The Legend of Larra
This is the story of how a shadow appeared on Earth. Once upon a time, an eagle kidnapped a girl from a tribe of strong people, he lived with her as a wife, and after his death she returned home. The young man, who at first caused everyone's fear, was no different from people. But he was very proud and despised everyone. He wanted to get the elder's daughter, but she rejected him. The enraged Larra killed her in cold blood. No one could come up with a better punishment than expelling Larra. After some time it turned out that he was immortal. Time and wanderings depleted his flesh, and he eventually turned into a shadow. The image of the old woman Izergil clearly emerges through the story. She narrates the events with special gusto; it seems that she really believes in the authenticity of this story.
Essay Old Woman Izergil
The main character of Maxim Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” is an old woman - a very curious and ambiguous image. She spent her youth on the banks of the Birlad, where she lived with her mother. Their main occupation was weaving carpets.
The heroine was very cheerful and energetic, and on top of all this she was also very beautiful, which is why she attracted men to her. Unfortunately, she quickly fell in love with men and just as quickly abandoned them when she got bored. Men, on the contrary, had a hard time being separated from their girlfriends. They brought her expensive gifts. She was a reason to show off to her friends. The girl liked it and it seemed to her that she was a queen. Although it happened that the lover raised his hand, for which he received an immediate response from the girl. For some unknown reason, she seemed to become a black mark for men. Unable to bear separation from her, they died or misfortune befell them.
She did not avoid other people's husbands, but one day she was wounded by one of the wives. After this, the girl was treated for a long time in a monastery, where she found a new man. He was young and in love so much that he died unable to bear the separation. The girl never saw those who remained alive and tried not to meet them.
A woman's best skills were weaving carpets and loving men. To earn money for a trip to Birlad, she even went to sell herself. The woman attracted men, they seemed to go crazy. Men were ready to sacrifice everything to be with her.
After having fun, she stayed in Poland, where she fell in love. She had to find a man herself. He was spoiled by women. Izergil’s beauty began to fade, and he left her. For the first time she was abandoned, but the woman did not give up and tried to achieve him. When the man was captured, she came after him and helped him escape, killing the guard in the process. But her lover did not stop laughing at her. Izergil had to drive the man away herself.
This incident made it clear to Izergil that he needed to stop and try to start a family. The time of her beauty and youth has passed. Soon she married and lived with him until old age. The death of her husband left her lonely. Izergil began to reach out to the young people. Girls and boys loved listening to her stories.
So time did not spare the beauty of the heroine and from a beautiful girl, she turned into a decrepit old woman.
History of Izergil
In this part of the work there are no fictitious events, only the real life story of an old woman who has gone through many trials and seen a lot in life. The image of the old woman Izergil is very contradictory. There were so many men in her life that she could easily be judged. However, the author listens to her story with pleasure, because there is so much life and energy in it. She worked as a spinner in her youth, but such a life could not please the active girl. As a result, she ran away from home with her lover, but then left him for another. She lived with a Hutsul, a military man, Russians and Poles, with a young Turkish boy... She loved everyone, but did not want to see anyone after parting. The heroine’s innocence is captivating; she does not think about morality for a second, saying only that a person must learn about life and be open to it. Therefore, the life of modern youth seems wrong to her.
Meaning of the image
The image of the old woman Izergil is significant for understanding the ideological concept of the story. Gorky sought to find something special in a person; he was not happy with the way his contemporaries lived. He was upset by a certain inertia associated with the desire to achieve profit, to arrange for himself a “warm” place and a quiet life. He puts his thought into the mouth of the old woman, who says that there is no more former heroism and fortitude. In addition, the old woman does not understand Russians because of their gloominess and seriousness. It is no coincidence that the writer not only retells the legend, but introduces the image of the old woman Izergil. In the stories of M. Gorky of the early period, such heroes were not uncommon. Makar Chudra, the hero of the story of the same name, expresses a similar opinion about the life of modern youth. He is also old, has seen a lot in his lifetime and has formed his own idea of the meaning of human life.
Artistic originality of the story
The image of the old woman Izergil is significant for both the structure and form of the work. After all, thanks to this heroine, the narrative becomes heterogeneous, multi-layered. First we hear the voice of the author-narrator who communicates with Izergil. In this case, an artistic style of speech is used. But when the heroine steps in, everything changes. New style, different speech patterns. Gorky surprisingly manages to accurately copy the manner of conversation of an old simple woman. It is precisely because Izergil herself tells the legends that they become even more interesting. Do not forget that the story follows almost all the principles of romanticism. The landscape that opens the work is the sea and the steppe, a place where a strong nature can roam, they symbolize freedom. Night, shadows, sparks give the situation a certain mystery. And the main sign of romanticism is three unusual heroes. Izergil is the embodiment of vital energy. Larra combined all human vices. And Danko is the personification of courage, kindness and philanthropy.
