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How the images of the Chelkash heroes are revealed in the composition. Maxim Gorky “Chelkash” - analysis of the work

", where the author shows two main characters who are opposite in character, appearance and lifestyle. The first hero is Grishka Chelkash. Little is known about him: a drunkard and a thief. Contrasted with him is the second image of Gorky's story - this is Gavrila. He grew up in the village, got used to work, but he has a dream - to become richer, so as not to think about where to get a piece of bread. Therefore, he is forced to come to the city and try to get a job. It seems to him that the most convenient place for this is the port, where he immediately goes.

But there is something that connects these two people - poverty. Both Chelkash and Gavrila are poor people, and need pushes them into different life situations, allowing them to make their own moral choices. One has only to look at the description the author gives to his characters, and one can immediately understand who he sympathizes with. For example, Chelkash looks like he is an avid drunkard.

In his description, the author notes tattered clothes, a body like bones, covered with skin, which from the scorching sun turned it brown. His look is special, the author points out his predatory nature. This is also evidenced by his gait, which is very similar to the flight of a predator. This description does not evoke positive emotions in the reader; on the contrary, it evokes disgust and hostility.

A clear contrast to his description is the village boy Gavrila. The reader immediately perceives that the author sympathizes with him. Let's see how Gorky describes him: he has broad shoulders, tanned, but his skin is not burnt. Gorky speaks about his hero from the village using the expressions “stocky”, “good-natured”. And what eyes he has! The gullibility of this young man can be read in his eyes, which look broadly at the world. Gavrila's eyes are large and blue. He may be a little simple-minded, naive in some ways, but this does not make Gorky’s hero cease to be positive.

The author deliberately brings together these two heroes, who are clearly opposite to each other, so that the reader can see a significant difference between them. These are completely different people in description, character and appearance. During the course of the story, they not only get to know each other, but soon go together for a common cause. They begin to bond over theft. But they just treat him differently.

Chelkash knows exactly where and why he is going and drags a simple village guy into this business, who until the last minute, until the bag is stolen and the bag ends up at the bottom of the boat, did not even suspect where they were going. And after that he is tormented by doubts. And against the background of this behavior of Gavrila, Chelkash is a negative character who negatively affects the fate and character of a young guy from the village.

But this same situation can be viewed differently. When Gavrila finds out that he went with Chelkash to steal, he chickened out, and he does not see his behavior as a brave or courageous guy. The author shows the reader that the village boy suddenly begins to sob, and then generally cries. And this pushes the reader away from Gavrila. At this climax of the story, a certain change of roles occurs: Chelkash suddenly, quite unexpectedly, turns from a negative Gorky character into a positive one. And Gavrila now deserves only a negative assessment for her behavior.

Chelkash opens up for the reader in a new way. After all, you can see that the hero has feelings, he worries and suffers. The author shows how he, a thief, was suddenly offended to lie to a boy, naive and rustic. As the story progresses, it turns out that he not only has feelings, like any person, but, despite the fact that he is a thief, he loves and admires the sea, its uncontrollable element, its freedom and independence.

It was the sea that helped him survive all the difficulties in life; in it he found not only consolation, but could look at it for hours, thinking about everything, even about why he lives in this world. The sea seems to help the main character to cleanse himself morally and become a better person.

Another thing is Gavrila, who was completely indifferent to the sea. It didn't bother his soul at all. He loved a completely different life: the land, the peasants who worked from morning to evening. But Chelkash is also connected with this peasant life, with the land. His ancestors were also once peasants, so all the hero’s childhood memories are connected with the foundations and way of life of a peasant life. Maybe that’s why Chelkash Gavril felt so sorry; he himself was ashamed of his feelings, sometimes even angry with himself because of it.

Chelkash's problem is that he has moral qualities. He is too kind for a thief, as he easily gives Gavrila almost all the money. Another thief in the place of the main character might not have given even half of it, having deceived the naive and simple-minded village guy. And Chelkash gives away all the money he earns, albeit dishonestly. But because of them, he risked his life and his freedom.

He's a little noble in that way. Yes, Gavrila was able to hurt the old sea wolf’s pride. One has only to remember how in Gorky’s story the village guy calls Chelkash, what words he uses for this: an unnecessary person, insignificant. The thief, despite his profession, has a highly developed pride, so the words of his partner hurt him very much.

