Excerpt

Excerpt from Creatures That Once Were Men, by Maksim Gorky

It was strange to see them reasoning in this manner, these outcasts
from life, tattered, drunken with vodki and wickedness, filthy and
forlorn. Such conversations rejoiced the Captain's heart. They gave
him an opportunity of speaking more, and therefore he thought himself
better than the rest. However low he may fall, a man can never deny
himself the delight of feeling cleverer, more powerful, or even better
fed than his companions. Aristid Kuvalda abused this pleasure, and
never could have enough of it, much to the disgust of Abyedok, Kubar,
and others of these creatures that once were men, who were less
interested in such things.

Politics, however, were more to the popular taste. The discussions as
to the necessity of taking India or of subduing England were lengthy
and protracted. Nor did they speak with less enthusiasm of the radical
measure of clearing Jews off the face of the earth. On this subject
Abyedok was always the first to propose dreadful plans to effect the
desired end, but the Captain, always first in every other argument, did
not join in this one. They also spoke much and impudently about women,
but the teacher always defended them, and sometimes was very angry when
they went so far as to pass the limits of decency. They all, as a
rule, gave in to him, because they did not look upon him as a common
person, and also because they wished to borrow from him on Saturdays
the money which he had earned during the week. He had many privileges.
They never beat him, for instance, on these occasions when the
conversation ended in a free fight. He had the right to bring women
into the dosshouse; a privilege accorded to no one else, as the Captain
had previously warned them.

"No bringing of women to my house," he had said. "Women, merchants and
philosophers, these are the three causes of my ruin. I will horsewhip
anyone bringing in women. I will horsewhip the woman also.... And as
to the philosopher I'll knock his head off for him." And
notwithstanding his age he could have knocked anyone's head off, for he
possessed wonderful strength. Besides that, whenever he fought or
quarrelled, he was assisted by Martyanoff, who was accustomed during a
general fight to stand silently and sadly back to back with Kuvalda,
when he became an all-destroying and impregnable engine of war. Once
when Simtsoff was drunk, he rushed at the teacher for no reason
whatever, and getting hold of his head tore out a bunch of hair.
Kuvalda, with one stroke of his fist in the other's chest sent him
spinning, and he fell to the ground. He was unconscious for almost
half-an-hour, and when he came to himself, Kuvalda compelled him to eat
the hair he had torn from the teacher's head. He ate it, preferring
this to being beaten to death.

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Creatures That Once Were Men by Maksim Gorky

Context of the Work

Maksim Gorky’s Creatures That Once Were Men (1905) is a short story set in a dosshouse (a cheap lodging for the destitute) in pre-revolutionary Russia. The story explores the lives of social outcasts—former workers, criminals, and alcoholics—who have been reduced to a subhuman existence due to poverty, exploitation, and societal neglect. Gorky, a socialist realist writer, often depicted the brutal realities of the underclass, critiquing the dehumanizing effects of capitalism and tsarist oppression.

This excerpt focuses on the dynamics among the dosshouse’s inhabitants, particularly their conversations, power struggles, and the fragile hierarchies they establish to maintain some semblance of dignity in their degraded state.

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Themes in the Excerpt

1. Dehumanization and the Loss of Identity

   • The men in the dosshouse are described as "creatures that once were men"—a phrase that underscores their fall from humanity. They are "tattered, drunken with vodki and wickedness, filthy and forlorn," suggesting that poverty and vice have stripped them of their former selves.
   • Their conversations—ranging from delusional political conquests ("taking India or subduing England") to violent anti-Semitism ("clearing Jews off the face of the earth")—reveal their detachment from reality. These discussions are not serious political debates but desperate attempts to assert control in a life where they have none.

2. Power and Hierarchy Among the Powerless

   • Despite their shared destitution, the men establish a pecking order. Aristid Kuvalda (the Captain) dominates through brute strength and verbal superiority, while others like Abyedok and Kubar resent his authority.
   • The teacher is an exception—he is spared violence because he is seen as "not a common person" (likely due to his education) and because he lends money. His defense of women suggests he retains some moral compass, though his privileges (like bringing women into the dosshouse) show that even morality is transactional in this world.
   • Kuvalda’s rules ("No bringing of women to my house") and his violent enforcement ("I will horsewhip anyone") demonstrate how he maintains control through fear. His alliance with Martyanoff, who acts as his silent enforcer, reinforces his dominance.

3. Violence as a Means of Control

   • Physical brutality is the primary way conflicts are resolved. When Simtsoff attacks the teacher, Kuvalda’s response is immediate and sadistic: he knocks Simtsoff unconscious and forces him to eat the hair he tore from the teacher’s head. This grotesque act is not just punishment but a display of absolute power—Simtsoff complies because the alternative is death.
   • The dosshouse operates like a microcosm of a brutal society, where might makes right, and survival depends on submission or strength.

