Grandmother often plays a significant role in a child's life. So it was with the main character of Maxim Gorky’s autobiographical work “Childhood” Alyosha Peshkov. After the death of his father, grandmother Akulina was next to her grandson throughout his growing up: she helped, mentored, supported. This character is drawn by Gorky with bright, expressive colors, which gives the image of the grandmother depth and liveliness. After reading the story, it seems as if I met the old woman as a close person.
Akulina has already passed her sixties, in the eyes of little Alyosha this is a respectable age, almost decrepit. The grandmother’s appearance cannot be called pleasant, but an amazing softness and warmth can be seen in her. There are many descriptions of Akulina’s appearance, and they all leave the same impression of homeliness, kindness and solid character: “grandmother is round, big-headed, with huge eyes and a funny loose nose; she is all black, soft and surprisingly interesting.” And Alyosha also notes: “When she smiled, her pupils, dark as cherries, dilated, flashing with an inexpressibly pleasant light, her smile cheerfully revealed strong white teeth, and, despite the many wrinkles in the dark skin of her cheeks, her whole face seemed young and bright... The whole she was dark, but she shone from within – through her eyes – with an unquenchable, cheerful and warm light.”
Admiring this awkward, shabby woman over the years, but bright and strong, the author, through the hero-boy, characterizes the grandmother, comparing her with a cat, focusing on the lightness and smoothness of her movements, on how much warmth and tenderness emanates from her. Being a jack of all trades, Akulina weaves exquisite lace for the city residents, putting a piece of her soul into it, which makes her products more beautiful. Massive and plump, she does not like to be idle, she takes part in fun and celebrations with pleasure, sings and dances, amazingly with her ability to control such a clumsy, at first glance, body.
Much in childhood is perceived through conversations, endless stories of an older, wiser person. Grandmother Akulina Ivanovna is a treasure trove of stories and fairy tales that Alyosha listens to greedily. The grandmother’s voice, her magical manner of expressing herself, also contributes to this: “She spoke, somehow singing the words in a special way, and they easily became stronger in my memory, like flowers, just as affectionate, bright, juicy.” The craftswoman's stories awaken the imagination, teach the grandson what is kind, good, and correct.
It was not in vain that the old woman, who had suffered a lot in her life and experienced all sorts of hardships, remained open, humble, full of love and forgiveness. She finds an excuse for everyone and does not hold a grudge against her husband, who beat and oppressed her throughout their entire life together. Grandma finds solace in religion. She believes in the Christian commandments sacredly, which evokes the sincere admiration of Alyosha, who observes the morning ritual of turning to icons: “She found new words of praise almost every morning, and this always made me listen to her prayer with intense attention.”
Akulina’s simplicity, generosity and apparent lack of insight evoke opposite feelings towards her among those around her. Some people respect Alyosha’s grandmother for her meekness, others consider her a holy fool for her inability to fight back and her desire to forgive everyone. She really does not accumulate any benefits for herself, does not know how to make money or be prudent in relationships with people. Her simplicity is sometimes taken advantage of, but for the grandson given to be raised by this frank and simple woman, she becomes the main standard of morality, a guideline of righteousness and purity.
Later, Alyosha Peshkov admits how much the years while Grandma Akulina was nearby had an impact on him. That it was her perception of the world, her courage and courage, her view of life, people, the nature of things - the view of an illiterate, but rich in spirit peasant woman - that formed the backbone of the character of the future writer and creator.
The grandmother of the protagonist of Alyosha Peshkov’s work, Akulina Ivanovna, is a character who is assigned a special role.
The writer portrays the heroine as a plump woman with a large head, large eyes and a funny loose nose, distinguished by inner warmth, sincerity and kindness, a sensitive attitude towards others and selfless love.
Akulina Ivanovna is characterized by a special manner of conversation, in which words are pronounced in an affectionate, folded form in a sing-song manner. Possessing extraordinary innate talent, the grandmother tells her grandson fairy-tale and real stories that have a significant impact on the development of the personality of the future writer, helping to overcome life’s difficulties and learning valuable lessons.
