The philosophical meaning of the story is the gentleman from San Francisco. Mythological motives in I.a’s story

The problem of man and civilization, man's place in the world is gradually becoming a global problem. Our life has become so complex that often people simply cannot decide, cannot understand why they live, what the purpose of their existence is. In I. A. Bunin’s story “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” we also talk about this problem. The writer tries to answer the questions that interest him: what is a person’s happiness, what is his purpose on earth?

Bunin also poses in his story such a problem as human interaction

AND environment.
In general, Bunin's prose has several distinctive features. With a simple plot, one is struck by the richness of thoughts, images and symbolism that are inherent in the artist’s works. In his narration, Bunin is unfussy, thorough and laconic. It seems that the entire world around him fits into his small works.

This happens thanks to the writer’s figurative and clear style, the typifications that he creates in his work.
With hidden irony and sarcasm, Bunin describes the main character - a gentleman from San Francisco, without even honoring him with a name. The Master himself is full of snobbery and self-satisfaction. All his life he strived for wealth, setting the richest people in the world as an example for himself and trying to achieve the same prosperity as them.

Finally, it seems to him that the set goal is close and, finally, it’s time to relax, to live for his own pleasure: “Until this moment, he did not live, but existed.” And the gentleman is already fifty-eight years old...
The hero considers himself the “master” of the situation, but life itself refutes him. Money is a powerful force, but it cannot buy happiness, prosperity, respect, love, life. When planning to travel to the Old World, the gentleman from San Francisco carefully develops a route: “the people to whom he belonged had the custom of beginning the enjoyment of life with a trip to Europe, India, Egypt...” The plan developed by the gentleman from San Francisco was very extensive: Southern Italy, Nice, then Monte Carlo, Rome, Venice, Paris and even Japan.

It seems that the hero has everything under control, everything is taken into account and verified. But this confidence of the Master is refuted by the weather - the elements are beyond the control of a mere mortal.
Nature, its naturalness, is a force opposite to wealth, human self-confidence, and civilization. For money, you can try not to notice its inconveniences, but this does not always work. And moving to Capri becomes a terrible ordeal for all Atlantis passengers.

The fragile steamer barely coped with the elements that befell it.
The gentleman from San Francisco believed that everything around him was created only to fulfill his desires; the hero firmly believed in the power of the “golden calf”: “He was quite generous on the way and therefore fully believed in the care of all those who fed and watered they served him from morning to evening, preventing his slightest desire.” Yes, the wealth of the American tourist, like a magic key, opened many doors, but not all. It could not prolong his life, it did not protect him even after death.

How much servility and admiration this man saw during his life, the same amount of humiliation his mortal body experienced after death.
Bunin shows how illusory the power of money is in this world, and how pathetic is the person who bets on it. Having created idols for himself, he strives to achieve the same well-being. It seems that the goal has been achieved, he is at the top, for which he worked tirelessly for many years. What did he do that he left for his descendants?

Nobody even remembered his name.
Was there anything to remember? Thousands of such gentlemen travel annually along standard routes, claiming exclusivity, but they are only likenesses of each other, imagining themselves as masters of life. And their turn comes, and they leave without a trace, causing neither regret nor bitterness.

In the story “Mr. from San Francisco,” Bunin showed the illusory and disastrous nature of such a path for a person.
It is important to note one more antithesis in the story. Along with nature, the gentleman from San Francisco and others like him are contrasted with service personnel, who are at the lowest, in the opinion of the gentlemen, stage of development. The ship Atlantis, on the upper deck of which passengers were having fun, also contained another tier - fireboxes, into which tons of coal were thrown, salted from sweat. No attention was paid to these people, they were not served, they were not thought about.

Bunin shows that the lower strata seem to fall out of life, they are called upon only to please the masters. It is generally accepted that those in the furnaces do not live, but exist. But, in fact, the human “shells” are the people having fun on the upper deck.
Thus, in the characters, destinies, and thoughts of his heroes, Bunin reveals the problem of the relationship between man and the surrounding world - natural, social, everyday, historical.

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The problem of man and civilization in I. A. Bunin’s story “The Gentleman from San Francisco”

The main short story writer in Russian literature is Ivan Bunin. The work “Mr. from San Francisco,” the meaning of which is analyzed by high school students in a literature lesson, is a brilliant example of short prose filled with symbols and allusions.

What is this story about? About an American who once died while traveling through the Old World. The philosophical meaning of the work "Mr. from San Francisco" is quite deep. With the next reading, more and more new details are discovered. The article presents the most complete analysis of the story of the great Russian classic.

When was the work created?

