The problem of freedom has always worried word artists. Exactly Liberty was attractive to romantic heroes. For her sake they were ready to die. After all, romanticism as a literary movement formed a very specific canon: an exceptional person making exceptional demands on the world. Therefore, the hero is an order of magnitude higher than the people around him, therefore society as such is rejected by him. This also determines the typical loneliness of the hero: for him this is a natural state, and the hero finds an outlet only in communication with nature, and more often with the elements.

Maxim Gorky in his early works refers to traditions of romanticism, but in the context of the twentieth century his work is defined neo-romantic.

In 1892, the first romantic story appeared in print. "Makar Chudra", in which an old gypsy appears before the reader surrounded by a romantic landscape: he is enveloped "the darkness of an autumn night", opening on the left a boundless steppe and on the right an endless sea. The writer gives him the opportunity to talk about himself, about his views, and the story of Loiko Zobar and Radda, told by the old shepherd, becomes the main means of revealing image of the main character, because the story is named after him.

Talking about Radda and Loiko, Chudra speaks more about himself. At the heart of his character lies the only principle that he considers the most valuable - the maximum desire for freedom. For heroes, will is also more valuable than anything in the world. In Radda, the manifestation of pride is so strong that even love for Loiko Zobar cannot break it: “I’ve never loved anyone, Loiko, but I love you. And I also love freedom! Will, Loiko, I love you more than you.”.

Such an insoluble contradiction between love and pride in a romantic character is perceived by Makar Chudra as absolutely natural, and it can only be resolved by death: a romantic hero cannot sacrifice either his boundless love or absolute pride. But love presupposes humility, self-sacrifice and the ability to submit to a loved one. And this is precisely what the heroes of the legend told by Chudra cannot do.

What assessment does Makar Chudra give to this position? He believes that this is the only way a real person who is worthy of emulation should understand life, and only with such a position can personal freedom be preserved.

But does the author agree with his hero? What is the author's position and what are the means of expression? To answer this question, it is necessary to note an important compositional feature of Gorky’s early works - the presence narrator's image. At first glance, this is an inconspicuous image, because it does not manifest itself in any actions. But it is the position of this man, a wanderer who meets different people on his way, that is especially important for the writer himself.

Almost all of Maxim Gorky’s early romantic works will embody both negative consciousness, which distorts the real picture of life, and positive consciousness, which fills life with higher meaning and content. And the gaze of the autobiographical hero seems to snatch out the brightest characters - such as Makar Chudra.

And even though he listens rather skeptically to the objections of the hero-narrator, it is the ending that dots all the i’s in the author’s position. When the narrator, looking into the darkness of the endless steppe, sees the gypsies Loiko Zobar and Radda “were spinning in the darkness of the night smoothly and silently”, and no way “The handsome Loiko could not compare with the proud Radda”, he reveals his position. Yes, these words contain admiration, but the thinking reader realizes the futility of such a bloody outcome: even after death, Loiko cannot become equal to the beautiful Radda.

In accordance with the best traditions of romanticism, Maxim Gorky used many means of expression in his story. Describing the main characters, he uses hyperbole: Radda’s beauty can only be played on the violin, and Loiko’s mustache fell on his shoulders and mixed with his curls. To convey the peculiarities of speech, especially of the old Chudra, he introduces appeals, interjections, and rhetorical exclamations.

A significant role is played by the landscape, but not simple, but animated, where Makar controls the waves, and the sea sings a gloomy, but at the same time solemn hymn to a pair of proud, handsome gypsies.

• “Childhood”, a summary of the chapters of the story by Maxim Gorky
• “At the Bottom”, analysis of the drama by Maxim Gorky
• “Old Woman Izergil”, analysis of Gorky’s story

Date of first publication:

"Makar Chudra"- the first printed work of Maxim Gorky. Published in 1892 in the newspaper “Caucasus”. The story was first signed by a pseudonym M. Gorky. Filmed in 1976.

Plot

The main character of the work is the old gypsy Makar Chudra. He tells the legend of the tragic meeting of two young gypsies - Loiko Zobar and Radda, who love each other, but consider this feeling to be a chain that fetters their independence. As a result, Loiko kills Radda and kneels before her, already dead, in front of everyone, thus fulfilling the condition previously set by the girl for their wedding. Radda's father, who saw his daughter's death, kills Loiko with a knife.

History of creation

In 1925, in a letter to Kalyuzhny, Gorky recalled his literary debut, noting: “I owe it to your push that I have been serving Russian art for more than thirty years.”

