Fathers and sons appearance of Nikolai Petrovich. A look at the world and human life in general in the image of Nikolai Petrovich from the novel “Fathers and Sons”
Kirsanov Nikolai Petrovich is the father of Arkady Kirsanov. This is a man no longer young, who has survived many disasters, but was not broken by them. An idealist with romantic tastes and inclinations, he, in his own way, strives to realize in his life an ideal reminiscent of Lavretsky’s ideal from “ Noble nest", - he works, tries to transform the landowner's economy in the spirit of the times, establishes new relationships with the peasants, seeks happiness in love and spiritual support in art. N.P. is depicted with obvious authorial sympathy - weak, but kind, sensitive, delicate and noble, he is loyal and benevolent in his attitude towards young people who are trying to think and live differently from how their fathers lived. But this attitude does not meet with an adequate response. Bazarov perceives N.P. as a “retired man” (“his song is sung”). Even his own son, whom N.P. loves and with whom he relies on rapprochement big hopes, with youthful tactlessness, tries to “re-educate” his father in a “nihilistic spirit” and often hurts him painfully with this tactlessness. But N.P.’s gentle patience and Arkady’s natural evolution do their job: at the end of the novel, father and son become closer, uniting in a common cause, and both achieve family happiness. This is how the general law of Turgenev’s novel is implemented, according to which people of the “golden mean” are rewarded with well-being for the moderation of their demands on life.
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The external conflict of Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons” is a clash of two eras, two worldviews, the philosophy of “fathers” and “children.” The representative of the new generation in the novel is the commoner democrat Evgeny Bazarov. Bazarov's immediate antagonist, his obvious opponent, is Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, a sophisticated, refined aristocrat. Bazarov’s “hidden” opponent is Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov, a subtle and delicate person, an esthete who loves everything beautiful: nature, music, poetry. The character of Nikolai Petrovich, his way of thinking, his feelings, habits, preferences - all this is contrasted in the novel with the character of Bazarov, his inner world, his ideology, crude, materialistic views.
Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov is a character who clearly has the author’s sympathies on his side. We meet him already on the first pages of the novel. His appearance has nothing remarkable or memorable about him. This is a “gray-haired”, “plump”, “slightly hunched” gentleman, “about forty years old”.
His life circumstances are also quite typical. Nikolai Petrovich came from a military family. His father, a military general in 1812, commanded first a brigade, then a division. The family lived permanently in the province. Like his older brother Pavel, Nikolai Petrovich was assigned to military service, but an unexpected injury prevented his military career. Then his father placed Nikolai at St. Petersburg University. Pavel Kirsanov also served in the guards regiment there. The parents of the young people soon died, and Nikolai Petrovich, having endured a period of mourning, married a young, lovely girl. Together with his wife, he settled in the village, where he soon had a son, Arkady. However, ten years later, Kirsanov’s wife died. Nikolai Petrovich took up raising his son and making economic changes. In 1855, he took his son to the university and lived with him for three winters in St. Petersburg. Then Kirsanov returned to his estate, where his retired brother, Pavel, had lived with him for several years, and where Arkady arrived after completing his studies.
The Kirsanovs' farm is completely ruined. The manager cleverly deceives Nikolai Petrovich, who does not have the practical acumen necessary for a landowner. Kirsanov is impractical, soft, and weak-willed. “Your father is a kind fellow, but he is a retired man, his song is sung,” Bazarov says to Arkady. However, Arkady, and the author himself, it seems, have a different opinion about Kirsanov. There is a lot in Nikolai Petrovich positive qualities, obvious advantages. He is well-mannered, educated, kind and considerate, hospitable, sincerely attached to his family, his brother Pavel and Arkady, and takes care of Fenechka and Mitya. This hero personifies the good old nobility, a thing of the past. In a number of his qualities, Nikolai Petrovich reminds us of Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov from Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace.”
Kirsanov is a true esthete, he appreciates everything beautiful, loves music and poetry. Bazarov laughs at him music lessons, considering them useless, and Turgenev remarks, as if in passing: “... a sweet melody spread through the air like honey.” Bazarov considers poetry nonsense, notes that a decent chemist is twenty times more useful than any poet - Nikolai Petrovich reads Pushkin’s poems.
