There are works that remain relevant for centuries. Their value cannot be overestimated either for philologists or for readers, each of whom can draw the wisdom carried through epochs. These include the “Old Woman Isergil” by M. Gorky and the legend of Larre, which was included in the story.
M. Gorky: briefly about the writer
M. Gorky is a writer with an unusual destiny and an unusual, sharp work. His works leave an indelible mark on the souls of readers. He was born in Nizhny Novgorod in Russia in 1868. Gorky is a pseudonym, the real name of the writer is Peshkov. And the name Maxim took in honor of his father, who died when he was still a child. With eleven years, the future classic was forced to work at a level with adults.
Maxim Gorky begins to write at the age of twenty; his first works were written under the influence of romanticism. This is “Old Woman Isergil” and “Song of the Petrel”. Despite the fact that romantic works were a huge success, growing up, the writer is getting closer to realism and socialist realism. In this vein, most of his works are written by M. Gorky. The legend of Larra, which was included in the story of an old woman that describes a young author with her eventful youth, has been providing food for researchers of the writer's work for years.
"The Old Woman Izergil" by M. Gorky - a hymn to love and romanticism
The story of Gorky, written by the writer in the years of his youth, is filled with the crazy fire of romanticism, love, and the spiritual pursuit of man. The old woman's memories are framed by two legends about the antihero Larre and the hero Danko. Between these traditions is the whole life of the old woman Isergil, her search for herself, her place and her love. The love of this once young, living woman is not platonic and innocent - she is sensual, earthly, filled with passion, power. Almost everyone she loved dies. In the death of a boy - the son of a Turkish nobleman - Izergil considers himself guilty, her love turned out to be an excessive burden for a weak greenhouse flower. She opposes the author to herself young, her violent feelings and inner strength, reproaching him that he "as if was born old." The old woman is interrupted by the legend of Larra. Its meaning is ambiguous and requires serious attention.
This story is worth reading to many, it seems to fill it with life energy and strength, and amazing legends are organically woven into the plot, complementing it.
Legend of larre
This legend, as well as the legend of Danko, was included in the story "Old Woman Isergil". The first begins the work, the second completes it.
The author is talking with the old woman Isergil. Seeing the shadow, she calls her "Larra." When the author asks who is this Larra, the narrator begins an ancient story.
In one village, an eagle stole a girl. We searched for it for a long time, but could not find it and forgot it. And two decades later, this girl returned very haggard and aged, and next to her was an insanely handsome young man, only his eyes were cold and insensitive. The girl said that the eagle stole her and lived with her, as with her wife, until she was old and rushed to the rocks. And this young man is their son.
The elders began to speak with him, but he acted as if people were below him. Ignoring the people around him, he headed for the beautiful girl who stood nearby. She was the daughter of an elder, and, fearing her father, pushed him away. This infuriated Larra and he brutally killed the girl in front of people. His action shocked the people, they wanted to immediately kill the son of the eagle, but the elders stopped, wishing to listen to him. They wanted to understand why he was acting like that. Larra said that he has the right to whatever he wants. And the elders realized that he does not understand human laws, does not accept them.
The legend of Larre. Kara for pride
And having consulted, wise elders decided not to kill, but to expel him from the tribe, he himself would punish himself with his madness and loneliness. Larra laughed in their faces and left with his head held high.
But in the free steppes he did not find happiness, the proud son of an eagle sometimes returned to people, he stole the girls of the tribe and their cattle. Arrows flew away from his stone heart, knives broke on his body.
Many years passed and once people saw Larra in the settlement. But he did not defend himself, did not run away from them. Old people realized that he wanted to be killed, and did not touch him, laughing in his face. So he left, rejected by everyone, and now he wanders along the steppe, turning into a shadow, because even a stone heart can exude loneliness. Pride is a terrible sin, but the punishment prescribed to Larra is commensurate with his crime.
Analysis of the image of Larra
Larra is the embodiment of one of mortal human sins - pride. Amid his reluctance to reckon with his fellow tribesmen, even the brutal murder does not seem so monstrous. Larra was raised by his father, a proud eagle. But he was a free bird, not a man. His son is at least half-human. And people are social, they cannot exist separately from their environment. But even if not expelled, Larra would not have found his place among people. His pride gives rise to punishment, and only punishment can show him that he cannot be alone, and the laws of society must be taken into account. The ideological content of the legend of Larre is an emphasis on the fact that a person's place is among his own kind. But if there is no room for sympathy, regret and empathy in his heart, society will push him away sooner or later. Humanity is capable of living without an individual, but the individual in ninety-nine percent is not.
The legend of Danko as the completion of the story and a separate work
The legend of Larre begins the story, and the legend of Danko sounds the final chord of the story. It tells about the young man Danko, who led his people through a storm and a terrible forest. He was the only one who believed that people could come to a better life, get out of the swamps and forests. In the middle of the journey, they began to blame him for leading them to death. A terrible thunderstorm and storm began. In gusts of lightning and lightning, the people lost faith even more. In order for people to reach their cherished goal, Danko pulled out his burning heart and lifted it high above his head. There was so much love for people and faith in it that it illuminated the whole forest and showed people the way. They followed the light, and left the forest. Danko's heart was still burning, but someone out of superstitious fear stepped on his foot and extinguished it. People settled in a new place and forgot about Danko.
The question of what is the significance of the legends of Larre and Danko had a variety of interpretations in the writings of researchers. Let us leave it open, but an indisputable fact is that both legends, despite their apparent independence, will be incomplete without each other. Like the story of life, Isergil would have sounded dry and incomplete without tradition. Danko and Larra are antagonists. One loves people with all his heart and sacrifices himself for them, the second love is unfamiliar, but both are rejected people.
In conclusion
Some works do not lose their sharpness, time only adds value to them. This is the legend of Larre. An analysis of the work has already been carried out before us by many literary scholars. Therefore, we will not repeat. We will only say that such works need to be read, they contain a lot of ideas and moral lessons that are better to get when reading, and not from a teacher who does not forgive mistakes - life.