The image and characteristics of Luke in the play at the bottom of the bitter essay. “What you believe in is what you believe in. How Luka treats others

How the life of the night shelters changed with the appearance of Luke in the play.

How does Luke appear in the play?

Luka enters the shelter with Natasha.

Is his appearance in the play important? Why?

Luke is a very important character in the play. He appears and disrupts the usual rhythm of life and thoughts of the night shelters. He speaks to everyone those words that cannot leave anyone indifferent; he has a comforting phrase for everyone. Luka knows how to notice the main thing in a person.

What description can we give of this hero?

He is old, not conflicted.Luka's appearance in the shelter becomes like a ray of light in the dark kingdom of the bottom. The wanderer is sharply different from all the other overnight stayers at this bottom of life.

What is your first impression of Luke? What does he immediately call the night shelters?

The impression is positive.Entering, he wishes everyone health and calls them honest people.

What principle of attitude towards people does Gorky show in Luke?

The principle of compassion. He consoles the night shelters by painting illusions for them.

Does the night shelters like Luke?

Yes.

From the very beginning we see this man’s position in life. Find quotes in the text.

His answer to Bubnov is very important: “I don’t care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: all of them are black, all of them jump...” What a vivid comparison! (He reveals Luke’s attitude towards people. All people are equal, Luke has the ability not to discriminate between people “not a single flea is bad”

What was life like in the shelter before Luka arrived? How did people get into the shelter?

The residents of the shelter hate each otherPeople end up in a shelter, at the bottom of their lives, for various reasons: some did not know any other life, they were born in a similar shelter, others can be called “former people,” that is, those who once had a different life.

Where do we see the moral degradation of the heroes?

when Vaska Ash suffers from boredom. What kind of entertainment does a young man come up with for himself? He says to the Baron: “Well, bark! It will be funny for me... You are a master... there was a time when you didn’t consider our brother to be a person... and all that...”

Which of the night shelters wants to escape from the “bottom”?

Actor, Ash, Nastya, Natasha, Kleshch - they strive to break free from the “bottom” of life. But they feel their own powerlessness in front of the constipation of this “prison”. They have a feeling of hopelessness of their fate and a craving for a dream, an illusion that gives at least some hope for the future.

Who is particularly receptive to Luke's reassurances?

Nastya (talk about love)In the vacant lot behind the shelter, all the characters in the play are sitting and listening to Nastya talking about her affair with a French student. The Baron catches her in a lie. Nastya screams in despair that he cannot understand true love. Luka asks her to continue. Bubnov continues to mock Nastya, but Natasha and Baron ask her to continue. She continues the hysterical story about parting with her loved one. At the end of the story, she cries, and Luka and Natasha calm her down. The Baron says that Nastya read this tragic story in the tabloid novel “Fatal Love.” Luka says that if Nastya believes that she had this love, then it was so. She and Nastya leave.

Actor (believes in a hospital for drunkards)Luka tells him about a certain free hospital for drunkards and says that later he will name the city in which it is located. The actor is urged to abstain from alcohol for now. The actor excitedly talks about his plans to go to a hospital for drunkards, says that he is on the way to revival. He says that on stage his name was Sverchkov-Zavolzhsky, but no one here knows about this, that he no longer has a name, and even dogs have nicknames.

Anna (believes that after death she will find peace)Anna complains to Luka about the poor, hungry life she lived, saying that she saw nothing but beatings and insults. Luka consoles her and says that in the next world she will rest. The old man again consoles her, telling her how after death the Lord will look kindly at Anna and reward her for all her suffering by sending her to heaven. Suddenly the desire to live awakens in Anna. She believes that if the torment ends there, then here she can be patient.

Ash (new life in Siberia)Luke persuades Ash to go to the “golden” land - to Siberia, where it is good for everyone who has strength and intelligence.

Is the poem read by the Actor significant in the work? (pp. 378-379)

Yes.

What semantic load and meaning does the poem carry?

People are ready to believe even lies; if only there was a person who could instill a “golden dream” in their minds, hope and faith are the only things that keep a person afloat.

