The main idea is a gentleman from san francisco. Analysis of the work "The gentleman from San Francisco" (Bunin). "The gentleman from San Francisco"

Symbolism and the existential meaning of the story

"The gentleman from San Francisco"

In the last lesson, we got acquainted with the work of Ivan Alekseevich Bunin and began to analyze one of his stories "The gentleman from San Francisco". We talked about the composition of the story, discussed the system of images, talked about the poetics of the Bunin word. Today in the lesson we have to determine the role of details in the story, mark the images-symbols, formulate the theme and idea of the work and come to Bunin's understanding of human existence.

· Let's talk about the details in the story. What details did you see; which of them seemed symbolic to you.

· To begin with, let's remember the concept of "detail".

Detail - a particularly significant highlighted element of an artistic image, an expressive detail in a work, carrying a semantic and ideological - emotional load.

1. Already in the first phrase, there is a certain irony to Mr.: "No one remembered his name either in Naples or in Capri", thereby the author emphasizes that Mr. is just a person.

2. The gentleman from S-F is himself a symbol - this is a collective image of all the bourgeois of that time.

3. Absence of a name is a symbol of facelessness, inner lack of spirituality of the hero.

4. The image of the steamer "Atlantis" is a symbol of society with its hierarchy: the idle aristocracy of which is opposed to people who control the movement of the ship, working in the sweat of their brow at the "gigantic" furnace, which the author calls the ninth circle of hell.

5. The images of ordinary inhabitants of Capri are alive and real, and thus the writer emphasizes that the outward well-being of the wealthy strata of society does not mean anything in the ocean of our life, that their wealth and luxury are not protection from the flow of real, real life, that such people are initially doomed to moral baseness and a dead life.

6. The very image of the ship is a shell of an idle life, and the ocean is the rest of the world, raging, changing, but in no way touching our hero.

7. The name of the ship - "Atlantis" (What is associated with the word "Atlantis"? - lost civilization), contains a premonition of a disappearing civilization.

8. And does the description of the steamer evoke any other associations in your mind? The description is similar to "Titanic", which confirms the idea that a mechanized society is doomed to a sad outcome.

9. Still, there is a bright beginning in the story. The beauty of the sky and the mountains, which, as it were, merges with the images of the peasants, nevertheless asserts that there is a true, real in life that is not subject to money.

10. The siren and music is also a symbol skillfully used by the writer, in this case the siren is world chaos, and music is harmony and peace.

11. The image of the captain of the ship, whom the author compares with a pagan god at the beginning and at the end of the story, is symbolic. Outwardly, this man really looks like an idol: red-haired, monstrous in size and weight, in a naval uniform with wide gold stripes. He, as befits God, lives in the captain's cabin - the highest point of the ship, where passengers are prohibited from entering, he is rarely shown in public, but passengers unconditionally believe in his power and knowledge. And the captain himself, being a man after all, feels very insecure in the stormy ocean and hopes for the telegraph apparatus in the adjacent radio cabin.

12. The writer ends the story with a symbolic picture. The steamer, in the hold of which the former millionaire lies in the coffin, floats through the gloom and blizzard in the ocean, and from the rocks of Gibraltar the Devil is watching him, "huge as a cliff." It was he who got the soul of the master from San Francisco, he owns the souls of the rich (pp. 368-369).

13.Gold seals of the gentleman from San Francisco

14. his daughter - with "the most delicate pink pimples near the lips and between the shoulder blades", dressed with innocent frankness

15. Negro servants "with squirrels, like peeled hard eggs"

16. color details: Mr. smoked to a crimson redness of the face, stokers - crimson from the flames, red jackets of musicians and a black crowd of lackeys.

17.the crown prince is all wooden

18.the beauty has a tiny bent shabby dog

19. a pair of dancing "lovers" - a handsome man who looks like a huge leech

20. Luigi's respect is reduced to idiocy

21. gong in a hotel on Capri sounds "loud, like in a pagan temple"

22. the old woman in the corridor "stooped but lowered", hurried forward "like a chicken."

23. Mr. was lying on a cheap iron bed, a coffin for him was a box of soda water

24. From the very beginning of the journey, he is surrounded by a lot of details that portend or remind of death. First, he is going to go to Rome to listen to the Catholic prayer of repentance (which is read before death), then the steamer Atlantis, which is a dual symbol in the story: on the one hand, the steamer symbolizes a new civilization, where power is determined by wealth and pride, therefore in the end, the ship, and even with that name, must sink. On the other hand, "Atlantis" is the personification of hell and heaven.

· What role do the numerous details play in the story?

· How does Bunin draw a portrait of his hero? How does the reader feel and why?

(“Dry, short, wrongly cut, but tightly sewn ... There was something Mongolian in his yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache, his large teeth glittered with gold fillings, a strong bald head like bone old ...” This portrait description is lifeless; it evokes feeling disgust, because we have before us some kind of physiological description. The tragedy has not yet arrived, but it is already felt in these lines).

