Mr. from San Francisco: main characters, analysis of the work, problems. Characteristics of the gentleman from San Francisco Description of Lorenzo Mr. from San Francisco

Mister from San Francisco- at the very beginning of the story, the lack of a name for the hero is motivated by the fact that “no one remembered him.” G. “went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment. He was firmly convinced that he had every right to rest, pleasure, and an excellent trip in all respects. For such confidence, he had the argument that, firstly, he was rich, and secondly, he had just started life, despite his fifty-eight years.” Bunin sets out in detail the route of the upcoming trip: Southern Italy - Nice - Monte Carlo - Florence - Rome - Venice - Paris - Seville - Athens - Palestine - Egypt, “even Japan, of course, is already on the way back.” “Everything went fine at first,” but in this dispassionate statement of what is happening, the “hammers of fate” can be heard.

G.- one of the many passengers on the large ship Atlantis, which looked like “a huge hotel with all the amenities, with a night bar, oriental baths, and its own newspaper.” The ocean, which has long become a symbol of life in world literature in its variability, menace and unpredictability, “was terrible, but no one thought about it”; “on the forecastle the siren constantly howled with hellish gloom and squealed with frantic anger, but few of the diners heard the siren - it was drowned out by the sounds of a beautiful string orchestra.” “Siren” is a symbol of world chaos, “music” is a symbol of calm harmony. The constant juxtaposition of these leitmotifs determines the dissonant stylistic intonation of the story. Bunin gives a portrait of his hero: “Dry, short, poorly cut, but tightly sewn<...>. There was something Mongolian about him yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache, his large teeth glittered with gold fillings, and his strong bald head was made of old ivory.” Another important, as it turns out later, deceptive detail: “The tuxedo and starched underwear made you look very young” G.

When the ship arrived in Naples, G. and his family decide to get off the ship and go to Capri, where, “everyone assured,” it was warm. Bunin does not indicate whether G.’s tragic outcome was predetermined if he had remained on Atlantis. Already during the voyage on a small boat to the island of Capri, G. felt “like himself, just as he should have, a completely old man” and thought with irritation about the goal of his journey - about Italy.

The day of his arrival in Capri became “significant” in G’s life. He is looking forward to an elegant evening in the company of a famous beauty, but when he gets dressed, he involuntarily mutters: “Oh, this is terrible!”, “without trying to understand, without thinking what exactly is terrible.” He overcomes himself, waits for his wife in the reading room, reads newspapers - “when suddenly the lines flashed before him with a glassy shine, his neck tensed, his eyes bulged, his pince-nez flew off his nose... He rushed forward, wanted to take a breath of air - and wheezed wildly; his lower jaw fell off, illuminating his entire mouth with gold fillings, his head fell on his shoulder and began to roll, the chest of his shirt stuck out like a box - and his whole body, writhing, lifting up the carpet with his heels, crawled to the floor, desperately struggling with someone.” G.'s agony is depicted physiologically and dispassionately. However, death does not fit into the lifestyle of a wealthy hotel. “If there had not been a German in the reading room, the hotel would have quickly and deftly managed to hush up this terrible incident<...>they would have rushed away by the legs and by the head of the gentleman from San Francisco, to hell - and not a single soul of the guests would have known what he had done.” G. “persistently fights death,” but calms down “in the smallest, worst, coldest and dampest room, at the end of the lower corridor.” A quarter of an hour later, everything is in order at the hotel, but with a reminder of death, “the evening was irreparably ruined.”

On Christmas Day, the body of “a dead old man, having experienced much humiliation, much human inattention” in a “long soda box of English water” is sent along the same route, first on a small steamer, then on “the same famous ship” goes home. But the body is now hidden from the living in the womb of the ship - in the hold. A vision of the Devil appears, observing “a ship, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of the New Man with an old heart.”

At the end of the story, Bunin re-describes the brilliant and easy life of the ship’s passengers, including the dance of a pair of hired lovers: and no one knew their secret and fatigue from pretense, no one knew about G.’s body “at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and the sultry bowels of the ship, heavily overcome by the darkness, the ocean, the blizzard...” This finale can be interpreted as a victory over death and at the same time as submission to the eternal circle of existence: life - death. T. Mann put the story on a par with “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by L. Tolstoy.

The story was originally titled "Death on Capri". Bunin connected the idea of ​​the story with Thomas Mann’s story “Death in Venice,” but even more with memories of the sudden death of an American who came to Capri. However, as the writer admitted, he invented “San Francisco and everything else” while living on his cousin’s estate in the Yeletsky district of the Oryol province.

