One of the main characters of the satirical verse comedy A.S. Griboyedov became Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. This is a middle-class representative of the Moscow nobility. He was once married, but his wife died in childbirth, leaving him with a daughter, Sophia. And now it is necessary to take a closer look at the character of this hero in order to more fully reveal the theme of “Famusov: attitude to service.”

Characteristics of Famusov

He characterizes himself as an exemplary father, a cheerful, fresh, gray-haired man with behavior similar to that of a monk. But the people around Famusov speak differently. Daughter Sophia speaks very unflatteringly about her only parent: he is quick, restless and grumpy. And his obsessive desire intimacy with the maid Lisa negates “ascetic” behavior. They listen to his opinion and even value him. In general, Famusov is not an evil person, but now the most important and important issue for him is the search for a profitable match for Sophia.

Ranks and ranks

In fact, very much - Famusov. However, he has a special attitude towards service. As befits a real nobleman, he is at ease, but he does his work simply mechanically, with absolutely no interest in its meaning. The best confirmation of this are his words, in which he expresses the desire that a lot of things should not accumulate. Therefore, he often signs papers without reading them. As he himself says: “It’s signed, off your shoulders.”

For Famusov, service is not some kind of personally useful activity for him, and not even a means of earning money, and even more so he is not guided by the desire to serve the Fatherland. Service for him is the main attribute of a real nobleman. He treats ranks and tables of ranks with great reverence, and he evaluates people by them.

Famusov. Attitude towards service. "Woe from Wit"

Famusov, in the case of communication with an important person, will definitely point out family ties. “Let us be considered one of our own, even if we are distant, and do not divide the inheritance.”

When discussing the topic “Attitude towards Famusov’s service,” the quotes speak for themselves. The hero loves to surround himself with distant relatives and tries in every possible way to promote them in his career. He is not interested in whether a person can do this job or not. Here is an example, quote: “No! I crawl in front of my relatives, where I meet; I will find her at the bottom of the sea." Lisa says about Sophia’s father that he would like to have a son-in-law with ranks and stars - and no less. Famusov considers man's erudition a plague from which eternal problems, he also believes that books are harmful and completely unnecessary; it would be better to burn them altogether.

Chatsky and Famusov

When Chatsky suddenly appears in Famusov’s house, the measured and orderly life of the entire family is disrupted, and the owner is thrown out of his usual rut. For his own peace of mind, Famusov is drawing up a calendar. Marks are made there when there will be christenings, funerals or dinner party for trout, where Famusov will certainly arrive. - completely different. He became the personification of the emergence of a new, modern, educated and progressive person, who opposes the old foundations, worship of ranks, serfdom and autocracy.

However, Famusov is not as limited as his entourage, such as Colonel Skalozub or the many-faced secretary Molchalin, as, indeed, all the other guests invited to the evening. He has his own point of view on the ongoing processes in society, and he tries to consistently defend it. He is a convinced serf owner, and is always ready to send a troublemaker to hard labor in Siberia for any sins.

This is what Famusov is all about. Chatsky’s attitude towards service is completely different, he left the civil service and declares that he would be glad to serve, but it’s sickening to be served. Famusov responded: “...You are all proud! Would you ask what your fathers did? You would learn by looking at your elders...”.

The play “Woe from Wit,” written by Alexander Griboyedov, was not immediately published, and its appearance on the stage took a long time. Griboedov's comedy did not avoid difficult relationships with censorship, since at that time the play had a rather sharp character and bold content.

In the comedy, the author touches on pressing problems of society that have matured since early XIX century. However, the moral, fundamental conflict, which is determined by the relationship with the imminent split in the stratum of society of the nobles, is correlated with the problem of perceiving each other among old and new views on the social order.

Griboyedov’s play reveals such phenomena as “the present century” and “the past century.” A misunderstanding arises between them, which cannot be resolved. Famusov Pavel Afanasyevich is the primary preacher of the “past century”, serving as its main defender.

