Characteristics and image of Pavel Vlasov's novel Mother (Gorky Maxim). Characteristics and image of Pavel Vlasov novel Mother (Gorky A.M.) Revolutionary activity of Pavel

Pavel (Vlasov Pavel Mikhailovich)- son main character novel, a hereditary worker who became a professional revolutionary. The prototype of the character was the Sormovo worker P. Zalomov. At the same time, the fate of Gorky's character is connected with the symbolism of an atoning sacrifice; Since the beginning of the story depicts a sharp change in the life of P., who turns from an ordinary factory guy into a conscious political fighter, it is permissible to see in his name a hint of a connection with the image of the apostle. P.'s first decisive act was to resist beatings from his father, mechanic Mikhail Vlasov, whose subconscious social protest resulted in drunkenness and aggressive behavior. After the death of his father, P. tries to imitate him, but a meeting with members of an underground circle dramatically changes his internal and appearance. It is characteristic that, having experienced “rebirth,” P. hangs on the wall a picture of Christ going to Emmaus; He tells his mother about his new beliefs “with all the strength of youth and the fervor of a student, proud of knowledge, sacredly believing in its truth”: “now everyone stands differently for me - I feel sorry for everyone, or what?” In P.'s house, meetings of the underground circle begin (Andrei Nakhodka, teacher Natasha, the thief's son Nikolai Vesovshchikov, factory worker Fyodor Sizov, etc.). After the first meeting, P. warns his mother: “There is a prison ahead for all of us.” P.’s asceticism and severity seem “monastic” to his mother: for example, he calls on Andrei to give up personal happiness and family “for business,” and he admits that he himself made a similar choice; in a conversation with Nilovna, Nakhodka calls P. “ iron man" Members of the circle distribute leaflets at the factory; A search is carried out in Pavel's house. The next day after the search, P. talks with the fireman Rybin who came to him: he claims that “strength” is given by the heart, not the “head”, and believes that it is necessary to “invent a new faith... we need to create a god for other people” ; P. claims that “only reason will free a person.” During a spontaneous conflict between workers and the factory administration (“the story of the “swamp penny”), P. makes a speech calling for an organized struggle for their rights and proposes starting a strike. However, the workers do not support him, and P. experiences this as evidence of his own “weakness.” He is arrested at night, but released a few months later. Members of the circle are preparing to celebrate May Day; P. is determined to carry the banner himself during the demonstration. Seeing his mother’s anxiety and pity, he declares: “There is love that prevents a person from living.” When Nakhodka abruptly cuts him off, condemning him for his ostentatious “heroism” in front of his mother, P. asks her for forgiveness. During the May Day demonstration, he carried a banner at the head of the crowd and was arrested among the leaders (about 20 people). This concludes the first part. Subsequently, P. appears only in final chapters, in the court scene: he gives a detailed speech, setting out the Social Democratic program. The court sentences P. to exile in Siberia.

We present to your attention the novel that M. Gorky created - “Mother”, its summary and analysis. This work was published for the first time in the USA (1906-1907). With significant censorship distortions in our country, it was published in 1907-1908. And only after the revolution of 1917 - in its original form.

Andrey Nakhodka

Andrei Onisimovich Nakhodka (Andrei - “crest”) - underground revolutionary, adopted son of Nilovna and friend of Pavel Vlasov. He is Ukrainian, an adopted orphan (as evidenced by the hero’s surname), “illegitimate.” His name means that he is “the son of all people”, symbolizes the humane, “universal beginning of the revolution, which M. Gorky (“Mother”) wanted to emphasize.

Arrest

The hero expresses thoughts about the international brotherhood of workers, containing references to the Gospel. Nilovna invites him to live in their house. As a result of the search, it turns out that Andrei has already been investigated twice for political crimes. He is arrested again, but released a few weeks later. In a conversation with him, for Nilovna, the feeling of motherhood in a universal, concrete, even mystical sense is actualized. This hero takes indirect participation in the murder of Isai Gorbov, a local informer and spy. This causes him severe moral suffering, although Andrei understands the need to destroy such “Judas.” During the demonstration on May 1, he is near Pavel, who is carrying a banner, and they are arrested. During the trial, Andrei gets the floor after Pavel, but then he is deprived of the opportunity to speak. The friends are sentenced together to exile in Siberia.

