- Essays
- On literature
- Pushkin
- Comparative characteristics of Grinev and Shvabrin
In the story "The Captain's Daughter" Pushkin refers to the times of Pugachev's uprising. Against the background of the events in which the characters find themselves, the author shows the clash of moral principles of the main characters. It is not for nothing that the epigraph of the story is wisdom - take care of honor from a young age.
The main characters of the story are two young officers Pyotr Grinev and Alexey Shvabrin. They came to serve in the fortress for various reasons. Grinev was sent by his father to “sniff gunpowder,” and Shvabrin was transferred to the garrison of the fortress as punishment for “murder” in a duel.
At first glance, they have a lot in common. Both officers, of noble origin, are educated, love poetry and literature. They are not indifferent to Masha Mironova, the captain's daughter.
In courting Masha, different characters of the heroes appear. Shvabrin, having received a refusal from Masha, tries to do everything to prevent her and Grinev from being together. He laughs at Peter's poems and speaks about Masha in an insulting tone. Wanting to eliminate his opponent, he challenges Grinev to a duel. Peter, without hesitation, agrees, he wants to protect the good name of his beloved girl. During the duel between them, Shvabrin’s baseness and meanness again manifest themselves. He treacherously stabs him in the back with his sword when Grinev turns to Savelich’s shout. After recovery, Peter shows generosity and forgives Shvabrin.
They have different attitudes towards military duty and officer honor. In the climactic scenes, when the rebels capture the fortress, Shvabrin, having betrayed his oath, goes over to their side. He fawns over Pugachev and begs for forgiveness.
Grinev faces the choice of swearing allegiance to Pugachev or dying. Peter values the honor of an officer and betrayal for him is equal to death. He answers questions with dignity and refuses to kiss the impostor's hand. Pugachev recognizes him as the master who gave him the hare sheepskin coat at their first meeting and cancels the execution. In subsequent events, Pugachev will help Grinev out more than once, seeing his firmness of views, honor and nobility.
The courage and courage of one and the vile soul of the second hero manifest themselves during the liberation of Masha from the fortress. Shvabrin, taking advantage of Grinev’s absence, puts Masha “under guard” and forces her to marry him. Having learned about this, Peter, at the risk of his life, rushes to the rescue. He turns to Pugachev for help. Only Emelyan’s respectful attitude towards Grinev helps Masha escape.
At the end of the story, both heroes appear before the tribunal. Grinev, thanks to Masha’s courage and determination, is acquitted, and the traitor Shvabrin is sentenced to death.
For Grinev, the honor of an officer and a nobleman is the meaning of life. The cynical and soulless Shvabrin lives by the principles of lies and meanness. The author gives these two different characteristics to his heroes.
Pushkin, using the example of the destinies of Shvabrin and Grinev, shows the doom of people who have lost honor and conscience, and the happy future of those who have retained human dignity!
Option 2
The historical novel, which tells about the episodes of the Pugachev uprising of 1773-1775, tells not only about the events of the past, but also describes the real stories of people against the backdrop of the peasant war.
At the center of the work are two officers, Grinev and Shvabrin, with completely opposite views and characters. Based on their destinies, the reader draws a conclusion about the true essence of human dignity and honor.
Pyotr Grinev was brought up in a noble family, his parents were poor, and he grew up “underage.” Shvabrin was well brought up, smart, harsh, but frivolous. In Grinev’s upbringing one can notice features of a traditional character, and Alexey Ivanovich appears in the role of the “golden youth” of that time.
Shvabrin is the antagonist of the main character. They obey different rules, look at life differently, and their behavior is also different. Even two young officers ended up serving in the Belogorsk fortress for different reasons. Peter was sent by his father to “smell gunpowder,” and Shvabrin was exiled for murder.
Both heroes are in love with Masha Mironova, the captain’s daughter, but they show their feelings differently from each other. Grinev is ready to do anything for the sake of his beloved. In order to save the girl’s life, he has to let her go. Shvabrin forcibly tried to marry her to himself, kept her in her room and starved her to death. Well, what kind of love is this?
Pyotr Grinev is a man of duty, remains true to himself and his people to the end, ready to die rather than take the side of the enemy. Shvabrin, in order to save his life, betrays his comrades and the empress. He has no sense of duty and conscience. He humiliates himself in front of Pugachev, asks for forgiveness, and Grinev behaves with dignity, as befits a real officer and nobleman.
