A heroine who violates moral principles.
Having combined the features of classicism and realism in the comedy “Go”, G-dov abandoned the one-sidedness in the depiction of the heroes.
Therefore, there are no ideal, positive characters in the play, but Chatsky, Sophia, Molchalin, Famusov and others appeared before us as living ones. It’s not for nothing that Goncharov noted and appreciated “living and realistic character traits” in Sophia. Sophia has her pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages. She is smart, determined, independent. It is no coincidence that even the very name of the heroine Sophia is “wise.” Her speech, bright, figurative, emotional, aphoristic, corresponds to the character of the young girl (“Happy people don’t watch the clock”). In the comedy, Sophia has the difficult role of repelling Chatsky’s attack. In critical situations, she shows not only determination and resourcefulness.
Let's remember the episode when, trying to divert the priest's attention from the presence of Molchalin in her room, she composes a dream that allegedly upset her. This dream, invented on the fly, testifies to Sophia’s subtle mind and her extraordinary literary abilities.
Chatsky fell in love with Sophia primarily for her subtle mind, independence of views, independence in decision-making, and in relationships with people. The girl's strong, proud character evokes sympathy. Chatsky falls madly in love: “I love you without memory.” It is no coincidence that, having returned to Moscow from distant countries, he constantly appeals to her reason. Sophia is smart in her own way, she reads a lot (“French books keep her awake”), but the subject of her reading is sentimental novels that describe love stories (their heroes are poor and have no position in society).
Sophia admires their loyalty, devotion, and willingness to sacrifice everything in the name of love. Under the influence of these novels, she develops an idea of an ideal hero whom she would like to love. And Sophia imagined Molchalin to be such a romantic hero. Here is the outer line of Molchalin’s behavior alone with Sophia: “he will take your hand, press it to your heart...”. This is exactly how the heroes of French novels behave.
But Chatsky is not like that. Although he was in love with Sophia, he left her for three whole years and went to wander. During this time, Chatsky did not write a single line. And significant changes were taking place in Sophia, her attitude towards Chatsky was changing. The psychology of young girls is such that they need love, affection, attention, admiration. They may not be able to bear the separation.
This happened with Sophia. But in Chatsky, love did not fade away. Hence the love drama - the misunderstanding of one hero by another. In the play Go, each character creates a life plan for himself. This is the main conflict according to G-dov (the conflict of life and schemes). There is nothing bad in the fact that a young girl wants to feel like the heroine of a novel, the bad thing is that she does not see the differences between romantic fiction and life, she does not know how to distinguish a true feeling from a fake. She loves, but her chosen one is serving his guilt: And so I take on the appearance of a lover To please the daughter of such a man...
Following literary cliches leads to a tragic outcome, bitter insight, and the collapse of ideals. Sophia has her own plan; she wants to be happy in her family life. Perhaps that is why she chose Molchalin, who can be commanded, who so corresponds to the role of “husband-boy, husband-servant.” Sophia rejects Chatsky not only because of a feeling of offended female pride, but also because the independent, daring, freedom-loving and rebellious Chatsky scares her: “Will such a mind make the family happy?” That’s why G-dov wrote about his heroine: “The girl herself, who is not stupid, prefers a fool to an intelligent man.”
At the end of the play, Chatsky accuses the heroine of forgetting “women’s fear and shame”: And the dear one, for whom both the former friend and women’s fear and shame have been forgotten, hides behind the door, afraid of being held accountable. And Chatsky, and Katenin, and even Pushkin accused the heroine: “Sophia crossed the boundaries of behavior set for a young lady of her circle. She violated decency! Sophia thereby challenged old views on love and marriage. If Chatsky shakes the social foundations, then Sophia shakes the moral ones. And the tsarist censorship forbade this play to be printed and staged not because of Chatsky’s seditious speech, but because of Sophia’s violation of moral standards of behavior.
Unlike Famusov, Molchalin, and other characters in the play, Sophia is not afraid of the judgment of others: “What do I care about? before them? to the whole universe? Sofya Pavlovna blames herself for her mistakes: “Don’t continue, I blame myself all around.” This means that this girl has a sense of responsibility for her own actions. It is worth paying attention to the fact that Chatsky, fighting for a free way of thinking, behavior, and life, denies this right to Sophia. Sophia calmly behaves in the last scene of the comedy, when Molchalin’s meanness and baseness are revealed.