Being a skilled needlewoman, Akulina Ivanovna fulfills the orders of the townspeople, weaving exquisite lace creations and embroidering fancy patterns. Being a lover of dancing and fun, Alyosha’s grandmother presents an ordinary dance in the form of an action filled with inner meaning, talking about something of her own while dancing.
The masculinity, bravery, and heroism inherent in the granny are clearly manifested in the description of the fire scene, when Akulina Ivanovna rushes around the yard, managing to save people and animals, and also manage the extinguishing of the fire, not paying attention to the burns and pain she received.
Since childhood, my grandmother’s life was not easy; having been left without a father at an early age while still a girl, she had to work to help her disabled mother support her family. Finding herself married to a stern and cruel grandfather, she meekly endures his curses and beatings, worrying about her grandchildren and children who do not get along with each other, explaining that her husband is much older than her and it is necessary to show him respect and patience.
Grandmother is very religious and God occupies a special place in her soul, helping her to patiently and steadfastly endure all difficult situations. She talks with icons every day, conveying in detail to the Almighty the events of the past day and her emotional experiences. At the same time, he loves to sniff tobacco and will not refuse a glass of wine.
Many of those around her, looking at Akulina Ivanovna, consider her blessed, but the writer claims that all the characteristic qualities of the grandmother are based on her human wisdom, which does not put material wealth at the head of life values, despite the hardships of mortal existence, feeling for the world around her only sincere selfless love and compassion.
Option 2
In Gorky's work "Childhood" an important character is the protagonist's grandmother. From the story we learn that the grandmother’s name is Peshkova Akulina Ivanovna.
The author describes her as a plump woman with an unusual head size for everyone. On her large head there are correspondingly large eyes and, to complete the image, a loose, slightly funny nose. Her soul was selfless, she treated everyone with kindness, and an inner warmth radiated from her. This warmth was evident in her manner of conversation. All the words spoken by Akulina were in a diminutive form.
The grandmother played a significant role in the life of the main character. Her stories and stories shaped Alyosha’s psyche and worldview from childhood. Namely, these fictional and real stories influenced the development of Alyosha’s personality as a future writer. At a more conscious age, all the stories that Alyosha heard from his grandmother helped him cope with the difficulties that he encountered along the way. From everything he heard, the grandson extracted everything that was most necessary and valuable.
Akulina Ivanovna worked part-time when she took orders from townspeople and fellow villagers. She, possessing excellent knitting skills, performed various lace creations. Her talents do not end with knitting, she loved dancing and could turn an ordinary dance into something unusual and thoughtful, performed with soul.
She was filled with such qualities as: courage, masculinity, heroism. We can see all this during the fire scene. She, without thinking about the pain she received, saves both people and animals while putting out the fire.
Since childhood, Akulina has encountered many obstacles on her life's path. From an early age she had to go to work to provide for her family. Since the father died and the mother was disabled. Because of the qualities brought up in her, Akulina endures all the curses and beatings of her husband with the thought that he is older and needs to be respected, thinking about the peace of the children, which, unfortunately, does not exist. Children and grandchildren do not get along with each other.
Faith in God helps Akulina overcome all the difficulties and adversities that happen to her in life.
Essay Grandma in the story Childhood
Alexey Peshkov spent his childhood in the large Kashirin family. Vasily Vasilyevich and Akulina Ivanovna were the parents of Alyosha’s mother. After the death of her husband Maxim, the Kashirins took Alyosha and her mother to live with them in Nizhny Novgorod. Alexei’s grandfather kept his own workshop, and, in addition to his sons, artisans lived in their house. All of them had some influence on the boy, but his closest and most beloved person was his grandmother.
