The story of A. M. Gorky "Childhood" refers to the best examples of Russian prose. She talks not only about the “lead abominations” of the Russian life of the provincial philistinism, a simple people - half-literate, and therefore wild, spiritually meager, fierce and scoffed in the every minute fight for a “penny”. The author focuses on the pure children's soul of the protagonist, passing through the cruel stages of formation, as well as the bright and kind characters of those heroes who brightened up the difficult minutes of resentment and injustice, of which he saw a lot in his grandfather's house.
Background
The life story of grandfather Kashirin is entertaining and instructive at the same time. However, we will start not with her, but with how Alyosha Peshkov ended up in a squat, dirty ocher painted one-story Kashirin house. His mother married without the blessing of her parents. Then Alyosha was born. They lived together and merrily, until his father died, and his mother almost lost her mind from grief. Then grandmother Akulina Ivanovna came to them to take the orphaned family to the family nest - Nizhny Novgorod. From this moment on, both the readers and the main character become interested in the life story of Grandfather Kashirin.
Head of family
Vasily Vasilich Kashirin, as the author calls it, his appearance is completely non-impressive, rather comical. This is a small, dry old man with a sharp, golden-red beard, fussy, with green eyes and a birdish hooked nose. The person is quite colorful, but his absurdity is striking next to a large, even large and too full, but somehow smoothly sedate wife Akulina Ivanovna. However, the life story of grandfather Kashirin clearly shows that the fate of a person depends not on his appearance, but on his personality traits. And from the circumstances in which he lived.
Main events
With her sensitive little heart, Alyosha soon realizes that all members of a large family are united by one common feeling. No, not love, as it should be between relatives, but hatred, multiplied by anger and envy. And the reason for everything is money. The life story of Grandfather Kashirin is like a mirror reflecting the fate of his offspring. When old Kashirin for the first time flogs Alexei for misconduct, then later, in a burst of pity and remorse, he admits: “Do you think they didn’t beat me? ..” It turns out that the grandfather was whipped in childhood so that “you can’t even see in a terrible dream”. And so they offended that, probably, “the Lord God looked and wept” himself out of pity! So, not by itself, by nature, angry and cruel grandfather! The environment in which he grew up spoiled and hardened his character, inspired that it was under such conditions that the order in the house and the authority of the elders were kept. Then the grandson recognized how unhappy the fate of Grandfather Kashirin was. Before starting the dyeing shop, he boiled for many years on the Volga, dragged with his comrades on himself heavy barges, he was torn, suffering bullying from the owners. The terrible ghost of poverty forced him all his life, like Chichikov, to collect and save a penny, to shake over every ruble.
Head of a large family
When Gorky wrote "Childhood," the characterization of his grandfather played an important role in the realization of the design and idea of the work. On his example, he showed how terribly and hopelessly crippled by remarkable Russian characters by the environment, if they do not have sufficient internal strength to resist. Koda Vasily Vassilich got a family, got rich, opened a dye shop, he mercilessly exploits his workers and his family. He does not want to separate the adult married sons so that he does not have to give them part of the property due. Daughter Varvara Kashirin deprived of a dowry because she arbitrarily married. Alyosha’s uncle mercilessly fighting among themselves, but this does not stop the grandfather. And only after drinking pretty drunk, he longingly confesses to himself in which “gadyushnik” he lives. And the family, in the end, breaks up. The universal favorite of gypsies perishes. A terrible fire destroys the lion's share of property. Uncles settle, but they also drink and come to beat the windows in their new father’s house. He is ruined, impoverished, and his grandfather “dries out” his soul even more. Miserable, begging, starving grandmother and grandson, he appears before us at the end of the story. And with a tearing and nagging note in vain of a tormented life, his dreary “Eh, you-and-and ...” sounds in our ears