Which is better: truth or compassion (after Gorky's play "At the bottom")

M. Gorky (real name Alexei Peshkov) is the largest major literary figure of the Soviet era. He started writing in the 19th century, even then his works seemed all revolutionary and propagandistic. However, the early work of the writer is significantly different from the following. After all, the author began with romantic stories. Gorky's play "At the bottom" is an example of a realistic drama in the center of which is an image of the oppressed, hopeless life of the lower classes of Russian society. In addition to social issues, the work has a vast philosophical layer: the characters of the play discuss important issues, in particular, what is better: truth or compassion?

The problem of the genre

As for the genre of this work, not all researchers are unanimous in their opinions. Some believe that the fairest thing to call plays social drama. After all, the main thing that Gorky shows is the problems of people who have fallen to the bottom of life. The heroes of the play are drunkards, sharers, prostitutes, thieves ... The action takes place in a god-forgotten doss house, where no one cares about his "neighbor". Others believe that it would be more correct to call the work a philosophical drama. According to this point of view, in the center of the image is a clash of views, a conflict of ideas. The main question about which the heroes are arguing: what is better is truth or compassion? Undoubtedly, everyone answers this question in his own way. And in general, up to the end it is not clear, whether there is an unequivocal answer. One way or another, the philosophical layer in the play is associated with the appearance in it of Luke, which prompts the inhabitants of the lodging house to reflect on their own lives.

Heroes of the play

The main characters of the play are the residents of the doss house. The owner of the doss house Kostylev, his wife Vasilisa, the actor (the former actor of the provincial theater), Satin, the Mite (locksmith), Natasha-sister Vasilisa, the thief Vaska Pepel, Bubnov and the Baron take part in the action. One of the heroes is "stranger", this is the wanderer of Luke, who appeared from nowhere and went to nowhere after the third act. It is these characters that appear throughout the play. There are other characters, but their roles are auxiliary. Kostylevs are a married couple, who digest each other with difficulty. Both of them are rude and scandalous, to the same cruel. Vasilisa is in love with Vaska Ashes and tells him to kill his elderly husband. But Vaska does not want to, because he knows her, and knows that she wants to send him to the enemy in order to separate her from the set Natalia. Actor and Satin have a special role in the drama. The actor has long since drunk off, his dreams of a big stage can not come true. He, like a man from the story of Luke, who believed in a righteous earth, commits suicide at the end of the play. Satin's monologues are important. Semantic load, he confronts Luka, although at the same time, he does not blame him for lying, unlike other doss-house residents. It is Satin who answers the question: what is better is truth or compassion. In the play "At the bottom" there are several deaths. Anna, the wife of Mite, dies at the very beginning of the play. Its role, though not long, but very important. The death of Anna on the background of playing cards gives the situation a tragedy. In the third act, Kostylev dies in a fight, which further aggravates the situation of the doss-house residents. And at the very end, there is a suicide of the Actor, to which, however, almost no one pays attention.

Philosophical content of the play

The philosophical content of the drama breaks up into two layers. The first is the question of truth. The second is the answer to the central question in the drama: what is better - truth or compassion?

The truth in the play

Hero Luka - the elder, comes to the doss house and begins to promise all the heroes a brighter future. To Anne, he says that after death, she will go to heaven, where she is in peace, there will be no troubles and no suffering. Actor Luke tells that in some city (the name he forgot) there are hospitals for drunkards, where you can get rid of alcoholism absolutely free of charge. But the reader immediately understands that Luke did not forget the name of the city, because what he says is simply not there. Ashes Luke advises to go to Siberia and take with him Natasha, only there they will be able to improve their lives. Each of the residents of the doss house understands that Luke is deceiving them. But what is the truth? About that and a dispute is under way. According to Luke, the truth can not always be healed, but the lie that is pronounced for good is not a sin. Bubnov and Ash declare that the truth is better bitter, even if it is unbearable, than a lie. But the tick is so confused in his life that he is not interested in anything. The truth is that there is no work, no money and no hope for a more worthy existence. The hero hates this truth as much as Luke's false promises.

Which is better: truth or compassion (after Gorky's play "At the bottom")

This is the main question. Luke solves it one-sidedly: it's better to lie to a person than to hurt him. As an example, he leads a person who believed in the right land, he lived and hoped that whenever he got there. But when I learned that there is no such land, there was no hope, and the man was struck. Ashes and Bubnov deny this position, they are strongly negative towards Luka. Satin holds a slightly different position. He believes that Luka can not be accused of lying. After all, he is lying because of pity and mercy. However, Satin does not accept this: a man - it sounds proud, and you can not humiliate him with pity. The question "what is better - truth or compassion" in the play "At the bottom" is unresolved. Is there any answer to such a difficult and vital question? Perhaps, it is impossible to beat an unequivocal answer. Every hero decides it in his own way, and every person has the right to choose what is better - truth or compassion.

According to Gorky's play "At the bottom" they write essays and become different topics, but one of the most popular concerns precisely this problem, the problem of lying "for salvation."

How to write an essay?

First of all, you need to remember the right composition. In addition, in the essay-reasoning in the example it is necessary to give not only episodes from the work, but also to reinforce what was said by examples from life or other books. The theme "Which is better: truth or compassion" does not allow one-sided interpretation. It is necessary to say that in each situation it is necessary to act differently. Sometimes truth can kill a person, then the question is: did this person say, fearing sin, or, conversely, decided to harm his neighbor and act cruelly. However, not everyone wants to be deceived. If a person has a chance to fix something, to start life in a different way, is it not better to know the truth? But if there is no other way, and the truth will be disastrous, then it is possible to lie. Which is better: the truth or compassion, which is more necessary - everyone decides in his own way at a certain moment in his life. Always need to remember about the charity and mercy.

So, the play is a complex work with a two-level conflict. At the philosophical level, it is a question: what is better is truth or compassion. At the bottom of life were the heroes of the Gorky play, perhaps Luke's lies for them - the only bright moment in life, so can you then consider what the hero is saying, a lie?