Nilovna

Vlasova Pelageya Nilovna is a heroine whose image symbolizes Russia in the novel. Associated with it is the “folk”, universal human perception of events. The dynamics of Nilovna’s character are intended to reflect changes in the psychology of the people. Her love for her son transforms into love for people in general. This character also combines a Christian meaning with the idea of active political struggle. She perceives the revolutionary movement as a movement of “children.” She, being a mother, cannot sympathize with him, which is noted by M. Gorky (“Mother”).

Her son Pavel, after the death of his husband, wanted to live “like his father.” The woman persuades him not to do this. But the changes taking place in her son frighten her. Seeing Pavel's comrades-in-arms, Nilovna cannot believe that these are “forbidden people.” They don’t seem scary to the heroine at all. Nilovna invites Pavel to take Andrei as a lodger, essentially becoming a mother for him too. After her friends were arrested, she experiences a feeling of loneliness, as she is used to communicating with young people.

Distributing leaflets

Two days after his arrest, his son’s friends ask for help distributing leaflets at the factory. Realizing that she could thus divert suspicion from Pavel, she, under the guise of a merchant, distributes prohibited literature to the workers. When Nakhodka returns from prison, she tells him about this, admitting that she thinks only about her son, acts only out of

Summary Gorky's novel "Mother" consists of the following further events. Gradually, looking at those who come to visit Andrei, Nilovna mentally begins to connect all these faces into a single face similar to the image of Christ. She slowly realizes that she is needed for a “new life.” Having learned that the informer Gorbov was killed, and Andrei was indirectly involved in this, Nilovna says that she does not consider anyone guilty, although she is surprised at her words, which are contrary to the Christian spirit.

Rybin

During the demonstration on May 1, she addresses people and talks about the “holy cause” and calls not to leave children alone on this path. After the arrest of her friends, Nilovna moves from the factory settlement to the city. After this, she goes to the village to make some connections to distribute literature. Here the heroine meets Rybin, a former neighbor who agitates the peasants and gives him books. Returning to the city, Nilovna begins delivering prohibited literature, newspapers and proclamations to the villages. She participates in the funeral of Yegor Ivanovich, a revolutionary and her fellow countryman. This funeral escalates into a confrontation at the cemetery with the police. Nilovna takes away the wounded young man and takes care of him, as “Mother” tells us about.

Summary further developments quite dramatic. Going back to the village after some time, she observes Rybin’s arrest and is forced to give the books brought to him to a random peasant, and conducts agitation among them. Having visited Pavel in prison, the heroine gives him a note with an escape plan, but the son refuses to escape and writes about it in a reply note. However, the underground managed to organize the escape of Rybin and another prisoner. Nilovna, at her request, was allowed to observe this escape from the side.

The final

The woman is present during the trial of Pavel and his friends, after which she delivers the text of Pavel’s speech to an underground printing house and volunteers to take printed copies to the village. At the station she notices surveillance. Realizing that arrest cannot be avoided, but not wanting the leaflets to go to waste, she scatters them in the crowd. A woman beaten by the police makes a heated speech to those around her. The ending of the work is not entirely clear. Perhaps Nilovna is dying. This is how M. Gorky ends his novel “Mother”. A summary of the main events has been described above.

Pavel Vlasov

Vlasov Pavel Mikhailovich (Pavel) is the son of the main character, a hereditary worker who became a professional revolutionary. Its prototype was P. Zalomov, a Sormovo worker. The fate of this hero is connected with the symbol of an atoning sacrifice. In his name one can see a hint of similarity with the image of the apostle, since at the beginning of the work a sharp change in the life of the hero is shown from a simple factory guy who turned into a political fighter, as M. Gorky tells us about (“Mother”).

Revolutionary activities of Paul

His first decisive act is to resist his father's beatings. For his father, Mikhail Vlasov, who worked as a mechanic, his subconscious social protest degenerates into drunkenness.

