1. Historical accuracy captain's daughter.
2. Petr Grinev. Characteristics and image in the story "The Captain's Daughter"
2.1. Grinev's image.
2.2. Meeting with the rebel.
2.3. Masha.
3. My attitude towards the hero.
He based the plot of his story "The Captain's Daughter" on real historical events - the indignation of the peasants under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev.
It was a real uprising, because it covered many provinces and resulted in many human deaths. And although most of the heroes of the story are fictional, the author skillfully conveys to the reader the life and customs of that time, the mores and habits of the people who lived in that era.
One of these characters is Peter Grinev. On the first pages, he appears before us as a carefree, cheerful young man, whose life and career have long been predetermined by wealthy parents. But fate makes its own adjustments.
The father decides to send the young man to a real military service - to Orenburg. This event becomes the starting point in the life of a young nobleman. From this moment begins his growing up, the formation as a person, as well as the test of his noble positive qualities.
Everything good and positive that Grinev adopted from his parents and his tutor Savelich had a beneficial effect on his behavior and actions. He was able to appreciate the spiritual beauty of Masha Mironova, recognize the duplicity of Shvabrin, win the respect of Pugachev and not sacrifice his noble honor.
On the way to the place of duty, a seventeen-year-old officer meets an unsightly ragamuffin who is destined to have an impact on the entire later life Main character. Later, the officer meets this man under different circumstances. In the fortress where the protagonist serves, a terrible danger threatens - the army of a cruel rebel is moving, ruthlessly destroying all dissidents on its way.
The garrison is in turmoil, only one old captain remains calm and courageous. He is supported in everything by Grinev, who has shown unshakable courage and military prowess, defending the weakly defended fortress. He does not tremble and does not lose pride, even when his boss dies, and he himself, like most officers, is sentenced to death penalty. But the unthinkable is happening here. The leader of the rebels, who has taken on the role of arbiter of human destinies, has mercy on Grinev and even invites him to dinner. There he invites young man enter into his service, betraying the empress.
This rebel, who calls himself Emperor Peter, is none other than Grinev's escort! He remembers the grateful young man and therefore shows him such favors. But the main character does not lose his head from such proposals. He remains true to his oath, he is even ready to die so as not to tarnish the honor of an officer's uniform. Grinev is brave and courageous, but at the same time he is not reckless. He respectfully talks to Pugachev, considering and weighing every word. He understands that not only his life, but also the life of his beloved Masha depends on the whim of the impostor.
The young officer explains that he will not serve in the ranks of the rebels and that he cannot promise not to fight against them. Grinev honestly but correctly admits: “I swore allegiance to the empress: I can’t serve you,” and adds: “My head is in your power: let me go - thank you, execute me - God will judge you.” This difficult conversation opens up a new hero for us - a cautious, insightful man, a real diplomat, firm in his decision, a man of honor. So severe made him army life. He became so thanks to his conscience and understanding of the laws of morality.
But an important role in Grinev's maturity was played by his first love. Peter first saw this sweet meek girl at the place of his service - in the Belgorod fortress. He was impressed by Masha's modesty, her poetic soul, her kindness and obedience to her parents. Grinev respectfully treats captain's daughter, he does not flirt with her, does not play with her feelings. He respectfully asks for her hand. He stands up for the honor of the girl, challenging the dishonorable Shvabrin to a duel. Risking his life and honor, the young man saves Masha from the hands of the oppressor and takes her to a safe place.
On the way, Peter meets another old acquaintance - Zurin, with whom he got drunk for the first time in his life and to whom he lost a hundred rubles. Having transferred Marya Ivanovna into the safe hands of Savelich, the protagonist goes along with Zurin's detachment on a campaign against Pugachev. This decision speaks of the nobility of the young officer, that service is above all for him. That he is not going to hide behind the backs of his friends, but is personally ready to fight for his homeland and the empress.
Grinev's behavior during the arrest and interrogations is noteworthy. In order not to tarnish the honor of his beloved, he does not mention her name in his explanations. He reflects all the accusations and slanders calmly and coolly, having only one desire - that the name of Marya Mironova should not be mentioned among this dirt and gossip. Thanks to Masha's love and dedication, Grinev is justified and released.
