Mister from San Francisco— at the very beginning of the story, the hero’s lack of a name is motivated by the fact that “no one remembered him.” G. “went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment. He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, pleasure, and an excellent trip in all respects. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life, despite his fifty-eight years.” Bunin sets out in detail the route of the upcoming trip: Southern Italy - Nice - Monte Carlo - Florence - Rome - Venice - Paris - Seville - Athens - Palestine - Egypt, “even Japan, of course, is already on the way back.” “Everything went fine at first,” but in this dispassionate statement of what is happening, the “hammers of fate” can be heard.
G.- one of the many passengers of the large ship Atlantis, which looks like “a huge hotel with all the amenities, - with a night bar, with oriental baths, with its own newspaper." The ocean, which has long become a symbol of life in world literature in its variability, menace and unpredictability, “was terrible, but no one thought about it”; “on the forecastle the siren constantly howled with hellish gloom and squealed with frantic anger, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra.” “Siren” is a symbol of world chaos, “music” is a symbol of calm harmony. The constant juxtaposition of these leitmotifs determines the dissonant stylistic intonation of the story. Bunin gives a portrait of his hero: “Dry, short, poorly cut, but tightly sewn<...>. There was something Mongolian in his yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache, his large teeth glittered with gold fillings, and his strong bald head was old ivory.” Another important, as it turns out later, deceptive detail: “The tuxedo and starched underwear made you look very young” G.
When the ship arrived in Naples, G. and his family decide to get off the ship and go to Capri, where, “everyone assured,” it was warm. Bunin does not indicate whether he was predetermined tragic outcome G. in the event that he had remained on Atlantis. Already during the voyage on a small boat to the island of Capri, G. felt “as he should have, a completely old man” and thought with irritation about the goal of his journey - about Italy.
The day of his arrival in Capri became “significant” in G’s life. He is looking forward to an elegant evening in the company of a famous beauty, but when he gets dressed, he involuntarily mutters: “Oh, this is terrible!”, “without trying to understand, without thinking what exactly is terrible.” He overcomes himself, waits for his wife in the reading room, reads newspapers - “when suddenly the lines flashed before him with a glassy shine, his neck tensed, his eyes bulged, his pince-nez flew off his nose... He rushed forward, wanted to take a breath of air - and wheezed wildly; his lower jaw fell off, illuminating his entire mouth with gold fillings, his head fell onto his shoulder and began to roll, the chest of his shirt stuck out like a box - and his whole body, writhing, lifting up the carpet with his heels, crawled to the floor, desperately struggling with someone.” G.'s agony is depicted physiologically and dispassionately. However, death does not fit into the lifestyle of a wealthy hotel. “If there had not been a German in the reading room, the hotel would have quickly and deftly managed to hush up this terrible incident<...>they would have rushed away by the legs and by the head of the gentleman from San Francisco, to hell - and not a single soul of the guests would have known what he had done.” G. “persistently fights death,” but calms down “in the smallest, worst, coldest and dampest room, at the end of the lower corridor.” A quarter of an hour later, everything is in order at the hotel, but with a reminder of death, “the evening was irreparably ruined.”
On Christmas Day, the body of “a dead old man, having experienced much humiliation, much human neglect” in “a long box of English water soda” is sent along the same route, first on a small steamer, then on “the same famous ship” goes home. But the body is now hidden from the living in the womb of the ship - in the hold. A vision of the Devil appears, observing “a ship, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of the New Man with an old heart.”
At the end of the story, Bunin re-describes the brilliant and easy life passengers of the ship, including the dance of a pair of hired lovers: and no one knew their secret and fatigue from pretense, no one knew about G.’s body “at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, heavily overcome by darkness, the ocean, blizzard..." This finale can be interpreted as a victory over death and at the same time as submission to the eternal circle of existence: life - death. T. Mann put the story on a par with “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by L. Tolstoy.
The story was originally titled "Death on Capri". Bunin connected the idea of the story with Thomas Mann’s story “Death in Venice”, but in to a greater extent with memories of the sudden death of an American visiting Capri. However, as the writer admitted, he invented “San Francisco and everything else” while living on his cousin’s estate in the Yeletsky district of the Oryol province.
“Mr. from San Francisco” is one of the most famous stories Russian prose writer Ivan Alekseevich Bunin. It was published in 1915 and has long become a textbook; it is taught in schools and universities. Behind the apparent simplicity of this work lies deep meanings and issues that never lose relevance.
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History of creation and plot of the story
According to Bunin himself, the inspiration for writing “Mr...” was Thomas Mann’s story “Death in Venice.” At that time, Ivan Alekseevich had not read the work of his German colleague, but only knew that in it an American was dying on the island of Capri. So “Mr. from San Francisco” and “Death in Venice” are in no way connected, except that good idea.
In the story, a certain gentleman from San Francisco, along with his wife and young daughter, set off on a long journey from the New World to the Old World. The gentleman worked all his life and made a substantial fortune. Now, like all people of his status, he can afford a well-deserved rest. The family is sailing on a luxury ship called Atlantis. The ship is more like a luxury mobile hotel, where an eternal holiday lasts and everything works in order to bring pleasure to its obscenely rich passengers.
The first tourist point on the route of our travelers is Naples, which greets them unfavorably - the weather in the city is disgusting. Soon the gentleman from San Francisco leaves the city to go to the shores of sunny Capri. However, there, in the cozy reading room of a fashionable hotel, unexpected death from an attack awaits him. The gentleman is hastily transferred to the cheapest room (so as not to spoil the reputation of the hotel) and in a blind box in the hold of the Atlantis, he is sent home to San Francisco.
Main characters: characteristics of images
Mister from San Francisco
We get acquainted with the gentleman from San Francisco from the first pages of the story, because he is central character works. Surprisingly, the author does not honor his hero with a name. Throughout the entire narrative, he remains “Mister” or “Mr.” Why? The writer honestly admits this to his reader - this faceless man is “in his desire to buy the delights of real life with his existing wealth.”
Before we hang labels, let's get to know this gentleman better. What if he's not so bad? So, our hero worked hard all his life (“the Chinese, whom he hired thousands of to work for him, knew this well”). He turned 58 years old and now he has every financial and moral right to arrange a great vacation for himself (and his family as well).
“Until this time, he did not live, but only existed, although very well, but still pinning all his hopes on the future.”
Describing the appearance of his nameless master, Bunin, who was distinguished by his ability to notice individual features in everyone, for some reason does not find anything special in this man. He casually draws his portrait - “dry, short, poorly cut, but tightly sewn... a yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache... large teeth... a strong bald head.” It seems that behind this crude “ammunition”, which is given out along with a solid fortune, it is difficult to discern the thoughts and feelings of a person, and, perhaps, everything sensual simply sours in such storage conditions.
With a closer acquaintance with the gentleman, we still learn little about him. We know that he wears elegant, expensive suits with suffocating collars, we know that at dinner at “Antlantis” he eats his fill, smokes red-hot with cigars and gets drunk on liqueurs, and this brings pleasure, but essentially we know nothing more.
It's amazing, but during all this time great trip on the ship and while in Naples, not a single enthusiastic exclamation came from the gentleman’s lips, he does not admire anything, is not surprised by anything, does not reason about anything. The trip brings him a lot of inconvenience, but he cannot not go, because this is what all people of his rank do. That’s how it’s supposed to be - first Italy, then France, Spain, Greece, certainly Egypt and the British Isles, on the way back exotic Japan...
Exhausted by seasickness, he sails to the island of Capri (an obligatory point on the route of any self-respecting tourist). In a luxurious room at the best hotel on the island, a gentleman from San Francisco constantly says “Oh, this is terrible!”, without even trying to understand what exactly is terrible. The pricks of cufflinks, the stuffiness of a starched collar, naughty gouty fingers... I’d rather go to the reading room and drink local wine, all respected tourists certainly drink it.