Ironically, Bunin ridicules all the vices of the bourgeois image life through the collective image of the master, numerous details - the emotional characteristics of the characters.

· You've probably noticed that time and space stand out in the piece. Why do you think the plot develops on the journey?

The road is a symbol of the path of life.

· How does the hero relate to time? How did the master plan his trip?

when describing the world around us from the point of view of a gentleman from San Francisco, the time is indicated precisely and clearly; in a word, time is specific. The days on the boat and in the Neapolitan hotel are planned by the hour.

· In which fragments of the text does the action develop rapidly, and in which plot time does it seem to stop?

Time goes by imperceptibly when the author tells about real, full life: a panorama of the Gulf of Naples, a sketch of a street market, colorful images of the boatman Lorenzo, two Abruzzian highlanders and - most importantly - a description of a "joyful, beautiful, sunny" country. And time seems to stop when the story of the measured, planned life of the gentleman from San Francisco begins.

· When is the first time a writer calls a hero not a master?

(On the way to the island of Capri. When nature conquers him, he feels old man: “And the gentleman from San Francisco, feeling himself as befits him, - quite an old man, - was already thinking with longing and anger about all these greedy, garlic-stinking people called Italians ...” Right now, feelings awaken in him: “melancholy and anger "," despair ". And again the detail arises - "enjoying life"!)

· What do the New World and the Old World mean (why not America and Europe)?

The phrase "Old World" appears already in the first paragraph, when it tells about the purpose of the gentleman's trip from San Francisco: "solely for the sake of entertainment." And, emphasizing the ring composition of the story, it also appears in the ending - in combination with "New World". The New World, which gave birth to the type of people consuming culture "solely for the sake of entertainment", the "Old World" are living people (Lorenzo, highlanders, etc.). The New World and the Old World are two facets of humanity, where there is a difference between isolation from historical roots and a living sense of history, between civilization and culture.

· Why do events take place in December (Christmas Eve)?

it is the ratio of birth and death, moreover, the birth of the Savior of the old world and the death of one of the representatives of the artificial new world, and the coexistence of two time lines - mechanical and genuine.

· Why did death overtake Mr. from San Francisco in Capri, Italy?

All people, regardless of their financial position, are equal in the face of death. The rich man who decided to get all the pleasures at once, "Just beginning to live" at 58 years old (!), suddenly dies.

· What feelings does the death of an old man evoke in others? How do others behave towards the master's wife and daughter?

His death does not cause sympathy, but a terrible commotion. The innkeeper apologizes and promises to settle the matter quickly. Society is outraged that someone dared to ruin their rest, to remind them of death. They feel disgust and disgust for a recent companion and his wife. The corpse in a rough box is quickly sent into the hold of the steamer. A rich man who considered himself important and significant, having turned into a dead body, is not needed by anyone.

The idea can be traced in details, in the plot and composition, in the antithesis of a false and genuine human existence. (fake rich men are opposed - Couple on a steamer, the strongest image-symbol of the world of consumption, love plays, these are hired lovers - and real inhabitants of Capri, mostly poor).

The idea is that human life is fragile, everyone is equal in the face of death. Expresses through a description of the attitude of others to the living Mr. and to him after death. The master thought that money gave him an advantage. "He was sure that he had every right to rest, pleasure, travel in all respects excellent ... firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life."

· Did our hero live a full life before this trip? What has he devoted all his life to?

up to that moment, Mr. did not live, but existed, that is, his entire conscious life was devoted to "catching up with those whom Mr. took as a model." All of the master's beliefs turned out to be wrong.

· Pay attention to the ending: it is the hired couple that is highlighted here - why?

After the death of the master, nothing has changed, all the rich also continue to live their mechanized life, and the "couple in love" also continues to play love for money.

· Can we call the story a parable? What is a parable?

Parable - a short edifying story in an allegorical form, containing a moral lesson.

· So, can we call the story a parable?

We can, because it tells about the insignificance of wealth and power in the face of death and the triumph of nature, love, sincerity (images of Lorenzo, the Abruzzian highlanders).

· Can a person resist nature? Can he plan everything like the gentleman from SF?

Man is mortal ("suddenly mortal" - Woland), therefore man cannot resist nature. All technical advances do not save a person from death. This is the eternal philosophy and tragedy of life: a person is born to die.

· What does the parable story teach us?

"The Lord of ..." teaches us to enjoy life, and not to be internally spiritless, not to succumb to a mechanized society.

Bunin's story has an existential meaning. (Existential - associated with being, the existence of a person.) In the center of the story - the questions of life and death.

· What is capable of withstanding nothingness?

Genuine human existence, which is shown by the writer in the image of Lorenzo and the Abruzzian highlanders (excerpt from the words "Only the market traded on a small area ... 367-368").

· What conclusions can we draw by looking at this episode? What are the two sides of the coin that the author shows us?

Poor Lorenzo, poor Abruzzian highlanders, singing the glory of the greatest poor people in the history of mankind - the Mother of God and the Savior, who was born "in poor shepherd's shelter. “Atlantis”, the civilization of the rich, which is trying to overcome the darkness, the ocean, the blizzard is an existential delusion of mankind, a diabolical delusion.