I like the main character. He - real man duty and honor. He is brave, courageous, strong, tactful and wise, generous and kind. His pure tender love for the captain's daughter is based on a real feeling, she is sublime and worthy of imitation. Many situations from the life of the protagonist are very instructive. For example, they show how important it is to be grateful and not consider people insignificant just because they are poorly dressed. If Peter had not thanked the beggar drunkard for a small service, then the influential and cruel rebel would not have saved the life of either him or Marya Ivanovna.
Reading the story, it was interesting for me to watch Grinev grow up. From a pampered inexperienced youth, he turns into a sane courageous man, devoted to his duty and vocation, sincerely in love, always respectful and fair.
Petr Andreevich Grinev - central character story "The Captain's Daughter" Grinev's whole life is an example of the behavior of a young man who thought early about his mission, honor, dignity, and loyalty to his word. The life lessons that the son of Andrei Petrovich received, from the point of view of modern reader are very cruel and heavy. In fact, young Grinev was prepared to endure the test of strength, to confirm the right to be called an officer, a man.
From the first pages of the narrative, a description of Pyotr Grinev is given as a person brought up in an atmosphere of rigor and heightened attention to the reputation of the family. This is the father's influence. Peter was dearly loved by his mother, as the only surviving son, and this love for a long time protected him from all storms and hardships. Finally, the boy was greatly influenced by Arkhip Savelich, a former stirrup, an expert in oral communication. folk art, well versed in horses and dogs, intelligent, far-sighted and exceptionally devoted to the family person. He gave freedom to the barchuk, and he grew up "chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys." Thus, the formation of the personality of Peter Grinev took place under the influence of all these factors in the aggregate.
To understand the image of the hero, it is necessary to carefully examine all the stages of his biography.
There are at least four turning point when Peter needed to make a decision, to pass a kind of exam. The first key episode is the loss of a game of billiards to Captain Zurov. It is quite possible that the reveler Zurov would have forgiven an unreasonable child who dangerously played too much. Relying on this, the good-natured Savelich tearfully begs the young master not to compensate for the damage. But Grinev the man does not need concessions. He commits his first serious act: "The debt must be paid!"
The second key moment is the conversation with Shvabrin, from whose lips insults were made against the chaste girl. Leaving such an act unattended is not a man's thing. Grinev stands up for the honor of Masha, as a result he receives a severe penetrating wound to his shoulder. The pages that describe Grinev, who is recovering from a serious illness, are truly touching.
Third important point: the rescue of the bride from captivity. No one was going to liberate the Belogorsk fortress, occupied by the rebels, but there were no barriers for Pyotr Grinev. He is hot and reckless in a good way.
Finally, the fourth episode. Grinev under investigation is threatened to be sent to an eternal settlement in Siberia if he fails to justify himself. Helped the rebels? Spying for Pugachev? Why did you meet with the ataman of the robbers? Peter refuses to defend himself, because he does not want to defame, "rinse" the name of the bride. He agrees to go to hard labor, but the daughter of Captain Mironov, who laid down his life for the Fatherland, will remain clean in front of people. He will not tolerate gossip.
Self-denial in the name of love, in the name of higher justice, leads the young nobleman to the road of truth and takes him forever away from the crooked path of dishonor and oblivion. No wonder the image of Grinev in the story The Captain's Daughter is considered one of the most expressive in Russian fiction. Even in the 21st century, he is able to excite readers and awaken a good response in the souls.
Artwork test
The protagonist of the novel A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter" - military Petr Andreevich Grinev or simply Petrusha.
At first glance, this is the image of a simple man liable for military service, who arrived by assignment to the Belogorsk fortress to serve in troubled times. Russia XVIII century times.
In the novel, the father and son of Grineva are partly compared. It seems that Andrei Grinev is a man of the old military school, he has his own worldview. His son Peter is still too young, he is just starting his career and has no life experience. However, the author chooses as his main character a young man who has not yet been to difficult situations person. It is no coincidence that, as a preface to the work, Pushkin cited the words famous saying: "Take care of honor from a young age." That is, the reader immediately understands that the hero of the story is a young, outstanding and honest person.
Like any young man of sixteen, Petrusha Grinev at first appears extremely cheerful and carefree. A noble upbringing affects him - he is a bit like Fonvizin's undergrowth Mitrofanushka. He shows these inclinations, for example, in an episode of a meeting with officer Zurin in Simbirsk. Or another example of the manifestation of Barchuk's gullibility and simplicity - in the chapter "Counsellor", when he easily and cheerfully decides to give a hare coat to the first person he meets, despite the grumbling of his valet. However, this episode can also characterize the young man as a kind, merciful person. These qualities of Peter's character in the future narrative will play an almost decisive role in shaping his image and in the development of the whole action.