After his death, the hero tries to imitate him, but a meeting with an underground circle radically changes his external and internal appearance, as noted by Gorky M. (“Mother”).

A summary of the chapters of further events in the life of this character is as follows. Meetings begin to be held in Pavel's house, in which Andrei Nakhodka, Nikolai Vesovshchikov, the thief's son, teacher Natasha, Fyodor Sizov, a factory worker and others take part. He immediately warns Nilovna that they all face prison. Paul's severity and asceticism seem "monastic" to his mother. For example, he calls for Andrei to give up his family and happiness for the sake of “business” and admits that he once made such a choice. In a conversation with her mother, Nakhodka calls this hero “iron man.” Pavel's friends distribute leaflets at the factory. A search is carried out in his house, as Maxim Gorky ("Mother") tells us about.

A summary of further events is as follows. The next day after this, the revolutionary talks with the fireman Rybin, who came to visit. He says that we need to “invent a new faith.” Paul believes that only reason can free a person. During a conflict between workers and the factory administration (the so-called “swamp penny” story), the hero calls on them to fight for rights and proposes organizing a strike. But people do not support him; Paul experiences this as a result of his “weakness.”

He is arrested at night, but is released several months later. Friends are going to celebrate May 1, Pavel intends to carry the banner during the demonstration. When this happens, he is arrested along with other leaders (about 20 people in total). Thus ends the first part. After this, Paul appears only in the final chapters, in the court scene. Here he gives a speech outlining his Social Democratic program. The court sentences the hero to exile in Siberia. This is how this character’s participation in the events ends, and then Gorky’s novel “Mother” itself. A summary of the work and its analysis have been presented to your attention.

Vlasov Pavel Mikhailovich is the son of the main character of the novel, a hereditary worker who became a professional revolutionary. The prototype of the character was the Sormovo worker P. Zalomov. At the same time, the fate of Gorky's character is connected with the symbolism of an atoning sacrifice; Since the beginning of the story depicts a sharp change in the life of P., who turns from an ordinary factory guy into a conscious political fighter, it is permissible to see in his name a hint of a connection with the image of the apostle. P.'s first decisive act is to resist beatings from his father, mechanic Mikhail Vlasov, whose subconscious social protest results in drunkenness and aggressive behavior. After the death of his father, P. tries to imitate him, but a meeting with members of an underground circle dramatically changes his internal and external appearance.

It is characteristic that, having experienced “rebirth,” P. hangs on the wall a picture of Christ going to Emmaus; He tells his mother about his new beliefs “with all the strength of youth and the fervor of a student, proud of knowledge, sacredly believing in their truth”: “Now everyone stands differently for me - I feel sorry for everyone, or what?” In P.'s house, meetings of the underground circle begin (Andrei Nakhodka, teacher Natasha, the thief's son Nikolai Vesovshchikov, factory worker Fyodor Sizov, etc.). After the first meeting, P. warns his mother: “There is a prison ahead for all of us.” P.’s asceticism and severity seem “monastic” to his mother: for example, he calls on Andrei to give up personal happiness and family “for business,” and he admits that he himself made a similar choice; in a conversation with Nilovna, Nakhodka calls P. “iron man.” Members of the circle distribute leaflets at the factory; A search is carried out in Pavel's house. The next day after the search, P. talks with fireman Rybin who came to him: he claims that “strength” is given by the heart, not the “head,” and believes that it is necessary to “invent a new faith... we need to create a god for other people.” ; P. claims that only reason will free a person. During a spontaneous conflict between workers and the factory administration (“the story of the “swamp penny”), P. makes a speech calling for an organized struggle for their rights and proposes starting a strike. However, the workers do not support him, and P. experiences this as evidence of his own “weakness.” He is arrested at night, but released a few months later. Members of the circle are preparing to celebrate May Day; P. is determined to carry the banner himself during the demonstration. Seeing his mother’s anxiety and pity, he declares: “There is love that prevents a person from living.” When Nakhodka abruptly cuts him off, condemning him for his ostentatious “heroism” in front of his mother, P. asks her for forgiveness. During the May Day demonstration, he carried a banner at the head of the crowd, and was arrested among the leaders (about 20 people). This concludes the first part. In the future, P. appears only in the final chapters, in the court scene: he gives a detailed speech, setting out the Social Democratic program. The court sentences P. to exile in Siberia.

