The image and characteristics of Shvabrin in the novel “The Captain's Daughter” by Pushkin: description of appearance and character in quotes. What would you say is the most cowardly thing you did? The fate of the mop in the captain's room

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Without the image of Shvabrin, Pushkin’s novel “The Captain’s Daughter” would have been deprived of confidence in the triumph of justice. It is thanks to this hero that we can fully appreciate the nobility of Grinev and the truth of Masha’s love.

Origin and occupation of Shvabrin

Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin is a man of aristocratic origin. His family was rich and influential in aristocratic circles.

Alexey Ivanovich, like all nobles, received a good education, he knew several foreign languages ​​and was distinguished by an extraordinary mind.

We invite you to read the poem by A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”

Like most young people, Shvabrin chose a military career. Alexey Ivanovich began his military path in the elite troops - in the guard. At first his service was not difficult, but Alexei Ivanovich’s recklessness ruined everything.

Despite the ban on dueling, Shvabrin still flouts the official ban. The duel ended quite successfully for him, which cannot be said about his opponent, the lieutenant. The wound he received led to his death. The fact of the duel became known and Shvabrin, as punishment, was sent to the Belogorodskaya fortress, where he served for about five years: “God knows what sin befell him; As you can see, he went out of town with one lieutenant, and they took swords with them, and, well, they stabbed each other; and Alexey Ivanovich stabbed the lieutenant, and in front of two witnesses.”

Shvabrin's appearance

Alexey Ivanovich did not have a pleasant appearance - he was short, his face was absolutely ugly, it was difficult to identify any pleasant facial features, his face was distinguished by facial liveliness, which was even more repulsive. His skin was dark in color, matching his hair. His hair was perhaps one of the few things that was attractive about Shvabrin - it was deep black and framed his face beautifully.

After Pugachev captured the fortress, Shvabrin’s appearance changed significantly - he changed his usual suit to Cossack clothes, and grew a beard.

The arrest by the official authorities also affected his appearance - his once beautiful hair turned gray, and his beard became matted and lost its attractiveness. “He was terribly thin and pale. His hair, recently jet black, was completely grey; his long beard was disheveled.”

In general, his appearance corresponded to a man awaiting sentencing - he was depressed and discouraged.

Characteristics of personal qualities

Alexey Ivanovich had an extremely hot temper, which repeatedly became the cause of his misfortunes. Intemperance towards the lieutenant deprived him of the opportunity to serve carefree in the elite troops. His temper towards Grinev became the reason for going over to the side of the rebels and, as a consequence, hard labor.

In general, Shvabrin is not a stupid person, he is endowed with intelligence and ingenuity, but in moments of emotional instability, his mental abilities fade into the background - emotions decide everything. “Shvabrin was not very stupid. His conversation was sharp and entertaining.”

Alexey Ivanovich is a dishonest person. His habits include deceiving people and slander. Sometimes he does this out of boredom, sometimes to gain some personal benefit.

One way or another, this pushes those around him away from Shvabrin - no one wants to communicate with a daring and insidious person.

Shvabrin and Grinev

Grinev's appearance in the fortress brought some revival to her sleepy and boring life. There weren't that many employees here, so there were no problems choosing a company to hang out with. Grinev says about Shvabrin: “I really didn’t like his constant jokes about the commandant’s family, especially his caustic remarks about Marya Ivanovna. There was no other society in the fortress, but I didn’t want anything else.” The noble and kind Grinev managed to win over everyone in the fortress, in particular the commandant’s daughter, Masha. Consumed by jealousy, Shvabrin challenges the young opponent to a duel. Shvabrin was practically convinced of his victory - he believed that a person of Grinev’s age could not have exceptional fencing abilities, but it turned out to be the opposite - an accident decided the course of the fight -

Unable to get rid of his opponent in a duel, Shvabrin resorts to deceit. He writes an anonymous letter to Grinev's father about the events that took place. Alexey Ivanovich hopes that the angry father will take his son from the fortress and the path to his beloved Masha will again be clear, but this does not happen. Shvabrin had to hide and wait for a more suitable opportunity.

