Family of simpletons characteristics. Morals of a family of simpletons

The problem of raising children, the legacy destined for the country, played important role in society in the old days and remains relevant to this day. Members of the Prostakov family are strangers to each other. They don't look like strong ones at all. loving family. Mrs. Prostakova is rude, power-hungry, and hypocritical. She is a hereditary noblewoman. Following the example of her ancestors, the lady uses her uncontrolled power over the serfs, treats them unjustifiably cruelly, setting a bad example for her son, she humiliates herself before those in power and noble people, which expresses her slave essence.

Mr. Prostakov, completely subject to the influence of his wife and subordinate to her word, is narrow-minded, apathetic, and soft-hearted. In the relationship between Mitrofan's parents, disrespect reigns, generated by total matriarchy, disregard for the law on the subordination of the wife, the keeper of the hearth, to the husband, the head of the family. Mitrofan is a lazy, careless young man of 16 years old, not striving for anything and not thinking about his own future. He appears as a pampered mama's boy.

Knowing who is boss in the house, he takes advantage of his mother’s boundless, blind love to satisfy his whims. Prostakova, however, does not limit her son in anything, seeing his happiness in wealth and idleness. Knowing about the difficulties of public service, she “allows” Mitrofan to enjoy the last carefree years of his life. Time passes, children grow up, and parents, preparing them for a difficult adult life in accordance with their ideals, they are often brought up in their own image and likeness. Children inherit habits, ways of thinking and living from their parents.

Mitrofan’s “evil character” is a direct consequence of the bad qualities of his parents. The entire environment of the protagonist is anti-virtuous, so where does his honor and compassion come from?

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Morals of the Prostakov family. What do we learn from Prostakova and Skotinin about their relatives? What are the relationships between family members? What are the relations of the nobles to the serfs, the interests of the landowners?

Slide 13 from the presentation "Undergrowth and classicism". The size of the archive with the presentation is 3529 KB.

Literature 8th grade

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A satirical depiction of the world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins in Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor”

One respect should be flattering to a person - spiritual, and only those who are in ranks not according to money, and in the nobility not according to ranks, are worthy of spiritual respect. DI. Fonvizin

At this time, in all corners of the country, there were many nobles on estates who did not want to bother themselves with anything and lived like their ancestors hundreds of years ago. Fonvizin’s comedy “Minor” is about such gentlemen. Main her characters- the Prostakov family and the brother of Mrs. Prostakova Skotinin. All landowners lived at the expense of the peasants and were, therefore, exploiters. But some became rich because their peasants lived prosperously, while others - because they flayed the last skin from the serfs. But what are the Prostakovs and Skotinins like? What are these people doing, what are their interests, habits, attachments?

In the spotlight - family relationships Prostakov. From the very beginning it becomes clear that the mistress is in Prostakov’s house. The character of Terenty Prostakov is determined at the very beginning of the comedy by his own confession to his wife: “Before your eyes, mine see nothing.” Pushing around her obedient husband, Prostakova turned him into a weak-willed rag. His main occupation and purpose of existence is to please his wife. Prostakov’s unconditional helplessness before the will, energy, and power of his wife, without his own opinion, in unconditional submission, trepidation, to the point of weakness and trembling in his legs. However, the punishment of everyone leads to the execution of it. Orders to the executor go through him, as a formal owner. Simpletons are completely under the thumb of his wife. His role in the house is emphasized at Prostakov’s very first remark: “stammering out of timidity.” This “timidity” or, as Pravdin characterizes it, “extreme weak-mindedness” leads to the fact that Prostakova’s “inhumanity” does not meet any restrictions from her husband and at the end of the comedy Prostakov himself turns out, by his own admission, “guilty without guilt” . In the comedy he plays an insignificant role; his character does not change with the development of the action and is not revealed more widely. All we know about his upbringing is that he was raised, in Prostakova’s words, “like a pretty maiden,” and he doesn’t even know how to read. Also from Prostakova’s speech we learn that he is “humble, like a calf” and “He doesn’t understand for himself what is wide and what is narrow.” Behind long years life together he got used to beatings and insults, he learned to say what his wife thinks. That's all he achieved. But, in essence, it is very profitable to be Prostakov or pretend to be one, to live under the motto: “I have nothing to do with it.”