But it turns out that Chelkash did good for Gavrila, and he received no thanks, other than insults, from this guy. This means that Gavrila does not at all know how to appreciate the good that his partner did to him, he does not respect him. At the end of the story, in the fight scene, the reader sees Gavrila fighting over money, and he is even ready, if necessary, to kill Chelkash. He is ready to do a lot for money. Chelkash is different even in this.

Despite the fact that he is a thief, loves to lead a riotous lifestyle, has no family ties, but for a penny he will not kill a person, he is a more reasonable person than his partner. Chelkash has a conscience. And he himself is glad that money does not have a strong power over him, does not make him greedy and because of it he cannot fall low or act basely. The main ideal for this Gorky hero is freedom, which the author compares to the sea. It is wide, powerful and endless. And the main character of the story “Chelkash” strives for her so much.

“Chelkash” is one of Gorky’s first significant works, which became one of the most significant creations of late romanticism. It combined the features of several directions and anticipated the emergence of a special movement in literature - socialist realism, within the framework of which the author would develop in the future.

The story was written in 1894 in Nizhny Novgorod. V.G. was very approving. Korolenko to this work and in 1895 contributed to its publication in the magazine “Russian Wealth”. From that moment on, Gorky was seriously talked about in literary circles as a talented young writer, and in 1898 his stories were published in two volumes.

The plot is easily based on the revelation of one tramp heard by the writer in the hospital. Having experienced many adversities and difficulties in his life, Gorky understood well what his roommate told him about. Inspired by what he heard, he wrote “Chelkasha” in two days.

Genre and direction

Gorky is the founder of a new direction in Russian prose. It was different from the line of Tolstoy and Chekhov, which was characterized by puritan selectivity in favor of good manners and correctness. This applied to both the plot and vocabulary. Peshkov (the writer's real name) significantly expanded the possible themes of the works and enriched the vocabulary of the literary language. The leading tendency of his work was realism, but the early period was characterized by features of romanticism, which was also manifested in “Chelkash”:

  1. Firstly, the poeticization of the image of a tramp, obvious sympathy for his life principles.
  2. Secondly, images of nature, the variety of colors of the water element: “the sea was calm, black and thick, like butter.”

Such updates in prose were welcomed by many of Gorky's contemporaries. For example, Leonid Andreev, because the same influence was reflected in his early stories (“Angel”, “Bargamot and Garaska”).

Composition

The story consists of an introduction and 3 chapters.

  1. The introductory section is an exposition where the scene of the action is described. Here the author gives the reader an idea of ​​the environment of the main characters. The first chapter contains a description of Chelkash, introduces him to his present, to his usual way of life.
  2. In the second chapter, we learn about the past of the main character, his inner world is revealed even more deeply to the reader, and his partner becomes the catalyst for this revelation. This is also the climax of the story. In the finale, another hero shows his character - the peasant Gavrila.
  3. The story ends with a picture of the sea, which allows us to talk about the ring composition of the work.

Conflict

The space of the story “Chelkash” contains many conflicts of varying significance and scale.

  • The conflict between man and scientific progress. This is where the story begins. It would seem that scientific progress should make life easier, make it more comfortable, but Gorky contrasts the shining and luxurious ships with the poor, exhausted people who serve them.
  • Vagrancy and peasantry. The main characters do not come to a final conclusion which is better: the freedom of a tramp or the need of a peasant. These destinies are opposite. Chelkash and Gavrila are representatives of different social groups, but both see in each other people who are dear to them: Chelkash finds a dreamer of freedom in a poor young man, and Gavrila finds a fellow peasant in a tramp.
  • Chelkash's internal conflict. The main character feels superior to the world, freed from attachment to a specific home, family and other universal values. He is outraged that a typical person who has not overcome this system can love or hate the same things as he does.
  • The main characters and their characteristics

    Chelkash is a romanticized tramp, a real romantic hero. He has his own moral principles that he always follows. His ideology looks more stable and formed than Gavrila’s life position. This is a young peasant who has not yet decided what he wants to achieve. Uncertainty distinguishes him unfavorably from the main character. Gavrila, who without much desire agreed to the “dark business,” looks like a more impartial hero than Chelkash. This inveterate thief even evokes some sympathy from the reader. He has a more complex inner world; behind his smile and lightness one can feel the pain of memories of the past and the severity of the need that haunts him every hour.

