The play "Vassa Zheleznova" is one of the brightest works in Russian literature of the 20th century, created by the great classic, master of the Russian word, writer Maxim Gorky. The theme of motherhood, the role of the mother in raising children, in the family presented in the play is still relevant today.
The history of the creation of the play "Vassa Zheleznova"
Maxim Gorky, a Russian writer, composed the dramatic play Vassa Zheleznova in 1910, which was included in all published collections of his works under the title Mother. The first production of Vassa Zheleznova was presented to the audience on the stage of the Korsh Theater even before the revolution. M. Gorky himself called the first version "a play about a mother." The author's essay shows a family drama in which there are no right or wrong. This is a story about a tragedy in a family where profit, deception, treason, murder reigns.
According to legend, the prototype of the main character was the widow of a merchant and a steamer in Nizhny Novgorod, Maria Kapitonovna Kashina (1857-1916). 25 years later, Maxim Gorky rewrote the play, where the emphasis of motherhood was muted by the theme of political realism and the class struggle between the young revolutionary Rachel and the wealthy industrialist Vassa. In the second version, the plot and characters were slightly changed, but the idea of motherhood is still the main one in the play. A new version of "Vassa Zheleznov" was published in 1935 and gained popularity. Both versions of the play are interesting, because the author managed to create two artistic images of mothers, which reflected the realities of the time taking place in Russian society.
Brief retelling of the play "Vassa Zheleznova"
Characters in the play:
- Vassa Borisovna Zheleznova - nee Khrapova, owner of a shipping company, mother of three children, 42 years old, but looks younger than her age.
- Sergei Petrovich Zheleznov - Vassa's husband, 60 years old, a former captain, sailed in the Black Sea, then on river steamers, retired, abuses alcohol, drags after young girls.
- Prokhor Borisovich Khrapov - Vassa's brother, 57 years old, a carefree burner of life.
- Natalia, Lyudmila - daughters of Vassa and Sergei Petrovich, they are 18 and 16 years old.
- Rachelle is Vassa's daughter-in-law, about 30 years old, the wife of her son Fyodor, an active social revolutionary.
- Kolya is the little grandson of Vassa Zheleznova, the son of Rachel and Fyodor.
- Anna Onoshenkova - Vassa's secretary and assistant in business, 30 years old.
- Liza, Fields - maids in Vassa's house.
- Guriy Krotkikh is the manager of the Vassa shipping company.
- Pyaterkin is a sailor, Anna's boyfriend, in appearance 27-30 years old.
- Melnikov, a member of the district court, Eugene, his son - Vassa Zheleznova's tenants.
The action takes place in the private house of the Zheleznovs on the banks of the Volga River. The author acquaints readers with the main character and the inhabitants of the house. At first glance, life goes on calmly and measuredly. Vassa Borisovna is a mother and the main mistress not only in the house, but also in the family business. Vassa is a domineering, intelligent, calculating person. She gives orders to her manager Guriy Krotkikh, which concern the work of the company and making a profit. Vassa Borisovna likes to humiliate, to mock those who are below her in "rank".
Vassa is helped in business by the girl Anna, who spies and reports to the hostess about everything, and at the same time herself is not averse to profit from her.
Her husband, Sergei Petrovich, a drunkard and a libertine, retired long ago and became a burden to the family. His behavior is being considered in court in the case of seducing a young girl. He faces hard labor, and this will lead to a deterioration in the position of the Zheleznovs in society and will become an obstacle to the marriage of his daughters. Vassa is trying in every possible way to get his spouse out of this scandal, acting through his tenant Melnikov, a member of the district court, and offers a bribe to the investigator of three thousand rubles, but this does not help. Vassa decides to talk to her husband so that he can take poison and not dishonor the family, think about the future of his daughters.
She mercilessly parted with him, as he once mercilessly treated her. The husband dies of poison. One problem is getting smaller.
