Essay by Inga Kuznetsova “Why Mitrofanushka became an undergrowth”
I read D.I. Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor.” Written in 1781, it remains to this day an unsurpassed masterpiece of Russian drama of the 18th century. The comedy clearly describes what laziness and extreme love of parents leads to. In the comedy, the undergrowth is Mitrofan, an adult young man who obeys his mother in everything. Mitrofan is an illiterate, ill-mannered young man who loves to eat delicious food. In the Prostakov family, the main one is Mrs. Prostakova, a powerful, uneducated, extremely flattering woman. She believes that people should respect her because she is a noblewoman and she does not need to be an educated person. Mitrofan's father is a timid, submissive, uneducated man. For him, as his wife said, this is how it should be. Mitrofan's upbringing conditions were very good. He lived in a rich family, his parents doted on him, allowed him everything, fed him for slaughter, which sometimes made him feel sick. The teachers taught him personally and came to his home, but this was of little use, since by the age of sixteen Mitrofan only knew a noun and an adjective. Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin were not teachers by profession and, most likely, simply could not correctly present knowledge to Mitrofan. The second reason was Vralman - a big suck-up who always disrupted the classes of Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin. As soon as the lesson began, Vralman suddenly appeared from somewhere, waving his arms and shouting: “Ay, ah, ah! They want to kill the child! You are my mother! To which Prostakova finished the lesson and dismissed the teachers. Society is no less to blame for the illiteracy of the population, for the fact that it could not interest people in studying and could not show more attention to people like Mitrofanushka. That’s why they don’t have the temperament, they are not ready for life in society. Most likely, he will simply repeat the life of his father, but this is not a fact; not all women are tolerant and hardy, and no woman needs a husband who doesn’t know how to do anything. Who is to blame for the fact that there are more and more people like Mitrofan? Upbringing, parents, society that raised such people. And, of course, the man himself. If he doesn't want to study, no one will force him.
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Mitrofanushka MITROFANUSHKA is the hero of the comedy by D.I. Fonvizin “Nedorosl” (1781), a sixteen-year-old teenager (minor), the only son of Mrs. Prostakova, his mother’s darling and the favorite of the servants. M. as a literary type was not Fonvizin’s discovery. Russian literature of the late 18th century. knew and portrayed such teenagers, living freely in rich parental homes and barely able to read and write at the age of sixteen. Fonvizin endowed this traditional figure of noble life (especially provincial) with the generic features of the Prostakov-Skotinin “nest”. In his parents’ house, M. is the main “funny man” and “entertainer”, the inventor and witness of all the stories like the one he saw in his dream: how his mother beat his father. It is well known how M. took pity on his mother, who was busy with the difficult task of beating her father. M.'s day is marked by absolute idleness: fun in the dovecote, where M. is saving himself from lessons, is interrupted by Eremeevna, begging the “child” to learn. Having blabbed to his uncle about his desire to get married, M. immediately hides behind Eremeevna - “an old bastard,” in his words, who is ready to lay down his life, but “can’t give it away to the “child.” M.’s boorish arrogance is akin to his mother’s manner of treating household members and servants: “freak” and “weeper” - the husband, “dog’s daughter” and “nasty mug” - Eremeevna, “beast” - the girl Palashka. If the intrigue of the comedy revolves around the marriage of M. to Sophia, desired by the Prostakovs, then the plot is focused on the theme of the upbringing and teaching of a teenage underage. This is a traditional theme for educational literature. M.'s teachers were selected in accordance with the time standard and the parents' level of understanding of their task. Here Fonvizin emphasizes details that speak of the quality of choice characteristic of the simpleton family: M. is taught French by the German Vralman, exact sciences are taught by retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, who “speaks a little of arithmetic,” and grammar by the “educated” seminarian Kuteikin, who was fired from “all teaching” by permission of the consistory. Hence, in the famous exam scene, M. is an outstanding invention of Mitrofan’s ingenuity about the noun and adjective door, hence the intriguingly fabulous ideas about the story recounted by the cowgirl Khavronya. In general, the result was summed up by Mrs. Prostakova, who is convinced that “people live and have lived without science.” Fonvizin's hero is a teenager, almost a youth, whose character is affected by the disease of dishonesty, spreading to every thought and every feeling inherent in him. He is dishonest in his attitude towards his mother, through whose efforts he exists in comfort and idleness and whom he abandons at the moment when she needs his consolation. The comic clothes of the image are funny only at first glance. V.O. Klyuchevsky classified M. as a breed of creatures “related to insects and microbes,” characterizing this type with inexorable “reproduction.” Thanks to the hero Fonvizin, the word “minor” (formerly neutral) became a common noun for a quitter, a loafer and a lazy person.