Grandmother Akulina Ivanovna was already an elderly woman, she was over sixty. She was plump, chubby, she had big eyes and a long mane of hair, which her grandmother always took a long time to comb. Her appearance attracted the gaze of everyone around her; she glowed from within with a kind, gentle light. Akulina Ivanovna was a master at telling fairy tales and ancient legends, to which many people always gathered to listen. A talented storyteller, she made her listeners laugh and cry at her stories. The grandmother could come out to dance, and her dance had the same bewitching effect on the audience as the legends.
A special place in Akulina Ivanovna’s life is occupied by sincere faith in God. Grandmother conducts daily conversations with him, tells him about current events, consults with him on any matter, communicating with him as with a living loved one. Faith in God helps Akulina Ivanovna overcome all the hardships of life, and life did not spoil her too much. She grew up without a father, and from childhood she helped her mother with housework. Then she got married. And she had to endure beatings from her husband. But grandmother, like a truly Russian woman, endures all life’s hardships with steadfastness and courage.
Her strong and strong character is especially evident during the fire that happened in the Kashirins’ house. Fearlessly, the grandmother rushed into the burning workshop to take out a bottle of vitriol, received severe burns there, but managed to stop the rearing horse, and did not leave the yard until the end of the fire.
The courage and fortitude of Akulina Ivanovna, her kindness and affection, benevolent attitude towards the people around her, and on the future great writer, had a huge influence in the formation and development of his personality, which Maxim Gorky himself recognized in the future. One can say about Akulina Ivanovna in the words of another great Russian writer, N. A. Nekrasov: “there are women in Russian villages...”
In the story “Childhood,” M. Gorky spoke about his childhood years, in which his grandmother occupied perhaps the most important place. Strange, very plump, big-headed, with huge eyes, a loose reddish nose. The boy's grandmother appeared in his life when his father died, and until the end of his days she was always there.
The boy sees and understands that his grandmother is beautiful on the inside, she is soft, affectionate, kind, trying to understand and help in any situation.
Despite her plumpness, the grandmother walked very easily, smoothly and deftly. Her movements were like a cat's.
Grandma had a very pleasant snow-white smile, her eyes flashed with warm light, and her face became young and bright.
Her hair was black, very thick, long and unruly. Therefore, when my grandmother combed her hair with a rare-toothed comb, she usually got angry.
The grandmother spoke cheerfully, smoothly, in a singsong voice. She mentioned God often. Everything she said was warm and affectionate, so the boy became friends with his grandmother from the first day, she became his most faithful and closest friend, the most understanding person. Later he realized that his grandmother was the kind of person who gives her love selflessly; she loves the world as it is.
M. Gorky reverently remembers his grandmother, and perhaps it was his unselfish attitude towards people that helped the writer later endure M. Gorky’s story “Childhood” is autobiographical. Everyone who surrounded Alyosha Peshkov helped the writer grow, albeit with the pain of memories and grievances, but it was a school.
His grandmother Akulina Ivanovna aroused trembling, still unconscious love in the boy. A man of a rich soul, colorful appearance, possessing the wisdom that is characteristic of the Russian people.
Alexey saw his grandmother for the first time when she was “in her sixth decade of summer and spring.” No one could perceive the world around her the way her grandmother perceived it. From the shore floating past, from the domes of churches sunk in the sky, she could cry or laugh. And who else could tell the boy such tales that the hardened bearded sailors asked: “Come on, grandmother, tell me something else!” For Alyosha Peshkov, grandmother became the light that everyone should have in life. She became his most faithful friend, “the most understandable and closest person.” “She was all dark, but she glowed from within... with an unquenchable, cheerful and warm light.”
Alyosha learned selfless love from his grandmother, since his grandfather’s family, where he unwittingly ended up, lived according to the harsh rules established by his usurper grandfather. It seems that from time to time there is a glimpse of a kind person in him, but the shell snaps shut... and don’t cross, otherwise the reprisal will be with rods. The grandmother knew her grandfather’s character well and was not afraid of him, unlike other family members. She could become a mountain for anyone if her grandfather was wrong.
