About the product
Bunin wrote the story “The Gentleman from San Francisco” in 1915. The work was created in the traditions of neorealism (an artistic movement in Russian literature).
In the story, the author reveals the theme of life and death, showing how insignificant power and wealth really are in the face of death. According to the depicted society, money can buy anything (even love, as illustrated by a pair of hired lovers), but this turns out to be an illusion generated by the “pride of the New Man.”
On the site you can read online a summary of “The Mister from San Francisco”, and also test yourself by taking a test on your knowledge of the work.
The material was prepared jointly with a teacher of the highest category, Kuchmina Nadezhda Vladimirovna.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 27 years.
Summary of “Mr. from San Francisco” by I.A. Bunin.
The story was written in 1915. At this time, death, fate, and chance became the main subject of study of the writer.
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A gentleman from San Francisco, fifty-eight years old, whose name no one who saw him in Naples and Capri remembered, is going to the Old World for two years, with his wife and daughter.
It seems to him that he is just beginning to live: wealth gives him freedom, rest, the right to a great trip. The time when he worked tirelessly, he did not live, but existed. He hoped for the future and finally reached the limit of his aspirations. Now he decided to rest, thus rewarding himself for his efforts. Since people in his current circle go on holiday to Europe, India and Egypt, he also decided not to deviate from the model. He thinks that all older American women love to travel, so he takes his wife, and his daughter can find a billionaire husband and improve her health along the way. The route was as follows: in winter - Southern Italy, carnival in Nice, Monte Carlo, in spring - Florence, Rome, Venice, Paris, bullfighting in Seville, swimming in the English islands, Athens, Constantinople, Palestine, Egypt. On the way back it was planned to visit Japan. The journey started out great, but to get to Gibraltar we had to sail through a November snow storm. They are transported by the famous steamship Atlantis - a hotel ship with all the amenities; they did not think about the terrible ocean. All day they ate and had fun, later, in the evening, the gentleman from San Francisco put on a tuxedo, which made him look several years younger. Everyone was dancing, drinking and smoking, the ship was served by many people, inside it was like in the ninth circle of hell, the furnaces were roaring and people were working, red from the flames. The crowd above was spinning in a waltz; there was a rich man, a writer, a beauty. A couple in love worked, actors playing love on any ships for money. Everyone admired them, only the captain knew who they really were. In Gibraltar, the crown prince of one of the Asian states appeared on board, and the daughter of a gentleman from San Francisco was introduced to him. In Naples we lived according to routine: we had dinner, went on excursions. In December the weather turned bad, the gentleman began to quarrel with his wife, and his daughter had a headache. Since everyone around said that Capri was warmer, we decided to go there on a small boat. The family suffered from terrible motion, the gentleman felt like an old man at such a moment. In Italy, he keeps himself apart, as if doing everyone a favor with his arrival. They check into a hotel, the owner of which seems to be familiar to him before. The daughter is sad on the island. The family occupies the apartment of the departed high-ranking person and provides excellent servants. While dressing for the evening, the gentleman suddenly dies from an attack of suffocation. He is taken to a bad, damp and cold room, left on an iron bed under rough blankets. The owner is dissatisfied that the evening at the hotel is hopelessly ruined by the death of the gentleman. The widow is not even allowed to move the body into the room - the owner says that after this tourists will not go to his hotel. At dawn, the body is secretly taken out while everyone is sleeping, but it is transported not in a coffin, but in a soda box. The driver is carrying the box to the ship, and his wife and daughter are being transported by car. On the same ship, but already dead, the gentleman sails back in the black hold. Above him, as before, the orchestra is playing, the ball is noisy, again a couple of actors are playing love for money, the hellish furnaces of Atlantis are bubbling, the sound of the ocean is reminiscent of a funeral mass. The devil is watching over the ship created by a New Man with an Old Heart. Nobody knows that the coffin of a gentleman from San Francisco is being carried in the hold. ***
The tragedy of life, the doom of civilization is the main theme of the story. The conflict is resolved only through the death of the hero; Bunin asks the question: what is the purpose and happiness of a person? He treats the hero ironically. The hero does not have a name because he does not stand out in any way, an ordinary self-confident American millionaire, the master of life, his money was acquired at the cost of the lives of many people. But this money does not save him from death and does not even give him decent treatment after death. This story is built on generalizations and contrasts between life in the hold and on deck. Bunin shows the writer's attitude towards capitalist society. The death of a hero is a symbol of the death of the unjust capitalist world.
Main characters
- The gentleman from San Francisco is a wealthy 58-year-old man who has worked all his life for the “American Dream.”
