The problem of man and civilization in the story of I. A

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.

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

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

work - 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.

V 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 the "nests" of keywords.

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.

• Define the keywords of the topic.

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.

• Build a judgment that reflects the connections between key concepts. IA Bunin is a brilliant representative of the prose of the twentieth century. 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.

  Build a judgment about the topic of the essay, including its formulation in other words.

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

• Formulate the task that the topic poses for the writer.

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?

• Build a judgment showing the connection between the introduction and the main part of the essay.

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

• Combine these judgments.

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".

1. 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.

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 the writer endows them with.

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 not the master from San Francisco that was wheezing, - he was no longer there, 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 the 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.

The story "Mister from San Francisco", the meaning of the title of which is explained in this article, is one of the most famous works of Ivan Bunin. This is a kind of parable, which tells about the meaninglessness of wealth and fame before the inevitability of death. The key idea of ​​the work is a person's comprehension of the essence of his being, an awareness of how fragile life is, how insignificant it is, if there is no beauty and authenticity in it.

The meaning of the name

The story "Master from San Francisco", the meaning of the title of which is revealed in this article, was first published in 1915.

The main feature of this work is that the author did not give a name to the main character. Even in the title, he is simply referred to as the gentleman from San Francisco. This is the meaning of the title of the work.

This gentleman was a representative of a phony, boring and monotonous so-called high society. The author despised such people, the social circle to which they considered themselves, for heartlessness and belief in permissiveness at the expense of money, fake relationships, love of convenience. Because of all this, Bunin did not even give a name to his hero, emphasizing this in the title. This is the meaning of the title "Lord of San Francisco".

The plot of the story

Having never named the protagonist by name in the story, the author emphasizes his attitude towards him, noting that no one remembered his name either in Capri or in Naples, where he stayed. Together with his family (wife and daughter), he goes to the Old World. Bunin in "The Lord from San Francisco" writes that the heroes for two whole years intended only to have fun and move from place to place. The gentleman has worked hard for the past few years, now he can afford such a rest.

The family is sailing on a huge ship - "Atlantis". It looks more like a fashionable hotel that has everything you need for a comfortable trip.

Life on a steamer in Bunin's story "Mr. from San Francisco" flows very measuredly. Passengers drink chocolate in the morning, then go to take baths, do gymnastics, walk sedately on the decks filled with people who are just as happy with life. All this in order to whet your appetite. Only after exercise in the fresh air they go to the first breakfast.

After eating, they read the fresh press in anticipation of the second breakfast. Then two hours are devoted to rest. For this, comfortable reed chairs are installed on the decks, on which you can relax comfortably, covered with a blanket. Travelers spend their time here before lunch, admiring the cloudless sky.

In the afternoon, a small snack - tea with cookies. Lunch in the evening. For vacationers on "Atlantis" this is, one might say, the main purpose of existence.

An orchestra plays in the huge hall where the rich spend every evening. And outside the walls at this time the ocean is rustling. But these men in tuxedos and women in low-cut evening dresses do not even remember him. Every evening after dinner, dancing starts in the hall.

Decent men go to the bar, where they drink liquors and cocktails. Negroes in obligatory red camisoles serve them.

Old lady europe

The first big stop of the steamboat takes place in Naples. In this city, the family of a gentleman from San Francisco is housed in a fashionable hotel. But their daily routine does not practically change from this. Early morning breakfast, in the afternoon cultural program - visiting museums and temples. Then second breakfast, afternoon tea, and then preparation for dinner in the evening. A hearty lunch is a kind of cherry on the cake every day.

Only the weather in Naples spoils the impression. The Lord of San Francisco heroes arrive in December. At this time of the year, there are constant bad weather - strong wind, sometimes pouring rain, mud underfoot. Therefore, the family decides to move to the island of Capri. Everyone around them assures them that they will be on it as if in paradise. The family will be surrounded only by the sun, warmth and flowering lemons.

Americans in Capri

The heroes of "The Lord from San Francisco" move to the island. They sail on a small steamer. On the way, they suffer from seasickness, as the ship chatters a lot on the waves.

But here they are on the shore. The funicular takes them to a miniature town located on the top of the mountain. They check into a hotel where they are greeted by friendly staff. And they immediately begin to prepare for dinner.

The main character dresses earlier than his loved ones and goes alone to the cozy reading room of the hotel, where he gets acquainted with the fresh press. He begins to read, but suddenly the lines start jumping in front of him. The master, wriggling with his whole body, slides to the floor. A guest who is nearby calls for help, everyone is alarmed. The owner of the hotel strives to reassure the guests, but in vain. The evening is already ruined.

