The plot of M. Gorky’s story “Childhood” is based on facts from the writer’s real biography. This determined the features of the genre of Gorky’s work - autobiographical story. In 1913, M. Gorky wrote the first part of his autobiographical trilogy“Childhood”, where he described the events associated with growing up little man. In 1916, the second part of the trilogy “In People” was written, it reveals a hard working life, and a few years later in 1922, M. Gorky, finishing the story about the formation of man, published

The third part of the trilogy is “My Universities”.
The story “Childhood” is autobiographical, but to equate the plot work of art and the life of a writer is impossible. Years later, M. Gorky recalls his childhood, his first experiences of growing up, the death of his father, moving to his grandfather; rethinks a lot of things in a new way and, based on what he has experienced, creates a picture of the life of the little boy Alyosha in the Kashirin family. The story is narrated in the first person, on behalf of the little hero of the events. This fact makes the events described more reliable, and also helps (which is important for the writer) to convey the psychology and inner experiences of the hero. Either Alyosha speaks of her grandmother as “the closest to my heart, the most understandable and dear person - it was her selfless love for the world that enriched me, filling me with strong strength for a difficult life,” then she admits her dislike for her grandfather. The writer’s task is not just to convey the events in which the little hero became a participant, but also to evaluate them from the position of an adult who has learned a lot in life. It is this feature that is characteristic of the autobiographical story genre. M. Gorky’s goal is not to revive the past, but to tell “about that close, stuffy circle of terrible impressions in which a simple Russian person lived – and still lives to this day.”
The events of childhood do not flash like a kaleidoscope in the narrator’s perception. On the contrary, every moment of life, every action the hero tries to comprehend, to get to the essence. The same episode is perceived differently by the hero. The boy endures the trials he endures: for example, after his grandfather beat Alyosha for ruining the tablecloth, the “days of ill health” became “great days of life” for the boy. It was then that the hero began to understand people better, and his heart “became unbearably sensitive to any insult and pain, his own and that of others.”
Gorky’s work “Childhood” has the boundaries of the traditional genre of the story: one leading story line, associated with an autobiographical hero, and that’s all minor characters and the episodes also help to reveal Alyosha’s character and express author's attitude to what is happening.
The writer simultaneously gives the main character his thoughts and feelings, and at the same time contemplates the events described as if from the outside, giving them an assessment: “...is it worth talking about this? This is the truth that needs to be known to the roots, in order to root it out from memory, from a person’s soul, from our entire life, difficult and shameful.”
M. Gorky, expressing the author’s position, describes the “leaden abominations of wild Russian life”, chooses a special genre for his narrative - an autobiographical story.

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The work of M. Gorky is connected with his personal life experience. The eventful life of Alexei Maksimovich Peshkov, the future writer Maxim Gorky, was reflected in the autobiographical trilogy “Childhood”, “In People”, “My Universities”.

Tremendous learning value life path The future writer needs the story “Childhood” to understand the process of his spiritual formation. The liveliness and authenticity of what is depicted is achieved by the fact that the pictures, characters, and events bear the stamp of a child’s perception.

History of formation and growth human personality shown in it against the backdrop of Russian reality of the 70s and 80s of the 19th century. The author wrote: “...and I’m not talking about myself, but about that close, stuffy circle of terrible impressions in which... a simple Russian man lived.” At the same time, the story is imbued with the idea of ​​the spiritual strength of the people, of the “good human” that is inherent in it. Therefore, the characteristics of those characters the stories that Alyosha encounters, as well as the analysis of pictures of the life of the bourgeoisie, should become an important link in the lesson. At each lesson, students should also draw attention to Alyosha’s psychology, show how his strength matures in constant communication with real people from the people and in the fight against the inertia and cruelty of people disfigured by the desire for property.

The autobiographical nature of “Childhood” enhances its educational significance, and the skillful use of its emotional impact on children depends on the teacher.

In the first lesson, you need to read the first chapter of the work with the students, then move on to a conversation about the main issues of the story - the struggle of the “good human” with the world of inertia and acquisitiveness. The feeling of the beauty of the world, which opens up while sailing on a steamboat along the Volga, is combined with acute sensation there are hostile forces in it. Already here the beginning of Alyosha’s conflict with the old world is given.

We offer the main range of questions and tasks that should be covered in the lesson: what pictures open before us in the first chapter? What characters are they associated with? Through whose eyes do we look at everything that happens in the story? What and how did Gorky tell about the Volga, its banks and cities? Who opens up a wonderful world to the boy?

What place did grandmother occupy in Alyosha’s life? Answer with the words of the story.

Describe Alyosha’s first impression of meeting his grandfather. How does grandfather talk to people? How did he feel in Alyosha? How is this stated in the text? Read the description of the Kashirins' house. Find epithets and comparisons in this description and determine their role.

In conclusion, the teacher says that in this house, among people Alyosha did not like, the boy’s difficult childhood will pass.

At home, students read chapter two and answer the questions in the textbook.

The second lesson is devoted to revealing the “lead abominations” of Russian life in the story and clarifying the character of grandfather Kashirin.

Almost exhaustive material for covering these issues is provided by the second chapter, which paints terrifying pictures of drunken cruelty, mischief, mockery of the weak, family fights over property that pervert human souls.