Characteristics of the hero

One of the characters famous comedy Alexandra Griboedova “Woe from Wit” - Famusov Pavel Afanasyevich. The hero of the play is chief representative the so-called Famusov society, is a nobleman, a famous landowner. In his circles, given his numerous acquaintances and connections, Famusov is a more than recognizable resident of Moscow, who serves as a manager in a government office. It is impossible to describe Famusov without mentioning his boastfulness, inherent in all noble representatives of the nobility. In addition, Pavel Afanasyevich is quite hospitable, sociable, one can call him an amateur beautiful life"on a grand scale." He is indifferent to any discussions and gossip about his personality. For himself, Famusov defined his life credo as the ability to necessary situations to please, and also to curry favor with those who can be useful to him. The ideal for Pavel Famusov is his uncle, Maxim Petrovich, whom his nephew strives to imitate in every possible way.

(The image of the Famusov society with a characteristic noble pastime in the 19th century of that time)

Despite the fact that Famusov’s wife is no longer alive, he allows himself cheeky behavior, although he creates the appearance of a respectable widower. Famusov not only shows interest in the maid, but is also closely connected with the doctor.

Pavel Afanasyevich has a daughter, Sophia, Famusov endlessly loves and takes care of her. And every opportune moment is a convenient opportunity to remind you how much effort was invested in raising your daughter. However, it is impossible to define the image of Famusov as one-sidedly negative, because he is capable of compassion and kindness. This is confirmed by the death of his friend, whose son Famusov took into his own upbringing and treated him no worse than his own daughter. For Famusov’s reasons, marriage between people can only be possible if their combination is capable of generating decent financial income. Based on this, his goal is to ensure Sophia’s future happy marriage for a rich groom.

Famusov works only with the desire to receive more money, earn recognition and subsequent titles. His secretary does all the work for him, and all he does is put his signature on the prepared papers.

Famusov, an avid Moscow gentleman of the 20s of the 19th century, can be classified as an ardent supporter of serfdom.

The image of the hero in the work

IN comedy play Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov plays the role of a real enemy educational activities, opposes all innovations, because, in his opinion, this entails a threat to his calm and prosperous life.

He motivates the dissolute behavior of his adult daughter Sophia by constantly reading books. However, reading is not the only reason promoting such behavior.

Famusov asserts with confidence that both foreign teachers and interest in studying the arts - all this will only harm noble children; they do not need an education at all, since family life does not force and does not imply its presence.

The most best example Famusov considers his daughter to be her father, no matter how vain it may sound.

Griboyedov tried to give the image of Pavel Famusov and his society the most outdated landowner views and opinions, their inconsistency, and also emphasize the ingrained habits that were so deeply ingrained in their minds.

It is in this vein that the role of Famusov is staged on the pages of the play by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit".

Speech characteristics of the heroes of A. S. Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”

Griboedov's contemporaries admired the language of the comedy "Woe from Wit." Pushkin also wrote that half of the verses of the play will become proverbs. Then N.K. Piksanov noted the peculiar speech flavor of Griboedov’s comedy, the “liveliness of the spoken language,” and the characteristic speech of the characters. Each of the characters in “Woe from Wit” is endowed with a special speech characteristic of his position, lifestyle, characteristics of his internal appearance and temperament.

So, Famusov is an old Moscow gentleman, a government official who defends in a comedy the vital values ​​of the “past century.” Social status Pavel Afanasyevich is stable, he is an intelligent person, very confident, respected in his circle. His opinion is listened to, he is often invited “to name days” and “to funerals.” Famusov is gentle by nature, he is hospitable and hospitable in the Russian way, values ​​family ties, and is insightful in his own way. However Pavel Afanasyevich He is not a stranger to a certain self-interest, and on occasion he can also be deceitful; he is not averse to dragging himself after the maid. The social position of this character, his psychological appearance, his character and life circumstances correspond to his speech in the play.