- Master's wife and daughter
- The hotel owner
- Couple posing as lovers
And we also have:
for the most sociable -
The main characters of "The Mister from San Francisco"
for the busiest -
Reader's diary "Mr. from San Francisco"
for the most curious -
Analysis of “Mr. from San Francisco” Bunin
for the coolest -
Read "Mr. from San Francisco" in full
Summary
“A gentleman from San Francisco - no one remembered his name either in Naples or Capri - went to the Old World for two whole years, with his wife and daughter, solely for the sake of entertainment.”
The gentleman was rich and “just started life.” Before that, he “only existed” because he worked so hard. The gentleman planned to vacation in Southern Italy in December and January, attend the carnival in Nice, and visit Florence in March. Then go to Rome, Venice, Paris, Seville, the English Isles, Athens, Asia.
It was the end of November. They sailed on the steamship Atlantis, which “looked like a huge hotel with all the amenities.” Passengers lived here calmly, walked along the decks, played various games, read newspapers, and dozed on the longchairs.
In the evenings, after a sumptuous dinner, dancing opened in the ballroom. Among the people relaxing on the ship there was a great rich man, a famous writer, an elegant couple in love (only the commander knew that the couple was hired here specifically to entertain the public, to play love), and the crown prince of Asia, who was traveling incognito. The gentleman’s daughter was infatuated with the prince, while the gentleman himself “kept glancing” at the famous beauty – a tall blonde.
In Naples, the family stayed in a room overlooking the bay and Vesuvius. In December the weather turned bad, “the city seemed especially dirty and cramped.” In rainy Italy, the gentleman felt “as he should have—a very old man.”
The family moved to Capri, where they were provided with the best apartments. There was supposed to be a tarantella at the hotel that evening. The gentleman was the first to change for dinner, so while waiting for his wife and daughter, he decided to go into the reading room. Some German was already sitting there. The gentleman sat down in a “deep leather chair,” straightened his tight collar and picked up a newspaper.
“Suddenly the lines flashed before him with a glassy sheen, 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 onto 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.”
If there had not been a German in the reading room, this “terrible incident” “would have been quickly and deftly hushed up at the hotel.” But the German ran out of the reading room screaming and “alarmed the whole house.” The owner tried to calm the guests, but many had already seen how the footmen tore off the gentleman’s clothes, how he “still struggled,” wheezed, “persistently fought against death,” how they carried him out and put him in the worst and smallest room - forty-third, on lower floor.
“After a quarter of an hour, everything somehow came back to order at the hotel. But the evening was irreparably ruined." The owner approached the guests, reassuring them, “feeling guiltlessly guilty,” promising to take “all measures in his power.” Because of the incident, the tarantella was canceled and the excess electricity was turned off. The gentleman's wife asked to move her husband's body to their apartment, but the owner refused and ordered that the body be removed at dawn. Since there was no place to get a coffin, the gentleman’s body was placed in a long English soda box.
The body of “a dead old man from San Francisco was returning home to his grave on the shores of the New World.” “It finally landed again on the same famous ship” - Atlantis. “But now they were hiding him from the living: they lowered him deep into a black hold in a tarred coffin.” At night the ship sailed past the island of Capri. As usual, there was a ball on the ship. “He was there on the second and third night.”
The Devil watched the ship from the rocks of Gibraltar. “The devil was huge, like a cliff, but even bigger than him was the ship, multi-tiered, multi-pipe, created by the pride of a New Man with an old heart.” In the upper chambers of the ship sat the overweight driver of the ship, looking like a “pagan idol.” “In the underwater womb of Atlantis, thousands of pounds of boilers and all sorts of other machines shone dimly with steel, hissed with steam and oozed boiling water and oil.” “And the middle of Atlantis, its dining rooms and ballrooms, shed light and joy, hummed with the talk of an elegant crowd, fragrant with fresh flowers, and sang with a string orchestra.”
And again among the crowd flashed a “thin and flexible” pair of those same lovers. “And no one knew either that this couple had long been bored with pretending to suffer their blissful torment to the shamelessly sad music, or that the coffin stood deep, deep below them, at the bottom of the dark hold, in the vicinity of the gloomy and sultry bowels of the ship "
Summary of the story “Mr. from San Francisco”
The name of the man traveling with his family to the Old World was not etched in the memory of any of his fellow travelers. He was called the Mister from San Francisco. He was already 58 years old, but his whole life, in which he knew only his work, was more like existence. Finally, having caught up with those whom he set as an example for himself, and having earned capital, he was about to enjoy a good rest. The main character imagined his future in rosy colors: firstly, he is rich, and secondly, he has every right to rest. He outlined a route familiar to his circle of people: Europe, India, Egypt.