And having reached his “mecca” in the hotel reading room, the gentleman from San Francisco dies, but we don’t feel sorry for him. No, no, we don’t want righteous reprisal, we simply don’t care, as if a chair breaks. We wouldn't shed tears over the chair.
In pursuit of wealth, this deeply limited man did not know how to manage money, and therefore bought what society imposed on him - uncomfortable clothes, unnecessary travel, even a daily routine according to which all travelers were required to rest. Early rise, first breakfast, walk along the deck or “enjoying” the sights of the city, second breakfast, voluntary-forced sleep (everyone should be tired at this time!), getting ready and the long-awaited dinner, plentiful, satisfying, drunk. This is what the imaginary “freedom” of a rich man from the New World looks like.
Master's wife
The wife of the gentleman from San Francisco, alas, also has no name. The author calls her “Mrs.” and characterizes her as “a large, broad and calm woman.” She, like a faceless shadow, follows her wealthy husband, walks along the deck, has breakfast, dinner, and “enjoys” the sights. The writer admits that she is not very impressionable, but, like all older American women, she is a passionate traveler... At least she is supposed to be one.
The only emotional outburst occurs after the death of a spouse. The Mrs. is indignant that the hotel manager refuses to place the body of the deceased in expensive rooms and leaves him to “spend the night” in a wretched, damp room. And not a word about the loss of their spouse, they have lost respect, status - that’s what occupies the unhappy woman.
Master's daughter
This sweet miss does not evoke negative emotions. She is not capricious, not arrogant, not talkative; on the contrary, she is very reserved and shy.
“Tall, thin, with magnificent hair, perfectly styled, with aromatic breath from violet cakes and with the most delicate pink pimples near the lips and between the shoulder blades.”
At first glance, the author is favorable to this lovely person, but he does not even give his daughter a name, because again there is nothing individual about her. Remember the episode when she is in awe, talking on board the Atlantis with the crown prince, who was traveling incognito. Everyone, of course, knew that this was an oriental prince and knew how fabulously rich he was. The young miss went crazy with excitement when he paid attention to her, perhaps she even fell in love with him. Meanwhile, the eastern prince was not at all good-looking - small, like a boy, a thin face with tight dark skin, a sparse mustache, an unattractive European outfit (after all, he was traveling incognito!). You're supposed to fall in love with a prince, even if he's a complete freak.
Other characters
As a contrast to our cold trio, the author intersperses descriptions of characters from the people. This is the boatman Lorenzo (“a carefree reveler and a handsome man”), and two highlanders with bagpipes at the ready, and simple Italians meeting the boat from the shore. All of them are inhabitants of a joyful, cheerful, beautiful country, they are its masters, its sweat and blood. They do not have countless fortunes, tight collars and social duties, but in their poverty they are richer than all the gentlemen from San Francisco, their cold wives and gentle daughters combined.
The gentleman from San Francisco understands this on some subconscious, intuitive level... and hates all these “garlic-smelling people,” because he can’t just run barefoot along the shore - he has a second breakfast on schedule.
Analysis of the work
The story can be roughly divided into two unequal parts - before and after the death of the gentleman from San Francisco. We are witnessing a vibrant metamorphosis that has occurred in literally everything. How suddenly the money and status of this man, this self-proclaimed ruler of life, depreciated. The hotel manager, who just a few hours ago was smiling sweetly in front of a wealthy guest, now allows himself undisguised familiarity in relation to Mrs., Miss and the deceased Mr. Now this is not an honored guest who will leave a substantial sum at the box office, but just a corpse that risks casting a shadow on the high-society hotel.
With expressive strokes, Bunin paints the chilling indifference of everyone around to the death of a person, starting from the guests, whose evening is now overshadowed, and ending with his wife and daughter, whose journey is hopelessly ruined. Fierce selfishness and coldness - everyone thinks only about themselves.
The ship Atlantis becomes a generalized allegory of this thoroughly false bourgeois society. It is also divided into classes by its decks. In luxurious halls, rich people with their companions and families have fun and get drunk, and in the holds, those whose representatives work until they sweat high society and they are not considered people. But the world of money and lack of spirituality is doomed, which is why the author calls his allegory ship in honor of the sunken continent “Atlantis”.
Problems of the work
In the story “Mr. from San Francisco,” Ivan Bunin raises the following questions:
- What is the true importance of money in life?
- Is it possible to buy joy and happiness?
- Is it worth enduring constant deprivation for the sake of an illusory reward?
- Who is freer: the rich or the poor?
- What is the purpose of man in this world?
Particularly interesting for discussion last question. It is certainly not new - many writers have thought about the meaning of human existence. Bunin does not go into complex philosophy, his conclusion is simple - a person must live in such a way as to leave a mark behind him. Will these be works of art, reforms in the lives of millions or fond memory in the hearts of loved ones, does not matter. The gentleman from San Francisco left nothing behind; no one will sincerely grieve for him, not even his wife and daughter.
Place in literature: Literature of the 20th century → Russian literature of the 20th century → The works of Ivan Bunin → The story “The Gentleman from San Francisco” (1915).
I. A. Bunin is known as a master of creating short stories, which are distinguished by the poignancy of the narrative and the accuracy of the description of the characters. Below we will present the characteristics of the heroes of "Mr. from San Francisco". This is a story about how important it is to be able to live in the present. And that work and capital accumulation should not be the main goal in life.
Main character
We should start with the characteristics of the main character of "Mr. from San Francisco." A distinctive feature of his description is that the author does not call his character by name. Thus, he wanted to show that his hero does not stand out in any way among other people of the same rank as him.
His appearance was also unremarkable. The only thing that caught your eye was his large yellow teeth and his always starched suit. The gentleman was 58 years old, and throughout his life he worked tirelessly. Therefore, he earned the right to rest.
This man was purposeful and hardworking. His goal was to earn a fortune so that he would not need anything in the future. The master and his entire family were respected, they were served by the best footmen and maids. They could afford to travel in comfort, as befits people of their position.
The gentleman always ate and drank as much as he wanted, smoked expensive cigars, but not a word was said about him reading books or attending any other cultural events. But the journey he has undertaken does not bring any pleasure to the master. During their entire trip, he never once admired the magnificent view or the beautiful weather.
The gentleman did not do what he himself wanted. He visited those places that were accepted. He lived according to the daily routine that all rich people followed. And he bought suits and shirts that people in his circle wore. When he was gone, everyone immediately forgot about him. And no more respect was shown to his family. Nobody really loved the gentleman, and they valued him not for his spiritual qualities, but only because of his wealth.
In pursuit of material wealth and in the desire to earn as much as possible, he ceased to be a person and individuality. He became like all the other rich gentlemen. He no longer had an opinion. Using this character as an example, the writer showed the life of a typical rich man from the New World.
The main character's wife
The characterization of the characters from “The Mister from San Francisco” should be continued with a description of the main character’s wife. Bunin also does not mention her name, thereby showing that she is the same unremarkable person as her husband. The woman does not stand out against his background and follows him everywhere, unquestioningly accepting his decisions and not expressing her opinion.
She follows the same daily routine of all rich people. This physique is calm. She was not very impressionable, but, like most older American women, she loved to travel. Her only manifestation of emotion occurs after the death of her husband. The woman begins to be indignant that they refuse to move her husband’s body to expensive rooms. What bothered her most was that they were no longer respected and respected.
The main character's daughter
The next characteristic of the hero from "The Mister from San Francisco" is a description of his daughter. The writer also does not mention her name, which is an indication that she also does not stand out among the other characters in the story. But she is still a rather pretty person, modest, reserved.
This girl has a rather attractive appearance: she is tall, slender with beautiful hair. However, although she was not proud of her position, she could not resist one Arab prince. The girl was very worried when he turned his attention to her. The prince was not at all handsome, but his enormous wealth added to his attractiveness. But the girl liked him, because all young ladies are supposed to fall in love with princes.
