Who is the mop in the captain's daughter briefly. Description of the mop from Pushkin's "captain's daughter". All characteristics alphabetically

Alexey Shvabrin is one of the heroes of the story "The Captain's Daughter". This young officer was exiled to the Belogorsk fortress for a duel in which Shvabrin's opponent was killed. Upon Shvabrin's acquaintance with Grinev, attention is drawn to the fact that Alexei treats the inhabitants of the fortress with contempt and arrogance. Shvabrin approaches Grinev in order to "finally see a human face."

However, the character of this hero is determined not only by arrogance. The author characterizes Shvabrin as a cynical empty person, capable of slandering a girl only because she refused him reciprocity. Shvabrin commits a number of vile acts that characterize him as a low person capable of treason, cowardice, betrayal. Grinev and Shvabrin arrange a duel over the commandant's daughter, and, taking advantage of Grinev's inattention, Shvabrin wounds him.

The list of further actions of Alexei is crowned with the scenes of the assault and the capture of the Belogorsk fortress. Realizing that the siege of a poorly fortified fortress could not withstand, Shvabrin goes over to the side of Pugachev. When the false emperor administers judgment, sitting on the porch of the commandant's house, Shvabrin is already among the elders of the rebels. In order to save his life, Shvabrin grovels in front of Pugachev. In truth, Alexei's fate is unenviable: he is doomed to forever remain a stranger among his own, his own among strangers. Probably, Shvabrin simply tried to forget about such important concepts for a Russian officer as duty to the fatherland, honor, loyalty to this oath. Here is one example of the traitor's behavior: "Shvabrin fell to his knees ... At that moment contempt drowned out all feelings of hatred and anger in me. I looked with disgust at the nobleman lying at the feet of a fugitive Cossack."

Through torture and hunger, Shvabrin tried to force Masha to become his wife. This episode is resolved safely thanks to the intervention of Pugachev himself. Alexey Shvabrin remains one of the most vivid images of a traitor in Russian literature. The topic of betrayal occupied Pushkin very much. It is not without reason that the hero of his other famous historical work - the poem "Poltava" - is the rebellious hetman Ivan Mazepa, who committed treason against Peter the Great. However, Alexey Shvabrin is above all the embodiment of a petty traitor. It is known from the history of the Pugachev region that officers often went over to the side of the rebels. After the defeat of Pugachev, the trial of such people was ruthless and harsh.

Betrayal comes in many forms. Common to all types of betrayal is the abuse of another person's trust. Alexey Shvabrin betrayed his homeland, his beloved girl, friend, all the inhabitants of the Belogorsk fortress. This is quite enough to torment you with pangs of conscience for the rest of your life. Did Aleksey Shvabrin, this low and double-minded hero, who found himself between the solid and true to himself characters of the story "The Captain's Daughter", have tested them?

Publication (in abbreviated form), specially for the Russian Narodnaya Line (according to the publication: Chernyaev N.I. "Captain's daughter" Pushkin: Ist.-crit. Etude.- M .: Univ. Type., 1897.- 207, III p. (reprint from: Russian Review. - 1897. -NN2-4, 8-12; 1898.- N8) prepared by Professor A.D. Kaplin.

Shvabrin. - He has nothing to do with melodramatic villains. - His past. - The main features of his mind and character, his views and his relationship to Grinev, to Marya Ivanovna, to Pugachev and to other characters in the "Captain's daughter".

Shvabrin is usually considered to be a person who was unsuccessful for Pushkin. Prince Odoevsky refused to understand him; Belinsky called him a melodramatic hero. Meanwhile, Shvabrin, both as a type and as a character, is depicted in The Captain's Daughter with the same amazing skill as the Grinevs, Mironovs, Pugachev, etc. This is in the full sense of the word a living person, and all the misunderstandings about him are explained solely by the fact that Pushkin, following the laconic presentation he learned in The Captain's Daughter, does not tell the reader what motives Shvabrin is guided by in some cases of his life. The duty of criticism is to clarify these motives and thereby put an end to the wrong, but, unfortunately, very widespread view of Shvabrin in our country.

