История создания рассказа челкаш

История создания

На написание рассказа Максима Горького сподвигли случай из жизни и разговоры знакомого. В 1891 г. Алексей Пешков (настоящее имя писателя) отправился в пешее путешествие по Руси.

Остановившись в небольшом селе Николаевской области, в Малороссии, Алексей увидел дикую картину – толпа напала на женщину, изменившую мужу. Пешков заступился за даму, за что был избит и вывезен за пределы села.

Алексея подобрал проезжий – мужчина помог писателю выбраться из грязи и отвез в больницу. Спустя 3 года известный публицист Владимир Короленко, впечатлившись ораторскими способностями Алексея Пешкова, предложил изложить рассказ на бумаге.

Максим Горький описал случай всего за несколько дней. Рукописи были прочитаны Владимиром Короленко, после чего опубликованы (при его поддержке) в 1895 г. в журнале.

Тема и смысл названия

Рассказ Максима Горького «Челкаш» – это история о пьянице, воре и жулике. Автор неспроста выбрал необычную «кличку» для персонажа. Толковать слово «челкаш» можно как горячий, быстрый, короткий, что и символизирует характер главного героя.

Анализируя произведение «Челкаш», можно определить основные темы:

Проблематика рассказа «Челкаш» насыщена. Автор поднимает вопросы алчности и рабства, а также желает узнать в чем настоящее счастье.

Композиция произведения

На основе анализа рассказа М. Горького «Челкаш» можно получить простую композицию. Произведение состоит из 5 частей:

• вступление – автор «встречает» гостей на фоне гудящего и гремящего порта;

• первая часть – знакомство главных героев;

• вторая часть – рассказ о внутреннем мире Челкаша. Автор окунает читателя в морскую атмосферу;

• кульминация – Гаврила думает об убийстве Челкаша;

• развязка – с помощью антитезы автор возвышает Челкаша и рассказывает об алчной душе Гаврилы.

Завершение истории является «поучительным» пиком от автора – проблем алчности и вопрос счастья становится наиболее актуальным.

Главные герои

Сюжет небольшого рассказа Максима Горького построен вокруг двух персонажей:

• Челкаш. Мужчина среднего возраста, пьяница, вор. Женат, но более 10 лет бродяжничает. Мужчина имеет свои принципы – ему важна свобода, возможность жить здесь и сейчас. Он презирает алчных и жадных людей. Челкаш – любитель природы. Мужчине нравится наблюдать за морем, так как оно символизирует бескрайнюю свободу;

• Гаврила. Неоднозначный персонаж, который совмещает несколько «образов». С одной стороны, Гаврила простой бедный крестьянин, – добродушный и отзывчивый. В рассказе раскрывается темная сторона Гаврилы – его алчность и жадность. Парню нужны деньги, чтобы обеспечить престарелую мать.

Несмотря на противостояние двух личностей, рассказ завершается на позитивной ноте. Каждый из героев произведения получает желаемое: Челкаш – свободу, а Гаврила – деньги.

Жанровые особенности

К особенностям жанра «рассказ» можно отнести:

• небольшой объем произведения;

• события развиваются на протяжении небольшого отрезка времени;

• небольшое количество героев;

• соответствие сюжета реальности.

Отличительной чертой является отсутствие в рассказе нравоучения.

«Челкаш» – это небольшая история из жизни вора и простого крестьянина. По книге Максима Горького сняли одноименный короткометражный фильм с Андреем Поповым в главной роли.

«Chelkash»
by Maxim Gorky
1928 illustration, watercolour by Arkady Plastov
Original title	Челкаш
Country	Russia
Language	Russian
Published in	Russkoye Bogatstvo magazine
Publication date	June 1895

«Chelkash» (Russian: Челкаш) is a short story by Maxim Gorky, written in August 1894 and first published by Russkoye Bogatstvo in June 1895. The first of the numerous Gorky stories to appear in this magazine, it made the author well known in Russia and was included in all editions of the Complete Works by Maxim Gorky.

Background and publication[edit]

The story was written in August 1894 in Nizhny Novgorod, after Vladimir Korolenko’s request to «do something substational for the journal.» «I came home, sat down and started at once to write the story related to me by this bosyak^{[note 1]} from Odessa, whom I found myself in a hospital ward with, in Nikolayev… In two days’ time it was finished and I sent the rough copy to V.G.», Gorky remembered later. In his 1926 memoirs Gorky described the prototype as «… a tramp from Odessa, a former soldier, an army grenadier.» «[I] was surprised by the good, whimsical humor of this Odessa tramp as he was telling me about the incident which became the foundation for my story, Chelkash… I remember so well his smile, baring his fine white teeth, the smile with which he concluded his tale about the treacherous young man he’d hired for work,» Gorky wrote in another piece.^[2]

Korolenko, who rated the story very high, later tried to play down his own role in Gorky’s professional progress. «Many think that it was due to my patronage that he became a writer. That’s a myth. He did that thanks to his huge talent. I only read his early stories and gave him my frank opinions,» he wrote. Gorky, in his later essay on Korolenko, quoted the latter: «In the rough copy [of Chelkash] there are places where you clash with grammar to great disadvantage for the latter, so I corrected these. Apart from that I changed nothing».^[3] In another piece of memoirs Gorky noted: «I think Kor[olenko] edited nothing in Chelkash, he just advised me to get rid of one scene, when Chelkash watches the street children playing, which I did.»^[4][2]

Plot[edit]

Grigory Chelkash, a hard-drinking but shrewd smuggler, looks for Mishka, his partner in crime, and learns that he had got injured and is now in the hospital. Badly in need for somebody who’d row his boat for the night, in the port he approaches Gavrila, a young peasant man who seems to be badly in need of money.