It’s very difficult for the heroine, because everything happens in the presence of Chatsky. A maid was preferred to her, a beautiful, intelligent, educated noblewoman. But after all, Sophia is young, let’s forgive youth’s mistakes, because it’s not in vain that the wise Pushkin wrote in the novel “Eugene Onegin”: Let’s forgive the fever of youth, And youthful heat and youthful delirium. In G-dov, all the heroes who set goals in life fail. A kind of “woe from the mind,” if we understand the mind as a developed plan of action, the desire to model life on someone. But life doesn't go according to plan.
The love line of the play means one simple truth, life is an intimate burning, a flight. G-dov, in my opinion, wrote a play about life, not about politics, and about the most important thing in life - about love. Goncharov wrote that Sophia “has strong inclinations of a remarkable nature.” And indeed it is. We must appreciate in this girl the “living and realistic character traits.” It is Sofya Pavlovna Famusova who begins the gallery of beautiful images of Russian women in our literature.
In the comedy “Woe from Wit” A.S. Griboyedov raises the topic of confrontation between an enlightened individual and an entire society of idle and ignorant people who personify the high society. This conflict is akin to the eternal dispute between conservative fathers and progressive children, so at all times it will arouse keen interest.
In the comedy, two opposing sides are clearly expressed, but there are also ambiguous characters who, at first glance, are not endowed with the vices of Famus society. Such heroes include Sophia, who is not devoid of positive qualities.
Chatsky’s childhood friend is well-mannered and smart, the hero has tender feelings for her, but the girl prefers the cunning flatterer Molchalin to the honest and decent Chatsky. How can you explain Sophia's choice?
The author structured the plot in such a way that the conflict looked sharper. He shows the reader the difference in the views of young people brought up in Famusov's house. Significant differences are noticeable between the matured Sophia and Alexander. The girl perceives their former relationship as youthful love, her ideals have changed. Now she imitates her father and wants to command. The noblewoman is touched by the prospect of becoming the patroness of the weak-willed Molchalin, who walks “on tiptoe and is not rich in words.”
He is lower in position than Sophia, so the desire to have a “boy-husband, a servant-husband” reveals in the girl a typical representative of metropolitan society. By the end of the work, Chatsky’s suffering only intensifies, because unrequited love is added to the social conflict.
It seems to me that Sophia lost interest in Chatsky not only out of a desire to command the submissive Molchalin. The girl’s resentment also took its toll, because Alexander wandered for three years and did not send a single message. The long separation deprived her of affection, and this is the fault of the hero himself. If Chatsky had been nearby all this time, perhaps his influence would have overpowered the paternal principle in the soul of his beloved. But what could the girl think about when the young man unexpectedly set off in an unknown direction and did not make himself known?
I think Sophia chose the obedient Molchalin for his flexible character. She mistook cunning and servility for kindness and modesty. It is clear that she loves not so much the gentleman as the ideal created by her sensitive imagination. And the desire to have a submissive and comfortable spouse once again proves that Sophia is a worthy daughter of her father and is a part of his society.
Updated: 2017-01-10
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Oh! Sophia! Was Molchalin really chosen for her?
A.S. Griboyedov
Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov is a writer who is rare in Russian literature, so rich in amazing and diverse talents. He was the author of several works, but it was the comedy “Woe from Wit” that brought him fame. More than one hundred and seventy years have passed, and this work continues to excite readers and viewers. Although his heroes are very far from us, we perceive them as living people, we laugh at them, we are indignant, we despise them, we love them. Why does this happen? Probably because the author in this play posed a number of the most important problems of his time, and they continue to worry people to this day.
The main theme of the comedy is the contradiction between the “present century” and the “past century,” that is, between the progressive forces of society and regressive elements. The exponent of the former is the main character of the comedy, Chatsky, and he is opposed by Famusov, Skalozub, Molchalin and others. Between these characters is one of the central figures of the comedy - Sophia.