Much more complex visual means Fonvizin outlined the character of the “despicable fury” - Mrs. Prostakova, née Skotinina. If the image of her husband remains unchanged from the first to the last act of the comedy, then the character of Prostakova herself is gradually revealed throughout the play. For all her cunning, Prostakova is stupid, and therefore constantly gives herself away. Prostakova seriously, with her characteristic ingenuous stubbornness, assures the careless serf tailor Trishka that learning to sew caftans is not at all necessary.

The details of Prostakova’s biography are very interesting. We learn that her father was a commander for fifteen years. And although “he didn’t know how to read and write, he knew how to make and save enough.” From here it is clear that he was an embezzler and a bribe-taker, an extremely stingy person: “lying on a chest of money, he died, so to speak, of hunger.” Her mother's surname - Priplodina - speaks for itself.

Prostakova is presented as a domineering, uneducated Russian woman. She is very greedy and in order to grab more of someone else’s things, she often flatters and “puts on” a mask of nobility, but from under the mask every now and then an animalistic grin peeks out, which looks funny and absurd. Prostakova is a tyrant, despotic and at the same time cowardly, greedy and vile, representing the brightest type of Russian landowner, at the same time revealed as an individual character - the cunning and cruel sister of Skotinin, a power-hungry, calculating wife who tyrannizes her husband, a mother who loves madly his Mitrofanushka.

“This is a “despicable fury, whose hellish disposition brings misfortune to their entire house.” However, the full extent of the disposition of this “fury” is revealed in its treatment of serfs.

Prostakova is the sovereign mistress of her villages and in her house she is selfish, but her selfishness is stupid, wasteful, inhuman: having taken everything from the peasants, she deprives them of their means of subsistence, but she also suffers a loss - it is impossible to take rent from the peasants, there is nothing. Moreover, I feel the full support of the supreme power; she considers the situation natural, hence her confidence, arrogance, and assertiveness. Prostakova is deeply convinced of her right to insult, rob and punish the peasants, whom she views as beings of another, lower breed. Sovereignty has corrupted her: she is angry, capricious, abusive and pugnacious - she gives out slaps in the face without hesitation. Prostakova dominates the world under her control, she dominates brazenly, despotically, with complete confidence in her impunity. They see the advantages of the “noble” class in the opportunity to insult and rob people dependent on them. Prostakova's primitive nature is clearly revealed in sharp transitions from arrogance to cowardice, from complacency to servility. Prostakova is a product of the environment in which she grew up. Neither her father nor her mother gave her any education or instilled any moral rules. But the conditions of serfdom had an even stronger impact on her. She is not restrained by any moral principles. She feels her limitless power and impunity. She treats servants and hired people with rude disdain and insult. No one dares to resist her power: “Am I not powerful in my people?” Prostakova’s well-being rests on the shameless robbery of serfs. “Since then,” she complains to Skotinin, “we took away everything that the peasants had, and she can’t rip off anything anymore. Order in the house is restored with abuse and beatings. “From morning to evening,” Prostakova complains again, how I hang my tongue, I don’t lay down my hands: I scold, I fight.”

In her house, Prostakova is a wild, powerful despot. Everything is in her unbridled power. She calls her timid, weak-willed husband a “weeper,” a “freak,” and pushes him around in every possible way. Teachers are not paid a salary for a year. Eremeevna, faithful to her and Mitrofan, receives “five rubles a year and five slaps a day.” She is ready to “grab” her brother Skotinin’s mug, “tear his snout head over heels.”

Prostakova manifests herself not only as a despot, but also as a mother who loves her son with animal love. Even her son’s excessive gluttony first evokes tenderness in her, and only then concerns about her son’s health. Her love for her son is undeniable: it is she who moves her, all her thoughts are directed towards his well-being. She lives by this, this is the main thing for her. She is hostile to enlightenment. But the wild and ignorant Prostakova realized that after Peter’s reforms, a nobleman without education could enter the public service impossible. She was not taught, but she teaches her son as best she can: another century, another time. She cares about Mitrofan’s education not because she understands the benefits of education, but in order to keep up with fashion: “Little child, without studying, go to the same Petersburg; they'll say you're a fool. There are a lot of smart people these days.”

