Composition Fonvizin D.I. Please give a description of Mitrofanushka from the comedy "undergrowth" Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin

Mitrofanushka
MITROFANUSHKA - the hero of the comedy D.I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth" (1781), a sixteen-year-old teenager (undergrowth), the only son of Mrs. Prostakova, mother's darling and favorite of the servants. M. as a literary type was not the discovery of Fonvizin. Russian literature of the end of the XVIII "Sw. she knew and portrayed such undersized people living freely in rich parental homes and at the age of sixteen barely mastered the letter. Fonvizin endowed this traditional figure of noble life (especially provincial) with the generic features of the Prostakovo-Skotininsky “nest”. In the house of his parents, M. is the main "amusing person" and "entertainer", an inventor and a witness to all stories like the one that he dreamed of in a dream: how mother beat father. It is a textbook known how M. took pity on his mother, who was busy with the heavy duty of beating her father. M.'s day is marked by absolute idleness: fun in the dovecote, where M. escapes from lessons, is interrupted by Eremeevna, who begs the "child" to learn. Having blabbed to his uncle about his desire to marry, M. immediately hides behind Yeremeevna - "an old grunt", in his words - ready to lay down his life, but "child" "do not give out." M.’s boorish arrogance is akin to his mother’s manner of treating households and servants: “freak” and “rokhlya” - husband, “dog daughter” and “bad mug” - Eremeevna, “beast” - girl Palashka. If the intrigue of the comedy revolves around the marriage of M. to Sofya, longed for by the Prostakovs, then the plot is focused on the topic of education and teaching of an underage teenager. This is a traditional topic for educational literature. M.'s teachers were selected in accordance with the norm of the time and the level of understanding of their task by parents. Here, Fonvizin emphasizes the details that speak of the quality of choice, which is characteristic of the simpleton family: M. is taught in French by the German Vralman, the exact sciences are taught by retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, who “marks a little arithmetic”, grammar is taught by the “educated” seminarian Kuteikin, dismissed from "every doctrine" by permission of the consistory. Hence, in the well-known scene of the exam, M. - an outstanding invention of Mitrofan's ingenuity about the noun and adjective door, hence the intriguingly fabulous ideas about the story set forth by the cowgirl Khavronya. On the whole, the result was summed up by Mrs. Prostakova, who was convinced that "without science, people live and lived." The hero of Fonvizin is a teenager, almost a youth, whose character is stricken with a disease of dishonesty that spreads to every thought and every feeling inherent in him. He is unscrupulous in his attitude towards his mother, by whose efforts he exists in comfort and idleness, and whom he abandons at the moment when she needs his consolation. The comic robes of the image are funny only at first glance. V.O. Klyuchevsky attributed M. to the breed of creatures “related to insects and microbes”, characterizing this type with inexorable “reproducibility”. Thanks to the hero Fonvizin, the word "undergrowth" (previously neutral) became a household name for a loafer, lazybones and lazybones.

Mitrofanushka (Prostakov Mitrofan) is the son of the landowners Prostakovs. He is considered undersized, tk. He is 16 years old and has not reached the age of majority. Observing the decree of the king, Mitrofanushka studies. But he does it with great reluctance. He is distinguished by stupidity, ignorance and laziness (scenes with teachers).
Mitrofan is rude and cruel. He does not put his father in anything, mocks teachers and serfs. He takes advantage of the fact that his mother does not have a soul in him, and turns her around as she wants.
Mitrofan stopped in his development. Sophia says about him: “Although he is 16 years old, he has already reached the last degree of his perfection and will not go far.”
Mitrofan combines the features of a tyrant and a slave. When Prostakova's plan to marry her son to a rich pupil, Sofya, fails, the undergrowth behaves like a slave. He humbly asks for forgiveness and humbly accepts "his sentence" from Starodum - to go to serve ("For me, where they are told"). Slave upbringing was instilled in the hero, on the one hand, by the serf nanny Eremeevna, and, on the other hand, by the whole world of the Prostakovs-Skotinins, whose concepts of honor are perverted.
Through the image of Mitrofan, Fonvizin shows the degradation of the Russian nobility: from generation to generation, ignorance increases, and the rudeness of feelings reaches animal instincts. It is not for nothing that Skotinin calls Mitrofan "the damned ingot." The reason for such degradation is in the wrong, disfiguring upbringing.
The image of Mitrofanushka and the very concept of "undergrowth" has become a household word. Now they say that about ignorant and stupid people.