The fact that Grinev is very kind and reasonable is confirmed by his trusting relationship with the servant Savelich. He realizes the loyalty of the serf, understands that he is wrong when he shouts at him. And, contrary to the lordly habit of the relationship between master and servant, he asks Savelich for forgiveness.
In addition, Petrusha reveres sacredly family traditions, honors his parents - he reacted with reverence to the words of his father's parting words. And in response, he sincerely wishes to serve honestly and well for the good of the Fatherland.
The image of Grinev is gradually revealed as the action of the novel develops. Having barely met Pugachev, he was the first to show his mercy in the above episode with a hare sheepskin coat. Here, in fact, for the first time he shows independence in his judgments - he insists on his own when Savelich is distrustful of the first person he meets. The fact is that, in his spiritual simplicity, he treats well almost all people who do him good.
The latitude is especially pronounced open soul Grinev at his meeting with Masha Mironova, the captain's daughter. For her, he is ready to fight with the most worst enemies, save her from the clutches of wild animals and robbers. He does not give up his love even when the captain of the fortress does not give an unambiguous answer to the ardor of the young man's feelings towards his daughter. In a word, having fallen in love, he behaves like a knight and a real man.
When Pushkin describes the events of the siege of the Belogorsk fortress, he emphasizes that his hero shows all the qualities that his father brought up in him - fearlessness, loyalty to honor and military duty. So, a young man fulfills his father's covenants and this promise to preserve honor from a young age.
So, reminiscent of a dullard at the beginning of the novel, and at the stage of the culmination of the action turning into a fair and honest young man, Peter becomes an exemplary highly moral hero of a realistic novel.
Thus, Pushkin puts forward the idea that the seemingly exaggeratedly ideal images of Peter, Masha, the commandant of the fortress, in fact, are such, there were quite a lot of people like them in Russian history.
However, Petr Grinev cannot be perfect for everyone. According to the code of loyalty to his noble family, he cannot support the Pugachev uprising, although he was sympathetic to its ideologist, Emelyan Pugachev. He accepts that changes are needed in the life of the country, but due to circumstances, he acts as the military oath dictates to him.
A clear division of heroes into positive and negative in the story is also a characteristic feature of Pushkin: this is how their comparative characteristics are left. When one character sets off another, it is easier to understand the meaning of the author's idea and get a real idea of the era being described.
The historicism of the novel is another feature that distinguishes it from similar works of that time. It is no coincidence that Pushkin actively studied historical documents in the archives. Their materials are the basis of the work. Author in art form presented the reader with one of the episodes in Russian history.
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IN this essay reveals the character of Peter Grinev, his formation as a person.
The story of A.S. Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter" was written in the thirties of the nineteenth century. In this work, the author touched on the topic moral education younger generation. Therefore, as an epigraph to the story, Pushkin took an abbreviated version of the Russian proverb: "Take care of honor from a young age." Using the example of Petr Andreevich Grinev, the author revealed the formation of a personality, the manifestation of his best human qualities.
The protagonist of the story, Pyotr Grinev, was the son of the military Andrei Petrovich Grinev, who retired. At the age of five, Peter was given up for education to Savelich, a serf uncle. When the boy was twelve years old, his father hired a Frenchman for him, who was supposed to teach Peter French, German and other sciences. But there was little sense from such a teacher. The Frenchman was "a kind fellow, but windy and dissolute", for which he was expelled from the estate. That was the end of Peter's education.
He lived undersized, ran with the yard boys. This continued until the age of sixteen. When he got to the Belogorsk fortress, his life changed dramatically. The young rake is a thing of the past. In the fortress, Grinev met his love - Masha Mironova, the daughter of the commandant. Of course, there were actions that Peter remembered with shame. These are the money lost to the captain Zurin, rudeness and lordly manners in relation to Savelich, who did not want to pay his debt. By his behavior, Peter wanted to prove that he was an adult. But there was an act that later saved his life. On the way to the fortress, getting lost during a blizzard, Grinev and Savelich met a passer-by who led them to the inn. In gratitude, Peter gave the peasant his rabbit coat, not thinking about the fact that his kindness would be repaid to him a hundredfold.