A summary (brief) of the story "The gentleman from San Francisco" is given, the main idea is determined, socio-philosophical problems, symbols and metaphors are revealed, a characterization of the characters is given, a conclusion is formulated that determines the moral lessons of this work.

If you need an oral summary of the "Lord of San Francisco", you can follow the following plan:

1. The master's plan
2. Prospective travel route
3. Description of the ship
4. One day of first class passengers
5. What the gentleman was doing in Naples
6. Arrival to Capri
7. The sudden death of the hero
8. Return to America

The history of the creation of the story "The gentleman from San Francisco" It is worth paying attention to the year of writing the story - 1915, in the historical context this is the time of the First World War, which is mentioned only in one detail, which speaks of the attitude of the well-fed bourgeois world to this tragedy.

The hero indifferently read a few lines about the protracted Balkan conflict, wanted to turn the newspaper over, and suddenly these “lines flashed” before his eyes, marking his death throes. Death was not somewhere far away, in the war, but behind his own back. The idea of a possible death in the war or without it is uniquely revealed by the author of "The Lord from San Francisco".

Bunin replaced the original title “Death on Capri”, and later removed the epigraph borrowed from the Apocalypse: “Woe to you, Babylon, strong city”, considering them too obvious clues to understanding the meaning of the work.

Why is the story called "The Master from San Francisco"? The meaning of the name was determined by the word denoting the dominant status of the hero, devoid of a name, which means that he does not stand out among his own kind. In a simple plot, describing an accident that suddenly interrupted the prosperous life of a successful American, a deep philosophical theme of the meaning of life is revealed. The presentation used ring composition... The action begins and ends with a ship sailing to Europe and returning to America. And Bunin chose the place of action and the name of the ship "Atlantis", recalling the tragedy of the "Titanic" in 1912 in the Atlantic Ocean and the legendary island buried in the ocean.

Bunin himself traveled extensively in Europe from 1910 to 1913, lived in Capri for six months, the description of the island and travel impressions are reflected in the narrative.

A summary of the story "The gentleman from San Francisco"

A gentleman from San Francisco planned an entertaining trip with his family to the Old World. Absolutely confident that he deserved peace, he decided after 58 years to start living for pleasure. Never before had he allowed himself a rest, multiplying his fortune using hired Chinese. Based on the experience of people of his circle, who knew a lot about enjoying life, he decided to start a cruise from Europe, India, Egypt. The route was supposed to be extensive. According to the plan, I decided to spend two winter months in the south of Italy, to go to Nice and Monte Carlo for the carnival to join an elite society. At the beginning of spring, go to Florence, during Holy Week - to Rome for Mass, then Venice, Paris, Seville, England, Athens, Constantinople and at the end of the journey - Japan.

The giant ship "Atlantis" resembled a comfortable hotel with bars, restaurants, baths. Passengers' pastime was orderly: in the morning they drank coffee or cocoa, took water procedures, did gymnastics and, having dressed, got ready for breakfast. Afterwards, they walked along the decks, breathing the fresh sea air, or played some games to whet the appetite for the next, more hearty breakfast. This was followed by a two-hour rest on deck in reed chairs. Tourists, wrapped in blankets, admired the foamy waves. Refreshed and rested passengers were treated to tea, by evening they announced the beginning of the main event of the day with a siren. In the evenings, all the floors of the ship were brightly lit. A huge number of servants worked in kitchens, wine warehouses, dishwashers. And all the vacationers forgot about the ocean roaring overboard, believing the power over the elements of a huge, overweight red-haired captain.

A beautiful orchestra played in the shining hall, filled with ladies in open dresses and gentlemen in tuxedos and tailcoats. Well-trained footmen, respectable head waiter obligingly fulfilled all the wishes of the public. In the midst of this splendor, a gentleman from San Francisco sits at an exquisitely set table. This is a lean, short, but strong physique, balding man. His wife is large and richly dressed. A daughter, tall and thin, with a carefully styled hairdo, in a frank but innocent outfit.

After the sumptuous banquet, dancing began, the men in the bar smoked cigars and drank expensive drinks. And no one remembered the raging ocean and the blizzard overboard. Only those on duty in bad weather and cold served, in the holds undressed to the waist from the heat, breathing fetid fumes, sailors
they threw coal into the furnaces. And in the brightly lit dance hall, music played, tango and waltz danced carefree. Among the graceful crowd was a "great" rich man, a popular writer, a famous socialite and a constantly dancing couple in love, whose touching relationship was watched with interest by everyone, not realizing that they were hired to portray "real" love for good money.

The theme of love in the story is not touched upon, because it does not exist. The dancers' feelings are false, the master's daughter is fascinated not by a strange prince, but by his noble birth. Life on the ship for passengers was carefree, but monotonous. Only one day in the life of high society in the story "Master from San Francisco" can be judged on all the other days, because they are similar to one another.