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Excerpt characterizing Makar Chudra

- Well, at least now, they’ll go to the barn and listen. What will you hear: hammering, knocking - bad, but pouring bread - this is good; and then it happens...
- Mom, tell me what happened to you in the barn?
Pelageya Danilovna smiled.
“Oh, well, I forgot…” she said. - You won’t go, will you?
- No, I'll go; Pepageya Danilovna, let me in, I’ll go,” said Sonya.
- Well, if you're not afraid.
- Luiza Ivanovna, may I? – asked Sonya.
Whether they were playing ring, string or ruble, or talking, as now, Nikolai did not leave Sonya and looked at her with completely new eyes. It seemed to him that today, only for the first time, thanks to that corky mustache, he fully recognized her. Sonya really was cheerful, lively and beautiful that evening, like Nikolai had never seen her before.
“So that’s what she is, and I’m a fool!” he thought, looking at her sparkling eyes and her happy, enthusiastic smile, making dimples on her cheeks from under her mustache, a smile that he had never seen before.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” said Sonya. - Can I do it now? - She stood up. They told Sonya where the barn was, how she could stand silently and listen, and they gave her a fur coat. She threw it over her head and looked at Nikolai.
“What a beauty this girl is!” he thought. “And what have I been thinking about so far!”
Sonya went out into the corridor to go to the barn. Nikolai hurriedly went to the front porch, saying that he was hot. Indeed, the house was stuffy from the crowded people.
It was the same motionless cold outside, the same month, only it was even lighter. The light was so strong and there were so many stars on the snow that I didn’t want to look at the sky, and the real stars were invisible. In the sky it was black and boring, on earth it was fun.
“I’m a fool, a fool! What have you been waiting for so far? thought Nikolai and, running onto the porch, he walked around the corner of the house along the path that led to the back porch. He knew that Sonya would come here. Halfway along the road there were stacked fathoms of firewood, there was snow on them, and a shadow fell from them; through them and from their sides, intertwining, the shadows of old bare linden trees fell onto the snow and the path. The path led to the barn. The chopped wall of the barn and the roof, covered with snow, as if carved from some kind of precious stone, glittered in the monthly light. A tree cracked in the garden, and again everything was completely silent. The chest seemed to breathe not air, but some kind of eternally youthful strength and joy.

The main characters of Gorky's story "Makar Chudra", characteristics with quotes

Maxim Gorky played a significant role in the development of Russian literature at the beginning of the 20th century. The story “Makar Chudra” was written in the early period of the writer’s work. In it, the author reveals to us the romantic world of legends, fairy tales, and inspired allegories.

The heroes of the stories are desperate and beautiful people. They are proud and extremely freedom-loving.

The main character of the story is Makar Chudra, a wise old gypsy. For him, the main thing in life is personal freedom, which he would never trade for anything: “...This is how you need to live: go, go - and that’s all. Don't stand in one place for a long time - what's in it? Just as they run day and night, chasing each other, around the earth, so you run away from thoughts about life, so as not to stop loving it. And if you think about it, you’ll stop loving life, this always happens.”

Makar talks about human life and freedom:

"Life? Other people? ... – Hey! What do you care about that? Are you not life yourself? Other people live without you and will live without you. Do you think that someone needs you? You are not bread, not a stick, and no one needs you.”

He believes that a person without personal freedom becomes a slave: “was he born then, perhaps, to dig up the earth, and die, without even having time to dig out his own graves? Does he know his will? Is the expanse of the steppe clear? Does the sound of the sea wave make his heart happy? He is a slave - as soon as he was born, he is a slave all his life, and that’s it! What can he do with himself?

The old gypsy thinks that love and freedom are incompatible. Love weakens a person, makes him submit to his beloved. He tells the legend of the love of Loiko and Radda. Makar admires the courage, resilience and love of freedom of his heroes. He believes that their action was the only right one.

Also in the story there is an image of the listener. He has no lines and virtually no description of him. Nevertheless, the author’s position is easily conveyed through his image.

Nature is an almost full-fledged participant in the story. By describing her beauty, the author betrays the feelings and thoughts of the characters.

The heroes of the legend are Loiko Zobar and the beautiful Radda. Loiko is a young, daring and proud gypsy. He was brave and strong, he was not afraid of anyone or anything: “Yes, if Satan had come to him with all his retinue, if he had not thrown a knife at him, he would probably have had a strong fight, and what the devil would have given a kick in the snout - that’s just it!”

Loiko valued his freedom most of all. I didn’t stay anywhere for long. “He loved only horses and nothing else, and even then only for a short time - he would ride and sell, and whoever wants the money, take it. He didn’t have what he cherished - you need his heart, he himself would tear it out of his chest and give it to you, if only it would make you feel good. That’s what he was, a falcon!” But after meeting Radda, Loiko “lost his head.”

Radda is a young gypsy of such beauty that no one could resist her. She was so proud that even her love for Loiko could not break her. “I’ve never loved anyone, Loiko, but I love you. And I also love freedom! Will, Loiko, I love more than you.”

Both Radda and Loiko look at their love as a chain that binds them. They give up love and choose death for the sake of absolute freedom.