When the fortress was captured by Pugachev, Peter preferred the most terrible execution, but not betrayal, remained faithful to the oath that he gave to the empress. But the faithful Savelich saved his master by reminding Pugachev of the hare coat. In a private conversation, Pugachev called Peter a man of honor, as he stood up for his ideals to the end, distinguished by valor, dignity and loyalty. And Pyotr Grinev for several meetings saw a person in a rebel and a villain, he was able to appreciate in him ingenuity, love for will, talent and originality.
He began to understand the doom of the rebellious peasants, learned to sympathize with them.
Being in the besieged Orenburg, having learned about Masha in trouble, he rushed to her aid. Of course, love and duty fought in his heart. As a nobleman and officer, he turned to the general for help, but he refused him, giving his arguments. A sense of responsibility, love for Masha pushed him into the camp of the enemy. He saw no other way.
Risking his life, career, noble honor, he saved Masha. And even when he was accused of betrayal, he did not justify himself before the court, not wanting to involve Masha in his troubles. This suggests that a real man has formed from the undergrowth. And although Pyotr Grinev did not accomplish great feats, he remained faithful to the instructions of his father, for whom duty and honor were the most important values. Despite the fact that Peter's actions do not have historical significance, but the human feats accomplished by him are more important than any significant state events.
Even more essays on the topic: “The Character of Pyotr Grinev”:
Along with others important issues The novel "The Captain's Daughter" poses the problem of educating the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism. How does the writer propose to educate the true citizens of the country? Pushkin is too smart to give ready-made recipes. In the images of Grinev and Shvabrin, he shows examples of diametrically opposed characters, and the readers themselves should draw conclusions.
The novel is written in the form of memoirs by Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, where he recalls his youth and meetings with the “robber Pugachev”. Grinev's childhood and youth were no different from the lives of other underage barchats, so the novel mentions this in passing, but Grinev tells in detail about the upcoming service in the army, because he dreamed of serving in St. Petersburg, in the guard, hoped for a fun and carefree life. His father determined something else for him: “What will he learn in St. Petersburg? To wind and hang out? No, let him serve in the army, let him pull the strap, let him sniff the gunpowder, let him be a soldier, not a shamaton. It was not customary to argue with the father, he decides what to do for “Petrusha”, in his parting words to his son, a serious order sounds, which the son did not even try to challenge in his thoughts.
The authority of the father is the foundation of the family. For Pyotr Grinev, this is a kind of oath of allegiance to the family, which he will never betray. Father admonishes: “Farewell, Peter. Serve faithfully to whom you swear; obey the bosses; do not chase after their affection; do not ask for service; do not excuse yourself from the service; and remember the proverb: "Take care of the dress again, and honor from a young age."
Grinev learned his father's lesson well. He understands perfectly well that you have to pay for the lost debt. Pyotr Andreevich responds to Savelich's objections with insolence, but returns the money to Zurin. He presents the counselor with a hare coat, that is, according to Savelich, he behaves “like a foolish child,” but, in our opinion, nobly.
Service in the fortress for Grinev is not burdensome, and after he became interested in the captain's daughter, even pleasant. Duel with Shvabrin adds positive traits Grinev. He is not some kind of clumsy, but a man who has an idea how to handle a sword. And, do not be mean to Shvabrin, it is still unknown how the duel would have ended.
Of no small importance in shaping Grinev's character was his love for Masha Mironova. In love, a person opens up to the end. We see that Grinev is not just in love, he is ready to take responsibility for his beloved. And when Masha remains a defenseless orphan, Pyotr Andreevich risks not only his life, but also his honor, which is more important for him. He proved this during the capture of the Belogorsk fortress, when, without swearing allegiance to the “villain”, he was waiting for reprisal. “Pugachev waved his handkerchief, and the good lieutenant hung beside his old boss. The queue was behind me. I boldly looked at Pugachev, preparing to repeat the answer of my generous comrades.
Grinev never deviated from his father's order, and when the turn came to answer for Shvabrin's slander, Pyotr Andreevich did not even think of justifying himself with the Masha's name. From the beginning to the end of the novel, we see a maturing, gradually maturing hero who sacredly observes this oath and the covenant of his father. This character, sometimes youthfully dissolute, but kind and persistent, evokes the sympathy of readers. Pride embraces the consciousness that such were our ancestors, who won many glorious victories.