Soon a prince of some Asian country appeared on board, small in stature, with a wide face and narrow eyes, who attracted everyone's attention, including the master's daughter. Although he was ugly and strange, the girl's heart fluttered with excitement in the presence of the royal person.

The gentleman did not skimp on the way and therefore counted on the care of the people serving him. Upon arrival in Naples, life continued according to the established rules: breakfast, excursions by car through the streets, visits to boring museums and cold temples with tombstones, then another breakfast on Mount San Martino in the company of high-class people, after lunch at the hotel with a hearty meal and wines. By nightfall, a servant delivered heating pads to the guests suffering from indigestion.

The weather darkened the rest. The afternoon sun gave way to drizzling rain. Everything seemed dirty, the sights were monotonous, the street crowds were annoying. The lord and his wife began to quarrel, the daughter
there was a changeable state: now enthusiastic, now painful. The family of the gentleman from San Francisco decided to leave for Capri and stay in Sorento, visit the ruins of the palace of Emperor Tiberius and listen
Abruzzian pipers. Having reached the island by steamer, suffering in
swimming from seasickness, the family settled in the best room in an expensive hotel. What he saw on the way was finally disappointing, dreams failed, cruel reality ruined plans. Italy, the beauty of which they had come to enjoy, appeared before them as pitiful houses, fussy and noisy Italians. The rainy, windy weather and stormy sea finally spoiled the mood.

At the hotel they were met by the owner himself, and it seemed to the gentleman that he had dreamed of this man the day before. Not believing in mysticism, but a little surprised, he told his wife and daughter about this. They were given the best maid and the quickest servant of Luigi. Having informed the maitre d 'about his desire to dine, the mister began to carefully prepare for the evening feast. Finishing his evening dress, he hardly buttoned the collar of his snow-white shirt, muttering involuntarily: "This is terrible."

Dressed like a crown, he went into the reading room, expecting his wife and daughter. He flipped through the headlines in the newspapers and suddenly collapsed to the floor in a fit. An involuntary German witness rushed to call for help. The evening was ruined for the guests watching the scene of the death of the gentleman from San Francisco. The footmen hastily carried the body, throbbing in convulsions, to the most lousy room, where the gentleman died. The owner, trying to hide the unpleasant incident, did not allow the deceased to be transferred to his apartment and offered a long box from under the water instead of the coffin.

Early in the morning, the body in a box was taken out of the hotel and sent by steamer to Naples. Life on the island continued as before. The tourists were still asleep, the commoners in the market were already working. Carefree boatman Lorenzo rejoiced in the morning, two Abruzzian highlanders, admiring the nature of their native Italy, sang praises to the Virgin Mary. The body of the old man again gets on the steamer Atlantis, only he returns home in the hold. And on the upper decks, a carefree and joyful life still flows, despite the blizzard and storm. And no one remembered the name of the master, from which he died. The Devil is watching the sailing ship from rocky Gibraltar.

Philosophical and social issues of the "Master from San Francisco"

Often the genre of the story is defined as a parable, because it touches on the true values of human existence, which a person forgets about, who has devoted his existence to the most important thing for him - earning capital, thinking that money can provide him with confidence in the future and a happy life. Bunin, analyzing the problems of social structure, gives quite weighty arguments that the material component of human existence, although a necessary part, is far from the main one.

The plans of the "master of life" are violated by what is not bought. The element of nature spoils an expensive trip, and before a sudden death, everyone is equal, regardless of the state of the bank account. The disregard and superficial attitude of the gentlemen to Christian values is emphasized in detail. The hero's route is planned according to the church calendar: Christmas in Italy, Easter in Rome. But this is just a tribute to the traditions of cultural and expensive recreation, not faith. Gloomy temples are boring, endless crucifixions of Christ by some celebrities in museums are uninteresting. The gentlemen are amused by shooting at white doves. It is no coincidence that the master died on Capri, where he planned a pilgrimage to the ruins of the palaces of the legendary cruel emperor Tiberius, in whose reign Jesus was crucified. Social issues related to glorification
achievements of technical progress to the detriment of the spiritual improvement of the individual. Wandering Abruzzian bagpipers want to sing the praises of the Mother of God from the joy they experience while walking along the road and seeing the beauty of their beautiful and sunny country. They are not allowed to travel on expensive liners and live in luxury hotels, but they are free and happy.

An analysis of the work "Mr. from San Francisco" helps to understand that the civilization generated by man enslaves him, depersonalizes and deprives him of freedom, regardless of social status. Wealthy first-class passengers perform the same ritual every day, the main actions of which are to stimulate appetite, eat, and solve digestive problems. But people forced to work hard for a pittance also turn into slaves to serve their masters, like sailors in the hold or the Chinese who worked for the master.

Master image

Describing the portrait of the protagonist, Bunin emphasizes the unnatural appearance in vivid epithets: golden crowns, silver mustaches, ivory skin, the remnants of pearl hair. The appearance of the gentleman demonstrates his consistency and high cost.

