Maxim Gorky’s Lower Depth

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In a time where the social stratus were highly differentiated and there was not silver lining between the lower, middle and high class. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, most Russian plays were addressed to the middle class while maintaining the lower class apart and excluded from being depicted on stage. Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths is known to be one of the first plays to addressed how difficult and struggling is life to those born on the lower class. The ideals placed on Maxim’s play got a big impact into the Russian society of that time. They took Gorky’s work as a guide to eliminated this divisions between classes and create a communist society. The impact created by Maxim Gorky’s play not only influenced the Russian society but other authors across the globe who took this idea as a way to fight against the social classes. Maxim’s play influence is reflected into the Russian revolution and the play’s roots were taken by other author such as Eugene O’Neil in the writing of his play The Hairy Ape, which reflects similar ideals and characters by Maxim’s play. Gorky was known as the leading Russian artist in relationship with the social revolution on 1917. His political point of view was build based on the situation that his society was facing at that period of time. Maxim Gorky depicted the Russian system at that time and clearly stated that he was willing to go to revolution in order to change the way of thinking of his country. A good example of his perspective was showed on a letter he wrote to Axel Gallen about that government. Gorky said: “Their one ideal is to guzzle, their pleasure to dominate over people, and they are obsessed with a morbid passion to torture, blood, cruelty. If th... ... middle of paper ... ...o call for action. A communist idea was being develop in a society where the rich only cares on being wealthier. Works Cited Bunin, Ivan. "MAXIM GORKY." Yale Review 89.2 (2001): 94-104. Print. Figes, Orlando. "Maxim Gorky and the Russian revolution." History Today. 46.6 (1996): 16. Print. Hopkins, Vivian C. ""The Iceman" Seen through "The Lower Depths"." National Council of Teachers of English 11.2 (1949): 81-87. Print. Kaun, Alexander. "Maxim Gorky and the Bolsheviks." Slavonic & East European Review Vol. 9.26 (1930): 432-448. Print. Miliora, Maria. "A SELF PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF DEHUMANIZATION IN EUGENE O'NEILL'S THE HAIRY APE." Clinical Social Work Journal 24.4 (1996): 415-427. Print. Rundle, Erika. "The Hairy Ape's Humanist Hell: Theatricality and Evolution in O'Neill's "Comedy of Ancient and Modern Life." Eugene O'Neill Review 30 (2008): 48-144. Print.

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