What is the essence of the story about the righteous land? (pp. 387 – 389 read by role)

a man lived, overcoming all misfortunes and pains, and believed that there was a land where there was nothing of this, where everyone helped each other. The scientist, immersed headlong in a mountain of books, replied that there was no such land. It turns out that there is no place on earth where they will simply treat you like a human being. As a result, the hopeless darkness of life remains and will forever remain all around.After all, in the story about the “righteous land,” the scientist could really help a person by simply saying yes. The scribe would instill faith in him, and he would be able to find a righteous land for himself, that corner where he would feel good.

What hope is instilled in the souls of the night shelters after the story about the righteous land?

What if they are lucky and they can find that righteous land they dreamed of. And Ash, who most adequately assesses the situation, succumbs to the influence of the “righteous land.” He calls Natasha with him and wants to start life from scratch. The actor believes that his “righteous land” is a free hospital that will become a ticket to a new life.

Which of the night shelters does not believe a single word of Luke?

Satin, from beginning to end, does not accept Luke’s truth. He is sure that a person who once killed another, killed his own inner world. He will not be able to count on a righteous land in the future, where everyone helps each other - he is not worthy of it. Although his action has a justification: he defended his sister, he is sure that “after prison there is no move!”

Was it worth it for Luke to talk about the “righteous land” at all?

Of course, events after Luke’s stay and telling him the story of the righteous land changed dramatically, showing that a person is capable of building his own life, despite external obstacles and the neglect of the people around him. The actor still earned some money and managed not to drink it away,Ash asks Natasha to leave with him, says that he will start his life over, stop stealing and go to work. He believes that Natasha can help him change.

What does Luke call for the night shelters? Find quotes.

For example: “You hope, you believe!”

Ash still ended up in Siberia, but not as a worker, but as a convict (Could Luka influence the course of events? Yes, he could. He heard Vasilisa asking Ash to kill Kostylev)

The actor, who found hope of salvation, hanged himself. (Why?

With the disappearance of Luka, all his dreams of recovery collapsed, since Luka never showed the way to the hospital)

D.Z. In the next lesson we will have a lesson - a debate dedicated to Satin and Luke. You will need to justify your choice and defend it. Consider the life positions of each hero on faith, conscience, love, truth, life. Decide which hero is closer. And who is the hero - the sounding board in the play. Write down the characters' statements about the truth, about a person, in a notebook if you wish. Can conduct a small research on the topic “Aphoristic language of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” (those who wish to do this work should do it in writing by Monday).

The image of Luke in M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths” is rightfully considered one of the most interesting and controversial.

This work is studied at school, but it is interesting to study and analyze at any age.

Characteristics of Luke in the play “At the Bottom”

The wanderer Luke first appears on the pages of the work when the reader has already become a little acquainted with the main characters who find themselves on the “day of life” and the plot.

The playwright gives a very modest description of the hero, without focusing on his biography.

This is a rather elderly man with a stick in his hand, he had a knapsack over his shoulders, a teapot and a bowler hat on his belt.

The lodgers were rather indifferent to the wanderer, not suspecting what role he would play in their difficult life.

The role of Luka in the drama by Maxim Gorky

M. Gorky made people think about life, about what people turn into under the pressure of life circumstances, and how scary it is to find yourself at the “day of life” from which you can’t get out.

Luke's Philosophy and Truth

Whatever readers consider the image of Luke to be, positive or negative, one thing is clear: this kind man came into the lives of little people who found themselves at the “day of life” for a reason, he had his own position - a certain mission.

Was he lying? Did he tell the truth? Everyone will answer these rhetorical questions in their own way.

Luke radically changed the atmosphere in the shelter. The heroes began to think and began to dream about something again. The elder was at the same time so gentle and convincing in his speeches that even the greatest skeptics changed their attitude towards the truth, towards man.

Quotes and aphorisms from Luke

Luke's words are sparkling phrases with deep philosophical overtones. Their topics are very diverse:

• value of human life:
• moral and ethical standards of behavior:
• the power of a word:
• the power of faith:
• parenting:

The meaning of the name Luka in the play “At the Depths”

It should be noted that the above name is quite interesting, having a hidden meaning. It is of ancient Greek origin and literally means “farmer.”