Minor characters
The characterization of the characters from "The Mister from San Francisco", who accidentally meet on the path of the main character, emphasizes his inconspicuous personality. Their description and actions are the opposite of the measured and calm behavior of the master. They are all cheerful, carefree people. Even if they did not have the same condition as the main character, they knew how to enjoy life.
After reading the descriptions of the characters in the story “Mr. from San Francisco,” the reader understands that the main idea of the work is that money will not make a person happy. The main wealth is his loved ones and his inner world, one must strive to develop spiritually. It is important to be able to appreciate life and enjoy every day. This was a brief description of the characters from Bunin's "Mr. from San Francisco".
Module 1
Paths and main trends in the development of Russian literature at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries.
Answer the questions in a heuristic conversation based on I. Bunin’s story “The Gentleman from San Francisco.”
Heuristic conversation on
I. Bunin's story "Mr. from San Francisco"
Initially, this work had an epigraph, which the writer later removed, perhaps in order to keep the reader in suspense until the end, without giving him a ready answer.
Having analyzed the story, we will have to guess what idea I. Bunin prefaced his story. To do this, we will need to formulate the main idea of the story.
Now let's turn to the text.
I. A. Bunin's story is written in the best traditions of Russian classical literature, and therefore imbued with an ironic note literally from the first lines:
“He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, to pleasure, to travel excellent in all respects. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life, despite his fifty-eight years”;
- “The ocean that walked outside the walls was terrible, but they didn’t think about it, firmly believing in the power over it of the commander, a red-haired man of monstrous size and weight...”;
- “...on the forecastle, a siren constantly howled with hellish gloom and squealed with frantic anger, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in a two-story hall, festively flooded with lights, crowded with low-cut ladies and men in tailcoats and tuxedos...";
- “...a daughter, tall, thin, with magnificent hair, beautifully dressed, with aromatic breath from violet cakes and with the most delicate pink pimples near her lips and between her shoulder blades, slightly powdered...”
- “Naples grew and approached; The musicians, shining with brass instruments, had already crowded on the deck and suddenly deafened everyone with the triumphant sounds of a march. The giant commander, in full dress uniform, appeared on his bridge and, like a merciful pagan god, shook his hand at the passengers in greeting. And when the Atlantis finally entered the harbor, rolled up to the embankment with its multi-story bulk, dotted with people, and the gangplank rumbled, how many porters and their assistants in caps with gold braid, how many all kinds of commission agents, whistling boys and hefty ragged men with stacks of colored postcards in hands rushed towards him with an offer of services!
Imperceptibly, irony gives way to satire and reveals the egoism inherent in man - directly and openly.
2. By what principle does the hero choose a route?
“A gentleman from San Francisco - no one remembered his name either in Naples or Capri - went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment.
…The people to whom he belonged had the custom of beginning the enjoyment of life with a trip to Europe, India, and Egypt. He decided to do the same.”
Which of the upcoming pleasures for the hero alarm the reader?
“The route was developed by the gentleman from San Francisco and was extensive.
In December and January, he hoped to enjoy the sun of Southern Italy, ancient monuments, tarantella, serenades of traveling singers and the fact that people at his age feel especially sensitively - love of young Neapolitan girls , even if not completely disinterested;" - It is not the romance of the ancient country that attracts the hero, but ordinary sensual passions, and the desire for them is based not even so much on own desire, how much on the position “it’s customary”, on public opinion (“and here’s public opinion, the spring of honor, our idol, and this is what the world revolves on!” - A. Pushkin);
- « he thought to hold the carnival in Nice, in Monte Carlo, where people flock at this time the most selective society , where some enthusiastically indulge in car and sailing races, others in roulette, others in what is commonly called flirting, and still others in shooting pigeons, which soar very beautifully from cages over the emerald lawn, against the backdrop of a sea the color of forget-me-nots, and immediately hit white lumps on the ground;" - in principle, a rather aimless pastime, again for the sake of society, and not for himself (probably, the hero does not really realize his complete psychological dependence on the “spring of honor”; the desire to “get out among the people” has absorbed him as a person...
Are there any inconsistencies?
- “he wanted to devote the beginning of March to Florence” - people usually come to this city to enjoy the magnificent architecture, sculpture, frescoes, paintings, to learn more about Lorenzo the Magnificent, at whose court opera was born, musical theater…
- “to come to Rome for the passion of the Lord to listen to the Miserere there; 1" - from the pleasures of a secular, worldly person, the hero is “pulled” to cult religious-Christian values;
- “his plans included Venice, and Paris, and a bullfight in Seville, and swimming in the English islands, and Athens, and Constantinople, and Palestine, and Egypt,” - again a set of pleasures of a person who has not decided on his preferences, but goes to this or that place because it is customary to see something there;
- “and even Japan, of course, is already on the way back...” - here is already an overt hyperbole, enhancing the satirical tone of the story.
Or maybe some phrase could have been rearranged? Then the logic of the story would change.
Perhaps, if not for the subsequent sentence (“And everything went fine at first” ) , the story would have turned out not invective, but comic.
3. Why don’t the main characters of the story have names? Which one is the most individual?
Literature critical realism, in the traditions of which I. Bunin writes, sought to typify, generalize, which is presented in this story.
However, what may be incredible, Bunin’s typical heroes have their own hidden history, in some places similar to people of similar character, age, in others more individual. Everything is manifested in the light touches with which Bunin portrays his characters.
For example, a portrait of the gentleman himself from San Francisco (“Dry, short, poorly cut, but tightly sewn, he sat ... " ) gives sufficient scope to imagine exactly how this person earned his fortune. And the casually said phrase about the man in the bowler hat? The image of the main character is certainly typical, but at the same time, his story may not be so common.
The same can be said about other characters.
It’s quite easy to “read” the story of the protagonist’s daughter, who guesses a lot:“And the daughter, in some vague awkwardness, tried not to notice him.” (father who “he kept looking at the famous beauty standing next to him, a tall, amazingly built blonde with eyes painted in the latest Parisian fashion, who was holding a tiny, bent, shabby dog on a silver chain and kept talking to her...”) Many details make it possible to understand that the girl is sensual, attentive, and still naive, and that perhaps her fate will be very difficult:“... her heart was suddenly squeezed by melancholy, a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island...” The hotel owner's attitude towards the wife and daughter of the deceased gentleman changes dramatically. Why? Does his money disappear when a hero dies? But the daughter has a presentiment of her future "terrible loneliness...
An elegant couple in love,” about which only one commander knew that she was hired... What circumstances forced these people to constantly wander around the world, pretending that they were in love? Even peacefully disposed towards each other (the author says nothing about the love of these heroes), the gentleman and lady from San Francisco began to quarrel, tired of the voyage. And this couple?..
And the “crown prince” is probably a typical gigolo? What an unusually bright portrait accompanies this image:"a small man, all wooden, wide-faced, narrow-eyed, wearing gold glasses, slightly unpleasant - because he is large his mustache looked like a dead man's , in general, sweet, simple and modest" !..
You can also build an image of the hotel owner (what makes him show cruelty towards the relatives of the deceased, why does he explain in rude terms the importance of the reputation of his apartments?) ...
Less individual, perhaps, is the image of the master's wife. Her image, in my opinion, is most typical and universal.
4. How is the ship depicted? What was he like?
Of course, the image of the ship is an allegory. The ship represents a world of people whose thoughts are occupied with entertainment - the same as on solid ground: “There were many passengers, the ship - the famous Atlantis - looked like a huge hotel with all amenities , - with a night bar, with oriental baths, with its own newspaper... on the forecastle, a siren constantly howled with hellish gloom and squealed with frantic anger, but few of those dining heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the two-light hall , festively flooded with lights, crowded with low-cut ladies and men in tailcoats and tuxedos, slender footmen and respectful head waiters, among whom one, the one who took orders only for wine, even walked with a chain around his neck, like a lord mayor.”