Mitrofanushka (Prostakov Mitrofan) is the son of the landowners Prostakovs. It is considered an undergrowth because he is 16 years old and has not reached the age of majority. Following the tsar's decree, Mitrofanushka studies. But he does this with great reluctance. He is characterized by stupidity, ignorance and laziness (scenes with teachers). Mitrofan is rude and cruel. He does not value his father at all, mocks teachers and serfs. He takes advantage of the fact that his mother dotes on him and spins her around as she wants. Mitrofan stopped in his development. Sophia says about him: “Even though he is 16 years old, he has already reached the last degree of his perfection and will not go further.” Mitrofan combines the traits of a tyrant and a slave. When Prostakova's plan to marry her son to a rich pupil, Sophia, fails, the undergrowth behaves like a slave. He humbly asks for forgiveness and humbly accepts “his sentence” from Starodum - to go serve (“For me, wherever they tell you”). 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 Prostakov-Skotinins, whose concepts of honor are distorted. Through the image of Mitrofan, Fonvizin shows the degradation of the Russian nobility: from generation to generation, ignorance increases, and the coarseness of feelings reaches animal instincts. No wonder Skotinin calls Mitrofan “damned pig.” The reason for such degradation is an incorrect, disfiguring upbringing. The image of Mitrofanushka and the very concept of “minor” have become a household word. Nowadays they say this about ignorant and stupid people.
Writer and playwright D.I. Fonvizin, whose comedy “The Brigadier” never left the stage, was compared to Moliere. Therefore, the play “The Minor,” staged on the stage of the Moscow Medox Theater on May 14, 1783, was also a huge success.
One of the main characters of this comedy was Prostakov Mitrofan Terentyevich, the son of the Prostakovs, simply Mitrofanushka.
As soon as the name of the comedy “Undergrown” is pronounced, the image of a mama’s boy, a quitter and a stupid ignoramus immediately appears in the imagination. Before this comedy, the word “minor” did not carry an ironic meaning. During the time of Peter I, this was the name given to noble teenagers who had not reached the age of 15. After the play appeared, this word became a household word.
The main character himself, Mitrofanushka, is devoid of any purpose in life. The main activities in life that he enjoys are: eating, lazing around and chasing pigeons. His idleness is encouraged by his mother. “Go and have some fun, Mitrofanushka,” is how she answers her son when he is about to go chase pigeons.
A sixteen-year-old boy at that time was supposed to go to service at this age, but his mother did not want to let him go. She wanted to keep him with her until she was 26 years old.
Prostakova doted on her son, loved her with a blind maternal love, which only harmed him: Mitrofanushka ate until his stomach hurt, and Prostakova tried to persuade him to eat more. The nanny said to this that he already ate five pieces of pies. And Prostakova answered: “So you feel sorry for the sixth one.”
When Mitrofanushka was offended, she came to his defense, and he was her only consolation. Everything was done only for the sake of her son, even in order to provide him with a carefree future, she decided to marry him to a rich bride.
She tried not to bother him with anything, not even with his studies. It was customary for noble families to hire teachers. And Prostakova hired teachers for him, but not so that he could learn intelligence, but it was just the way it was supposed to be. The names of the teachers spoke for themselves: the German coachman Vralman, the retired soldier Tsyfirkin, the half-educated seminarian Kuteikin. Mitrofan did not want to study and told his mother: “Listen, mother. I'll amuse you. I'll study; just let this be the last time. The hour of my will has come. I don’t want to study, I want to get married.” And Prostakova agreed with him, because she herself was illiterate and stupid. “It’s only torment for you, but everything, I see, is emptiness. Don’t learn this stupid science!”