Pyotr Grinev is a brave and devoted officer who knows how to love and appreciate love, a noble and honest person. His positive qualities manifest themselves even in the most difficult life situations. Shvabrin is a traitor and a scoundrel who does not care about the fate of his people and is only shaking for his life. The main thing for him is to achieve his goal at all costs.
At the end of the novel, both heroes stand trial. The court acquits the honest officer, but sentences the traitor to death. The heroes have different paths and, accordingly, different fates.
Alexey Shvabrin
In comparison with Grinev, what is the behavior of this character? Why is he considered Peter's antagonist? If the main character of the story ends up serving in a fortress with a good reputation, by the decision of his father, then Shvabrin is here as if in some kind of exile, because his biography is far from ideal. Everyone knew that Alexey was exiled here because of a duel in which he killed a man. This fact already leaves a certain imprint on the perception of Shvabrin’s personality.
Alexey’s behavior towards Masha Mironova is also unworthy. Once he wooed her, but was refused. Shvabrin could not forgive this and began to take revenge. At first, he says a lot of unflattering words about the girl to Peter, who has just arrived at the fortress. Later he ridicules Grinev’s poems about Masha. Shvabrin does not think that he is acting immorally, rudely and cynically hurting the feelings of a person who considered him his friend. He also openly hints to Peter that Masha is only interested in profit, she needs expensive gifts, and not some sublime feelings set out on paper. This characterizes Shvabrin as a person:
- vengeful;
- evil;
- deceitful.
He also behaves disgustingly in his duel with Grinev. Alexey commits meanness. Taking advantage of the fact that Peter turned away at Savelich’s shout, Shvabrin strikes the young man. This is a disgusting act. Such an action can only characterize a coward and a scoundrel, and not a real man.
When the rebels break into the fortress, Shvabrin joins them without hesitation. He is so afraid of reprisals that he easily goes over to Pugachev’s side, forgetting about the oath given to the empress. If you compare him with Grinev, then he is a different person: without principles, honor and conscience.
Appointed by Pugachev as the new commandant of the fortress, Shvabrin tries by force to get Masha’s consent to marry him . He is cruel to the heroine, locking her up and starving her. He has no pity or sympathy for anyone. Also, this behavior suggests that Shvabrin has no emotional attachment - he is driven by selfishness.
It is also worth remembering his letter to the father of Peter Grinev. Having learned that Masha is going to marry a young officer, out of revenge and anger Shvabrin writes to the retired major about his son’s unworthy behavior in the fortress and his mistaken choice of a bride. Alexey is outright lying. In short, his letter influenced the opinion of Andrei Petrovich, who opposed his son’s marriage to an unworthy girl.
Fortunately, justice still prevailed: Masha was received with love and warmth by Peter’s parents.
Essay Comparative characteristics of Grinev and Shvabrin
In the work of A. S. Pushkin “The Captain's Daughter” the events take place in the 18th century. The events take place in Russia, where there is an uprising, and the rebels are actively involved.
The main characters of this work are Pyotr Grinev and Alexey Shvabrin. These two young officers are completely different, although they have common interests and are even in love with the same girl, Masha Mironova. The young people are friends with each other; they are united by a love of poetry and literature. Despite the fact that Shvabrin and Grinev are friends, they have different principles and moral principles.
When Masha Mironova refuses Shvabrin, he begins to behave in a bad way. Alexey insults the girl in every possible way and discredits her good name. The attitude towards her family is also changing, Shvabrin behaves low and mean. In this situation, Grinev behaved very honorably and tried to restore Masha’s honest name. He really liked Mironova, and he defended her in every possible way from the attacks of Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin. Pyotr Grinev even challenges the girl’s offender to a duel. Shvabrin agrees, but again acts very meanly towards his opponent. He waits for an opportune moment and sneakily wounds Grinev.
When the uprisings led by Pugachev began, the families of these two heroes were in mortal danger. He invited the officers to renounce the oath and go over to their side. In such a difficult life situation, Peter behaves like an officer worthy of respect. He refuses Pugachev’s offer and is not going to betray his oath, but rather defends his principles.
