>Compositions based on the work At the bottom

Which is better truth or compassion?

One of the best dramas by M. Gorky is the play "At the Bottom", which was published in 1902. In it, the writer raised a question that was and will remain relevant: What is better - truth or compassion. If the question was about truth and lies, it would be easy to answer that the truth is better, more important and more correct. But truth and compassion are difficult to oppose to each other. The author himself is a humanist by nature and prefers the truth. He put his opinion into the words of Satin, who defends the pava of man throughout the play.

This character is opposed by the elder Luka, who, as if by chance, ended up in the Kostylevs' rooming house. With his appearance, many guests who have lost hope for a better existence feel much better. In fact, he is a very kind and sensitive person who pities people and sympathizes with them. However, his compassion is sometimes associated with a lie, a comforting one, but a lie nonetheless. In his play, Gorky shows the tragic consequences of such compassion. Perhaps Luka is not at all a rogue or a charlatan, as some guests suspect. Perhaps he sympathizes with all his heart, but this only instills deceptive illusions in the souls of vulnerable people.

Sateen has a different truth of life. Despite the fact that he is now a gambler and cheater, he is a true philosopher at heart. In a past life, he was an intelligent and highly educated telegraph operator. Defending his sister from one scoundrel, he ended up in prison for almost five years. And after the prison ended up in this rooming house. In all the disputes that take place in the play, he proclaims the cult of man. It is he who exposes Luke's wrong approach. He considers lies, however comforting, to be the religion of slaves. But for a real person - there is truth. He does not accuse Luka of bad intentions, and he perfectly understands the good motives of the old man. At the same time, he still says that compassion only humiliates a person and gives him false hopes.

The author himself agrees with Satin. He believes that a person should have the courage to accept the truth as it is. It makes a person stronger and more confident. With this work, the playwright also tried to show that truth can serve as an impetus for positive changes in a society that by that time was mired in lies and injustice. The conclusion is obvious. Only truth can elevate a person and make him happier. A person must choose what he needs, and compassion with an admixture of lies does not lead to good.

Maxim Gorky is a famous Russian writer and humanist. He went through a long school of life and wrote not for the entertainment of the public, but reflected in his works the truth and love for man. Even in the play "At the Bottom", so tragic and sad, this love can be traced. If this were not so, then the playwright would hardly have asked himself the question "Which is better - truth or compassion?".

Starting to write

School essay "What is better - truth or compassion?" not easy. If you ask what is better, true or false, the students will no doubt answer - the truth. But the concepts of truth and compassion cannot be made mutually exclusive. This is the complexity of the essay "Which is better - truth or compassion?".

For people who find themselves at the very bottom of society in Gorky's play, both compassion and truth can become fatal. The false hope given by Luke, on the one hand, and the reality saturated with hopeless pain, on the other, cannot coexist with each other. Therefore, when starting to write an essay, it is worth understanding that first a person needs to be told the truth, and then offer sincere compassion, not burdened with lies. What does it mean? This is written in the play. It is possible, based on good intentions, to praise Luke and despise the bearer of the truth Sateen, but did the author want to say this?! It's true, he said something completely different.

sound

The whole play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom" is a hymn to the truth about a person. Here, the bearer of the truth is Satin - a gambler and a cheater, who is very far from the ideal of a person, but it is he who sincerely proclaims: “A person is great! It sounds proud! In contrast to him, Luka appears in the rooming house - a kind, compassionate liar, which deliberately inspires a "golden dream" for the sufferers. But next to them there is another person who wants to understand what is better truth or compassion - this is the author himself.

It is Maxim Gorky who is the bearer of these two characteristics. This can be seen in the play itself and in how enthusiastically it was received by the audience. This work was read in bunkhouses, people who had sunk to the very bottom of society shouted: “We are worse!”, And praised the playwright of his time. This play even now sounds modern, because in our time people began to speak the bitter truth, but forgot about mercy and compassion.

Heroes and hopes

Before writing the essay “What is more important - truth or compassion?” it is worth getting to know the characters of the play and the world in which they have to live. The basement, resembling a cave, where prison twilight reigns, sheltered under its arch people who were ruthlessly thrown out by society.