All his relatives irritated Mitrofanushka, he did not love anyone - neither his father, nor his uncle. The nanny, who did not receive money for raising Mitrofan and always protected him from his uncle, tried to teach him something. She persuaded him: “Yes, teach at least a little.” Mitrofan answered her: “Well, say another word, you old bastard! I’ll finish them off, I’ll complain to my mother again, so she’ll deign to give you a task about yesterday.” Nobody's worries bothered him. This hero combined in himself the worst qualities of the young nobles of that time.
All the mother's concerns about her son did not find an answer. Mitrofanushka treated his mother with disdain. He did not respect her at all and played on her feelings: His words: “The river is here and the river is close. I’ll dive in, just remember what my name was,” or “All night, such rubbish was in my eyes. -What rubbish, Mitrofanushka? “Yes, either you, mother, or father,” prove this.
Even at a difficult moment for the mother, the son refuses her. “You are the only one left with me, my dear friend,” with these words Prostakova rushes to her son. She seems to be looking for support in the only person close to her. Mitrofan indifferently throws out: “Go away, mother, how you imposed yourself.”
His mother's upbringing and the environment in which Mitrofan Prostakov lived made him a heartless, stupid animal who only knows what to eat and have fun. The thoughts instilled in Mitrofan by his mother that lying on his side could get both ranks and money fell on fertile ground. We can conclude that Mitrofan, if his fate had turned out the way his mother intended, would not have disgraced his “surname.”
It seems to me that the meaning of this comedy is the playwright’s protest against the Prostakovs and Skotinins. There should be as few such inhumane, rude, stupid people as possible. They should not constitute the majority of society. I share the writer's point of view.
The eighteenth century gave Russian (and world, of course) literature many outstanding names and talented figures. One of them is Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin, writer and playwright. Most people know him as the author of the comedy “The Minor.” How was the author’s most famous work created, who did he base his characters on, and what is special about one of the play’s heroes, Mitrofanushka?
Denis Fonvizin
Before talking about the comedy itself, it is necessary to at least briefly say about its author. Denis Fonvizin did not live too long (only forty-seven years), but a bright life. Most people know him only as the person who wrote “The Minor,” while he wrote the play “The Brigadier,” many translations and adaptations, treatises and essays.
Despite the fact that he wrote only two plays (and after “The Brigadier” he did not turn to drama for more than ten years), it was Fonvizin who is the “progenitor” of the so-called Russian everyday comedy.
“Minor” by Fonvizin: history of creation
Despite the fact that “The Minor” was completed by the writer and politician in the early eighties, there is reason to believe that Fonvizin conceived his satirical “comedy of manners” back in the sixties: it was to this time that the play dates back to during the author's life it was never published. Its characters can be called early prototypes of the heroes of “The Minor”: in each of them familiar features are easily discernible.
While working on the comedy, Denis Ivanovich used a huge variety of sources - both articles and works of various authors (both modern and past centuries), and even texts written by Catherine the Great herself. Having finished work on “The Minor,” Fonvizin, of course, decided to stage the play, although he understood that it would be difficult to do so - the abundance of new ideas and bold statements blocked the work’s path to a wide audience. Nevertheless, he himself took up the preparation of the performance and, albeit slowly, although with all sorts of delays, “The Minor” was released in the theater on Tsaritsyn Meadow and received phenomenal success with the audience. This happened in 1782, and a year later the play was published for the first time.
Who is this little guy?
Many people are genuinely puzzled by the title of the work. In fact, why - an undergrowth? What kind of word is this anyway? It's simple. In the eighteenth century (and it was then that Denis Fonvizin lived and worked), a young man of noble (that is, noble) origin who did not receive an education was called a “minor.” A lazy, stupid person, incapable of anything - that’s what a lowlife is. Such young men could not get a job, and they were not given a marriage license.