We begin work on the topic by discussing the question: what struck Alyosha in the Kashirins’ house? It is necessary to dwell in more detail on author's description the situation in my grandfather’s house (the first three paragraphs of the second chapter), find words and expressions that most accurately characterize it. Then, using specific examples, show the “mutual enmity of everyone with everyone,” which poisoned both adults and children. The students will focus on the following episodes: a quarrel between uncles, a scene with a thimble, spanking children, Sasha’s denunciation of Alyosha.

The morals in the grandfather's house are most fully conveyed in the quarrel scene (it can be read). We draw the attention of schoolchildren to how the author conveys the bestial appearance of fighting brothers, how grandmother and grandfather behave during a quarrel, and how this characterizes each of them. Although the grandfather is also possessed by the spirit of acquisitiveness, he is at the same time pitiful, since he is unable to stop his sons. The grandmother stands out as a bright spot against the gloomy background of cruel life, who tries to bring peace to this house.

Conversations between grandfather and grandmother about the need to divide property will show students that the main reason for the enmity in the Kashirin family was the craving for property, which gives rise to merciless cruelty. The teacher should explain to schoolchildren that the brothers' enmity was aggravated by the precarious position of small enterprises in the era of capitalist development.

What especially struck Alyosha about the Kashirin family? Attention is drawn to the attitude towards women and children in this house. The punishment scene is analyzed, which is important not only for the depiction of cruelty, on the one hand, and submission, on the other. It is also interesting because it shows how cruelty, in turn, gives rise to such equally terrible and base qualities as hypocrisy and betrayal. Having adapted to the world of violence and lies, Sasha became an informer and sycophant of Uncle Yakov, slavishly obedient and weak-willed - the son of Uncle Mikhail. Let's find out: what did Gorky say about the children of Yakov and Mikhail? What epithets and comparisons most clearly convey their character? What feeling does Sasha Yakov make in students? In which episodes does he show himself most fully?

Which of the characters especially evokes a feeling of compassion and why? An analysis of the episode with the thimble will show what place Grigory occupies in the Kashirins’ house, that his fate is a typical fate of a worker in Tsarist Russia. A former companion of his grandfather, who devoted his entire life to the Kashirins, he is now, half-blind and sick, enduring the bullying of even children.

A natural continuation of the conversation on this topic will be a discussion of the question: who was the main culprit of that “abundant cruelty” of life in the Kashirins’ house? So students move on to analyzing the image of Kashirin. It is necessary to bring them to an understanding of the complexity and inconsistency of the image of the grandfather, the keeper of proprietary principles, the victim of his own greed and self-interest, to show why cruelty and greed became the predominant traits of his character.

After listening to the students’ opinions about how their first acquaintance with their grandfather made them feel, we move on to analyzing the episodes in which his character is especially clearly manifested. We find out his manner of talking to people, look for imperative intonations characteristic of his grandfather’s speech in the first and second chapters.

Students think through answers to the questions: how is Kashirin’s appearance depicted? How is the grandfather different from his sons, Yakov and Mikhail? How portrait characteristic grandfather is confirmed by his actions and judgments about people? Why did Alyosha have “special attention, cautious curiosity” towards his grandfather?

Having comprehended the characteristics of the grandfather’s character, we read and further analyze his story about his past; We pay attention to what and how the grandfather talks. To perceive the content of his story, the following questions can be asked:

What were your grandfather’s childhood and youth like? What pictures are drawn to Alyosha in his grandfather’s story about his youth? Compare these pictures with the description of the Volga in the works of N.A. Nekrasov. and in Repin’s painting I.E. "Barge Haulers on the Volga". The richness of intonation, melodiousness and imagery of speech, its closeness to folklore give a complete idea of ​​the folk basis of the grandfather’s character, the richness of his imagination, and craving for beauty.

How did Alyosha see his grandfather in this conversation? It turns out that the grandfather can be both affectionate and warm-hearted, and knows how to tell interesting stories. Alyosha also thinks his appearance is different (compare with the original portrait). The boy realized that his grandfather stood out thanks to his intelligence.

What made my grandfather bitter? The analysis of the reasons should be discussed in a little more detail. Having drank the bitter cup of the barge hauler to the bottom, having experienced humiliation and beatings, the grandfather finally made his way into the people and became the owner. But the cruel morality of capitalism, the pursuit of a penny, the constant fear of losing the dye shop gave rise to the spirit of the owner, embitterment, and distrust of people in him. Kashirin gradually lost all the best that was in him from the people, pitting himself against working people. It is advisable to read individual lines from the thirteenth chapter, telling about the future fate of the grandfather, when, having gone bankrupt, he loses the remnants of his human appearance.

At home, students prepare an expressive reading of their grandfather's story about their past, read the third and fourth chapters and answer the questions in the textbook.

In the third lesson, the teacher will begin to work on the second theme of the story - “bright, healthy and creative” in Russian life. The focus is on the history of the formation of Alyosha’s character and the image of the Gypsy.

At the beginning of the lesson, we find out what the third chapter says about cruel morals in the Kashirins’ house (the uncles’ evil “jokes” with the grandfather’s former companion, their attitude towards the Gypsy). It is advisable for students to express their attitude towards their uncles and evaluate Gregory’s behavior: is he right to endure all insults so patiently? Summarizing the conversation on the first topic, you can ask the students: what is the author’s feeling that permeates the pages of the story telling about the life and customs in the Kashirins’ house?