Reading a novel, we not only admire it the best heroes, but they want to imitate. In this Pushkin saw the main purpose of literature.
Source: www.litra.ru
The main character of the family part of the story is Pyotr Andreevich Grinev. The son of a landowner, Grinev was educated at home according to the custom of that time - first under the guidance of uncle Savelich, then - the Frenchman Beaupre, a hairdresser by profession. Grinev's father, imperious to the point of tyranny, but honest, alien to seeking before higher ranks, wanted to see in his son a real nobleman, as he understood it.
Looking at military service as a duty of a nobleman, old Grinev sends his son not to the guards, but to the army, so that he “pulls the strap”, becomes a disciplined soldier. Saying goodbye to Peter, the old man gave him instructions, in which he expressed his understanding of the service: “Serve faithfully to whom you swear allegiance; obey the bosses; do not chase after their affection; do not ask for service, do not dissuade from service, and remember the proverb: take care of the dress again, and honor from youth.
Pyotr Grinev seeks to fulfill his father's precepts. During the defense of the Belogorsk fortress, he behaves like a brave officer, honestly doing his duty. On Pugachev's offer to enter his service, Grinev, after a moment's hesitation, resolutely refuses. “My head is in your power,” he said to Pugachev: “let me go - thank you; If you execute, God will judge you." Pugachev liked Grinev's directness and sincerity and endeared him to the generous leader of the insurgent people.
However, duty did not always win in Grinev's soul. His behavior in Orenburg is determined not by the duty of an officer, but by a feeling of love for Masha Mironova. Violating military discipline, he arbitrarily goes to the Belogorsk fortress to save his beloved girl. And only after releasing her, moreover, with the help of Pugachev, he again returns to the army, joining the Zurin detachment.
Pyotr Grinev shares the noble point of view on peasant uprising. He sees in him "a senseless and merciless rebellion", and in Pugachev - a robber. In the scene when he demands money from Savelich to pay the loss to Zurin, he behaves like a serf landowner.
But by nature, Grinev is a gentle and kind person. He is just and admits to himself his frivolity. Feeling guilty before Savelich, he asks his forgiveness, gives his word to continue to obey his uncle. Grinev loves Savelich. At the risk of his life, he tries to help out Savelich when he fell into the hands of the Pugachevites of the Berdskaya Sloboda. Grinev is gullible and poorly versed in people of this type, like Shvabrin. Grinev has sincere and deep love for Masha. He is drawn to the simple and good Mironov family.
Despite the noble prejudice against Pugachev, he sees in him an intelligent, courageous, generous person, a defender of the poor and orphans. “Why not tell the truth?” Grinev writes in his notes. “At that moment, strong sympathy drew me to him. I ardently wished ... to save his head ... "
The image of Grinev is given in development. His character traits develop and gradually reveal themselves to the reader. His behavior, in each case, is psychologically motivated. Of the representatives of the nobility depicted in the story, he is the only positive person, although he remains, in his views and convictions, the son of his time and his class.
Source: www.kritika24.ru
“Take care of honor from a young age” - this testament is the main one in the novel by A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter" It is he who follows Peter Grinev.
The hero's parents were poor nobles who doted on Petrush, because he was with them only child. Even before his birth, the hero was enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment as an officer.
Petrusha received an unimportant education - under the guidance of uncle Savelich, "in the twelfth year I learned Russian literacy and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog." by the most an interesting activity the hero considered "chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys."
But at the age of sixteen, Grinev's fate changed dramatically. He enters military service - in the Belogorsk fortress. Here the hero falls in love with the daughter of the commandant of the fortress - Masha Mironova. Here Grinev becomes a participant in the uprising of the peasants led by Emelyan Pugachev.
From the very beginning, the hero of the novel is distinguished by kindness, good breeding, respectful attitude towards people: "The husband and wife were the most respectable people." Peter values his own good name and the honor of others.
That is why he does not swear allegiance to Pugachev: “I am a natural nobleman; I swore allegiance to the empress: I can’t serve you.” During communication with him, the hero treats Pugachev as a criminal who wants to seize the sacred - state power.
Grinev behaves very worthily, even when he is under investigation. He keeps calm, thinks not only about himself, but also about Masha's honest name: "I calmly looked at Shvabrin, but did not say a word to him."