In the characterization of the gentleman from San Francisco, it is worth noting his efficiency and perseverance in achieving his goals. But, like most people in the world of capital, he is impersonal and spiritless. The gentleman is devoid of a name, biography and character. There is only a well-groomed and richly dressed body. It is known that he made a fortune thanks to cheap wage labor and decided to retire, dreaming of enjoying a comfortable and well-fed life. Life values for him are preferable in monetary terms.

To the author's question of what the gentleman thought and felt on his last day, the banal answer follows - he was hungry. Feeling unwell after the pitching, exhausted by the careful dressing for dinner, he intuitively defines his condition with the word "terrible". The cruelty of fate in the story is manifested in the fact that the hero suddenly dies when he has achieved a lot. So little is said about his life, which can be expressed in three words: worked - earned - died. It took many more words to describe the scene of his death. He begins to change only before his death. Death returns him to his human appearance: his facial features began to brighten and thin out.

Symbolism of the work

The artistic features are interesting when describing images of people, nature or a ship as symbols. Bunin often uses an antithesis that emphasizes contradictions and is used in metaphors and epithets: a daughter dressed with innocent frankness, a sinfully modest dancer's partner.

In the description of the ship, human society is symbolically modeled. The upper decks of the ship, intended for the idle elite, who live their lives in carnal pleasures, resemble an earthly paradise. At the very bottom, in the hold, as in the underworld, among the boilers and furnaces, people, exhausted by the heat of furnaces, work.

The fate of the gentleman from San Francisco symbolizes the spiritual extinction of the bourgeois world. It is no coincidence that the name of the ship reminds of an extinct civilization. A society in which financial interests are higher than spiritual ones is doomed.

The image of the captain is presented as a powerful pagan idol in which the passengers believe, and the ship seems to them a reliable stronghold, but in front of the ocean it is insignificant. For the devil, watching the self-destruction of people, the sailing ship turns into a point on the horizon and disappears against the background of the ocean.

The image of the devil in "The Lord from San Francisco" is interesting because he is not an evil tempter, but just an impassive observer of what people do to themselves.

The image of the ocean is contrasted with the human world. He is terrible, not subject to anyone but God, and is able to swallow people into his abyss, but they try not to think about him. Nature is animated in the story.

Minor characters from "The Lord of San Francisco" These characters are not directly related to the action of the story. But the episodes describing them are significant for understanding the main idea. Unlike the protagonist, some are given names. There is a lively beginning in these characters.

The description of the boatman Lorenzo adds a small but expressive touch. He is a celebrity in Italy, because he posed for painters more than once, having a colorful appearance. The handsome old man has magnificent habits, he is not ashamed of his rags. Lorenzo is happy that they bought lobsters from him for a pittance, and now he could do nothing all day. His daily bread is enough for the happiness.

It seemed to the Abruzzi highlanders, descending along the rocky road, that the whole island lay at their feet. All their wealth is a bagpipe and a wooden pipe. Their artless songs are contrasted with the music of the orchestra on the steamer
joy and sincerity.

Carmella and Giuseppe, famous performers of tarantella, a passionate dance, are mentioned in passing. And I remember the fake-painful dances of the supposedly loving couple.

The image of Luigi in The Master from San Francisco helps to understand the true attitude of lackeys to masters. An agile and amiable bellboy running errands for the gentleman's family makes faces and makes the maids at the door of the dead old man laugh, scornfully mocking the money-bag.

The main idea of the story

The main idea of the "Master from San Francisco" cannot be reduced only to the fact that wealth is insignificant before death. The claims of human civilization to dominate the world are illusory. The ship, as a symbol of her power, created by “the pride of a New Man with an old heart,” is opposed to the element of life. One can feel the author's irony in the capitalization of common nouns in this quote from the story.

We can draw a conclusion from the story "The gentleman from San Francisco." The work created more than a hundred years ago has not lost its relevance. Technological progress makes life more comfortable, but moves away from spirituality. The consumer society continues to transform the new person into an impersonal philistine with an old heart, who, believing in the imaginary power of money, spends his life on enrichment and forgets about simple and eternal values.

On the cover: Illustration by O. G. Vereisky. ()

The meaning of the title and the problematics of the story of I.A. Bunin
"The gentleman from San Francisco"
(preparation lesson for composition)

Stage 1. Analysis of the topic.

Comprehension of each word of the topic

meaning - meaning, essence, essence, inner content, depth.

name - heading, title, title, topic, idea.

problematic - a set of problems, a range of issues.

composition - story, short story, narration.

Bunin - remarkable Russian writer of the early twentieth century, author, writer.

Highlighting keywords

The meaning of the name

problematic

I. A. Bunin

"The gentleman from San Francisco"

Formulating the topic in other words

The meaning of the title and the range of issues in the story of IA Bunin "The Lord from San Francisco".

The depth of the name and the totality of problems is the story of IA Bunin "The gentleman from San Francisco".

Stage 2. Search for a task enclosed in a topic.

