home Slimming “The theme of disappearance and death in the story of Bunin“ Mister from San Francisco. The life and death of a gentleman from San Francisco (after the story of I. A. Bunin) Being near death, a gentleman from San Francisco

“The theme of disappearance and death in the story of Bunin“ Mister from San Francisco. The life and death of a gentleman from San Francisco (after the story of I. A. Bunin) Being near death, a gentleman from San Francisco

Composition

IA Bunin's story "The gentleman from San Francisco" is devoted to the description of the life and death of a person who possesses power and wealth, but, at the will of the author, does not even have a name. After all, the name contains a certain definition of the spiritual essence, the embryo of fate. Bunin refuses his hero in this not only because he is typical and similar to other rich old people who come from America to Europe to finally enjoy life. The writer emphasizes that the existence of this person is completely devoid of a spiritual principle, striving for good, light and high. The first half of the story is devoted to the journey on the ship "Atlantis", where the hero enjoys all the benefits of civilization. Bunin describes with frank irony his "main" events - breakfasts, dinners and numerous dressing up for them. Everything that happens around, at first glance, does not concern the main character: the roar of the ocean, the howl of a siren, blazing furnaces somewhere below. He confidently takes from life everything that can be taken for money, forgetting about his own age. At the same time, to outsiders, he resembles a mechanical doll on hinges, which absorbs wine and food, but has long forgotten about simple human joys and sorrows. The hero of the story squandered his youth and strength, making money, and did not notice how mediocre life passed.

He is old, but thoughts of an imminent death do not visit him. In any case, Bunin describes his hero as a person who does not believe in omens. The fact that the man in his last dream turned out to be like the owner of a Capri hotel was more amused by the gentleman from San Francisco than seemed like a kind of warning. The illusion of wealth and power is revealed in the face of death, which came suddenly, without giving him a second to realize his own departure.

Unlike Leo Tolstoy (the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich"), Bunin is concerned not with the spiritual, but with the cosmic meaning of death. Bunin's philosophical understanding of death is multifaceted and the emotional spectrum is wide: from horror to a passionate desire to live. In his view, life and death are equal. At the same time, life is described with the help of sensory details, each of which is full-fledged and important for comprehending the beauty of being. And death serves as a transition to another being, to the posthumous radiance of the soul. But did the gentleman from San Francisco have a soul? Bunin describes his death and the posthumous ordeals of the corporeal shell emphatically rude, naturalistic, nowhere mentioning any mental suffering. Death can only be overcome by a spiritual person. But the hero of the story was not such a person, therefore his death is portrayed only as the death of the body: “He rushed forward, wanted to take a breath of air - and he wheezed wildly ... his head fell on his shoulder and wrapped, the chest of his shirt protruded into a box - and the whole body, wriggling, lifting up the carpet heels, crawled to the floor, desperately struggling with someone. " Signs of a soul lost during life appear after death, as a faint hint: "And slowly, slowly, before everyone's eyes, pallor began to flow down the deceased's face, and his features began to thin out, brighten ..." Death wiped off the hero's lifetime mask and for a moment opened him true appearance - the way it could be if you lived your life differently. Thus, the hero's life was a state of his spiritual death, and only physical death carries the possibility of awakening the lost soul. The description of the deceased takes on a symbolic character: "The dead remained in the dark, blue stars looked at him from the sky, a cricket sang on the wall with sad carelessness ..." The second part of the story is the journey of the body, the mortal remains of the hero: “The body of the dead old man from San Francisco was returning home, to the grave, to the shores of the New World. Having experienced a lot of humiliation, a lot of human inattention, after spending a week from one port shed to another, it finally got back on the same famous ship, on which so recently, with such honor, it was transported to the Old World. " It turns out that the hero of the story is first a living body, devoid of spiritual life, and then just a dead body. There is no mystery of death, the mystery of transition to another form of existence. There is only a transformation of the worn out shell. Part of this shell - money, power, honor - turned out to be just a fiction, to which the living no longer cared. The world without a master from San Francisco has not changed: the ocean is raging in the same way, a siren is roaring, an elegant audience is dancing in the salon of Atlantis, a hired couple is depicting love. Only the captain knows what is in the heavy box at the very bottom of the hold, but he only cares about keeping the secret. Bunin does not show how his wife and daughter are going through the death of the hero. But the rest of the world is indifferent to this event: what went away with it did not make the lives of others brighter, brighter and more joyful. Therefore, for Bunin, the death of a hero is a warning to everyone who lives only for their own glory and wealth, to everyone who does not remember their soul.