Working on the main theme of the story - the formation of the character of Alyosha Peshkov, it is necessary to help students understand why Alyosha felt like a “stranger” among the “stupid tribe”. Alyosha came to the Kashirins' house when he was four years old, but the impressions of another life were already living in him. He remembered a friendly family, father Maxim Savvateevich, smart, cheerful and talented person, was at first proud of his mother, who was not like the people around her. For the rest of his life, Alyosha also remembered “the first days of being saturated with beauty” while sailing on the ship.

How did the first impression of the Kashirin family reflect on the boy’s sensitive soul and big heart? We highlight those lines that say that Alyosha didn’t like everything: both adults and children, and even “grandmother somehow faded,” the words of his mother, whom he “prevents from leaving home,” also evoked painful thoughts in him , where she cannot live.” The “dense, motley, inexpressibly strange life” in the Kashirin family is perceived by Alyosha as “a harsh fairy tale, well told by a kind, painfully truthful genius.” Behind the epithets and comparisons that the author conveys state of mind the boy, one can discern a subtle, poetic nature, a man of good feelings who does not put up with evil.

How has Alyosha changed during the days of “ill health”? - The teacher will help the children better understand the changes that have occurred in Alyosha with the help of narrower questions: how does Gorky convey Alyosha’s state? What's new in the boy's attitude towards people?

We reveal the changes that have occurred in Alyosha based on the material of the seventh chapter. Students will tell how Alyosha is driven to madness by the cruelty of street entertainment, how he feels shame in front of the blind master Grigory because his grandfather does not feed him.

Another source that strengthened Alyosha on his path was communication with real people from the people. A significant role in Alyosha’s moral maturity belongs to the Gypsy, with whose image the second theme of the story is connected - the image of how “through... a layer... of bestial rubbish the bright, healthy and creative grows.” The Gypsy embodies the beautiful human qualities: extraordinary kindness and humanity, hard work, deep inner decency, talent, desire for the best.

The image of the Gypsy does not cause any particular difficulties for students.

The teacher will guide the work with the following questions:

What did Alyosha learn about Gypsy’s past from his grandmother’s stories? Describe his portrait. What place did Gypsy occupy in his grandfather’s house? How did others treat him? What characteristics did his grandfather and grandmother give him? How do you understand the expression “golden hands”? Which episodes show Gypsy’s giftedness and talent? Talk about his fun and expressively read the dance scene (analysis of this episode can be carried out while simultaneously watching a film fragment). How does Alyosha see the dancing Gypsy? Find comparisons in the description and determine their role. Did the artist B. A. Dekhterev manage to convey the character of the Gypsy in his drawing? Why did Alyosha fall in love with the Gypsy “and was amazed at him until he was speechless”? What influence did Gypsy have on Alyosha?

In conclusion, we find out (or report) how Gypsy died and whether his death was accidental.

You can invite students at the end of the lesson to independently create a plan for the image of the Gypsy.

At home, students read chapter four and receive individual assignments to collect material for the image of the grandmother.

The fourth lesson is entirely devoted to analyzing the image of the grandmother. A person of great natural intelligence, bright artistic talent and sensitive heartfelt responsiveness, Akulina Ivanovna instilled in her grandson a love for the world and people, opened his eyes to the beauty of nature, and brought him closer to folk art. Due to the high structure of her soul, she remained for Gorky all her life, in his words, “a friend, the closest to her heart... the most understandable and dear person”; her selfless love for the world enriched Alyosha, “saturating her with strong strength for a difficult life.” Initially, Gorky even intended to call the story “Grandmother.”

Students will find material for observing the image in chapters one, four and seven. The forms of work can be different: a conversation on questions or a teacher’s story.

Direct independent work students over the indicated chapters, when the student himself understands the meaning of the text and its artistic side, and then reports his observations to the class. In the latter case, specific tasks are needed that can be individualized: the first row prepares observations on the first chapter, the second on the second, third and seventh chapters, the focus of the third row is on the fourth chapter.

Questions and assignments for the first chapter may be as follows:

Describe the portrait of your grandmother. What means of figurative language did Gorky use when creating this portrait? What epithets predominate? Name them. How does grandma's talent manifest itself? How does the grandmother’s conversation with Alyosha and an excerpt from her fairy tale confirm Gorky’s words about the peculiarities of her speech? What words did the writer express his feelings of gratitude to his grandmother? For expressive reading, we can recommend a portrait of a grandmother and her conversation with her grandson.

The grandmother’s sense of beauty makes her irreconcilable with everything ugly. The writer revealed this side of her character in the second, third and seventh chapters. Akulina Ivanovna is shown in them against the background of the gloomy life of the Kashirin family. Let's ask students the following questions:

What role did the grandmother play in the house? Which episodes convey her kindness and desire to bring a spirit of peace into relationships between people? (Pay attention to the form of the grandmother’s address to different people). How does her conversation with Alyosha about Master Gregory characterize her (chapter seven)? What is grandma's prayer? How is Akulina Ivanovna shown on holiday evenings? How does she appear to Alyosha during the dance and how does the artist capture her in the drawing? (Read this episode expressively, name words that convey the beauty of the grandmother’s movements and the richness of her creative powers).

In the fourth chapter, the grandmother is shown in a moment of danger (it is advisable to read the entire chapter in class). We recommend the following questions to prepare for your message:

Why was Alyosha so struck by his grandmother during the fire? What verbs convey the speed of her movements? How does she organize firefighting? Why is the episode with the horse Sharap interesting? What lines from the story can be signed under the drawing by B. A. Dekhterev? How did grandfather assess the strength of the grandmother? What lines from N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Frost, Red Nose” come to mind when reading these pages?