Neither in the work of Gorky himself before 1905, nor in the work of any other Russian or foreign writer, was there such a penetrating depiction of the process of soul renewal, such a subtle disclosure of all the nuances of the formation of a new revolutionary consciousness, which we find in the novel “Mother”.

The above applies primarily to the image of Nilovna. She is the main one main character novel. The decisive importance of this image in the structure of the book is already clear from its title.

The most remarkable thing in Nilovna’s history seems to be

a harmonious combination of the theme of the mother's heart with the theme of social and political.

A kind of psychological chronicle unfolds before us.

And how many emotional nuances are captured in it! The quiet and submissive sadness of a woman beaten down by a degenerate, wild husband; the same submissive and painful sadness caused by the fact that the young son seemed to have moved along his father’s - wild and inhuman - path; the first joys in her life that she experienced when her son managed to overcome the cheap temptations of drunken and wild entertainment; then a new anxiety of the mother’s heart at the sight of the fact that the son is “focused and stubbornly

floats out somewhere to the side from the dark stream of life”... The author is in no hurry. He knows that there are no instant renewals of the soul, And day after day passes before us in the life of a mother; we observe both her doubts and the alienation that arose in separate moments from her son and from his friends - and we observe how they gradually form in her spiritual world new moods and concepts. And how complex, how rich her spiritual world turns out to be!

In Gorky's novel, the eternal takes on new meaning and new poignancy, because it is shown in a very complex dramatic social context; and the ideological quests and insights of a woman late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century become vibrantly alive, because they are permeated with the eternal light of maternal feeling.

About the coming of a new historical era and new literary era The image of Pavel Vlasov was also announced to the world, not as rich in psychological nuances as the image of the Mother, but also charming, monumental, filled with deep meaning. This was the first image in world literature of a political leader of the workers, bringing to the masses the ideas of scientific socialism, organizing the masses for a living, practical, revolutionary cause.

The image of Paul, like the image of the Mother, is drawn simultaneously in sober realistic and elevated romantic tones. These colors are suggested to the writer by life itself. The revolutionary struggle of the working class required a scientific comprehension of social reality, a strict consideration of all its factors, and it also required that spiritual uplift, that enthusiasm, without which victory would have been impossible. Therefore, Pavel Vlasov is shown as a sober analyst, as a person in highest degree restrained, reaching the point of “monastic severity” in his understanding of his duty, and he is also shown in the dramatic moments of his life, when he wanted to “throw to people his heart, lit by the fire of a dream of truth.” Reading such lines, we remember Danko. But if the hero of the legend was tragically lonely, then the hero of the novel is strong due to his ever-growing connection with the working collective, with the advanced intelligentsia. The era of historical creativity of the broadest strata of the working people - workers and peasants - has arrived, an era that has brought forward completely new type hero. And this is perfectly shown in the novel.

Gorky's innovation was also manifested in the disclosure of those beneficial changes that were brought by the socialist ideal to family relationships. We see how the friendship of Pelageya Vlasova and Pavel Vlasov arises and develops, a friendship that was generated not only by maternal love and filial love, but also by joint participation in a great historical cause. The most complex dialectic of relations between these two wonderful people very subtly and soulfully revealed by Gorky. Pavel has a strong spiritual influence on Nilovna. Communication with her son re-opens her eyes to the world. However, she also influences her son. And its influence, as Gorky shows with the help of subtle psychological and everyday nuances, was no less significant. Maybe even more significant! Communication with his Mother was for the stern, at first somewhat straightforward and harsh Pavel, a school of heartfelt kindness, modesty and tact. He became softer towards people close to him, his soul became more flexible, sensitive and wise. Thanks to communication with the Mother, he achieved that high humanity, without which a true revolutionary is unthinkable.