The image of Sophia combines several storylines and defines one of the main ones - the “love triangle” Sophia - Chatsky Molchalin. It was the presence of such a storyline that was mandatory according to the canons of classicism, which dominated the theater stage at the beginning of the 19th century. However, in Griboyedov’s comedy, the image of Sophia is quite complex and contradictory. On the one hand, she was brought up on sentimental novels, her head is filled with love adventures, and she imagines herself as their heroine. Sophia is a dreamer, a visionary who attributes all the virtues of the heroes of French novels to Molchalin, who is far from ideal. She has neither spiritual simplicity nor nobility. Famusov’s words about Moscow girls: “They won’t say a word in simplicity, they all have a grimace” - have a direct bearing on his own daughter. But still there is something in Sophia that attracts the same Chatsky to her. At seventeen years old, she displays an enviable independence of opinion, unthinkable for people like Molchalin or even her father.
Sophia is not devoid of courage, selflessness and is capable of neglecting secular prejudices, she can deeply worry and sincerely love.
But these positive character traits of Sophia could not win in the stuffy atmosphere of Famus society. But the capriciousness of the pampered young lady, spoiledness, pride and resentment are traced by the author throughout the course of the comedy. Sophia mixed good inclinations with deceit, a lively mind with the absence of any hint of conviction. At the same time, the heroine’s strength of character is also obvious. If she’s attached with her heart, then it’s strong. Neither her father nor Chatsky can shake her. Only Molchalin’s overheard conversation with Lisa opens her eyes to the meanness and baseness of her lover. But, deceived in her feelings, Sophia is not afraid of the judgment of others. She tells Chatsky: “I blame myself all around,” and tells Molchalin to get out of the house.
But life in a secular society has its own laws. Offended by Chatsky for his attacks on Molchalin, Sophia takes revenge on him in the traditional way - she spreads gossip about his madness. She succumbed to the influence of “fa-musism” so much that she herself quietly became a defender of this way of life. So Griboyedov showed how an extraordinary girl is enslaved by the environment in which she was raised and lived. The image of Sophia is also important for the comedy because it determines the storyline associated with Chatsky’s desire to find out who Sophia preferred to him.
Molchalin is a terrible figure. He was, is and will be at all times. Such people have only one passion - the desire to make a career at any cost. Courting your boss's daughter is just a way to get ahead. At the same time, Molchalin does not at all see the limit of prosperity for himself in marrying Sophia, and this is noticeable not only in his behavior, but also in various small facts and hints scattered in the play.
Unlike Chatsky, Molchalin is not at all sick of being served; on the contrary, he cannot imagine life without it. For him, the ideal is a high position in noble society, and it does not matter how to achieve it. Molchalin is a great master of presenting himself in a favorable light. He is like a domestic cat, soft and affectionate, who wanders everywhere around the house, and if he fornicates, then quietly and decently.
This image is very difficult and dangerous. If Skalozub is a martinet, then Molchalin is difficult to discern, and some properties of his character can even be presented as advantages, especially in the mouth of Sophia, who is in love with him. This, by the way, contains another meaning of the images of Sophia and Molchalin in the comedy. This meaning is connected with the interaction of these characters in the play: Sophia, as it were, opposes Chatsky in his attacks on Molchalin. Moreover, her arguments are quite reasonable. Thus, it seems to me that Griboedov wanted to show the difficulty of recognizing the true goals of people like Molchalin, their well-hidden hypocrisy. The vitality of such types is based on the fact that Molchalin is a defender of veneration and sycophancy, but the defender is smart, subtle and courteous. He is sensitive to any changes and is perfectly oriented in the social environment. If it were not for Chatsky’s arrival at Famusov’s house, he “would have reached known levels.” And it will not be lost, and will achieve it. Not in Famusov’s house, but in another one. Knows his place and sticks to it strictly and definitely.
Molchalin does everything on time. When there was a scandal in Famusov’s house, he listened to Sophia and a second before his father appeared, quietly retreated into his closet and went into the shadows.
Thus, the two characters of the comedy, Sophia and Molchalin, are typical representatives of Russian society at the beginning of the 19th century. The significance of these images for constructing the plot of the comedy is decisive.
Sophia suffers a collapse: “The queen... is disappointed about her honey honey.” Perhaps she will not reconcile with Molchalipy, as Chatsky predicts, but “there will be another, well-behaved, sycophantic and businessman.” However, in all cases, a high position in Famus’s world will be bought by her at the cost of losing those human qualities that gave her the right to Chatsky’s love. And this is moral ruin, this is a tragedy. We feel sorry for Sophia, because personally she is not immoral, as I.A. wrote. Goncharov, she is a victim of the lies that are characteristic of Famus society, which destroyed her.