Death

The gentleman from San Francisco is put in the cheapest and smallest room. His wife and daughter stand side by side in horror. What they feared most is happening - he dies.

The wife of the protagonist wants to move the body to her apartment. But the owner is against it. He values ​​these rooms too much and is afraid that guests will begin to avoid staying with him if they find out that there was a corpse here. After all, Capri is a small island, and everyone will know about it at once. Getting the coffin is also problematic, you can only find a long box, which used to contain bottles of soda water.

Return trip

The family of the gentleman from San Francisco sets off on the return journey. On the same "Atlantis" on which they sailed here, they go home.

But now the dead are being carried in a coffin, which is hidden from others in the hold. And on the decks at this time the usual measured life continues. Everyone is having breakfast, preparing for dinner every night and still admiring the ocean outside the window.

Analysis of the story

The analysis of "The Lord of San Francisco" should begin with the purpose of deciding on the idea of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe story. It is revealed when the family is in Capri. This is where Bunin's philosophical plan becomes clear.

After the death of the protagonist, a paradoxical thing happens. He is taken to the dirtiest and most disgusting room that has ever been in the hotel, and the body is sent to a steamer in a bottle box so that as few guests as possible know about the tragedy.

This is the main theme of "The Lord of San Francisco". After death, wealth, fame and honor become completely unimportant. So the author clearly demonstrates the essence of human existence. Money and respect, which were so important in life, become completely useless after death.

Bunin also uses symbolic contrast, describing representatives of the bourgeois and poor people. In the analysis of "The Lord from San Francisco", it is worth noting that the author's images of ordinary people are vivid, real and attractive. But he describes the rich with undisguised disdain.

The problem of "Mr. from San Francisco" is also that luxury and money do not protect a person from real life in the least. People who care only about their wallet, according to Bunin, are doomed to moral baseness.

Bunin's story "Mister from San Francisco" tells that everything is devalued before the fact of death. Human life is subject to corruption, it is too short to waste it in vain, and the main idea of ​​this instructive story is to comprehend the essence of human existence. The meaning of life of the hero of this story lies in his confidence that one can buy everything with the available wealth, but fate decided otherwise. We offer an analysis of the work "Mr. from San Francisco" according to the plan, the material will be useful in preparing for the exam in literature in grade 11.

Brief analysis

Year of writing- 1915

History of creation- In a shop window, Bunin accidentally drew attention to the cover of Thomas Mann's book "Death in Venice", this was the impetus for writing the story.

Theme- Opposites that surround a person everywhere are the main theme of the work - these are life and death, wealth and poverty, power and insignificance. All this reflects the philosophy of the author himself.

Composition- The subject matter of "The Lord from San Francisco" contains both a philosophical and a socio - political character. The author reflects on the frailty of life, on the attitude of a person to spiritual and material values, from the point of view of various strata of society. The plot of the story begins with the journey of the master, the climax is his unexpected death, and in the denouement of the story, the author reflects on the future of mankind.

genre- The story, which is a meaningful parable.

Direction- Realism. In the history of Bunin, it acquires a deep philosophical meaning.

History of creation

The story of the creation of Bunin's story dates back to 1915, when he saw the cover of Thomas Mann's book. After that, he visited his sister, remembered the cover, for some reason it caused him to associate with the death of one of the Americans on vacation, which happened while on vacation in Capri. Immediately a sudden decision came to him to describe this incident, which he did in the shortest possible time - the story was written in just four days. With the exception of the deceased American, all other facts in the story are completely fictional.

Theme

In The Lord of San Francisco, an analysis of the work allows us to single out the main idea of ​​the story, which consists in the philosophical reflections of the author on the meaning of life, on the essence of being.

Critics enthusiastically reacted to the creation of the Russian writer, interpreting the essence of the philosophical story in their own way. Story topic- life and death, poverty and luxury, in the description of this hero, who lived his life in vain, reflects the worldview of the entire society, divided into classes. High society, possessing all material values, having the opportunity to buy everything that is only sold, does not have the most important thing - spiritual values.

On the ship, a dancing couple depicting genuine happiness is also a fake. These are the actors who were bought to play love. There is nothing real, everything is artificial and feigned, everything is bought. And the people themselves are false and hypocritical, they are faceless, which is what meaning of the name this story.