After some time, such an opportunity arose - after the arrests of the participants in the uprising, to which Alexei Ivanovich belonged, legal proceedings began. It is here that Shvabrin recalls his long-standing grudge against Grinev and attributes to him a game on two fronts. However, this time Shvabrin’s hopes were not realized: thanks to Masha, Grinev was pardoned by the empress.

Shvabrin and Marya Ivanovna Mironova

Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin was by nature an amorous person. Once in the fortress, he immediately noticed a pretty girl - the daughter of the commandant of the fortress. Marya Ivanovna was not exceptionally beautiful; she was unlikely to be able to compete with the first beauties, but she still had pleasant facial features. Over time, Alexey Ivanovich begins to show interest in the girl. It seems to him that even if he does not arouse Marya’s sympathy, then her parents will convince the girl to reciprocate - the Shvabrin family is wealthy, and the Mironovs eke out a miserable existence on the brink of poverty.

Most likely, Shvabrin does not truly love the girl - for him it is a game, entertainment. Marya realizes this and therefore avoids the dishonest and unattractive man, which causes indignation and irritation in Shvabrin. The appearance of Grinev in the fortress further strained the relationship between Alexei Ivanovich and Maria Ivanovna. Mironova falls in love with a sweet and kind young man, and Shvabrin is unable to rejoice at their mutual feeling, and all the time tries to find a way to defend his illusory right to the girl’s love. Shvabrin's attempts do not lead to anything good: Masha only becomes more convinced of his dishonesty and hypocrisy.

After the fortress is captured by the rebels, Shvabrin locks the girl up and starves her - he hopes that in this way he can break her and get what he wants, but Marya is helped to escape, and Alexey Ivanovich is left with nothing.

Shvabrin and Pugachev

Shvabrin's transition to the side of the rebels seems illogical and absurd. For him, as a representative of the aristocracy, a rich and wealthy person, supporting the rebellion is absolutely unnecessary and unjustifiably risky.

The first objective thought that explains such an act is fear for one’s life. Pugachev and the rebels are very categorical with people who do not want to serve them, but, as further developments show, Shvabrin was not only motivated by the desire to stay alive. Shvabrin was disdainful of other people's lives, but was in no hurry to part with his own. Seeing how decisively the rebels deal with the rebellious, Shvabrin takes an oath to faithfully serve Pugachev.

He faithfully serves him and his cause - he cuts his hair in the Cossack manner and dresses in Cossack clothes. Shvabrin behaves freely and uninhibitedly in company with the rebels; he has become so accustomed to the role that it is difficult to recognize him as an aristocrat.

It is likely that Shvabrin’s behavior was just a game for the public - it is unlikely that a person like Alexei Ivanovich truly shared the views and desires of Pugachev.

On our website you can read the poem “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin.

The image of Shvabrin did not inspire much confidence in Pugachev - Alexey Ivanovich was a traitor who went over to his side. The fact of betrayal should have alerted Pugachev and cast doubt on the sincerity of his intentions, but, in spite of everything, Pugachev makes Shvabrin the new commander of the fortress; it is likely that this choice was influenced by Shvabrin’s military past.

Thus, the negative image of Shvabrin becomes the background for displaying the actions and characteristics of other characters. A.S. Pushkin uses contrast to achieve a vivid portrayal of the importance of morality and integrity. Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin was always a dishonest, greedy person and as a result suffered for his temper, anger and self-interest - for his involvement in the activities of the rebels he was sent to hard labor.

Literary critical remarks about "The Captain's Daughter"

Reading “The Captain’s Daughter” and condemning Shvabrin’s behavior, the reader probably doesn’t think about the fact that this work is unique in Russian literature in its own way. The problem of artistic psychologism is one of the most complex and least explored. This problem arose, in fact, along with literature and, therefore, went through a number of stages in its development. In the 20–30s of the 19th century, Russian literature had already acquired real maturity. First of all, in the work of Pushkin, who thus became the founder of Russian literature. Artistry has found its fullest expression in the creation of characters - as the most stable, multifaceted and dynamic psychological structures, embodying the uniqueness of individuality. It was on this basis that the formation of psychologism as one of the leading principles of reflection was completed. This happened in close interaction with romanticism and critical realism. After all, their pathos lay primarily in the reflection of human individuality, in the affirmation of its independence, in showing its flourishing and, at the same time, the injuries caused by the socio-historical conditions of life.