To summarize, let’s talk about the grandmother’s extraordinary humanity, her love for people, her ability to do good to people in an environment of evil, and her faith in the victory of justice. In the image of his grandmother, Gorky embodied all the best that was characteristic of ordinary Russian people. At the same time, the wisdom of the grandmother is the wisdom of the patriarchal people; it expresses their humility and forgiveness. The grandmother even comes to terms with the cruelty that she herself had to experience more than once from her grandfather, finding justification for his outbursts of anger.

The work on the image will be completed by drawing up a plan.

At home, students read the story to the end and prepare answers to the questions in the textbook.

The last lesson reveals the role of the lodger Good Deed in Alyosha’s life and talks about the writer’s faith in the creative powers of the people and their future (chapters five, eight, twelve, thirteen).

The lesson begins with a conversation about what people and events influenced Alyosha’s character. It is worth briefly repeating what impressions Peshkov took from life in the Kashirins’ house, what his grandfather taught him (additional material is given in the fifth chapter), what influence Gypsy and his grandmother had on the boy. It is important that students understand how Alyosha’s unconscious protest against violence develops into conscious resistance to the injustice and cruelty that he observed around him, and what role in the growth of this feeling belongs to those wonderful people with whom his fate collided.

Alyosha also owes his inner growth and spiritual enrichment to a guest nicknamed Good Deed, who captivated the boy with his directness and truthfulness.

We listen to students’ answers to the textbook questions and deepen them using the following questions:

Who do you think is Good Deed? (An excerpt is read that talks about his mysterious and incomprehensible activities.) Why did Alyosha become friends with Good Deed and what did he value in this friendship? Students are asked to give examples of friendly conversations between the tenant and Alyosha and read out the most striking dialogues. What does Alyosha have in common with Good Deed? What about the attitude of adults towards him caused Alyosha to be especially indignant? How does Alyosha express his protest against injustice? Is it random? Explain how you understand the words: “This is how my friendship ended with the first person from an endless series of strangers in my native country - its best people.”

These were the first lessons of harsh life that Alyosha received in the Kashirins’ house. The question of undoubted interest will be: are there any traits in Alyosha that allow us to believe that this boy can grow into a man with a big heart?

Simple Russian people, smart, kind, interesting, talented, strengthened in Alyosha the noble and bright traits of his personality: truthfulness and courage, kindness and sensitivity, the desire for knowledge, will and hard work (the thirteenth chapter), which received further development while wandering “among people” (we look at the final drawing for the story).

It should be said about the educational significance of Alyosha’s life path. The teacher can give examples of the difficult childhood of many people in pre-revolutionary Russia, when only thanks to enormous will and energy they were able to defeat the surrounding evil and enter the broad road of life.

In conclusion, we read the twelfth chapter, which expresses the main idea of ​​the story, and discuss the question: what does the story teach us?

At home, students select material for the topic “Alyosha in the Kashirin family.”

The task of the next lesson, speech development lesson , - bring students’ knowledge on this topic into a strict system, that is, draw up a plan, highlight the most important thing in each point, practice transitions from one point of the plan to another, repeat citing techniques (one of the forms is points of the plan), think through a short introduction and conclusion to the topic .

Rough plan

I. Alyosha Peshkov is the central character of A. M. Gorky’s story “Childhood”.

II. Alyosha's harsh school of life.

1. The house of “mutual enmity of all with all.”
2. A stranger among the “stupid tribe.”
3. Alyosha's protest against the “leaden abominations of Russian life.”
4. What did friendship with Gypsy give to Alyosha?
5. A friend for life is a grandmother.
6. The role of the lodger is a good thing in the spiritual maturation of Alyosha.
7. "Strong strength for a difficult life."

III. What I like about Alyosha.

One or two student stories should be heard in class.

At home, students write an essay.

Literature

1. Gorky M. “Childhood.” Moscow, Enlightenment 1982
2. Weinberg I. Pages of a great life. Moscow, 1980
3. Gorky at school. Collection of articles edited by Golubkov V.V. Moscow, 1960
4. Dubinskaya M.S., Novoselskaya L.S. Russian literature in grades 6–7. Kyiv, 1977
5. Korovina V.Ya. Literature in 7th grade: Methodological advice. Book for teachers. Moscow, Education, 1995
6. Snezhevskaya M.A., Shevchenko P.A., Kurdyumova T.F. and others. Methodological guide to the textbook - anthology “Native Literature”. 6th grade. Moscow, Education, 1986

In 1913, Maxim Gorky wrote the first part of the famous trilogy. “Childhood” (contents and analysis are given in the article) is a work about the formation of the personality of the main character Alyosha Peshkov, the prototype of which was the author himself. It is narrated in the first person, which allows you to fully experience the feelings and experiences of a boy who finds himself in an environment that is unusual for him, which nevertheless contributed to his formation and maturation.

Features of the genre

“Childhood” by Maxim Gorky is an autobiographical story. It is based on facts from the life of the writer himself; he even leaves the characters their real names. At the same time, this is a work of art, since the author’s task is not just to tell about himself as a child, but to rethink what happened to him from the position of an adult, to evaluate the events. According to the author, his fate is not unique: there are many people existing in that “close, stuffy circle of impressions” in which Alyosha was in the Kashirins’ house. And this truth must be “known to the root” in order to be wrested from the memory and soul of man, from the very Russian way of life, “heavy and shameful.” Thus, speaking about himself and at the same time describing the “leaden abominations of life,” Gorky expresses the author’s position regarding the present and future of Russia.