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Mr. San Francisco was written in 1915. During this difficult period, during the First World War, people rethought the established values, perceived the world around them and themselves in a different way, tried to understand the causes of the catastrophe, in search of a way out of such a difficult situation.

Such a work is "The Lord from San Francisco", where the author discusses the main values of life, which must be followed, which will bring salvation and reassurance.
Observing the life of a wealthy American and his family members, we see that there is some flaw in the way of life, thoughts and actions of these people, which turns the latter into the living dead.

Of course, the life of the hero from San Francisco is quite prosperous, since he is rich and respected, he has a family. Working all his life, achieving the intended goal - wealth, the master notices that he has come a long way and is almost equal to those who were once his model.

The author shows that having lived fifty-eight years and having achieved his goal, the master somehow did not live, but only existed, deprived of all the delights of life. Finally, he decided to rest, enjoying life. And what does “enjoy life” mean to him?

Living surrounded by the illusions of society, the lord is blind, he does not have his own thoughts, feelings, desires, he follows the desires of society and the environment.

The hero, having a lot of money, compares himself to the ruler of the world, since he can afford a lot, but all this is not able to make a person happy, warm his soul.

Having wealth, the master missed the main thing in his life - true love, family, support in life. He does not love his wife, and she does not love him, daughter, although at the age of mature for a bride, not married, guided by the same principles as her father. The author notes that during this cruise, the whole family hoped to meet a rich groom for their daughter.

During the action of the work, the writer shows the isolation of the hero's personality from real life, the falsity of his values and ideals. The culmination of the process is the death of the hero, who put everything in its place, showing the hero his place. As it turned out, money and wealth play no role when it comes to true love, recognition and respect. No one remembered the name of the hero after death, as, incidentally, they did not remember even during his lifetime.

The hero's body also returned home on the steamer Atlantis, but already in the hold, among the boxes of all kinds of rubbish. This is the summed up of the hero's life. From the work we see that the writer rejects the ideals of the bourgeois world, considers them leading to destruction. The truth for the writer is what is above human ambitions and delusions, and this is, first of all, nature, which is eternal and unchanging, keeps the laws of the Universe, as well as the highest human values - honesty, trust, justice, love, etc. ...

If a person violates all this, then he inevitably strives for death, like a society preaching such values. It is for this reason that the epigraph of the work was the lines from the Apocalypse: "Woe to you, Babylon, mighty city, for in one hour your judgment has come."

Everyone knows the content of Bunin's story, which deals with a rich gentleman who suddenly died on the deck of a luxurious yacht. This piece is included in the school curriculum. Today we will remember some details of the plot of the novel by the last Russian classic, and also we will answer the question "from what the gentleman from San Francisco died".

Characteristics of the main character

Little has been said about the hero's life. And the work itself is small. However, Bunin made it clear that the life of his character is faceless, monotonous, one might even say, spiritless. The biography of a wealthy American is described in the first paragraph. He was 58 years old. For many years he worked, saved up and multiplied his fortune. I have achieved a lot and now, in my declining years, I decided to take from life what I didn’t have enough time for before. Namely, go on a journey.

What did the gentleman from San Francisco die of at the age of 58? After all, only now he began to truly live. Planned a trip to Monte Carlo, Venice, Paris, Seville and other wonderful cities. On the way back I dreamed of visiting Japan. But not destiny. Many people's lives are spent in labor. Not everyone has the opportunity to relax, have fun, and visit distant countries. But Bunin's work is not about a workaholic who has dedicated his life to his beloved work. This is the story of a man whose existence was aimed at achieving financial well-being and the imaginary respect of others.