Bunin wrote the novella in 1915. This is very important to mention when artistic analysis. At the end of the 19th century or in the middle of the 20th century, the story would not have caused such a resonance. After all, the meaning of the work “Mr. from San Francisco” fully corresponds to the spirit of the times. That calm, peaceful Europe no longer exists. There is an atmosphere of impending disaster in the world.

You can feel the mood of the first years of the war by reading the work “The Gentleman from San Francisco.” The meaning of the work is contained somewhere between the lines. But the fact that Bunin wrote a story on a topical topic does not at all detract from its relevance.

From the history of writing

In the summer of 1915, Ivan Bunin saw Thomas Mann's book "Death in Venice" in a bookstore. He didn't know what the story was about German writer, but its name inspired him. Around the same time, Bunin learned from the newspapers about the sudden death of a wealthy American at the Kwisisana Hotel. Then the Russian writer had the idea to create a short but vivid story about a man who died during a trip to Europe. Bunin at first wanted to call this work “Death on Capri.” But he changed his mind only after writing the first three words - “Mr. from San Francisco.”

The meaning of Thomas Mann's work has nothing in common with the main philosophical idea of Bunin's short story. The story "Death in Venice" is about an elderly man who is an adherent of same-sex love. Bunin read Mann’s book only at the end of autumn and called it very unpleasant.

The meaning of the work "Mr. from San Francisco" is accessible to a teenager. No wonder the story is included in school curriculum. Upon careful reading, you will notice that it is filled with forebodings of a tragedy on a European scale. The work was created a year after the outbreak of the First World War and two years before the February Revolution in Russia - an event that influenced the course of world history.

Nameless hero

What is the meaning of the title of the work "Mr. from San Francisco"? The main character is an American whose name no one remembers either in Capri or Naples. And this, perhaps, is the entire characterization of the character that Bunin gives. No one is interested in the billionaire from San Francisco. No one remembered his name, because this man was unremarkable. Only his money and position in society are of interest. But these categories are illusory. As soon as an American dies, he is immediately forgotten.

Simplicity, clarity - this is it characteristic features story. And maybe that's why philosophical meaning The work "Mr. from San Francisco" has aroused the interest of readers for a century. The story evoked admiring reviews from the writer's contemporaries. It is still read today. The essence of the work “Mr. from San Francisco” was also interpreted by Soviet critics in their own way. After all, who is the main character of the story? An American capitalist who spent his entire life saving, robbing and exploiting the Chinese. For which he was punished with a sudden, absurd death.

Lies and pretense

The main character worked hard and finally saved up for a trip to Europe. He is traveling on a luxury liner with his wife and daughter, intended for people of high society. This liner is easily recognizable as the Titanic. Everything on the ship breathes pretense. It is worth recalling, for example, two characters to whom few readers pay attention. Dancing on the deck beautiful couple. There is sincere happiness in their eyes. Nobody knows that these are just hired actors playing love for big money. They have been sailing on one or another liner for a long time.

"Titanic"

Analyzing the philosophical meaning of Bunin's "Mr. from San Francisco", it is worth remembering tragic fate the famous Titanic. You should also pay attention to the name of the ship on which the main character is sailing. Atlantis is an island-state that has sunk under water. Titans are mythical creatures who dared to oppose themselves to the gods. Zeus severely punished them for their insolence and self-confidence.

For Alexander Blok, the liner that sank in 1914 symbolized global vulgarity. In his diary, the poet mentions the disaster even with some gloating. Bunin's work is filled with forebodings and tells the story of the tragedy not only of an individual, but of all of Europe. However, there is no schadenfreude in the story. Rather, it is pity for both the main character and the secondary characters.

The main symbol in the story

The steamboat in the work of Ivan Bunin is a symbol of the naive and stupid self-confidence of a man of civilization. The main character, being a wealthy man, is convinced that further events in his life they depend only on him. The creators of the huge liner - an example of a high technical achievement of the early 20th century - are confident that the giant machine is capable of withstanding ocean storms.

The gentleman from San Francisco does not have time to realize his mistake. The creators of the Titanic realized it, but too late. Western civilization at the beginning of the 20th century was on the brink of an abyss - this, perhaps, is the meaning of the story of the Russian writer. More than a hundred years have passed since the work was published, but little has changed. “The Mister from San Francisco” is still relevant today.

Death on Capri

Against the backdrop of the stormy ocean, the shine of the liner is pitiful, the ticket for which costs a fortune. The ship, heavily overcome by storms and storms, finally arrives in Europe. There, in Italy, a nameless American, before whom all the servants slavishly bowed, suddenly dies.

After death, an American turns from a respected rich man into a burdensome body. He is taken to the farthest and cheapest room as quickly as possible. As for the daughter and wife, they now cause irritation and contempt among those around them - not at all pity and sympathy. The hotel guests paid a lot of money for rest and entertainment, and the sudden death annoyed them.