Taking advantage of Sophia's orphanhood, Prostakova takes possession of her estate. Without asking the girl’s consent, he decides to marry her off. He behaves with her openly, brazenly, assertively, without regard for anything. But he instantly changes his mind when he hears about 10 thousand. And strive to achieve her goal with all her might, by all means: her every word, every movement is filled with the energy to marry her son to the rich Sophia.

Prostakova’s figure is colorful. Still, it is not for nothing that she is Prostakova: she is all outward, her cunning is ingenuous, her actions are transparent, she declares her goals openly. The wife of a simpleton and a simpleton herself. If we highlight the main thing in Prostakova, then there are two balancing factors: the autocratic mistress of the family and estate; teacher and leader younger generation nobles - Mitrofan.

Even love for her son - Prostakova's strongest passion - is not capable of ennobling her feelings, for it manifests itself in base, animal forms. Her mother's love is deprived human beauty and spirituality. And such an image helped the writer from a new perspective to expose the crime of slavery, which corrupts human nature and serfs and masters. And this individual characteristic allows us to show all the terrible, human-disfiguring power of serfdom. All great, human, holy feelings and relationships in Prostakova are distorted and slandered.

Where do such wild morals and habits come from? From Prostakova's remark we learn about early childhood her and Skotinin. They grew up amid darkness and ignorance. In these conditions, their brothers and sisters die, grievances and pain are transferred to two living children. The children in the family were not taught anything. " Vintage people, my father! This was not the century. We weren't taught anything. It used to be that kind people would approach the priest, please him, please him, so that he could at least send his brother to school. By the way, the dead man is light with both hands and feet, may he rest in heaven! It happened that he would deign to shout: I’ll curse the little boy who learns something from the infidels, and be it not Skotinin who wants to learn something.”

It was in this environment that the character formation of Prostakova and Skotinin began. Having become the sovereign mistress of her husband’s house, Prostakova received even greater opportunities for the development of all negative traits of your character. Even the feeling mother's love took on ugly forms in Prostakova.

Mrs. Prostakova received an “enviable upbringing, trained good manners“, lies, flattery and hypocrisy are not alien to her. Throughout the comedy, the Skotinins and Prostakovs emphasize that they are unusually smart, especially Mitrofanushka. In fact, Prostakova, her husband and her brother do not even know how to read. She is even proud of the fact that she cannot read; she is outraged that girls are taught to read and write (Sophia), because... I am sure that a lot can be achieved without education. “From our surname Prostakovs..., lying on their sides, they fly to their ranks.” And if she had to receive a letter, she would not read it, but would give it to someone else. Moreover, they are deeply convinced of the uselessness and unnecessaryness of knowledge. “People live and have lived without science,” Prostakova confidently declares. “Whoever is smarter than that will be immediately elected by his brothers the nobles to another position.” Their social ideas are just as wild. But at the same time, she is not at all worried about raising her son. It is not surprising that Mitrofanushka grew up so spoiled and uncouth.

Illiterate Prostakova understood that there were decrees by which she could oppress the peasants. Pravdin threw a remark towards the heroine: “No, madam, no one is free to tyrannize,” and received the answer: “Not free!” A nobleman is not free to flog his servants when he wants. Why have we been given a decree on the freedom of the nobility?” When Pravdin announces the decision to put Prostakova on trial for inhumane treatment of the peasants, she humiliatingly lies at his feet. But, having begged for forgiveness, he immediately hurries to deal with the sluggish servants who let Sophia go: “I forgave! Oh, father! Well! Now I’ll give the dawn to my people. Now I’ll sort them all out one by one.” Prostakova wants her, her family, her peasants to live according to her practical reason and will, and not according to some laws and rules of enlightenment: “Whatever I want, I’ll put it on my own.” For her despotism, cruelty and greed, Prostakova was severely punished. She not only loses uncontrolled landowner power, but also her son: “You are the only one left with me, my dear friend, Mitrofanushka!” But he hears the rude answer of his idol: “Let go, mother, how you imposed yourself...”. At this tragic moment, in the brutal tyrant who raised a soulless scoundrel, the truly human traits of the unfortunate mother are visible. A Russian proverb says: “Whoever you mess with, you’ll get rich from.”