Once a gentleman from San Francisco was a penniless young man. Once, apparently, he set himself the goal of becoming a millionaire. He succeeded. Thousands of Chinese people worked tirelessly at his enterprise. He became rich. However, he did not live, but existed. Is it possible to call life the constant overcoming of barriers?

Steamer

The writer compares the deck, the cabins, the room for the attendants with the circles of Dante's hell. The wealthy American, his wife and daughter, know nothing about what is happening below. They have a rest, spend time as it should be for people of their circle: they have breakfast, drink coffee in a restaurant, then have dinner, slowly stroll along the deck. A gentleman from San Francisco has long dreamed of a vacation. However, it turned out that he did not know how to rest at all. He spends time as if on an approved schedule. However, he himself did not notice this, being in anticipation of the venal love of the young Neapolitan women, carnival in Monte Carlo, bullfighting in Seville.

And somewhere far away, in the lower cabins, dozens of workers are working. A lot of people serve the hero Bunin and gentlemen like him. The "masters of life" are entitled to a luxurious vacation. They deserve it.

The gentleman from San Francisco is quite generous. He believes in the solicitude of all those who give him water, feed him, and serve him at breakfast. Although, perhaps, he never thought about the degree of sincerity of the staff. This is a person who does not see anything, as they say, beyond his nose.

What did the gentleman from San Francisco die of? Those around him warn his slightest desires, guard his purity and peace, carry his suitcases. He is in a state that can be called happiness. At least he had never experienced anything like it before.

In Palermo

Before answering the question of why the gentleman from San Francisco died, it is worth talking about his last days. They passed in picturesque Palermo. Helpful guides scurried about everywhere, broadcasting about local attractions.

A successful businessman knew how to pay. True, there are things in this world that cannot be acquired for money. As luck would have it, the weather turned bad. From midday the sun was turning gray, and a light rain began. The city seemed dirty, cramped, museums monotonous. The American and his family decided to leave Palermo. Where did the gentleman from San Francisco die? A successful businessman died before completing his journey on the island of Capri.

Last hours

The island of Capri received the American's family more hospitably. At first it was damp and dark here, but soon nature came to life. And here the gentleman from San Francisco was surrounded by a caring crowd. He was served, pleased, offered - met in accordance with his social and financial situation. The arrivals were taken to an apartment, which was recently occupied by another equally tall person. Pheasants, asparagus, and roast beef were served for supper.

What was the main character of the story thinking in the last minutes? About wine, tarantella, upcoming walk in Capri. Philosophical thoughts did not visit him. However, as in the previous 58 years.

Death

The gentleman from San Francisco was going to have a rather pleasant evening. Spent a lot of time on the toilet. When I was ready for the next stage of luxurious, but clearly planned leisure, I decided to go to the reading room. There he took a comfortable leather chair, opened a newspaper, looked through a note about the never-ending Balkan war. In this unremarkable moment, he died.

After death

What did the gentleman from San Francisco die of? Most likely from a heart attack. Bunin said nothing about the diagnosis of his hero. But it doesn't really matter what the cause of the death of a rich American is. What matters is how he lived his life and what happened after his death.

And after the death of the rich gentleman, absolutely nothing happened. Unless the other guests were in a bad mood. In order not to upset the impressionable gentlemen, the bellboy and the footman quickly carried the dead American to the cramped, worst room.

Why did the gentleman from San Francisco die? His death irreparably ruined such a beautiful evening. The guests returned to the dining room, had dinner, but their faces were dissatisfied, offended. The owner of the hotel approached one or the other, apologized for such an unpleasant situation, in which he, of course, was not to blame. Meanwhile, the hero of the story was lying in a cheap room, on a cheap bed, under a cheap blanket. Nobody smiled at him anymore, did not serve him. He was no longer interesting to anyone.