But subconsciously the reader’s imagination associates him with the biblical images of the Holy Martyr Luke. Thus, according to many critics, Jesus Christ himself looks at us from the pages of the play and gives his wise advice.

How do the inhabitants of the shelter feel about Luke’s words?

All of Luke's statements had deep meaning. He spoke briefly, but always to the point. Every word he said was thought out, honed by life, and therefore hit the target.

How does Luke affect night shelters?

Over time, the heroes realize that Luke deceived them in most cases, but this no longer matters.

The heroes simply understood perfectly well that the old man was saying something that supported them, helped them exist in this dirty shelter.

His parable about the “righteous land”, which so excited their consciousness, was just words of consolation that gave them hope. But this, in truth, is precisely what they lacked.

They were lonely and no one needed them; no one simply believed in them. And Luke picked up the keys to their devastated hearts and gave them the advice they needed.

Luke's statements about people - what he says to each of the inhabitants of the shelter

They didn’t just listen to the hero, the shelters heard him:

• he managed to find words of consolation for Anna before her death;
• was able to convince the Artist to start fighting alcoholism, despite the setbacks and failures;
• supported the girl of easy virtue Nastya, who firmly believed in love;
• he even tried to reach out to the complex Vasily Pepel and warn him against a fatal mistake - the murder of his mistress’s husband.

Not all the characters in the play needed Luke’s advice; there were also those to whom Luke did not advise anything.

Gorky's attitude towards Luka

The moment of Luke's disappearance was quite intriguing.

He left as quietly and unnoticed as he had appeared in the shelter.

The author’s position is clear, he sympathizes with his hero, convincing the reader that all the wanderer’s actions were from good intentions - to help unhappy, dejected people, give them hope, instill faith in themselves and their strengths, and identify a goal in life.

Positive or negative hero Luka

Over the years, critics and literary scholars have characterized this character rather ambiguously, classifying him either as a hero or as an anti-hero.

This polarity in views was primarily due to historical realities. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Luke was seen as a negative hero who engaged in empty chatter and disturbed the minds of people who could not change anything in their lives.

Later, critics agreed that Luke gave people hope and faith, and they themselves chose their path in life.

Science from Gorky Luk

Soviet postulates in education taught readers that every work necessarily has an instructive overtone. Speaking about M. Gorky’s drama “At the Lower Depths,” it’s hard to argue with this.

The image of the wanderer Luke gives readers the opportunity to think about whether society needs such people, what role they play in our lives, how often they come and teach us goodness and faith in our strengths.

1. “Truth” of Luke.
2. Interpretation of the image of Luke.
3. The role of Luke in the life of the inhabitants of the “bottom”.

The social and philosophical drama “At the Lower Depths” was conceived by Gorky in 1900. The play was first published in Munich in 1902. In Russia, the work was published by the publishing house “Znanie” in 1903. The play shows the life of the inhabitants of the shelter. These are degraded, unhappy, disadvantaged people. There is nothing bright left in their lives.

The image of Luke is rightfully considered the most complex in the play. This man is trying to console those who are suffering. His position directly contradicts the phrase: “Truth is the god of a free man.” Luke does not accept the cruel and evil “truth.” For him, truth is the “truth” that a person believes in.

Luke is very kind to others. He finds for everyone exactly the words that a person needs. Let this consolation have nothing to do with the real truth of life. But on the other hand, if you can make a person at least a little happier, why neglect this opportunity? The play poses a complex philosophical question: is Luke’s compassion better than the naked “truth”, which reveals to the inhabitants of the “bottom” all the wretchedness of their existence... Everyone can answer this question differently. But one cannot help but admit that Luke’s role in the lives of other characters in the play is great.

Luke is not trying to convince anyone of anything: He simply consoles those who need it. He does not impose his point of view, and this is where his wisdom manifests itself. Luke is sure: “What you believe in is what it is.” One cannot but agree with this. A person’s subjective perception of the surrounding reality may differ greatly from the opinions of others. But the opinion of others does not necessarily have to be considered true. Luke helps the downtrodden find hope. But this is very important for a person.