Composition

"Mr. from San Francisco" is one of Bunin's best stories.
The depth of the concept of this work is revealed already in
choosing its name. The author fundamentally leaves his hero without
name: his position in the story is not limited social status
rich American tourist. To some extent, a way of existence
gentleman from San Francisco, similar consumer
attitude towards life is inherent in many people. Therefore, "Mr.
San Francisco" should be read as "Man", "One of Many". It turns out,
that already in the title of the story it is stated not just about social
the content of the work - condemnation of a spiritual existence
rich aristocrats, but also about its universal content.
The theme of the story is common for Bunin's work - life and death
man, the meaning of his existence on earth. In accordance with the selected
However, the theme and plot of the story is emphatically devoid of any entertainment,
intrigues: a certain gentleman from San Francisco, 58 years old, with his wife and daughter,
going to Europe to travel for two years, but suddenly
dies in one of the Italian hotels, the body of the gentleman is there
The ship sets off on its return journey. However, the plot of the story is significantly
more complicated than a spare and simple plot.
The hero of the story is sure that he is the master of life and plans his
two-year pleasure cruise in full confidence that no
accidents will not interfere with him. He is firmly convinced that he has
the right to rest, since he has money and has already worked enough
In my life. A gentleman from San Francisco is sailing to Europe
on the luxurious ship Atlantis, which looks like a huge hotel
top class, with a night bar, oriental baths and its own
newspaper. Thanks to comfort, passengers do not pay attention to
the raging terrible ocean surrounding the ship. Life of passengers
goes in a routine rhythm: breakfast, reading the newspaper, rest, lunch,
dancing... A well-fed and measured life continues in Italy, only
Americans' daily routine now includes a quick tour of the sights,
causing them only boredom. The hero of the story
there is no internal need to admire architectural monuments
and art, beautiful nature, since it requires
spiritual work, co-creation. After an attack of seasickness
on the boat on the way to Sorrento, Italy seems completely disgusting to him.
And next to it we find the author’s exclamation: “It smells sweet
in Italy the ground after the rain...!”
As the plot unfolds, the hero does not change at all,
because spiritually he has been dead for a long time. The beauty of Italy does not force
to see it, to see life in all its beauty. He doesn't feel
approaching his death, drives away bad thoughts and does not attach importance
mystical coincidences (he dreams of the owner of the fatal hotel,
which will become his last refuge on earth). According to the author,
he who does not feel life does not feel death. By the way, they don’t want to
“noticing” the existence of death and other inhabitants of the hotel where he died
Bunin's hero. From their point of view, Mr. American
committed an “indecent act” by upsetting their dinner and the promised
tarantella. The author's irony is manifested in the fact that the hero's body
makes his way back in a soda box. This meaningful
with detail the author hints at the frailty of carnal joys,
to which the gentleman from San Francisco was so attached.
The choice of the form of narration in the story is not accidental. Before us
the speech of the author-narrator, almost uninterrupted by the speech of the characters.
The gentleman himself from San Francisco only six times during his entire trip
opens his lips to give monosyllabic orders to the attendant
his servants, his wife and daughter are “silent”, other characters
- in a word, we are completely in the power of the author's word.
What is the reason for the “silence” into which Bunin plunged his heroes?
Firstly, the lack speech characteristics heroes are an important characteristic
unacceptable way of existence for the author: in
art world the story lacks human warmth
relationships, this world is cold, dry and soulless. Secondly, “silence
"hero" allows the author to more fully express his artistic
philosophy: a voiceless and faceless master becomes material,
illustration, a reason for conversation about human existence.
The story differs somewhat from other Bunin works
ponderous, solemn style, which gives it a parable
sound. It's written complex sentences, sometimes occupying
a whole paragraph, full of emotionally expressive vocabulary,
especially when describing the ocean element.
An important place in the system of characters in Bunin's story is occupied by
the supporting characters are simple Italians who, unlike
from hotel residents, they know how to enjoy life, feel the beauty
earthly existence. Poor people see things that rich people cannot see
have become tourists in their beautiful earth, only
passing along it with a quick sightseeing.
However, it would be wrong to reduce the meaning and idea of ​​I. A. Bunin’s story
only criticism of the social system, condemnation of rich slackers.
In the story, the generic still prevails over the social. After all
in the person of a gentleman from San Francisco, fundamentally impersonal
the author depicts not a representative of a particular social
class, but a representative of the human race. The ship on which
the hero of the story floats, harmoniously closes the composition of the work,
making it circular. "Atlantis" becomes a symbol of humanity,
which does not want to notice the raging ocean around, does not want to know
about a body in a tarred soda box in one of the deep
holds, does not want to peer into the eyes of the symbolic Devil
at the end of the story and recognize yourself. Bunin's work -
a stern warning to people and civilization that has reached a dead end
in their consumer aspirations.