The moral death of Molchalin, a hero with a dark soul and base goals, is also indisputable; a hero so brilliantly debunked by Griboyedov in the comedy, but so indestructible in life, for “The silent ones are blissful in the world!”
Molchalin and Sophia. The meaning of images in A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”
You will make peace with him, after mature reflection.
A. S. Griboyedov
Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov is a talented author of the comedy “Woe from Wit.” For 180 years now, she has never ceased to amaze and delight more and more generations of readers with the truthfulness of the images created by the author and the bright, rich, unparalleled language.
Two heroes of the comedy, Sophia and Molchalin, played a great role in understanding the author’s intentions and critically assessing his contemporary reality. In general, the play presents a classic “love triangle”. Griboedov masterfully managed to draw the tragicomedy of this situation, bringing “eternal characters” onto the stage and showing their experiences, intrigues, and collapse of dreams. Sophia is the daughter of a rich Moscow gentleman, bored in her father’s house, she drew attention to an insignificant man, Alexei Stepanovich Molchalin, imagining him “the hero of her novel.” Chatsky’s departure pushed Sophia towards Molchalin. Because of her youth and inexperience, she chose Alexei Stepanovich as the “object of passion”, and who else could attract her attention, not Skalozub.
She says with resentment about Chatsky who left: He thought highly of himself... The desire to wander attacked him, Ah! If someone loves someone, Why search for the mind and travel so far? Sophia is quite selfish, she wants the world to revolve around her. She takes Molchalin’s servility, pretense and flattery for love and recklessly gives her soul and heart to this cold and calculating “lackey”. Molchalin is ready to forget himself for others, his insolence - always shyly, timidly kissing anyone with whom he can spend such a time!
She is unaware that Molchalin’s restraint is explained not by love and respect, but by the indifference and prudence of an egoist unceremoniously pursuing his goal. He has perfectly mastered the laws of society, into the “higher spheres” of which he will make his way by any means, so he knows: Ah! Evil tongues are worse than a gun. Here, sincerity, ardor of soul, patriotism and conscientious service in the name of the fatherland and cause are not needed, but the price is completely different: the pursuit of money, ranks, profitable parties, and profitability. in some places.
Molchalin knows the rules of this life very well. He has adapted to the “powers of this world” and is confidently moving towards his intended goal. And at the same time, he cannot deny himself “little weaknesses.” He is attracted to Sophia's maid, Lisa. Alexey Stepanovich expresses his favor to her at every opportunity. He is unaware that his baseness is obvious even to the maid. He is so self-confident that he looks after Lisa without any fear. What a face! How I love you!.. Come at lunch, stay with me; I will tell you the whole truth... My little angel, I would like to feel half the same for her that I feel for you...
Blinded by “contrived love,” Sophia does not want to notice Molchalin’s stupidity, insignificance and sycophancy. She elevates his vices into virtues, it’s so convenient for her. She does not want to see real life, but, having read novels, she imparts the necessary traits to the first person she comes across. Sophia is quite smart, but she is flesh of this society and lives by its laws. She knows how to lie, dodge, and slander brilliantly, so she fools even her experienced father around her little finger. Like any spoiled young lady, she does as she wants. Out of boredom, she drew attention to Molchalin, but then she sincerely fell in love, not realizing that he was a liar and a hypocrite, and not in love with her.
At the very first meeting, Sophia admits to Chatsky that she loves Molchalin, but he does not want to believe, to understand the obvious. Look, he gained the friendship of everyone in the house. He serves under his father for three years, He often gets angry to no avail, And he disarms him with silence, Forgives him out of the kindness of his soul, by the way, I could look for favors; Not at all. she won’t step over the threshold from the old people.. Now the already in love Sophia is not afraid of either her father’s anger or the opinions of those around her, her ardent nature longs for happiness, and the more terrible her “sobering up” is, the more she was deceived, seeing an ideal in Molchalin.
I don't remember anything, don't bother me.
Memories! like a sharp knife.
Don't be mean, stand up.
I don't want an answer, I know your answer,
You'll lie...