Famusov’s speech, according to the remark of A. S. Orlov, resembles the speech of the old Moscow nobility, with its folk, conversational manner, colorful, figurative and apt. Pavel Afanasyevich is prone to philosophizing, didacticism, witty remarks, brevity of formulations and laconism. His speech style is unusually agile, lively, emotional, which indicates the hero’s intelligence, his temperament, insight, and a certain artistry.

Famusov reacts to the situation instantly, he expresses his “momentary opinion”, and then begins to reason in this topic more “abstractly”, considering the situation in the context of one’s own life experience, knowledge about human nature, about social life, in the context of “century” and time. Famusov's thought is prone to synthesis, to philosophical generalizations, to irony.

Upon arrival, Chatsky asks why Pavel Afanasyevich is sad, - Famusov immediately finds an apt answer:

Oh! Father, I found a riddle,

I'm not happy!.. At my age

You can’t start squatting on me!

Finding his daughter with Molchalin early in the morning, Famusov becomes fatherly strict and well-intentioned:

Friend, is it possible for a walk?

And you, madam, almost jumped out of bed,

With a man! with the young one! -

Something to do for a girl!

Pavel Afanasyevich can analyze the situation, tracing the cause-and-effect relationships in it:

He reads tall tales all night,

And here are the fruits of these books!

And all the Kuznetsky Bridge, and the eternal French,

Destroyers of pockets and hearts!

In a comedy, the hero appears in a variety of guises - a caring father, an important master, an old red tape, etc. Therefore, Pavel Afanasyevich’s intonations are very diverse, he perfectly feels his interlocutor (N.K. Piksanov). With Molchalin and Liza, Famusov’s servants speak like his own, without ceremony. With his daughter, he maintains a strictly good-natured tone, didactic intonations appear in his speech, but love is also felt.

It is characteristic that the same didacticism and parental intonations appear in the dialogues of Pavel Afanasyevich with Chatsky. Behind these moral teachings, paradoxically, there is a special, fatherly attitude towards Chatsky, who grew up with Sophia in front of Famusov’s eyes. “Brother” and “friend” - this is how Famusov addresses his former pupil. At the beginning of the comedy, he is sincerely happy about Chatsky’s arrival and tries to instruct him in a fatherly way. “That’s it, you are all proud! Would you ask what the fathers did? - Famusov perceives Chatsky not only as inexperienced young man, but also as a son, not at all excluding the possibility of his marriage with Sophia.

Famusov often uses popular expressions: “potion, spoiled girl”, “suddenly fell in a row”, “grief to grieve”, “neither give nor take.”

Remarkable in its imagery and temperament is Pavel Afanasyevich’s monologue about Moscow, his indignation at the dominance of everything foreign in the education of Moscow young ladies:

We take tramps, both into the house and with tickets,

To teach our daughters everything, everything,

And dancing! and foam! and tenderness! and sigh!

It’s as if we are preparing them as wives for buffoons.

Many of Famusov’s statements have become aphorisms: “What a commission, creator, to be a father to an adult daughter!”, “Learning is a plague, learning is the reason,” “Signed, so off your shoulders.”

The speech of old woman Khlestova is close to Famusov’s speech. As N.K. Piksanov notes, Khlestova speaks “in the most seasoned, most colorful language.” Her speech is figurative, accurate, and her intonations are confident. In the language of Famusov’s sister-in-law there are many popular expressions: “it took an hour to drive”, “he was a daredevil three fathoms”, “he got a sop from dinner.”

Skalozub’s speech is also unusually characteristic - primitive, abrupt, rude in meaning and intonation. His vocabulary includes many military terms: “sergeant major,” “divisions,” “brigadier general,” “line,” “distances,” “corps” — which are often used inappropriately. So, sharing Famusov’s admiration for Moscow, he says: “The distances are enormous.” Hearing about Molchalin’s fall from his horse, he declares:

He tightened the reins. Well, what a miserable rider.

Look at how it cracked - in the chest or in the side?

Sometimes Skalozub does not understand what the interlocutor is talking about, interpreting what he heard in his own way. Sophia gives an exhaustive description of the hero’s speech: “He hasn’t uttered a smart word in his life.”