Other works on this work

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The main character of Bunin's story lived his life in anticipation of rest and pleasure; until a certain time, he worked, but did not live, but existed. All his plans to live were postponed for the future. Expensive outfits, treats, shows - everything that is appropriate for people with a high income accompanies the gentleman, but does not bring him any impressions or pleasure. The main characters of “Mr. from San Francisco” endure all the joys of a rich life calmly and indifferently, this is the same necessity as following fashion for the sake of convenience.

Characteristics of the characters "Mr. from San Francisco"

Main characters

Mister from San Francisco	A short, bald, thin, strong man who does not have a good figure. His face had a yellowish tint, which gave him a somewhat Mongolian appearance. The author mentions large teeth with gold fillings in the description of the hero several times in the work. The name of the main character is not mentioned anywhere, the author explains this by the fact that in none of the countries “they remembered him.” At 58 years old, main character I decided to reward myself for my work by going on a trip with my family. He takes luxury for granted. It is impossible to surprise the gentleman with anything; he is fed up with everything in life.
Master's wife	A large, broad woman with a calm character. Dress appropriately for age. The author speaks of her as a person who cannot be called impressionable. The only time she shows her emotions is after the death of her husband, when the hotel owner refuses her request to place the deceased in their luxurious apartment. Her image is faceless, there is no character, no soul in it. None negative traits it's not in it.
Master's daughter	Tall, slender girl with beautiful hair. Expensive outfits, elegant hairstyles, slight pain - that’s all that is known about the gentleman’s daughter. She, like her mother, is voiceless and faceless.

Minor characters

Prince of an Asian state	There is a certain Asian prince on the list of passengers of the Atlantis, on which the protagonist's family is traveling. Small, broad-faced, narrow-eyed, dark-skinned, boy-like. He is ugly, strange, wears simple European clothes. For the master's daughter, he is a dream come true, apparently because he is infinitely rich.
The hotel owner	This character is characterized by his actions. When the gentleman from San Francisco becomes ill, instead of providing help, the hotel owner rushes to the fleeing visitors, calming the public, as if making excuses for the indecent behavior of the dying man. The hotel owner coldly refuses the widow's request to move the deceased to his expensive room, so as not to spoil the hotel's reputation. Offers a wooden soda box shaped like a coffin for transporting a corpse.
Graceful couple in love	Two young men hired for money: beautiful woman and a man. They dance, kiss, portray love and passion, creating a unique flavor on the ship. The couple “works”, causing admiration and envy of others.

In the story, Bunin touches on the topic of the meaning of human life, the price of money and human happiness. A sharp contrast is created by the description of the journey before and after the death of the main character. At the end of the work "Mr. from San Francisco" the heroes mourn more about a spoiled trip, about a lost status, than about death loved one. Analysis of pictures of nature and the lives of those who continue their path, despite the death of a person, suggests the indifference of everything around him to his tragedy. The truth is cruel: for a person hanging out in a wooden box for a week in the hold, money and position do not play any role.

Story by I.A. Bunin's "Mr. from San Francisco" has a deep philosophical meaning, despite its small volume.

The main character of the work is faceless, since he has no first and last name. He is deprived of this because he is absolutely no different from other elderly rich people; this man has not done anything useful for other people, but has amassed his fortune all his life. The gentleman believed that he was doing hard work, working from morning to night, but all the work was done for him by hired workers from other countries. At this rate, by his old age he had earned enough to be considered a moneybag.

Little is known about the gentleman’s appearance: “dry, short, poorly cut, but tightly sewn...” - it becomes clear that he is completely ugly, but on the contrary, has an unpleasant appearance, the author describes his appearance as something rough, like a bag of money.

The main character has a wife and an adult daughter. They are also nameless and voiceless, looking like living statues.

Having earned enough money, the gentleman decides to reward himself for his “hard” work and goes on a trip with his wife and daughter.

The main character tried to dress fashionably and elegantly, as befits a rich man. During the trip, he allowed himself to waste money, dining in expensive restaurants, smoking strong cigars and leaving generous tips to waiters. The gentleman ate, drank and had fun in every possible way, but at the same time he did not read books or attend cultural events. He did not devote any time to the development of the brain and morality. His moral component is dead, it has been crushed by material security. That is why the main character does not experience any pleasure from the journey, since he does not see the beauty of nature. His happiness lies only in his wealth and recognition among wealthy aristocrats.