Shvabrin, on the contrary, easily refuses the oath to this empress and goes over to Pugachev’s side. Thus, Alexey Ivanovich becomes a traitor and does not even think about the consequences. After some time, because of Alexei Shvabrin, the same Masha Mironova ends up in prison. The girl is at a loss what to do now. Peter Grinev appears in her life again and helps the girl get out of captivity. Pugachev is very surprised by Grinev’s courage and bravery and even admires such an act. Thanks to this, the young man saves himself and his beloved girl Masha. Grinev and Masha Mironova receive life and freedom, and Shvabrin is branded a traitor. After receiving the mark of a traitor, Pugachev believes that each of these two got what they deserve.
Pushkin writes about two young people who have a good education and both come from noble families. The friendship between them is a little strange, because the principled and noble Grinev is friends with the vile and low man Shvabrin. Alexey Shvabrin interferes with his friend in every possible way and even slanders his friend. Grinev writes poetry and reads it to his friends. Shvabrin laughs at Grinev and his work. Alexey even slandered his friend to his parents.
Pushkin draws a line between them. Handsome, principled and fair Pyotr Grinev, who lives by the principle “Take care of honor from a young age” and Alexey Shvabrin is ready to give at any second. Shvabrin does not know what honor and dignity are, but only worries about himself and his own skin.
Grinev is a true nobleman and always adheres to honor. Shvabrin is simply called a nobleman and acts basely. Pushkin describes two such different people. He writes that you can emerge victorious from all life situations. The main thing in every situation is to remain a worthy person. Everyone in this work got what they deserved. Grinev reciprocated his love with Masha Mironova and showed himself to be a worthy person. Shvabrin turned out to be a very mean and envious person. His anger ruined his life. He was awarded, not with a medal, but with the mark of a traitor.
Petr Grinev
This young man is the main character of The Captain's Daughter. He is the son of a retired major and was educated at home. Andrei Petrovich Grinev raised his child strictly from an early age, instilling in him clear moral guidelines. He also considered military service to be the best school for developing a masculine character, so he enrolled his son in the regiment in advance.
Before sending Petrusha to the fortress, Grinev Sr. admonished him with an old Russian proverb: “Take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor from a young age.” Such advice was fully consistent with the spirit of the retired major, who for many years served his Fatherland with faith and truth. It is worth noting that raising my father was not in vain. Andrei Petrovich raised a wonderful son and a true patriot.
Grinev tried to live up to his parent’s expectations and not disgrace his family name . He was imbued with his father’s ideas; they became his internal code of honor, which under no circumstances could be violated. But still, the ardor and gambling characteristic of a young age let Peter down at one point. Zurin, taking advantage of the young man’s inexperience and gullibility, beat Grinev at cards. The debt had to be repaid, my conscience tormented me, but an important lesson was learned.
Gambling and any vicious passions were alien to Peter’s nature. He was a well-mannered young man. Therefore, Peter drew conclusions from what happened and did not get involved in similar stories in the future.
But the hero eradicated some naivety and ignorance from himself a little later. Because of the words of Shvabrin, who spoke of Masha Mironova as a narrow-minded girl, Grinev at first treated her with prejudice and assessed her through the prism of a formed negative opinion. But upon further communication, Peter realized that before him was a pure, well-mannered and sincere nature. This was another lesson for the young man: you should not give in to the opinions of dubious people , you need to trust only your own eyes and ears, and also listen to the voice of your heart.
His appearance can be described with the following quotes from the work: “... with a dark and extremely ugly face, but extremely lively...”, “... his hair, recently black as pitch...”.
Basic character traits
What qualities did Peter Grinev have? The name and surname of the main character were chosen by the writer consciously. This was done in order to show the reader the merits of the young man’s character:
- Peter, translated from ancient Greek, means “block, cliff.” This is a direct allusion to the resilience of Grinev’s character, the inviolability of his moral principles. The story that happened to the young officer will prove his firmness of conviction and loyalty to his word.
- The hero bears the last name Grinev. It can be assumed that it goes back to the abbreviation for the name Grigory - Grinya. This is an affectionate word filled with homely warmth. What did the author want to say here? Peter is a good young man to whom other people are drawn; he can be trusted as the closest and dearest person. He will never let you down or betray you.