As A.I. Revyakin notes, Skalozub is tongue-tied. He doesn't know Russian well, confuses words, and doesn't follow grammar rules. So, he says to Famusov: “I am ashamed, like an honest officer.” Skalozub’s speech thus emphasizes the hero’s mental limitations, his rudeness and ignorance, and narrow-mindedness.

Molchalin's speech also corresponds to his inner appearance. The main features of this character are flattery, sycophancy, and humility. Molchalin’s speech is characterized by self-deprecating intonations, words with derogatory-affectionate suffixes, an obsequious tone, exaggerated courtesy: “two-s”, “still-s”, “forgive me, for God’s sake”, “little face”, “angel”. Molchalin is mostly laconic; his “eloquence” awakens only in a conversation with Liza, to whom he reveals his true face.

Among the characters in Famusov's Moscow, “member of the secret union” Repetilov stands out for his colorful speech. This is an empty, frivolous, careless person, a talker, a drinker, a regular at the English Club. His speech is endless stories about himself, about his family, about “ most secret union", accompanied by ridiculous oaths and derogatory confessions. The hero’s speech style is conveyed by only one phrase: “We’re making noise, brother, we’re making noise.” Chatsky comes to despair from Repetilov’s “lies” and “nonsense.”

As A. S. Orlov noted, “Repetilov’s speech is very interesting due to the diversity of its composition: it is a mixture of salon chatter, bohemia, circles, theater and vernacular, which was the result of Repetilov’s wandering around different layers society." This character is characterized by both vernacular and expressions high style.

It is worth noting the originality of the Countess-grandmother’s speech style. As V. A. Filippov notes, this heroine is not at all tongue-tied. Her “wrong”, non-Russian accent is determined by her nationality. Old woman Khryumina is a German woman who never mastered the Russian language or Russian accent.

The speech of Chatsky differs from the speech of all the characters, who to a certain extent is a hero-reasoner expressing the author’s views in the comedy. Chatsky is a representative of the “present century”, criticizing all the vices of Moscow society. He is smart, educated, speaks correctly literary language. His speech is characterized by oratorical pathos, journalisticism, imagery and accuracy, wit, and energy. It is characteristic that even Famusov admires the eloquence of Alexander Andreevich: “he speaks as he writes.”

Chatsky has a special manner of conversation, different from the manner of other characters. As A. S. Orlov noted, “Chatsky recites as if from the stage, according to the satirical didacticism of the author. Chatsky’s speeches take the form of monologues even in conversation, or are expressed in the shortest remarks, as if shooting at the interlocutor.”

Often this character’s speeches contain irony, sarcasm, and parody intonations:

Oh! France! There is no better region in the world! -

The two princesses, sisters, decided, repeating

A lesson that they have learned since childhood.

What is remarkable in the play is Chatsky’s monologue, in which he, with all the fervor and noble indignation, attacks the social order, the bureaucracy of officials, bribery, serfdom, and rigidity of views. modern society, callousness of public morality. This passionate, freedom-loving speech clearly characterizes the hero’s inner appearance, his temperament, intelligence and erudition, and worldview. Moreover, Chatsky’s speech is very natural, vitally truthful, and realistic. As I. A. Goncharov wrote, “it is impossible to imagine that another, more natural, simpler, more taken from life speech could ever appear.”

Many of Chatsky’s statements have become aphorisms: “And the smoke of the fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us,” “The tradition is fresh, but hard to believe,” “The houses are new, but the prejudices are old,” “Who are the judges?”

Sophia also speaks quite correct literary language in the play, which indicates her good education, well-readness, and intelligence. Like Famusov, she is prone to philosophizing: “ Happy Hours They’re not watching.” Sophia’s expressions are pointed, figurative, aphoristic: “Not a person, a snake,” “The hero is not my novel.” However, the heroine’s speech was greatly influenced French. As N.K. Piksanov notes, in Sophia’s speech “there are whole tirades, remarks, stated in unclear, heavy language, with a non-Russian arrangement of sentence parts, with direct syntactic irregularities”:

But every little thing in others frightens me,

Although there is no great misfortune from

Even though he’s a stranger to me, I don’t care.