There is nothing in common between melodramatic characters and Shvabrin. If you include Shvabrin among them, then he will need to be attributed to the category of so-called villains. Belinsky, obviously, was of this opinion. But is Shvabrin like the traditional villains of the Western European scene, who breathe crime and in reality and in a dream dream of poisoning, strangling, ruining someone, etc. Shvabrin is not one or another walking passion, not one or the other walking vice , but a complex character and a creature in the full sense of the word alive, besides having the features of that era, which is reproduced in "The Captain's Daughter".

Shvabrin is young, "of a good surname and has a fortune." He speaks French, is familiar with French literature and, apparently, received, for his time, a good education. He calls Trediakovsky his teacher and, possessing a literary taste and some literary preparation, laughs at his love verses. He served in the guard, but he got to the Belogorsk fortress five years before Grinev appeared in it. He was transferred here for killing an officer in a duel. Shvabrin says nothing about his religious, philosophical and political views, but they can be judged by his actions and some hints scattered throughout the novel. Shvabrin obviously belonged to our free-thinkers of the last century, who, under the influence of Voltaire, the French encyclopedists and the general spirit of the times, adopted a negative attitude towards the Church and everything Russian, looked at the demand for duty and morality as prejudices, and, in general, adhered to grossly materialistic views. “He does not believe in the Lord God either,” Vasilisa Yegorovna says with horror about Shvabrina (in the fourth chapter), and this alone could not but alienate Marya Ivanovna from him, to whom he proposed a year before Grinev's arrival at the Belogorsk fortress.

"Shvabrin was very clever, - says Grinev - his conversation was sharp and entertaining." Having a sociable character and accustomed to revolve in the big world in Petersburg, he was extremely weary of being in the wilderness where fate had thrown him, looked down on the people with whom he was surrounded, and was genuinely delighted with Grinev's arrival, for he thought to find in him some suitable interlocutor and a friend. From the very first time he charmed the inexperienced young man with his liveliness, his ability to speak and present others in a caricatured form. Grinev only later realized that under Shvabrin's gaiety there was an unkind feeling. Shvabrin did not spare even such harmless people as the old people Mironovs and Ivan Ignatyevich. From this, however, it does not follow that he was truly observant and knew the human heart well.

He was mocking, and nothing more. Shvabrin's mind was a shallow, superficial mind, devoid of that subtlety and depth, without which there can be neither foresight, nor a correct assessment of one's own and others' actions and intentions. True, Shvabrin was cunning, nosy and interesting, like an interlocutor, but if Pechorin met him, he could boldly say about his mind what he says in Princess Mary about Grushnitsky's mind: Shvabrin, like Grushnitsky, was “ pretty sharp "; his inventions and witticisms were often amusing, but there were never marks and evil, even in those cases when they were generated by the most genuine anger; he couldn’t kill anyone with one word, for he didn’t know people and their weak strings, and spent his whole life working on himself. Shvabrin could invent that Ivan Ignatyevich was in touch with Vasilisa Yegorovna and that Marya Ivanovna was selling her caresses; but he, in spite of all his cunning, did not know how to use people as instruments of his goals, did not know how to subordinate them to his influence, despite the fact that he passionately desired it; he did not even know how to skillfully wear a mask put on himself and be in the eyes of others what he wanted to appear.

That is why he constantly fell into the nets he scattered for others and did not mislead anyone about his person, except for the inexperienced and gullible Pyotr Andreevich. Not only Marya Ivanovna, but even Vasilisa Yegorovna and Ivan Ignatyich had no doubt that Shvabrin was a bad person. Shvabrin felt this and took revenge on them with evil speech. About his relationship to Pugachev, we can say the same thing that Pushkin says about Schwanvich: "He had cowardice to stick to the impostor and the stupidity to serve him with all zeal." This also gives a not particularly beneficial concept of Shvabrin's foresight and insight.