Let's turn to the daily routine on the ship. How can you formulate in three or four words what the passengers were doing?
The ship's passengers passed their time (rested heavily):“...life there was very measured: we got up early,...put on flannel pajamas, drank coffee, chocolate, cocoa; then they sat in the baths, did gymnastics, stimulating appetite and good health, performed daily toilets and went to the first breakfast; until eleven o'clock they were supposed to walk cheerfully along the decks, breathing in the cold freshness of the ocean, or play sheffleboard and other games to whet their appetite again, and at eleven they had to refresh themselves with sandwiches with broth; having refreshed themselves, they read the newspaper with pleasure and calmly waited for the second breakfast, even more nutritious and varied than the first; the next two hours were devoted to rest; all the decks were then filled with long reed chairs, on which travelers lay, covered with blankets, looking at the cloudy sky and at the foamy mounds flashing overboard, or sweetly dozing off; at five o'clock, refreshed and cheerful, they were given strong fragrant tea with cookies; at seven they announced with trumpet signals what was the main goal of this entire existence, its crown...” - a dinner similar to a party (or ball).
5. What episodes and details show that the main character is a purely material, selfish person, with a sleeping soul, somewhat immoral, just like the other passengers of Atlantis?
Bunin uses an antithesis, depicting the rich passengers of the ship, who with all their might do not want to think about the terrible, vast ocean, do not think about and do not notice the people who provide passengers with not just coziness, but luxurious comfort.
“The dinner lasted more than an hour, and after dinner there was dancing in the ballroom, during which the men, including, of course, the gentleman from San Francisco, with their legs in the air, smoked Havana cigars until their faces were crimson red and got drunk on liqueurs in the bar , where blacks served in red camisoles, with whites that looked like peeling hard-boiled eggs. The ocean roared behind the wall like black mountains, the blizzard whistled strongly in the heavy rigging, the whole steamer trembled, overcoming both it and these mountains, as if with a plow, breaking apart their unsteady masses, which now and then boiled and fluttered high with foamy tails, in the siren suffocated by the fog moaned in mortal melancholy, the watchmen on their watchtower were freezing from the cold and went crazy from the unbearable strain of attention, the gloomy and sultry depths of the underworld, its last, ninth circle was like the underwater womb of the steamer - the one where the gigantic furnaces cackled dully, devouring with their hot the mouths of piles of coal, with a roar thrown into them by people drenched in acrid, dirty sweat and naked to the waist, crimson from the flames; and here, in the bar, they carelessly threw their feet up on the arms of the chairs, sipped cognac and liqueurs, swam in waves of spicy smoke, in the dance hall everything shone and shed light, warmth and joy, couples either waltzed or twisted in tango - and music persistently, in sweet, shameless sadness, she kept praying for one thing, all for the same thing...”
6. Why are the 9 circles of hell mentioned? What work is the author referring us to? Can we talk about duplication?
The story not only mentions the 9 circles of hell (“her(underworld) the last, ninth circle was like the underwater womb of a steamship" ) - this comparison more clearly illustrates the monotonous (albeit filled with many sounds, colors, movements) world and strengthens the antithesis, contrasting the careless passengers (who “they carelessly threw their feet up on the arms of their chairs, sipped cognac and liqueurs, and swam in waves of spicy smoke...”) And " waist-deep naked people, crimson from the flames" fireboxes
Like N. Gogol, who conceived a poem about Chichikov in 3 volumes, and then M. Bulgakov in the novel “The Master and Margarita,” I. Bunin turns to “ Divine Comedy"Dante Alighieri, where the lyrical hero, wanting to see his dead beloved again, first descends into the underworld, going through all 9 (as represented in Christian mythology) circles of hell.
Both Gogol, Bunin, and then Bulgakov do not use duplication, but a kind of reference to the medieval text. This is how the space of the story expands, becoming not a single episode, but a universal, a typification. In addition, this comparison expresses the author's attitude.
7. In these pictures it sounds only social theme or philosophical too? In what episodes is the social theme still heard in the story?
Of course, the description of the pastime of the passengers of “Atlantis” (where the name of the ship is symbolic) and the people who ensure this voyage are both social and philosophical pictures: everyone lives as it is destined for him, and also due to the choice that he himself performed by a (“loving” dancing couple).
When passengers disembark, in Italy - the land of romance, antiquity, beauty - however, the same atmosphere reigns as on board the Atlantis:“It was so everywhere, it was so in sailing, it should have been so in Naples.
Life in Naples immediately flowed according to routine : early in the morning - breakfast in the gloomy dining room, cloudy, unpromising sky and crowd of guides at the lobby doors ; then the first smiles of the warm pinkish sun, the view from the high-hanging balcony of Vesuvius, shrouded in shining morning vapors to the foot, of the silver-pearl ripples of the bay and the subtle outline of Capri on the horizon, of those running below, along the embankment, tiny donkeys in gigs and squads of small soldiers walking somewhere with cheerful and defiant music; then - exit to the car and slow movement along crowded narrow and damp street corridors , among the tall, many-windowed houses, inspection of deathly clean and smooth, pleasant, but boring, like snow, illuminated museums or cold, wax-smelling churches, in which everywhere it’s the same thing: a majestic entrance, closed with a heavy leather curtain, and inside there is a huge emptiness, silence , the quiet lights of the seven-branched candlestick, blushing in the depths on the throne, decorated with lace, lonely old woman among dark wooden desks , slippery coffin slabs underfoot and someone’s “Descent from the Cross”, certainly famous; at one o'clock - second breakfast on Mount San Martino, where people arrive by noon many people of the very first class and where one day the daughter of a gentleman from San Francisco almost felt ill: it seemed to her that a prince was sitting in the hall, although she already knew from the newspapers that he was in Rome; at five - tea in the hotel, in the elegant salon, where it is so warm from the carpets and blazing fireplaces; and there again preparations for dinner - again the powerful, imperious roar of the gong across all floors, strings again silks rustling along the stairs and reflected in the mirrors of low-necked I'll give , Widely and welcomingly open again dining hall , and red musicians' jackets on the stage, and a black crowd of footmen near the head waiter , with extraordinary skill pouring thick pink soup into plates..."
8. Why are the ocean, waves, wind, siren described in such detail? What does Bunin want to say about modern man? Does he approve of it?
Nature (ocean, waves, wind...) is not in harmony with the people who are on Atlantis:“It was the end of November, all the way to Gibraltar we had to sail either in icy darkness or amid a storm with sleet... The ocean moving behind the walls was terrible... The ocean was roaring behind the wall like black mountains, the blizzard was whistling tightly in the heavy gear, the whole ship was trembling , overcoming both her and these mountains, - as if with a plow, breaking apart their unsteady, now and then boiling masses with foamy tails flying high, - the siren, suffocated by the fog, moaned in mortal anguish ... " as if warning people to remember the main thing (maybe about God, about duty, their purpose...) But the passengers did not hear the sirens, intoxicated with all kinds of entertainment; but those on watch, in order to stay alive, to save the ship, must overcome the power of the elements (“the watchmen on their tower were freezing from the cold and going crazy from the unbearable strain of attention "), and then follows a comparison with the underworld...
And in the behavior of passengers,
And in behavior "all those who fed and watered him (gentlemen from San Francisco), from morning to evening they served him, preventing his slightest desire, guarded his cleanliness and peace, carried his things, called porters for him, delivered his chests to hotels,” as well as the belongings of other wealthy passengers.