Pushkin shows that only by taking care of one's honor can one emerge victorious from all trials: in the end, Grinev is completely acquitted, and Shvabrin is justly sentenced to imprisonment.
Thus, in Pushkin's novel The Captain's Daughter, Grinev is goodie. He is a “living person”, with his own advantages and disadvantages (remember how he lost at cards or offended Savelich). But according to his “views”, this hero always remains on the side of good. That is why the author and we, the readers, sympathize with him.
Composition
Grinev Petr Andreevich (Petrusha) - the main character of the last major work Pushkin, a provincial Russian nobleman, on whose behalf (in the form of "notes for the memory of posterity", compiled in the era of Alexander I about the era Pugachev rebellion) is being narrated. In the historical story "The Captain's Daughter" all the themes of Pushkin's work of the 1830s came together. The place of an “ordinary” person in great historical events, freedom of choice in cruel social circumstances, law and mercy, “family thought” - all this is present in the story and is associated with the image of the main character-narrator.
Initially, Pushkin, as was the case in the unfinished story "Dubrovsky", was going to put at the center of the narrative a renegade nobleman who had moved from one camp to another (here the real officer of the Catherine's era, Shvanvich, served as a prototype for him); or a captive officer who is running from Pugachev. There was also a prototype here - a certain Basharin, this was the name of the hero, later renamed Bulanin, Valuev - and, finally, G. 1.831.) This name is also taken from real history Pugachevshchina; it was worn by a nobleman arrested on suspicion of treason and later acquitted. Thus, the idea of the story about a man who, by the will of Providence, found himself between two warring camps was finally determined; about a nobleman who unshakably remains faithful to the oath, does not separate himself from the class in general and from class ideas about honor in particular, but who at the same time looks at the world with an open mind.
Having closed the plot chain precisely on G. (and “assigned” the role of the renegade nobleman to Shvabrin), Pushkin reproduced the principle historical prose Walter Scott, in whose novels (especially from the "Scottish" cycle - "Waverley", "Rob Roy", "Puritans") this type of hero is constantly encountered - as well as the situation itself: two camps, two truths, one fate. Such is the immediate “literary predecessor” of G., Yuri Miloslavsky from the eponymous “Walter-Scott” novel by M. N. Zagoskin (with that a huge difference that Miloslavsky is a prince, and not an "ordinary" person). Following Grinev, other characters in The Captain's Daughter acquire Walter Scottish features. The image of the faithful servant of G. Savelich (whose name coincides with the name of the "patriotic" coachman, a witness of the Pugachev rebellion in M. N. Zagoskin's "Walter-Scott" novel "Roslavlev") goes back to Caleb from the novel "Lammermoor Nesto"; episode, in which Grineva's bride Marya Ivanovna Mironova seeks an acquittal from Catherine II for her lover, repeats the episode with Jenny Jeans from The Edinburgh Dungeon, etc.
The genre of "notes for posterity" made it possible to portray the story "in a homely way" - and assumed that the hero's life would unfold before the reader from childhood, and the hero's death would remain outside the immediate command (otherwise there would be no one to write notes).
G.'s "prehistory" is simple: he is the son of Prime Major Andrei Petrovich Grinev, who lives after retirement in a small (300 souls) estate in the Simbirsk province. Petrusha is brought up by a serf "uncle", Savelich, taught by Monsieur Beaupre, a former hairdresser and hunter for Russian liqueur . Pushkin transparently alludes to the fact that the early resignation of his father was associated with a palace coup in the time of Anna Ioannovna. Moreover, it was originally supposed (and from the plot point of view it would be much more “beautiful”) to explain the resignation by the events of 1762, Catherine’s coup, but then the chronology would be completely broken. Be that as it may, the hero's father seems to be "excluded" from history; he cannot realize himself (and therefore he gets angry every time he reads the court address-calendar, which reports on awards and promotions of his former comrades). So Pushkin prepares the reader for the idea that Pyotr Andreevich could live the most ordinary life, not reveal the qualities inherent in him, if not for the all-Russian catastrophe of the 1770s. and if not for the father's will. At the age of seventeen, an undergrowth, even before his birth, enlisted in the guard as a sergeant, G. is sent straight from the nursery to serve - and not in the elite Semenovsky regiment, but in the provinces. (Another "rejected" version of fate - get G. to St. Petersburg, by the time of the next palace coup 1801 would have been an officer of the regiment that played a key role in the anti-Pavlovsk conspiracy. That is, he would mirror the fate of his father.) First, he ends up in Orenburg, then in the Belogorsk fortress. That is, there and then, where and when the Pugachevites roam in the fall of 1773, a “Russian revolt, senseless and merciless” will break out (G.'s words). (Something similar should have happened to the hero of Pushkin's unfinished story from another era - the young ensign from the "Notes of a Young Man", who in May 1825 is on his way to the Chernigov regiment, where in January 1826 the uprising of the Decembrists of the "Vasilkovskaya council" will break out. )
From that moment on, the life of a provincial nobleman merges with the flow of all-Russian history and turns into a magnificent set of accidents and mirror-repeating episodes that make one recall both the poetics of Walter Scott and the laws of the construction of Russian fairy tale. In an open field, Grinev's wagon is accidentally overtaken by a snowstorm; by chance, a black-bearded Cossack stumbles upon her, who leads the lost travelers to housing (this scene is connected with the episode with Yuri, his servant Alexei and the Cossack Kirsha in M. N. Zagoskin's novel "Yuri Miloslavsky"). By chance, the conductor turns out to be the future Pugachev.