But Chatsky could also say the same about Sophia; there is more difference in them than in Sophia and Molchalin. It’s not for nothing that Alexander Andreevich says that for Sophia this is not a disaster. You will make peace with him, after mature reflection. Destroy yourself, and why! Think, you can always take care of him, and swaddle him, and send him to work. A boy-husband, a servant-husband, one of the wife's pages—the high ideal of all Moscow husbands. One can only marvel at the insight and ingenious foresight of A. S. Griboedov, who predicted people’s behavior many years in advance. The images of Sophia and Molchalin are key in the comedy “Woe from Wit”. They illustrate the relationships between people connected not by sincere love and respect, but by selfishness and selfish aspirations for their goals.
The comedy "Woe from Wit" depicts the morals of the Moscow nobles of the early 19th century. Griboedov shows the clash of views of the serf-owner landowners (a conservative segment of the population) with the progressive ideas of the younger generation of nobles. This conflict is shown as a struggle between two camps. The “present century” seeks to transform society through true citizenship, while the “past century” tries to protect its personal comfort and mercantile interests.
However, there are also characters who cannot be clearly attributed to one or another opposing side. This, for example, is the image of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit”. We'll talk about it today.
Preview:
Why does Sophia prefer the fool Molchalin to the smart Chatsky?
The comedy is based on A.S. Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit” lies in the ideological clash of two different generations, representatives of the “past century” and the “present century.” However, not all characters in the play can be assessed unambiguously.
Sofya Pavlovna Famusova is an extraordinary person. As the author himself puts it, she is “not stupid herself” and in many qualities is opposed to noble society. This is the only character close to the main character Chatsky, who is on an equal footing with him. Sophia by nature has a lively mind, strong character, courage, and is independent of other people's opinions. The girl received a good education and, despite her father’s anger (“collect all the books and burn them,” “learning is a plague”), she spends a lot of time reading. Sophia lives with a strong and real feeling, follows the dictates of her heart: “What do I hear? Whoever wants to, judges it that way." Why did such a deep girl choose the soulless careerist Molchalin over the ardent Chatsky?
The atmosphere of the Famus society that raised her had a great influence on Sophia. She has to build her life according to generally accepted models, and, like the ladies of her circle, dominant in society and family, she dreams of a “servant husband.” Molchalin is precisely such a hero, striving to “serve” more influential people (“one should not dare to have one’s own judgment”). He is convenient for her, because the girl sees in him only a soft, quiet, modest, uncomplaining person, without sins. Although she is smart, she is spoiled, and Molchalin will do what she needs.
However, Sophia, who grew up reading sentimental French novels, actually fell in love with her chosen one, saw a romantic hero in the insignificant Molchalin, and imagined him as her ideal. “He will take a hand, press it to my heart, He will sigh from the depths of his soul, Not a free word, and so the whole night passes, Hand in hand, and does not take his eyes off me,” - this is exactly how a young man in love should behave in her eyes. It seems to her that she has found a suitable submissive and timid chosen one. She doesn’t need Chatsky’s ardent, passionate and crazy love, because he already left her once, left her, leaving her bored. The girl still cannot forgive the hero for “the desire to wander”: “if someone loves someone, Why search for intelligence and travel so far?” Because of this resentment, blinded by “contrived love,” Sophia does not notice Molchalin’s stupidity and turns all his vices into virtues, largely because they are opposite to Chatsky’s traits. She appreciates that Molchalin “is ready to forget himself for others, the enemy of insolence is always shy, timid.” Sophia understands that “he doesn’t have this mind,” but she doesn’t need one like that, because “would such a mind make a family happy?” The girl loves and therefore is deprived of the opportunity to reason sensibly, does not see that all the positive qualities that she likes so much in Molchalin are explained by his prudence and indifference, and cannot distinguish his fake feeling from Chatsky’s sincere love.
The image of Sophia is extremely ambiguous. Her main “grief” is that she fell in love with a person without seeing his true appearance, only under the influence of romantic works and prevailing laws in society. So the openness and naivety of her soul turns against herself.
Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov's play “Woe from Wit” is undoubtedly one of the most striking works of its time. It highlights some “eternal” issues characteristic of both the first half of the 19th century and modern times.
The main character of the comedy, Chatsky, is involved in social and love conflicts. His relationship with Famusov as the most fully developed representative of society and Sophia, the protagonist’s beloved girl, is described.