Meanwhile, on the ship, life continues, full of falsehood. The author, it would seem, should have felt only hostility towards his hero. Bunin despised wealth and could not feel sorry for the powerful capitalist. But the people surrounding the gentleman from San Francisco were much more unpleasant to him. Are they better than him? They were and remain slaves, groveling before wealth - and this is the most terrible thing. Bunin feels pity for the American, whose only fault is that he suddenly died. The writer feels sorry for the liner, doomed to destruction.

Conclusion

Ivan Bunin spoke about an event that occurred at the height of the First World War. But people at all times, regardless of nationality, have something in common. The story discussed in today's article describes a certain type of people. This is a kind of mini-novel about those who seem to have access to all the blessings and joys of the world. However, the life of a society that enjoys all the benefits of civilization, according to the writer, is full of the unreal and artificial. There is no place in it for manifestations of individuality, since each representative of this false world lives according to a scheme, strives to correspond to his position.

The hero of Ivan Bunin’s story never had time to enjoy the beauty of Italian landscapes in his 58 years. Money destroyed his ability to see beauty. “Do not accumulate wealth on Earth,” this quote from the Bible is the main philosophical idea of the work.

Symbolism and existential meaning of the story

"Mr. 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 “Mr. from San Francisco.” We talked about the composition of the story, discussed the system of images, and talked about the poetics of Bunin's word.Today in the lesson we will have to determine the role of details in the story, note the images and 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?

First, let's remember the concept of “detail”.

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

Already in the first phrase there is a certain irony towards Mr.: “no one remembered his name either in Naples or Capri,” thereby the author emphasizes that Mr. is just a person.

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

The absence of a name is a symbol of facelessness, the inner lack of spirituality of the hero.

The image of the steamship "Atlantis" is a symbol of society with its hierarchy:the idle aristocracy of which is contrasted with the people who control the movement of the ship, working hard at the “gigantic” firebox, which the author calls the ninth circle of hell.

The images of ordinary residents of Capri are alive and real, and thus the writer emphasizes that the external well-being of the rich strata of society means nothing in the ocean of our lives, 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 dead life.

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

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

Does the description of the ship evoke any other associations for you? The description is similar to the Titanic, which reinforces the idea that a mechanized society is doomed to a sad outcome.

Still, there is a bright beginning in the story. The beauty of the sky and mountains, which seems to merge with the images of the peasants, nevertheless affirms that there is something true, real in life, which is not subject to money.

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

The image of the ship captain, whom the author compares with a pagan god at the beginning and end of the story, is symbolic. By appearance this man really looks like an idol: red-haired, monstrously large and heavy, 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 the passengers unconditionally believe in his power and knowledge. And the captain himself, being after all a man, feels very insecure in the raging ocean and relies on the telegraph apparatus standing in the next cabin-radio room.

The writer ends the story with a symbolic picture. The steamer, in the hold of which a former millionaire lies in a coffin, sails through the darkness and blizzard in the ocean, and the Devil, “as huge as a cliff,” watches him from the rocks of Gibraltar. It was he who got the soul of the gentleman from San Francisco, it is he who owns the souls of the rich (pp. 368-369).

gold fillings of the gentleman from San Francisco

his daughter - with “the most delicate pink pimples near the lips and between the shoulder blades”, dressed with innocent frankness

Negro servants “with whites like flaky hard-boiled eggs”

color details: Mr. was smoking until his face was crimson red, the stokers were crimson from the flames, the red jackets of the musicians and the black crowd of lackeys.

the crown prince is all wood

The beauty has a tiny bent and shabby dog

a pair of dancing “lovers” – a handsome man who looks like a huge leech

20. Luigi's respect is brought to the point of idiocy

21. the gong in the hotel on Capri sounds “loudly, as if in a pagan temple”

22. The old woman in the corridor, “stooped, but low-cut,” hurried forward “like a chicken.”

23. Mr. was lying on a cheap iron bed, a soda box became his coffin

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

What role do numerous details play in the story?

How does Bunin paint a portrait of his hero? What feeling does the reader have and why?

(“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, his strong bald head was like old bone...” This is portrait description lifeless; it evokes a feeling of disgust, since we have before us some kind of physiological description. The tragedy has not yet arrived, but it is already felt in these lines).

Ironic, Bunin ridicules all the vices of the bourgeois imagelife through the collective image of the gentleman, numerous details - the emotional characteristics of the characters.

You may have noticed that the work emphasizes time and space. Why do you think the plot develops during the journey?

The road is a symbol of the path of life.

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

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

In which fragments of the text the action develops rapidly, and in which story time like it's stopping?