Lisa speaks in an unusually lively, lively language in the play. It contains both vernacular and high-style words. Lisa’s statements are also apt and aphoristic:

Pass us away more than all sorrows

And lordly anger, and lordly love.

The comedy “Woe from Wit” is written in a simple, light and at the same time bright, imaginative, rich and expressive language. Each of her words, as Belinsky notes, breathes “comic life”, amazes with “quickness of mind”, “originality of turns”, “poetry of models”.

Piksanov N.K. Creative history"Fire from mind." M., 1971. P. 165.

Revyakin A.I. History of Russian literature of the 19th century century. First half. M, 1985. S. 181-182.

Orlov A.S. Decree. op. P. 139.

Filippov Vl. Language characters"Fire from mind." - In the book: Griboyedov A.S. Woe from Wit. Play. Articles. Comments. M., 1946. S. 164 -165.

Piksanov N.K. Creative history of “Woe from Wit.” M., 1971. P. 173.

Belinsky V.G. Woe from Wit. - In the book: V. G. Belinsky. Sight

The representative of the old nobility, Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, becomes the character in whose house all the events of the comedy develop.

The image and characterization of Famusov in the comedy “Woe from Wit” help to imagine and understand the ideology of society of that time, the essence of the generational conflict.

Description of Famusov’s appearance and character

Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov is a widower raising his daughter Sophia. The master is proud of his widowhood. The rich man did not tie the knot again because his mother was flighty. Freedom is compared to power. Famusov, “his own master,” does not want to depend on women’s whims. This position does not make him a person who shuns the opposite half. A nobleman flirts with a maid. Words can be heard from the speech that help to imagine how the owner of the house behaves when no one sees him:

• squeezes;
• flirts;
• indulges;
• changes facial expressions.

A rich man of age, but looks cheerful and fresh: he shows off his strong physique. Behavioral characteristics also speak about his health:

• fussy;
• quick;
• restless.

An interesting scene is where the event planning takes place. Pavel Afanasyevich strives not to lose all the necessary events in his memory: christenings, balls, funerals, and to put them on the calendar. This attitude is characteristic of real nobility. Characterizes the comedy hero as a dual quality. On the one hand, the property is positive. The owner of the estate does not want to offend anyone by missing an important event. On the other hand, negative. Listening to plans to attend the birth of someone who has not yet been born is funny. The speech is puzzling. It is blasphemous to place christenings and funerals nearby without even thinking about the significance human life. From another perspective, this behavior is very real. Famusov - no fictional character, but the personification of the majority.

Positive features

Reality is confirmed by nearby negative and positive features personality.

Good nature. Pavel Afanasyevich’s attitude towards Chatsky characterizes him positively. After the death of Chatsky’s father, Famusov took him into his house and began to raise him as a son. Only a kind and caring father of the family could do this, a true friend. This is how he is presented in relation to his daughter and childhood friend. good feelings are also visible in relation to some courtiers, to secretary Molchalin.

Hospitality. Many scenes confirm this quality of Famusov: Chatsky’s arrival, the ball, Skalozub’s arrival. You just need to understand that hospitality in the house is only for the rich. There is no place for the poor and ignorant.

Love for the past. All old people cherish past events in their memory. The owner of the house protects the past and is afraid of criticism. Everything that has passed is his fate. Preserving the past is the task of his generation.

Negative personality traits

Grouchiness. The nobleman, the owner of the house, behaves like a bourgeois. He gets angry to no avail and is often in a mood when he is dissatisfied with everything. He is in a hurry, grumbling and scolding the courtiers. It’s surprising that the man himself knows about this property. But this only gives him a lot of pleasure. It seems that scolding is his normal state.

Coarseness. In dealing with those who serve him, the owner of the house does not mince words. Such rudeness was characteristic of all nobles of the conservative part of society. Rudeness and power in in this case synonyms. For Famusov, servants are donkeys, blockheads, lazy grouse. Rudeness disappears when Famusov is surrounded by people of his circle or higher status. There is very poise and modesty here.