So, what role does the image of the old woman Izergil play in the story of the same name? The most important thing is that Gorky’s idea of correct human life, in which there is no place for narrow boundaries, limitations, boredom and idleness, is put into her mouth.
“What role does the image of the old woman Izergil play in the story of the same name”
The image of the old woman Izergil performs several functions in the story. The first function of the title character is plot-forming: this image unites a very complexly constructed narrative in which several plot lines are intertwined. One is associated with the image of real modern people: the old woman herself, Moldovan day laborers working in the vineyard, an autobiographical hero wandering around Rus'. The second storyline is a description of the adventures of the young beauty Izergil forty to fifty years ago: in these memories there passes a string of people from the past with whom fate confronted the narrator. The third storyline is the legends of Larra and Danko. Consequently, the image of Izergil serves as a link between scenes of different times in the real and legendary world. Maybe this makes the old woman look like a witch from a fairy tale. In fairness, it should be noted that all three storylines are united not only by the image of Izergil, but also by the image of the autobiographical hero.
The integrity of the work is also achieved by the fact that Gorky poses socio-philosophical problems that were relevant for his time, turning either to legends or to real life. The writer is concerned with two extreme forms of social behavior. The legends about Larra and Danko seem to tell about different things, but in fact they represent two opposite, and therefore interconnected, views on the relationship between man and society. Larra is a proud individualist, he loves only himself, he despises people and their laws. Danko loves people dearly, for the sake of their happiness he led his people to look for a new homeland, he tore out his heart to light the way for people through the forest, he died so that his people would find a new homeland. The immortality of Larra, rejected by people, became his greatest grief, for he is doomed to loneliness. Danko’s death for the sake of people’s happiness becomes the beginning of his immortality in the grateful memory of the people. The old woman Izergil condemns Larra and considers his punishment quite fair. She admires Danko’s act, which is close to her in strength of character, courage, courage. Consequently, the second function of the Izergil image is to be a judge, that is, to evaluate the heroes of legends, thereby revealing one’s own views on life. It should be noted that the assessments of Larra and Danko by the old woman and the autobiographical hero coincide.
Izergil’s role is not limited to the functions of storyteller and judge. Between the legends, she narrates her own life, which is similar to a fairy tale, and, therefore, herself becomes the protagonist of exciting adventures. This is the third function of the Izergil image. Remembering her many lovers, the old woman claims that the main thing in her life was love for people. She loves freedom, songs, beauty and in this way she is similar to Danko. But she lived her whole life only for herself, easily forgetting her former love for the sake of a new one. In this respect, she is similar to Larra. The old woman admits: “I never met those whom I once loved. These are not good meetings, it’s still like they are with the dead” (II). We can say that Izergil demonstrates a more even, without literary exaggeration, attitude to life than Larra and Danko. This is quite understandable. She is not a symbolic character from a legend, but a character from real life, although she is presented as an autobiographical hero in a romantic guise. In a real person, Larra’s egoism and Danko’s collectivism are intertwined, and whichever feeling takes over, that’s how the person becomes. If Larra embodies the idea of life without people and only for himself, and Danko embodies the idea of life with people and for people, then Izergil takes a kind of intermediate position and demonstrates the principle of life with people, but only for himself.
The inconsistency of Izergil’s image lies in the fact that in her old age she understood how to live, now she respects people who are guided in their actions by the noble idea of national happiness and freedom, but she herself was unable to live such a correct life, her extraordinary spiritual strength was wasted practically useless. The only thing left for her is to teach the young so that they do not repeat her mistakes. To do this, she tells the autobiographical hero - a young man - her legends. That is, the heroine takes on the role of a teacher, which can be considered the fourth function of the image of Izergil. She directly lectures the autobiographical hero, condemning him for caution and submission to circumstances. Today's people, in her opinion, do not live, but are just trying to live, and when their time passes, they cry at fate, and fate has nothing to do with it: everyone is their own destiny (II). These discussions about fate are continued in the famous words of Izergil about a beautiful deed in the name of people, that is, about a feat: “In life there is always a place for exploits. When a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and will find where it is possible” (II).
To summarize, it must be admitted that the old woman Izergil is the main character of the story. Firstly, this is evidenced by the very title of the story and its composition (the heroine, as a narrator, connects all the semantic parts of the work). Secondly, Izergil plays several more roles: judge, character, teacher. Being at the center of the story gives her the maximum opportunity for self-disclosure.
The legends about Larra and Danko serve primarily as a means of revealing the image of the main character. The life story of the old woman, placed between two legends, forms the ideological center of the story. Izergil’s life principles, unlike the beliefs of the heroes of legends, turn out to be not so categorical, but they are more suitable for reality. The old woman, despite all the contradictions in her character, did not lose faith in high ideals, she managed to maintain the courage of her judgments and admiration for heroic fighters. All this evokes the respect of the autobiographical hero, who shares similar beliefs with Izergil.