Mitrofan Terentyevich Prostakov (Mitrofanushka) - undergrowth, son of landowners Prostakov, 15 years old. The name "Mitrofan" means in Greek "manifested by his mother", "similar to his mother." It has become a household word for a stupid and arrogant ignorant sissy. Yaroslavl old-timers considered the prototype of the image of M. a certain barchuk who lived in the vicinity of Yaroslavl, as reported by L. N. Trefolev.

Fonvizin's comedy is a play about an undergrowth, about his monstrous upbringing, which turns a teenager into a cruel and lazy creature. The word "undergrowth" before Fonvizin's comedy did not carry negative semantics. Undergrowths were called teenagers under the age of fifteen, that is, the age determined by Peter I for entry into the service. In 1736, the period of stay in the "undergrowth" was extended to twenty years. The decree on the freedom of the nobility abolished the mandatory term of service and granted the nobles the right to serve or not to serve, but confirmed the compulsory education introduced under Peter I. Prostakova follows the law, although she does not approve of it. She also knows that many, including those in her family, circumvent the law. M. has been studying for four years, but Prostakova wants to keep him with her for ten years.

The plot of the comedy is based on the fact that Prostakova wants to marry the poor pupil Sophia for her brother Skotinin, but then, having learned about 10,000 rubles, the heiress of which Starodum made Sophia, decides not to miss the rich heiress. Skoti-nin doesn't want to give in. On this basis, between M. and Skotinin, between Prostakova and Skotinin, enmity arises, turning into ugly quarrels. M., set up by his mother, demands collusion, declaring: “The hour of my will has come. I don't want to study, I want to get married." But Prostakova understands that first you need to get the consent of Starodum. And for this it is necessary that M. appear in a favorable light: “While he is resting, my friend, at least for the sake of appearance, learn, so that it comes to his ears how you work, Mitrofanushka.” For her part, Prostakova in every possible way praises M.'s diligence, successes and her parental care for him, and although she knows for sure that M. has not learned anything, she nevertheless arranges an “exam” and encourages Starodum to evaluate the successes of her son (case 4, yavl. VIII). The lack of motivation for this scene (it is hardly appropriate to tempt fate and present the son in a bad light; it is also unclear how the illiterate Prostakova could appreciate M.'s knowledge and the pedagogical efforts of his teachers) is obvious; but it is important for Fonvizin to show that the ignorant landowner herself becomes a victim of her own deception and sets a trap for her son. After this farcical comedy scene, Prostakova, confident that she will push her brother back by force, and realizing that M. could not stand the test and comparison with Milon, decides to forcibly marry M. to Sophia; instructs him to get up at six o'clock, put "three servants in Sophia's bedroom, and two in the hallway to help" (d. 4, yavl. IX). To this M. replies: "Everything will be done." When Prostakova’s “conspiracy” fails, M., at first ready, after her mother, “to be taken for people” (d. 5, fig. III), then humbly asks for forgiveness, and then rudely pushes her mother away: “Get off, mother, how imposed itself” (case 5, yavl. last). Completely bewildered and having lost power over people, he now has to go through a new school of education (“Go serve,” Pravdin tells him), which he accepts with slavish obedience: “According to me, where they are told.” These last words of M. become a kind of illustration to the words of Starodum: “Well, what can come out of Mitrofanushka for the fatherland, for which ignorant parents also pay money to ignorant teachers? How many noble fathers who entrust the moral upbringing of their son to their serf slave! Fifteen years later, instead of one slave, two come out, an old uncle and a young master ”(d. 5, yavl. I).