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The people depicted in the novel “Mother” are divided into two camps, completely hostile to each other. They stand on opposite sides of the barricade of class struggle: on the one hand, the workers, the revolutionary intelligentsia, who came to the working class and brought it the revolutionary theory of Marxism, the peasantry, organized by the working class and uniting with it to fight; on the other hand, representatives of the ruling, exploiting classes: the factory director, shopkeepers, a gendarmerie officer mocking his mother, a police officer beating Rybin, judges defending the power of the factory owners. ( This material will help you write competently on the topic The image and character of Pavel Vlasov in the novel Mother. A summary does not make it possible to understand the full meaning of the work, so this material will be useful for a deep understanding of the work of writers and poets, as well as their novels, novellas, short stories, plays, and poems.) They all together oppose the revolution, are full of hatred towards it, strive to strangle it in the very bud.

In the struggle for liberation, the best traits of human character strengthen and grow. Gorky concisely and powerfully depicts this growth of the working man along with the growth of the revolutionary movement.

Each image associated with the working environment plays its own special role in the novel and has its own special meaning. Pavel Vlasov's father belongs to the most backward representatives of the older generation of workers. He is broken by cruel capitalist exploitation, which has sucked all the vitality out of him. A representative of this generation is Nilovna, Pavel’s mother. Only connections with revolutionary youth and the example of her son help her find the true purpose of life and join the cause of the struggle for its reconstruction.

Gorky lovingly draws images of selfless revolutionaries - Pavel Vlasov and his comrades in struggle: workers Andrei Nakhodka, Samoilov, Sizov, Nikolai Vesovshchikov and many others.

The workers' revolutionary circle, whose members were Pavel Vlasov, Andrei Nakhodka, Sizov and other workers, set great political goals. Gorky clearly contrasts it with the social democratic circles that were widespread in the late 90s, which were affected by the bourgeois influence of “economism.” As in the revolutionary circle of Sormovo workers, with which Gorky was associated, the work of Pavel Vlasov’s circle had a militant, Bolshevik character. Agitation among the peasantry, expansion of revolutionary influence on the broad masses of workers, strengthening ties with leading social democratic underground organizations, leaflets issued not only with the aim of fighting against abuses in the factory, but also against the entire system of capitalism and autocracy, studying the revolutionary movement for abroad - all this speaks of the political revolutionary tasks that the workers' circle depicted in the novel "Mother" set for itself.

Pavel Vlasov is a representative of a new generation of workers. A simple working boy whose dreams are limited to good clothes and Sunday fun with friends - this is Pavel at the beginning of the novel. But acquaintance with the ideas of socialism transforms him and reveals a high goal - serving the people. This goal awakens all the forces of his mighty spirit.

The first failed attempt in the “swamp penny” case to raise the workers against the “owners” does not disappoint Paul either in the rightness of his cause, or in the strength of the workers and their ability to fight. He comes home “gloomy, tired, strangely worried.” He is offended not for the workers, but for himself. “They didn’t believe me, they didn’t follow my truth, which means I didn’t know how to tell it!..” he says to his mother. And when the mother, wanting to console, quietly said: “Wait! Today they didn’t understand, tomorrow they will understand...” he exclaims with deep conviction: “They must understand!”

Deep confidence in the rightness of one’s cause, a lifelong determination to fight for a just cause, conviction in the final victory - the most character traits Pavel Vlasov.

When the soldiers sent to disperse and suppress the May Day demonstration led by Paul moved towards the crowd, he exclaims with deep conviction: “Comrades!.. Soldiers are people just like us. They won't beat us. Why beat? Because we bring the truth that everyone needs? After all, they need this truth too. While they do not understand this, the time is already close when they too will stand next to us, when they will not go under the banner of robbery and murder, but under our banner of freedom. And in order for them to understand our truth sooner, we must move forward. Forward, comrades! Always forward!"

Pavel's whole life is moving forward along the difficult path of revolutionary struggle. He knows what threatens him when he takes this path. He is ready to give up personal happiness; he warns his mother that prison and perhaps death await him.