Shvabrin belonged to the same category of people to which Shakespeare's Iago and Walter Scott's Rushley (from the novel "Rob Roy") belong. He swims smaller than them, but he is as soulless and wicked as they are. Strongly developed pride, terrible vindictiveness, the habit of going roundabout ways and complete promiscuity in the means are the main features of his character. He vividly felt the bitterness of every offense inflicted on him and did not forgive his enemies. Sometimes he put on a mask of generosity and sincerity in order to lull their vigilance, but he could never reconcile with those whom he once planned to be his victims.

Double-mindedness and pretense never left Shvabrin for a minute. After the duel with Grinev, he comes to him, apologizes to him and confesses that he himself was to blame, but at the same time he writes a letter to old Grinev, in which, of course, he did not spare either Pyotr Andreevich or Marya Ivanovna, and if not for Pugachev's attack, would have achieved its goal - the transfer of young Grinev from the Belogorsk fortress to some other "fortress". Seeking the hand of Marya Ivanovna, Shvabrin blackens the young girl in order to drop her in the eyes of Grinev, and thus distract them from each other. In this case, too, he remained true to himself. His favorite means of intrigue were lies, slander, trumpeting and denunciations. He resorted to them in relations with Pugachev, and with the old man Grinev, and in the Investigative Commission.

Nervous, intrusive, nimble, restless and mocking Shvabrin, completely alien to sincerity and kindness, could not but have collisions with people close to him. About his first, St. Petersburg duel in "The Captain's Daughter" is not reported any details, but we know perfectly well under what circumstances the duel took place because of Marya Ivanovna. Shvabrin was not a Pechorin-type bretter. He was not looking for dangers and was afraid of them. True, he was not averse to playing the role of a brave man, but only if this could be achieved without putting his life on the line. This is evident from his collision with Grinev.

Mocking Marya Ivanovna in Grinev's presence, Shvabrin obviously did not think that his young comrade, whom he considered a boy, would take his words so close to his heart and answer him with a sharp insult. Shvabrin challenges Grinev to a duel, carried away by a momentary outburst and a feeling of envy and hatred that has long been brewing in him. Having made a challenge to Grinev, they are not looking for seconds. "Why do we need them?" - he says to Grinev, having learned about his conversation with Ivan Ignatyich, who flatly refused to "be a witness to the fight."

- "And we can do without them." The fact is that Shvabrin was more skillful than Grinev in fencing, looked at him as a non-dangerous opponent, and, challenging him to a duel, was sure that he was playing for sure. Preparing to put an end to Grinev, Shvabrin did not intend to fight him in a chivalrous manner and, of course, prepared in advance not to miss the opportunity to inflict a treacherous blow on him (after all, he did not hesitate to do this at a time when Grinev heard his name pronounced by Savelich , and looked back). Here is a clue why Shvabrin was not looking for seconds. They would only hinder him.

Shvabrin was a coward. There is no doubt about that. He was afraid of death and was unable to sacrifice his life in the name of duty and honor.

- "How do you think this will all end?" - Grinev asks him, after the first meeting with Ivan Ignatyich about Pugachev.

God knows, Shvabrin answered: - we'll see. I don't see anything important yet. If...

Then he got lost in thought and began to whistle a French aria in scattering.

“If, however,” Shvabrin meant that in no case did he intend to go to the gallows, and that he would go over to Pugachev’s side, if the impostor was really as strong as he said.

The thought of treason appeared in Shvabrin's mind at the first hint of danger and was finally ripe by the time the Pugachevites showed themselves near the Belogorsk fortress. He did not follow Captain Mironov, Ivan Ignatyich and Grinev when they rushed out on a sortie, but joined the Cossacks who had been passed on to Pugachev. All this could be explained by Shvabrin's political lack of principle and the ease with which he was used to playing the oath as an unbeliever.

