The story "Sir from San Francisco", meaningwhose title is explained in this article, is one of the most famous works of Ivan Bunin. This is a kind of parable in which it is told about the meaninglessness of wealth and glory before the inevitability of death. The key idea of the work is the comprehension of the essence of one's being by man, the realization of how fragile a life is, how insignificant it is if it lacks beauty and authenticity.
The story "Sir from San Francisco," the meaning of the title of which is disclosed in this article, first appeared in 1915.
The main feature of this workis that the author did not give the name to the protagonist. Even in the title he is called simply a gentleman from San Francisco. The meaning of the title of the work is this.
This gentleman was a representative of the false,boring and monotonous so-called high society. The author despised such people, the circle of communication to which they relied, for callousness and belief in permissiveness at the expense of money, unreal relationships, love by calculation. Because of all this Bunin did not even give a name to his hero, emphasizing this in the title. This is the meaning of the name "Lord of San Francisco."
Not once in describing the main character in the storyname, the author emphasizes his attitude towards him, noting that no one remembered his name either in Capri or in Naples, where he stayed. Together with his family (wife and daughter), he goes to the Old World. Bunin in the "Lord of San Francisco" wrote that the heroes for two whole years intended only to have fun and move from place to place. The gentleman has worked hard for the last few years, now he can afford such a rest.
The family sails on a huge ship - "Atlantis". It is more like a fashionable hotel, which has everything you need for a comfortable trip.
Life on a steamer in Bunin's story "Sir fromSan Francisco is very modest, passengers drink chocolate in the morning, then go to take baths, do gymnastics, stroll along the decks filled with the same happy people, all in order to keep up the appetite .. Only after the exercise in the fresh air are sent for the first breakfast.
After eating, read the fresh press in anticipationsecond breakfast. Then two hours are devoted to rest. To do this, the deck is equipped with comfortable reed armchairs, on which you can conveniently fall apart, covered with a blanket. Here travelers spend time before lunch, admiring the cloudless sky.
In the afternoon a small snack - tea with biscuits. In the evening dinner. For holidaymakers on the "Atlantis" this, it may be said, is the main goal of existence.
In the huge hall in which the rich spend eachevening, playing the orchestra. And behind the walls at this time the ocean is noisy. But they are not remembered about these men in tuxedos and women in evening dresses. Every evening after dinner in the hall, dances begin.
Steppe men go to the bar, where they drink liquor and cocktails. Negroes serve them in obligatory red jackets.
The first major stop of the steamer occurs inNaples. In this city, the gentleman's family from San Francisco is housed in a fashionable hotel. But their daily routine from this practically does not change. In the early morning breakfast, in the afternoon the cultural program - visiting of museums and temples. Then the second breakfast, midday tea, and then cooking for the evening dinner. A plentiful lunch is a kind of cherry on the cake of every day.
It only spoils the weather in Naples.Heroes "The Lord of San Francisco" come in December. At this time of year there are constant rains - a strong wind, sometimes heavy rain, dirt under your feet. Therefore, the family decides to move to the island of Capri. Everyone around them assures that on him they will be like in paradise. The family will be surrounded only by the sun, warmth and flowering lemons.
Heroes "Lord of San Francisco" are moving to the island. They are floating on a small steamer. On the way, they suffer from seasickness, since the ship is very chattering on the waves.
But here they are on the shore. The funicular takes them to a miniature town, located on the top of the mountain. They settle in a hotel in which they are greeted by friendly staff. And immediately begin to prepare for dinner.
The protagonist dresses before his relatives and inloneliness goes to the comfortable reading room of the hotel, where he gets acquainted with the fresh press. He begins to read, but suddenly the lines begin to jump in front of him. The gentleman, wriggling his whole body, slides to the floor. The nearby guest calls for help, everyone is worried. The hotel owner tries to calm the guests, but all in vain. The evening is already ruined.
The gentleman from San Francisco is put in the cheapest and small number. His wife and daughter are in terror standing next to each other. What happens is what they were most afraid of - he is dying.
The main character's wife wants to transfer the body toyour apartment. But the host is against it. He appreciates these numbers too much and is afraid that the guests will begin to avoid staying with him if they learn that there was a corpse. After all, Capri is a small island, and everyone will know about it at once. It is also problematic to get a coffin, it is possible to find only a long box in which bottles with soda water used to stand.
The gentleman's family from San Francisco sets off on the return journey. On the same "Atlantis", on which they sailed here, they go home.
But now the dead are being taken to the coffin, which is hiddenfrom others in the hold. And on the decks at this time, the usual measured life continues. All breakfast, prepare for the evening meal and still admire the ocean outside the window.
The analysis of the "Lord of San Francisco" followsstart with the definition of the idea of the story. It reveals itself when the family is on Capri. This is where Bunin's philosophical plan becomes clear.
After the death of the main character occursa paradoxical thing. He is considered to be the most dirty and disgusting room that was only in the hotel, and the body is sent to the steamer in a box from under the bottles, so that the least possible number of guests can be found about the tragedy.
This is the main theme of "The Lord of San Francisco."After death, wealth, glory and honor become completely unimportant. So the author clearly demonstrates the essence of human existence. Money and respect, which were so important in life, become absolutely useless after death.
Bunin also uses a symboliccontrast, describing the representatives of the bourgeois and poor people. In the analysis of "The Mister from San Francisco" it is worth noting that the images of ordinary people are alive, real and attractive. But he describes the rich with unconcealed disdain.
The problem of "The Lord of San Francisco" isalso in the fact that luxury and money do not in the least protect a person from real life. People who care only about their purse, according to Bunin, are doomed to moral meanness.