Kirsanov is dreamy and sentimental. If for Bazarov dreams are whim, nonsense, romanticism, then for Nikolai Petrovich it is an organic state of mind, a necessary component of existence. And Turgenev reveals this feature of the hero’s nature in the scene of a summer evening in the garden.
Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov is one of Turgenev’s favorite heroes. “Nikolai Petrovich is me, Ogarev and thousands of others,” the writer notes in a letter to Sluchevsky. Pisarev considered this hero an unusually harmonious personality, a person living in harmony with his own nature, unlike Bazarov and Arkady. “As a soft, sensitive and even sentimental person, Nikolai Petrovich does not rush towards rationalism and calms down with the worldview that gives food to his imagination...” notes the critic. On the side of Kirsanov in the novel are the eternal life values: love, family, kindness and nobility, nature and art. And this is why Turgenev’s hero evokes the constant sympathies of readers.
"Fathers and Sons" is a novel by I. S. Turgenev, significant for that time. It was written in 1860. His heroes became knowledgeable Russia an example to follow. And people like Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, whose characteristics are given in this article, simply lived out their days.
What place does Kirsanov occupy in the novel?
Turgenev's novel shows an acutely social period of time, when old foundations are collapsing with incredible speed, and they are being replaced by new, progressive ones.
Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, whose characterization shows his position as an “old-timer,” occupies a central place in the work. He, along with several other characters, represents the “fathers,” an established social class.
In the person of Pavel Kirsanov, a whole generation is represented, which receives only reproaches and condemnation from others. And all that remains for them is to live out their lives, looking at the growing progress of society.
From the title it is clear that the novel is a kind of confrontation: young and old, new and old. Turgenev pairs Pavel Kirsanov with the nihilist and revolutionary of thought Bazarov. At the end of the work, the reader must find out which of them will win.
Life story
The events of the novel take place in 1859. The landowner Nikolai Kirsanov has an older brother, Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. His characteristics immediately reveal him as a strong and intelligent person. He is a military man, graduated from the page corps. Because of his status, he was always successful in society, especially with women.
At the age of twenty-eight he received the rank of captain and was preparing for a brilliant career. But suddenly his whole life changed dramatically. Of course, he met a woman who became fatal for him.
A certain princess R. was known in St. Petersburg society as a frivolous young lady and a coquette. But Kirsanov fell in love with her without memory. The princess, who initially reciprocated his feelings, quickly lost interest in the officer.
Pavel Petrovich was deeply amazed by this outcome, but did not give up. Passion for this woman consumed him, incinerated him from the inside. The surprising thing is that he did not feel satisfaction from their meetings, there was no joy in his heart, only bitter annoyance in his soul.
In the end, having broken with the princess, Kirsanov tried to return to old life. But she didn't let him go. He saw her features in every woman. Even in Fenechka, the beloved of his brother Nikolai.
Together with his brother, he lived on the Maryino estate, and then left for distant Dresden, where his life faded away.
Appearance
The appearance of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov changed with the development of the events of the novel. Initially, the reader is presented with a real aristocrat, a sleek man, dressed to the nines. Just by looking at him, one could understand that Kirsanov was a noble dandy and a socialite. The manner in which he behaved and spoke revealed this in him.
Turgenev points out that his gray hair was in perfect order, his face had no wrinkles and was unusually beautiful.
However, in disputes with Bazarov, Pavel Petrovich was transformed. He no longer radiated complete peace of mind. As his irritation grew from the misunderstanding of the views young man, the number of wrinkles increased, and the hero himself turned into a decrepit old man.
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Aristocrat Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, whose characterization is very positive, is shown to be smart, impeccably honest, and principled. However, he is a representative of the old generation with prim habits and views.
Kirsanov is far from ordinary people, does not understand and does not accept them. And the people are afraid of him, as Bazarov aptly puts it. The hero is a supporter of everything English. This is expressed in his behavior, habits, conversations. Quotes from Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov fully reveal his character and views. The liberal principles with which he boasts remain only on his lips. But despite this, he worthy opponent Bazarova, although she always loses to him.
Pavel Kirsanov characterizes the "old guard". His departure to Dresden is very symbolic, since it represents the passing of an entire generation into the past.