Someone once wrote that "At the Bottom" is not just a play, but a picture of a cemetery where people who are valuable in their makings are buried alive. In this world of poverty, anger and lack of rights live people who have lost their past. Rather, they do not live, but exist. But some of them still have a faint glimmer of hope. The tick firmly believes that he will get out of this stinking place. “I’ll rip off the skin and get out of here,” he says. The thief hopes that he will have a different life with Natasha. Prostitute Nastya dreams of true love. The rest have long lost hope and realized their uselessness.

Drunk Actor has long forgotten his name. Crushed under the yoke of a hard life, Anna is ill and patiently awaits her death. Nobody needs her, even her husband is waiting for her death as a release. Former telegrapher Satin looks at the world cynically and maliciously. The Baron understands that everything is in his past, so he does not expect anything, and Bubnov is a vivid example of indifference both to himself and to others. For these "former people" what is better: truth or compassion? What is more important for them?

Wanderer

One day the wanderer Luka comes to this gloomy abode. He addresses them, rejected by society, and renounced human morality, politely and affably. Gorky in relation to this character is very unambiguous: "All the words of these people are alms, which they serve with hidden disgust."

At first glance, the appearance of Luka did not bring anything good to the inhabitants of the rooming house. He quietly disappears, and the illusions that he left behind make people's lives even more hopeless. The last flame of hope disappears, and tormented souls plunge into darkness. With the advent of Luka, hope settled in the rooming house, he was sensitive and kind, he found words of comfort for everyone. But he did not do this out of self-interest, Luka was not a swindler or a charlatan, he really was a kind person. But his compassion was built on lies. He firmly believed that the truth can not always cure the soul. And if you can't change your life, you can at least change your attitude towards it.

So which is better, truth or compassion? There are many arguments from the story, and this was one of them.

From the author

The author's contemporaries say that he was best able to describe the scene at the bedside of the dying Anna, where Luke spoke. This old man was part of Gorky's soul, just like the author, the hero knew a feeling of compassion. Gorky is not against consolations, however, he is also tormented by the question, which is better: truth or compassion? And is it necessary to empathize to such an extent that the words of consolation become a lie?

own truth

Kleshch had his own truth: “You can’t live - that’s the truth,” he said. To which Luke replied that this truth cannot be healed, and a person must be pitied. The Stranger believes in the saving power of pity. He perceives the truth as a cruel oppression of inhuman circumstances. Luke's words were unusually life-affirming, and at first the inhabitants of the rooming house did not believe in them. But the wanderer only wanted to breathe faith and hope into them.

Luke carries the saving human faith. He believes that words, compassion and mercy can inspire a person. For Luke, there is no question “Which is better - truth or compassion?”, He believes: the truth is in what is humane.

Satin also believes that everything that is done should be for the sake of man. But this hero does not understand Luke's lies. Satin is sure that this is a sign of a weak person and this is wrong. Every person should have the courage to face the truth and not hide behind illusions. It is the truth that makes a person strong and capable of doing things. Although he does not fulfill his own precepts. Satin can only talk about high matters, remaining at the bottom. Which is better, truth or compassion? This is a question everyone should answer after the final episode.

The tragedy of the final

The end of the play is tragic. Luke, although he inspired Satine to a fiery speech about human dignity, but due to his character, this hero only knew how to control words. He remains the same indifferent to himself and his surroundings. In particular, Sateen's terrible reaction to the death of the Actor: "Fool, ruined the song!".

An inhuman society tends to kill and maim souls. And this play allows you to feel the injustice of the social structure, which leads people to death. And yet the question remains: "Which is better - truth or compassion?". There are many examples in M. Gorky's work "At the Bottom", both for the first and for the second case, you just need to draw your own conclusion.

Truth and Sympathy

It is impossible to give an unequivocal statement on this question. Perhaps it is worth looking at the situation that the person faced. Satan preached the truth. Yes, truth is a good solution in many cases, but it must be active. Realizing the roots of his disasters, a person must accept the truth and do actions that will help him correct the situation. The truth should be the signal for action. This is the real value that makes a person a Human.