And the last lines of the story confirm this."And again painfully wriggled and sometimes frantically faced Among this crowd, among the sparkle of lights, silks, diamonds and naked female shoulders, a thin and flexible pair of hired lovers: sinfully modest girl with drooping eyelashes, with an innocent hairstyle, and a tall young man with black, as if glued-on hair, pale with powder, in the most elegant patent leather shoes, in a narrow tailcoat with long tails - a handsome man who looks like a huge leech . And no one knew what already I've been bored for a long time this couple pretend to suffer their blissful torment accompanied by shamelessly sad music, nor what stands deep, deep beneath them, at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, heavily overcome darkness, ocean, blizzard..."
9. What descriptions and episodes of the story foreshadow the death of the main character? Does God or fate give him signs that he needs to prepare for the most important thing?
1. “On the day of departure - very memorable for the family from San Francisco! - there was no sun even in the morning . Heavy fog Vesuvius hid to the very foundation, low gray above the leaden swell of the sea. The island of Capri was not visible at all - as if he never existed in the world ».
2. " And a small steamboat... it was lying around like that from side to side, that a family from San Francisco was lying on the sofas in the miserable wardroom of this ship, wrapping their legs in blankets and closing their eyes from lightheadedness... Mister, lying on his back, in a wide coat and a large cap, did not unclench his jaws all the way ; his face became dark, his mustache white, his head ached severely: last days"Thanks to the bad weather, he drank too much in the evenings and admired too much "living pictures" in some dens."
3. At the stops, in Castellamare, in Sorrento, it was a little easier; but even here it swung terribly, the shore with all its cliffs, gardens, pine trees, pink and white hotels, and smoky, curly-green mountains flew up and down outside the window, as if on a swing... And the gentleman from San Francisco, feeling as he should be - quite an old man , - I was already thinking with melancholy and anger about all these greedy, garlic-smelling little people called Italians ... "
4. "Bowed politely and elegantly master, an extremely elegant young man who met them, struck the gentleman for a moment from San Francisco: he suddenly remembered that that night, among other confusion that beset him in his sleep, he saw this particular gentleman , exactly the same as this one, wearing the same business card and with the same mirror-combed head. Surprised, he almost paused. But since not even a mustard seed of any so-called mystical feelings remained in his soul a long time ago, his surprise immediately faded: he jokingly told his wife and daughter about this strange coincidence of dream and reality, walking along the hotel corridor. The daughter, however, looked at him with alarm at that moment: her heart was suddenly squeezed by melancholy , a feeling of terrible loneliness on this alien, dark island...”
5. " And, after hesitating, thinking something, but without saying anything, the gentleman from San Francisco dismissed him with a nod of his head.
And then he again began to prepare for the crown : he turned on electricity everywhere, filled all the mirrors with the reflection of light and shine, furniture and open chests, began to shave, wash and ring every minute, while other impatient calls rushed along the entire corridor and interrupted him - from the rooms of his wife and daughter... The floor was still shaking under him, it was very painful for his fingertips, the cufflink sometimes bit hard flabby skin in the depression under the Adam's apple, but he was persistent and finally, with eyes shining with tension, all gray from the excessively tight collar squeezing his throat , finally finished the job - and in exhaustion he sat down in front of the dressing table, all reflected in it and repeated in other mirrors.
- without trying to understand, without thinking what exactly is terrible ».
Of course, fate warns the hero:
A heavy fog hides the island, as if it does not exist (so the hero will disappear into oblivion),
On the boat the gentleman got very seasick, he felt old and weak (this is a reason to think about life and death once again!),
The heart of the gentleman's daughter, probably a sensual and emotional girl, was suddenly gripped by melancholy when her father told her and his wife that he had seen the owner of the hotel where they were staying in a dream the day before (an extremely unpleasant sign!)
When the gentleman gets dressed for dinner, the objects surrounding him (the floor, the cufflink, the collar) seem to not obey the person...
And what does it mean to prepare for death?
« What did the gentleman from San Francisco feel and think on this so significant evening for him? ?
He, like anyone who has experienced a rollercoaster, only really wanted to eat, dreamed with pleasure about the first spoon of soup, about the first sip of wine and performed the usual task of toileting even in some excitement, which left no time for feelings and reflections .
Having shaved, washed, properly inserted a few teeth, he, standing in front of the mirrors, moistened and tidied up with brushes in a silver frame the remnants of pearl hair around his dark-yellow skull, pulled a creamy silk tights over his strong old body with a waist that was getting fuller from increased nutrition, and on his dry legs with flat feet - black silk socks and ballroom shoes, squatting, he tidied up his black trousers, pulled up high with silk braces, and a snow-white shirt with his chest bulging out, tucked the cufflinks into the shiny cuffs and began to struggle with catching the neck cufflink under the hard collar.
But then, loudly, as if in a pagan temple, the second gong buzzed throughout the house ... "
Starting from the opposite, it can be noted that the author is thinking about the approach of death: it is necessary to devote some time “to feelings and thoughts” and, of course, not to worry about food and clothes at this moment.
10. Does he catch the signs of fate, does he think about death, about God? Was there at least a second of insight?
Unfortunately, the gentleman from San Francisco does not see the signs of fate, does not notice them, and openly ignores them. Seeing the owner of the hotel in which the hero was destined to die, “Surprised, he even almost paused. But since not even a mustard seed of any so-called mystical feelings remained in his soul a long time ago, his surprise immediately faded: he jokingly told his wife and daughter about this strange coincidence of dream and reality, walking along the hotel corridor.” .
Perhaps a spark of insight ran through the hero’s mind when, dressed for dinner, he looked at himself in the mirror: “...The floor was still shaking under him, it was very painful for his fingertips, the cufflink sometimes bit hard on the flabby skin in the recess under his Adam’s apple, but he was persistent and finally, with eyes shining from tension, all blue from the excessively tight collar squeezing his throat, finally finished the job - and, exhausted, sat down in front of the dressing table, all reflected in it and repeated in other mirrors.
- Oh, this is terrible! - he muttered, lowering his strong bald head and without trying to understand, without thinking what exactly is terrible”...
11. How did he spend the last, as it turned out, 2 hours before his death? Did he sin, as usual, or did he become thoughtful and sad? Does the reader's attitude towards him change? At what point?
As it turned out, the last 2 hours before his death, the gentleman from San Francisco spent the same way as many other hours on this journey - dressing up for dinner. Of course, he did not commit mortal sins while dressing in front of the mirror, and he also did not feel sad, although more than once he suddenly felt old and tired, but he tried to drive away these thoughts and sensations as unnecessary and false. But in vain.
As I already said, the story begins with lines permeated with irony, and sometimes sarcasm. But Russian writers are unique because they are unusually humane. Just as Bazarov “deceived” Turgenev’s plan, so Bunin, denouncing an indifferent “well-fed” man, does not dare to mock Death and exposes the callousness and indifference of those who do not console the widow and daughter, but seem to deliberately make everything more painful for them, in the worst conditions sending the body of the gentleman from San Francisco home to America...
Death is always unsightly and scary. Describing the last hours and minutes of his hero’s life, Bunin no longer presents us with a master, but simply a man.
12. How do the last 2 minutes of his life characterize him?
“... hastily getting up from his seat, the gentleman from San Francisco pulled his collar even tighter with a tie, and his stomach with an open vest, put on his tuxedo, straightened the cuffs, looked at himself in the mirror again... cheerfully leaving his room and walking along the carpet to the next one, wife, asked loudly if they were coming soon?
- In five minutes! - a girl’s voice echoed loudly and cheerfully from behind the door.
- Great,” said the gentleman from San Francisco.
And he slowly walked down the corridors and stairs covered with red carpets, looking for the reading room.
- The servants he met pressed against the wall, and he walked as if not noticing them.
- An old woman who was late for dinner, already stooped, with milky hair, but low-cut, in a light gray silk dress, hurried ahead of him with all her might, but funny, like a chicken, and he easily overtook her.