Her brother, Prokhor Borisovich Khrapov, is a careless man and a drinker. On the sly, addicted to drinking Vassa's daughters. He is especially friendly with the elder Natalia. She likes her uncle's cheerful disposition. He seduced the maid Lisa, who is expecting a child from him.
Unable to withstand the shame, Lisa hanged herself in the bath. In a conversation with Natalia, Prokhor condemns Vassa's husband and says: “Oh, it will be shame! … Not so much Captain Zheleznov will be judged as we, the Khrapovs."
The youngest daughter, Lyudmila, because of the depraved behavior of her father, his passion to bring walking girls to the house, was slightly moved by the mind. She is the only one who truly loves her loved ones. The eldest Natalya is very similar to her mother. She is just as calculating and firm in character, but she despises her mother. Vassa understands all this, she loves her children like a mother, you can feel it in her conversations, but she loves prudence and money more. Step by step, the author reveals the essence of each family member. Tragedy follows tragedy.
Somewhere abroad, a terminally ill son Fyodor lives. His wife, Rachel, unexpectedly arrives at the house and wants to pick up little Kolya, who is being raised by Vassa. Zheleznova hopes that he will become her heir, because there is no one else to transfer the work of her life. Rachelle is an active social revolutionary. She is a bold and determined person. Knowing that the police are hunting her and that she can be handed over to the Vassa authorities, she appears in the house and wants to take her son away. Rachel and Vassa have a lot in common: strong character, perseverance, goal achievement. They are irreconcilable class enemies, defending their opposing positions, but respecting each other. Vassa orders Anna, his secretary, to report Rachelle to the police. The main reason is not a politician, but the fact that her grandson will be taken away from her.
The ending of the play is unexpected: Vassa dies of a heart attack. Everyone in the house is trying to take advantage and steal. Anna steals part of the hostess's money, the other part will go to the scoundrel brother, who will drink everything and let it go down the wind. The body of Vassa Zheleznova lies in the room, no one cares. One feeble-minded Lyudmila mourns her.
Conclusions from the play "Vassa Zheleznova"
The drama Vassa Zheleznova by Maxim Gorkov is one of the best works in Russian literature. The author realistically told the story of a well-to-do family in beautiful Russian. He showed the base features of family members: permissiveness, disgusting attitude towards people outside his circle, bribery, molestation of minors, greed at any cost, murder, betrayal, separation of a mother from a child, theft and more. For what? As old as the world: money! It's all for the money. Vassa saved up all her life, humiliated herself, then she humiliated others, after her death all the characters are obsessed with a thirst for profit.
M. Gorky created the image of the imperious and confident in her own infallibility Vassu the capitalist, naively believing that such an alignment is impossible in a proletarian family. This is a story about the spiritual degeneration of bright maternal feelings. Vassa traded maternal qualities such as love, care, protection, compassion for money. Her children, surrounded by profit, grew up losers, loafers. The main theme of the play is the lost spiritual heritage.
The play "Vassa Zheleznova" on stage and in the cinema
The play based on the work of the same name was staged in many theaters of the Soviet state, several films were released, where the roles were played by famous actors.
In 1936, the famous actress Faina Ranevskaya played the main role of Vassa Zheleznova on the stage of the Red Army Theater. The play was often included in the repertoire of many Soviet drama theaters. The image of Vassa on the stage was represented by such great actresses as: Vera Pashennaya, Serafima Birman, Elizaveta Nikishchina, Antonina Shuranova, Tatyana Doronina, Svetlana Kryuchkova.
In 1982, film director Gleb Panfilov shot the film of the same name, where Vassu was brilliantly played by Inna Churikova, and little Kolya was played by their son, Ivan.
In the film production, Vassa Zheleznova pulls the family on herself, struggles with her libertine husband, an alcoholic brother and unlucky children to preserve at least a semblance of a normal life, however, as in the play, the heroine's whole life is ruined.
The work of M. Gorky "Vassa Zheleznov" was embodied on the screen by filmmakers from Germany (1963) and France (1972).