And the master has no name, his life is aimless and empty, he does not bear any benefit, he only uses the benefits created by representatives of another, lower class. He dreamed of buying everything that was possible, but did not have time, fate decreed in its own way, and took his life. When he dies, no one even remembers him, he only causes inconvenience to others, including his family.

The bottom line is that he died - that's all, he doesn't need any wealth, luxury, power and honor. He doesn't care where to lie - in a luxurious inlaid coffin, or in a simple soda box. Life was wasted, he did not experience real, sincere human feelings, did not know love and happiness, in the worship of the golden calf.

Composition

The storytelling is divided into two parts: how a gentleman is sailing on a ship to the coast of Italy, and the journey of the same gentleman back, on the same ship, only this time in a coffin.

In the first part, the hero uses all possible benefits that money can buy, he has all the best: a hotel room, and delicious dishes, and all the other delights of life. The gentleman has so much money that he conceived a trip for two years, together with his family, wife and daughter, who also do not deny themselves anything.

But after the climax, when the hero is overtaken by sudden death, everything changes dramatically. The owner of the hotel does not even allow to put the corpse of the gentleman in his room, having allocated for this purpose the cheapest and most inconspicuous one. There is not even a decent coffin in which you can put the gentleman, and he is put in an ordinary box, which is a container for some products. On the ship, where the master was blissful on deck among high society, his place is only in the dark hold.

main characters

genre

The "gentleman from San Francisco" can be summarized as genre story a, but this story is filled with deep philosophical content, and differs from the rest of Bunin's works. Usually, Bunin's stories contain a description of nature and natural phenomena, striking in their liveliness and realism.

In the same work there is the main character, around whom the conflict of this story is tied. Its content makes one think about the problems of society, about its degradation, which has turned into a spiritless mercantile creature, worshiping only one idol - money, and renouncing everything spiritual.

The whole story is subordinate philosophical direction, and in plot plan Is an instructive parable that teaches the reader a lesson. The injustice of a class society, where the lower part of the population lives in poverty, and the cream of high society is uselessly burning life, all this, in the end, leads to a single ending, and in the face of death, everyone is equal, both the poor and the rich, it cannot be paid off by any money.

Bunin's story "The gentleman from San Francisco" is rightfully considered one of the most outstanding works in his work.

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Analysis rating

Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 769.

The story "Mister from San Francisco" was written by IABunin in 1915. The story is based on the author's general impression of his journey and, as it were, hints at social collapse throughout the world. Bunin deliberately does not give a name to the protagonist, presenting us with a generalized image. Initially, the title of the story was "Death on Capri", but in the process of working on the work, Bunin abandoned the title containing the word "death".

Despite this, the feeling of imminent death appears from the very first words of the epigraph.

The story tells about the last days of the life of a wealthy American gentleman who decided to start living at the age of 58. Precisely to start, because he worked all this time, trying to ensure himself a decent old age. He believed that life was the rest and pleasure he deserved, so he carefully planned the route of the trip, which in turn is already a stupid obedience to the schedule.

And almost immediately everything does not go as planned by the main character. And besides, there was something artificial in its existence, where not only every movement of passengers, but also their emotions was painted. This is where the dissonance between the opinions of the protagonist and the author is already clearly shown. Such an existence cannot be called a fulfilling life. The hero lives only for a moment, and then struggling with death.

Further, the picture is predictable. If the hero at the beginning is having fun by himself, talking with people of the upper circle and watching fake lovers, then even after the death of the master, this same higher circle continues to burn out its life now without the main character, whose body rests deep under them.

The "gentleman from San Francisco" is full of symbolism. The coffin in the hold is a message of having fun, meaning that all people are equal before death, and their money cannot help them in the last painful minutes. Their happiness is not really happiness at all, their worldview cannot be compared with the vision of the world of ordinary poor highlanders.

The idea of ​​the work is not just a story about the death of a rich man. The money he saved up, his rank did not matter anymore. That's what's important. Bunin reveals in his story his own vision of the meaning of life, and this meaning is clearly not in the acquisition of wealth and fame.

The hero is called the master, because this is his essence. At least, he thinks so, and therefore revels in his position. He represents the society that destroys all living things in humanity, forcing him to come up with a schedule, blindly follow it and smile pretentiously in feigned pleasure. There is nothing spiritual in such a society, its goal is to be rich and use this wealth. But this has not made anyone truly happy.