- Near the glass doors of the dining room, where everyone was already assembled and began to eat, he stopped in front of a table cluttered with boxes of cigars and Egyptian cigarettes, took a large manilla and threw three lire on the table;
- on the winter veranda, he glanced casually out the open window: a gentle air blew on him from the darkness, he imagined the top of an old palm tree spreading its fronds across the stars, which seemed gigantic, and he heard the distant, even sound of the sea...”
As soon as we meet the hero, we learn that he recovers on his journey, being“I firmly believe that I have every right to rest, to enjoyment, to have an excellent trip in all respects.
For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life, despite his fifty-eight years. Until that time, he had not lived, but only existed, although very well, but still pinning all his hopes on the future. He worked tirelessly - the Chinese, whom he hired thousands of to work for him, knew well what this meant! - and finally saw that a lot had already been done, that he was almost equal to those whom he had once taken as a model, and decided to take a break ».
These lines introduce us to a man who achieved wealth through great difficulty (which, in principle, cannot but evoke at least some respect for him). Probably, the road up was (as is usually the case) not easy; I often had to hide my true feelings, and especially my pain. The hero quite “cheerfully” walked into the room that was fatal for him, behaving (or pretending?) at ease: I think that this is a strong character, quite stubborn, stubborn. You can hardly call him stupid, but he certainly is an entangled “idol” (as public opinion calls Pushkin).
13. Prove that in the scene of the master’s death social and philosophical topics. Death loved one shows true relationships in the family. What can you say about this?
“The wife, daughter, doctor, servants stood and looked at him. Suddenly, what they were waiting for and fearing happened - the wheezing stopped. And slowly, slowly, before everyone’s eyes, pallor flowed over the face of the deceased, and his features began to thin out and brighten...” Moreover, in the previous sentence Bunin wrote that“It was no longer the gentleman from San Francisco who was wheezing,” he was no longer there, “but someone else.” So from an ironic image the author moves on to a philosophical, life-like one, wise by the experience of past years, personal losses...
“The owner came in. "Già é morto" , - the doctor told him in a whisper. The owner with with an impassive face shrugged. The Mrs., with tears quietly rolling down her cheeks, came up to him and said timidly that now we need to move the deceased to his room.
- Oh no, madam - hastily, correctly, but already without any courtesy and not in English, but in French, he objected an owner who was not at all interested in the trifles that those who came from San Francisco could now leave in his cash register. “This is completely impossible, madam,” he said and added in explanation that he really valued these apartments, that if he fulfilled her wish, then all of Capri would know about it and tourists would begin to avoid them.
Miss , who had been looking at him strangely all the time, sat down on a chair and, Covering her mouth with a handkerchief, she began to sob . Mrs.'s tears immediately dried up, her face flushed . She raised her tone and began to demand, speaking in her own language and still not believing that respect for them had been completely lost.”
The highlighted expressions illustrate those social aspects when sincere human feelings are manifested:
Callousness, greed, fear for the reputation of the establishment - on the part of the owner,
Pain, compassion, experience - on the part of relatives, as well as the strength of character of the Mrs., offended by “that respect for them (her still alive a few years ago! to her husband, to herself, to her daughter)completely lost."
14. Condemning the world of the rich, does the author idealize the world of the poor? Prove it.
Condemning the world of the rich, Bunin does not idealize the world of the poor.
Perhaps the writer is relying on the opinion of Pushkin, who, reflecting on the correct, precise words for “Anchar”, left the lines in the final edition: “But human person sent to the powerful anchar glance, And he obediently went on his way and by morning he returned with poison. He brought mortal resin and a branch with withered leaves, and sweat rolled down his pale brow in cold streams. Brought , and weakened, and lay down under the arch of the hut on his basts, and died poor slave at the feet of the invincible lords …»
Likewise, Bunin’s “ordinary people” are not endowed with those qualities that make us admire them and be proud.
- «… when the Atlantis finally entered the harbor, rolled up to the embankment with its multi-story bulk, dotted with people, and the gangplank rumbled - how many receptionists and their assistants in caps with gold braid, so many commission agents, whistling boys and hefty ragamuffins with packs of colored postcards in hands rushed to meet him with an offer of services! »
- “The dead man remained in the dark, blue stars looked at him from the sky, a cricket sang with sad carefreeness on the wall... In the dimly lit corridor, two maids were sitting on the windowsill, mending something. Luigi came in with a bunch of clothes on his arm and shoes on.
- Pronto? (Ready?) - he asked worriedly in a ringing whisper, pointing with his eyes at the scary door at the end of the corridor. And he lightly shook his free hand in that direction. - Partenza! - he shouted in a whisper, as if seeing off the train, what they usually shout in Italy at stations when trains depart, - and maids choking on silent laughter , fell with their heads on each other's shoulders." .
Although, of course, not all people are like that. Bunin presents us with them too, living carefree, at ease, with reverence for God and his Mother.
But it is not the world of people that the writer idealizes, but the image of the Mother of God - inanimate, molded by human hands and illuminated by the Creator: “...all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and shine, she stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from the weather ... "
15. Are there characters in the story who, from the author’s point of view, live righteously, correctly, or at least naturally (in some ways they have a more correct attitude towards life and death, sin and God)?
Yes, and such images - sincere and natural - are presented by Bunin in his short story.
« Only the market in a small square traded - fish and herbs, and there were only ordinary people among whom, as always, stood without any business Lorenzo, a tall old boatman, a carefree reveler and a handsome man , famous throughout Italy, who more than once served as a model for many painters: he brought and already sold for next to nothing two lobsters he caught at night, rustling in the apron of the cook of the very hotel where the family from San Francisco spent the night, and now he could calmly stand even until the evening , looking around with a regal demeanor, showing off with his rags, a clay pipe and a red woolen beret pulled down over one ear.
And along the cliffs of Monte Solaro, along the ancient Phoenician road carved into the rocks, along its stone steps, we descended from Anacapri two Abruzzese highlanders . One has under leather coat there was a bagpipe - a large goatskin with two pipes, the other had something like a wooden forepipe. They walked - and the whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched out under them: the rocky humps of the island, which almost all lay at their feet, and that fabulous blue in which it swam, and the shining morning steam over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun, which was already warming hotly, rising higher and higher, and the foggy azure, still unsteady in the morning, massifs of Italy, its near and distant mountains, the beauty of which human words are powerless to express.
Halfway there they slowed down: above the road, in the grotto of the rocky wall of Monte Solaro, all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and shine, stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from the weather, Mother of God, meek and merciful, with her eyes raised to heaven, to the eternal and blessed abodes of her thrice blessed son . They bared their heads - and naive and humbly joyful praises poured out to the sun, to the morning, to her, the immaculate intercessor of all those suffering in this evil and wonderful world, and born from her womb in the cave of Bethlehem, in a poor shepherd’s shelter, in the distant land of Judah ... "
16. Why do you think the ship was named “Atlantis” and why was the gentleman from San Francisco there again?
The ship was named “Atlantis” for a reason:
Firstly, written in 1915, the huge ship, of course, its name echoes the tragically famous Titanic;
And secondly, ancient Atlantis is a legendary island where the ancient civilization reached incredible heights of technical and terrible sins human, for which she was punished by the gods and wiped off the face of the earth.
Everything in life comes full circle and returns to its origins - so the master (or rather, what was before him) returns to his homeland. This is the first thing. And secondly, what is the contrast without a description of a living millionaire who went to Europe in incredible comfort, and a description of the pitiful coffin with his body on the way back?!
Is it just a ship that looks like a hotel?
In principle, the answer to this question has already been given: the ship is an allegory of a secular society, satiated with pleasures, all sorts of options for a prosperous - FAT - life, where people do not think about what surrounds them, and are even afraid to think about it. "The ocean moving outside the walls was terrible, but they didn’t think about it, firmly believing in the commander’s power over it...few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra, exquisitely and tirelessly playing in the two-height hall...”