It is also worth mentioning the complex work of A.S. Pushkin on this image. The main character has undergone significant changes in comparison with the writer's original plan. Previously, he was an ambiguous character, combining negative and positive qualities.
The writer also allowed Grinev to go over to Pugachev’s side. As a result, Pushkin created the embodiment of honor and conscience in the image of this character.
Love line and attitude towards others
Grinev is a sincere young man. When he takes a liking to the daughter of Captain Mironov, he begins to write poetry. Perhaps Grinev was not a natural poet of genius, but his sensitivity and sincerity, reflected in the lines written at the will of his heart, were captivating and touching. Peter wanted to please his beloved, make her smile, and express his feelings in a creative form. It deserves respect.
Kindness, even towards a stranger, is also characteristic of Grinev . Finding themselves in a snowstorm, Peter and Savelich were able to get out only thanks to a man who happened to be on their way. In gratitude for saving him from death, Grinev gave the stranger a sheepskin coat. Then the young man did not know that he was kind to Emelyan Pugachev, the leader of the uprising. It is worth noting that this random episode in Peter’s life turned out to be fateful: Pugachev appreciated Grinev’s kindness , later pardoned him and even helped him.
Peter truly lives up to the name given to him. He behaves like a block, like a rock, when the rebels break into the fortress. The young man sees that people led by Pugachev behave arrogantly and cruelly. He watches the scene of the execution of Captain Mironov, who refuses to go over to the side of the troublemakers.
Peter understands perfectly well that the same fate awaits him. He openly and simply indicates his position when talking with the leader of the uprising. Grinev says honestly that he took the oath to the empress and will remain true to his word, even if for this he has to hang next to the inhabitant of the fortress, Captain Mironov.
The hero’s words, spoken so honestly and so firmly, touched Pugachev, so he pardoned and released the young man. Moreover, the troublemaker remembered Peter’s noble and sincere deed.
Saving the lady of the heart
Peter is incredibly brave and daring in the episodes of the story dedicated to saving Masha. Grinev does not find understanding from his leadership, so he decides, one might say, to illegally return to the Belogorsk fortress in order to rescue the girl from Shvabrin’s captivity. Peter is not afraid of the possible punishment; he is driven by the desire to help Masha.
A little earlier, the young man no less fiercely defended the girl’s honor in a duel with Shvabrin . Peter could not tolerate the ironic and offensive words of his former friend addressed to the captain’s daughter. He loved and protected his lady love from adversity so much that during his arrest he did not give the true reason for his excommunication from service. Peter did not want to involve the girl in this story. Fortunately, the daughter of Captain Mironov was also decisive and courageous: she achieved pardon for Grinev from the Empress, who was sincerely inspired by the young lady’s story.
It is worth drawing a conclusion about Grinev’s character traits. Peter is the voice of conscience, an example of nobility and firmness of moral principles. He remains true to himself and his word to the end. Even the threat of life and violence does not affect its indestructibility.
He is not afraid to die at the hands of the rebels; his main task is not to betray his own convictions, not to soil himself with unworthy actions.
Appearance
The characterization of Shvabrin from “The Captain’s Daughter” should be sought in the text of the work itself. What does the author say about his character? The characterization of Shvabrin from “The Captain’s Daughter” begins with a description of his appearance.
For the first time, Pyotr Grinev hears about this man at dinner at the Mironovs’ house. Shvabrin has been in the fortress for five years now. He was sent here for murder, which resulted from a duel. The young officer learns about this from Vasilisa Yegorovna, one of the heroines of the story “The Captain's Daughter.” In the characterization of Shvabrin, such a detail from his biography plays an important role.
He is short, dark, and extremely ugly. Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin has a lively face, he is witty, and knows how to create a pleasant impression. He is by no means stupid, as the main character is convinced of already on the day he meets the officer. Shvabrin gladly tells Grinev about the inhabitants of the fortress; he describes the commandant’s family and local traditions. A more complete description of Shvabrin in the story “The Captain's Daughter” is in the description of the culminating events, namely the capture of the fortress. But before we talk about how Shvabrin perceived Pugachev’s attack, it is worth mentioning Masha. Or rather, about the hero’s attitude towards the captain’s daughter. A brief description of Shvabrin is given by the author in the third chapter. He is a slanderer, an intriguer, an envious person.