It is generally accepted that the main character of the novel I.A. Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" is the nihilist Evgeny Bazarov. Of course, this is largely a correct point of view. But Bazarov cannot be called positive hero works. Is there such a thing in the novel at all?
In my opinion, there is. In “Fathers and Sons” there is a character whose life beliefs are extremely close to Turgenev himself. It is through this image that the writer conveys his view of the world and human life. This hero - Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov.
It would seem that this is one of the most invisible characters in the work. He is gentle, good-natured, sensitive and tactful. Perhaps this is why his words, at first glance, are not heard in the novel. However, this is only at first glance. As the work progresses, we become more and more convinced that Nikolai Petrovich is one of the most harmonious and balanced heroes of the novel, who has learned true meaning life and achieved a state of happiness.
We see that Nikolai Petrovich is absolutely not adapted to “practical” life. The author emphasizes this at the very beginning of the novel, showing us the abandoned lands belonging to this hero, the poverty of his peasants, the devastation in the fields: “...we met the peasants, all shabby, on bad nags; roadside willows with stripped bark and broken branches stood like beggars in rags; emaciated, rough, as if gnawed, cows greedily nibbled the grass in the ditches.”
However, despite this, Nikolai Petrovich lives a rich inner life, spiritual life, is in harmony with himself, his age, and the life around him.
The biography of this hero is presented in some detail, and in it we find many parallels with the life of I.A. himself. Turgenev. Thus, Nikolai Petrovich was brought up, like the writer, until a certain age in the family of a “mother commander,” and then was sent to the “civilian unit” - to St. Petersburg University. The hero’s elder brother, like Turgenev’s brother, studied at a military institution, and everyone predicted for him brilliant career.
Turgenev shows that Nikolai Petrovich is capable of deep and sincere feelings. He is not ashamed of them, but, on the contrary, considers them the highest value in life. Thus, the hero was wholeheartedly devoted to his first wife: “The couple lived very well and quietly: they almost never parted...” When Masha died, Nikolai Petrovich “barely endured this blow, he turned gray in a few weeks...” We understand that all This hero transferred his love to his son Arkady, in whom he doted: “Arkasha! Arkasha! - Kirsanov shouted, and ran, and waved his arms...”
We find this hero at the age of forty small years old living, according to Turgenev, real, full and rich life. This is how Kirsanov himself views his existence, despite all the attacks of Bazarov (who, however, highly values him) and the condescending attitude of his eldest son.
Nikolai Petrovich loves poetry, music, nature: “Have mercy! at forty-four years old, a man, pater familias*, in ... the district - plays the cello! He enjoys simple things, is able to love, give warmth and support. This is confirmed by his young wife Fenechka and little son Mitya. It is important that Nikolai Petrovich considers Fenya to be his wife, and his son to be his legal heir, despite the fact that the young woman who gave birth to Mitya is of humble origin. This suggests that class prejudices are alien to Kirsanov; the main thing for him is the voice of the heart, the soul.
Nikolai Petrovich is truly kind and sympathetic, he is always ready to help those who need him, especially when we're talking about about family members. So, he supported his brother Pavel Petrovich when he, after a strong personal drama, was at a crossroads and did not know how to live further.
Nikolai Petrovich is truly wise and tolerant, does not like conflicts, is condescending, but respectful of his son and his friend’s passion for nihilism, although he himself does not share the views of young people. However, he does not “cut from the shoulder”, as Pavel Petrovich does. Kirsanov understands that he may be behind the times, and therefore tries to hear other points of view, but does not lose his opinion.
At the end of the novel, Nikolai Petrovich is one of the happiest, most satisfied with life, harmonious people. He is truly happy - he is surrounded by loving family: wife, little son Mitya, Arkady - successor and assistant.
Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov values simple things above all else in life - love, friendship, family, and the well-being of loved ones. And these, Turgenev tells us, are the only values in life worth caring about. Thus, Nikolai Petrovich expresses the author’s own view of human life - its meaning, highest values, rules and laws. That is why Turgenev himself wrote: “Nikolai Petrovich is me...”
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Life is full of paradoxes; you can easily find many such examples. One of them is the diametrical opposite in character and life principles the closest, in related senses, people.