What is the meaning of the title and what are the problems of the story of IA Bunin "The Lord from San Francisco"?

Why IA Bunin called his story "The gentleman from San Francisco"?

Is IA Bunin's story "The gentleman from San Francisco" instructive?

Is the human claim to dominance worthwhile?

Stage 3. Formulation of the thesis.

IN title story I. A. Bunina"Mister from San Francisco" is full summarized his content... AND "Lord", and members of his families remain nameless while minor characters - Lorenzo, Luigi- endowed with proper names... The elements living life Bunin contrasts venality the bourgeoisie, hostility to natural life, lack of compassion... In the story, in an irreconcilable conflict, hard work and idleness, decency and depravity, sincerity and falsity collide. Problems to which the author in his story is "Eternal themes" literature.

Stage 4. Structuring the essay.

Highlighting keywords.

Combining key concepts into semantic "nests".

IA Bunin, "The gentleman from San Francisco", conflict.

The lord and his family, nameless, faceless; not life, but existence, bargaining, venality, idle life, attitude to nature, natural life, disintegration of human ties, lack of compassion, hostility to natural life, idleness, depravity, deceit.

Minor characters: Lorenzo, Luigi, proper names, the element of living, natural life, individuality, uniqueness of personality, hard work, decency, sincerity.

- "Eternal themes" of literature: close attention to nature, the "inner" course of human life.

Establishing internal connections between keyword nests.

Determination of the optimal number of parts of the essay.

I.A.Bunin I

"The gentleman from San Francisco"

The gentleman and his family II

have no name

lifestyle reasons

Tragedy

Proper names of people living natural life

Problems

"Eternal themes" of literature

Arranging the structural elements of the essay in a logical order.

Stage 5. Introduction to the essay.

Meaning- this is a subjective meaning, the attitude of a person (author) to what he is talking about, reasoning.

Name- the main idea put forward by the author in the title.

Problematic- this is what worries the writer, questions that make him think about.

Bunin- a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century.

The meaning of the title and the range of issues in the story of IA Bunin "The Lord from San Francisco".

Why IA Bunin called his story "The gentleman from San Francisco"? Why didn't he give his hero a name, how do the heroes of the work live, what moral qualities does the writer endow them with?

Let's try to find the answer to this question by understanding how the heroes of the story live.

IA Bunin is a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century. His work is characterized by an interest in ordinary life, the ability to reveal the tragedy of life. In his story "Mister from San Francisco" the writer discusses the place of man in the world and believes that man is not the center of the Universe, but a grain of sand in the vast world, that the Universe is not subject to man. The story is based on the story of a nameless master. Why IA Bunin called his story "The gentleman from San Francisco"? Why didn't you give your hero a name? Perhaps we will find the answers to these questions by understanding how and how the heroes of the story live, what moral qualities does the writer endow them with?

Stage 6. Designing the main part.

IA Bunin is a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century.

Problems and meaning of the title of IA Bunin's story "The Lord from San Francisco".

The gentleman from San Francisco is the personification of a man of bourgeois civilization.
Lack of spirituality.
Bunin's rejection of the hostility of high society to nature, to natural life.
The world of natural people.
The disintegration of human ties, the lack of compassion is the worst thing for Bunin.

Bunin's address to the "eternal themes" of literature.

Stage 7. Writing an essay.

The gentleman from San Francisco is the personification of a man of bourgeois civilization. The hero is simply called "master", because that is what he is about. He himself considers himself a master and revels in his position. He can afford "just for fun" "to go with his family" to the Old World for two whole years ", can enjoy all the benefits guaranteed by his status, believes" in the care of all those who fed and watered him, served from morning till night to him, warning his slightest desire ", he can contemptuously throw the" ragamuffins "through clenched teeth:" Get out! " A gentleman from San Francisco is valuable to those around him not as a person, but as a master. While he is rich, full of energy, the owner of the hotel bows "politely and elegantly" to his family, and the head waiter makes it clear that "there is and cannot be any doubt about the correctness of the master's wishes."

Describing the appearance of the gentleman, IA Bunin uses epithets that emphasize his wealth and his unnaturalness: “silver mustache”, “gold fillings” of teeth, “strong bald head” is compared to “old ivory”. There is nothing spiritual in the master, his goal is to become rich and reap the fruits of this wealth: "... he almost caught up with those whom he once took as a model ..." The desire came true, but he did not become happier from this. The description of the gentleman from San Francisco is constantly accompanied by the author's irony. The human begins to manifest itself in the master only at death: “It was no longer the master from San Francisco, who was no longer hoarse, but someone else”. Death makes him a man: "his features began to thin, brighten ...". And the author now calls his hero "deceased", "deceased", "dead". The attitude of those around him changes dramatically: the corpse must be removed from the hotel so as not to spoil the mood of other guests, they cannot provide a coffin - only a soda box, a servant who trembled before the living master laughs mockingly at the dead, the hotel owner speaks to his wife "already without any courtesy", and the deceased was placed in the cheapest room, firmly stating the need for urgent removal of the body. The attitude of the master towards people is transferred to him. At the end of the story, the author says that the body of “a dead old man from San Francisco returns“ home, to the grave, to the shores of the New World ”in a black hold: the power of the“ master ”turns out to be ghostly.