As mentioned above, the ironic intonation of the story is replaced by deep philosophical understanding.
The bright, dazzling atmosphere of the dining room on the ship is represented by cheerful, joyful faces: “...in the dance hall
everything shone and shed light, warmth and joy,
the couples were either spinning in waltzes or bending into tangos - and the music insistently, in sweet, shameless sadness, begged for the same thing, always for the same thing...
Was among this brilliant crowd a certain great rich man, shaved, tall, in an old-fashioned tailcoat,
was famous spanish writer,
was all-world beauty ,
there was an elegant couple in love, whom everyone watched with curiosity and who did not hide their happiness: he danced only with her, and everything turned out so subtly, charmingly for them ... " A series of vivid enumerations ends with a description of a couple in love. And the subsequent remark is more dissonant with this false joy: “...only one commander knew that this couple had been hired by Lloyd to play at love for good money and had been sailing on one ship or another for a long time.”
When the tone of the story changes from ironic to philosophical, when the body of the gentleman from San Francisco returns in a completely different way on this brilliant ship, the author’s bitter remark reinforces the main idea of the work: “And no one knew either that this couple had long been tired of pretending to suffer their blissful torment to the shamelessly sad music, or that it stood deep, deep beneath them, at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship, overcome by darkness, ocean, blizzard... »
What can you say about Bunin’s concept of love?
Bunin's concept of love is tragic. Moments of love, according to Bunin, become the pinnacle of a person’s life.
Only by loving can a person truly feel another person, only feeling justifies high demands on himself and his neighbor, only a lover is able to overcome his selfishness. The state of love is not fruitless for Bunin’s heroes; it elevates souls.
In the story “Mr. from San Francisco,” the theme of love is not the leading one, but some points can be pointed out:
Does the protagonist's wife love her husband?
What is further fate hero's daughter?
What kind of love does the writer welcome and praise?
Considering the image of the wife of the Mr. from San Francisco, at first you perceive this woman in the same way as the other images sarcastically presented in the story: she does not go to Europe out of her own desire, personal aspiration, passion, but because “that’s how it is in the world.” society,” “so the daughter will find a worthy match for herself,” perhaps also because “her husband said so.” But death takes the master, takes the man - and the image of this heroine becomes “warmer”, more humane: we feel sorry for the woman who has lost a loved one (how often men climb to the top of the hierarchical ladder, leaning on the shoulders of a faithful wife!), who is unexpectedly insulted and humiliated the ashes of her husband... "The Mrs.'s tears immediately dried up and her face flushed. She raised her tone and began to demand, speaking in her own language and still not believing that respect for them was completely lost. The owner besieged her with polite dignity: if Madame does not like the rules of the hotel, he does not dare detain her; and firmly stated that the body should be taken out today at dawn, that the police had already been given knowledge that its representative would now appear and carry out the necessary formalities... Is it possible to get at least a simple ready-made coffin in Capri, asks Madame? Unfortunately, no, in no case, and no one will have time to do it. We’ll have to do something differently... He gets English soda water, for example, in large, long boxes... the partitions from such a box can be removed...”
I have already spoken about the hero’s daughter: it seems to me very difficult fate could have been with her (for example, if the girl had connected her life with the “crown prince”), perhaps the girl will face many trials even now. The lines of Leo Tolstoy, with which his novel “Anna Karenina” begins, became an aphorism: “All happy families similar to each other, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”...
But the story still contains the sound of love: for the wonderful past - magnificent Italy, for the incomprehensible and majestic Nature, for God and the Virgin Mary.
- “Ten minutes later, a family from San Francisco got off into a large barge, fifteen minutes later they stepped onto the stones of the embankment, and then got into a light trailer and buzzed up the slope, among the stakes in the vineyards, dilapidated stone fences and wet, gnarled, covered here and there, thatched canopies of orange trees, with the shine of orange fruits and thick glossy foliage, sliding downhill, past the open windows of the trailer... The land in Italy smells sweet after the rain, and each of its islands has its own special smell!”
- “And at dawn, when the window of room forty-three turned white and the damp wind rustled the torn leaves of the banana, when the blue morning sky rose and spread over the island of Capri and the clean and clear peak of Monte Solaro turned golden against the sun rising behind the distant blue mountains of Italy ... But the morning was fresh, in such air, in the middle of the sea, under the morning sky, the hops soon disappear and soon carefreeness returns to a person... The steamboat, lying like a beetle far below, on the gentle and bright blue with which the Gulf of Naples is so thick and full, the last beeps were already sounding - and they were cheerfully echoing throughout the entire island, every bend of which, every ridge, every stone was so clearly visible from everywhere, as if there was no air at all.”
- “They walked - and the whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched under them: the rocky humps of the island, which almost all lay at their feet, and that fabulous blue in which he swam, and the shining morning vapors over the sea to the east, under the dazzling sun, which was already warming hotly, rising higher and higher, and the misty azure, still unsteady in the morning, massifs of Italy, its near and distant mountains, the beauty of which human words are powerless to express. Halfway there they slowed down: above the road, in the grotto of the rocky wall of Monte Solaro, all illuminated by the sun, all in its warmth and shine, stood in snow-white plaster robes and in a royal crown, golden-rusty from the weather, the Mother of God, meek and merciful , with her eyes raised to heaven, to the eternal and blessed abodes of her thrice-blessed son. They bared their heads - and naive and humbly joyful praises poured out to the sun, to the morning, to her, the immaculate intercessor of all those who suffer in this evil and beautiful world, and to the one born from her womb in the cave of Bethlehem, in a poor shepherd's shelter, in the distant land of Judah... ."
17. Why is the raging ocean depicted in detail again? Why is the devil watching the ship from the rocks? Why does the ship seem to wink at him?
Bunin's story is designed for a thoughtful, attentive reader who knows how to compare the images presented by the writer with the main questions of humanity: why do we live, what are we doing wrong, since troubles and misfortunes do not lag behind people (what to do? who is to blame? does God exist?) Ocean - this is the personification of existence, the element of life, sometimes merciless and evil, sometimes incredibly beautiful and full of freedom...
In this story, the ocean is furious: nature does not accept the crazy fun of the Atlantis passengers, opposed to Nature.“And again, again the ship went on its long sea journey. At night he sailed past the island of Capri, and his lights were sad, slowly disappearing into the dark sea for those who looked at them from the island. But there, on the ship, in the bright halls shining with chandeliers, there was, as usual, a crowded ball that night.” Therefore, it is logical that the devil is watching the ship from the rocks, counting how many souls will soon go to hell...
The expression “crowded ball” is perceived in a negative sense, in some way, perhaps, associating with a satanic ball. And then Bunin draws a parallel between the image of the Devil and the ship: “The devil was huge, like a cliff, but the ship was also huge, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of the New Man with an old heart.” And so they, created by pride, wink at each other.
18. Do you remember when the story was written? What were the moods in society?
The story was written in 1915, which followed the tragic years of 1912 and 1914.
The wreck of the Titanic - maritime disaster which occurred on the night of April 14-15when the Filipino crashed
To understand the causes of the First World War, one must remember the balance of power in Europe, where the three major world powers - Russian Empire, Great Britain and England had already divided spheres of influence between themselves by the 19th century.
Having grown stronger in late XIX century economically and militarily, Germany began to urgently need new living space for its growing population and markets for its goods. Colonies were needed, which Germany did not have. To achieve this, it was necessary to begin a new redivision of the world by defeating the allied bloc of three powers - England, Russia and France. In response to the German threat, the Entente alliance was created, consisting of Russia, France and England, which joined them.
In addition to Germany's desire to win living space and colonies, there were other reasons for the First World War. This issue is so complex that there is still no single point of view on this matter.
Another reason for the war is the choice of the path of development of society. “Could the war have been avoided?” – this question was probably asked by every person during these difficult years.