Maxim Gorky's first published work was the story "Makar Chudra". Its analysis makes it possible to understand that, despite his youth and inexperience, the author managed to organically depict the life of the gypsies and convey the fullness of their feelings. For Gorky, his wanderings across vast Russia were not in vain. The writer did not always have something to eat, but he never parted with his thick notebook for a minute, in which he wrote down unusual stories, legends, and some interesting events from the lives of random companions.

Gypsy love story

Analysis of “Makar Chudra” shows the author of the work in the image of a romantic writer. The main character of the story is an old gypsy who is sincerely proud of his free life. He despises peasants who are already born slaves, whose purpose is to dig in the ground, but at the same time they do not even have time to dig their own grave before death. The heroes of the legend told by Makar are the embodiment of the maximalist desire for freedom.

Radda and Loiko love each other, they are happy together, but they are too fixated on personal freedom. An analysis of “Makar Chudra” shows that the main characters even looked at love as a hateful chain that fettered them and diminished their independence. Declaring their love, young people set conditions for each other, while each of them strives to be the main one in the couple. Gypsies never kneel before anyone, this is considered a terrible humiliation, but Loiko gives in to Radda and bows before her, immediately killing his beloved, and then he himself dies at the hands of her father.

Comparison of the value systems of the gypsy and the narrator

Analysis of “Makar Chudra” shows that for the main character, Radda and Loiko are the ideals of love of freedom. The old gypsy understands that the highest degree of pride and love cannot get along together, no matter how wonderful these feelings are. But he is sure that every person must defend his freedom, even at the cost of his own life. Gorky's story is interesting because of the presence of a narrator in it, in whose image the author himself can be discerned. Its influence on the work is subtle, but still sufficient for the writer to express his own thoughts.

Gorky does not agree with all of the old gypsy’s judgments. Makar Chudra (analysis of the story shows the author’s admiration for the heroes of the legend) does not receive direct objections from the narrator, but still at the very end, summing up the story, the author says that the young people have become slaves of their freedom. Pride and independence make people unhappy and alone

nokimi, because sometimes you still have to sacrifice your interests for the sake of your family and loved ones.

Musicality of the story

An analysis of “Makar Chudra” shows how successfully the writer used the technique of landscape sketches. The frame of the entire story is the sea, which clearly expresses the feelings and state of mind of the characters. The work is filled with musicality, it is even said that Radda’s beauty can only be played on the violin. Maxim Gorky's story immediately attracted attention with the brightness of its images and memorable plot.

What do you need to do to look at the world in a new way? Experience an important event, visit an unknown place. But how to get acquainted with a different attitude to life? Gorky's story "Makar Chudra" solves all the questions raised. This early work of the writer goes beyond the romantic sketch that it is traditionally considered to be. This creation has philosophical overtones and remains relevant to this day.

“Makar Chudra” is the first story of the young writer Alexei Peshkov, which he published under the pseudonym M. Gorky. This bright debut took place in 1892 in the newspaper “Caucasus”. The author was then working in a provincial newspaper in Tiflis, and the impetus for writing was conversations with A. Kalyuzhny, a revolutionary and wanderer. It was this man who was the first to see a talented prose writer in the young writer and instilled in Alexei confidence in his own abilities. He also helped Gorky take the first step into the world of great literature - to publish a work. The writer was grateful to Kalyuzhny and considered him his teacher.

The story is called, like many other early works of Gorky, after the name of the main character - an old gypsy. And it is not accidental: Makar is translated from Greek as “happy,” and Chudra is the occasionalism of the creator of the text, the etymology of which probably goes back to the word “miracle.”

Genre and direction

Gorky's early work is permeated with the spirit of romanticism: the author asks questions about the ideal, freedom, and the meaning of life. As a rule, these themes are heard in the narration of a hero who is wise and experienced, and these memories are presented to a still young interlocutor with an unformed worldview. So, for example, in the work of the gypsies under consideration, Makar Chudra tells the young man about his fate, about what he values, what, in his opinion, is worth valuing.

Here is a view that is in many ways exotic to the average reader: is there happiness in a settled life? What is real will? In the heroes there is no struggle between reason and feeling: unconditional preference is given to passion and will. They are worth living for, and you can die for them. In order to form the most complete idea of ​​the direction of Gorky’s early work, pay attention to.

Composition

The main feature of the composition is that Gorky in his work uses the technique of a story within a story: the young hero hears from the lips of Chudra the legend of a daring gypsy named Loiko Zobar. This beautiful story is framed by Makar’s philosophical reasoning, presented in the form of replicas. This method of presentation is reminiscent in its nature of confession.

The story about Loika has a classic three-part composition: the introduction of the hero, his character and environment, the climax - the main conflict of the character and its romantic resolution at the end of the story.