"Atlantis" is a ship that carries this society to new delights; the ocean on which the ship sails is an element beyond the control of even the richest people, capable of instantly destroying the plans of a "dead society" and sending it to the bottom. And at the bottom, the society will be waiting for a gentleman from San Francisco. "Atlantis", in fact, is going nowhere, dragging with it a blind society of callous people.

The main problem of the story "Master from San Francisco" is a dead society, which can only boast in front of all its money and live according to a schedule drawn up by an equally insensitive, lifeless person. In his diary, Bunin wrote the following: "I cried, writing the end."

What was he crying over? Over the sad fate of the gentleman who has just begun to live: Over his family, now left without a breadwinner? After all, now they will have to look for a groom so that the master's daughter can continue her boring life, as the schedule dictates. I think the author was saddened by the fate of the "dead" society, their way of life and impartiality to the grief of others; their callousness and insensitivity. This is precisely the problem of modern society, as it was many years ago.

Updated: 2014-06-04

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I. Bunin is one of the few figures of Russian culture appreciated abroad. In 1933 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "For the strict skill with which he develops the traditions of Russian classical prose." It is possible to relate differently to the personality and views of this writer, but his skill in the field of fine literature is indisputable, therefore his works are, at least, worthy of our attention. One of them, namely "Mr. from San Francisco", received such a high praise from the jury, which awarded 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 the store, and a few months later, when he came to visit his cousin, he remembered this name 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 came about, and not just a story, but a whole philosophical parable.

This literary work was enthusiastically received by critics, and the outstanding talent of the writer was compared with the gift of L.N. Tolstoy and A.P. Chekhov. After that, Bunin stood with the venerable connoisseurs of the word and the human soul in the same 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 hoarding leads to.

What a story?

The main character, who does not have a name (he is simply the Master 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 steamer Atlantis on their recreational voyage. All passengers are immersed in idleness, but the attendants work tirelessly to provide all these breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas, card games, dances, liqueurs and cognacs. The stay of tourists in Naples is also monotonous, only museums and cathedrals are added to their program. However, the weather does not favor tourists: Naples December turned out to be rainy. Therefore, the Lord and his family are in a hurry to the island of Capri, which delights with warmth, where they settle in the same hotel and are already preparing for routine "entertaining" activities: eating, sleeping, chatting, looking for a groom for their daughter. But suddenly the death of the protagonist bursts into this "idyll". He died suddenly while reading a newspaper.

And it is here that the main idea of ​​the story is revealed to the reader that in the face of death, everyone is equal: neither wealth nor power will save one from it. This gentleman, who only recently wasted money, spoke contemptuously with the servants and accepted their respectful obeisances, lies in a cramped and cheap room, respect has disappeared somewhere, the family is expelled from the hotel, because his wife and daughter will leave "trifles" at the checkout. And now his body is being taken back to America in a soda box, because not even a coffin can be found in Capri. But he goes already in the hold, hidden from high-ranking passengers. And no one grieves much, because no one can use the dead man's money anymore.

The meaning of the name

At first Bunin wanted to name his story “Death on Capri” by analogy with the title “Death in Venice” that inspired him (the writer read this book later and assessed 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 attitude of the writer to the Lord is clear, for him he is faceless, colorless and soulless, therefore he did not even receive a name. He is the master, the top of the social hierarchy. But all this power is fleeting and unsteady, the author recalls. A hero useless for 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 hectic hoarding, his wife, depicting gray respectability, and their daughter, symbolizing the desire for this respectability.

1. 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 difficult service. Other people mean little to him at all, the main thing is profit, wealth, power, savings. It was they who gave him the opportunity to travel, live at the highest level and disregard others who were less fortunate in life. However, nothing saved the hero from death, you cannot take money for the next world. Yes, and respect, bought and sold, quickly turns to dust: after his death, nothing changed, the celebration of life, money and idleness continued, even about the last tribute to the dead there is no one to worry about. The body travels through the authorities, it is nothing, just one more item of baggage that is thrown into the hold, hiding from "decent society".
2. The hero's wife lived monotonously, in a philistine way, but with style: without any special problems and difficulties, no worries, just a lazy string of idle days. Nothing impressed her, she was completely calm always, probably forgotten how to think in the routine of idleness. She is worried only about the future of her daughter: she needs to find a respectable and profitable party for her, so that she can also comfortably float with the flow all her life.
3. The daughter with all her might portrayed innocence and at the same time frankness, attracting suitors. This was what interested her most of all. The meeting with an ugly, strange and uninteresting person, but a prince, plunged the girl into excitement. Perhaps this was one of the last strong feelings in her life, and then her mother's future awaited her. However, some emotions still remained in the girl: she alone had a presentiment of trouble (“her heart was suddenly gripped by longing, a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island”) and cried about her father.