4. False Intellectualism and Delusional Grandeur

   • The men’s discussions about politics ("taking India," "subduing England") and genocide ("clearing Jews") are absurd given their actual powerlessness. These fantasies serve as escapism, allowing them to imagine themselves as conquerors rather than failures.
   • Kuvalda’s refusal to engage in anti-Semitic talk suggests a rare moment of restraint, though it may also imply that even he has limits to his cruelty—or that he sees such discussions as beneath him.

5. The Illusion of Superiority

   • Kuvalda derives pleasure from feeling "cleverer, more powerful, or even better fed" than the others. This highlights a universal human trait: even in the deepest degradation, people cling to any semblance of superiority.
   • The teacher’s privileged status (not being beaten, allowed to bring women) shows that intelligence and utility grant temporary protection, but only within the dosshouse’s brutal hierarchy.

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Literary Devices

1. Irony

   • The men’s grand political debates are ironic because they are physically and socially incapable of enacting any of their plans. Their discussions about conquering nations contrast sharply with their reality as drunken, homeless outcasts.
   • Kuvalda’s rule against "merchants and philosophers" as causes of his ruin is ironic because he himself is a tyrant who thrives on exploitation—much like the systems he claims to despise.

2. Symbolism

   • The dosshouse symbolizes the dehumanizing effects of poverty and societal neglect. It is a place where men are reduced to animals, fighting over scraps of dignity.
   • Kuvalda’s fist and Martyanoff’s silent strength symbolize brute force as the only law in this world.
   • The teacher’s hair being eaten is a grotesque symbol of humiliation and submission.

3. Characterization Through Dialogue and Action

   • Kuvalda is characterized by his violence, dominance, and need for intellectual superiority. His speech is authoritative ("I will horsewhip anyone"), and his actions (forcing Simtsoff to eat hair) show his sadism.
   • Abyedok is portrayed as more extreme in his hatred (proposing genocidal plans), while the teacher is the moral outlier, though his morality is compromised by his financial usefulness.
   • Martyanoff’s silence and loyalty make him a terrifying figure—his presence alone reinforces Kuvalda’s power.

4. Foreshadowing and Tone

   • The tone is grim, cynical, and unflinching. Gorky does not romanticize poverty; instead, he exposes its brutality.
   • The violence foreshadows the cyclical nature of oppression—those who are oppressed (like Kuvalda) become oppressors in their own small domain.

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Significance of the Excerpt

1. Social Critique

   • Gorky critiques the dehumanizing effects of poverty and capitalism. The men in the dosshouse are not inherently evil; they are products of a system that has discarded them. Their cruelty is a survival mechanism in a world that has already been cruel to them.
   • The anti-Semitic and imperialist rants reflect the scapegoating common among the oppressed, who redirect their anger toward marginalized groups (Jews) or imaginary enemies (England) rather than the systemic forces that truly oppress them.

2. Psychological Realism

   • The excerpt explores how power dynamics emerge even among the powerless. Kuvalda’s need to feel superior, the teacher’s fragile moral authority, and the others’ resignation to violence all reflect real psychological responses to degradation.
   • The violence is not just physical but psychological—the men assert dominance because it is the only control they have left.

3. Existential Themes

   • The men are shadows of their former selves, clinging to any shred of identity. Their conversations, no matter how delusional, are attempts to reclaim agency in a life that has stripped them of it.
   • The dosshouse functions as a microcosm of a broken society, where the strong exploit the weak, and morality is a luxury few can afford.

4. Gorky’s Style and Influence

   • Gorky’s unflinching realism influenced later socialist and existentialist writers. His portrayal of the underclass is neither sentimental nor judgmental—it is a raw exposition of human nature under extreme conditions.
   • The excerpt’s brutality serves a purpose: to shock the reader into recognizing the injustices of the social order that create such desperation.

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Conclusion: The Text’s Core Message

This excerpt from Creatures That Once Were Men is a harrowing portrayal of human degradation, showing how poverty, alcoholism, and societal abandonment reduce men to beasts fighting for scraps of dignity. The dosshouse is a prison of their own making, where the only laws are those enforced by the strongest, and where even the smallest privileges (like not being beaten) are hard-won.

Gorky does not offer easy answers or redemption—instead, he forces the reader to confront the brutality of a world that discards its weakest members. The men’s conversations, violence, and hierarchies are not just personal failures but symptoms of a larger systemic rot. In this way, the excerpt is both a social critique and a tragic study of human nature when stripped of all pretense of civilization.