The controversial image of the heroine
The image of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit” is one of the most complex in the characterization of this heroine. On the one hand, she is the only person who is close in spirit to Alexander Chatsky. On the other hand, Sophia is the cause of the protagonist’s suffering. It is because of her that he is expelled from
No wonder Chatsky fell in love with this girl. Even though she now calls their youthful love childish, Sofya Pavlovna once attracted the main character with her strong character, natural intelligence, and independence from the opinions of others. For the same reasons, Chatsky was dear to her.
Sophia's education
From the first pages of the work we learn that the heroine is well educated and loves to read books. This is evidenced by many of Sophia’s quotes from “Woe from Wit.” Her passion for books displeases her father. After all, this person believes that “learning is a plague,” that it “is of little use.” This is the first discrepancy between the heroine’s views and the views of the nobles of the “past century.”
The influence of the Famusov society
Sofya Famusova, in her relationship with Molchalin, displays those character traits that representatives of the “past century,” including her father, would never dare to show. If Molchalin is afraid to reveal his relationship to society, because, as he believes, “evil tongues are worse than a pistol,” then the heroine we are interested in is not afraid of the opinion of the world. The girl follows the dictates of her own heart in her actions. This position, of course, makes the heroine similar to Chatsky.
However, the image of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit” should be supplemented by the fact that this girl is the daughter of her father. She was raised in a society that values only money and rank. The atmosphere in which the heroine grew up could not help but influence her.
The girl decided to choose Molchalin not only because of the positive qualities that she saw in him. The fact is that in the society to which the heroine belongs, women rule - both in the family and in society. Suffice it to recall the Gorich couple (pictured above), whom we meet at the Famusovs’ ball. Chatsky knew Platon Mikhailovich as an active, active military man. However, under the influence of his wife, he turned into some kind of weak-willed creature. Now Natalya Dmitrievna makes all decisions for him. She disposes of her husband like a thing, gives answers for him.
It is obvious that Sofya Famusova, wanting to dominate her husband, decided to choose Molchalin for the role of her future husband. This character corresponds to the ideal of a spouse in the world of Moscow nobles of that time.
Famusov society as a determining factor of choice
The atmosphere of Moscow noble society influenced the formation of the personality of Sofia Famusova. The girl is forced to follow the norms and patterns of behavior accepted in her environment. Women often demonstrate a dominant position in relationships with a man, which is why she strives to find herself a “servant husband.” Undoubtedly, Molchalin is much better suited for this role than the independent and proud Chatsky.
Molchalin is not just in the service of the girl’s father, service is a significant part of his life philosophy. Molchalin is convenient, since Sophia, blinded by feelings, sees only a soft and noble person, devoid of sins and vices. The girl is very smart, but spoiled, and her chosen one will fulfill her wishes.
The tragic image of the heroine
Sophia in the work “Woe from Wit” is the most tragic character. This heroine suffered more than Chatsky himself. First of all, this girl, naturally possessing intelligence, courage, and determination, is forced to become a hostage of the society to which she belongs. She cannot afford to give free rein to her feelings, to free herself from the influence of the opinions of others. Sofya Pavlovna (“Woe from Wit”) was raised as a representative of the conservative nobility and is forced to live by the laws that it dictates.
In addition, the unexpected appearance of Chatsky threatens to destroy her personal happiness, which she is trying to build with Molchalin. The heroine is always in suspense after the arrival of Alexander Andreevich. She has to protect her lover from Chatsky’s attacks. The desire to preserve love, to protect Molchalin from ridicule forces her to spread gossip about Alexander Andreevich’s madness. However, the girl turns out to be capable of this act only because of the great pressure of the society of which she is a member. And Sophia gradually merges with her circle.
This heroine is also unhappy because she has to endure the destruction of the ideal image of Molchalin that has formed in her head. The girl witnesses a conversation between her lover and the maid Lisa. The main tragedy of Sophia is that this heroine fell in love with a scoundrel. Molchalin played the role of Sofia Famusova’s lover only because thanks to this he could receive another award or rank. On top of everything else, the exposure of her lover takes place in the presence of Alexander Chatsky. This hurts the girl even more.
Why did Sophia choose Molchalin?
