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These creatures are under the impression that they are superfluous; therefore their pessimistic conclusions. All of them passionately want to be able to express the meaning of life in general, their life in particular, but the task is too much for them. Gorky's heroes consider themselves "useless beings," but they never humiliate themselves.
On the other hand, Gorky's wandering beggars are closely related to those "free men" to whom M. S. Maximov attributes a historic rôle which was favorable to the extension of the Russian empire.
The critics, at first sceptical, soon joined their voices with the enthusiastic clamor of the people. Gorky's wandering life has given his works a peculiar and universally established form.
Gorky's vagabonds have, like Ostrovsky's, exalted feelings for natural beauties, but they possess, besides, a full consciousness of themselves, and they declare open war against society. Gorky lives the lives of his heroes; he seems to sink himself into them, and, at the same time, he idealizes them, and often uses them as his spokesmen.
He scanned curiously Plato's Republic, Gorky's "Comrades," a Cyclopædia of Agriculture, Balzac's novels, Spencer's "First Principles," Tennyson's Poems. "This is my university," Zora explained, smiling at his interested survey. They went out again and wandered down near the old lagoon. "Now, Bles," she began, "since we understand each other, can we not work together as good friends?"
Such are the celebrated barefoot brigade, the eternal vagabonds, the "lumpen-proletariat" of Gorky's early works. Another favorite subject of the Russian authors is the antagonism which makes parents and children quarrel.
Amongst more recent plays, Hauptmann's Die Weber and Gorky's Nachtasyl are perhaps the best examples of the type. The drawback of such themes is, not that they do not conform to this or that canon of art, but that it needs an exceptional amount of knowledge and dramaturgic skill to handle them successfully.
Horizon is quoting a Nietzscheism of Gorky's. Isaiah Savvich, a little, sickly, touchy old man, but in moments of need very determined, supported Horizon: "And that's very simple. There is really no demand of any sort for her. Think it over for yourself, Annechka; her outfit costs fifty roubles, Mr. Shatzky will receive twenty-five roubles, fifty roubles will be left for you and me.
I am sure my family will read it with greater interest than they've ever manifested in any of London's or Gorky's fanciful novels!... 'I assume that you will not be surprised to learn that you have some mighty good friends in that crowd outside, I ventured.... 'Oh, not at all, my prisoner returned, 'and I venture to say that your friend from Gallipoli will find it convenient to contribute to the general misunderstanding and confusion by allowing the suspected executioners to air their conflicting explanations of my disappearance.
... One feels a warm sympathy, of course, for Gorky's letter about the Kishinev pogrom, as one does for everything he writes; the letter is not written though, but put together, there is neither youthfulness in it nor confidence, like Tolstoy's. July 1, 1903. You are reading belles-lettres now, so read Veresaev's stories. Begin with a little story in the second volume called "Lizar."
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