The count of time goes unnoticed when the author talks about a real, full life: a panorama of the Bay of Naples, a sketch of a street market, colorful images of the boatman Lorenzo, two Abruzzese highlanders and - most importantly - a description of a “joyful, beautiful, sunny” country. And time seems to stop when the story begins about the measured, planned life of a gentleman from San Francisco.

When is the first time a writer calls a hero something other than master?

(On the way to the island of Capri. When nature defeats him, he feelsold man : “And the gentleman from San Francisco, feeling as he should have - a very old man - was already thinking with melancholy and anger about all these greedy, garlic-smelling little people called Italians...” It was now that feelings awakened in him: “melancholy and anger", "despair". And again the detail arises - “enjoyment of 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 the purpose of the gentleman’s trip from San Francisco is described: “solely for fun.” And, emphasizing the circular composition of the story, it also appears at the end - in combination with the “New World”. The New World, which gave birth to a type of people who consume culture “solely for the sake of entertainment,” the “Old World” is 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 the events take place in December (Christmas Eve)?

this is the relationship between 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 the man from San Francisco die in Capri, Italy?

It is not for nothing that the author mentions the story of a man who once lived on the island of Capri, very similar to our master. The author, through this relationship, showed us that such “masters of life” come and go without a trace.

All people, regardless of their financial situation, are equal in the face of death. A rich man who decides to get all the pleasures at once“just starting to live” at 58 years old (!) , dies suddenly.

How does the death of an old man make others feel? How do others behave towards the master’s wife and daughter?

His death does not cause sympathy, but a terrible commotion. The hotel owner apologizes and promises to sort everything out quickly. Society is outraged that someone dared to ruin their vacation and remind them of death. They feel disgust and disgust towards their 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.

So what is the idea of the story? How does the author express the main idea of the work? Where does the idea come from?

The idea can be traced in the details, in the plot and composition, in the antithesis of false and true human existence (fake rich people are contrasted - a couple on a steamboat, the strongest image-symbol of the world of consumption, love plays, these are hired lovers - and the 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 the attitude of others towards the living Mr. and towards him after death. The gentleman thought that money gave him an advantage.“He was sure that he had every right to rest, to pleasure, to travel excellent in all respects... firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life.”

Did our hero live a full life before this journey? What did he devote his whole life to?

Mr. until this moment did not live, but existed, i.e. his entire adult life was devoted to “comparing himself with those whom Mr. took as his model.” All the gentleman’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 lives, 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, Abruzzese highlanders).

Can man resist nature? Can he plan everything like the gentleman from S-F?

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

What does the parable story teach us?

“Mr. from...” teaches us to enjoy life, and not to be internally unspiritual, not to succumb to a mechanized society.

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

What can resist non-existence?

Genuine human existence, which is shown by the writer in the image of Lorenzo and the Abruzzi highlanders(fragment from the words “Only the market traded in a small square...367-368”).

What conclusions can we draw from this episode? What 2 sides of the coin does the author show us?

Lorenzo is poor, the Abruzzese mountaineers are poor, singing the glory of the greatest poor in the history of mankind - Our Lady and Savior, who was born “inpoor shepherd's shelter." “Atlantis”, a civilization of the rich, which is trying to overcome the darkness, the ocean, the blizzard, is an existential delusion of humanity, a diabolical delusion.

Homework:

I. Bunin is one of the few figures of Russian culture appreciated abroad. In 1933 he was awarded Nobel Prize in literature "For the strict skill with which he develops the traditions of Russian classical prose." One can have different attitudes towards the personality and views of this writer, but his mastery in the field belles lettres undoubtedly, therefore his works are at least worthy of our attention. One of them, “Mr. from San Francisco,” received such a high rating from the jury awarding the most prestigious prize in the world.

An important quality for a writer is observation, because from the most fleeting episodes and impressions you can create a whole work. Bunin accidentally saw the cover of Thomas Mann’s book “Death in Venice” in a store, and a few months later, when he came to visit his cousin, he remembered this title and connected it with an even older memory: the death of an American on the island of Capri, where the author himself was vacationing. This is how one of Bunin’s best stories turned out, and not just a story, but a whole philosophical parable.

This literary work was enthusiastically received by critics, and the writer’s extraordinary talent was compared with the gift of L.N. Tolstoy and A.P. Chekhov. After this, Bunin stood with venerable experts on words and human soul in one row. His work is so symbolic and eternal that it will never lose its philosophical focus and relevance. And in the age of the power of money and market relations, it is doubly useful to remember what a life inspired only by accumulation leads to.

What is the story about?