    The work is built on antithesis and paradox: here an honest thief and a deceitful peasant are opposed to each other. The point of this contrast is to take a fresh look at the positive and negative qualities of a person, as a representative of a certain social group, and at various patterns of behavior. A tramp can be principled and moral, but a peasant can be not only a humble and honest worker.

    Themes

    • Meaning of life. The main characters talk about the meaning of life. Chelkash, one might say, has already passed his life's path, but Gavrila is still at the beginning. Thus, we are presented with fundamentally different views: that of a young man and that of one who is wise with experience. Gavrila’s thoughts are still subordinated to the generally accepted value system of the peasant: get a house, start a family. This is his goal, the meaning of life. But Chelkash already knows well what it means to be a man in the village. He deliberately chose the path of a tramp, unencumbered by debts, a starving family and other everyday problems.
    • Nature. She is presented as an independent, free element. She is eternal, she is certainly stronger than man. She resists people’s attempts to curb her: “The waves of the sea, chained in granite, are suppressed by enormous weights<…>they beat against the sides of ships, against the shores, they beat and murmur, foamed, polluted with various rubbish.” In response, she does not spare people, burning them with the scorching sun and freezing them with the wind. The role of landscape in the work is very large: it embodies the ideal of freedom and creates a colorful atmosphere.
    • Freedom. What is freedom: the comfortable life of a family man, burdened with a home, household chores and responsibility, or free vagrancy with a daily search for food? For Chelkash, freedom means independence from money and peace of mind, while Gavrila has only a romantic idea of ​​a free life: “Go for walks as you please, just remember God...”
    • Problems

      • Greed. The characters have different attitudes towards money, and the problems of the story “Chelkash” are based on this opposition. It would seem that a tramp in constant need should have a greater need for funds than a peasant who has a job and housing. But in reality it turned out to be quite the opposite. Gavrila was possessed by a thirst for money so strong that he was ready to kill a man, and Chelkash was happy to give everything to his partner, leaving himself only part of the proceeds for food and drink.
      • Cowardice. The ability to show cold prudence in the right situation is a very important human quality. This speaks of willpower and strong character. This is Chelkash, he knows what money is, and warns the young man: “It’s a disaster!” The hero is contrasted with the cowardly Gavrila, trembling for his life. This trait speaks of the character’s weak character, which is revealed more and more as the work progresses.
      • Meaning

        Since Gorky himself spent half his life in need and poverty, he often touched upon themes of poverty in his works, which the reader did not see, because he was mainly fed stories about the destinies and life of the nobles. So, the main idea of ​​the story “Chelkash” is to make the audience take a different look at the social stratum, the so-called outcasts. The work conveys the idea that if you are a peasant with some income, then you can be considered a person, “you have a face.” What about the “wobbly ones”? Are they not people? Gorky’s author’s position is the defense of people like Chelkash.

        The hermit is painfully hurt by Gavrila’s phrase: “Unnecessary on earth!” Gorky places the heroes in equal conditions, but during the “walk” each manifests itself differently. For Chelkash, this is a common thing; he has nothing to lose, but he doesn’t particularly strive to gain. To eat and drink - that’s his goal. What is happening to Gavrila? The hero, who spoke about how important it is to remember God, loses his moral character and tries to kill the “master”. For the young man, Chelkash is a pathetic tramp that no one will remember, but he calls his accomplice brother! Is it fair to consider Gavrila a full member of society after this, and deprive Chelkash of the right to call himself a human being? This is exactly what Gorky makes us think about, which is why he makes the image of a thief and a tramp arouse sympathy among the reader, and Gavrila is seen as an exclusively negative hero.

        Of course, we must not forget that it is Gavrila who falls under the destructive influence of a robber and a drunkard. But it is not his strength that is most terrible, but money. They are evil, according to the author. This is the main idea of ​​the story “Chelkash”.

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Gorky’s early work (90s of the 19th century) was created under the sign of “collecting” the truly human: “I recognized people very early and from my youth began to invent Man in order to satiate my thirst for beauty. Wise people... convinced me that I had invented a bad consolation for myself. Then I went to people again and - it’s so clear! “I am returning from them to Man again,” Gorky wrote at that time.

Stories from the 1890s can be divided into two groups: some of them are based on fiction - the author uses legends or composes them himself; others draw characters and scenes from the real lives of tramps.

