorky draws on his artistic experience.

Gorky notes that both in a large capitalist city and in a workers' settlement a person is a slave. It is important to highlight several groups of enemies in the novel. After all, this world is “not sterile.” The first group is the tsar, the provincial prosecutor, judges, officers, army officers, soldiers, spies.

The second group - people from the same sphere as the main characters of the novel, but defending the ideology of the ruling class - master Vavilov, spy Isaik Gorbov, innkeeper Beguntsov.

It is characteristic that the first group remains nameless, and the enemies “from below” are given a last name. In addition to these characters, there is a nameless environment of people who are hostile or wary of the activities of the revolutionaries. It should be noted that in the novel, in addition to real figures, there is another image of the enemy, a collective one - what Pavel, Andrei, Nikolai Vesovshchikov, Rybin, Samoilov think and say about enemies - the image of the enemy in the minds of revolutionaries. This is important for understanding the novel.

All the “enemies” and their servants depicted by Gorky are shown precisely as “mechanical people”, parts of the state machine: gendarme, judge, prosecutor, tsar. Everyone has functions: to judge, arrest, monitor, but they are not individuals, “even their faces have been erased.”

It is no coincidence that the description of enemies is dominated by details of external appearance, the most noticeable, superficially observed, mustache, beard, saber, spurs. The gray color of the dust accompanies the description of the enemies. With this, Gorky emphasizes the escheat of his enemies. We don’t see a soul in any of them, nor in any of them is the inner world shown. It’s as if their souls have been eaten. Under capitalism, “the murder of the soul” constantly occurs, as Paul calls it.

Anger towards enemies and fear for oneself, calm, indifferent, even lazy performance of one’s duties, this is what Bitter notes among the servants of capital. They don't have a big idea to inspire them.