The hero's beginning to grow up

Alyosha Peshkov was brought up in a family based on mutual respect and love. Father Maxim was engaged in the construction of the triumphal gates, which were erected for the arrival of the Tsar. Varvara's mother was expecting the birth of her second child. Everything changed when my father died of cholera. He was buried on a rainy day, and Alyosha forever remembered the frogs sitting in the hole - they were buried along with the coffin. The boy looked at them and held back his tears. Never cry - his parents taught him to do this. And the mother went into premature labor out of grief. This is how the first chapter of Gorky’s work begins sadly.

Then there was a long journey along the Volga from Astrakhan to Nizhny Novgorod. The newborn died on the way, and the mother still could not calm down from the grief that had fallen. Alyosha was taken care of by her grandmother, Akulina Ivanovna, who arrived at a difficult moment for the family. It was she who took her daughter and grandson to Novgorod, from which Varvara had once left against her father’s will. It was to Grandma that Gorky dedicated the best pages of the story. She was a kind, sympathetic person, always ready to help. This was immediately noticed by the sailors on the ship, who found the hero when he got lost on one of the piers. Despite her plumpness and age, Akulina Ivanovna moved quickly and deftly, reminiscent of a cat. She often told amazing stories that attracted the attention of others. And it seemed to Alyosha that she was all glowing from within. It is the grandmother who in the future will become a source of goodness for the boy and the main support, will help him endure the upcoming adversities. And with his arrival in Nizhny, there will be many of them in the hero’s life, as Maxim Gorky will write about in his story.

The work “Childhood” continues with the introduction of new characters. On the shore, the arrivals were met by a large family of Kashirins, the main one of which was Vasily Vasilyevich. Small and dry, Alyosha did not immediately like his grandfather, and time would pass before he looked at him in a new way and tried to understand him as a person.

First spanking

IN big house The Kashirins, in addition to their grandfather and grandmother, lived with their two sons and their families. Alyosha, who had previously grown up in a completely different environment, found it difficult to get used to the constant hostility and anger that reigned between relatives. Their main reason was the desire of Mikhail and Yakov to quickly divide the property, which the grandfather did not want to do. With Varvara’s arrival, the situation became even more tense, since she was also entitled to a share in her father’s inheritance. In their desire to annoy each other, adults knew no bounds, and their confrontation extended to children.

Another boy witnessed a procedure that was terrible for him - every Saturday children were flogged. The hero did not escape this fate. On the advice of one of his brothers, he decided to paint the holiday tablecloth to bring joy to his grandmother. As a result, I ended up on a bench under my grandfather’s rods. Neither Akulina Ivanovna nor her mother could save her from punishment. This is one of the first bitter events in the hero’s new life, which Maxim Gorky introduces to the reader of the story. Alyosha will also remember his childhood thanks to Gypsy, who during the spanking put his hands up, trying to take the main force of the blows.

The grandfather beat his grandson half to death, and the boy lay in bed for several days. During this time, Vasily Vasilyevich visited him and told him about his youth. It turned out that my grandfather was once a barge hauler, and suffering, mental and physical, hardened his heart. This was, in fact, a new acquaintance with his grandfather, which made it clear that he was not as scary and cruel as Alyosha had thought before. Be that as it may, according to the author, the first spanking seemed to expose Alyosha’s heart and force him to take a different look at everything that was happening around him.

Gypsy

Ivan was a foundling in the Kashirin family. The grandmother told her grandson that she gave birth to eighteen children, of whom only three survived. In her opinion, God took the best ones to himself, and sent Gypsy in return. Gorky continues his story “Childhood” with a story about his bitter fate.

Ivan was found at the gate, and his grandmother took him in as a foster child. Unlike his own sons, he grew up kind and caring. He also showed himself to be a good worker, which became another reason for the enmity between Mikhail and Yakov: each of them dreamed of taking Gypsy to themselves in the future. Often, for the amusement of everyone, Ivan arranged entertainment with cockroaches or mice, and showed tricks with cards. Alyosha also remembered the evenings when his grandfather and Mikhail left home. At these hours everyone gathered in the kitchen. Yakov tuned the guitar, and after the songs the merry dance of the Gypsy began. Then he was joined by Akulina Ivanovna, who at that moment seemed to be returning to her time of youth: she became so younger and prettier while dancing.

The grandmother prophesied a bad future for the young man and was afraid for him. The fact is that Tsyganok went grocery shopping every Friday and, in order to save money and please his grandfather, he stole. Akulina Ivanovna believed that someday he would be caught and killed. Her fears came true, but partly: the Gypsy was killed not by strangers, but by Mikhail and Yakov. The latter beat his wife to death, and as a form of repentance, he vowed to place an oak cross on her grave. Three of them carried him, and they put Ivan under the butt. On the way, he stumbled and was crushed by the cross, which the brothers let go of at that moment, notes Maxim Gorky.

“Childhood” in abbreviation introduces only the main moments from the life of the main character, but it is impossible not to mention that Gypsy, whose painful death was also deposited in the boy’s mind, along with his grandmother, became a source of light and kindness for him and helped him survive the first trials in his new life .