Shvabrin's subsequent behavior shows, however, that in betraying the Empress, he acted mainly under the influence of cowardice. When Pugachev arrives at the Belogorsk fortress, together with Grinev, Shvabrin, noticing that the impostor is dissatisfied with him, trembles, turns pale and positively loses his presence of mind. When Pugachev learns that Marya Ivanovna is not Shvabrin's wife, and threateningly says to him: “And you dared to deceive me! Do you know, bum, what you deserve? " - Shvabrin falls to his knees and thus begs for forgiveness. In the Investigative Commission, when Shvabrin is not threatened with an immediate massacre, and when he has already got used to the position of a convicted criminal, he has enough courage to testify against Grinev in a "bold voice": Grinev he had nothing to fear.

How did Shvabrin behave in front of the judges at first? One must think that he was lying at their feet. It may very well be that he would humbly apologize to Grinev during the duel, if he seriously feared for his life.

Did Shvabrin love Marya Ivanovna? Yes, as much as selfish and mean people can love. As an intelligent person, he could not help but understand and appreciate her high moral merits. He knew that Marya Ivanovna would be an exemplary wife, that she would brighten up the life of the one she chose as her husband, and he, as a proud man, would be pleased to subordinate the wonderful girl to his influence. When his offer was not accepted, and when he noticed that Marya Ivanovna preferred Grinev to him, he considered himself deeply offended. Since that time, a secret feeling of hatred and revenge has been mingled with his feeling of love, and this is expressed in the slander that he decided to spread about her. Denying Marya Ivanovna in front of Grinev, Shvabrin not only acted as his weapon against the incipient attachment of young people, but also took revenge on the girl who had rejected him, cooling the enmity with slander.

Having become the commandant of the Belogorsk fortress, Shvabrin tries to force Marya Ivanovna by threats to marry him. This he fails. Prince Odoevsky wondered why Shvabrin did not take advantage of those moments when Marya Ivanovna was in his power, that is, why he did not satisfy his passion by violence or forced Father Gerasim to marry him with a poor orphan against her will. Because Shvabrin is not Pugachev or Khlopusha: in his relationship to Marya Ivanovna, coarse sensuality did not play a big role. Moreover, Shvabrin was not a man whose blood could cloud his mind. He knew, finally, that Marya Ivanovna was not one of those girls who could be married off by force, and that Father Gerasim would not agree to perform the sacrament of marriage over the daughter of his old friend, against her wishes. Shvabrin wanted Marya Ivanovna to become his wife, and not his concubine, for he still continued to love her, be jealous, and suffered at the thought that she treated him with disgust. Trying to defeat her stubbornness, he used those means that most corresponded to his character: intimidation with denunciations, all kinds of harassment and threats, and, in general, a kind of moral and physical torture.

Slandering Grinev before the Investigative Commission, Shvabrin does not say a word about Marya Ivanovna. Why is this? Answering this question, Grinev notes: “Is it because his pride suffered at the thought of the one who rejected him with contempt; Is it because in his heart there was a spark of the same feeling that made me keep silent - be that as it may, the name of the Belogorsk commandant's daughter was not pronounced in the presence of the commission! " Grinev's words perfectly explain what motives guided Shvabrin in this case. He felt all the bitterness of the insult that Marya Ivanovna had refused to be his wife, he felt the torment of jealousy and envy of his rival; but he still continued to love Marya Ivanovna, felt guilty before her and did not want to involve her in political crime, subjecting her to all the consequences of a close acquaintance with the harsh themis of Shishkovsky's times. Love for Marya Ivanovna, even on Shvabrin, had an ennobling effect.