The main character's whole life seems to be a program to achieve wealth. But the goal was achieved, and he did not become happier. Chasing finances, the gentleman completely forgot that he has a family, that he needs friends, because he a common person who needs love and support.

The main character had absolutely no respect for people of low social status, considered them his servants and treated them very rudely. With this behavior he showed his arrogance and selfishness, because only his own comfort was important to him, and his feelings ordinary people he does not care.

The denouement of the work is the death of the main character. This episode clearly expresses the attitude of other rich people towards the master. His death caused a lot of trouble to those around him and his family, no one regretted his death, everyone forgot about him, despite his huge fortune. A rich life provided a man with a poor and lonely death, as if he had never been in the world. They buried the gentleman like some kind of animal, in a soda water box.

Thus, in the work “Mr. from San Francisco”, the main character appears before the readers as a living bag full of money. He has no emotions and feelings, his whole life consists of entertainment. The arrogant and selfish gentleman thought that by earning a fortune, he would receive the love and recognition of a rich society and become a member of it. But death put everything in its place, the master died and everyone forgot about him. Therefore, it is necessary to remember that life is fleeting, you should not chase after something, you need to appreciate every moment of it and remember that the main thing in life is not money at all.

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Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is known throughout the world as an outstanding poet and writer, who in his works, continuing the traditions of Russian literature, raises important questions, showing the tragedy of human existence. In his story “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” the famous writer shows the decline of the bourgeois world.

History of the story

The story of the great famous writer I.A. Bunin’s “Mr. from San Francisco” was first published in popular collection"Word". This event took place in 1915. The writer himself told the story of writing this work in one of his essays. In the summer of that year, he was walking around Moscow and, passing along the Kuznetsky Bridge, stopped near the Gautier bookstore to carefully examine its window, where sellers usually displayed new or popular books. Ivan Alekseevich’s gaze lingered on one of the brochures on display. It was the book of the foreign writer Thomas Mann, “Death in Venice.”

Bunin noticed that this work had already been translated into Russian. But, after standing for several minutes and carefully examining the book, the writer still did not enter bookstore and didn't buy it. He will regret this many times later.

In the early autumn of 1915, he went to the Oryol province. In the village of Vasilievskoye, Yeletsk district, the great writer lived with a cousin, with whom he often visited a lot, taking a break from the noise and bustle of the city. And now, being on his relative’s estate, he remembered the book he had seen in the capital. And then he remembered his vacation on Capra, when he stayed at the Kwisisana hotel. In this hotel at that time there was a sudden death of some rich American. And suddenly Bunin wanted to write the book “Death on Capra.”

Working on a story

The story was written by the writer quickly, in just four days. Bunin himself describes this time as follows, when he wrote calmly and slowly:

“I’ll write a little, get dressed, take a loaded double-barreled shotgun, and walk through the garden to the threshing floor.” Bunin wrote: “I was excited and wrote, even through enthusiastic tears, only the place where the Zaponyars go and praise the Madonna.”

The writer changed the title of the story as soon as he wrote the first line of his work. This is how the name “Mr. from San Francisco” appeared. Initially, Ivan Alekseevich took the epigraph from the Apocalypse. It goes like this: “Woe to you, Babylon, strong city!” But already during the first republication this epigraph was removed by the writer himself.

Bunin himself claimed in his essay “The Origin of My Stories” that all the events of his work are fictitious. Researchers of Bunin’s work argue that the writer did a lot of hard work, as he tried to get rid of pages of the story that contained edifying or journalistic elements, and also got rid of epithets and foreign words. This can be clearly seen from the manuscript, which has survived to this day.

A certain rich gentleman from San Francisco spent his entire life trying to achieve a certain position in society. And he was able to achieve this only when he became rich. All his life he earned money in different ways, and finally, at 58 years old, he was able to deny himself and his family nothing. That's why he decided to go on a long journey.
A gentleman from San Francisco, whose name no one knew, goes with his family to the Old World for 2 years. His route was planned in advance by him:

✔ December, as well as January, is a visit to Italy;
✔ he will celebrate the carnival in Nice, and also in Monte Carlo;
✔ early March – visit to Florence;
✔ the passion of God is a visit to Rome.

And on the way back he was going to visit other countries and states: Venice, Paris, Seville, Egypt, Japan and others. But these plans fail to come true. First, on the huge ship "Atlantis", amidst fun and constant celebration, the gentleman's family sails to the shores of Italy, where they continue to enjoy everything that they could not afford before.