Denis Ivanovich called his work “The Minor” because this is exactly what Mitrofanushka, one of the main characters, is like. He put a little more satire into this word than it actually had. The minor, with the light hand of Fonvizin, is not only an uneducated, but also a selfish and rude young man. The characteristics of the image of Mitrofanushka will be presented in more detail below.
The plot of “The Minor” revolves around a modest girl, Sophia, left without parents and therefore taken into care by the Prostakov family, greedy and narrow-minded people. Sophia is a rich heiress, a bride of marriageable age, and both the Prostakovs want to get a wife with such a dowry, trying to marry her off to their sixteen-year-old son Mitrofanushka, a minor, and Prostakova’s brother Skotinin, obsessed with the idea of a large number of livestock on Sophia’s farm. Sophia has a loved one - Milon, to whom her only relative - Uncle Starodum - wants to marry her. He comes to the Prostakovs and is very surprised to see how the owners are currying favor with him and his niece. They are trying to show Mitrofanushka in the best light, but the uneducated and lazy lump spoils all his mother’s attempts.
Having learned that Starodum and Milon are taking Sophia away, at night, on the orders of the Prostakovs, they try to kidnap her, but Milon prevents the kidnapping. It all ends with the Prostakovs losing not only their profitable bride, but also their estates - it’s all to blame for their greed, anger and selfishness.
Minor. 10 facts from the life of Mitrofanushka
“I don’t want to study, but I want to get married” - Mitrofanushka’s life-affirming statement has not lost its relevance for the third century. The first realistic, or everyday, comedy in the history of Russian drama by Denis Fonvizin presented a lot of vivid images and useful aphorisms. Let's find out 10 facts from the life of Mitrofanushka together with Natalya Letnikova.
Fonvizin’s ideas for “Minor” took shape in Europe . For a year and a half, the writer, while in France, became acquainted with philosophy, jurisprudence and the life of the country. When writing “The Minor,” the playwright relied on articles from satirical magazines, the works of Voltaire, Rousseau, Duclos, and even comedies written by Catherine II herself.
Speaking surnames - the best author's characteristics . In the sketches, the main character’s name was Ivanushka, but by the time the comedy was published, it was already Mitrofanushka, in common parlance “mama’s boy” - Mrs. Prostakova. The pseudoscientist Vralman and the official Pravdin, Starodum and Skotinin, Sophia and Milon, Tsyfirkin and Kuteikin are the heroes of Fonvizin’s most famous work and complete portraits of their era.
Illustration of the comedy by D. I. Fonvizin “The Minor”
"Undergrown." The landowner Prostakova carries out justice and reprisals. From an engraving by N.I. Wickets. 1958
Illustration of the comedy by D. I. Fonvizin “The Minor”
History of undergrowth in Russia . This is how in the 18th century they called noble children who had not reached the age appointed by Peter I for entering the service. Fonvizin filled the image with ironic meaning. A minor is an uneducated, uncouth, rude, selfish young man, and the name Mitrofanushka, with the light hand of the playwright, has become a household name.
The most repertoire play of the 18th century on the Russian stage . A year before the premiere, the author tested the work at home readings. They intended to stage the play both in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Moscow censorship did not take risks. The premiere took place in 1782 at the Free Russian Theater in St. Petersburg. “The Minor” has gone through many amateur productions. In the play at the Nizhyn Gymnasium, the role of Prostakova was played by Gogol.
The author is also the director . Fonvizin himself and “the first court actor of the Russian theater”, Ivan Dmitrievsky, worked on the production and distributed the roles. The most famous actor of the 18th century played the role of Starodum and became the main magnet for the public. The role of Pravdin was played by the brilliant actor and playwright Pyotr Plavilshchikov, and the image of Eremeevna was brilliantly embodied by the leading comedian of the time, Yakov Shumsky.