It is possible, however, to admit another clue of Shvabrin's behavior in the Investigative Commission regarding the daughter of Captain Mironov - a clue that Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, who has always somewhat idealized his rival and enemy, overlooks. It was simply unprofitable for Shvabrin to involve Marya Ivanovna in the case, for she could show much not in his favor and easily expose his lies and slander; Shvabrin, of course, remembered this firmly at a confrontation with Grinev.

So what is Shvabrin? This is not a melodramatic villain; he is lively, witty, intelligent, proud, envious, vengeful, cunning, low and cowardly, deeply spoiled egoist, mocking and arrogant with those whom he is not afraid of, obsequious obsequious to those, a hundred instills in him fear. Like Schwanvich, he was always ready to prefer a shameful life to an honest death. Under the influence of anger and a sense of self-preservation, he is capable of all meanness. Regarding his betrayal of his loyal and official duty, one can say what Catherine II says about Grinev: “He stuck to the impostor not out of ignorance and credulity, but as an immoral and harmful scoundrel”.

For Shvabrin, nothing is sacred, and he did not stop at anything to achieve his goals. In addition to the thirteenth chapter of "The Captain's Daughter" it is said that Shvabrin did not allow the house of the Grinevs to be plundered, "retaining in his very humiliation an involuntary disgust from dishonest greed." This is understandable. Shvabrin received a lordly and to a certain extent refined upbringing; therefore, much of what seemed very natural to some half-savage escaped convict inspired him with a sense of disgust.

This does not mean, however, that he was taller than Pugachev or Khlopushi. Morally, he is immeasurably inferior to them. He did not have those bright sides that they had, and if he disdained some of their exploits, it was only because he was more civilized and more effeminate than them. They rushed at enemies like lions and tigers, and took their prey in battle, he sneaked up on his victims like a fox, and, like a snake, stung them at a time when they least expected it: He was disgusted with robberies and robberies, but he, without hesitation, inflicted blows on his enemies of betrayal and with a light heart would let them through the world with the help of forgeries and all kinds of lies, if he wanted to take possession of their riches.

Shvabrin was neither Richard III nor Franz Moore, but he would have been a perfectly suitable man for the entourage of Caesar Borgia. He could have neither friends nor selfless affections, for he sincerely, loved only himself and was completely incapable of self-sacrifice. He was not a monster by vocation, but he did not know how to love much and knew how to hate strongly.

Pushkin endowed Shvabrin with an ugly face for a reason: as a man inclined to rule over others and, probably, far from indifferent to the impression he made on women, Shvabrin, you need to think, cursed his unfortunate appearance, suffered many injections thanks to her for his pride, and so , of course, did not forgive those who guessed his soul by his face.

There is nothing Russian in Shvabrin: everything Russian was etched out in him by his upbringing, but he was still a Russian degenerate - a type that could arise only on Russian soil under the influence of the 18th century and its peculiarities. Despising the faith of his grandfathers and fathers, Shvabrin despised, at the same time, the concepts of honor and duty, which both Grinevs are guided by.

Fatherland, oath, etc. - all these are words for Shvabrin, devoid of any meaning. Shvabrin, as an everyday phenomenon, belongs to the same type as the Fonvizin caricature of our young Westernizers of the eighteenth century - Ivanushka in the Brigadier. Shvabrin is smarter than Ivanushka; moreover, there is not a single comical feature in it. Ivanushka can only excite laughter and contempt; Shvabrin is not at all suitable for the heroes of a funny comedy. Nevertheless, he still has a lot in common with the brigadier's son, as a product of the same spirit of the times.

CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER

Alexey Shvabrin - a nobleman, the antagonist of the main character of Grinev's story. Having conceived a novel (story) from the era of the Pugachev revolt, connected by genre tradition with the "Scottish novels" of W. Scott, where the hero finds himself between two camps, "rebels" and "conquerors", Pushkin at first hesitated about who to put in the center of the narrative. Either, as it was in "Dubrovsky", a nobleman who went over to the side of the peasants (here the nobleman-Pugachev Shvanvich could become a prototype). Either the Pugachev prisoner who managed to escape. In the end, Pushkin, as it were, “divided” the historical hero in two, divided it into two plot roles. One of them went to Grinev, the other to Sh. (In whose name you can clearly hear the echoes of the names of Shvanvich and Basharin).