Grandmother

Alyosha loved to watch how Akulina Ivanovna prayed in the evenings. In front of the icons, she told about everything that happened that day and asked for everyone. And the boy also liked stories about what God was like. At these moments, the grandmother looked younger, and her eyes emitted a special, warm light. Sometimes Akulina Ivanovna saw devils, but they did not frighten her. Only cockroaches caused fear in my grandmother, and often at night she woke Alyosha up and asked him to kill them. But the image of the grandmother appears especially vividly in the fire scene, which continues (Maxim Gorky describes it in detail) “Childhood”.

The grandmother was praying when the grandfather ran in shouting: “We’re burning!” The workshop was burning, and Akulina Ivanovna threw herself into the flames to prevent an explosion. She brought out the bottle and began giving orders what to do next. She calmed the horse, which the grandfather himself was afraid of. And then, with burnt hands, she gave birth to Aunt Natalya. And only when it was all over (Mikhail’s wife died after all), Alyosha heard his grandmother’s groans caused by severe burns. All this leads to the idea: only a person with a broad soul can fight a fire so fearlessly, and then, while suffering from pain, find words of consolation for others. This is exactly what Akulina Ivanovna was, who played a decisive role in Alyosha’s life, which Maxim Gorky emphasizes more than once. “Childhood” (the characterization of the grandmother confirms this) is a work about how spiritual generosity and love can resist anger and hatred, preventing the germs of goodness and goodness, originally inherent in a person’s character, from dying.

New house

The Kashirins nevertheless split. Alyosha and his grandparents moved to a stone house with a garden. The rooms, except one, were rented out. My grandfather left it for himself and his guests. Akulina Ivanovna and her grandson settled in the attic. Grandma was again at the center of all events: the tenants constantly turned to her for advice, and she found a kind word for everyone. Her grandson was constantly next to her, as if rooted to her. Sometimes the mother appeared, but she quickly disappeared, not leaving even memories of herself.

Once my grandmother told Alyosha about her life. She was born from a crippled lacemaker girl who jumped out of a window when her master scared her. Together they walked around the world until they settled in Balakhna. Akulina learned to weave lace, and then her grandfather spotted her. He was a noble man at that time. And he chose a beggar girl as his wife and decided that she would be submissive all her life.

And the grandfather also decided to teach Alyosha letters. Seeing his grandson's intelligence, he began to flog him less often and looked at him more and more attentively, sometimes telling tales from his own life. This is how Maxim Gorky spent his childhood.

And again the enmity

The Kashirins' misfortunes were not over. One day Yakov came running and said that Mikhail was going to kill his grandfather. Similar scenes began to be repeated often. And again the main burden fell on the grandmother. One evening she stuck her hand out the window, hoping to reason with her son, and Mikhail broke it with a stake. Watching all this, Alyosha began to think more and more often about his mother. The fact that she refused to live in such a family noticeably elevated her in the eyes of her son. And he imagined Varvara either in the camp of robbers, or in the image of the prince-lady Engalycheva, about whom his grandmother told him. And sometimes the boy’s chest seemed to fill with lead, and he felt stuffy and cramped in this room, reminiscent of a coffin. As Maxim Gorky shows, childhood evoked bitter thoughts and feelings in the hero. Their analysis leaves the same heaviness on the reader’s soul.

Injustice

There is another hero in the work, whom Alyosha met immediately upon his arrival in Novgorod. This is Grigory Ivanovich, a master who worked for his grandfather. He was old and blind, and the boys, like his uncles, often mocked him. For example, they could place a red-hot thimble under their hand. When the Kashirins split up and the grandfather moved to Polevaya Street, the masters were simply kicked out onto the street. It was painfully embarrassing: to see how Grigory was begging, so Alyosha avoided meeting him and hid every time he appeared, recalls Maxim Gorky. “Childhood,” whose heroes are people of different social strata, shows how dissatisfaction with the life he saw gradually matured in the boy. And the merit of the writer is that he made it clear: a person does not always go with the flow. Many find the strength to resist evil, thereby gradually changing the world for the better.

As for Gregory, his grandmother often called him to her and tried to somehow diminish the troubles that befell the one who gave his whole life to her family. One day she told Alyosha that God would severely punish them for this man. Years later, when Akulina Ivanovna was no longer alive, the grandfather himself went to beg, repeating the fate of his master.

Good Deed

And again Vasily Vasilyevich changed his place of residence, Gorky continues the story “Childhood”. On Kanatnaya Street, where the Kashirins now settled, fate brought Alyosha together with another amazing person. Good Deed - this is how the tenant was nicknamed for the words that he invariably used in his speech - was considered a freeloader and was constantly conducting some kind of experiments in his room, which displeased his grandfather. One evening, according to tradition, everyone gathered at grandma’s, and she started a story about Ivan the Warrior. This story made an extraordinary impression on Good Deed. He suddenly jumped up and shouted that this must be written down. And later he gave advice to Alyosha: be sure to study. And also - write down everything that Akulina Ivanovna says. This may have been the beginning of the writer’s love for literature.

But soon Good Deed left home, and Gorky wrote about this in the story: this is how the friendship with the first (best) person from “an endless series of strangers in his native ... country” ended.