“ Die, Denis, you can’t write better” - the phrase attributed to Grigory Potemkin has become a real historical anecdote. According to theatrical legend, after the premiere of the play in St. Petersburg, Prince Potemkin allegedly approached Fonvizin with this phrase. According to another version, the flattering review belongs to Derzhavin. The “Dramatic Dictionary” of that time reported: “The audience applauded the play by throwing purses.”
"Undergrowth" Fonvizin. Artist T.N. Kasterina
"Undergrowth" Fonvizin. Artist T.N. Kasterina
Mrs. Prostakova, Mitrofanushka, Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin. "Undergrowth" Fonvizin. Artist T.N. Kasterina
Main characters
The main characters of “The Minor” are the already mentioned Mitrofanushka, his parents (it should be noted that everything in this family is run by the mother, who does not consider the servants to be people, and strongly follows the fashion of the time; the father of the family is completely under the heel of his domineering wife, who even raises her hand against him), Sophia, her uncle Starodum, fiancé Milon, government official Pravdin, whose goal is to expose the atrocities of the Prostakovs (in which he ultimately succeeds). It is necessary to pay special attention to the fact that Fonvizin used “speaking” names for his characters - both positive (Starodum, Pravdin, Sophia) and negative (Skotinin, Prostakovs) characters were endowed with them. In the characterization of Mitrofanushka, his name is also of great importance - from Greek “Mitrofan” means “mama’s son,” which truly fully reflects the character of the hero. Only at the very end of the play does Mitrofanushka quarrel with his mother and tells her to leave him alone.
Fonvizin pits completely different social strata against each other in his work - officials, nobles, and servants are represented here... He openly ridicules the nobles and their upbringing, condemns people like the Prostakovs. From the very first words of the play, it is easy to understand where the positive and negative characters are and what the author’s attitude is towards each of them. It is largely thanks to the beautifully written images of negative characters (especially the characterization of Mitrofanushka) that the “comedy of manners” brought such success to its creator. The name Mitrofanushka has generally become a household name. The play, in addition, was disassembled into popular expressions with quotes.
The characteristics of Mitrofanushka should be given special attention. However, first it is necessary to say about three more characters in the play. These are Mitrofanushka’s teachers - Tsyfirkin, Kuteikin and Vralman. They cannot be directly classified as positive, nor do they belong to a type of people in whom both good and bad are equally combined. However, their surnames are also “telling”: and they speak about the main quality of a person - for example, for Vralman it is lying, and for Tsyfirkin it is a love of mathematics.
Image of Mitrofan
The comedy "The Minor" becomes interesting thanks to the atypical character of the main character. Mrs. Prostakova in her only son. She boasts of his good education, although he never learned to read and write and other sciences. Fonvizin wrote the best classic comedy, depicting the conflict of enlightenment, into which the reader can go deeper by reading the full content.
“Minor”: characteristics of Mitrofanushka
The character in whose honor the work is named is almost sixteen years old. While many at his age are completely independent adults, Mitrofanushka cannot take a step without her mother’s prompting, without holding on to her skirt. He is one of those who is called a “mama’s boy” (and as mentioned above, a direct indication of this is contained even in the meaning of his name). Despite the fact that Mitrofanushka has a father, the boy does not receive a male education in the full sense of the word - his father himself is not famous for such qualities.
For his parents, Mitrofanushka is still a small child - even in his presence they talk about him in this way, calling him a child, a child - and Mitrofanushka shamelessly takes advantage of this throughout the comedy. The boy doesn’t think anything of his father, thereby once again proving that he is a perfect “mama’s boy.” Very indicative in this regard is the scene where Mitrofan takes pity on his mother, who is tired of beating her father - so, poor thing, she worked hard beating him. There is no question of sympathizing with the father.
It is not entirely possible to give a brief description of Mitrofanushka in “The Minor” - so much can be said about this character. For example, he really likes to eat a hearty meal, and then - to relax to his heart’s content without doing anything (however, he doesn’t have much to do except study, in which, it must be honestly noted, he is not at all diligent). Like his mother, Mitrofan is a rather heartless person. He loves to humiliate others, putting them below himself, once again “showing a place” to people working for him. Thus, he constantly offends his nanny, who has been assigned to him since birth, but who is always on his side. This is another revealing moment in the characterization of Mitrofanushka from the comedy “The Minor.”