Sh. Swarthy, ugly, lively; serves in the Belogorsk fortress for the fifth year; transferred here for “murder” (he stabbed the lieutenant in a duel). By itself, this biographical detail does not say anything; nor does Sh .'s contempt say anything (during the first meeting with Grinev, he describes the Belogorsk people very derisively). All these are typical features of the novel's image of a young officer; for the time being Ш, does not fall out of the traditional scheme; unusual for this type of literary hero only his "intellectuality" (Sh. is undoubtedly smarter than Grinev; he was even associated with V. K. Trediyakovsky). Even when he speaks caustically about the rhymes of the enamored Grinev, this corresponds to the stereotype and does not make the reader wary. Only when, with a "hellish grin", he offers Grinev to give it to his beloved, daughter of the local commandant Marya Ivanovna, instead of a love song, earrings ("I know from experience her disposition and custom"), does this suggest his spiritual dishonor. Soon it becomes known that Sh. Once wooed Marya Ivanovna and was refused (which means that his reviews of her as a perfect fool are revenge; a nobleman taking revenge on a woman is a scoundrel).

And then the “ready-made” image of Sh. Does not develop, but consistently unfolds in a given direction.
During a duel, to which Grinev summons him, offended by the comment about Masha, Sh. Strikes with a sword at the moment when the enemy looks back at the unexpected call of the servant (that is, informally ends the battle). Formally, this is a blow to the chest, but, in essence, to the back of an opponent who is not going to run - that is, a sneaky blow. Then the reader has the most serious reasons to suspect Sh of secretly informing Grinev's parents about the duel (thanks to which the father forbids his son to think about marriage with Marya Ivanovna). The complete loss of ideas about honor also predetermines Sh's social treason. As soon as the fortress gets to Pugachev, he goes over to the side of the rebels, becomes one of their commanders and by force tries to persuade Masha, who lives under the guise of a niece of a local priest, to an alliance. The culminating point of the "Shvabrinsky" plot line is the scene when an angry Pugachev appears in the fortress, having learned from Grinev that III. restrains the girl: the nobleman is lying at the feet of the fugitive Cossack. Meanness turns into shame.

Sh. Ends up by pointing at Grinev as a traitor to Pugachev, having fallen into the hands of government troops; only the simplicity of the protagonist prevents anyone from guessing that III. he is silent during interrogation about Marya Ivanovna only because he is afraid of her testimony in favor of Grinev, and not because he wants to save her from trouble. (Nothing prevented Sh., At a moment of personal danger, from revealing her secret to Pugachev and putting the daughter of the hanged commandant herself under a mortal blow, and getting her sheltered by the noblewoman.)

It is not interesting to portray such a “motionless” hero (for all the importance of his figure, shading and balancing the image of Grinev). Therefore, Pushkin often resorts to the method of indirect narration: Sh. Himself remains outside the scope of the story, and the reader learns about him from the conversations of other characters.

The characteristic of Shvabrin from The Captain's Daughter is a combination of qualities that are alien to a decent person. It is no coincidence that this hero is present in the narrative, however, like other images of Pushkin's story. He is the opposite of Grinev, a hero who symbolizes the honor and dignity of a Russian officer.

Appearance

The characteristic 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 person at dinner at the Mironovs' house. Shvabrin has been in the fortress for the fifth year already. Here he was sent for the murder to which the duel led. 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, superbly ugly. Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin has a lively face, he is witty, he knows how to create a pleasant impression. He is by no means stupid, as the main character is convinced of on the day he meets the officer. Shvabrin gladly tells Grinev about the inhabitants of the fortress, he describes the commandant's family, local traditions. A more complete description of Shvabrin in the story "The Captain's Daughter" is in the description of the culminating events, namely, during the capture of the fortress. But before talking about how Shvabrin took Pugachev's attack, it is worth mentioning Masha. Or rather, about the attitude of the hero to the captain's daughter. A brief description of Shvabrin is given by the author already in the third chapter. He is a slanderer, an intriguer, an envious person.

