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Assignment: Explore the passage on The Children to understand the pure soul and childhood friendship in a bright light
Scrutinize the segment about The Children to discover the innocence and genuine childhood friendship, radiating purity
Task Submission:
Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), stands tall as a literary giant, both in Russia and globally, throughout the 20th century. His childhood was marked by adversity, facing numerous hardships in his journey to adulthood. However, amidst the struggles, the writer harbored enduring, sincere loves, primarily rooted in his pursuit of education. The renowned trilogy of Childhood - In the World - My Universities seems like an autobiographical series chronicling the challenging and tumultuous childhood and growth of the writer. The excerpt about The Children, extracted from Chapter IX of the work Childhood, narrates one of the intense and memorable childhood memories of the author.
Aloyosha (the author's home name) is an orphan who resides with his grandparents due to the early demise of his father and his mother's subsequent departure. Next door lives the elderly Colonel Oxianich, now with his step-wife and three stepchildren. In a chance encounter, Aloyosha, along with two older kids, pulled up a bucket together, saving the youngest from falling into the well while playing with the pulley. Since then, the four children became close friends, defying the father's prohibition. The three kids from the neighboring house lead a wealthy life due to their father being a colonel, yet, as motherless children, they lack affection, relying only on each other, often subjected to their father's harsh discipline. Aloyosha, too, an orphan, lives with his grandparents, experiencing a less privileged life, often subjected to his grandfather's blows. In these children, we first observe a similarity in circumstances, sharing a childhood full of sorrow and hardships, whether rich or poor.
After the incident of the neighbor's youngest falling into the well, it has been a whole week before the kids meet again. They play together harmoniously, engaging in endless conversations. Out of curiosity or concern, Aloyosha asks, 'Do you guys get beaten too?' Afterward, Aloyosha gets angry, realizing that the three kids also face corporal punishment. He thought only his stern grandfather would inflict blows on others. In the tender heart of a child shines something called compassion, a sense of justice, while the boy himself is not much better off.
Despite enduring hardships and profound pain, the children maintain their innocence and age-appropriate naivety. They once enjoyed capturing small birds, but their compassionate hearts and love for animals prevented them from doing so. Partly fearing the birds' demise under the claws of cats and partly worrying about parental disapproval, these tender minds carry the additional burden of fear from their biological father. When asked about their mothers, their candid responses suggest either an obliviousness to the pain of losing a mother or a deliberate attempt to conceal it. However, their straightforward answers evoke sympathy, revealing the loneliness of the three motherless children. When discussing the stepmother, the trio seems contemplative, and their faces darken, perhaps expressing anger or fear. Mostly, it's fear and resentment as they huddle together 'like baby chicks,' looking pitiful and abandoned.
Aloysa, also an orphan, empathizes with the three children. He tries to console them and invents fairy tales and magical wonders that could bring the deceased back to life, perhaps even their mother. Aloysa has heard these stories countless times from his grandmother. Unexpectedly, the three children seem to have matured, no longer believing in fairy tales, which ironically deepens their sadness and plunges them into contemplation, likely experiencing inner melancholy. Aloysa suddenly feels incredibly fortunate and happier than the three children because, despite his less comfortable life, he has a grandmother to tell him wonderful fairy tales, unlike them...
The arrival of their father abruptly halts the children's conversation. He is harsh, bullying the three kids inside while forbidding Aloysa from playing with his son. The main cause is the deep-seated class distinction, accentuated in the rigid Russian social structure of that time, which disrupts the beautiful friendship of the three children. Nevertheless, their playful nature and kindred lonely souls draw them closer. They continue to play together warmly, but now, with caution to avoid the Colonel's watchful eyes. Like bosom friends, they share sad and dreary stories, exchange tales of bird-catching and bird-raising, narrate fairy tales to each other. Surprisingly, never have they spoken about their biological or stepmothers. Perhaps it's the pain or their deliberate avoidance. They feel melancholic due to the lack of affection from their families—fathers, mothers, and grandmothers. This has left deep reflections in Aloysa's heart, who increasingly cherishes the neighboring three motherless children.
This short excerpt, though simple and typical childlike conversation, leaves a poignant impression on the reader. It echoes the bitter reality of the orphaned children, a pain no material possession can fill, only the warmth within a family. Beyond that, it's the truly innocent and pure friendship between Aloysa and the three neighboring children that stands out, transcending societal restrictions and class differences. This bond, like that of kindred spirits, consoles the ache in each child's heart with the genuine joy of childhood.
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Childhood holds a prominent place in the ninth-grade literature. In addition to the essay Analyzing the passage about Children to unveil the pure souls and childhood friendships, students and teachers can explore other exemplary essays such as Analyzing and expressing thoughts about children in Childhood, Analyzing the passage about Children excerpted from the work Childhood by the literary luminary Gorky, Sharing a cherished memory of a childhood friend that lingers forever, or even the section Composing essays about Children.