The gentleman from San Francisco went on this trip, first of all, for himself. Finally, he wanted to enjoy life, although the change of impressions was also useful for the family that went with him. For his daughter, a sickly young girl, the trip was good for her health, for new experiences and happy acquaintances.
The busy route began with a visit to Italy, where the ship was heading. The main character was going to get impressions from visiting ancient monuments, a carnival, which was supposed to attract the cream of society. The gentleman from San Francisco was also partial to the beauty of young Italian girls.
The trip on the ship went smoothly, despite the wild nature of the ocean. Those present trusted the captain and the miracle technology - the majestic Atlantis, which resembled a giant hotel. There was a night bar and oriental baths on the ship. In the evening, the floors of Atlantis shone in the darkness with many bright lights. A large number of servants worked in the cellars to ensure a wonderful rest for travelers.
The main character, who had something of a Mongolian appearance, was bald and had a row of golden teeth shining. His wife was a well-dressed, large woman. Looking at her daughter, her magnificent hair immediately caught my eye. The steamer cut through the black mountains of the ocean. Among those present was a famous writer and a famous beauty.
On the ship there was a couple in love who did not hide their delight and feelings. The travelers watched their happiness with pleasure. The real story of their “love” was unknown to those present. The couple was hired to play a game of love. She had been entertaining the public in this way for a long time, sailing on various ships.
A new passenger appeared on the ship - the prince of one of the Asian states. Ugly, broad-faced, narrow-minded, he behaved simply and modestly. The daughter of a gentleman from San Francisco met him, and the young people stood together on the deck. Being in the company of the prince, the girl felt delight next to the heir of the ancient royal blood.
Naples was already approaching. The sounds of a march were heard, announcing the arrival at the appointed point. The travelers landed on shore, checked into a hotel, and life in Naples went on as usual. The family looked at Vesuvius in the morning haze and the crowd of guides in the hotel lobby. During the second breakfast on Mount San Marino, the protagonist's daughter became ill. It seemed to her that in the crowd of those present there was a familiar prince.
The travelers were fed generously, but the winter weather was not particularly kind. The hotel workers muttered guiltily that they did not remember such bad weather. Although they said the same phrases to travelers every year. Snow, showers, and storms did not add to the good mood, and the couple from San Francisco began to quarrel. The daughter walked around pale with a headache. She was completely absorbed in the new feeling that her royal companion on the ship aroused in her. Experts assured the family that Capri was more comfortable and warmer. And the family decided to go to a more affectionate place, where the sun’s rays warm and lemons bloom. At the time of departure it was also gloomy, Vesuvius was hidden under heavy fog.
The family took their seats on a small steamer, on which they were all frantically tossed in different directions. It was raining, the main character's wife felt bad. He himself was suddenly overcome by despair when he saw many miserable little houses on the shore. He already looked at the Italians with anger and longing, realizing that this was the real Italy, his dream. The family went ashore. Capri seemed dark and damp to travelers. They settled into a hotel. They were going to watch Tarantella in the lobby. The arriving family was told that dancers famous throughout Italy would be performing.
The gentleman who survived the roller coaster finally got hungry. How did he feel that day? He went to the reading room and buried his face in the newspaper. At that moment he felt sick. As if fighting an unknown opponent, his body slid to the floor. If it had not been for the German who was watching what was happening, the man would have been carried out through secret passages so that people would not have seen the most difficult spectacle that foreshadowed death. The German jumped out, alarming everyone. The guests ran into the reading room, and the owner tried in vain to stop them. The gentleman was still struggling with death, but he soon died.
The evening at the hotel turned out to be spoiled and went rather gloomily. People were gloomy; facing death was not so easy. The dead gentleman lay under a rough blanket on a cheap bed. The wife asked to move the deceased to their apartment, but she was refused. There was nowhere to take the coffin, so the deceased was placed in an oblong soda water box.
The body of the unfortunate man was placed on the same ship "Atlantis", but now it was hidden from travelers in a deep dark hold. At this time, a ball was taking place on the upper deck, where people were having fun. The Devil, as huge as a cliff, was watching the ship. But he could not compare with an even larger colossus - a multi-tiered ship, built by the exorbitant pride of man. On the ship everything went on as usual - in the lower floors the boilers were oozing steam and oil, and above the audience, colorful in their outfits, continued to frolic and relax.