The story “Chelkash” is based on a real incident. Later, the writer recalled the tramp who served as the prototype for Chelkash. Gorky met this man in a hospital in the city of Nikolaev (Khersones). “I was amazed at the good-natured mockery of the Odessa tramp, who told me the incident I described in the story “Chelkash”. I remember well his smile, revealing his magnificent white teeth - the smile with which he concluded the story about the treacherous act of the guy he hired ... "

The story has two main characters: Chelkash and Gavrila. Both are tramps, poor, both village men, of peasant origin, accustomed to work. Chelkash met this guy by chance, on the street. Chelkash recognized “one of his own” in him: Gavrila was “wearing the same pants, bast shoes and a tattered red cap.” He was of heavy build. Gorky several times draws our attention to large blue eyes, looking trustingly and good-naturedly. With psychological precision, the guy defined Chelkash’s “profession” - “we cast nets along dry banks, over barns, over whips.”

Gorky contrasts Chelkash with Gavril. Chelkash at first “despised”, and then “hated” the guy for his youth, “clean blue eyes”, healthy tanned face, short strong arms, because he has his own house in the village, that he wants to start a family, but most importantly , as it seems to me, this is that Gavrila has not yet known the life that this experienced man leads, because he dares to love freedom, which he does not know the price of, and which he does not need.

Chelkash seethed and shuddered from the insult inflicted by the guy, from the fact that he dared to object to an adult man.

Gavrila was very afraid to go fishing, because this was his first business of this kind. Chelkash was calm as always, he was amused by the guy’s fear, and he enjoyed it and reveled in what a formidable person he, Chelkash, was.

Chelkash rowed slowly and evenly, Gavrila – quickly, nervously. This speaks of strength of character. Gavrila is a beginner, that’s why his first hike is so difficult for him, for Chelkash this is just another hike, a common thing. This is where the negative side of a man comes into play: he doesn’t show patience and doesn’t understand the guy, he yells at him and intimidates him. However, on the way back, a conversation began, during which Gavrila asked the man: “What are you now without land?” These words made Chelkash think, pictures of his childhood, the past, the life that was before the thieves surfaced. The conversation fell silent, but Chelkash even smelled of the village from Gavrila’s silence. These memories made me feel alone, torn out, thrown out of that life.

The climax of the story is the scene of a fight over money. Gavrila was attacked by greed, he became scary, an incomprehensible excitement moved him. Greed took possession of the young man, who began to demand all the money. Chelkash perfectly understood the condition of his ward, went to meet him halfway and gave him the money.

But Gavrila acted basely, cruelly, humiliated Chelkash, saying that he was an unnecessary person and that no one would have missed him if Gavrila had killed him. This, naturally, hit Chelkash’s self-esteem; anyone in his place would have done the same.

Chelkash is undoubtedly a positive hero; Gorky puts Gavrila in contrast to him.

Chelkash, despite the fact that he leads a riotous lifestyle and steals, would never act as basely as this guy. It seems to me that the main things for Chelkash are life and freedom, and he would not tell anyone that his life is worthless. Unlike the young man, he knows the joys of life and, most importantly, life and moral values.

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  • The story "Chelkash" was written in 1894. M. Gorky heard this story in Nikolaev, when he was in the hospital, from a neighbor in the ward. Its publication took place in 1895 in the June issue of the magazine “Russian Wealth”. This article will analyze the work “Chelkash”.

    Introductory part

    At the port, under the hot sun, the porters laid out their simple and simple food. The well-worn thief Grishka Chelkash approached them and learned that his friend and constant partner Mishka had broken his leg. This somewhat puzzled Gregory, because that night there was a profitable business ahead. He looked around and saw a stocky village guy, broad-shouldered, with blue eyes. He looked innocent. Chelkash quickly met Gavrila and persuaded him to take part in the night adventure. Familiarity with the story is required for the analysis of the work “Chelkash” to be clear.

    Night voyage

    At night, Gavrila, shaking with fear, sat on the oars, and Chelkash ruled. Finally they reached the wall. Grigory took the oars, passport and knapsack from his cowardly partner, and then disappeared. Chelkash appeared suddenly and handed his partner something heavy, oars and his things. Now we need to return to the harbor without falling under the lights of the patrol customs cruiser. Gavrila almost lost consciousness from fear. Chelkash gave him a good kick, sat down on the oars, and put Gavrila behind the wheel. They arrived without incident and quickly fell asleep. In the morning, Gregory woke up first and left. When he returned, he woke up Gavrila and gave him his share. Knowledge of the action taking place in the story will help to analyze the work “Chelkash”.