Mitrofanushka is a sneak and an insolent person, but at the same time he is also a sycophant: already at that age he feels who should not be rude, in front of whom he should “show his best qualities.” The only trouble is that with such a mother’s upbringing, Mitrofanushka simply cannot have the best qualities. Even to her, the one who loves him so blindly and allows him everything, he threatens and blackmails her in an attempt to achieve what he wants for himself. Such qualities do not do honor to the characterization of Mitrofanushka, speaking of him as a bad person, ready to go over his head for the sake of only himself and his demands, as a person who loves only as long as his will is fulfilled.
It is interesting that Mitrofan is characterized by self-criticism: he is aware that he is lazy and stupid. However, he is not at all upset about this, declaring that he is “not a hunter of smart girls.” It is unlikely that such a quality passed to him from his mother; rather, he adopted it from his father - at least he should have inherited something from him. This is a brief description of Mitrofanushka, a hero whose name has been given to people with similar character traits for several centuries.
Essay on why Mitrofanushka became an undergrowth
It is in vain to call a doctor to the sick without healing. D. Fonvizin. The minor Fonvizin lived in times of brutal oppression of the masses, in the era of the heyday of serfdom and the privileged position of the nobles, in the age of autocratic tyranny of the Russian monarchy. The great playwright was a representative of the advanced circles of noble society and boldly criticized the evils of the time in his works. In this regard, the pinnacle of Fonvizin’s creativity was his immortal comedy “The Minor,” which, as one of the most important, touches on the problem of educating young people. In the image of Mitrofanushka, the comedy provides a satirical denunciation of the younger generation of serf-owners, mired in their ignorance. The playwright's contemporaries noted that the image of the undergrowth is endowed with truthful and typical features, which makes it not only funny, but also terrible in its reality. Who is Mitrafanushka? Judging by the fact that he still chases pigeons and is looked after by the nanny Eremeevna, who is strictly asked for every step of the “child,” we can assume that he is a young child. But Mitrofan is already sixteen years old, and, having gotten to know him better, we learn that he is a spiritually poor man. Eating sweets and getting plenty of sleep—that’s all he’s interested in. When it comes to benefits, Mitrofan is very observant, because the living example of his parents is always before his eyes. “Don’t work in vain, my friend,” the mother tells her son, and Mitrofan is honestly lazy wherever possible. The Skotinin-Prostakov family has always been famous for the fact that they did not have learned people in their family: “People live and have lived without science.” However, after Peter’s reforms, it became impossible not only for the underage sons of nobles without education to enter the public service, but also to get married. Therefore, Mitrofan is forced to study with teachers. However, what kind of teaching is this! Indeed, “through education they understood one food.” Mitrofan, at the instigation of his mother, studies only for show, which is why his teacher Tsyfirkin complains: “I’ve been fighting with him for three years: he can’t count three.” It is rightly said that “his head is much weaker than his belly.” Fonvizin especially convincingly demonstrates to us Mitrofan’s mental wretchedness during the “exam.” The minor, after several years of study, is sure that the word “fool” is an adjective, “because it is attached to a stupid person.” Indulgence in any desires of the “child”, the entire way of home life, educates Mitrofan into a rude despot, an ignorant serf owner. It’s not for nothing that Starodum says that “an ignoramus without a soul is a beast.” Cruelty, imperiousness and rudeness are shown by the undergrowth at every step not only in relation to the serfs, but also to the household. He “barks” and does not talk to the teachers, calling one of them a “garrison rat”; he calls his old nanny Eremeevna “an old bastard”. You never know what a child can get angry about?! “It’s very nice to me that Mitrofanushka doesn’t like to step forward,” says Prostakova. Yes, he’s very much a “mother’s boy” and used to riding on someone else’s neck. He was used to being fed, clothed, protected from danger. His lack of independence sometimes puts him in an awkward position, but his mother, nanny, and teacher are always at hand. Mitrofan is cowardly, he cannot even defend himself from his uncle’s attacks, but asks for help from the old nanny: “Mommy! shield me." Previous experience taught Mitrofan that it is not the mind that is important in people and not the soul (what that is, the ignoramus has never even heard of), but social position. That is why there is so much flattery and hypocrisy in his behavior. Depending on the change in the position people occupy, Mitrofan’s attitude towards them also changes. He doesn’t even feel sorry for his mother and loses interest in her as soon as power is taken away from her: “Let go, mother, you imposed yourself.” With these words, the beloved son easily and simply abandons his mother in a difficult moment for her. After the release of the comedy, the name Mitrofan became a household name; it is used to describe rude, stupid, lazy, ignorant people. But there are plenty of such people in our time. This means that today Fonvizin’s comedy remains relevant, it makes us think, observe and draw conclusions.