(Reflection on the story of I.A. Bunin)

Ivan Bunin's story "The gentleman from San Francisco" can be perceived in different ways. The ideologists of Marxism-Leninism saw in him only a criticism of bourgeois society, doomed to death by the coming socialist revolution. There is undoubtedly some analogy in this. The gentleman from San Francisco eventually dies. Just like capitalism in Russia. Here, they say, Bunin does not seem to deviate from Marxism. But where, then, is the proletariat - the gravedigger of capitalism? And here begins the search for a simple working people in the story, pulling them "by the ears" into the "gravediggers" of the gentleman from San Francisco. This ungrateful role is given to the fat bellboy Luigi, and to the reveler and handsome Lorenzo, famous throughout Italy, while celebrating with pathos his two lobsters caught at night, which he sold at the market for next to nothing. They also remember the stalwart Capri women carrying the suitcases and trunks of decent tourists on their heads, and the poor old Capri women with sticks in sinewy hands, urging donkeys on; sailors and stokers "Atlantis" and Chinese workers. Here, they say, is a contrast: some work, in the sweat of their brows, earning their daily bread, others do nothing - they just eat, drink, have fun and, in addition to everything, so to speak, are morally decayed. Everything is neatly arranged on the shelves, like in a pharmacy.
Of course, all this is in the story: both the contrast between the aimless pastime of the rich gentlemen and the everyday work of commoners, and the criticism of the world of capital. But it is not this ideological scholasticism, similar to a stencil, under which any literary work was fitted with equal success in the years of stagnation, but the fact that the gentleman from San Francisco, despite his fifty-eight years, has just begun life. Before that, he only existed, having spent fifty-eight years on hard work and amassing capital. And although his life during these years was, of course, much better than the life of the Chinese workers, whom he subscribed to in thousands, however, he pinned all his hopes on the future. But a person does not have power over his life, it is completely possessed by certain forces from above, which can interrupt it at any moment. And it is no coincidence that the image of the Devil appears at the end of the story - he is the true master of human life. The thought arises that he not only now watches from the rocks of Gibraltar the Atlantis carrying the body of the gentleman from San Francisco in the hold, but he always followed her, accompanied every step of the rich traveler, waiting for the moment for the fatal blow.
Mystical tendencies are already visible in the scene of his arrival in Capri, when the gentleman from San Francisco was struck by the owner of the local hotel, whom the gentleman had already seen in a dream before. It was, as it were, an omen, and it was no coincidence that the heart of the daughter of the gentleman from San Francisco was squeezed by longing and a feeling of terrible loneliness on this strange, dark island. The fatal outcome was already predetermined. The devil seemed to send invisible signals to the master from San Francisco and his daughter.
It was not for nothing that Rock pointed precisely to the owner of the hotel, "an excellently elegant young man." He was the last one who, at first, took care of the living gentleman from San Francisco, giving him the most luxurious apartments, which previously housed
a tall person - Flight XVII, and then so carelessly and rudely treated the body of the deceased master and his family.
The theme of death looms in the story long before the inglorious end of the gentleman from San Francisco. Money, which was considered the only meaning of life among gentlemen such as this gentleman, already harbors these fatal mystical beginnings of the end. After all, to make money, to accumulate capital, the hero of the story kills his whole life. He dies without even taking advantage of the results of his many years of work. And the crumbs that he managed to take during his trip to Naples, alas, are not worth the huge price he paid. All the way to Gibraltar and further, to Naples, the gentleman from San Francisco does nothing but eat immensely, "get drunk" with liqueurs in the bar, "smoke" with Havana cigars, look at the famous beauties. He pays generously on the way with everyone who feeds and drinks him, from morning till evening he serves him, "warning his slightest desire", delivers his trunks to hotels. He believes in the sincere solicitude of all these people, and the gentleman from San Francisco does not realize that they are all just skillful actors playing their assigned roles in this stupid and vulgar spectacle of life. Taking care of him, they see in front of them only the money that he pays them. And as soon as the gentleman from San Francisco dies, the caring of all these people ends. The owner of the hotel asks the family of the gentleman from San Francisco to leave the apartment and take out the dead body at dawn today. Instead of a coffin, he offers a large soda box of English water. And the bellboy Luigi with the maids openly laugh at the deceased gentleman from San Francisco. Now their true attitude towards the world of masters is manifested, before that they only put on a mask of courtesy and servility. These cheerful, cheerful people even looked at the living gentleman from San Francisco as if he were dead. Yes, he died long before his death in a hotel on the island of Capri. As if in a grave, he sailed inside a huge steamer through the raging ocean, surrounded by gentlemen like him, living a fake, artificial life. The relationship between these people was fake, fake - an "elegant couple in love" playing love for good money.