Skotinin- not a hereditary nobleman. The estate was probably received by his grandfather or father for his service, and Catherine gave him the opportunity not to serve. Appeared THE FIRST FREE MAN IN Rus', unusually proud of his position free man, the master of his time, his life. Taras Skotinin, Prostakova’s brother, is a typical representative of small feudal landowners. He is related to her not only by blood, but also by spirit. He exactly repeats the serfdom practice of his sister. Skotinin loves pigs so much that no matter what business he takes on, he will definitely end up in swinishness. Skotinin’s pigs live well, much better than his serfs. From these, what kind of demand? Unless you take the quitrent from them. Thank God, Skotinin does this cleverly. He is a serious man, he has little time. It’s good that the Almighty saved him from such boredom as science. “If I weren’t Taras Skotinin,” he declares, “if I’m not guilty of every fault. I have the same custom with you, sister... and any loss... I’ll rip off my own peasants, and it’ll end in water."

His very name suggests that all his thoughts and interests are connected only with his barnyard. He lives on his farm and pork factory. It doesn't take much insight to see Skotinin's bestiality. Starting with his last name, pigs are a constant topic of his conversations and an object of love, vocabulary: bristled, one litter, squealed, He is ready to identify himself with pigs: “I want to have my own piglets!”, and about the future family life says: “If now, without seeing anything, I have a special peck for each pig, then I’ll find a little light for my wife.” He shows warmth and tenderness only to his pigs. He speaks about himself with great dignity: “I am Taras Skotinin, not the last of my kind. The Skotinins family is great and ancient. You won’t find our ancestor in any heraldry,” and immediately falls for Starodum’s trick, claiming that his ancestor was created “a little earlier than Adam,” that is, together with animals.

Skotinin is greedy. Self-confidence is heard in every remark of Skotin, who is devoid of any merits. (“You can’t beat your betrothed with a horse, darling! It’s a sin to blame for your own happiness. You’ll live happily with me. Ten thousand of your income! What happiness has come; yes, I’ve never seen so many since I was born; yes, I’ll buy all the pigs in the world with them “Yes, you hear me, I’ll do that, so that everyone will blow the trumpet: in this little neighborhood there’s only pigs to live”).

Skotinin, a pig lover, says without any intention that “in our neighborhood we have such large pigs that there is not a single one of them that, standing on its hind legs, would not be taller than each of us by a whole head» an ambiguous expression, which, however, very clearly defines the essence of Skotinin.

“The skotinins are all hard-headed by birth,” and the brother, in whom “what came into his mind, stuck there.” He, like his sister, believes “that learning is nonsense.” He treats pigs better than people, declaring: “People in front of me are smart, but among pigs I myself am smarter than everyone else.” Rude, like his sister, promises to make Mitrofan a freak for Sophia: “By the legs, and on the corner!”

Growing up in a family that was extremely hostile to education: “I haven’t read anything since I was a child. God saved me from this boredom,” he is distinguished by ignorance and mental underdevelopment. His attitude to teaching is very clearly revealed in the story about Uncle Vavil Faleleich: “No one had heard of literacy from him, nor did he want to hear from anyone: what a head he was! ... I would like to know if there is a learned forehead in the world that would not fall apart from such a blow; and my uncle, eternal memory to him, having sobered up, only asked if the gate was intact? He can understand the strength of the forehead only in the literal sense; playing with meanings is inaccessible to him. The vitality of Skotinin’s language is facilitated by the folk proverbs“Every fault is to blame”; “You can’t beat your betrothed with a horse.” Having heard about the taking into custody of the Prostakovs’ estate, Skotinin says: “Yes, they’ll get to me that way. Yes, and any Skotinin can fall under guardianship... I’ll get out of here and get out of here.” Before us is a seasoned, local, semi-wild landowner-slave owner. The owner of the last century.