Very often, brothers and sisters differ radically from each other, which causes sincere bewilderment. A similar situation was described by I. Turgenev in the novel “Fathers and Sons.”
The place of the image of Nikolai Kirsanov in the novel and his relationship with his brother
Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov is one of the main characters of the novel. He is not an active figure in the events described, but his importance and participation in the conflict is difficult to overestimate. Compared to other characters, Turgenev deprives Nikolai Petrovich of activity - the character appears at key moments, and his image is composed mainly of fragments and hints from the author, but at the same time one cannot fail to note the influence of Nikolai Petrovich on the outcome of the conflict and the strong influence of this very conflict on the life of Kirsanov.
Ivan Turgenev closely connects his character with the image of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, his older brother. All descriptions and events life path Nikolai Petrovich are compared with certain events or character traits of his brother. In other words, we can say that Nikolai Petrovich’s whole life passes in comparison with the life and personality of his brother.
Childhood and youth of Nikolai Kirsanov
The tendency to compare and contrast the personalities of brothers begins in childhood. In the descriptions, the reader notices that the image of the older brother is contradictory to the image of the younger one.
First of all, this is expressed in the readiness to follow in the footsteps of the father. Peter Kirsanov was a hereditary nobleman by birth, but their family did not have much influence. The situation was corrected by merits in the region military service- his authority increased significantly, and in the rural wilderness where their family estate was located, he became an irreplaceable and extremely respected person.
Based on this turn of events, the fate of the boys was predetermined - they also had to begin military service. For the eldest son, this was a feasible task - he had a tough and strong character. The younger one was a completely different person - soft and impressionable, he was not at all suitable for military career. To all this was added a certain timidity and cowardice: he “not only was not distinguished by courage, but even earned the nickname of a coward.” The resulting leg injury, which left the boy lame for the rest of his life, saved Nikolai Kirsanov from a heavy burden. The parents had no choice but to send their son to university. “The father waved his hand at him and let him go in civilian clothes...”
In “1835 Nikolai Petrovich left the university as a candidate.”
Nikolai Kirsanov and Masha Prepolovenskaya
The troubles associated with Nikolai were not limited to physical injury. Soon the parents were shocked by another unpleasant news about their youngest son. This time the reason was love - their Nikolai was head over heels in love with the daughter of “official Prepolovensky” Masha. Turgenev does not go into details of the case, but states the fact that the parents were extremely dissatisfied with their son’s choice, they believed that the girl was unworthy to be Nikolai’s wife.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the “characteristics of Pavel Kirsanov”
The tense situation was defused by the death of the parents - authoritarianism in relation to Nikolai was excluded, and there were no longer any obstacles to the marriage of lovers. After waiting the right time for mourning, the newlyweds got married. The parents' fears about the inconsistency and error of marriage with Masha were in vain. “The couple lived very well and quietly: they almost never separated.” Family life Kirsanova was like a utopia, but this fairy tale was unexpectedly interrupted - Masha dies after ten years of married life. Nikolai Petrovich only has memories of her and his little son Arkady.
Appearance of Nikolai Petrovich
“Nikolai Petrovich limped, had small, pleasant, but somewhat sad features, small black eyes and soft, thin hair.”
Turgenev pays little attention to describing the appearance of his heroes, especially in cases where the wardrobe does not become an object constant attention character. Nikolai Petrovich belongs to the second category of characters - he is indifferent to fashion trends, and values convenience in clothes. He doesn't spend long time, like his older brother at the toilet and treats the state of his suit with a certain degree of indifference, but at the same time does not let it go.
Relations between Nikolai Petrovich and Arkady
It was in Arcadia that Nikolai Petrovich found solace and meaning in life after the loss of his wife. Despite all his gentle character and the enormous grief that suddenly surged, Kirsanov understands that he cannot allow himself to be covered by a wave of blues - in this case, he will lose absolutely everything and, after that, he will hardly be able to change the situation.
In relation to Arkady, Nikolai Petrovich does not hesitate to show the most tender feelings; the rigidity and pragmatism that were common among fathers are alien to him. He can tenderly hug his son, languish in anticipation of his arrival and be incredibly bored. In a word, the behavior of Kirsanov the father is more similar to the behavior of the mother than the father. This state of affairs does not bother either father or son.