The struggle for the hand of Sophia, making up the plot of the comedy, puts M. in the center of action. As one of the "imaginary" suitors, M. with his figure connects two worlds - the ignorant nobles, tyrants, the world of "malice" and the enlightened nobles, the world of good morals. These "camps" are extremely alienated from each other. Prostakova, Skotinin cannot understand Starodum, Pravdin and Milon (Prostakova says to Starodum in complete bewilderment: “God knows how you judge you now” - d. 4, phenom. VIII; M. cannot understand , which the same characters demand of him), and Sofya, Pravdin, Milon and Starodum perceive M. and his relatives with open contempt. The reason for this is a different upbringing. The natural nature of M. is distorted by upbringing, and therefore he is in sharp contradiction with the norms of behavior of a nobleman and with ethical ideas about a good-natured and enlightened person.
The author's attitude to M., as well as to other negative characters, is expressed in the form of a "monologue" self-exposure of the hero and in the replicas of positive characters. The rudeness of vocabulary betrays in him hardness of heart and evil will; ignorance of the soul leads to laziness, empty pursuits (chasing pigeons), gluttony. M. is the same tyrant at home as Prostakova. Like Prostakova, she does not consider her father, seeing him as an empty place, and treats teachers in every possible way. At the same time, he holds Prostakov in his hands and threatens to commit suicide if she does not protect him from Skotinin (“To wind here and the river is close. Dive, so remember your name” - d. 2, yavl. VI). M. knows neither love, nor pity, nor simple gratitude; in this respect he surpassed his mother. Prostakova lives for her son, M. for herself. Ignorance can progress from generation to generation; coarseness of feelings is reduced to purely animal instincts. Prostakov remarks with surprise: “It’s strange, brother, how relatives can resemble relatives. Our Mitrofanushka looks like an uncle. And he is a pig hunter from childhood, just like you. As he was for another three years, it used to happen, when he saw a pig, he would tremble with joy ”(d. 1, yavl. V). In the fight scene, Skotinin calls M. "damned ingot." With all his behavior and speeches, M. justifies the words of Starodum: “An ignoramus without a soul is a beast” (d. 3, yavl. I).

According to Starodum, there are three types of people: an enlightened smart girl; unenlightened, but possessing a soul; unenlightened and soulless. M., Prostakova and Skotinin belong to the latter variety. They seem to grow claws (see the scene of Skotinin’s quarrel with M. and the words of Eremeevna, as well as the fight between Prostakova and Skotinin, in which M.’s mother “pierced” Skotinin’s scruff), bearish strength appears (Skotinin says to Prostakova: “It will come to breaking , I will bend, so you will crack" - d. 3, yavl. III). Comparisons are taken from the animal world: “Have you heard that a bitch gave out her puppies?” Worse, M. stopped in its development and is then only capable of regression. Sophia says to Milon: “Although he is sixteen years old, he has already reached the last degree of his perfection and will not go far” (d. 2, yavl. II). The absence of family and cultural traditions turned into a triumph of "malice", and M. breaks even those "animal" ties that united him with his kindred circle.

In the face of M. Fonvizin brought out a peculiar type of tyrant slave: he is a slave of low passions, which turned him into a tyrant. The “slave” upbringing of M. in the narrow sense is connected with the “mother” Eremeevna, in the broad sense - with the world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins. In both cases, dishonorable concepts were instilled in M.: in the first, because Eremeevna was a serf, in the second, because the concepts of honor were perverted.

The image of M. (and the very concept of "undergrowth") became a household word. However, the educational idea of ​​the mechanistic dependence of human behavior on his upbringing was subsequently overcome. In The Captain's Daughter by Pushkin, Petrusha Grinev receives an education similar to M., but develops independently and behaves like an honest nobleman. Pushkin sees in M. something radical, Russian, charming, and with the help of the epigraph (“Mitrofan for me”) raises the narrator - and partly the characters - of “Belkin's Tales” to the hero of “Undergrowth”. The name "Mitrofan" is found in Lermontov ("Tambov Treasurer"). The satirical development of the image is given in the novel by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “Lords of Tashkent”.
Prostakova is the wife of Terenty Prostakov, mother of Mitrofan and sister of Taras Skotinin. The surname indicates both the simplicity, ignorance, lack of education of the heroine, and the fact that she falls into a mess.