Masha Mironova

At first glance, Peter did not like her. He looked at her with some prejudice. What did not like Masha to the main character of "The Captain's Daughter"? Shvabrin, in whose description there is such an unpleasant trait, so love for gossip, at the first meeting told Grinev about the inhabitants of the fortress. He presented Masha as a complete fool. Since the young officer was glad to meet Shvabrin (as we remember, he found himself in the boondocks against his will), initially he believed every word of this man.

Later, Grinev met Masha and discovered that this girl was reasonable, intelligent. Shvabrin denigrated Masha because he was in love with her. Thus, he wanted to protect her from other suitors. It is noteworthy that the captain's daughter, as Grinev later learned, once rejected Shvabrin. Despite her young age, she felt the rotten soul of this man, who had no right to bear the rank of a Russian officer.

Gossip

Shvabrin slandered not only Masha. He told Grinev, a man unfamiliar with the commandant's family, fables, not worrying at all that there was not a shadow of plausibility in them. So, he told Peter that the garrison lieutenant, Ivan Ignatyich, allegedly was in an impermissible relationship with the captain's wife.

Grinev had to communicate with Shvabrin every day. But over time, conversations with this person became more and more unpleasant for him. Obscene jokes about the commandant's family jarred on Peter. He had already managed to get to know them, and did not arouse anything but sympathy for the Mironov couple. He took particularly painful remarks about Masha.

Squabble

The reason for the fight, of course, is not in the harsh criticism of the poetic abilities of the protagonist. The fact is that the poem was dedicated to Masha. Shvabrin, guessing to whom this work was addressed, demonstrated an unprecedented acrimony even for himself. First, he criticized the poem. And then the girl to whom it was dedicated. Moreover, Alexey Ivanovich accused Masha of corruption. This already Grinev could not stand it and called his opponent a bastard. He, being confident in Grinev's inability to fight with swords, challenged him to a duel.

Sneaky man

The lessons of the frivolous French tutor were not in vain. Grinev knew how to fence well. Shvabrin did not know about this, otherwise he would not have challenged Peter to a duel. The duel could have ended with the victory of the protagonist. However, Savelich unexpectedly appeared and distracted Peter. Shvabrin, taking advantage of the situation, struck his opponent a blow that could have been fatal.

After his recovery, Grinev forgave Shvabrin, who had slandered Masha. However, he harbored anger. A characteristic feature of Shvabrin is meanness. He often acted surreptitiously. While Grinev was in a fever, he wrote an anonymous letter to his father.

Traitor

The culmination of the narrative is the appearance of Pugachev. This event is discussed in the sixth chapter of "The Captain's Daughter". Pushkin gave a characterization of Shvabrin in this part of the work. He, or rather, the main character, acting as a storyteller, does not think much about Shvabrin here. Events are taking place much more terrible than the betrayal of an officer.

In the previous chapters, Shvabrin is shown as a gossip, just an unpleasant person. But the squabbler is not a traitor yet. As soon as Pugachev appears, Shvabrin goes over to his side. He commits a crime against officer's duty, honor, morality. This is no longer just a petty dirty trick spreading gossip. Shvabrin is a traitor, moreover, power-hungry. Using his privileges, he tries to force Masha to marry him.

Coward

Shvabrin is arrested. Perhaps another criminal in his place would have repented. But nothing of the kind happens to former officer Alexei Ivanovich. He testifies against Grinev, and of course there is not a word of truth in them. Petra is saved by Masha. She, like the main character, follows the simple, old truth that honor must be cherished from a young age. For Shvabrin, such concepts as duty, honor do not exist.