The work is rounded off by a description of the sea - an imperturbable element that symbolizes freedom and eternity.

Conflict

The main conflict of the work is freedom and slavery. The story is permeated by the collision of two fundamentally different worldviews: people of a nomadic lifestyle and a sedentary one. It is this conflict that becomes the impetus for remembering the legend of Loika Zobar. Some value freedom, both internal and external, which is expressed in the refusal to own material wealth and independence from anyone. The inability to obey is explained by pride and self-esteem. Any admiration for such a person is seen as slavery, with which a free soul will never agree.

This attitude to life led to the death of two young people who continue to be admired even after death. Radda admitted that she loves Loika, but still freedom is more than him. The passionately loving gypsy could not come to terms with such a revelation: he could not lose his will for the sake of someone who could not make the same sacrifice.

About what?

The old gypsy Makar Chudra reflects on existence, freedom and the destiny of man. He recalls the story of the daring Loika Zobar. He was handsome, strong and incredibly talented. The daredevil allowed himself to play with women’s hearts because he could not find his equal, that worthy girl. The meeting with the beauty turned his life upside down: he realized that he could only be happy by possessing her, or death. The obstinate gypsy puts will above love and invites her knight to bow at her feet in front of the entire camp - to submit to her. The young gypsy cannot agree to such humiliation in front of a woman: he decides to test her stone heart for strength with his knife. Radda's father pays him the same - this is how these lovers are united in heaven.

The main characters and their characteristics

The first image of Makar Chudra appears before us in this story. The author's admiration for this man is felt: the writer repeatedly appeals to the fact that the hero is already 58 years old, but he still retains his powerful physique. His conversation with the young man resembles a philosophical dialogue between a self-satisfied sage and a student. The main thesis of Makar Chudra is that you are your own life. It is better to be free from prejudices, rather than listen to imaginary instructions. For him, the standard of such a free and independent personality is Loiko Zobar.

This young gypsy was incredibly kind and talented, his pride did not develop into arrogance: it was a sincere joy in freedom, in the opportunity to enjoy the vastness of this world. His crime was not caused by fear of what other gypsies would say. No, this is not that kind of character. Love replaced the passion for will, but Radda did not experience the same feeling for Loika in order to fill the place of her former life in his heart. The young man could not survive this grief, there could be no other outcome: the path of humiliation is not for a proud gypsy, longing for his beloved is not for a warm heart.

Themes

• Freedom. Nomads value independence from everything material and do not understand how they can spend all their years on endless work in the field and arranging their home. So, for the entire period that is allotted from above, you may not see anything in the world and not comprehend wisdom.
• Love. For the main characters, love has a special value: you can kill for it, give your life. Everything is radical and clear: this feeling either comes first, or it should be torn out of the heart.
• Nature. She acts as the keeper of the secrets of knowledge. Only she knows will, willfulness, independence. The landscape in the story is rich in symbols: the steppe and the sea - freedom, the cultivated field - slavery.
• Meaning of life. The text is permeated by philosophical reflections on the search for the purpose of existence: wandering or cultivation, the search for beauty or everyday life? The old gypsy offers his point of view to the Russian youth, and it seems that he manages to charm the young interlocutor with it.

Issues

• Freedom and slavery. This antithesis concerns absolutely all topics: from love to way of existence. What is really worth spending your life on: “come and see” or stay and settle down? Perhaps the worldview of a nomad and a peasant are alien to each other, but still everyone has something to adopt for themselves.
• Impossibility of love. The wayward beauty does not respond to Loika with the same feeling, but offers to submit. Deep down, the enchantress knows what this gypsy will do. Can we say that she deliberately doomed herself to death, that she wanted to die for the sake of his passionate love? Probably yes, because two loves fought inside Radda: for a young man and for freedom, and she lost this battle in favor of her will. But was the girl happy with this outcome of the internal conflict? Hardly. That's why she made such an offer. Loiko could not come to terms with Radda’s decision, which prompted him to do just that. These heroes were worth each other: the young gypsy also understood that her father would avenge her - only death would unite proud hearts.

The meaning of the story

Showing a worldview that is exotic for the majority of the readership, Gorky reminds the public of the natural, primordial beginning of man, when he was not tied to his place, home, things. The author's position is expressed in rejection of a slavish attitude towards life. It is worth remembering that this writer will later say: “Man, that sounds proud.” Gorky is outraged by the cowardice of people, their attention to public opinion, and thoughtless adherence to accepted orders. It is worth noting that he does not follow the path of ridiculing the current situation. A different method is proposed here: it shows people of other faiths with completely different values ​​and preferences.

The idea of ​​“Makar...” is to remember your individuality and not merge with the masses. Perhaps Gorky hopes that his creation will make the same bewitching impression on the reader as on the young listener of Makar Chudra. Thus, people will awaken the desire to discover a new life.

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