Everything inside this steamship world is perverted, dead and lifeless. Even the daughter of a gentleman from San Francisco, despite her young years, is essentially already dead. And therefore, her choice in acquaintance is not surprising, stopping at some crown prince of an Asian state - a small, narrow-eyed man in golden glasses, slightly unpleasant because a large mustache "shone through him like a dead man."
The gentleman from San Francisco feels like the master of life. Therefore, he, as pragmatically as his entire previous life for months, schedules the travel route. It includes a visit to southern Italy with its ancient monuments, tarantella, serenades of itinerant singers and, of course, the love of young Neapolitan women, and the carnival in Nice, and Monte Carlo with its sailing races and roulette, and much, much more. But, as soon as he arrives in Naples, nature itself rebels against his plans. Every day from noon it starts to sow rain, "the palms at the hotel entrance are shiny with tin", the street is dark, windy and damp. Naples "seemed especially dirty and cramped, the museums were too monotonous," and the waterfront smelled of rotten fish. Even in the description of Italian landscapes, everything plays on one idea, everything gradually leads to the idea of the vanity of earthly vanities, the hopelessness of life, the loneliness of man, and finally death.
So, traveling from Naples to Capri, a gentleman from San Francisco, during one of the stops, “saw under a rocky plumb a bunch of such pitiful, moldy stone houses, glued to each other near the water, near boats, near some rags, cans and brown nets, that, remembering that this is the real Italy, which he came to enjoy, he felt despair ... "
All the absurdity of life's conventions and the illusory nature of physical blessings is completed by a scene in a hotel on the island of Capri, when a gentleman from San Francisco "began to prepare for the crown." He shaved, washed, every minute called the bellboy Luigi, carefully dressed up and combed his hair, not even suspecting that in a few minutes he would lose the most valuable thing that a person has - life. And what did he spend the last minutes of his earthly existence on? .. And what, in general, did he spend all fifty-eight years of his life on? .. It's scary to think. Chasing ghostly wealth, a mirage, a man robbed himself, with his own hand crossed out his life. What's left of him? The capital now inherited by his wife and daughter, who, for sure, will soon forget about him, as forgotten by all those who until recently served him so diligently ... And nothing more. As there is nothing left of the palaces of the once mighty Tiberius, who had power over millions of people - only rubbed stones. But these palaces were built for centuries.
But, blinded by the glitter of accumulated gold, those in power do not know that everything in the world is transitory. And did the gentleman from San Francisco have to torture himself and others for so many years to die one fine day, reducing all his energetic activity to zero, not understanding and not feeling life itself?
Ordinary people in the story look much more attractive than the gentlemen they work for. But the problem is not that from some who have too much, take away and give to those who have little or nothing at all, but to educate people to correctly understand their purpose in the world. Teach them to be content with what they have, teach them to reasonably assess their needs.
A feast during the plague is on the steamer Atlantis. The world, which is enclosed in its bowels, is doomed, it will perish, like the legendary continent of antiquity, and it is not in vain that the Devil sees it off with his gaze. Already then, while writing the story, Bunin foresaw the impending doom of the old world, and the steamer Atlantis can be safely associated with Russia approaching the October Revolution.
The trouble is that the "Atlantis" of the old world did not sink at all, but only gave a strong leak. The old masters were replaced by new ones, who earlier humiliatedly served these masters, the cooks and stokers learned to manage the state ... And they did it all the way.
As it turns out now, you still can't do without the gentlemen from San Francisco. They exploited, but they paid. Quite generous, moreover.
The world floats like Bunin's "Atlantis" across the raging ocean of life towards the third millennium. Everywhere in the world the gentlemen of San Francisco rule the ball, and nowhere in the world does a person have power over his life. The devil controls it or someone else is still unknown. But someone is in charge, that's a fact.