    Denouement

    When Chelkash was counting out the money, he was unpleasantly struck by the greedy village guy. The peasant begs to give him everything. The hero, with disgust for such greed, threw away the money. Gavrila began collecting them and telling them that he wanted to kill his accomplice because of them.

    Grishka simply went wild, took the money from him and went. The stone whistled and hit Chelkash in the head. He fell onto the sand, motionless. The peasant, horrified at what he had done, ran to revive his partner. When Grishka came to his senses, he took a hundred for himself and gave the rest to Gavrila. They went in different directions. Now, having familiarized ourselves with the content of the story, we can analyze the work “Chelkash”.

    Heroes: Chelkash and Gavrila

    The spirit of romance and connection with nature permeates all the early works of M. Gorky. Chelkash is free from the laws of society.

    He is a thief and a homeless drunk. Long, bony, stooped, he looks like a steppe hawk. Chelkash is in an excellent mood - he will earn money at night.

    Gavrila, a strong village guy, returns home. He didn't make any money in Kuban. He is in a sad mood.

    Gorky describes in detail the thoughts of each of them before they agree on the robbery at night. Chelkash is a proud person; he remembers his former life, his wife, and his parents. His thoughts jump to the downtrodden country boy whom he can help. The main character loves the sea immensely. In his element, he feels free, and thoughts of the past do not bother him there. We are looking at the heroes of the story “Chelkash” (Gorky). An analysis of the work without their characters will not be complete.

    Gavrila

    Gavrila is not like that. He is immensely afraid of the sea, the darkness, and possible capture. He is cowardly and greedy. These qualities push him to an outright crime when in the morning he saw big money for the first time in his life. First, Gavrila falls to her knees in front of Chelkash, begging for money, because he is just a “vile slave.”

    The main character, feeling disgust, pity and hatred for the little soul, throws him all the money. Upon learning that Gavrila wanted to kill him, Chelkash becomes furious. This is the first time he's been so angry. Gregory takes the money and leaves. Gavrila, unable to control her greed, seeks to kill her accomplice, but this makes the insignificant soul afraid. He again begs for forgiveness from the main character - a man of a broad soul. Chelkash throws money to the pathetic Gavrila. He staggers and leaves forever. Having examined the main characters, you can analyze the story as a whole.

    Analysis of the work “Chelkash” (Maxim Gorky)

    First there is a detailed description of the port and its life. Then the heroes appear. Gorky emphasizes cold gray eyes and nose, humpbacked and predatory, and a proud free disposition. Gavrila is a good-natured guy who believes in God, and, as it turns out, is ready to do anything for money. At first it seems that the villain Chelkash is forcing the simple-minded Gavrila to turn from the straight path onto the thieves' path. The sea is an important and significant component of the story. It reveals the nature of the heroes.

    Chelkash loves its strength, power, vastness and freedom. Gavrila is afraid of him, prays and asks Gregory to let him go. The peasant becomes especially frightened when searchlights illuminate the distance of the sea. He takes the light of the ship as a symbol of retribution and promises himself to order a prayer service to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the morning, a drama plays out due to the greed that has gripped Gavrila. It seemed to him that Chelkash gave him little money. He is on the verge of murder, and no thoughts about God bother him. Wounded by him, Chelkash disgustedly gives away almost all the money, which Gavrila quickly hides. All traces of blood are washed away by the rain. Water is unable to wash away the dirt from the soul of Gavrila, who fears God. Gorky tells how the peasant loses his human image, how low a creature who considers himself human falls when it comes to profit. The story is built on the principles of antithesis. This is where Chelkash ends. The work is briefly analyzed.