On the other hand, you cannot destroy a person in yourself who can be kind, loving, and be able to sympathize. People need comfort more often than they show it, but the chains of lies take away freedom from a person. People need real hope, but not a comforting lie, even if it's for salvation.

Yes, the concepts of truth and compassion are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they should complement each other. It's not hard to spice up bitter reality with a pinch of empathy. And it is very prudent to say words of support that are based on the real state of affairs. As Aristotle said: "There must be a golden mean in everything, it is this that is good." And in a specific case, the words of the ancient philosopher are the very truth based on compassion.

What is truth? This question occupies the minds of philosophers, writers, sometimes we also think about this question. For me, the truth is not easy, though, the truth is the only one, you can’t argue with it. Regardless of the person, his beliefs and outlook on life, the truth remains the same for everyone. Truth cannot be good or bad, it just is, and it is unshakable. What is compassion? This is a sincere feeling, it is not selfish. Compassion means to take part of the suffering of another person, to suffer with him.

At first glance, Gorky's work "At the Bottom" does not seem interesting, there are few events, and the life of the inhabitants is not beautiful. But if you read carefully, put yourself in the place of each character, if you feel the characters, it becomes clear how much the author has invested in his characters.

The monotonous life of the rooming house, it was like a stagnant pond. They all suffered, but each suffered separately from the other. Once together, they lived each on their own. The appearance of the wanderer Luke woke them up. He did not bring fresh ideas, thoughts, he simply paid attention to everyone. Gorky is ambivalent about this character, Luka is described as a kind, cunning old man. It seems like he says good words, but unpleasantly. Why? And this is unpleasant because Luka did not sympathize, he felt sorry for the inhabitants of the rooming house. He did not feel their pain, he spoke kind words, but his heart remained cold.

And yet, Luke changed people, they began to think. The terrible thing is that Luke did not instill hope in these people. Hope makes not only dream, it sets a goal and awakens the desire for this goal. Luka gave the bed-seekers an illusion, an illusion is passive, it does not call for itself, it immerses oneself into oneself. When Luke left, the inhabitants returned from their illusory worlds and saw how terrible they live, hopelessness, poverty, illness, it would seem that everything is as before, but all this has become simply unbearable. Luka gave the children a beautiful toy and then took it away, it broke their hearts.

Another main character, the truth-seeker Satin. His words are harsh, but true, he does not pretend. But is it really that good? How did she help at least one of the overnight stays? Why is he so passionate in a monologue about a man, absolutely indifferent to the death of the Actor?

Reading the play, it becomes scary from the soullessness of people, it becomes bitter and insulting. It is terrible that an inhuman society kills and maims human souls. But the main thing in the play, in my opinion, is that Gorky made his contemporaries even more acutely feel the injustice of the social structure that destroys people, destroys them, made them think about a person, his freedom.

Which is better, "bitter truth" or "sweet lie"? I do not know. How can one tell this bitter truth to a seriously ill person and extinguish the spark of hope in his eyes? Does he want to hear the words: "You are dying"? I think that the most important thing is to love a person, then the heart will tell you what to say.

Which is better, truth or compassion? But can you choose? Truth is not chosen, it is either accepted or not. And compassion is what we should live for. Do not flatter, do not regret, namely, compassion, sharing suffering with others, taking away part of their pain. If we understand this, we will be human.

Which is better, truth or compassion? Reflections on the pages of the play "At the bottom" What is truth? Truth (in my understanding) is the absolute truth, that is, the truth that is the same for all cases and for all people. I don't think this can be true. Even the fact, it would seem, is an obvious unambiguous event, different people perceive differently. So, for example, the news of death can be understood as news of another, new life.

Often the truth cannot be absolute, the same for everyone, because the words are ambiguous, because the meaning of the same word is understood differently. Therefore, I would not talk about truth - an unattainable concept - but about the truth, which is designed for the "average" person. The juxtaposition of truth and compassion lends the word "truth" a certain harshness. The truth is the harsh and cruel truth. Souls are wounded by the truth and therefore need compassion. It cannot be said that the heroes of the play "At the Bottom" are a more or less homogeneous mass of people - impersonal, spineless. Each of the characters feels, dreams, hopes or remembers. More precisely, they carry something precious and secret inside themselves, but since the world in which they live is heartless and cruel, they are forced to hide all their dreams as far as possible. Although the dream, which would be at least some proof in the harsh real life, could help weak people - Nastya, Anna, Actor.