In preparation for the demonstration, Paul decides to carry the banner himself. When asked to cede this right to another, he responds with a decisive “no!” During the demonstration, Andrei Nakhodka comes forward to shield Pavel, who is walking with a banner, from the soldiers’ bayonets with his body, but Pavel throws at him: “Nearby! You have no right! There’s a banner ahead!”

Pavel Vlasov is a huge man inner beauty and strength; courage, will, nobility, ability to achieve feat - all these best human qualities in Paul and his comrades are subordinated to the very high goal- serving the native people. They find the highest happiness in selfless revolutionary struggle.

Among Pavel's comrades, Gorky shows workers who differ in their level of development and stamina in the struggle.

Andrei Nakhodka lacks Pavel’s will and composure; he has not fully realized the severity of the tests to which anyone who has embarked on the path of revolution must subject himself. Nikolai Vesovshchikov is a young worker who has just joined the ranks of the fighters for the revolution. He does not yet have party discipline, he is capable of anarchic, rash actions that can harm common cause. Party leadership from such persistent and seasoned revolutionaries as Pavel Vlasov helps him become a real fighter of the revolution.

About the time when the events of the novel unfold, V.I. Lenin wrote: “We are experiencing an extremely important moment in the history of the Russian labor movement... Last years are characterized by the amazingly rapid spread of social democratic ideas among our intelligentsia, and to meet this trend social thought there is a self-emerging movement of the industrial proletariat, which begins to unite and fight against its oppressors, begins to greedily strive for socialism.”

Using a living example of the activities of Pavel, his comrades and Sasha walking hand in hand with them; Natasha, Nikolai Ivanovich and Sophia Gorky highlighted this important side of the revolutionary movement in his novel and showed the connection of the workers with the revolutionary intelligentsia, which carried the teachings of Marx to the working masses.

The novel reflected various moments of the revolutionary struggle of the working class: underground work (self-education circles, printing and distribution of proclamations, illegal publications, secret meetings, revolutionary propaganda in the countryside, among peasants), the use of economic clashes between workers and entrepreneurs for political struggle (opposition against the collection of " swamp penny"), calling for a strike, organizing demonstrations, using the royal court as a platform for revolutionary propaganda.

The novel clearly shows the leading role of the party in the labor movement. In Pavel Vlasov and his comrades, in Yegor Ivanovich and Sophia, we see the Bolsheviks - by their behavior, by the way they resolve the most important issues of leading the revolutionary movement of workers and peasants. The coverage of these issues in the novel was primarily influenced by the Bolshevik position of Gorky himself.

In a Bolshevik way, the novel resolves a very important issue about the participation and role of the peasantry in the impending revolution. Lenin, in his book “Two Tactics of Social Democracy in the Democratic Revolution” (1905), wrote: “Only the proletariat can be a consistent fighter for democracy. He can become a victorious fighter for democracy only if the mass of the peasantry joins his revolutionary struggle.”

Gorky in his novel “Mother” revealed that the labor movement also influences the peasantry. A number of images of peasants - Rybin, Ignat, Efim, Savely, Tatyana, Stepan and Pyotr Ryabinin - depict the growing strength of resistance to the oppressors among the peasantry.

The attitude of the peasants to the beating of Rybin by the police officer is characteristic: “The crowd buzzed with hostility, swayed, advancing towards the police officer, he noticed this, jumped back and snatched the sword from its sheath. "You are so? Rebel? A-ah?.. That’s it?..” shouts the bailiff. Instead of the arrested Rybin, Pyotr Ryabinin takes the propaganda literature from Nilovna. “We need books... We’ll find a place for everything!.. It’s an amazing opportunity, so to speak!..,” he says. - It broke in one place, and overflowed in another! Nothing! “The newspaper, mother, is good, and it does its job - it rubs its eyes!”

In his novel, Gorky spoke about the uncontrollable growth of solidarity with the working class among the people. Nilovna sees silent sympathy in the eyes of the people who surrounded her in a tight ring at the time of her arrest: “... her eyes did not fade away and saw many other eyes - they burned with a bold, sharp fire familiar to her - a fire dear to her heart.” And the mother’s words addressed to the assembled people sound invitingly: “Gather, people, your strength into a single force!”