Mitrofan Terentyevich Prostakov (Mitrofanushka)- a teenager, the son of the landowners Prostakovs, 15 years old. The name “Mitrofan” means in Greek “revealed by the mother,” “like his mother.” Maybe with this name Mrs. Prostakova wanted to show that her son is a reflection of herself. Mrs. Prostakova herself was stupid, arrogant, impolite, and therefore did not listen to anyone’s opinion: “While Mitrofan is still a teenager, it’s time to marry him; and then in ten years, when he enters, God forbid, into the service, you’ll have to endure everything.” It has become a common noun to denote stupid and arrogant mama's boy- ignoramuses. The upbringing of such bumpkins among the nobility was facilitated by rewarding nobles for their service with “local salaries.” As a result, they settled on their estates and lived on income from the lands and serfs. Their children got used to being well-fed and peaceful life, avoided government service in every possible way. By decree of Peter I, all young noble sons - immature - were required to have knowledge of God's law, grammar, and arithmetic. Without this, they had no right to marry or enter the service. Minors who did not receive such a basic education were ordered to be sent to sailors or soldiers without length of service. In 1736, the period of stay in the “undergrowth” was extended to twenty years. The decree on the freedom of the nobility abolished compulsory military service and gave nobles the right to serve or not to serve, but confirmed the compulsory training introduced under Peter I. Prostakova follows the law, although she does not approve of it. She also knows that many, including those from her family, are circumventing the law. That is why Prostakova hires teachers for her Mitrofanushka. Mitrofan did not want to study, his mother hired teachers for him only because this was the custom in noble families, and not so that her son would learn intelligence. An ignorant mother teaches her son science, but she hired teachers at a “cheaper price,” and even then gets in the way. But what are these teachers: one is a former soldier, the second is a seminarian who left the seminary, “fearing the abyss of wisdom,” the third is a rogue, a former coachman. Mitrofanushka is a lazy person, accustomed to being lazy and climbing into the dovecote. He is spoiled, poisoned not by the upbringing he is given, but, most likely, complete absence upbringing and harmful maternal example.

Mitrofanushka himself has no goal in life, he only loved to eat, laze around and chase pigeons: “I’ll run to the dovecote now, maybe it’s either…”. To which his mother replied: “Go and have some fun, Mitrofanushka.” Mitrofan has been studying for four years now, and it’s very bad: he barely walks through the book of hours with a pointer in his hand, and then only under the dictation of the teacher, sexton Kuteikin, in arithmetic “he learned nothing” from the retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, but “in French and all the sciences “He is not taught at all by the teacher himself, who was expensively hired to teach these “all sciences” by a former coachman, the German Vralman. Under Kuteikin’s dictation, the ignoramus reads a text that, in principle, characterizes himself: “I am a worm,” “I am a cattle ... and not a man,” “Reviling men.” The teaching tires Mitrofan so much that he happily agrees with his mother. Prostakova: “Mitrofanushka, my friend, if studying is so dangerous for your little head, then for me, stop.” Mitrofanushka: “And for me, even more so.” Mitrofanushka’s teachers know little, but they try to fulfill their duties honestly and conscientiously. They are trying to introduce him to new requirements, to teach him something, but still he remains very close to his uncle in soul, just as this closeness was previously interpreted as a property of nature. There is rudeness, a reluctance to learn, and a hereditary love for pigs, as evidence of a primitive nature. Lazy and arrogant, but very smart in everyday life, Mitrofanushka is taught not sciences and moral rules, but immorality, deception, disrespect for his duty as a nobleman and for his own father, the ability to bypass all the laws and rules of society and the state for the sake of his own convenience and benefit. Skotinin’s roots have been evident in him since childhood: “Our Mitrofanushka is just like his uncle. And he was a hunter of pigs, just like you. When I was still three years old, when I saw a pig, I used to tremble with joy.” His whole life is limited in advance to the barnyard, where people are perceived as pigs, and pigs are part of a certain cult that the owners worship. However, the main educator of the undergrowth remains Prostakova herself with her “firm logic” and equally firm morality: “If you found the money, don’t share it with anyone. Take it all for yourself, Mitrofanushka. Don’t learn this stupid science.” Therefore, Prostakova strongly prefers the former coachman Vralman to honest teachers because “he does not force a child.”

Mitrofan's character is clearly revealed through his speech. He has already learned the addresses to servants that are customary in his family: “old khrychovka, garrison rat” and others, however, when he needs protection, he turns to Eremeevna: “Mommy! Shield me! He has no respect for his elders, he addresses them rudely, for example: “Why, uncle, have you eaten too much henbane?<…>Get out, uncle, get out." His actions also serve to reveal his character: he cowardly hides from Skotinin behind Eremeevna’s back, complains to Prostakova, threatening to commit suicide, willingly takes part in the abduction of Sophia and immediately meekly agrees with the decision of his own fate.