After being in Italy, they are transported to the island of Capri, where they check into an expensive hotel. Maids and servants were ready to serve them every minute, clean up after them and fulfill their every desire. They get good tips for it every time. That same evening, the gentleman sees a poster advertising a beautiful dancer. Having learned from the servant that her partner is the beauty’s brother, he decides to look after her a little. Therefore, she spends a long time dressing up in front of the mirror. But the tie squeezed his throat so tightly that he could hardly breathe. Having learned that his wife and daughter were not yet ready, he decided to wait for them downstairs, reading the newspaper or spending this time in pleasant conversation.

The composition of the story is divided into two parts. The first part shows all the delights of the bourgeois world, and the second part is the result of the life that is led by people who decide to go through and experience all the sins. Therefore, the second compositional part begins from the moment when the gentleman without a name comes downstairs and picks up a newspaper to read. But at the same moment he falls to the floor and, wheezing, begins to die.

The servants and the innkeeper tried to provide him with a little help, but most of all they were afraid for their reputation, so they hastened to console their living clients. And the half-dead gentleman was moved to the poorest room. This room was dirty and dark. But the hotel owner refused the demands of his daughter and wife to move the gentleman to his apartment, because then he would no longer be able to rent out this room to anyone, and the rich residents, having learned about such a neighborhood, would simply run away.

This is how a rich gentleman without a name from San Francisco died in a poor and wretched environment. And neither the doctor nor his relatives - no one could help him at that moment. Only his adult daughter cried, as some kind of loneliness set in her soul. Soon the protagonist’s wheezing subsided, and the owner immediately asked the relatives to remove the body before the morning, otherwise the reputation of their establishment could suffer greatly. The wife started talking about the coffin, but no one on the island could make it so quickly. Therefore, it was decided to remove the body in a long box in which soda water was transported and the partitions removed from it.

On a small ship they transported both the coffin and the gentleman’s family, who were no longer treated with the same respect as before, to Italy and there they were loaded into the dark and damp hold of the steamship Atlantis, on which the journey of the gentleman without a name and his family began . Having experienced many humiliations, the old man’s body returned to its homeland, and on the upper decks the fun continued, and no one cared at all that there, below, stood a small coffin with the body of a gentleman from San Francisco. A person’s life also ends quickly, leaving either memories or emptiness in people’s hearts.

Characteristics of the gentleman from San Francisco

The writer does not specifically indicate the name of the main character, since his character is a fictitious person. But still, you can learn a lot about him from the entire narrative:

Elderly American;
he is 58 years old;
rich;
he has a wife;
The hero also has an adult daughter.

Bunin gives a description of it appearance: “Dry, low, poorly cut, but tightly sewn, polished to a gloss and moderately lively.” But the writer then moves on to a more detailed description of the hero: “There was something Mongolian in his yellowish face with a trimmed silver mustache, his large teeth glittered with gold fillings, and his strong bald head was old ivory.”

The gentleman with no name from San Francisco was a hardworking man and quite purposeful, since he once set himself the goal of getting rich and worked hard all these years until he achieved his goal. It turns out that he did not even live, but existed, thinking only about work. But in his dreams, he always imagined how he would go on vacation and enjoy all the benefits, having prosperity.

And so, when he achieved everything, he went with his family to travel. And here he began to drink and eat a lot, but also visited brothels. He stays only in the best hotels and gives such tips that the servants surround him with attention and care. But he dies without realizing his dream. A rich gentleman without a name goes back to his homeland, but in a coffin and in a dark hold, where he is no longer given any honors.

Story Analysis

The power of Bunin's story, of course, lies not in the plot, but in the images that he painted. Frequent images are symbols that appear in the story:

★ The stormy sea is like a wide field.
★ The captain's image is like an idol.
★ A dancing couple of lovers who were hired to pretend to be in love. They symbolize the falsehood and rottenness of this bourgeois world.
★ The ship on which a rich gentleman without a name sails from San Francisco on an exciting journey, then carries his body back. So this ship is a symbol of human life. This ship symbolizes human sins, which most often accompany rich people.

But as soon as the life of such a person ends, these people become completely indifferent to the misfortune of others.
The external imagery that Bunin uses in his work makes the plot more dense and rich.

Criticism about the story of I.A. Bunin

This work was highly appreciated by writers and critics. Thus, Maxim Gorky said that he read the new work of his favorite writer with great trepidation. He hastened to report this in a letter to Bunin in 1916.

Thomas Mann wrote in his diary that “in his moral power and strict plasticity he can be placed next to some of the most significant works Tolstoy - with “Polykushka”, with “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”.

Critics noted this story by the writer Bunin as his most outstanding work. It was said that this story helped the writer reach the highest point of his development.