The main character, who does not have a name (he is just a gentleman from San Francisco), spent his whole life increasing his wealth, and at the age of 58 he decided to devote time to rest (and at the same time to his family). They set off on the ship Atlantis on their entertaining journey. All passengers are immersed in idleness, but the service staff works tirelessly to provide all these breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas, card games, dancing, liqueurs and cognacs. The stay of tourists in Naples is also monotonous, only museums and cathedrals are added to their program. However, the weather is not kind to tourists: December in Naples turned out to be stormy. Therefore, the Master and his family rush to the island of Capri, pleasing with warmth, where they check into the same hotel and are already preparing for routine “entertainment” activities: eating, sleeping, chatting, looking for a groom for their daughter. But suddenly the death of the main character bursts into this “idyll”. He died suddenly while reading a newspaper.

And this is where it opens up to the reader main idea the story that in the face of death everyone is equal: neither wealth nor power can save you from it. This Gentleman, who only recently wasted money, spoke contemptuously to the servants and accepted their respectful bows, is lying in a cramped and cheap room, respect has disappeared somewhere, his family is being kicked out of the hotel, because his wife and daughter will leave “trifles” at the box office. And so his body is taken back to America in a soda box, because even a coffin cannot be found in Capri. But he is already traveling in the hold, hidden from high-ranking passengers. And no one really grieves, because no one can use the dead man’s money.

Meaning of the name

At first, Bunin wanted to call his story “Death on Capri” by analogy with the title that inspired him, “Death in Venice” (the writer read this book later and rated it as “unpleasant”). But after writing the first line, he crossed out this title and named the work by the “name” of the hero.

From the first page, the writer’s attitude towards the Master is clear; for him, he is faceless, colorless and soulless, so he did not even receive a name. He is the master, the top of the social hierarchy. But all this power is fleeting and fragile, the author reminds. The hero, useless to society, who has not done a single good deed in 58 years and thinks only of himself, remains after death only an unknown gentleman, about whom they only know that he is a rich American.

Characteristics of heroes

There are few characters in the story: the gentleman from San Francisco as a symbol of eternal fussy hoarding, his wife, depicting gray respectability, and their daughter, symbolizing the desire for this respectability.

The gentleman “worked tirelessly” all his life, but these were the hands of the Chinese, who were hired by the thousands and died just as abundantly in heavy service. Other people generally mean little to him, the main thing is profit, wealth, power, savings. It was they who gave him the opportunity to travel, live at the highest level and not care about those around him who were less fortunate in life. However, nothing saved the hero from death; you can’t take the money to the next world. And respect, bought and sold, quickly turns into dust: after his death nothing changed, the celebration of life, money and idleness continued, even there was no one to worry about the last tribute to the dead. The body travels through authorities, it is nothing, just another piece of luggage that is thrown into the hold, hidden from “decent society.”
The hero's wife lived a monotonous, philistine life, but with chic: without any special problems or difficulties, no worries, just a lazily stretching string of idle days. Nothing impressed her; she was always completely calm, probably having forgotten how to think in the routine of idleness. She is only concerned about the future of her daughter: she needs to find her a respectable and profitable match, so that she too can comfortably float with the flow all her life.
The daughter did her best to portray innocence and at the same time frankness, attracting suitors. This is what interested her most. A meeting with an ugly, strange and uninteresting man, but a prince, plunged the girl into excitement. Perhaps this was one of the last strong feelings in her life, and then the future of her mother awaited her. However, some emotions still remained in the girl: she alone foresaw trouble (“her heart was suddenly squeezed by melancholy, a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island”) and cried for her father.

Main topics

Life and death, routine and exclusivity, wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness - these are the main themes of the story. They immediately reflect the philosophical orientation author's intention. He encourages readers to think about themselves: are we not chasing something frivolously small, are we getting bogged down in routine, missing out on true beauty? After all, a life in which there is no time to think about oneself, one’s place in the Universe, in which there is no time to look at the surrounding nature, people and notice something good in them, is lived in vain. And you can’t fix a life you’ve lived in vain, and you can’t buy a new one for any money. Death will come anyway, you can’t hide from it and you can’t pay off it, so you need to have time to do something really worthwhile, something so that you will be remembered with a kind word, and not indifferently thrown into the hold. Therefore, it is worth thinking about everyday life, which makes thoughts banal and feelings faded and weak, about wealth that is not worth the effort, about beauty, in the corruption of which lies ugliness.

The wealth of the “masters of life” is contrasted with the poverty of people who live just as ordinary, but suffer poverty and humiliation. Servants who secretly imitate their masters, but grovel before them to their faces. Masters who treat their servants as inferior creatures, but grovel before even richer and more noble persons. A couple hired on a steamship to play passionate love. The Master's daughter, feigning passion and trepidation to lure the prince. All this dirty, low pretense, although presented in a luxurious wrapper, is contrasted with the eternal and pure beauty of nature.