This rude and lazy man is not stupid, he is also cunning, he thinks practically, he sees that the material well-being of the Prostakovs depends not on their enlightenment and official zeal, but on the intrepid impudence of his mother, the clever robbing of his distant relative Sophia and the merciless robbery of his peasants. Prostakova wants to marry the poor pupil Sophia to her brother Skotinin, but then, having learned about 10,000 rubles, of which Starodum made Sophia the heir, she decides not to let the rich heiress go. Mitrofan, encouraged by his mother, demands an agreement, declaring: “The hour of my will has come. I don’t want to study, I want to get married.” But he agrees to get married only to avoid studying, and because his mother wants it. Prostakova understands that first it is necessary to achieve Starodum’s consent. And for this it is necessary for Mitrofan to appear in a favorable light: “While he is resting, my friend, at least for the sake of appearance, learn, so that it reaches his ears how you work, Mitrofanushka.” For her part, Prostakova in every possible way praises Mitrofan’s hard work, successes and her parental care for him, and although she knows for sure that Mitrofan has not learned anything, she still arranges an “exam” and encourages Starodum to evaluate his son’s successes. The depth of Mitrofan's knowledge is revealed in a scene describing an unforgettable impromptu exam arranged by Pravdin. Mitrofan learned Russian grammar by heart. Determining what part of speech the word “door” is, he demonstrates remarkable logic: the door is “adjective” “because it is attached to its place. Over there at the closet of the pole for a week the door has not yet been hung: so for now that is a noun.”

Mitrofan is an undergrowth, first of all, because he is a complete ignorant, knowing neither arithmetic nor geography, unable to distinguish an adjective from a noun. “Eorgafia,” in Prostakova’s opinion, is not needed by a nobleman: “What are cab drivers for?” But he is also immature morally, since he does not know how to respect the dignity of other people. Mitrofanushka, in essence, does not contain anything evil in her nature, since she has no desire to cause misfortune to anyone. But gradually, under the influence of pampering, pleasing his mother and nanny, Mitrofan becomes insensitive and indifferent towards his family. The only science that he has mastered perfectly is the science of humiliation and insult.

Mitrofanushka was ill-mannered, rude and impudent with servants and teachers, he grew up as a spoiled child, whom everyone around him obeyed and obeyed, and he also had freedom of speech in the house. He does not value his father at all and mocks teachers and serfs. He takes advantage of the fact that his mother dotes on him and spins her around as she wants. The education that Prostakov gives to his son kills his soul. Mitrofan loves no one but himself, does not think about anything, treats teaching with disgust and is only waiting for the hour when he will become the owner of the estate and, like his mother, will push around his loved ones and uncontrollably control the destinies of the serfs. He stopped in his development. Sophia says about him: “Even though he is 16 years old, he has already reached the last degree of his perfection and will not go further.” Mitrofan combines the traits of a tyrant and a slave. When Prostakova's plan to marry her son to a rich pupil, Sophia, fails, the undergrowth behaves like a slave. He humbly asks for forgiveness and humbly accepts “his sentence” from Starodum - to go serve (“For me, where they tell me”). He was confident that the people around him should help him and give him advice. Slave upbringing was instilled in the hero, on the one hand, by the serf nanny Eremeevna, and, on the other hand, by the whole world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins, whose concepts of honor are distorted.

As a result, Mitrofan turns out to be not just an ignoramus, whose very name has become a household name, but also an image of heartlessness. While the mother is the complete mistress of the house, he rudely flatters her, but when the Prostakovs’ estate is taken into custody due to the mistress’s harshness towards the serfs and the mother rushes to her son as the last support, he becomes frank: “Let go, mother, how you imposed yourself... " Having lost power and strength, he does not need his mother. He will look for new powerful patrons. The figure of Mitrofan becomes more terrible, more sinister than older generation Skotinins - Prostakovs. They had at least some kind of attachment. Mitrofan is ignorant, has no moral principles and, as a result, aggressive. After all, from a spoiled son, Mitrofan turns into cruel man, traitor. He shows his real attitude towards his mother. There cannot be a worse punishment, even for someone like Prostakova. This, of course, is not funny at all, but scary, and such betrayal is the worst punishment for evil ignorance.