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Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" is one of the best motivational works. With the help of the image of Mitrofan Prostakov, we can analyze and realize all the destructiveness of boundless blind parental love and permissiveness.

Character Description

Mitrofan Prostakov is not distinguished by outstanding qualities of character. In fact, this is a vivid example of ignorance (in any sense of it) and bad manners.

Excessive guardianship on the part of parents and permissiveness became the reason for the formation of a complex character.

At the age of 15, he is still considered a child - his parents forgive him a lot, motivating him with the fact that he is a child and will outgrow it.

Parents spoil their son - they believe that adult life is full of difficulties, and therefore it is necessary to arrange the period of childhood in such a way that it is the least carefree.

As a result, Mitrofan grows pampered and spoiled. However, he himself is not capable of good deeds or humanity - the young man constantly swears with peasants and teachers, is rude and cruel not only towards them, but also towards his parents.

Receiving no punishment for his actions, no rebuff, he only becomes more convinced of the correctness of his actions and continues to become more and more hardened.
Mitrofan is not interested in anything but marriage.

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He does not know how to find beauty and aesthetics in the world around him - nature, art. To some extent, he resembles an animal that is guided solely by basic instincts.

Mitrofan is a very lazy person, he likes the measured life of a parasite and sneak. He is not trying to achieve anything in life. Although, if desired, he can develop himself. It is worth noting that in general he is a smart person - Mitrofan realizes that he is incredibly stupid, but does not see this as a problem - the world is full of stupid people, so he can find a decent company for himself.

Attitude towards others

The story of Mitrofan Prostakov is a typical story about what happens when a person is guided by the motive of permissiveness and impunity from childhood. The young man's parents are overwhelmed with excessive love for their son, which is extremely destructive for him both as a person and as a unit of interpersonal relations, social communication.

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Mitrofan's parents did not attach importance to the peculiarities of their son's interaction with society, did not make adjustments and did not correct the son's mistakes that arose in communication with other people, which resulted in an extremely unfavorable picture.

In Mitrofan's mind, communication with a person begins with determining his position in society - if this is a significant, important person (an aristocrat), then the young man tries to meet the minimum etiquette standards, which is true and this is difficult for him. With a simple person, Mitrofan does not stand on ceremony at all.

Mitrofan's dismissive, rude attitude towards teachers is a common thing. Parents, again, do not interfere with their son, and therefore the situation develops into the plane of interpersonal relations as a whole. Mitrofan is allowed to be rude to other people (mostly people who are lower in social status, or those who are unable to fight back), while teachers and educators are forced to follow the rules of etiquette and treat their pupil politely.

So, for example, it is common for a young man to exclaim to a teacher in a similar way: “Give me a board, garrison rat! Ask what to write. As, however, and insulting appeals in the direction of his nanny: "old hrychovka."

As a result, a mother who is madly in love with her child also becomes the subject of rudeness. From time to time, Mitrofan reproaches his mother for being tired of her, blackmails her - he threatens to commit suicide, and on the whole successfully sums up his mother's efforts: "You lured me, blame yourself."

Attitude towards learning

While the bulk of the aristocracy tried to give the best education to their children, in the hope that this would allow their children to become successful in life, Mitrofan's parents teach their child, because it is impossible not to learn - the decree issued by Peter I obliges all aristocrats to teach their children in arithmetic, grammar, and the word of God.

The image of Mitrofan Prostakov for the modern reader seems not quite typical - in most cases, history and literature provide images of educated, although not always purposeful, aristocrats. The image of Prostakov seems out of the ordinary, however, if you think about it, you can come to the conclusion that this is not so. This fact is confirmed by historical documents (the decree of Peter I on the compulsory education of the nobles) - if the situation with ignorance were not common, then it would hardly have found its reflection in official documents.

