Generation conflict between Bazarov and his parents. Conflict of generations in the work of I

The book “Fathers and Sons” was written in the sixties of the nineteenth century. This is a story about unhappy love, new beliefs and the eternal problem of mutual understanding between different generations. It is the latter theme that is presented in the novel from various points of view.

The basis of disagreement in the novel

The topic of mutual understanding between parents and children is an eternal one. It was especially successfully revealed by the Russian classic. The conflict of generations in the novel “Fathers and Sons” is a difference in views on the political, cultural and social situation in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. It was 1860 that became a turning point in the history of the empire. Constant uprisings of dissatisfied peasants forced the government to abolish serfdom. This divided people into two camps.

In the first there were representatives of the old world, nobles and rich people. The second part is supporters of a new, free era, where people were valued and respected. Evgeny Bazarov, the hero of the novel “Fathers and Sons,” belonged to those who wanted revolution. He is a nihilist, which means he does not recognize authorities and laughs at generally accepted values. His ideas are shared by Arkady and his beloved Anna. But at the same time, he becomes an enemy for a close friend and for his parents.

A clash of views

The conflict gains its greatest development due to the stubbornness and misunderstanding of two representatives of different generations and eras. This is a meeting of the beliefs of the revolutionary democrat and the liberal nobleman Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. The first one tries to work for the benefit of society. The second one cares more about his own benefit. However, both of them are energetic and confident in defending their beliefs. In general, they are varied.

They concern religion, philosophy and even poetry. The characterization of the novel “Fathers and Sons” is a brief description of the events that actually took place in Russia in the 1860s. Conversations and are conversations between people of those turning-point years for society.

Discrepancies in the Kirsanov family

It is also important to consider the relationship between Arkady and Nikolai Petrovich. These two, father and son, are also representatives of different generations. Arkady is Evgeny Bazarov's best friend and also his obedient student. He strives to understand nihilism and immerse himself in the theory of democracy as much as possible.

His father is an avid liberal who is ashamed of his connection with the common people. In particular, he is ashamed of his love for a young woman named Fanechka. The first conflict of generations in the novel “Fathers and Sons” arises between the father and Arkady. But the love they cherish for each other is stronger than the misunderstanding regarding their views on society.

Kinship is stronger than conviction

So, over time, Arkady abandons his theory and stops trying to join in the creation of a new world. Nikolai Petrovich is not far behind. At the end of the novel, he marries the commoner Fanechka. And Arkady chooses the modest and quiet Catherine as his wife. Their conflict is resolved.

Characteristics of the novel “Fathers and Sons” - an analysis of the society of that time. Turgenev shows that Bazarov’s thoughts did not take root, the conflict that arose in this family hesitated, never reaching a logical solution. But at the end of the book, during the double wedding of father and son, the author makes a minor point and says that neither of them looks happy.

The author and Bazarov's parents

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev does not hide his attitude towards the older generation and instills love for this in his reader. His tender feelings of gratitude and respect can be seen in the description of Dear, charming spouses, from the first lines we are attracted by the warmth and friendliness that emanates from them.

The conflict of generations in the novel “Fathers and Sons” could not have been so vivid if the author had not so clearly revealed the images of old people to the reader. So, he introduces us to Arina Vlasevna and Vasily Ivanovich. Mother is a sweet old lady who equally believes in God and folk superstitions. She is the embodiment of hospitality, peace and kindness. Father, a respectable man who rightly earned the respect of his acquaintances. He is sincere, warm-hearted and even tries to join the new ideas of the generation.

Their only son is the greatest joy in their life. Knowing about his difficult character, his parents try to indulge him as much as possible. They tiptoe around him and show only part of their feelings for their beloved child. Evgeny Bazarov, the main character of the novel “Fathers and Sons,” reveals himself to us from the other side in his home.

The role of Bazarov's whole life

An unapproachable heart is not so unapproachable. From the first lines of the novel, the reader observes how Eugene treats the older generation with disdain. Corrosive, pompous, narcissistic, he refuses any other people's thoughts. His arrogance and coldness are repulsive. He is inhuman and indifferent to old age.

But once he gets to his parents' house, most of his contempt disappears. The main theme of the novel “Fathers and Sons,” the difference between generations, is clearly expressed precisely in the relationship between Evgeniy and his parents. A change in environment changes Bazarov's way of thinking. He becomes softer, more tolerant, more gentle. Despite the fact that he rarely visits his homeland, he passionately loves his loved ones, although he diligently hides this behind a mask of absent-mindedness. His main problem is that he has never learned to express his feelings, especially if it concerns bright, positive emotions. It was precisely this wall of inability and misunderstanding that parents faced.

Conflict of views

In his work, Turgenev revealed a simple and painful truth - the difference between generations. Bazarov's old-fashioned parents only worsen, although not intentionally, their relationship with their son. All the characters in the novel “Fathers and Sons” are very strong personalities, and for them to break their own views in favor of others is unacceptable.