Meeting with mother

Varvara appeared at the Kashirins' house unexpectedly. Alyosha immediately noticed that she had changed, but still did not look like her brothers and father. And again I thought: he won’t live here long. The mother began to teach her son to read and even decided to start raising him. But during the time spent away from each other, they ceased to understand each other. The boy was also depressed by the constant quarrels between his grandfather and mother, especially since Varvara was not going to change to please anyone. And yet she broke Kashirin. After refusing to marry the old watchmaker, whom her grandfather looked after, Varvara practically became the mistress of the house, continues Maxim Gorky’s “Childhood”. The chapters dedicated to the hero’s mother introduce how she, against her father’s will, married Maxim, who was completely different from her family. How the young people came to bow to the old man Kashirin, but refused to live in his house, which caused a new anger of the old man. How the sisters Mikhail and Yakov disliked their husband, dreaming of snatching her share of the inheritance. How, finally, the Peshkovs left for Astrakhan, where they lived amicably and happily.

And although Alyosha’s mother always evoked only warm feelings, she never became for her son the person who helped him overcome the first hardships of life and withstand the blows of fate.

Changes again

Meanwhile, Varvara became increasingly prettier and visited her son less and less. Then she got married again and moved out. Now life in the house has become even more painful, Maxim Gorky makes clear. Childhood (analysis of the work leads to this idea) was gradually ending for the hero. Alyosha increasingly spent time alone and became unsociable. He dug himself a hole in the garden and made a cozy seat there. The grandfather often came here, tinkering with the plants, but his grandson’s stories were no longer interesting. And Vasily Vasilyevich himself became embittered after his daughter’s departure, often swore and kicked his grandmother out of the house. He became even greedier than before. At the same time, he lectured his grandson: “We are not a bar. We need to achieve everything ourselves.” And in the fall he sold the house completely, telling Akulina Ivanovna that she should now feed herself. The next two years, according to the author, passed in terrible shaking, which he felt from the moment he sat in the cart while moving to the basement.

"Lead Abominations of Life"

This definition appears in the story “Childhood” by Maxim Gorky after the story of how Alyosha almost killed his stepfather. A mother with a small son and husband appeared in the Kashirins’ basement shortly after they moved there. She said that the house burned down, but it was clear to everyone that Maksimov had lost everything. The hero's brother turned out to be a sick boy, Varvara herself noticeably looked worse and was pregnant again. Her relationship with her young husband did not work out, and one day Alyosha witnessed their quarrel: Maksimov was heading to his mistress, and his mother was screaming heart-rendingly. The hero grabbed a knife and rushed at his stepfather, but luckily he only cut his uniform and slightly caught his skin. These memories, along with all the others described above, made the author think about whether it is necessary to talk about these abominations? And he confidently answers: yes. Firstly, this is the only way to root out evil “from memory, from a person’s soul, from our entire life, heavy and shameful” (quote from Gorky’s work). Secondly, such baseness shows (this has already been noted in the article) that the Russian person is still “so healthy and young at heart that he can and will overcome them.” And this “bright, healthy and creative”, embodied in the story in the images of the grandmother, the Gypsy, the Good Deed, gives hope that the revival of humanity is possible.

In people

After the incident with his stepfather, Alyosha again ended up with his grandfather. Vasily Vasilyevich insisted that he and his grandmother cook dinners in turns, and each with their own money. At the same time, he always saved. The hero had to earn money himself: after school he went to collect rags and sold them cheap. He gave what he earned to his grandmother and one day he saw her crying over his nickels.

Things were tough at school. Here Alyosha was called a rag picker, and no one wanted to sit with him. But he still passed the third grade exams, for which he received a certificate of merit and several books as a reward. The boy took the last ones to the shop when Akulina Ivanovna fell ill and there was nothing to live on.

Another memorable event in the life of the hero of the story “Childhood” by Maxim Gorky is the death of his mother. Varvara returned to the Kashirins completely ill, withered, and soon died of consumption. A few days after her funeral, the grandfather sent Alexei “to the people” so that he could earn his own bread. From this moment childhood ends, and the second story of Gorky’s autobiographical trilogy begins.

Epilogue

The ability for spiritual self-development in conditions of tragic reality is, perhaps, the main thing that Maxim Gorky wants to draw the reader’s attention to. Childhood (the theme of the work stated in the title emphasizes this) is the main time in a person’s life. A child usually remembers forever what made a great impression on him. And it’s good that during this period Alyosha witnessed not only inhumanity and cruelty, but also met people who were infinitely kind and open to others. This helped him resist the “lead abominations” and grow into a bright man who does not put up with evil, which can become an example for everyone else.

Russian writer, prose writer, playwright Maksim Gorky(Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov) was born in 1868. Despite the fame of the writer, Gorky’s biography, especially in childhood, is full of uncertainties. His father, Maxim Savvatievich Peshkov (1840-1871), came from the bourgeoisie of the Perm province. Gorky’s grandfather, Savvaty Peshkov, was a man of tough character: he rose to the rank of officer, but for cruel treatment of his subordinates he was demoted and exiled to Siberia. His attitude towards his son Maxim was no better, which is why he ran away from home several times. At the age of 17, he left home forever - after that, the son and father did not see each other again. Maxim Peshkov was talented, creative person. He learned the craft of cabinet-making, settled in Nizhny Novgorod and began working as a carpenter at the shipping company of I. S. Kolchin. Here he married Varvara Vasilyevna Kashirina (1842-1879), who came from a family of Nizhny Novgorod merchants. Only the mother of the bride, Akulina Ivanovna, gave consent to the marriage, but the father, Vasily Vasilyevich Kashirin, did not give consent, but then reconciled. In the spring of 1871, Maxim Peshkov left with his family for Astrakhan, where he began working as manager of the Astrakhan office of the Kolchin Shipping Company. In the summer of 1871, Maxim Savvatievich, while nursing Alyosha, who was sick with cholera, became infected himself and died. Varvara Vasilievna with her son and mother returned to Nizhny Novgorod to her father’s house.