Just as random is the linkage of all subsequent meetings of G. and the twists and turns of his fate.
Once in the Belogorsk fortress, 40 miles from Orenburg, he falls in love with the daughter of Captain Ivan Kuzmich Mironov, eighteen-year-old Masha (in which some features of the heroine of A. P. Kryukov’s story “The Story of My Grandmother”, 1831, the captain’s daughter Nastya Shpagina are repeated) and fights because of her in a duel with lieutenant Shvabrin; injured; in a letter to his parents he asks for blessings for marriage with a dowry; having received a strict refusal, he is in despair. (Naturally, Masha will eventually settle with G.'s parents, and Shvabrin, going over to Pugachev's side, will play a role in the fate of the hero evil genius.) Pugachev, having captured the fortress, accidentally recognizes Savelich, recalls a hare sheepskin coat and half a ruble for vodka, after a snowstorm, Petrusha donated to him from pure heart, - and pardons the barchuk a moment before the execution. (A mirror repetition of the episode with the sheepskin coat.) Moreover, he lets him go on all four sides. But, having accidentally learned in Orenburg that Masha, hidden by the Belogorsk priest, is now in the hands of the traitor Shvabrin, G. tries to persuade the general to give him fifty soldiers and give the order to liberate the fortress. Having received a refusal, he independently goes to the Pugachev lair. Falls into an ambush - and accidentally remains intact; accidentally ends up in the hands of Pugachev, precisely at the moment when he is in good location spirit, so that the bloodthirsty corporal Beloborodov fails to "torture" the nobleman. Pugach is touched by a story about a girl forcibly held by Shvabrin; goes with the hero to Belogorskaya - and, even after learning that Masha is a noblewoman, the bride of G., does not change his gracious decision. Furthermore, half-jokingly offers to marry them - and is ready to take on the duties of an imprisoned father. (Thus, by chance, the dream that G. dreamed right after the snowstorm comes true: the father is dying; but this is not the father, but a black-bearded man, from whom for some reason you need to ask for blessings and who wants to be imprisoned by the father; an ax; dead bodies; pools of blood.)
Released by Pugachev, G., Masha, Savelich are ambushed by government troops (a mirror repetition of the episode with the Pugachevites); by chance, the commander of the detachment turns out to be Za-urin, to whom G., on the way to the place of service, before the snowstorm, lost 100 rubles on billiards. Having sent Masha to his father's estate, G. remains in the detachment; after the capture of the Tatishchev fortress and the suppression of the rebellion, he was arrested on the denunciation of Shvabrin - and cannot ward off accusations of treason, because he does not want to interfere in trial Masha. But she goes to St. Petersburg, accidentally runs into the queen on a walk in Tsarskoye Selo; accidentally does not recognize her - and ingenuously tells about everything (a mirror repetition of the episode of G.'s "petition" for Masha in front of Pugachev). Ekaterina accidentally remembers the heroic death of Captain Mironov (and, perhaps, the Machine of her mother, Vasilisa Yegorovna). If not for this, who knows, could the empress have approached the matter so impartially and justified G.? By chance, officer G., released in 1774 and present at the execution of Pugachev, who recognized him in the crowd and nodded (another mirror repetition of the episode with the gallows in Belogorskaya), does not die in numerous wars late XVIII- early 19th century and composes notes for youth; by chance, these notes fall into the hands of the "publisher", under whose mask Pushkin himself is hiding.