The writer does not give a name not only to the main character. The passengers of the ship represent the unnamed "cream" of the society, of which the gentleman from San Francisco so wanted to become a member: "Among this brilliant crowd there was a certain great rich man ... there was a famous Spanish writer, there was an all-world beauty, there was an elegant couple in love ..." Their life is monotonous and is empty: “we got up early,… drank coffee, chocolate, cocoa,… sat in the baths, did gymnastics, whetting appetite and well-being, made daytime toilets and went to the first breakfast…” This is the impersonality, lack of individuality of those who consider themselves to be the masters of life ... This is an artificial paradise, because even the "graceful couple in love" only pretended to be in love: she was "hired by Lloyd to play love for good money." Life on a steamer is illusory. It is "huge", but around it there is a "watery desert" of the ocean and a "cloudy sky". And in the "underwater womb of a steamer", similar to the "dark and sultry depths of the underworld", people were working naked to the waist, "crimson in flame", "drenched in acrid, dirty sweat." The social gap between the rich and the poor is nothing compared to the chasm that separates man from nature and natural life from nothingness. And, of course, Bunin does not accept the hostility of high society to nature, to natural life.

In contrast to "artificial" life, Bunin shows the world of natural people. One of them - Lorenzo - "a tall old boatman, carefree reveler and handsome", probably the same age as the gentleman from San Francisco. Only a few lines are dedicated to him, but a sonorous name is given, in contrast to the title character. Both Lorenzo and the Abruzzian highlanders personify the naturalness and joy of being. They live in harmony, in harmony with the world, with nature: “They walked - and a whole country, joyful, beautiful, sunny, stretched beneath them: the rocky humps of the island, which was almost entirely at their feet, and that fabulous blue, in which he sailed, and the shining morning vapors over the sea to the east, under the blinding sun ... "The bagpipes of goat fur and the wooden tartar of the mountaineers are opposed to the" beautiful orchestra "of the steamer. The highlanders give praise to the sun, the morning, "the immaculate intercessor of all those suffering in this evil and wonderful world, and born of her womb in the cave of Bethlehem ..." , imaginary values of "masters".

Thus, in the story, the theme of the end of the existing world order, the inevitability of the death of a soulless and spiritless civilization, gradually grows. The writer considers the disintegration of human ties, the lack of compassion to be the most terrible. And this is what we see in the story "The gentleman from San Francisco." For Bunin, nature is important, however, in his opinion, human memory is the supreme judge of man. The picturesque poor man, old man Lorenzo, will live forever on the canvases of artists, and the rich old man from San Francisco was erased from life and forgotten, he did not have time to die. And, therefore, the title of the story was not chosen by chance. In it - an impetus to understanding the meaning, the meaning of the story, which makes you think about the eternal problems of life, death, love, beauty.

The title of IA Bunin's story "The Lord from San Francisco" fully summarizes its content. Both the "master" and the members of his family remain unnamed, while the minor characters - Lorenzo, Luigi - are endowed with their own names. Bunin opposes the elements of living life with the venality of the bourgeoisie, hostility to natural life, and lack of compassion. In the story, in an irreconcilable conflict, hard work and idleness, decency and depravity, sincerity and falsity collide. The problems the author addresses in his story are the "eternal themes" of literature.

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, a recognized master of the short story, invented the main character of his famous and brilliant story "The Lord from San Francisco" on the estate of his cousin, which was located in the Yeletsky district of the Oryol province.

Bunin was called the successor of the witty Chekhov's realism at the very beginning of his work, and the originality of his works is justified by the fact that his follower adorns the characteristic Chekhov's realism with his lyrical, skillful style and narrative rich in details. He has a desire to reveal the tragedy and fatality of human existence as realistically and fully as possible, to realize his interest in a simple, philistine life, and thereby emphasize that the meaning of such a life is no different from the life of the intelligentsia and the upper strata of society.

The image of the gentleman from San Francisco

Significant symbolism can be called the fact that Bunin does not even mention the name of the protagonist, the story constantly sounds "the gentleman from San Francisco", and this is due to the fact that no one remembered him. He is a capitalist, an American millionaire who has spent his entire existence making more and more profits. He goes on a trip with complete confidence that there he will receive a lot of pleasure and a lot of entertainment for the money that he has.

The main character is a passenger of the large ship "Atlantis", the ocean in this case is shown as a symbol of life, changeable and fluid, and the story indicates that "he was scary, but they did not think about him." The ship itself represents an island of luxurious life, with all the comforts and luxury, on which the siren was constantly heard, but it was drowned out by the sounds of melodic music. The siren and music are also symbolism skillfully used by the writer, in this case the siren is world chaos, and music is harmony and peace.