Mitrofan's parents are not educated people - their knowledge is based on life experience, in general they do not see the point in education and consider science a forced measure, a tribute to fashion. This attitude of the parents, in particular the mother, provoked a feeling of the uselessness of education in the eyes of Mitrofan.

Prostakov's parents could not convey to him the idea of ​​the need for education and the prospects that open up for an educated person, and in fact they could not do it - Mitrofan's mother considered education an evil, a necessity that must be experienced. From time to time she adds fuel to the fire, voicing her true attitude to learning: “My friend, at least for the sake of appearance, study so that it comes to his ears how you work!”.

In other words, the mother in no way condemns her son for his negligent behavior in the field of education and training, which further convinces Mitrofan that this whole process is useless and unnecessary, and is carried out exclusively “for show”.

This attitude led to another problem - a violent negative attitude towards the learning process itself and towards teachers.

For several years of study, Mitrofan could not advance one iota, and therefore he still walks in “undergrowth” - due to insufficient knowledge, the young man cannot receive documents proving his education, but his parents are of little concern.

For four years of learning to read and write, Mitrofan still reads by syllables, reading new texts for him still seems to be an unsolvable task, and with those already familiar, things are not going to be much better - Mitrofan constantly makes mistakes.

With arithmetic, things also do not look optimistic - for several years of study, Mitrofan mastered only counting up to three.

The only place where Mitrofan excelled was in French. His teacher, the German Vralman, speaks rather flatteringly about his student, but in this case the matter is not in Mitrofan's exceptional predisposition to learning languages, but in Vralman's ability to deceive - Adam Adamovich not only successfully hides the true position of the level of knowledge of his student, but also deceives the Prostakovs, posing as a teacher - Vralman himself does not know French, but, taking advantage of the stupidity of the Prostakovs, he successfully creates an appearance.

As a result, Mitrofan turns out to be a hostage of the situation - on the one hand, his parents do not see the point in education, and gradually instill this position in their son. On the other hand, stupid, poorly educated teachers, by virtue of their knowledge, cannot teach a young man anything. At a time when the situation with teachers of arithmetic and grammar looks at the level of "difficult, but possible" - neither Kuteikin nor Tsyfirkin have exceptional knowledge, but they still have the bulk of knowledge, the situation with Vralman looks completely catastrophic - a man who doesn't know French, teaches French.

Thus, Mitrofan Prostakov is a person with an insignificant soul, petty desires, limited to the carnal, animal satisfaction of his needs, who has reached the limit in his moral and spiritual development. Paradoxically, having the opportunity, Mitrofan does not seek to realize his potential, but, on the contrary, burns his life in vain. He finds a certain charm in laziness and parasitism and does not consider this a flaw.

The image and characteristics of Mitrofanushka in Fonvizin's "Undergrowth": description of Mitrofan Prostakov