Main problems

The main problem of this story is the search for the meaning of life. How should you spend your short earthly vigil not in vain, how to leave behind something important and valuable for others? Everyone sees their purpose in their own way, but no one should forget that a person’s spiritual baggage is more important than material. Although at all times they have said that in modern times all eternal values have been lost, every time this is not true. Both Bunin and other writers remind us, readers, that life without harmony and inner beauty is not life, but a miserable existence.

The problem of the transience of life is also raised by the author. After all, the gentleman from San Francisco spent his mental strength, made money and made money, postponing some simple joys, real emotions for later, but this “later” never began. This happens to many people who are mired in everyday life, routine, problems, and affairs. Sometimes you just need to stop, pay attention to loved ones, nature, friends, and feel the beauty in your surroundings. After all, tomorrow may not come.

The meaning of the story

It is not for nothing that the story is called a parable: it has a very instructive message and is intended to give a lesson to the reader. The main idea of the story is the injustice of class society. Most of it survives on bread and water, while the elite waste their lives mindlessly. The writer states the moral squalor of the existing order, because most of the “masters of life” achieved their wealth by dishonest means. Such people bring only evil, just as the Master from San Francisco pays and ensures the death of Chinese workers. The death of the main character emphasizes the author's thoughts. No one is interested in this recently so influential man, because his money no longer gives him power, and he has not committed any respectable or outstanding deeds.

The idleness of these rich people, their effeminacy, perversion, insensitivity to something living and beautiful proves the accident and injustice of their high position. This fact is hidden behind the description of the leisure time of tourists on the ship, their entertainment (the main one of which is lunch), costumes, relationships with each other (the origin of the prince whom the main character’s daughter met makes her fall in love).

Composition and genre

"The Gentleman from San Francisco" can be seen as a parable story. What is a story (a short work in prose containing a plot, a conflict and having one main storyline) is known to most, but how can you characterize the parable? A parable is a small allegorical text that guides the reader on the right path. Therefore, the product in plot-wise and in form it is a story, and in philosophical, substantive terms it is a parable.

Compositionally, the story is divided into two large parts: the journey of the Master from San Francisco from the New World and the stay of the body in the hold on the way back. The culmination of the work is the death of the hero. Before this, describing the steamship Atlantis and tourist places, the author gives the story an anxious mood of anticipation. In this part, a sharply negative attitude towards the Master is striking. But death deprived him of all privileges and equated his remains with luggage, so Bunin softens and even sympathizes with him. It also describes the island of Capri, its nature and local people; these lines are filled with beauty and understanding of the beauty of nature.

Symbols

The work is replete with symbols that confirm Bunin’s thoughts. The first of them is the steamship Atlantis, on which an endless celebration of luxurious life reigns, but there is a storm outside, a storm, even the ship itself is shaking. So at the beginning of the twentieth century, the whole society was seething, experiencing a social crisis, only the indifferent bourgeois continued the feast during the plague.

The island of Capri symbolizes real beauty (that’s why the description of its nature and inhabitants is covered in warm colors): a “joyful, beautiful, sunny” country filled with “fairy blue”, majestic mountains, the beauty of which cannot be conveyed in human language. The existence of our American family and people like them is a pathetic parody of life.

Features of the work

Figurative language and bright landscapes are inherent in Bunin’s creative style; the artist’s mastery of words is reflected in this story. At first he creates an anxious mood, the reader expects that, despite the splendor of the rich environment around the Master, something irreparable will soon happen. Later, the tension is erased by natural sketches written in soft strokes, reflecting love and admiration for beauty.

The second feature is the philosophical and topical content. Bunin castigates the meaninglessness of the existence of the elite of society, its spoiling, disrespect for other people. It was because of this bourgeoisie, cut off from the life of the people and having fun at their expense, that two years later a bloody revolution broke out in the writer’s homeland. Everyone felt that something needed to be changed, but no one did anything, which is why so much blood was shed, so many tragedies happened in those difficult times. And the theme of searching for the meaning of life does not lose relevance, which is why the story still interests the reader 100 years later.

The story of Ivan Alekseevich Bunin (1870-1953) “The Gentleman from San Francisco” (1915) is the pinnacle of the writer’s skill. The work has artistic capacity, which makes it possible to consider it in different contexts and from different points of view. Researchers V. A. Afanasyev, N. M. Kucherovsky, I. P. Vantenkov created monographs dedicated to the life and work of the great Russian writer. These works contain chapters devoted to the work “The Gentleman from San Francisco.” A. V. Zlochevskaya in her article analyzes the mystical and religious subtext in the story of I. A. Bunin. D. M. Ivanova’s dissertation examines images of nature in the writer’s prose, touching on this work as well. In this work, Bunin's story will be examined from the point of view of the poetics of mythology.