Main themes

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 of the author's intention. He encourages readers to think about themselves: are we not chasing after something frivolously small, are we sinking into the routine, missing the true beauty? After all, life, in which there is no time to think about yourself, your place in the Universe, in which there is no time to look at the surrounding nature, people and notice something good in them, has been lived in vain. And you can't fix a life you have lived in vain, and you can't buy a new one for any money. Death will come anyway, you cannot hide from it and pay off, so you need to have time to do something really worthwhile, something to 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 venality of which ugliness lies.

The wealth of the "masters of life" is contrasted with the poverty of people who live just as routinely, but endure poverty and humiliation. Servants who secretly mimic their masters, but grovel in front of them. Gentlemen who treat servants as inferior beings, but reptiles in front of even richer and more noble persons. A couple hired on a steamer to play passionate love. The Master's Daughter, depicting 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.

The main problems

The main problem of this story is the search for the meaning of life. How should you spend your short earthly vigil for a reason, how do you leave behind something important and valuable for those around you? Everyone sees their destiny in their own way, but no one should forget that a person's spiritual luggage is more important than material. Although at all times they said that all eternal values ​​have been lost in modern times, this is not true every time. Both Bunin and other writers remind us, the 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 wasted his spiritual strength, making money, saving some simple pleasures, real emotions for later, but this "later" did not start. This happens to many people who are mired in everyday life, routine, problems, affairs. Sometimes you just need to stop, pay attention to loved ones, nature, friends, feel the beauty in the environment. 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 is interrupted from bread to water, and the elite thoughtlessly wastes their lives. The writer states the moral squalor of the existing order, because the majority of the “masters of life” reached their wealth by dishonest means. Such people bring only evil, as the Master of San Francisco pays for and ensures the death of Chinese workers. The death of the protagonist emphasizes the thoughts of the author. No one is interested in this recently so influential person, because his money no longer gives him power, and he has not performed any worthy of respect and outstanding deeds.

The idleness of these rich people, their effeminacy, perversity, insensitivity to something alive and beautiful prove the accident and injustice of their high position. This fact is hidden behind the description of the tourists' leisure on the ship, their entertainment (the main of which is lunch), costumes, relationships with each other (the origin of the prince, whom the daughter of the protagonist met, makes her fall in love).

Composition and genre

"The Lord of San Francisco" can be seen as a parable story. What is a story (a short work of prose, containing a plot, conflict and having one main plot line) is known to most, but how can you characterize a parable? A parable is a small allegorical text that guides the reader on the right path. Therefore, the work in the plot plan and in form is a story, and in a philosophical, meaningful way, it is a parable.

Compositionally, the story is divided into two large parts: the journey of the Lord 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. Prior to this, when describing the steamer Atlantis and tourist destinations, the author gives the story a suspenseful mood of anticipation. In this part, a sharply negative attitude towards the Lord 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 steamer Atlantis, on which an endless celebration of luxurious life reigns, but overboard there is a storm, a storm, even the ship itself is trembling. So at the beginning of the twentieth century, the whole society was seething, experiencing a social crisis, only indifferent bourgeois continued to feast during the plague.

The island of Capri symbolizes real beauty (therefore, the description of its nature and inhabitants is covered with warm colors): "joyful, beautiful, sunny" country, filled with "fabulous blue", majestic mountains, the charm of which cannot be conveyed in human language. The existence of our American family and people like them is a pitiful parody of life.

Features of the work

Figurative language, vivid landscapes are inherent in the creative manner of Bunin, the mastery of the artist of the word is reflected in this story. At first, he creates a disturbing mood, the reader expects that, despite the splendor of the rich environment around the Lord, something irreparable will soon happen. Later, the tension is erased by natural sketches, painted with soft strokes, reflecting love and admiration for beauty.

The second feature is philosophical and topical content. Bunin castigates the senselessness of the existence of the top of society, their spoiledness, disrespect for the rest of the people. It is because of this bourgeoisie, cut off from the life of the people, having fun at their expense, 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, that's why so much blood was shed, so many tragedies happened in those difficult times. And the topic of finding the meaning of life does not lose its relevance, which is why the story is still of interest to the reader 100 years later.

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