Was there a boy?
It is known that Fonvizin “peeped” the scenes for his work in real life. What about the heroes? Are they completely invented or copied from real people?
The characterization of the hero Mitrofanushka gives reason to believe that his prototype was Alexey Olenin. He subsequently became known as a statesman and historian, as well as an artist. But until the age of eighteen, his behavior was absolutely similar to the characteristics of Mitrofanushka: he did not want to study, was rude, lazy, as they say, “wasted his life.” It is believed that it was Fonvizin’s comedy that helped Alexei Olenin “take the right path”: supposedly, after reading it, he recognized himself in the main character, saw his portrait from the outside for the first time and was so shocked that he gained motivation for “rebirth.”
Whether this is true or not, it is now impossible to know for sure. But some facts from Olenin’s biography have been preserved. Thus, until he was ten years old, he was raised by his father and a specially hired tutor, and he was also educated at home. When he went to school (and not just any school, but the Page Court), he was soon sent to continue his studies abroad - he was chosen for this purpose, since little Alyosha demonstrated excellent progress in his studies. Abroad, he graduated from two higher institutions - thus, there is no need to say that Olenin was lazy and ignorant, like Mitrofanushka. It is quite possible that some of the qualities inherent in Olenin were reminiscent of the characteristics of Mitrofanushka, however, most likely, it is impossible to say that Olenin is a 100% prototype of the Fonvizin hero. It is more likely that Mitrofan is some kind of collective image.
The meaning of the comedy “Minor” in literature
“The Minor” has been studied for more than two centuries - from the very release of the play to this day. Its importance is difficult to overestimate: it satirically ridicules the social and even state structure of society. And he does this openly, without even fearing the authorities - and yet it was precisely because of this that Catherine the Great, after the publication of “The Minor,” forbade the publication of anything from the pen of Fonvizin.
His comedy highlights the pressing issues of the time, but they remain no less relevant today. The shortcomings of society that existed in the eighteenth century have not disappeared in the twenty-first. With the light hand of Pushkin, the play was called a “folk comedy” - it has every right to be called that in our days.
- In the first version of the play, Mitrofanushka is called Ivanushka.
- The initial version of the comedy is closer to the play “The Brigadier”.
- Fonvizin worked on Minor for about three years.
- He drew ideas for writing from life, but he talked about the creation of only one scene - the one where Eremeevna protects her pupil from Skotinin.
- When Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was studying at the gymnasium, he played the role of Mrs. Prostakova in school productions.
- Fonvizin sketched out the continuation of “The Minor” in letters from Sophia and Starodum to each other: according to the author’s idea, after the wedding, Milon cheated on Sophia, about which she complained to her uncle.
- The idea of creating such a work first came to Denis Ivanovich when he was in France.
More than two centuries have passed since the creation of the play, and it does not lose its relevance to this day. More and more research is being devoted to the study of comedy itself and its individual characters. This means that Denis Fonvizin managed to notice and highlight something in his work that will always attract the attention of readers and viewers.
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Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” is one of the best motivational works. With the help of the image of Mitrofan Prostakov, we can analyze and understand the destructiveness of boundless blind parental love and permissiveness.