As the epigraph to the story, I. A. Bunin took the words from “Apocalypse”: “Woe, woe to you, the great city of Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour your judgment will come.” (According to an article by Irina Lezhava) The last king in Babylon was Belshazzar. In the books of the ancient era, a legend has been preserved, according to which the king decided to hold a big feast on the night when Babylon was surrounded by the Persian army. All the guests drank wine from sacred vessels brought from the temple located in Jerusalem. At the same time, they drank and, according to pagan custom, praised the Babylonian gods. According to legend, writing mysteriously appeared on the wall: “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Uparsin.” However, none of the local philosophers and sages could unravel the meaning of the written words. Then the queen, Belshazzar's wife, remembered Daniel, the Jewish sage. He was the only one who was able to decipher the inscription. It meant: “Counted, Weighed, Divided.” Thus, the hours of Belshazzar's existence were numbered, his fate was weighed, and only minutes remained until the moment his kingdom was divided. On the same night, the prediction of the Jewish sage was fulfilled: Babylon was defeated and the king was killed.

The meaning of this epigraph is reflected in the death scene of the gentleman from San Francisco. He, possessing wealth, spending luxurious evenings, not expecting anything that could interfere with enjoying life, suddenly dies. Here we see a parallel with the life and equally unexpected death of King Belshazzar.

The story takes place on the ship Atlantis. The ship itself is a symbol of civilization. The steamship embodies society with its hierarchical structure: the deck is contrasted, as the world of the rich, noble, and the hold, as the world of poverty and misery. The author himself calls the “gigantic” furnace, in which people work hard, the ninth circle of hell. Thus, a multi-deck ship is a kind of model of hell and heaven. In this contrast between the lower and higher worlds of the ship, there is a sense of doom.

The name of the ship already suggests the inevitability of a disaster, since there is a myth about a once sunken island with that name. From the Great Soviet Encyclopedia we learn that the island of Atlantis is a state in the Atlantic Ocean with perfect political system, the land of demigods, wealth and prosperity. The inhabitants of the island - the Atlanteans - were distinguished by their nobility, education, virtue and sublime way of thinking, were indifferent to wealth and lived in harmony with nature. However, after a while they changed: they became more selfish and greedy, attracted to material well-being, and used their knowledge and cultural achievements for evil purposes. As a result, the sky god Zeus became angry with the Atlanteans, and within 24 hours the island of Atlantis disappeared from the face of the Earth: it was swallowed up by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

By calling the ship "Atlantis", Ivan Alekseevich Bunin predicts in advance the inevitability of the coming catastrophe and death modern society, since the world of “Atlantis” is a false world, built on money, love of fame, pride, arrogance, gluttony, and the desire for luxury.

By connecting the myth of Atlantis, the name of the ship and the epigraph to the work, we can come to the conclusion: a ship with symbolic name“Atlantis” is Babylon only in its modern form. His death is inevitable, because the life of the passengers on the ship is as aimless and illusory as the power and dominance of the gentleman from San Francisco are aimless and illusory in the face of death.

Bunin in his works sought to convey the harmony of man and nature. But the heroes of this story are not able to comprehend this. So, in order to show the discrepancy between the lives of people and nature, I. A. Bunin uses images of the primary elements of the sun and water. (According to Roshal V.M.) In traditional mythology, the sun is the oldest cosmic symbol that signifies life, its source, light. The image of the sun as a symbol is associated with such characteristics as supremacy, life-creation, activity, heroism, and omniscience. The luminous, solar nature, according to popular Christian beliefs, is carried by God the Father, Jesus Christ, angels and saints. As a source of heat, the sun provides vitality to man, and as a source of light it symbolizes truth. In ancient times, it seemed to people that the absence of the sun foreshadowed terrible troubles, a universal catastrophe, the coming end of the world, so they worshiped him as the main pagan deity.

For Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, the sunrise and the onset of a new day give the heroes of his works hope for happiness, great joy. However, the Atlantis passengers practically did not see the bright and radiant sun due to bad weather (“the morning sun deceived every day”). But they didn’t need this, since their main life took place inside the ship, where gold and jewelry shone, and the halls were illuminated by electricity. “On the day of departure - very memorable for the family from San Francisco! “Even in the morning there was no sun.” Researcher V.A. Afanasiev writes that, no matter where the American capitalist is, nature greets him unfavorably. And only on that morning, when the already dead gentleman is placed on a ship and taken away, a bright sun rises over Capri, as if nature is triumphant because the world has freed itself from a man who is incapable of understanding either the happiness of life or the beauty that surrounds him.