The house was filled with her warmth, her love and light, living energy. She put her whole soul into caring for her children and grandchildren. The unwanted Gypsy, thrown under the gate of the house, was accepted by the grandmother as if she were her own, she fed the boy and left him. Working from dawn until late at night around the house, my grandmother saw everyone and everything that happened around her, paying attention to everyone who needed her.
And her heroism during the fire was equal to the elements. Both the flame and the grandmother fought for the workshop. Who will win. She saved what was dear to her, was her home, her household; the fire burned what it considered its prey. The fire was extinguished, the grandmother received burns, but she also found words of consolation for others.
M. Gorky went through the school of generosity and severity, love and malice, but all his life he tried to analyze his actions, give love, and educate himself. And thank fate that he had such a wonderful grandmother.
In the story “Childhood,” M. Gorky spoke about his childhood years, in which his grandmother occupied perhaps the most important place. Strange, very plump, big-headed, with huge eyes, a loose reddish nose. The boy's grandmother appeared in his life when his father died, and until the end of his days she was always there.
The boy sees and understands that his grandmother is beautiful on the inside, she is soft, affectionate, kind, trying to understand and help in any situation.
Despite her plumpness, the grandmother walked very easily, smoothly and deftly. Her movements were like a cat's.
Grandma had a very pleasant snow-white smile, her eyes flashed with warm light, and her face became young and bright.
Her hair was black, very thick, long and unruly. Therefore, when my grandmother combed her hair with a rare-toothed comb, she usually got angry.
The grandmother spoke cheerfully, smoothly, in a singsong voice. She mentioned God often. Everything she said was warm and affectionate, so the boy became friends with his grandmother from the first day, she became his most faithful and closest friend, the most understanding person. Later he realized that his grandmother was the kind of person who gives her love selflessly; she loves the world as it is.
M. Gorky reverently remembers his grandmother, and perhaps it was his unselfish attitude towards people that helped the writer later endure M. Gorky’s story “Childhood” is autobiographical. Everyone who surrounded Alyosha Peshkov helped the writer grow, albeit with the pain of memories and grievances, but it was a school.
His grandmother Akulina Ivanovna aroused trembling, still unconscious love in the boy. A man of a rich soul, colorful appearance, possessing the wisdom that is characteristic of the Russian people.
Alexey saw his grandmother for the first time when she was “in her sixth decade of summer and spring.” No one could perceive the world around her the way her grandmother perceived it. From the shore floating past, from the domes of churches sunk in the sky, she could cry or laugh. And who else could tell the boy such tales that the hardened bearded sailors asked: “Come on, grandmother, tell me something else!” For Alyosha Peshkov, grandmother became the light that everyone should have in life. She became his most faithful friend, “the most understandable and closest person.” “She was all dark, but she glowed from within... with an unquenchable, cheerful and warm light.”
Alyosha learned selfless love from his grandmother, since his grandfather’s family, where he unwittingly ended up, lived according to the harsh rules established by his usurper grandfather. It seems that from time to time there is a glimpse of a kind person in him, but the shell snaps shut... and don’t cross, otherwise the reprisal will be with rods. The grandmother knew her grandfather’s character well and was not afraid of him, unlike other family members. She could become a mountain for anyone if her grandfather was wrong.
The house was filled with her warmth, her love and light, living energy. She put her whole soul into caring for her children and grandchildren. The unwanted Gypsy, thrown under the gate of the house, was accepted by the grandmother as if she were her own, she fed the boy and left him. Working from dawn until late at night around the house, my grandmother saw everyone and everything that happened around her, paying attention to everyone who needed her.
And her heroism during the fire was equal to the elements. Both the flame and the grandmother fought for the workshop. Who will win. She saved what was dear to her, was her home, her household; the fire burned what it considered its prey. The fire was extinguished, the grandmother received burns, but she also found words of consolation for others.
M. Gorky went through the school of generosity and severity, love and malice, but all his life he tried to analyze his actions, give love, and educate himself. And thank fate that he had such a wonderful grandmother.