Mitrofan combines the traits of a tyrant and a slave. When Prostakova's plan to marry her son to a rich pupil, Sophia, fails, the undergrowth behaves like a slave. He humbly asks for forgiveness and humbly accepts “his sentence” from Starodum - to go to serve. Slave upbringing was instilled in the hero, on the one hand, by the serf nanny Eremeevna, and, on the other hand, by the whole world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins, whose concepts of honor are distorted. Through the image of Mitrofan, Fonvizin shows the degradation of the Russian nobility: from generation to generation, ignorance increases, and the coarseness of feelings reaches animal instincts. No wonder Skotinin calls Mitrofan “damned pig.” The reason for such degradation is an incorrect, disfiguring upbringing. And, finally, Mitrofan is an immature in the civic sense, since he has not matured enough to understand his responsibilities to the state. “We see,” Starodum says about him, “all the unfortunate consequences of bad upbringing. Well, what can come out of Mitrofanushka for the fatherland?” "This is evil worthy fruits! - he sums it up. If you don't raise a child properly, don't teach him correct language express reasonable thoughts, he will forever remain “incurably ill,” an ignorant and immoral creature.

lived during the reign of Catherine II. The era of her reign was quite dark. This was the time when the exploitation of serfs took such a form and reached such a limit that the peasants were on the verge of rebellion. Catherine II was afraid of a popular outbreak and therefore tried to calm the people by issuing all kinds of decrees that would help reduce the severity of the landowners. She wanted to stop the growth of popular anger. But the feared nobles and landowners, on the contrary, demanded that she tighten serfdom.

Fonvizin himself also feared the complete freedom of the peasants, but, like all educators of that time, he was concerned about their unbearable situation. And in the comedy “The Minor,” the theme of the arbitrariness of the landowners was given first place. All actions take place on the estate of the Prostakov landowners.

The sovereign and unlimited mistress of this house is Mrs. Prostakova herself. It should be noted that she is the only one in the play who is given the title “Madam.” All other characters have only first or last names. Mrs. Prostakova confirms her title by the fact that she rules brazenly, despotically and with complete confidence in her impunity.

Taking advantage of Sofia's orphanhood, she takes possession of her estate and, without asking the girl's consent, decides to marry her off.

The attitude towards serfs shows the whole character of Prostakova, cruel temper. She is firmly convinced that she has the right to insult and punish the peasants: for her they are creatures of a lower breed. At the same time, she also rips them off. All her well-being rests on the robbery of serfs. She complains to Skotinin that, having taken away everything they had from the peasants, she cannot rip off more. And she chose a word as terrible as she herself.

From the very morning, order in the estate is restored only by abuse and beatings: “From morning to evening,” Prostakova complains, “it’s like being hanged by the tongue, I don’t lay down my hands: I scold, then I fight.” The humiliation of her household, servants and peasants gives her pleasure. When asked by Eremeevna how much salary is due, Prostakova answers mockingly, but with tears: “Five rubles a year, up to five slaps a day.”

But as soon as Prostakova feels the strength of another person, she immediately becomes cowardly and servile. She is very rude to Sophia, but with Prostakov’s return she instantly changes both her tone and behavior. She lies at the feet of Pravdin, who decides to put her on trial for her inhumane treatment of the peasants. And when he begs for forgiveness, he immediately decides to take it out on his servants who missed Sophia: “I forgave! Ah, father! Well! Now I will give the dawn to my people. Now I’ll take them all one by one.”

Her brother Skotinin does not lag behind his sister. He exactly copies her serfdom practice: “If I weren’t Taras Skotinin,” he declares, “if I’m not guilty of every fault. In this, sister, I have the same custom as you... and any loss... I will rip off from my own peasants, and so will the ends in the water.” His attitude towards the peasants is the same as that of his sister; they even use the word “rip off” both of them. Landowners like Prostakova and Skotinin were a typical phenomenon of that time. In their mental development, such gentlemen are so low that they can only be likened to animals.

Mrs. Prostakova, nee Skotinina, is always compared in comedy to a dog, while Skotinin is compared to a pig. And they themselves call themselves brutes. “Have you ever heard of a bitch giving away her puppies?” - asks Prostakova. Her brother constantly admits that he loves pigs: “I love pigs...” And Prostakova’s son, according to his mother: “... the same hunter was raised before pigs... Sometimes, when he saw a pig, he would tremble with joy.” It turns out that animals possess people - this is the problem that Fonvizin dared to raise in his comedy.

