In the first part of his autobiographical trilogy, the writer M. Gorky impartially portrayed the “filthy abominations” of life surrounding the main character, Alyosha Peshkov, in his childhood. The boy was lucky that in this difficult time, he was accompanied by people who were sympathetic and kind, like Akulina Ivanovna and never a discouraging Gypsy.
Bright image of the grandmother
In Gorky's novel Childhood, Akulina Ivanovna Kashirina undoubtedly occupies a central place. She, as a guardian angel, protects her grandson, who fell from a friendly family into a completely different world, filled with envy, cruelty, mutual enmity. Reading the work, one involuntarily asks the question of how the grandmother, who spent many years in the decor of the Kashirins, was able to preserve in herself those best human qualities that were given to her at birth? Fate never spoiled this woman, but each time she found the strength not only to live according to God's laws, but also to brighten up the hardships of the people around her.
Hero Biography
The image of the grandmother in Gorky's novel "Childhood" looms gradually. We learn about the life of Akulina Ivanovna mainly from her conversations with Alyosha: how she and her disabled mother, up to nine years old, asked for alms, how she learned from her the wonderful art of weaving lace, how at fourteen she was married to Kashirin. Bitter was her future life. She gave birth to eighteen children, and only three of them survived. Yes, and they never got along with each other. It was painful for her grandmother to watch how her two sons fought to death because of an inheritance. My wife and grandfather did not spare: even in old age, he often beat me. And although the heroine was much higher and stronger than him, screams and beatings carried down silently. She thought: everything that happens to a person is prescribed to him by God's will. A great test was the fact that before she died, her grandmother had to earn a living for a piece of bread: the grandfather sold all the property and left it with nothing.
Portrait of Akulina Ivanovna
The image of grandmother in Gorky's novel "Childhood" is given through the perception of her by Alyosha. At the first meeting, she seemed to the boy "round, big-headed, with huge eyes and ... a loose nose." Despite the high growth and stoop, Akulina Ivanovna moved softly and smoothly, which resembled a cat. She was especially transformed during the dance: getting younger and prettier.
Grandma had thick black hair, which she combed for a long time. Maybe that's why she all seemed outwardly dark. But with a careful look at her, there was a feeling that the heroine was glowing from the inside. This cheerful, warm, unquenchable light came from her large eyes.
And grandmother was a wonderful storyteller and knew innumerable interesting stories and folk tales - Gorky introduced some of them into his story “Childhood”. And in general, wherever Akulina Ivanovna finds herself, she seemed to attract people to her like a magnet.
Caring for others
Alyosha did not remember that his grandmother ever complained. On the contrary, she often tried to take the blame of others on herself, could expose herself to a blow in order to relieve the pain of others. So it was that evening when my grandfather subjected Alesha to the first punishment. And even when the brutal Mikhail began to break into his father's house: grandmother tried to calm her son, and he broke her arm. And Akulina Ivanovna didn’t think about herself at all when she threw herself into the burning workshop to save everyone from the explosion of vitriol. Even a horse excited by fire, who did not obey his grandfather, behaved next to this fearless woman like a mouse. It is no coincidence that the heroes of the story “Gorky's Childhood” in this difficult moment of life went precisely to her.
And Alyosha was very fond of watching and listening to how his grandmother prayed to God. Every evening she told him what had happened in the house. And she always asked someone to help, someone to reason. This prayer, coming from the heart, was close and understandable to the boy, in contrast to the memorized words that his grandfather said.
So, episode after episode, the image of the grandmother in Gorky's novel "Childhood" is taking shape. This is a portrait of a kind, sympathetic, sincere, morally clean, courageous, decisive woman. She experienced a lot over the years, but remained unchanged, “just like copper lithium,” like our difficult life itself.