So, we must assume that in Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century there were at least three forms of psychologism. First of all, this is the psychologism that arose when man in general was considered the subject of literature, and the dogmas of normative poetics still weighed heavily on writers to one degree or another. However, here it was no longer “high” and “low” that were opposed, but “sensitivity” and “coldness”...

Pushkin's words in the context of psychologism

The main one was also the form of psychologism, which arose with the recognition of the value of human individuality. This contributed to the fact that psychologism finally turned into one of the leading principles of literature (and, perhaps, culture), along with humanism. At that time, fundamental changes were taking place in social psychology in connection with the awakening of self-awareness in society, with the advent of an analytical approach to the existing way of life. Writers of the 20s and especially the 30s increasingly came to this form of psychologism.

“The Captain's Daughter” is the author’s last word. Our writer began his creative path when the process of awakening social self-awareness, and with this the recognition of the value of individual uniqueness, was directly reproduced in literature. Thus, “everyday free-thinking” was reflected, according to Yuri Lotman, which was clearly manifested in “riotism,” as well as “hussarism,” “epicureanism,” a romantic attitude, etc. All these are different manifestations of personal self-affirmation. And it is from this point of view that the hero of Pushkin’s work interprets such forms of the psyche as “character” and “passion”.

Thus, psychologism finally took shape as a principle of reflection in connection with the reproduction of a special state of social psychology: the awakening of an individual’s self-awareness and recognition of the value of individual uniqueness. This is how the form arose that reached its highest development in the works of Pushkin and Gogol. Of course, this form was realized by these authors in different ways, because Pushkin and Gogol did not adhere to the same concepts of humanism and, moreover, dealt with different life materials. With the spread of reflection, in particular skepticism, the transition to a new form of psychologism began, which was already discovered by Lermontov. The next step is the psychologism of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy... And, as we see, everything begins in many ways with Pushkin.

Modern receptions of “The Captain’s Daughter” and the image of Shvabrin

Above we analyzed the image of Shvabrin in isolation. However, one cannot help but admit the fact that literature is a series of receptions and reincarnations. Thus, we offer an original look at how the image of Shvabrin migrated into modern literature. In particular, we are talking about the work of Victor Pelevin. In his novel, Pelevin uses a plot device from Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter,” namely, the duel between Grinev and Shvabrin. This duel takes place through a heartfelt poem to Masha, written by the loving Grinev and the ridiculed Shvabrin. In Pelevin's "Empire V" the duel actually takes place in verses of different genres. Mithra writes a sycophantic madrigal, Roma-Rama writes an invective with a socio-political sound.

Pushkin and Pelevin carefully describe the rules of the duel as a knightly code of honor (“The Captain’s Daughter”) and as its verbal imitation (“Empire V”). The duel (the struggle between the heroes for Masha’s heart in “The Captain’s Daughter”) and the dispute over Hera’s commitment (in “Empire V”) becomes the reason for further self-characterization of the heroes. Shvabrin, like Mithra, reveals baseness and sycophancy. Grinev, like Roma-Rama, reveals, in turn, historical insight, wisdom, honesty, and patriotism. The historical insight of Pelevin’s hero continues Pushkin’s reflections on the causes of Russian national-historical “non-identity”, inconsistency with oneself at various stages of social development. Thoughts about the tragic consequences of Russian historical chaos, which are based on “violent upheavals,” have been continued for almost two centuries by the hero of the postmodern era, Roma-Rama. So, the “eternal youth of Russia” is ensured by the previous history torn to the core.

Pushkin's intertext in Pelevin's novel thus acts as a consolidating cultural factor that continues the original Russian literary tradition, creates a dialogue between modernity and the golden time of Russian literature, thereby embodying the saving continuity of eras.