Loud intonations. The owner's loudness frightens the residents. You can hear it everywhere. The voice is compared to trumpets. The master does not try to speak quietly. His position: I am the owner and have the right to shout.

Crazy. A father can do such things that he is called crazy. Famusov is a true representative of the ruling part. Choosing expressions and changing behavior is not in his rules.

Flattery. Pavel Afanasyevich flatters and is ready to please those from whom benefit is possible. Several scenes of his conversation with Colonel Skalozub provide a clear example of this behavior: changes in posture, speech and manner of speaking.

False entrepreneurship. In Famusov’s time, this quality was called differently - a businessman. Any means are good to achieve your goals. He will do everything that will help him achieve the desired rank and reward.

Life patterns and ideological principles

Famusov serves as a manager in a state government institution, like most Moscow nobles. Arranges for the service of relatives, close and distant. Gives them awards, promotes them career ladder. Family ties above all else for him. He is “pleased” in front of his relatives, realizing that the status of the entire family depends on him. Wealth and title explain Pavel Afanasyevich’s desire to find a rich husband for his daughter. It is desirable that the groom be noble, have awards and strive for promotion.

Famusov is a member of a club considered prestigious for the elite of the Moscow nobility. The English Club allowed one to present oneself as politically educated and advanced.

The master worries when events occur that could change attitudes towards him. Afraid of gossip, people's rumors and gossip.

Speech features of the hero

Pavel Afanasyevich speaks pure Russian, confirming that he is a true nobleman. His speech contains many colloquial phrases and expressions:

• “no urine”;
• "kill";
• "vegetated";
• "by chance";
• "knock your socks off."

The nobleman’s original speech allows us to believe that Pavel Afanasyevich loves and honors the traditions of his country, the Russian people. Famusov’s speech cannot be called poor. The nobleman speaks clearly, correctly expressing his thoughts. There are no scientific terms in the vocabulary. This means that the master is still limited in education. Therefore, his attitude towards scholarship is understandable. He didn’t need to study, and others don’t either. Learning is a disease comparable to a plague, striking quickly and irrevocably. Books are evil, which is better to destroy, burn, so that not a trace remains. But the father understands that scholarship has taken its place in society, so his daughter, as expected, has teachers. Famusov knows and foreign words, but uses them extremely rarely.

The image of one of Famusov’s characters made it possible to characterize an entire society of nobles. Their conservatism, worship of wealth and rank, evokes a sarcastic smile. The task set by the author has become achievable.

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In the world you rarely find a teaching that promotes violence, lies and deception. For the most part, world dogmas affirm the principles of humanity, peacefulness and decent attitude towards other people, however, real life far from these teachings.

Despite all efforts, deceit and deception prevail in society. This trend is typical for any social groups. However, the realization that the elite of society is also not devoid of these vices of humanity is depressing - I want to believe that there is a certain ideal of society in the world and this is not a utopia.

Famus Society, quite possibly could serve as such ideal model, but this doesn't happen. With the help of the exposure of Alexander Chatsky, the reader learns about the vices and negative qualities character typical of aristocrats.

The denunciation of the aristocracy occurs through the example of the manager government agency in Moscow Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. He has neither unique biography, nor his unique character - all his qualities were typical of the aristocracy of that time.

Family life of Famusov

In the story, the reader gets acquainted with an already formed, mature person, both biologically and psychologically.

His exact age is not indicated in the play - at the time of the unfolding of the main events he is a man of considerable age: “At my age, you can’t start squatting on me,” - this is what Famusov himself says about his age.

Family life Pavel Afanasyevich’s life was not cloudless - his wife died, and he remarried a certain “Madame Rosier”. Famusov cannot boast of a large number of successors to his family - he has one child - daughter Sonya, born from his first wife.