Arkady is also very attached to his father, he considers him a good and kind person. Arkady often speaks well of his father: “father is a kind fellow, you are the kindest and clever man in the world".
Life after wife's death
After the loss of his wife, Kirsanov finally moved to the village and took up the affairs of the Maryino estate. Their family estate was “a good estate of two hundred souls, or, as he puts it since he separated himself from the peasants and started a “farm,” two thousand dessiatines of land.”
Unfortunately, the gentleness of character and lack of practicality do not allow Nikolai Petrovich to organize things on the estate “life was not going very well in Maryino, and poor Nikolai Petrovich had a bad time. The chores on the farm grew every day - joyless, senseless chores.”
Thanks to Nikolai Petrovich’s hard work, things don’t look completely terrible - the estate is somehow staying afloat. Pavel Petrovich believes that the main reason why things went downhill is his brother’s impracticality: “My brother is not very practical,” he reasoned with himself, “he is being deceived.”
Romance in the life of Nikolai Kirsanov
Nikolai Petrovich has always been an impressionable and romantic person. Most young people have this commitment, but over time, under the influence life difficulties, romanticism is replaced by pragmatism. This did not happen in relation to Nikolai Petrovich - he retains a romantic attitude until the end of his days. The main array of events in the novel falls on Nikolai Petrovich’s age limit of 44 years.
The preservation of romanticism was partly affected by its country life. “He loved to dream; village life developed this ability in him.”
Nikolai Petrovich did not give up his music studies, and although his musical skills were far from ideal, he still does not neglect playing the piano and cello - he experiences catharsis.
The next way to get peace of mind for Kirsanov it becomes reading books. Pushkin's poems were especially popular with him. Often, while admiring nature, a wide variety of poems came to his mind and he replayed the familiar text in his head with pleasure.
Nikolai Petrovich and Fenya
Undoubtedly, the death of his wife was a huge loss in Kirsanov’s life. The image of Masha became key and ideal for him. Sometimes he became nostalgic and dreamed about old times when he was happy with his wife. He sincerely wanted Masha to come to life and he could again feel her warmth next to him. Whatever the significant loss, time gradually replaced it in Kirsanov’s life, 10 years after the death of his wife, a light appeared new love.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the “image of Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov” in I. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons”.
This time the object of tender feelings was a girl of ignoble origin - Fenya. She moved with her mother to Kirsanov’s estate after Nikolai Petrovich offered the woman service on his estate. At that time, Fenya was a little girl. Time passed, and from the little girl she turned out to be a very attractive and pious woman. Kirsanov falls in love with her, and after the death of her mother begins an affair. This relationship does not become a passing hobby in Kirsanov’s life - he has love for the girl, and this feeling is mutual. Kirsanov is in no hurry to get married - he is worried about possible condemnation from the aristocracy, but he lives with Fenya as his legal wife. Under the influence of Pavel Petrovich’s request, the wedding nevertheless took place.
Nikolay Kirsanov and Evgeny Bazarov
The appearance of Arkady’s friend, the nihilist doctor Yevgeny Bazarov, could not go unnoticed in the life of Nikolai Kirsanov.
Life positions Nikolai Petrovich and Evgeniy are too different. Evgeny is a specific person, he likes to provoke people into conflict, but, despite all the disagreements, Nikolai Petrovich does not enter into an argument or discussion. Kirsanov in soft form asks Bazarov about his position, but at the slightest hint of a discussion, he stops the discussion. This behavior of Kirsanov is associated with the desire to please his son. Arkady is delighted with his new friend, and his father does not want to become a stumbling block between them. On the other hand, Nikolai Petrovich realizes that his time has come to “swallow the bitter pill” of the new time - new orders have arrived and old people like him are not able to succeed in the course of their development.
The third reason that hinders discussion is Kirsanov’s dislike of conflicts and disputes.
Thus, Nikolai Kirsanov has a calm temperament; he is not characterized by harsh judgments or actions. He's romantic and emotional person- incapable of meanness and deceit. Distinctive feature Nikolai Petrovich is a sense of tact and delicacy. Overall he is positive and a kind person, endowed with wisdom and the ability to deeply analyze the situation.
Characteristics of Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov in the novel “Fathers and Sons”: description of appearance and character in quotes
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