They - these weak people - are overwhelmed by the hopelessness of real life. And in order to live, only to live, they need a saving and wise lie about the "righteous land". As long as people believe and strive for the best, they will find the strength and desire to live. Even the most pathetic of them, even those who have lost their name, can be cured by pity and compassion and even partly resurrected. If only the people around knew about it! Maybe then, out of self-deception, even a weak person would build for himself a better, acceptable life for him? But those around them do not think about it, they expose the dream, and the person ...

“went home and hung himself!” Is it worth blaming the old man for lying, who is the only one of the inhabitants of the rooming house who thinks not about himself, not about money, not about drinking, but about people? He tries to caress (“To caress a person is never harmful”), he inspires hope with calmness and pity. It was he, in the end, who changed all the people, all the inhabitants of the rooming house ... Yes, the Actor hanged himself. But not only Luke is guilty of this, but also those who did not regret, but cut to the heart with the truth. There is some stereotype about the truth. It is often assumed that the truth is always good.

Of course, it is valuable if you always live the truth, reality, but then dreams are impossible, and after them - a different vision of the world, poetry in the broadest sense of the word. It is a special view of life that gives birth to the beautiful, serves as the basis of art, which in the end also becomes a part of life. How do stronger people perceive compassion? Here is Bubnov, for example. Bubnov, in my opinion, is the toughest and most cynical of all the inhabitants of the rooming house. Bubnov "mumbles" all the time, stating naked, heavy truths: "no matter how you paint yourself, everything will be erased", he does not need a conscience, he is "not rich" ... Vasilisa Bubnov, without hesitation, calmly calls Vasilisa Bubnov a fierce woman, but in inserts in the middle of the conversation that the threads are rotten. Usually no one specifically talks to Bubnov, but from time to time he inserts his remarks into a variety of dialogues.

And the same Bubnov, Luka's main opponent, dull and cynical, in the final treats everyone with vodka, growls, shouts, offers to "take the soul"! And only the drunken, generous and talkative Bubnov, according to Alyoshka, "looks like a man." It can be seen that Luka also touched Bubnov with kindness, showed him that life is not in the despondency of everyday melancholy, but in something more cheerful, encouraging - in dreams. And Bubnov dreams! The appearance of Luka rallied the "strong" inhabitants of the rooming house (Satin, Klesch, Bubnov in the first place), there was even a solid general conversation. Luka is a man who sympathized, pitied and loved, managed to influence everyone. Even the Actor remembered his favorite poems and his name. Human feelings and dreams, his inner world is dearest and most valuable, because a dream does not limit, a dream develops.

The truth does not give hope, the truth does not believe in God, and without faith in God, without hope, there is no future.

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

Genre problem

As for the genre of this work, not all researchers are unanimous in their opinions. Some people think that it is most fair to call the plays social drama. After all, the main thing that Gorky shows is the problems of people who have sunk to the bottom of life. The heroes of the play are drunkards, cheaters, prostitutes, thieves... The action takes place in a godforsaken rooming house, where no one is interested in their "neighbor". Others believe that it would be more correct to call the work a philosophical drama. According to this point of view, in the center of the image there is a clash of views, a kind of conflict of ideas. The main question that the heroes argue about is: what is better - truth or compassion? Of course, everyone answers this question in their own way. And in general, it is not completely clear whether there is an unambiguous answer. One way or another, the philosophical layer in the play is connected with the appearance of Luke in it, which encourages the inhabitants of the rooming house to think about their own lives.

