“Mr. from San Francisco” is a work that is part of the ranks of Russian classics. The genre of “The Master from San Francisco” cannot be determined right away, it is necessary to disassemble the work, analyze it and only then draw any specific conclusions. But it is important to say right away that the work carries a very large semantic load. The theme of the story, Mr. from San Francisco, touches on the very important life issues of society.
A few words about the plot
Speaking about the description of the gentleman from San Francisco, it is important to note that the author himself does not name his main character. In other words, the name of the protagonist is unknown to the reader, because, as Bunin himself writes, no one remembers the man’s name, which is an indication that the protagonist was an ordinary rich man who did no good to society.
In addition, as it is recognized at the end of the story, no one will miss the gentleman from San Francisco. This also proves the fact that among the acquaintances and relatives of the man there were no people who really would love and appreciate him, but did not perceive him as a fat wallet that can pay any whim.
Contents "The Blessing of San Francisco"
To properly analyze the story, you need to know its content. Continuing the description of the gentleman from San Francisco, let's look at the plot, which unfolds around the protagonist. A man, this very gentleman, goes on a trip with his family, consisting of a wife and daughter. He worked hard throughout his life and now, finally, he can afford such a vacation, since he is pretty rich.
Going to the resting place on a huge and expensive steamboat, the gentleman does not deny himself any comforts: the ship has bathtubs, gymnasiums, and ballrooms. Many passengers simply stroll around the decks. From the description of the conditions on this ship, the reader can immediately see that the people on board are rich. They can afford any pleasure: several meals, liquors, cigars and much more.
When the ship arrives at the final destination of its destination, Naples, a gentleman from San Francisco and his family depart for an expensive hotel. Even at the hotel everything goes as planned: in the morning - breakfast, a walk, in the afternoon - visiting museums and sightseeing, in the evening - a rich table and a hearty dinner. But this year was not very warm for Naples - it rains incessantly and an icy wind blows. Then the gentleman's family from San Francisco decides to go to Capri Island, where, according to rumors, there is intense heat and lemons bloom.
The death of a rich man
Having sat on a small steamboat, the family does not find a place for themselves - they have seasickness, from which they are greatly exhausted. Having reached the island, the gentleman's family stops at a small hotel. More or less recovering from a difficult trip, the family begins to prepare for dinner. Having gathered before the daughter and wife, the man goes to a quiet reading room. Opening the newspaper, the gentleman suddenly felt bad, and he was dying of a heart attack.
San Francisco’s body is being transferred to one of the smallest bedrooms in the entire hotel. The wife, daughter and several employees standing around are looking at him and do not know what to do next - either to rejoice or to grieve. The master’s wife asks the hotel owner to allow the body of the deceased husband to be transferred to their apartments, but is refused. According to the owner, these rooms are too valuable for his hotel and he simply can not afford to ruin the reputation of his company. The master’s wife also asks where she can order a coffin for the deceased. The owner of the hotel explains that such things cannot be found here, and in return offers the widow a huge drawer from under the soda as a coffin.
Already at dawn, the body of the deceased gentleman from San Francisco was sent to his native land. The body, which lies in a well-tarred soda box, is located at the very bottom of the steamer. He goes home the same way, around the gentleman the deep sea waters are still terribly noisy.
World of the protagonist
Speaking of the Mr. from San Francisco genre, it’s important to say that this is a story. This is immediately evident in the first lines of the work, which tell the reader about the world from which the man came.
The world from which the protagonist originated is striking in its materiality: in it there is no place for human emotions or miracles - only calculation, only banknotes. The author of “Mr. from San Francisco” shows readers how much society has degraded - money has come to the fore, relegating to the background all the spiritual values that were laid down in man by nature.
main characters
The protagonists of “The Master from San Francisco,” as you can see even in a brief summary, are wealthy people who do not know any financial difficulties. Their journey was designed for two years, which already indicates that it was carefully thought out. The protagonist is a gentleman from San Francisco, a man whose life is dominated by order and orderliness. Ivan Bunin especially emphasizes all the preparations of the protagonist for this journey. Having carefully considered every detail of this trip, the main character shows himself as a responsible person, impatient of any surprises that could put him in an awkward position, cause difficulties.
The wife of this gentleman is a woman who is accustomed to accept all kinds of attention from her husband. She is not a support for him, but only takes everything for granted. It is quite ordinary for her that he devoted his life to work in order to keep his family in wealth. The master’s daughter is a spoiled girl who throughout her life did not know any problems or any hardships. Grown in excellent material conditions, she always received everything she wanted. This journey for the girl, as well as for her mother, is something ordinary and acceptable, despite the hard work of her father in his youth. In addition, it cannot be said that the girl loves her father - she feels cold and indifference in her relationship with him.
about the author
It is worth immediately saying a few words about the author of "Mr. from San Francisco." Ivan Bunin, who is already well known to everyone who is interested in literature at the age of 12-13, became the author of this work. However, “The Master from San Francisco,” whose genre is a story, is not at all like the works that are often found in the writer's literary archive. In this story, the main character is present, around which the plot develops. Usually, the writer encounters works that contain descriptions of landscapes and landscapes that are “stored in memory”, like paintings. For example, Bunin's “Antonov Apples” became just that work, which has no main plot, but contains a description of the beautiful nature that once surrounded the writer.
The image of mister
The story “The Master from San Francisco”, whose images are diverse and have a different role for the work, is able to teach readers to perceive wealth as something for granted, incapable of prolonging life. As we see in the example of the protagonist, who possessed everything he wanted, money could not save him from a heart attack. And even though the gentleman was very rich, his body was transported home not in an expensive coffin, but in an ordinary box, which was hidden at the very bottom of the ship. Money could not provide him even a decent "last" way.
Wife and daughter: images
The female images in The Lord of San Francisco became a measure of commercialism in the work. Accustomed to live in abundance, who have not denied themselves anything for many years, these two figures take all benefits for granted. The gentleman has become something ordinary for these two heroines, but without any value. Even after the master passed away, the heroines did not know how to react to his death - on the one hand, they must fall into grief, as a loving wife and daughter would do; on the other hand, the death of the master was desired, she took the stone off the shoulders of the heroines, freeing them from the onslaught of the man.
General conclusion on the work
Having examined the content of “The Master from San Francisco”, the genre of which is defined as a story, of its main characters, having analyzed all the images, it must be said that the author tried to show how much the society has deteriorated over several years. Bunin talks about the degradation of the whole society, which chose money as its main value, forgetting about simple things that made up the spiritual side of everyone. In addition, in “The Master from San Francisco,” Ivan Bunin also shows the other side of human nature - a person gets used to everything. This is evidenced by the images of the master’s daughter and wife, who take the blessings of men for granted, not bearing any value. However, they are not spiritually developed. For them, the material, as well as for the rest, is in the first place, however they do not know the value of money, therefore they are capable of throwing it to the wind. They do not support the master, they are not even upset by his death. The death of a man only ruined the evening for them.
Ivan Bunin touches on a very important topic in the story "Mr. from San Francisco," which society faced: putting material wealth first in the life of people and the complete denial of everything spiritual in a person.