Gorky's grandfather, Vasily Vasilyevich Kashirin, was a barge hauler in his youth, then became rich and became the owner of a dyeing shop. At one time, he was the foreman of the dyeing shop, and was elected as a member of the Nizhny Novgorod Duma. In addition to Gorky’s grandfather, his two sons lived in the house with their families. Better times passed for the Kashirin family - due to factory production, the business was in decline. In addition, the Kashirin family was not friendly. They lived as if in war, and Alyosha Peshkov was only a burden there. Gorky believed that his mother did not love him, considering him the culprit of misfortunes, and therefore moved away from him. She began to arrange her personal life and remarried. Only the grandmother, Akulina Ivanovna, treated Alyosha with kindness. She replaced his mother and supported her grandson as best she could. It was his grandmother who gave him love for folk songs and fairy tales. The grandfather, despite his complex character, taught the boy to read and write at the age of six using church books. In 1877-1879, Alyosha Peshkov successfully studied at the Nizhny Novgorod Slobodsk Kanavinsky Primary School. In August 1879, his mother died of consumption. By that time, the grandfather was completely broke and sent his 11-year-old grandson “to the people.”

“In People” Alexey Peshkov changed many occupations: he worked as a “boy” in a shoe store, as a boatman on a steamship, was in service, caught birds, was a salesman in an icon shop, a student in an icon-painting workshop, an extra in the theater at the Nizhny Novgorod fair, a foreman in repairs fair buildings, etc. While working on the Dobry steamship, Alexei Peshkov’s boss was a cook - retired guards non-commissioned officer Mikhail Smury, who noticed the boy’s curiosity and awakened in him a love of reading. Books in many ways saved Alexei Peshkov from an evil, unjust world and helped him understand a lot. Despite early hardships and suffering, he managed to maintain his love of life. Subsequently, M. Gorky wrote: “I did not expect outside help and did not hope for Lucky case... I realized very early that what makes a person is his resistance to the environment.”

In 1884, Alexey Peshkov went to enter Kazan University. He returned to Nizhny Novgorod in 1889 and lived here intermittently until 1904. In 1913-1914, M. Gorky wrote the autobiographical story “Childhood.”

In Nizhny Novgorod there is the Museum of Childhood of A. M. Gorky “Kashirin’s House”. Alyosha Peshkov began living in this house at the end of August 1871, after arriving with his mother from Astrakhan. In the spring of 1872, Gorky's grandfather divided the property between his sons, and the house remained with his son Yakov. Vasily Vasilyevich himself, with his wife Akulina Ivanovna and grandson Alyosha, moved to live in another house. The Museum of Childhood of A. M. Gorky reproduces the original furnishings of the Kashirin family home.

The plot of M. Gorky’s story “Childhood” is based on facts from the writer’s real biography. This determined the features of the genre of Gorky’s work - an autobiographical story. In 1913, M. Gorky wrote the first part of his autobiographical trilogy “Childhood,” where he described the events associated with the growing up of a little man. In 1916, the second part of the trilogy “In People” was written, it reveals the hard work life, and a few years later in 1922, M. Gorky, finishing the story about the formation of man, published the third part of the trilogy - “My Universities”.

The story “Childhood” is autobiographical, but it is impossible to equate the plot of a work of art with the life of the writer. Years later, M. Gorky recalls his childhood, his first experiences of growing up, the death of his father, moving to his grandfather; rethinks a lot of things in a new way and, based on what he has experienced, creates a picture of the life of the little boy Alyosha in the Kashirin family. The story is narrated in the first person, on behalf of the little hero of the events. This fact makes the events described more reliable, and also helps (which is important for the writer) to convey the psychology and inner experiences of the hero. Either Alyosha speaks of her grandmother as “the closest to my heart, the most understandable and dear person - it was her selfless love for the world that enriched me, filling me with strong strength for a difficult life,” then she admits her dislike for her grandfather. The writer’s task is not just to convey the events in which the little hero became a participant, but also to evaluate them from the position of an adult who has learned a lot in life. It is this feature that is characteristic of the autobiographical story genre. M. Gorky’s goal is not to revive the past, but to tell “about that close, stuffy circle of terrible impressions in which a simple Russian person lived – and still lives to this day.”

The events of childhood do not flash like a kaleidoscope in the narrator’s perception. On the contrary, every moment of life, every action the hero tries to comprehend, to get to the essence. The same episode is perceived differently by the hero. The boy endures the trials he endures: for example, after his grandfather beat Alyosha for ruining the tablecloth, the “days of ill health” became “great days of life” for the boy. It was then that the hero began to understand people better, and his heart “became unbearably sensitive to any insult and pain, his own and that of others.”

Gorky’s work “Childhood” has the boundaries of the traditional genre of the story: one leading storyline associated with an autobiographical hero, and all the minor characters and episodes also help to reveal Alyosha’s character and express the author’s attitude to what is happening.

The writer simultaneously gives the main character his thoughts and feelings, and at the same time contemplates the events described as if from the outside, giving them an assessment: “... is it worth talking about this? This is the truth that needs to be known to the roots, in order to root it out from memory, from a person’s soul, from our entire life, difficult and shameful.”