Heroes of the play

The main characters of the play are the inhabitants of the rooming house. The action involves the owner of the rooming house Kostylev, his wife Vasilisa, Actor (former actor of the provincial theater), Satin, Kleshch (locksmith), Natasha, Vasilisa's sister, thief Vaska Pepel, Bubnov and Baron. One of the characters is a "stranger", Luka, who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere after the third act. These characters appear throughout the play. There are other characters, but their roles are auxiliary. The Kostylevs are a married couple who can hardly digest each other. Both of them are rude and scandalous, besides cruel. Vasilisa is in love with Vaska Pepel and persuades him to kill her elderly husband. But Vaska does not want to, because he knows her, and knows that she wants to exile him to the labor market in order to separate him from her sister Natalya. The actor and Sateen have a special role in the drama. The actor drank himself a long time ago, his dreams of a big stage are not destined to come true. He, like the man in Luke's story who believed in a righteous land, commits suicide at the end of the play. Sateen's monologues are important. In a sense, he confronts Luka, although at the same time, he does not accuse him of lying, unlike the other inhabitants of the rooming house. It is Satin who answers the question: what is better - truth or compassion. Several deaths occur. Anna, Klesch's wife, dies at the very beginning of the play. Her role, though not long, but very important. Anna's death against the backdrop of a game of cards makes the situation tragic. In the third act, Kostylev dies in a fight, which further aggravates the situation of the inhabitants of the rooming house. And at the very end, the Actor's suicide occurs, which, however, almost no one pays attention to.

Philosophical content of the play

The philosophical content of the drama falls into two layers. The first is the question of truth. The second is the answer to the central question in the drama: which is better, truth or compassion?

Truth in the play

The hero Luka, an old man, comes to the rooming house and begins to promise a bright future to all the heroes. He tells Anna that after death she will go to heaven, where peace awaits her, there will be no troubles and torments. Luka tells the actor that in some city (he forgot the name) there are clinics for drunkards where you can get rid of alcoholism absolutely free. but the reader immediately understands that Luke has not forgotten the name of the city, because what he is talking about simply does not exist. Peplu Luka advises to go to Siberia and take Natasha with him, only there they will be able to improve their lives. Each of the inhabitants of the rooming house understands that Luka is deceiving them. But what is truth? That's what the debate is about. according to Luke, the truth cannot always be healed, but a lie that is spoken for good is not a sin. Bubnov and Pepel declare that the bitter truth is better, even if it is unbearable, than a lie. But Tick is so confused in his life that he is no longer interested in anything. The truth is that there is no job, no money, and no hope for a better existence. The hero hates this truth as much as Luke's false promises.

Which is better: truth or compassion (based on Gorky's play "At the Bottom")

This is the main question. Luke solves it unambiguously: it is better to lie to a person than to bring him pain. As an example, he cites a man who believed in a true land, he lived and hoped that someday he would get there. But when he found out that there was no such land, there was no hope left, and the man strangled himself. Pepel and Bubnov deny such a position, they are sharply negative towards Luka. Satin takes a slightly different position. He believes that Luka cannot be accused of lying. After all, he lies out of pity and mercy. However, Satin himself does not accept this: a person sounds proud, and one cannot humiliate him with pity. The question "which is better - truth or compassion" in the play "At the bottom" is unresolved. Is there any answer to such a complex and vital question? Perhaps there can be no single answer. Each hero solves it in his own way, and each person has the right to choose what is better - truth or compassion.

Based on Gorky's play "At the Bottom", they write essays and write on various topics, but one of the most popular concerns this particular problem, the problem of lying "for salvation."

How to write an essay?

First of all, you need to remember about the correct composition. In addition, in an essay-reasoning, it is necessary to give as an example not only episodes from the work, but also to reinforce what was said with examples from life or other books. The theme "Which is better: truth or compassion" does not allow one-sided interpretation. it must be said that in each situation it is necessary to act differently. Sometimes the truth can kill a person, then the question is: did the person say this, being afraid of sin, or, on the contrary, decided to harm his neighbor and act cruelly. However, not everyone wants to be deceived either. If a person has a chance to fix something, to start life differently, isn't it better to know the truth? But if there is no other way, and the truth turns out to be disastrous, then you can lie. What is better: truth or compassion, what is more needed - everyone decides in his own way at a certain point in his life. You should always remember about philanthropy and mercy.

So, the play is a complex work with a two-level conflict. At the philosophical level, this is a question: what is better - truth or compassion. The heroes of the Gorky play turned out to be at the bottom of their lives, perhaps Luke's lie for them is the only bright moment in life, so can then what the hero says be considered a lie?