All sources unanimously say that it is possible if the leadership of the countries participating in the conflict really wanted this. Germany was most interested in the war, for which it was fully prepared, and made every effort to get it started.
And every thoughtful writer sought to explain the causes of the war not only by political and economic reasons, but by moral and spiritual ones.
In principle, the word “criticism” does not have a negative meaning (this is a literal translation of the word “judgment”), but the definition of literature (both Russian and world) is 2nd half of the 19th century century is the literature of critical - accusatory - realism. And Bunin, in the story “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” continues the tradition of exposing the moral character of a person, clearly represented in the works of critical realism.
Also along with the word "Armageddon » used in the meaningor catastrophes on a planetary scale.
In this work, undoubtedly, the word is used in the latter meaning. Moreover, this strengthens the comparison of the ship with the Devil, the comparison of the steamer’s boilers with fiery hell, and the actions of the passengers with satanic reckless revelry.
“- The blizzard beat in his (ship) rigging and wide-necked pipes, white with snow, but he was stoic, firm, majestic and terrible .
- On the very top of its roof, those cozy, dimly lit chambers where, immersed in a sensitive and anxious slumber, sat above the whole ship, sat alone among the snow whirlwinds. overweight driver (ship commander, a red-haired man of monstrous size and bulk),resembling a pagan idol. He heard the heavy howls and furious squeals of a siren, suffocated by the storm, but he calmed himself by the proximity of what was ultimately the most incomprehensible to him that was behind his wall: that armored cabin, which was constantly filled with a mysterious hum, trembling and dry crackling. blue lights flashed and burst around a pale-faced telegraph operator with a metal half-hoop on his head. - At the very bottom, in the underwater womb of Atlantis, dimly shone with steel, thousand-pound huge boilers were hissing with steam and oozing boiling water and oil and all sorts of other machines, that kitchen, heated from below by hellish furnaces, in which the movement of the ship was cooked - forces bubbling, terrible in their concentration, were transmitted to its very keel, into an endlessly long dungeon, into a round tunnel, faintly illuminated by electricity, Where slowly, with overwhelming human soul rigor, the gigantic shaft rotated in its oily bed, like a living monster, stretching in this tunnel, similar to a vent.
- And the middle of Atlantis, dining rooms and ballrooms light and joy poured out from her, buzzed with the talk of a smart crowd , smelled of fresh flowers, sang with a string orchestra.”
This ship-underworld parallel opens the narrative and completes it, as if placing the image of a person in the circle of this lexical paradigm.
20. Formulate the main idea of the story. How does this idea resonate with the epigraph to the story, which was later withdrawn by the author?
The original title of the story was "Death on Capri". As an epigraph, the author took lines from the Apocalypse: “Woe to you, Babylon, strong city!” The meaning of the statement is revealed if we remember the sad fate of Babylon, which turned out to be far from being as strong as it seemed. This means that nothing lasts forever on earth. Especially a person whose life is a moment compared to eternity.
While working on the work, the author abandoned the title, which contained the word “death.” Despite this, the feeling of catastrophe, indicated in the first version of the title and epigraph, permeates the entire content of “The Gentleman from San Francisco.” I. A. Bunin, with the help of symbolic images, speaks of the inevitability of the death of the kingdom of profit and lust.
Only already in the very latest edition, shortly before his death, Bunin removed a significant epigraph. He removed it, perhaps, because these words, taken from the Apocalypse, seemed to him too openly expressing his attitude towards what was described. But he left the name of the ship on which the American rich man is sailing with his wife and daughter to Europe - “Atlantis”, as if wanting to once again remind readers of the doom of existence, the main content of which was the passion for pleasure.
Mister from San Francisco— at the very beginning of the story, the hero’s lack of a name is motivated by the fact that “no one remembered him.” G. “went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment. He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, pleasure, and an excellent trip in all respects. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life, despite his fifty-eight years.” Bunin sets out in detail the route of the upcoming trip: Southern Italy - Nice - Monte Carlo - Florence - Rome - Venice - Paris - Seville - Athens - Palestine - Egypt, “even Japan, of course, is already on the way back.” “Everything went fine at first,” but in this dispassionate statement of what is happening, the “hammers of fate” can be heard.
G.- one of the many passengers on the large ship Atlantis, which looked like “a huge hotel with all the amenities, with a night bar, oriental baths, and its own newspaper.” The ocean, which has long become a symbol of life in world literature in its variability, menace and unpredictability, “was terrible, but no one thought about it”; “on the forecastle the siren constantly howled with hellish gloom and squealed with frantic anger, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra.” “Siren” is a symbol of world chaos, “music” is a symbol of calm harmony. The constant juxtaposition of these leitmotifs determines the dissonant stylistic intonation of the story. Bunin gives a portrait of his hero: “Dry, short, poorly cut, but tightly sewn<...>. There was something Mongolian in his yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache, his large teeth glittered with gold fillings, and his strong bald head was old ivory.” Another important, as it turns out later, deceptive detail: “The tuxedo and starched underwear made you look very young” G.
When the ship arrived in Naples, G. and his family decide to get off the ship and go to Capri, where, “everyone assured,” it was warm. Bunin does not indicate whether G.’s tragic outcome was predetermined if he had remained on Atlantis. Already during the voyage on a small boat to the island of Capri, G. felt “as he should have, a completely old man” and thought with irritation about the goal of his journey - about Italy.
The day of his arrival in Capri became “significant” in G’s life. He is looking forward to an elegant evening in the company of a famous beauty, but when he gets dressed, he involuntarily mutters: “Oh, this is terrible!”, “without trying to understand, without thinking what exactly is terrible.” He overcomes himself, waits for his wife in the reading room, reads newspapers - “when suddenly the lines flashed before him with a glassy shine, his neck tensed, his eyes bulged, his pince-nez flew off his nose... He rushed forward, wanted to take a breath of air - and wheezed wildly; his lower jaw fell off, illuminating his entire mouth with gold fillings, his head fell onto his shoulder and began to roll, the chest of his shirt stuck out like a box - and his whole body, writhing, lifting up the carpet with his heels, crawled to the floor, desperately struggling with someone.” G.'s agony is depicted physiologically and dispassionately. However, death does not fit into the lifestyle of a wealthy hotel. “If there had not been a German in the reading room, the hotel would have quickly and deftly managed to hush up this terrible incident<...>they would have rushed away by the legs and by the head of the gentleman from San Francisco, to hell - and not a single soul of the guests would have known what he had done.” G. “persistently fights death,” but calms down “in the smallest, worst, coldest and dampest room, at the end of the lower corridor.” A quarter of an hour later, everything is in order at the hotel, but with a reminder of death, “the evening was irreparably ruined.”
On Christmas Day, the body of “a dead old man, having experienced much humiliation, much human neglect” in “a long box of English water soda” is sent along the same route, first on a small steamer, then on “the same famous ship” goes home. But the body is now hidden from the living in the womb of the ship - in the hold. A vision of the Devil appears, observing “a ship, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of the New Man with an old heart.”
At the end of the story, Bunin re-describes the brilliant and easy life of the ship’s passengers, including the dance of a pair of hired lovers: and no one knew their secret and fatigue from pretense, no one knew about G.’s body “at the bottom of the dark hold, next to the gloomy and the sultry bowels of the ship, heavily overcome by the darkness, the ocean, the blizzard...” This finale can be interpreted as a victory over death and at the same time as submission to the eternal circle of existence: life - death. T. Mann put the story on a par with “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by L. Tolstoy.
The story was originally titled "Death on Capri". Bunin connected the idea of the story with Thomas Mann’s story “Death in Venice,” but even more with memories of the sudden death of an American who came to Capri. However, as the writer admitted, he invented “San Francisco and everything else” while living on his cousin’s estate in the Yeletsky district of the Oryol province.