Famusov is not devoid of a sense of compassion - he took in his friend’s son, Alexander Chatsky, to raise him after the boy was orphaned. Alexander retained pleasant impressions of his teacher and, after returning from a long trip abroad, the first thing he did was pay a visit to Pavel Afanasyevich. Sincerely speaking, his respect and gratitude towards Famusov is not the only reason for the visit. Chatsky is in love with Sonya and hopes to marry the girl.

Based on this situation, we can conclude that Pavel Afanasyevich was a good teacher, he knew how to win Alexander over at any age, otherwise Chatsky would not have sought to pay him a visit with such zeal.

However, Famusov’s meeting with Chatsky became a reason for disappointment and quarrel. Alexander begins to analyze the actions and position of his teacher and comes to extremely unsatisfactory results on his part.

Famusov State Service

The reader gets acquainted with Famusov already when he is in the position of manager “in a government place”, about how he received this position, and what his career path Griboyedov does not specify.

It is known that Famusov prefers to see relatives among his fellow employees: “When I have employees, strangers are very rare.”

Pavel Afanasyevich surrounded himself with relatives at work; he loves to please them with a promotion or another award, but he does this for a reason - the concept of selflessness is alien to Famusov.

Personal qualities and habits of Famusov

First of all, selfish motives stand out. He himself is a rich and wealthy man, therefore, when choosing his future son-in-law, he is guided by the prospects for growth of both a career and a financial young man, because in Famusov’s concept, the first is inseparable from the second.

Famusov himself is dependent on ranks; he believes that a person who has the proper rank and many awards is already a priori worthy of respect.

“You, passionate about rank,” is how Chatsky describes him. In addition to the desire to achieve rank, his son-in-law must also have sufficient financial support. At the same time, Pavel Afanasyevich is not interested in the morality and integrity of the young man.

Based on this position, Alexander Chatsky looks like an extremely unattractive candidate for the husband of Sonya Famusova. He left military service, civil service also does not arouse his interest, of course, Chatsky has a family estate, but this does not evoke reliability and prospects in Famusov’s eyes: “Whoever is poor is not a match for you.”

Stunned by such a verdict, Chatsky still does not lose hope of being reunited with his beloved, but further development conflict forces Chatsky to abandon this idea.

Famusov highly values ​​the achievements of the reign of Catherine II, and considers Maxim Maksimych to be the ideal person, who, thanks to his sycophancy and ability to please, managed to reach heights in his career and was held in high esteem:

On the kurtag he happened to step on his feet;
He fell so hard that he almost hit the back of his head;
They deigned to laugh; what about him?
It suddenly fell in a row - on purpose,
And the laughter is worse, and the third time it’s the same.
A? what do you think? in our opinion, he is smart.

Guided by old principles, Famusov evaluates a person by his condition, and the ability to get what he needs, even through humiliation, becomes a subject of admiration.

Famusov is dismissive of the people who serve him, he experiences a certain amount of relief, scolding and shouting at his serfs. Phrases like “Donkeys! Should I tell you a hundred times?” and “You, Filka, you are a straight block of wood” - a common occurrence in his vocabulary.

By the way, constant dissatisfaction is typical for Pavel Afanasyevich. He is dissatisfied with the servants, dissatisfied with the new time, modern youth, science and cultural figures.

Conflict between Chatsky and Famusov

The images of Chatsky and Famusov expose the “present century” and the “past century.” Famusov adheres to a conservative view and believes that it is necessary to adhere to the orders of bygone times, because the ancestors were wiser than their contemporaries. Famusov compares everything between “was” and “has become”.

It is difficult for him to realize that the time of his ancestors has passed and the demands of society have changed:

At the age of fifteen, teachers will be taught!
And our old people?? - How enthusiasm will take them,
They will condemn deeds, that the word is a sentence, -
After all, the pillars don’t bother anyone;
And sometimes they talk about the government like this,
What if someone overheard them...

In addition to this division, the images of Famusov and Chatsky distinguish between the world of carnal pleasures and the spiritual world. Famusov and people like him are guided in life by the basic needs of the body, without caring about their spiritual and moral development. They embody man as a representative of the animal world.