Critics could not come to clear conclusions regarding the image of Luke. Some believed that Luka is a positive hero, because he helps people find something good in themselves. Others considered Luka a negative character, because after he left the shelter, the inhabitants of the “bottom” had an even harder time, because they were forced to say goodbye to illusions. Gorky's own attitude towards Luka was very contradictory. In 1910, the writer said about the hero of the play: “Luke is a swindler. He doesn't really believe in anything. But he sees how people suffer and rush about. He feels sorry for these people. So he says different words to them - for comfort.”

The inhabitants of the shelter treat Luka as a storyteller. They are not deluded by the old man’s words. For example, Ash says: “You lie well... You tell fairy tales nicely! Lie! Nothing...". This means that Luke’s words still find a response in the souls of tormented people.

Luke consoles Anna with conversations about the peace that will come after death. For a dying woman, these words can mean much more than the reasoning of the “working man”, her husband Kleshch, that after her death he will be able to arrange his life. This means that in this case, Luke’s role is certainly positive. To the actor suffering from drunkenness, Luka talks about special hospitals where alcoholics can be cured. This hope could give strength. And it cannot be blamed on Luke that, having lost hope, the Actor decides to commit suicide. Hope for a better life could make a person stronger if he initially had at least a little more strength and desire to break out of the vicious circle.

Luka tells Vaska Pepl that his life in Siberia will not be so bad. “And the good side is Siberia! Golden side! He who has strength and intelligence is like a cucumber in a greenhouse!” Let the old man's words raise doubts. But on the other hand, an attempt to instill confidence in the future is better than the intention to trample a person into the dirt, to deprive him of his last dream.

It is no coincidence that Luke tells a parable about how a certain man believed that somewhere there was a righteous land. And when faith was destroyed by a scientist who was able to prove that this land does not exist, the man hanged himself. He could not survive the collapse of his hopes. The old man is sure that a lie can bring salvation, but the truth, on the contrary, is dangerous and cruel.

The image of Luke is the personification of humanity and love for mankind. Paradoxically, he himself is just as much an inhabitant of the “bottom” as others. But he has not lost his human qualities; he finds in himself kindness and compassion for those around him. The rest have long ceased to find even a drop of sympathy for those around them. How did Luke manage to maintain kindness within himself? Perhaps the reason for this is that, unlike those around him, he never ceases to love and respect the people around him. Even in cases where there is nothing to love and respect them for. Attempts to console the suffering are not valuable in themselves for Luke. He does not revel in his role as a comforter; he uses lies as a means to awaken something human in the dead souls of the inhabitants of the “bottom”. And it’s not his fault for the lack of results. One can blame Luka for the fact that after his departure, the life of the inhabitants of the shelter became even more difficult. They had to give up illusions, and again they found themselves face to face with the realities of life. But on the other hand, the reproaches against the elder seem unfounded. The trouble with the inhabitants of the “bottom” is that they are inactive, submit to circumstances, and do not try to do anything to change their fate. Luke could become a guiding star for the Actor. But it’s easier for him to believe Satin. It was not Luka, but Satin and the Baron who caused the Actor’s suicide. After all, it was they who convinced the unfortunate man that there were no hospitals for alcoholics. On the other hand, did it really matter in hospitals? Couldn't the Actor believe in his future and try to change something in his life? Luke tried to influence him, he said to Satin: “And why are you confusing him?” The rest are indifferent to the words, both their own and those of others.

Luka leaves the shelter because he cannot change the course of things. It is not in his power to help people leave the “bottom” and become full members of society. Luke understands that his help to the disadvantaged cannot be something material, tangible. The role of a comforter cannot be permanent, otherwise it will become devalued. Attempts to instill hope and encouragement should resemble a flash of light in impenetrable darkness. And then people will decide for themselves whether to do anything or not. The play does not answer whether the life of any of the inhabitants of the bottom will change. And, in my opinion, this is no coincidence; In his work, Gorky posed the most difficult questions, which everyone can answer in their own way.