Initially thinking he’d been commissioned for a routine night fishing trip, the boy starts to panic amidst the sea, realizing he’s let himself into something dangerous and against the law. After a risky but successful voyage, the two finally transport the load to the smugglers’ boat, then fall asleep in a cabin inside. In the morning Gavrila receives his advance, forty rubles. For him, this is a huge sum, but it starts to look meager as he learns that Chelkash left himself five hundred.

Overpowered by the desire to get rich overnight and leave all his troubles behind, he falls on his knees and implores the older man to give him the whole sum. Disgusted with the way the money’s made the young man lose his dignity, Chelkash hands him down everything he’s got. Gavrila, delirious with joy, confesses that he thought of killing him previously while still in the boat. Outraged, Chelkash grabs all the money and walks away. He gets hit by a stone from behind and falls down, bleeding from the back of his head. Mad now with fear and remorse, the boy is again on his knees, begging for forgiveness. Full of anger and disdain, Chelkash throws to Gavrila most of the money and staggers away, never to see him again. Satisfied with his gain, Gavrila steadily walks in the opposite direction.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Челкаш, the original Russian text

«Chelkash»
by Maxim Gorky
1928 illustration, watercolour by Arkady Plastov
Original title	Челкаш
Country	Russia
Language	Russian
Published in	Russkoye Bogatstvo magazine
Publication date	June 1895

«Chelkash» (Russian: Челкаш) is a short story by Maxim Gorky, written in August 1894 and first published by Russkoye Bogatstvo in June 1895. The first of the numerous Gorky stories to appear in this magazine, it made the author well known in Russia and was included in all editions of the Complete Works by Maxim Gorky.

Background and publication[edit]

The story was written in August 1894 in Nizhny Novgorod, after Vladimir Korolenko’s request to «do something substational for the journal.» «I came home, sat down and started at once to write the story related to me by this bosyak^{[note 1]} from Odessa, whom I found myself in a hospital ward with, in Nikolayev… In two days’ time it was finished and I sent the rough copy to V.G.», Gorky remembered later. In his 1926 memoirs Gorky described the prototype as «… a tramp from Odessa, a former soldier, an army grenadier.» «[I] was surprised by the good, whimsical humor of this Odessa tramp as he was telling me about the incident which became the foundation for my story, Chelkash… I remember so well his smile, baring his fine white teeth, the smile with which he concluded his tale about the treacherous young man he’d hired for work,» Gorky wrote in another piece.^[2]

Korolenko, who rated the story very high, later tried to play down his own role in Gorky’s professional progress. «Many think that it was due to my patronage that he became a writer. That’s a myth. He did that thanks to his huge talent. I only read his early stories and gave him my frank opinions,» he wrote. Gorky, in his later essay on Korolenko, quoted the latter: «In the rough copy [of Chelkash] there are places where you clash with grammar to great disadvantage for the latter, so I corrected these. Apart from that I changed nothing».^[3] In another piece of memoirs Gorky noted: «I think Kor[olenko] edited nothing in Chelkash, he just advised me to get rid of one scene, when Chelkash watches the street children playing, which I did.»^[4][2]

Plot[edit]

Grigory Chelkash, a hard-drinking but shrewd smuggler, looks for Mishka, his partner in crime, and learns that he had got injured and is now in the hospital. Badly in need for somebody who’d row his boat for the night, in the port he approaches Gavrila, a young peasant man who seems to be badly in need of money.

Initially thinking he’d been commissioned for a routine night fishing trip, the boy starts to panic amidst the sea, realizing he’s let himself into something dangerous and against the law. After a risky but successful voyage, the two finally transport the load to the smugglers’ boat, then fall asleep in a cabin inside. In the morning Gavrila receives his advance, forty rubles. For him, this is a huge sum, but it starts to look meager as he learns that Chelkash left himself five hundred.

Overpowered by the desire to get rich overnight and leave all his troubles behind, he falls on his knees and implores the older man to give him the whole sum. Disgusted with the way the money’s made the young man lose his dignity, Chelkash hands him down everything he’s got. Gavrila, delirious with joy, confesses that he thought of killing him previously while still in the boat. Outraged, Chelkash grabs all the money and walks away. He gets hit by a stone from behind and falls down, bleeding from the back of his head. Mad now with fear and remorse, the boy is again on his knees, begging for forgiveness. Full of anger and disdain, Chelkash throws to Gavrila most of the money and staggers away, never to see him again. Satisfied with his gain, Gavrila steadily walks in the opposite direction.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Челкаш, the original Russian text