Another emphasis: Shvabrin as a two-spirited person

Pushkin's system is a classical system of antitheses, when positive characters correspond to negative heroes. Shvabrin, as we have seen from our analysis, embodies those characteristics that are associated with negative figures. Meanness, dishonesty, a tendency to treason and betrayal, insidiousness, cruelty, unscrupulousness - all this is about Shvabrin.

When the reader first meets this hero, he finds him in the fortress. Shvabrin is serving a sentence “for murder.” Of course, negative heroes are usually endowed with a powerful mind, wit, attractive appearance, liveliness of character, and entertaining speech. Pushkin collects in the image of Shvabrin all those features that are inherent in typical villains. The reader becomes a witness to the unfolding drama - not jealousy, but the triumph of a sense of ownership. Shvabrin is contrasted with Grinev, a positive character. Grinev gets what Shvabrin couldn’t get. That is, the love of a girl. Dissatisfaction - almost in the Freudian sense - pushes Shvabrin to heinous acts: denigrating the name of Masha (the same girl, as we remember), wounding Grinev in a duel, finally recognizing the impostor Pugachev as sovereign, dressing up, betrayal... Shvabrin captivates Masha, trying to force him to leave marry him. Of course, the story ended happily, and Masha was freed from the fortress. However, Pushkin’s logic unfolds in the key of “misdemeanor - punishment”; in a literary work, justice triumphed, but in life it would probably have happened differently. Shvabrin, after a series of losses, still tries to console himself with revenge. However, he receives only devastation and the final loss of dignity - as a person.

I have a direct association with the concept of cowardice with such character traits as dishonor, dishonesty, baseness and uncertainty. A cowardly person is tantamount to a person who has lost self-respect; he acts based only on initial instincts, without looking into the future at all, doing what he wants, and not thinking about the consequences. Such actions are called cowardly, and they, in turn, just like any others, also have their own degree.

You can leave a spider alive, sharing shelter with it and being in constant fear, or you can kill an innocent person, worrying about your own reputation in society. The degree of cowardice, in my opinion, is determined by the degree of damage caused to other people and society as a whole. If one act of a coward cast doubt only on his attitude towards himself, in the future, perhaps, it will only turn out to be a valuable experience. However, if a human life becomes the victim of an act, in other words, if for the sake of his own benefit, for the sake of his life, a person endangers the life of one, or even several individuals at once, if lies and hypocrisy come into play, I consider such an act truly cowardly and unworthy .

For example, in the novel by A.S. Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter" the author introduces us to a true coward, Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin. At the very beginning of the work, this hero shows the properties of his character in such little things as, for example, the scene with a duel. Directly during the battle, fearing for the state of his health, Shvabrin, weakening and seeing that Peter was distracted by Savelich, deliberately injures him at that moment. Can this be considered a cowardly act? Of course, a duel is a fair battle, it is carried out according to the rules, and a person who takes such a step must be prepared for his own death. Moreover, Shvabrin himself was the initiator. However, he was afraid for his life and struck a dishonest and vile blow. The most cowardly thing, it seems to me, is Shvabrin’s act at the moment when the fortress was attacked by rebels led by Pugachev. Grinev was ready to sacrifice his life to defend his honor and the honor of his fatherland, and Shvabrin immediately sided with the enemy and violated not only the oath of the nobles, but also all the laws of humanity and self-respect. Plus, he was unable to admit his guilt and cowardice even after a while, in court. Shvabrin, like a true coward, tried to tarnish the image of Grinev and make himself look honest.

I also consider the most cowardly act of Evgeny Onegin, the hero of the novel by A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin". Throughout the entire work, the author described this hero to us as an ambiguous personality - Eugene, it seems, did not respect secular society, but was part of it. The same situation occurred in the village. Onegin depended on the opinions of those he despised. When Vladimir Lensky, jealous of his beloved, challenged Evgeny to a duel, he could quite calmly, based on common sense, refuse, while preserving the life of a good, bright and promising young man. But, paradoxically, it was not his refusal to duel that showed Eugene’s cowardice. The hero showed it by agreeing to fight, because true cowardice was embodied in Eugene’s desire to preserve his image in the eyes of the villagers, despite the fact that he despised these same residents. Thus, I consider Onegin’s agreement to a duel and his murder of Lensky to be the most cowardly act. My thought is also confirmed by the fact that Evgeny himself, immediately after the crime he committed, disappeared for a long time and in an unknown direction. Only a real coward, hiding from the truth and popular contempt, could do this.

It seems to me that there is nothing more cowardly than those actions that kill the person within us. Cowardice is the antithesis of honor and dignity, a direct opposition to the word “respect.” A coward will never admit his guilt and until the last moment he will assure himself and those around him that the truth is on his side. Because he is called that because he considers the most important fear in his life to be the recognition of his cowardice, and with recognition, as you know, repentance and correction begin.

The demoted officer Shvabrin Alexey Ivanovich appears, as the captain introduced him to Grinev.

Pushkin gives a portrait of Shvabrin in one line: “An officer of short stature, with a dark and distinctly ugly face, but extremely lively,” is how the author describes his appearance. But his internal qualities are much more important.

He is smart, educated, but for him honor and decency are forgotten concepts. This man is not worthy to bear the title of Russian officer.

Shvabrin has no idea what it means to love. Therefore, despite the lack of suitors, she was not seduced by his advances and refused to get married. She sensed deep down his deep dishonesty. And how did Shvabrin repay her for her refusal? He tried in every possible way to discredit her in the eyes of others. Moreover, he did it “behind his eyes” when neither the Mironovs nor Maria herself could hear him. And it doesn’t matter what his motives were - the desire to take revenge for the refusal, or to isolate potential suitors from Masha, the very fact of such denigration of the girl speaks of the baseness of the Shvabrin soul. However, this man did not only blaspheme Masha. He, like a village woman, gossiped about the captain’s wife and other inhabitants of the fortress, without experiencing the slightest remorse.

The next episode, which reveals Shvabrin’s image not from the best side, is the quarrel with and subsequent. Pyotr Andreevich wrote a song. In fact, it was a light, poetic pampering, which he wanted to boast about in his youth to Shvabrin. A more experienced retired officer ridiculed the young poet and once again slandered Masha, accusing her of being corrupt. The young man, who during his service in the fortress managed to get to know Captain Mironov’s daughter better, lost his temper and called Shvabrin a liar and a scoundrel. To which Shvabrin demanded satisfaction. A boy stood in front of the proven duelist, and Shvabrin was sure that he could easily deal with him. He knew very well that duels among nobles were prohibited, but he worried little about it, he was sure that with the help of deception and slander he could easily get out of the situation. If an experienced fighter and fencer had been in front of him, Shvabrin would probably have swallowed the insult and taken revenge on the sly. Which, however, he will do anyway later.

But the lessons of the French tutor, as it turned out, were not in vain for Grinev, and the “boy” wielded a sword quite well. The wound that Shvabrin inflicted on Grinev was caused at the moment when Savelich called out to his master, and thereby distracted him. Shvabrin sneakily took advantage of the moment.

While Pyotr Andreevich lay in a fever, the enemy wrote an anonymous letter to his father, in the secret hope that the old warrior would connect all his connections and transfer his beloved child from the fortress.

What do you see in this episode with the duel, denunciation, slander, a blow delivered when the opponent turned away. All these traits are inherent in people with a low soul. Here we can add disbelief in God. In Rus', Christianity and faith have always been a stronghold of morality and morality.

Shvabrin fully demonstrated his baseness during the capture of the fortress by robbers. In the face of this soldier, the reader does not see a brave warrior. He was one of the first officers to take the oath. Taking advantage of his “power” and permissiveness, as well as Masha’s defenselessness, he tried to persuade her to marry. But he didn’t need Masha. He was simply furious that she had rejected him, but she had a nice conversation with Grinev before dinners, and loved him with all her soul. His goal was to destroy the happiness of Grinev and Masha, to prevail over the one who rejected him. There is no place for love in Shvabrin's heart. Betrayal, hatred, denunciation live in him.

When Shvabrin was arrested for his connection with Pugachev, he slandered Grinev as well, although he knew perfectly well that the young man had not sworn allegiance to the robber and was not his secret agent.

Grinev was threatened by Siberia, and only the courage of Masha, who was not afraid to go to St. Petersburg to the empress, saved the young man from hard labor. The scoundrel suffered a well-deserved punishment.

Making a brief description of the image of Shvabrin, it should be noted that Pushkin introduced this negative character into “The Captain's Daughter” not only to diversify the plot, but also to remind the reader that, unfortunately, in life there are real scoundrels who can poison the lives of the people around them .

Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin is a supporting character in the novel (story) by A. S. Pushkin “The Captain's Daughter”. His task is to help the author reveal the images of Grinev and Masha, to make them realistic, not “bookish and fairy-tale-like,” as positive heroes often seem to us.

Shvabrin has a real prototype. During the Pugachev uprising, nobleman Mikhail Shvanvich, who served in the company of Lieutenant Kartashov, took part in suppressing the rebellion. The company surrendered to Pugachev, and Shvanvich swore allegiance to him with a kiss on his hand and served faithfully first as an ataman, then as secretary of the Military Collegium.

There was no story with the “captain’s daughter” in Shvanvich’s life, but for Pushkin the very fact of violating the oath and going over to the side of the rebels was important.

Characteristics of the hero

Shvabrin acts as the antagonist of the main character - Grinev. And in everything. Grinev is poorly educated - Shvabrin is well educated. Grinev is conscientious and rather modest, Shvabrin seeks profit in everything and is daring. Grinev, without a drop of doubt, is faithful to his word and oath, even at the cost of his life. Shvabrin thinks only about himself and is ready to sell or buy even his homeland, even love, and for the sake of his own life he will commit any meanness and crime.

You can judge Shvabrin by his first words spoken to Grinev at the meeting: “Yesterday I learned about your arrival; desire to finally see human face took possession of me so much that I could not stand it...” In two words, Alexey Ivanovich expresses his attitude towards the inhabitants of the Belogorsk fortress and at the same time characterizes himself: a noble, strong man, with a really deep mind, will never call everyone around him animals, but himself a man. He is possessed by a petty demon of pride, but his pride is very cheap, it is a vulgar counterfeit of honor and aristocracy.

This is confirmed further when Shvabrin takes revenge on Masha Mironova for refusing matchmaking and denigrates her in the eyes of Grinev: “... if you want Masha Mironova to come to you at dusk, then instead of tender poems, give her a pair of earrings.” His lies are monstrously disgusting, because Masha is an example of modesty, purity and fidelity.

As the story progresses, the character of the hero does not change, only exacerbating the properties already known to us. Shvabrin wounds Grinev in a duel at the moment when Peter turns to Savelich’s cry. Then he informs Grinev’s father about the duel, for which Peter falls into severe disgrace with his parent: the priest is determined to transfer Peter to an even greater wilderness. Next, Shvabrin swears allegiance to Pugachev and it turns out that he was in preliminary correspondence with the “robber” in order to save his life in the event of the capture of the fortress.

Shvabrin tries to take possession of Masha by force, locks her in a closet “for bread and water.” When this attempt fails, Shvabrin tells Pugachev that Masha is actually the daughter of Captain Mironov and should either be executed or imprisoned.

Such a desperate “parade of baseness” and dishonor may seem far-fetched. Doesn't realism teach us that there is both good and bad in everyone? But Pushkin, as if in spite of reality, ends Shvabrin’s fate with the main betrayal: Shvabrin writes a denunciation to the government against Grinev.

The image of the hero in the work

However, the image of Shvabrin in the novel is still realistic. Such “heroes” are far from uncommon in life and have been encountered by many. It’s just that in the work the image is brought to completion, to typicality, and the form of a “story about the past” helps us immediately see the nature of the actions.

Shvabrin is conceived as the antipode of Grinev and as an example of what true betrayal and dishonor are. After all, formally - “according to the law” - Grinev is also a traitor: he receives help from a rebel, he is a criminal, he loses the honor of an officer.

Pushkin, by comparing Grinev and Shvabrin, shows us that acting according to conscience, in the name of justice and salvation, is honest, noble, this is the Law. But to lie, to denigrate people, to force them, to betray them, to inform them is dishonor.

For the state law, for the Empress, Shvabrin and Grinev are equally guilty. For the reader and life, they are completely opposite. This is the law of conscience and Christian morality. And, according to Pushkin’s plan, following only him, you can change your life, build it fairly and wisely.

“The Captain's Daughter” is the pinnacle prose work of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The author himself called his story historical, since it was based on the true events of the peasant uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev. The author recreates the atmosphere of those times, depicts characters typical of that era.

The story is a memoir, “family notes”, narrated on behalf of Pyotr Grinev, a witness and participant in the events described. The main characters in the work are: the Grinev family, Savelich, the Mironov family, Pugachev and the rebellious peasants, as well as Shvabrin. It is on this that I want to dwell in more detail.

This hero in the story is the direct opposite of Grinev. The latter “preserves honor from a young age”, embodies the best traits of a Russian person: breadth of soul, resourcefulness, courage, readiness to help. Shvabrin, on the contrary, is petty and selfish, cowardly and vile. Only one thing unites them - love for Masha Mironova.

Shvabrin is an aristocrat who previously served in the guard. He is smart, educated, eloquent, witty, resourceful. He has been serving in the Belogorsk fortress for five years, transferred to it for murder - he stabbed a lieutenant in a duel. Shvabrin once wooed Masha Mironova, was refused, and therefore often used insulting language towards the girl. This is precisely what served as the reason for his duel with Grinev. But a fair fight is not for Shvabrin. Having cheated, he wounds Peter when he looks back at the unexpected call of the servant.

Shvabrin is deeply indifferent to everything that does not concern his personal interests. The concepts of honor and official duty are alien to the hero. As soon as the Belogorsk fortress is captured by Pugachev, Shvarin goes over to the side of the rebels and becomes one of their commanders. He went over to Pugachev’s side not for high ideological reasons, but to reprisal Grinev and marry Masha, who lived under the guise of a niece with a local priest.

A morally devastated person, Shvabrin evokes a sharply negative attitude from Pushkin. The author's assessment of this character is sharply negative; in the story he is called by his last name, or only his initials are indicated: A.I.

How does neglect of male and official honor ultimately turn out for the hero? Pugachev, who learned from Grinev that Shvabrin is holding the girl, is angry. The traitor aristocrat literally lies at the feet of the fugitive Cossack in search of mercy and forgiveness. Meanness, thus, turns into shame, which, unfortunately, did not teach the hero anything. Having fallen into the hands of government troops, Shvabrin points to Grinev as a traitorous Pugachevite.

Probably, we should not condemn this hero, but feel sorry and sympathize with him. Personally, he doesn’t evoke any feelings in me other than pity. A person who cannot overcome his fears, who cannot see beyond his own nose, is weak and insignificant. It's not even a matter of aristocratic origin and brilliant education, but a lack of spiritual qualities. What could be worse than constantly being dependent on someone because of the fear of directly expressing your thoughts and desires, because of the habit of going with the flow? Why fight Pugachev when it is easier to take his side? Why do you need to wait until someone loves you, when you can force a girl to marry!.. Why fight an honest duel when it’s easier to deceive your opponent?!
What kind of honor can we talk about if a person thinks this way?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like Shvabrin around us. Because of them, others suffer, similar in spiritual qualities to Grineva and Masha. But, as a rule, committed meanness and betrayal turn against the mops. This is their problem: fear gives rise to lies and hypocrisy, and these, in turn, are the causes of failure.

Why did I like the image of Shvabrin? Perhaps because in his example one can clearly see what meanness and submission to circumstances lead to. Each of our actions has a consequence, so the epigraph to the story “Take care of honor from a young age” after analyzing the image of Shvabrin takes on a new meaning. Having sacrificed honor once, a person dooms himself to lifelong failures.