The idea and meaning of the story

The main idea of the story it is revealed when a gentleman from San Francisco, together with his family, disembarks from the ship in Naples and goes to Capri, and it is there that Bunin's deep and philosophical idea becomes clear. In a hotel in Capri, before going out to dinner, at which he was supposed to spend a gorgeous evening in the company of a beauty, he suddenly dies. And the most ironic thing is that a rich and influential gentleman from San Francisco is placed in the most disgusting room after death, and his body is sent back to the steamer in a worn out soda box, without informing the other wealthy hotel guests.

In his subtle and at the same time witty and tragic story "The Lord from San Francisco" I.A. Bunin uses symbolic contrast in describing representatives of the bourgeois classes and ordinary people. The images of ordinary workers are alive and real, and thus, the writer emphasizes that the external well-being of the upper and wealthy strata of society does not mean anything in the ocean of our life, that their wealth and luxury are not protection from the flow of real, real life, that such people are initially doomed to moral baseness and a dead life.

The theme of criticism of bourgeois reality is reflected in Bunin's work. One of the best works on this subject can rightfully be called the story "The gentleman from San Francisco", which was highly appreciated by V. Korolenko. The idea to write this story came to Bunin in the process of working on the story "Brothers", when he learned about the death of a millionaire who had come to rest on the island of Capri. At first, the writer named the story “Death on Capri”, but later renamed it. It is the gentleman from San Francisco with his millions that is in the center of the writer's attention.
Describing the insane luxury of living the rich, he takes into account every little thing. And the master himself does not even give a name, no one remembered this person, he has no face and soul, he is only a bag of money. The writer creates a collective image of a bourgeois businessman, whose whole life is the accumulation of money. Having lived to the age of 58, he finally decided to get all the pleasures that can be bought: “... he thought to hold the carnival in Nice, in Monte Carlo, where at this time the most selective society flocks, where some indulge in car and sailing races with passion , others are roulette, the third is what is commonly called flirting, and the fourth is pigeon shooting. " All his life this gentleman saved money, never rested, became "decrepit", unhealthy and devastated. It seems to him that he "just started life."
In Bunin's prose, there is no moralizing or denunciation, but the author treats this hero with sarcasm and sarcasm. He describes his appearance, habits, but there is no psychological portrait, because the hero has no soul. Money took his soul away. The author notes that over the years the master has learned to suppress any, even weak, manifestations of the soul. Having decided to have fun, the rich man cannot imagine that his life can end at any moment. Money supplanted common sense from him. He is sure that as long as they are there, he has nothing to fear.
Bunin, using the technique of contrast, depicts the external solidity of a person and his internal emptiness and primitiveness. In describing the rich man, the writer uses comparisons with inanimate objects: a bald head, like an ivory, a doll, a robot, etc. The hero does not speak, but utters several lines in a hoarse voice. The society of wealthy gentlemen in which the hero revolves is just as mechanical and soulless. They live by their own laws, trying not to notice ordinary people, who are treated with disdainful contempt. The meaning of their existence is reduced to eating, drinking, smoking, enjoying and talking about them. Following the travel program, the rich man visits museums, examines the monuments with the same indifference. The values of culture and art are empty words for him, but he paid for the excursions.
The steamer Atlantis, on which the millionaire is sailing, is depicted by the writer as a diagram of society. It has three tiers: on top - the captain, on the average - the rich, in the bottom - workers and service personnel. Bunin compares the lower tier to hell, where tired workers in the terrible heat day and night throw coal into red-hot furnaces. A terrible ocean is raging around the steamer, but people entrusted their lives to a dead machine. All of them consider themselves the masters of nature and are sure that if they paid, the ship and the captain are obliged to deliver them to their destination. Bunin shows the thoughtless self-confidence of people living in the illusion of wealth. The name of the ship is symbolic. The writer makes it clear that the world of the rich, in which there is no purpose and meaning, will one day disappear from the face of the earth, like Atlantis.
The writer emphasizes that everyone is equal in the face of death. The rich man, who decides to get all the pleasures at once, suddenly dies. His death does not cause sympathy, but a terrible commotion. The innkeeper apologizes and promises to settle the matter quickly. Society is outraged that someone dared to ruin their rest, to remind them of death. They feel disgust and disgust for a recent companion and his wife. The corpse in a rough box is quickly sent into the hold of the steamer.
Bunin draws attention to a sharp change in attitudes towards the dead rich man and his wife. The accommodating owner of the hotel becomes arrogant and callous, while the servants become inattentive and rude. A rich man who considered himself important and significant, having turned into a dead body, is not needed by anyone. The writer ends the story with a symbolic picture. The steamer, in the hold of which the former millionaire lies in the coffin, floats through the gloom and blizzard in the ocean, and from the rocks of Gibraltar the Devil is watching him, "huge as a cliff." It was he who got the soul of the gentleman from San Francisco, it is he who owns the souls of the rich.
The writer raises philosophical questions about the meaning of life, about the riddle of death, about the punishment for the sin of pride and complacency. He predicts a terrible end to a world ruled by money and no laws of conscience.