A feature of human existence is hopelessness, the inability to change anything. At least that is what pessimists and those who are going through a difficult period in life believe. Such a philosophical thought underlies the poem "Night, street, street lamp, pharmacy ...". The analysis of this poetic work is the topic of the article.
New motives in creativity
In 1912, Alexander Blok wrote gloomy lines: "Night, street, street lamp, pharmacy ...". Analysis of the work will allow you to see the significant difference between this verse and earlier ones. One of the poet's collections is called The Terrible World. It was in this cycle that the Bloc “Night, Street, Lantern, Pharmacy ...” was included; the analysis of the verse should begin with the background. What is the difference between this work and others created by a Russian poet? What events influenced the views of the Block?
Aesthetic Change
In 1912, the author of this poem was already famous throughout the country. At the beginning of the twentieth century, symbolism reigned in the Russian literary world. This trend originated in France, and in Russia received special development. The poems that Blok created in the early period of his work were designed for aesthetes, readers with a refined taste. There was something ephemeral, intangible, unrealistic in them.
Mental crisis
Blok survived a terrible tragedy: the death of his son. This happened three years before the creation of a very gloomy work, starting with the words "Night, street, street lamp, pharmacy ...". The analysis reveals an almost complete absence in the lines of allegories, metaphors. They have almost no symbolism.
In a completely atypical spirit for early creativity, he wrote the block "Night, street, street lamp, pharmacy ...". An analysis of the work suggests that the author was sober at the time of its creation. Scary, heavy. At such moments, a person suddenly realizes that in life there is no place for illusions, hopes and dreams. Darkness and hopelessness are the components of the picture, which he will have to observe until the last days of his earthly existence.
No outcome
Why does a man appear in this terrible world? The verse “Night, street, street lamp, pharmacy ...”, the analysis of which can be done only at first glance, was perhaps one of the poet's first futile attempts to answer this question. There is a refrain in the poem. The lyrical hero observes the same picture throughout his difficult life. He never gets an answer to his question. The only conclusion the author comes to is "... there is no outcome."
Gloomy landscape
What picture did Blok see in front of him, creating this poem? The whole world is painted in joyless gloomy tones. To enhance this impression, the poet uses such epithets as “meaningless”, “dull”, “icy”. All that a person can count on, according to Blok, is to see only a part of the gloomy world. To change something in it, to give it more cheerful shades is beyond the power of anyone.
The poet depicts the world by the example of a mean cityscape, which opens before his eyes. From the window he sees the street, a lone dim lamp and the building in which the same pharmacy is located. Although the poet had left the tradition of symbolism at the time of writing these lines, he introduced irrational motifs into the work. He says that even in case of returning to this world after death, a person is not destined to see a lighter, life-affirming landscape. The author hardly believes in reincarnation. Rather, the words “start over” are a figurative comparison, a technique that the poet could not refuse, even getting rid of the influence of symbolism.
Eternity
Man is mortal. His sojourn on earth is negligible compared to eternity. Such is the philosophical thought of the poet. In the early years, Blok lived only in poetry. He naively believed that art and literature could change human life for the better. This view turned out to be untenable. An analysis of Blok’s verse “Night, a street, a lantern, a pharmacy” allows you to experience the feelings of an artist who is disappointed in his ideas.
What idea did the analysis of the verse reveal? “Night, street, street lamp, pharmacy ...” is permeated with longing and a sense of doom. Only eight concise lines written in four-footed iambic transmit the inner world of a person who hardly finds the strength to believe in something, to hope for something. Eternity or oblivion, materiality or spirituality is the choice that a lyrical hero faces. Block subsequently still found the answer to his question. He made a choice. The poet refused to leave Russia, even though to stay for him meant to doom himself to death.