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After reading Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” and getting acquainted with its characters, you are once again convinced of the enormous influence society and family have on a person’s upbringing, on the formation of his character, the development of interests, his manner of behavior and speech. A striking example of this is the main character of the comedy Mitrofanushka. The only child in the family, his mother's favorite, he grew up an absolute ignoramus, a quitter, a slacker, a glutton, a mischief maker, and an egoist. The mother's boundless love, bordering on permissiveness, turned her adored son into a very stupid, ignorant, limited and self-righteous man. The reason for his lack of education and bad manners lies in the people among whom he grew up. Mitrofanushka's mother - Mrs. Prostakova - is an uneducated woman, rude, domineering and at the same time a tenderly loving mother. Her attitude towards her son is touching. Of course, Mrs. Prostakova understands that in the new conditions her son needs to study, and she hires teachers. One of them is a half-educated seminarian Kuteikin, the other is a retired soldier Tsyfirkin. They don't know much. Their attempts to teach Mitrofan at least this little do not have any positive results. All their efforts are unsuccessful. And all because the main educator, who does not recognize any authorities, was and remains the Sami Prostakova with her “firm logic” and the same strong morality: “If you found the money, don’t share it with anyone. Take it all for yourself, Mitrofanushka. Don’t learn this stupid science (arithmetic).” Her ignorance played a cruel joke: she decidedly preferred the former coachman, German Vralman, to honest teachers (Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin) because “he does not captivate a child.” Not only does he not teach himself, but he also does not allow others to teach. Mr. Prostakov and Uncle Skotinin also could not have a positive influence on Mitrofan, since they themselves were not virtuous people. One is weak-willed and cannot say a word without his wife’s orders, the other is obsessed with pigs, which are dearer to him than anyone else in the world. Both are completely ignorant and illiterate. These are the people who surround our Mitrofan. He is his mother's son: ignorant, heartless, with no respect or love for anyone. At the end of the comedy, the mother tries to find support in her son in a difficult situation, and he calmly makes it clear that she should leave him alone. What goes around comes around! Where does Mitrofan’s kindness and sympathy come from if he doesn’t even know what it is? Everyone around him is anti-virtue, and he is their character.
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Description of character
Mitrofan Prostakov is not distinguished by outstanding character qualities. In fact, this is a vivid example of lack of education (in any sense of it) and bad manners.
Excessive parental care and permissiveness became the reason for the formation of a complex character.
At 15 years old, he is still considered a child - his parents forgive him a lot, citing 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 childhood period in such a way that it is the least carefree.
As a result, Mitrofan grows up pampered and spoiled. However, he himself is not capable of good deeds or humanity - the young man constantly quarrels with peasants and teachers, is rude and cruel not only towards them, but also towards his parents.
Receiving neither punishment for his actions nor rebuff, he only becomes more convinced of the correctness of his actions and continues to become more and more bitter. Mitrofan is not interested in anything other than marriage.
We invite you to read it, written by Denis Fonvizin.
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 doesn't try 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 a problem in this - the world is full of stupid people, so he will be able to find 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 by excessive love for their son, which is extremely destructive for him both as an individual and as a unit of interpersonal relationships and social communication.
Dear readers! We present to you which was written by Denis Fonvizin.
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 their son’s mistakes that arose in communicating with other people, which as a result 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 (aristocrat), then the young man tries to meet the minimum etiquette standards, which is true and this is difficult for him. Mitrofan does not stand on ceremony with ordinary people at all.
Mitrofan's disdainful, rude attitude towards teachers is common. The parents, again, do not interfere with their son, and therefore the situation develops into the level of interpersonal relationships in general. Mitrofan is allowed to be rude to other people (mostly people of lower social status, or those who are not strong enough to fight back), while teachers and educators are forced to follow the rules of etiquette and treat their pupils courteously.
So, for example, it seems common for a young man to exclaim to a teacher in a similar way: “Give me the board, garrison rat! Ask what to write." As well as insulting addresses towards his nanny: “old bastard.”
As a result, a mother who madly loves 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 in, blame yourself.”