One of the main characters of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin is Prostakov Mitrofan Terentyevich, the noble son of the Prostakovs.
The name Mitrofan means “similar”, similar to the mother. Maybe with this name Mrs. Prostakova wanted to show that her son is a reflection of Prostakova herself.
Mitrofanushka was sixteen years old, but his mother did not want to part with her child and wanted to keep her until the age of twenty-six, not letting him go to work.
Mrs. Prostakova herself was stupid, insolent, impolite, and therefore did not listen to anyone's opinion.
“While Mitrofan is still in the undergrowth, while he is to be married; and there, in ten years, when he enters, God forbid, into the service, endure everything.
Mitrofanushka himself has no purpose in life, he only loved to eat, mess around and chase pigeons: “I’ll run to the dovecote now, so maybe either ...” To which his mother replied: “Go, frolic, Mitrofanushka.”
Mitrofan did not want to study, his mother hired teachers for him only because it was necessary in noble families, and not so that her son would learn the mind - the mind. As he told his mother: “Listen, mother. I amuse you. I will learn; just make sure it's the last one. The hour of washing the will has come. I don’t want to study, I want to get married” And Mrs. Prostakova always echoed him: “It’s very nice for me that Mitrofanushka doesn’t like to step forward, With his mind, let him sweep far, and God forbid! Only you are tormented, and everything, I see, is emptiness. Don't study this stupid science!"
The worst qualities of character, the most backward views on science characterize such young nobles as Mitrofan. He is also unusually lazy.
Mrs. Prostakova herself did not look for a soul in Mitrofanushka. Fonvizin understood the unreasonableness of her blind, animal love for her offspring, Mitrofan, a love that, in essence, destroys her son. Mitrofan ate himself to the point of colic in his stomach, and his mother tried to persuade him to eat more. The nanny said: “He already ate five buns, mother.” To which Prostakova replied: “So you feel sorry for the sixth, you beast.” These words show concern for the son. She tried to provide him with a carefree future, decided to marry him to a rich wife. If someone offends her son, she immediately comes to the defense. Mitrofanushka was one of her consolations.
Mitrofan treated his mother with disdain: “Yes! Just look what a task is from uncle: and there from his fists and for the watch book “What, what do you want to do? Come to your senses, darling!” “Vit here and the river is close. I’ll dive, and remember your name.” “Dead! God is dead with you!”: these words prove that he does not love at all and he does not feel sorry for his own mother at all, Mitrofan does not respect her and plays on her feelings. And when Prostakova, who has lost power, rushes to her son with the words: You are the only one left with me, my heartfelt friend, Mitrofanushka! ". And in response he hears a heartless: “Yes, get rid of you, mother, how you imposed yourself.” “The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes.” “What kind of rubbish Mitrofanushka?”. “Yes, then you, mother, then father.”
Prostakov was afraid of his wife and in her presence he spoke of his son as follows: “At least I love him as a parent, this is a smart child, that is a reasonable, amusing, entertainer; sometimes I am beside myself with joy, I myself truly do not believe that he is my son, ”and added, looking at his wife:“ In your eyes, mine do not see anything.
Taras Skotinin, looking at everything that was happening, repeated: “Well, Mitrofanushka, I see you are a mother’s son, not a father!” And Mitrofan turned to his uncle: “What are you, uncle, overeating with henbane? Get out, uncle, get out."
Mitrofan was always rude to his mother and snapped at her. Although Eremeevna did not receive a penny for raising a minor, she tried to teach him good things, defended him from his uncle: “I will die on the spot, but I will not give the child away. Sunsya, sir, just show yourself if you please. I'll scratch out those thorns." I tried to make a decent person out of him: “Yes, teach at least a little.” “Well, say another word, you old bastard! I'll finish them off; I will again complain to my mother, so she will deign to give you a task in yesterday's way. Of all the teachers, only the German Adam Adamych Vralman praised Mitrofanushka, and even then because of the fact that Prostakov was not angry with him and scolded. The rest of the teachers openly scolded him. For example, Tsyfirkin: “Your nobility is always idle toil, if you please.” And Mitrofan snapped: “Well! Come on board, garrison rat! Get your asses back." “All asses, your honor. We’ll be left with tasks a century behind. ” Mitrofan's dictionary is small and poor. “Shoot them with Yeremeevna too”: this is how he spoke about his teachers and nanny.
Mitrofan was ill-bred, a rude, spoiled child, whom everyone around obeyed and obeyed, he also had freedom of speech in the house. Mitrofan was sure that the people around him should help him, give advice. Mitrofan had an inflated self-esteem.
No matter how smart and hardworking a person is, there is a particle of such Mitrofanushka in him. Every person is sometimes lazy. There are also people who try to live only at the expense of their parents, without doing anything themselves. Of course, many depend on the upbringing of children by parents.
To people like Mitrofan, I am neither good nor bad. I just try to avoid talking to people like that. In general, I think that such people should try to help with their difficulties and problems. We need to reason with him, make him learn. If such a person does not want to improve himself, studies and studies, but, on the contrary, remains stupid and spoiled, treats his elders disrespectfully, then for the rest of his life he will remain undersized and ignorant.