Comparing the traditional meaning of the image of the sun and its presentation in the story, we come to the conclusion that the passengers of the ship do not live, they only “exist” because they do not see the true light and do not know true happiness. The lives of these people are doomed: they are sailing towards their death.

As for the image of water, it is one of the fundamental elements of the universe, which gave birth to both life and death. In mythology, water is the basis of all things. According to Ivanova D.M., this elemental element can be used in works in two aspects: to symbolize rebirth, to be calm and pure (such as, for example, the rites of baptism and ablution), but at the same time, water can represent chaos that destroys everything around, leads to death and marks the end of all things. In “The Poetics of Myth” by E. M. Meletinsky, water is a kind of mediator between heaven and earth.

In the work, I. A. Bunin presents us with the Atlantic Ocean as the element of water. In the mythological dictionary, Ocean is the deity of the river of the same name that washes the earth. Known for his peacefulness and kindness (Ocean tried unsuccessfully to reconcile Prometheus with Zeus). In the far west it washes the border between the world of life and death. For I. A. Bunin, the ocean semantically means both a symbol of eternity and a symbol of deadly force. The ocean symbolizes the element of life. And the raging elements are the movement of life. Thus, the ocean is life.

The world created by the heroes of the story is artificial and closed, it is separated from the primary elements of existence, since they are hostile, alien and mysterious to people. The ocean has many faces and is unstable. In the story, he represents retribution. The elements act as a real threat: “The ocean that walked outside the walls was terrible, but they didn’t think about it, firmly believing in the power of the commander over it...”. It frightens Atlantis passengers with its unpredictability, mystery, and freedom. Ivan Alekseevich Bunin conveys to the reader the idea that a man of the twentieth century imagined himself to be the master of the world. The reason for this is the wealth and successful results of scientific and technological progress, one of which is the modernized ship built by human hands.

The final sketch of the Atlantis steamship takes on a symbolic meaning. I. A. Bunin depicts the figure of the Devil, inscribed in a completely realistic picture of a blizzard night near Gibraltar. He, huge as a cliff, watches the departing ship, personifying the dead world of civilization, mired in sin. The devil is a mythological character, the personification of the forces of evil. He opposes the “good beginning”, namely God. Kucherovsky N.M. believes that in I.A. Bunin’s story the devil is a figurative embodiment of the writer’s conviction in the existence of otherworldly, unknowable forces that control the destinies of humanity. The devil symbolizes the impending disaster and is a warning to all humanity. The world of Atlantis is under his control, so the death of modern civilization is inevitable. In contrast, an image arises Mother of God, which protects Italy - a symbol of a full and real life.

To summarize the research, it should be said that the study, analysis and interpretation of the mythological images used by I. A. Bunin in the story makes it possible to reveal philosophical issues works. It tells about the existence of the social and natural-cosmic in life, about their intense interaction, about the short-sightedness of human claims to dominance in the Universe, about the incomprehensible depth and beauty of the whole world. This is the remedy artistic expression, which deepens the content and gives the story a special coloring. It reveals most fully the uniqueness of the writer’s method, the peculiarities of his worldview, the nature of his understanding and assessment of the depicted reality. Thus, the mythologism of I. A. Bunin is a form of representation of the specifics of his worldview, a way of expressing problems, philosophical comprehension of the laws of the existence of society and nature, an ideological and moral search caused by the decomposition of the foundations of existence into turn of XIX-XX centuries.

References:

Afanasyev V.A. I.A. Bunin. Essay on creativity / V.A. Afanasiev. – M.: Education, 1966. – 384 p.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia [Electronic resource] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978. – Access mode: http://bse.sci-lib.com/article079885.html. (Access date: 11/14/2016)
Ivanova D.M. Mythopoetic and philosophical-aesthetic aspects of the embodiment of the image of nature in the prose of I.A. Bunin: Author's abstract. dis. for the job application scientist step. Ph.D. Philol. Sciences (10.01.01) / D.M. Ivanova. – Yelets, 2004.
Kucherovsky N.M. I. Bunin and his prose / N.M. Kucherovsky. – Tula: Prioksk Book Publishing House, 1980 – 318 p.
Lezhava I. Feast of King Belshazzar [Electronic resource] / I. Lezhava. – Access mode: http://www.proza.ru/2010/04/01/1012. (Access date: 11/14/2016)
Meletinsky E.M. Mythological Dictionary / E.M. Meletinsky - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia", 1991. - 672 p.
Meletinsky E.M. Poetics of myth / E.M. Meletinsky. – M.: Eastern Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1995. – 235 p.
Novels and stories / I.A. Bunin. – M.: Astrel: AST, 2007 – 189 p.
Roshal V.M. Encyclopedia of symbols / V.M. Roshal - M.: AST, Sova, Harvest, 2008. - 202 p.