But, unfortunately, all these positive character traits of Sophia could not be developed in Famus society. Here is how I. A. Goncharov wrote about this in his critical sketch “A Million Torments”: “It is difficult to be unsympathetic to Sofya Pavlovna: she has strong inclinations of a remarkable nature, a lively mind, passion and feminine softness. It is ruined in the stuffiness, where not a single ray of light, not a single stream of fresh air penetrates.”
At the same time, Sophia is a child of her society. She drew her ideas about people and life from French sentimental novels, and it was this sentimental literature that developed Sophia's dreaminess and sensitivity. She says about Molchalin: He will take your hand, press it to your heart, He will sigh from the depths of your soul, Not a free word, and so the whole night passes, Hand in hand, and does not take his eyes off me. Therefore, it was no coincidence that she paid attention to Molchalin, who, with his features and behavior, reminded her of her favorite heroes. However, it cannot be said that the heroine is blinded: she is able to evaluate her chosen one sensibly and critically: Of course, he does not have this mind, What a genius is for others, but for others a plague, Which is quick, brilliant and will soon become disgusting... Sophia loves Molchalin, but hides it from father, who, of course, would not recognize him as a son-in-law, knowing that he was poor.
The heroine sees a lot of good things in her father’s secretary: ... compliant, modest, quiet, Not a shadow of worry in his face, And no offenses in his soul, Doesn’t cut strangers at random, - That’s why I love him. Sophia also fell in love with Molchalin because she, a girl with character, needed a person in her life whom she could control. “The desire to patronize a loved one, poor, modest, who does not dare raise his eyes to her, to elevate him to himself, to his circle, to give him family rights” - this is her goal, according to I. A. Goncharov. Therefore, Chatsky, returning to Moscow and seeing how Sophia has changed under the influence of her environment, is very worried.
It hurt him to see her like this after his three-year absence; it was hard to realize that his beloved had chosen Molchalin. Sophia is also very worried, but because of something else. She involuntarily hears Molchalin’s conversation with Liza and suddenly sees her chosen one in a different light. She realized that in fact Molchalin took on the appearance of a lover only “to please the daughter of such a man.” He needed Sophia only in order to take advantage of her influence at the right moment. His goal was also to get a higher rank, so he, according to the behests of his father, pleased “all people without exception.”
Perhaps someday Sophia would have learned about Molchalin’s true intentions and she would not have been so hurt. But now she has lost a man who was very suitable for the role of a boy-husband, a servant-husband. It seems that she will be able to find such a person and repeat the fate of Natalya Dmitrievna Gorich and Princess Tugoukhovskaya.
She didn’t need a person like Chatsky, but it was he who opened her eyes to everything that was happening. And if Sophia had grown up in a different environment, she might have chosen Chatsky. But she chooses the person who suits her best, since she cannot imagine any other hero. And in the end, according to Goncharov’s remark, “heavier than anyone, even Chatsky,” it is Sophia. Griboyedov introduced us to the heroine of the comedy as a dramatic person. This is the only character who is conceived and executed as close to Chatsky.
But in the finale, when Sophia becomes an involuntary witness of Molchalin’s “courtship” of Liza, she is struck to the very heart, she is destroyed. And this is one of the most dramatic moments of the entire play. So, in his comedy A.
S. Griboyedov managed to show not only the time in which he lived, but also created unforgettable images that are interesting to the modern reader and viewer. Therefore, as Goncharov says, “Woe from Wit” stands apart in literature and differs from other works of the word in its youthfulness, freshness and stronger vitality.
“A Million Torments” by Sophia
Of course, the role of Sophia (“Woe from Wit”) is great. It is no coincidence that the author introduced it into his work. Sophia is in many ways opposed to her father and noble society as a whole. The girl is not afraid to go against the opinion of the world, defending love. However, her feelings for Molchalin force her to defend herself from Chatsky. But she is very close in spirit with this hero. Chatsky is denigrated in society precisely by Sophia’s words. He has to leave Famus society.
If all the other heroes, except Chatsky, take part only in social conflict, trying to protect their usual way of life and comfort, then this girl has to fight for her love. Goncharov wrote about Sophia that she had the hardest time of all, that she suffered “a million torments.” Unfortunately, it turns out that this girl's struggle for her feelings was in vain. Molchalin is an unworthy person, as it turns out at the end of the work “Woe from Wit.”