Fonvizin made a revolution in the field of comedy language. All the incorrectness of the language of the ignorant heroes of the play was preserved by him: “kotora”, “goloushka”, proverbs and sayings were also introduced. And swear words and vulgarisms do not leave Prostakova’s lips: “cattle”, “grunt”, “scum”, “... tore his snout up to his ears” and much more sounds throughout the comedy.

The Prostakovs and Skotinins consider themselves smart people, but none of them even know how to read. They don’t even want to study science and are convinced that all this is unnecessary and useless. “People live and have lived without science,” says Prostakova. She entrusts the education of her son to the retired soldier Tsyfirkin, the German coachman Vralman and the half-educated seminarian Kuteikin.

Prostakova's son Mitrofan is one of the main characters of the comedy; he is depicted by Fonvizin as the greatest lazy person. But the fact that he is like this is not the fault of his teachers, but the result of his parents’ upbringing. It is not for nothing that the writer gave him such a name, because “Mitrofan” translated from Greek means “like a mother.” He really looks like his mother, from whom he adopted contempt for work, knowledge and people, rudeness and rudeness, and greed. It was precisely this bestial upbringing that Prostakova gave her son.

All the Prostakovs’ ideas about life are connected only with money. According to them, all high positions exist only for enrichment. Prostakova’s father was a governor for about fifteen years and, in her words, “... did not know how to read and write, but he knew how to make a living.” The entire advantage of the “noble” class, according to the concepts of the Prostakovs and Skotinins, is the ability to rob people dependent on them.

The landowners are corrupted by serfdom, they turned their peasants into slaves with whom they can do whatever their heart desires. But they themselves turned into beasts, they lost everything human - conscience and honor.

The work of this playwright is very important, because the images of Fonvizin passed through all subsequent literature.

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” is relevant to this day. One of the dominant themes of the work is getting an education. By decree of Peter I, all nobles were required to master the basics of science. And Mitrofan was no exception. But his family does not believe that knowledge will be useful in life. Therefore, Mitrofan studies only in order to receive ranks in the future. Without attaching value to knowledge, the Prostakov family sees the meaning of life in money.

He thinks that with their help you can not only live securely, but also achieve respect.

The main character, Mitrofan, is characterized by such traits as laziness, disinterest in his future and immaturity. These qualities are often found among young people in our time. However, now it is even more difficult to cope without education, without knowledge, than in the eighteenth century. The young man is also stubborn - he constantly contradicts his mother. The minor is stupid in mathematics and other subjects. Since Mitrofan does not want to think for himself, he is unable to solve the assigned problems and constantly turns to his mother for help.

Mrs. Prostakova herself is one of central figures aristocratic society.

She appears before readers mainly with negative side. Prostakova is illiterate “Read... yourself... I, thank God, was not brought up like that”), incredulous (“... you’re a craftswoman, but I really don’t really believe you”). Also, the heroine does not want to notice in life what she does not like (“Uncle... did not resurrect”). However there is one positive trait in the image of Prostakova, this is caring for her son (“... it’s a sin to say that we don’t try to raise Mitrofanushka”). For the sake of her child, the mother of the family is even ready to become related to people whom she has never accepted with positive side: the news of Sophia’s large inheritance “pushes” the woman to think about the wedding of young people. After all, such an event could in the future provide luxurious life both my beloved son and his parents.

However, in the process of talking about the letter that Sophia received from Starodum, it turns out that not only Minor, but almost all the heroes are illiterate. It turns out that the aristocracy of Russia during the time of Peter the Great ignored learning and acquiring knowledge for the most part, and this contradicted and is contrary to the moral ideas of a civilized society about human values.

Thus, in the person of the Prostakov family, D.I. Fonvizin incriminates and ridicules the “literates” high society. The author shows the wrongness of those who are unable to realize real price education and those who passionately defend their ignorance. Although the level of knowledge in society has increased significantly since the writing of the work, the issue of studying “for the sake of a diploma”, for the sake of a career, and not for the sake of one’s own development, is still relevant in Russia. Therefore, the comedy “The Minor” will sound “on the topic of the day” for a long time.

Updated: 2017-03-04

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A satirical depiction of the world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins in Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor”