The story "The Captain's Daughter" can be attributed to one of the peak works of A. S. Pushkin, made in prose. More than once, even the author of this work himself said that it is historical, as it is based on peasant uprisings led by Pugachev. The author was able to recreate the atmosphere that was characteristic of those times. He amazingly portrayed the characters of the main characters and ordinary people who lived at that difficult time.
The work is a kind of narration, which is conducted on behalf of the main character - P. Grinev. He became a witness and participant in all the events described by the author. But the work would be incomplete if it did not find a place for a hero who is the exact opposite of Grinev. It is, of course, about Schwabrin. With the help of it, the author managed to make the plot of the story more vivid and exciting. This is probably why the image of Shvabrin and Grinev is considered only together. But in this review, we should consider in more detail the main anti-hero of the story.
What is hidden in the image of Schwabrin?
The image of Shvabrin demonstrated how people can be petty, selfish and cowardly in their desires. With Grinev in the story “The Captain's Daughter” Shvabrin has only one thing in common - strong feelings for M. Mironova. Under the image of an antihero lies an aristocrat who had once served in the guard. He came to Belogorsk fortress by virtue of his not very light character. Namely, after the moment when the next lieutenant killed him.
The author of the story indicated that there was such a time when Shvabrin was already married to Masha. But the answer, of course, was negative. That is why it was often possible to hear insults against her from him. These unpleasant expressions became the reason for the duel between him and Grinev. But the image of Shvabrin in the story “The Captain's Daughter” is not endowed with such a quality as honesty. At that moment, when Grinev turned his back on the cry of the servant, Shvabrin managed to seriously injure him.
Among the shortcomings that was endowed with the anti-hero of the story, the absence of such concepts as honor and official duty stands out especially well. At that moment, when the fortress fell under the onslaught of Pugachev, Shvabrin, without thinking twice, goes over to his side, while receiving the position of one of the commanders. The reason for the transition to the rebellious side was the hatred of Grinev and the desire for Masha to become his wife.
The author’s attitude to the image that was revealed in the face of Shvabrin
Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin, deprived of any moral principles, is shown in the story as a guard officer, corrupted by intrigues and conspiracies, court morals,
palace coups . He rather despised domestic reality and even spoke exclusively in French. But Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin did not deprive Shvabrin’s image in the story “The Captain’s Daughter” and positive qualities. The author endowed him with a sharp mind, resourcefulness and a good education.
The author shows a negative attitude towards this hero. If you look at his assessment, then we can say with great accuracy that it is quite negative. This can be seen even in the fact that in the story he is mentioned only by last name. Also, in some places of the work, only the initials of this antihero are indicated.
What did Shvabrina lead in the end to his meanness?
And what is the result? Pugachev, whom Grinev told that Shvabrin holds Masha by force, was angry. The image of Shvabrin in the story "The Captain's Daughter" was an excellent demonstration of what could happen to a person if he forgets about honor, courage and courage. But to say that this teaches something is impossible. When Shvabrin got into government troops, he singled out Peter among the traitors. He did this primarily in order to remove suspicion from himself. Naturally, Grinev was able to get out of a difficult situation without losing his honor and officer courage.
The fate of Shvabrin remained a mystery, since A. S. Pushkin did not write anything definite about this. But most likely, he was simply executed. And you can’t call such a punishment unfair.
What did A. S. Pushkin try to show to readers using the image of Shvabrin?
Probably, the author tried to show that people should not be condemned for their actions, using for this purpose the image of Shvabrin in the story “Captain's Daughter”. Better to feel sorry for them and sympathize with them. Mop can be attributed to those people who can not get rid of their fears. He sees nothing except what is directly connected with him. Not even an aristocratic origin made him so, but the absence of any spiritual qualities.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like Shvabrin around. They harm other people who at least somehow remind themselves of such characters as Grinev and Masha. But, as in the story of A.S. Pushkin, all their atrocities always act against their masters. This is precisely the trouble of such people. So, fear can only give rise to hypocrisy and falsehood, which, in turn, lead to failure.
What is hidden in the image of Schwabrin?
But the image of Shvabrin was created for a reason. With his help, the author showed that meanness can only lead to failure and failure. Almost every act we commit leads to a certain result. So it is necessary to summarize the following: once forgetting about your honor, you can doom yourself to further failures.