Luka is one of the main characters in Maxim Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”, an ambiguous character, an elderly wanderer who unexpectedly appeared in a shelter. He has a wealth of life experience and is on a mission to console frustrated people. Almost all the people in the shelter are disappointed for various reasons and find themselves at the bottom of their lives. Some people's dreams have collapsed, some have become poor and impoverished, some are sad about the irrevocably past past. In order to somehow help these poor people, Luke resorts to “comforting lies.” So, for example, he tells the dying Anna that happiness awaits her in the next world. He tells the prostitute Nastya, who assures that there was sincere love in her life, that this was most likely the case. Pepel persuades the thief Vaska to go to Siberia, because there he can earn an honest living. And the drunken Actor convinces him that there is a free clinic in which he will be completely cured.

He explains his pity for people by the fact that he himself once felt sorry for the robbers, as a result of which he saved both them and himself. He also tells the guests a parable “about the righteous land,” in which one person believed in its existence, but there was no such land on the scientist’s map. The poor man took it out of grief and hanged himself. This parable will later be repeated with the Actor. Luka disappeared as suddenly as he appeared, right during the conflict between Kostylev and Vaska Ash.

Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” made a huge impression on the public at the beginning of the 20th century. The world of people who had sunk to the last degree of squalor at the very “bottom” of life was exposed without embellishment, into a world of cheaters, prostitutes and killers of thieves of various stripes. Maxim Gorky imbued the play “At the Lower Depths” with a protest against the social foundations of capitalist society and a call for a calm, equal and fair life.

Getting to the topic “Luka: Characteristics” (“At the Bottom”), it should be noted that people living in the cheapest shelter, reminiscent of a dark and dirty basement, became ugly victims of the cruel and unfair orders of society, when a person, thrown out of normal life, begins to live in wolf laws and turns into a powerless and pitiful creature.

Luke: characteristics

“At the Bottom” is a play that brings together several different characters. One of the residents of the shelter is old man Luka, who became the most ambiguous and contradictory hero of the play. It is with him that the main philosophical question of this work is connected: “What is better - compassion and “sublime and comforting lies” or truth?” Is it necessary to be so imbued with compassion that you then use lies as a saving tool?

"People" and "people"

Delving deeper into the topic of “Luka: Characteristics” (“At the Bottom”), it can be noted that it is this hero who becomes the only person who truly sympathizes with the inhabitants of the shelter. He notes that there are “people” and there are “humans”. “People” are by nature very weak and weak-willed, they constantly need the support and strength of another, and for them faith and hope can serve as a powerful incentive. “People” are, on the contrary, strong-willed people. These are those who do not need pity, compassion, or soothing lies. This is exactly what Hero Satin is, who believes that a person, first of all, must be respected, and pity only humiliates him, although Satin himself is a big cheater who deliberately lives by lies and deception.

The play "At the Bottom". Luke

Luke tells Tick's dying wife Anna that she should not be afraid of death, and that she will soon be happy in Heaven with God. He gives the actor hope for a city where alcoholics are treated for free, although he forgot the name of the city, but promised to remember.

In the play “At the Bottom,” Luka is affectionate, kind and merciful to everyone. He doesn’t say much about himself, he only jokes that he “was crushed a lot, that’s why he’s soft.” He has no bad or good people, he finds something good and bright in everyone, and he consoles and instructs everyone. He tells the prostitute Nastya that if you believe that you had true love, then you had it.

In the play “At the Bottom,” Luka advises the thief Ash and Natasha to go to Siberia for a free life, where it will be much easier for them to start all over again.

The unfortunate residents of the shelter had no choice but to believe his words, which, although they sounded implausible, gave faith, like rays of sunshine in pitch darkness.

A white lie or a bitter one, but really?

Luke in the play “At the Bottom” with his philosophy in some way calls for Christian humility, patience and sensitivity to others. He says to one of the heroes: “What is the truth to you?” After all, it can become like a blow to your head.

The goodness that this hero carries within himself awakens in a sheltered person, even a doomed one, the desire to live and be better. But when the old man disappears, the whole life of many people in this damned place will collapse.

In conclusion to the topic “Luke: Characteristics” (“At the Bottom”), it should be noted that there is no definite answer to this eternal question, but Gorky himself believes that truth is better than compassion. The author himself expresses complete confidence that only truth and a correct understanding of the significance of human compassion will help save humanity.