    The story “Chelkash” belongs to the early romantic works of M. Gorky. It is part of the series of so-called stories about tramps. The writer has always been interested in this “class” of people that formed in Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
    Gorky considered tramps to be interesting “human material” who seemed to be outside society. In them he saw a kind of embodiment of his human ideals: “I saw that although they live worse than “ordinary people,” they feel and recognize themselves better than them, and this is because they are not greedy, do not strangle each other, and do not hoard money.” .
    At the center of the story (1895) are two heroes opposed to each other. One is Grishka Chelkash, “an old poisoned wolf, well known to the Havana people, an inveterate drunkard and a clever, brave thief.” This is already a mature person, a bright and extraordinary nature. Even in a crowd of tramps like him, Chelkash stood out for his predatory strength and integrity. It is not for nothing that Gorky compares him to a hawk: “he immediately attracted attention with his resemblance to a steppe hawk, his predatory thinness and this aiming gait, smooth and calm in appearance, but internally excited and vigilant, as old as the bird of prey that he resembled.” .
    As the plot develops, we learn that Chelkash lives by robbing ships and then selling his loot. Such activities and lifestyle suit this hero quite well. They satisfy his need for a sense of freedom, risk, unity with nature, a sense of his own strength and unlimited possibilities.
    Chelkash is a hero from a village. He is the same peasant as the other hero of the story - Gavrila. But how different these people are! Gavrila is young, physically strong, but weak in spirit and pitiful. We see how Chelkash struggles with contempt for this “young heifer”, who dreams of a prosperous and well-fed life in the village, and even advises Gregory how he can “better fit in” in life.
    It becomes clear that these completely different people will never find a common language. Although they have the same roots, their nature, their nature, is completely different. Against the background of the cowardly and weak Gavrila, the figure of Chelkash emerges with all his might. This contrast is especially clearly expressed at the moment when the heroes “went to work” - Grigory took Gavrila with him, giving him the opportunity to earn money.
    Chelkash loved the sea and was not afraid of it: “At the sea, a wide, warm feeling always rose in him - embracing his entire soul, it slightly cleansed it of everyday filth. He appreciated this and loved to see himself as the best here, among the water and air, where thoughts about life and life itself always lose - the former - their sharpness, the latter - their value.”
    This hero was delighted by the sight of the majestic element, “endless and powerful.” The sea and clouds intertwined into one whole, inspiring Chelkash with their beauty, “arousing” high desires in him.
    The sea evokes completely different feelings for Gavrila. He sees it as a black heavy mass, hostile, carrying mortal danger. The only feeling that the sea evokes in Gavrila is fear: “It’s just scary in it.”
    The behavior of these heroes at sea is also different. In the boat, Chelkash sat upright, calmly and confidently looked at the surface of the water, forward, communicating with this element on an equal footing: “Sitting at the stern, he cut the water with the wheel and looked forward calmly, full of desire to ride long and far along this velvet surface.” Gavrila is crushed by the sea elements, she bends him, makes him feel like an insignificance, a slave: “... grabbed Gavrila’s chest with a strong hug, squeezed him into a timid ball and chained him to the bench of the boat...”
    Having overcome many dangers, the heroes return safely to the shore. Chelkash sold the loot and received the money. It is at this moment that the true natures of the heroes appear. It turns out that Chelkash wanted to give Gavrila more than he promised: this guy touched him with his story, stories about the village.
    It should be noted that Chelkash’s attitude towards Gavrila was not unambiguous. The “young heifer” irritated Grigory; he felt Gavrila’s “foreignness” and did not accept his philosophy of life, his values. But, nevertheless, grumbling and swearing at this man, Chelkash did not allow himself meanness or baseness towards him.
    Gavrila, this gentle, kind and naive person, turned out to be completely different. He admits to Gregory that he wanted to kill him during their trip in order to get all the loot for himself. Later, not deciding on this, Gavrila begs Chelkash to give him all the money - with such wealth he will live happily in the village. For this reason, the hero lies at Chelkash’s feet, humiliates himself, forgetting about his human dignity. For Gregory, such behavior only causes disgust and disgust. And in the end, when the situation changes several times (Chelkash, having learned new details, either gives or does not give Gavrila the money, a serious fight breaks out between the heroes, and so on), Gavrila receives the money. He asks Chelkash for forgiveness, but does not receive it: Gregory’s contempt for this pitiful creature is too great.
    It is no coincidence that the positive hero of the story is a thief and a tramp. Thus, Gorky emphasizes that Russian society does not allow rich human potential to be revealed. He is satisfied only with the Gavrils with their slavish psychology and average capabilities. There is no place for extraordinary people who strive for freedom, flight of thought, spirit and soul in such a society. Therefore, they are forced to become tramps, outcasts. The author emphasizes that this is not only a personal tragedy of tramps, but also a tragedy of society, deprived of its rich potential and its best strengths.




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