Summary of Gorky's "Old Woman Izergil" (by chapters)

The summary of Gorky's "Old Woman Isergil" is read in just 5-10 minutes. This makes it possible to quickly get acquainted with the work in conditions of acute shortage of time (for example, before the exam), but it does not eliminate the need to still read it in full later.
Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" is structurally constructed in such a way that a connection is established between real reality and legends. There are two of them in the product. They illuminate absolutely opposite ideas about life. The summary of Gorky's "Old Woman Izergil", of course, will not allow us to feel this fully. But nevertheless it can serve as a good supplementary material, which precedes the reading of the work in full. The image of the old woman, on whose behalf the story is narrated, is quite contradictory. About herself she tells only what she remembered for her whole life. The events are also described on behalf of the author himself.

M. Gorky "Old Woman Izergil": a summary of the first chapter

Somehow the author happened to work in Bessarabia. When the Moldovans parted ways and there was an old old woman left, Izergil, she told him a legend about how people were punished by God for pride. The event occurred in a rich, distant country. During the general feast the eagle suddenly took the girl away. The search was unsuccessful and soon everyone forgot about it. But two decades later, all exhausted, she returned home with her son from the eagle. The young man was very proud and behaved arrogantly even with the elders of the tribe. Having received a refusal from the daughter of one of them, Larra beats the girl, steps her foot on her breast and she dies. It seems to the tribesmen that no punishment is worthy of it. Even the mother does not want to intercede for her son. In the end, he was doomed to freedom and loneliness. From the sky thunder rumbled and Larra became immortal. Since then, he has been wandering the earth for so long that he already dreamed of dying. But nobody touched him, and he could not kill himself either. And continues to wander Larra in anticipation of death around the world. And there is no place for him either among the living or among the dead.

Summary of Gorky's "Old Woman Izergil": Chapter II

From somewhere comes a beautiful song. Izergil, hearing it, smiles and remembers his young years. During the day she wove carpets, and at night she ran to her beloved ones. When she was 15 years old, she began to meet with a beautiful sailor. But soon she got bored with monotonous relationships, and her friend introduces her to Hutsul. He was a cheerful, affectionate and ardent young man. Soon both the sailor and the Hutsul were executed. Then Izergil fell in love with the Turk and lived in a harem. However, more than a week girl could not stand. She fled to Bulgaria with the 16-year-old son of a Turk, but he soon, either from anguish, or from love, died. One woman was jealous of Izergil to her husband and hit her with a knife right in the chest. She was nursed by the Polka in the monastery. She had a brother-monk, whom subsequently Izergil left for his homeland. After the first insult, she drowned him. In Poland, it was not easy for her, since she could not do anything and simply moved from one man to another. When she was 40 years old, she met a fine nobleman who quickly abandoned her. Izergil realized that she was old. Szlyachtich went to war with the Russians. She went after him. Learning that he was in captivity, Izergil saves him. In gratitude the nobleman promises to love her always. Now Izergil pushes him away. After that, she finally marries and lives in Bessarabia for 30 years. A year ago, Izergil became a widow. Having seen the fire lights away in the steppe, she says that these are sparks of Danko's heart.

Summary of Gorky's "Old Woman Izergil": Chapter III

The woman immediately turns to the story of cheerful, kind people, whom other tribes drove into such a depth of forest where there was never a sun and was drawn by the stench from the swamp. People began to die one by one. They decide to leave the forest, but do not know which way to choose. Help them to bold guy Danko. During the journey, a thunderstorm began. Everyone began to murmur against Danko, reproach him. He replied that he leads them, because the only dare to do this, and the rest follow him like a herd. People became enraged and decided to kill Danko. Then he, from great love and pity to everyone, tore his chest, pulled out his heart and raised it over his head. Lighting their way, Danko led the people of his tribe out of the forest. Seeing the space, he dies, but no one notices it. Only one person accidentally stepped on the heart of the young man, it spilled into sparks and went out. The old woman falls asleep immediately after the story, and the author continues to reflect on what he happened to hear.