But the fact of the matter is that all the “accidents” of the plot are subject to a higher pattern - the pattern free choice personality in the circumstances offered to it by history. These circumstances can develop one way or another, safely or unsuccessfully; the main thing is not in this, but in how free a person is from their power. Pugachev, in whose hands is the enormous power to administer human fates, not free from the elements that set in motion; the Orenburg general, who refuses to send G. to fight for the Belogorsk fortress, is not free from his caution; Shvabrin is not free from his own fear and his spiritual meanness; G. is free to the end and in everything. For he acts according to the dictates of his heart, and his heart is freely subject to the laws of noble honor, the code of Russian chivalry, a sense of duty.
These laws are invariable - and when it is necessary to pay a huge billiard debt to Zauri-nu, who did not play too honestly; and when you need to thank a random guide with a sheepskin coat and a half. And when should Shvabrin be challenged to a duel, after listening to Grinev's "rhymes" in honor of Masha and speaking contemptuously about both them and her. And when the Pugachevites lead the hero to execution. And when Pugachev, who pardoned the hero, holds out his hand for a kiss (G., of course, does not kiss the "villain's hand"). And when the impostor directly asks the prisoner whether he recognizes him as a sovereign, whether he agrees to serve, whether he promises at least not to fight against him, and the prisoner answers “no” three times, directly or indirectly. And when G., once already saved by fate, returns alone to the location of the Pugachevites - in order to rescue his beloved or die with her. And when, arrested by his own government, he does not name Marya Ivanovna.
It is this constant readiness, without risking in vain, nevertheless to pay with his life for his honor and love, that makes the nobleman G. free to the end. In the same way as his serf servant Savelyich is completely (albeit in other forms) free by the personal devotion of G. That is, following the unwritten code of peasant honor, that universal principle that can be inherent in any estate and which, in essence, is religious, - although Savelich is not too "church" (and only exclaims every minute "Lord Vlady-ko"), and G. in the Kazan prison for the first time tastes "the sweetness of prayer poured out from a pure but torn heart." (Here Pushkin's contemporary had to not only recall the "eternal source" of the prison theme in European culture- episode imprisonment the heavenly patron of G., the apostle Peter - Acts, 12, 3-11, - but also to identify the paraphrase of the Italian notes religious writer And public figure 1820s Silvio Pellico, who in the book "My dungeons" - Russian. the translation, enthusiastically reviewed by Pushkin, 1836, tells how he first prayed to God in an Austrian prison.)
Such behavior turns the most ingenuous of the characters in The Captain's Daughter into the most serious of her characters. This seriousness of Grinevsky's image is shaded by a slight grin with which the author describes the "living space" of other characters. Pugachev reigns in a hut covered with golden paper; the general is planning a defense against the Pugachevites in an apple orchard insulated with straw; Catherine meets Masha, as it were, “inside” the pastoral: swans, parks, a white dog, “copied” by Pushkin from the famous engraving by the artist Utkin, depicting Catherine “at home” ... And only G. and Savelich are surrounded by the open space of fate; they are constantly striving for the fence - whether the noble Orenburg, whether the Pugachev fortress; where they are not protected from circumstances, but are internally free from them. (In this sense, the prison for G. is also an open space.)
It is G. and Savelich together - these two characters, a serf and a nobleman, cannot be separated from each other, as Sancho Panzu cannot be separated from Don Quixote. So, the meaning of the story is not to “go over” to one of the sides historical conflict. And not in renouncing allegiance to any "authority" (cf. the image of Shvabrin). And not even in "leaving" the narrow limits of class ethics, rising to universal principles. And in the fact that within your "camp", your environment, your estate, your tradition, to discover the universal - and to serve it not out of fear, but out of conscience. This is the guarantee of G.'s utopian hope (and Pushkin, prompting him, who rethinks Karamzin's thesis) that "the best and most lasting changes are those that come from a single improvement in morals, without any violent upheavals."
The image of G. (and the very "Walter-Scott" poetics of chance and mirror-repeating episodes) turned out to be extremely important for the Russian literary tradition, up to Yuri Andreevich Zhivago from the novel by B. L. Pasternak.