Negative or positive character Shvabrin? To answer this question, let's look at the characterization of Shvabrin from Pushkin's The Captain's Daughter. In fact, in short, Aleksey Ivanovich Shvabrin is the opposite of Pyotr Grinev and combines a set of qualities that are alien to decent people. Nevertheless, this is the key character of the story, and it is extremely important to discuss his characteristics if we want to fully understand the main idea of ​​Pushkin.

What do we know about Shvabrin's appearance?

Let's start with the characterization of Shvabrin precisely from his appearance. If the appearance of some literary characters in certain works is deliberately not described, because the author pursues certain goals, then as for Shvabrin - Pushkin presents him to us.

Grinev heard about Shvabrin when he dined with the Mironovs. Shvabrin himself has been serving here for several years, and he was sent to the fortress after a duel. His height is short, by himself he is dark and ugly. However, this is a person with a lively face, very witty, far from stupid, and besides, he can present himself in a favorable light when necessary. Shvabrin happily told Grinev about the people who live in the fortress, in particular, about the commandant and his family. Described Shvabrin and the peculiarities of the local way of life.

Shvabrin - who is he?

For example, in the very first days of their acquaintance, Shvabrin puts Masha in a conversation with Grinev in such a light that one gets the impression that she is just a fool. And Grinev naively believes the words of his new friend, since he initially aroused sympathy in him. However, Grinev eventually figured it out and realized that Masha was not at all like that, and his friend was just trying to denigrate the girl. This case says a lot about what characterization Shvabrin can be safely given. It is interesting that Masha had previously refused Shvabrin, feeling the vile essence of this person.

But Shvabrin was gossiping not only about Masha. He managed to tell Petrusha, who was still not really familiar with the Mironovs, a lot of half-truths about their family and people close to them. For example, about the garrison lieutenant Ivan Ignatyich, he said that he had an impermissible relationship with the captain's wife.

These facts indicate that Shvabrin's characterization is very negative. Yes, Grinev was forced to see Shvabrin every day, but soon communication with Alexei Ivanovich became more and more unpleasant for him, and he simply could not stand his indecent jokes.

Quarrel between Grinev and Shvabrin

So, Peter Grinev’s negative on Shvabrin accumulated more and more. It must be understood that Peter was imbued with sympathy for the commandant's family, and, of course, was very disposed towards Masha. Therefore, it is not surprising that Shvabrin's barbs about Masha caused irritation. Finally, an incident occurred that led to a quarrel among young people. Let's consider it below.

Peter liked to write poetry, and often in his free time he composed. Once he wrote lines that someone wanted to read, and Grinev read a poem to Shvabrin. However, he reacted very unexpectedly: taking the sheets with the essay, Shvabrin began to criticize the poet and gloat. This started a quarrel and then led to a duel. In fact, Grinev dedicated a poem to Masha Mironova, which Shvabrin could not tolerate. Moreover, he made a rude accusation against her. Note that although Shvabrin vilely inflicted a blow on Grinev, he then recovered and forgave Alexei. But Shvabrin did not appreciate the nobility of Peter, and inside he had a desire to avenge everything.

Conclusions about the characteristics of Shvabrin in the story "The Captain's Daughter"

In the above cases, it can be seen that Shvabrin is a vile person, envious and spiteful. Remember what an unsightly act he did while Grinev was recovering from his wound: Shvabrin sent an unsigned letter to Peter's father to do another nasty thing.

In addition, Shvabrin turned out to be a coward and a traitor, which follows from subsequent events when Pugachev appeared. Thanks to such a character as Shvabrin, the reader can not only see the nobility and courage of Peter Grinev in contrast, but also draw certain conclusions about what qualities a person should not have and what, on the contrary, is worth learning.

This article presented the characteristics of Shvabrin from Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter". You might also be interested in articles