The young man does not share his philosophy with his parents, representatives of another generation. They are devout, and he is an atheist, they are people of the first half of the century, he is of the second. And the parents, knowing about their son’s isolation, do not try to get into his world of new principles. So, both the first and the second rejoice at the small amount of intimacy that exists.

Perhaps, if Eugene’s life path had been longer, he himself had become a father, then over the years he would have understood what was not revealed to him, a young dreamer. And then the conflict of generations in the novel “Fathers and Sons” could find a logical solution. But the author decided to correct the situation in the destinies of his readers through the grief of the characters.

A world that has not matured to Bazarov's views

The events in the novel take place from May 1859 to the winter of 1860. These are significant years for the history of Russia. It was then that new ideals were born. And the first who began to distribute them was Evgeny Bazarov. But the world was not ready for his beliefs, so the only thing left for the lonely hero was to give up his attempts to change the country. But fate chose a different path for him.

Death put an end to suffering on earth, where no one understood him. Along with Bazarov’s death, all the conflicts that the author created in the work were resolved. The story of the novel “Fathers and Sons” is the story of a rootless man. He was forgotten by friends, supporters and his beloved. And only the elderly parents continued to mourn their only joy.

The problem of “fathers and sons” arises in all spheres of human life: in the family, in the work team, in society. This issue can be resolved if the older generation is more tolerant of the younger generation, perhaps agreeing with him somewhere, and the “children” will show more respect.

1. Socio-political sentiments.
2. Innovation in the work.
3. Similarities and differences between Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich.
4. The character of Nikolai Petrovich.
5. Arkady’s life position.

I. S. Turgenev, as a creative and sensitive nature, perfectly saw and understood what was happening in the social life of his contemporaries. The novel “Fathers and Sons” was completed in 1862, when the confrontation between the two political parties of liberal aristocrats and revolutionary democrats was clearly visible in society. Of course, this could not help but be reflected in the writer’s novel, where the conflicting parties are represented by the nihilist Evgeny Bazarov and the nobleman Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov.

Being a nobleman, Ivan Sergeevich could not share the views of Bazarov, who, according to the author, was the bearer of revolutionary democratic ideas. On the other hand, Turgenev, as an artist, was interested in these people and their characters. His attitude towards his hero is far from clear, as evidenced by the fact that Eugene “suppresses all the other characters in the novel.” When writing his novel, Ivan Sergeevich showed some innovation in terms of constructing the plot and the very idea of the work. This was a new trend in fiction of that time. Turgenev's novel is completely devoid of the usual traditional elements of any other work of art. It is difficult to discover the outcome or plot of the plot; there is no strict plan that determines the course of the action. On the other hand, in the work you can see well-drawn strong characters, observations and pictures from the everyday life of landowners and peasants. The absence of strictly verified artistic components does not at all detract from the value of this work, since a thorough psychological analysis of the human personality is carried out here, and the author’s attitude towards his characters is revealed.

From the first acquaintance with the main characters of the novel, Evgeny Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, it becomes clear that these people cannot help but confront each other. The author emphasizes this even more by giving a detailed description of the appearance of his characters. “Graceful and thoroughbred” Kirsanov could not help but irritate the nihilist with his openly aristocratic manners, classic facial features, snow-white collars, and beautiful hands with long pink nails. And Pavel Petrovich looked with obvious hostility at the wide plebeian forehead, “large bulges of the spacious skull,” long hair and wide clothes of the unexpected guest. Already at the first acquaintance with each other, a spark of hostility flared up between these people, which subsequently grew into a real conflict between the older and younger generations. A nihilist, accustomed to working and approaching any phenomenon in life around him from a practical perspective, certainly could not understand an aristocrat imprisoned in a village and talking about subtle matters. Evgeniy irritated Kirsanov with his narrow-mindedness regarding not material, but spiritual values.

On the other hand, these main characters of the novel are incredibly close to each other. Both are fiercely loyal to their once established views and are not ready to make even the slightest compromise. The nihilist advocates free-thinking, rejecting everything that does not fit within the boundaries of material reality, and the aristocrat is conservative in everything with no less zeal, feeling like a real gentleman. Both cannot deviate one iota from their “principles,” although one of them, in particular the young man, is sure that he is devoid of any principles at all: “A nihilist is a person who does not bow to any authority, who does not accept not a single principle to be trusted.” Despite their ideological differences, Kirsanov and Bazarov are very similar in character. Both use their appearance to communicate their views. Hence the robes instead of clothes, long hair, Evgeniy’s sideburns, an impeccable suit, starched thin shirts, Pavel Petrovich’s polished nails. Reproaching his rival for laziness and the absence of any attempts to do anything useful for society, Bazarov, by and large, has not yet defined a clear goal for himself, has not found his purpose in this life. That is why, speaking in the dispute as an accuser, Evgenia hesitates to answer Kirsanov’s question: “You deny everything, or, to put it more precisely, you destroy everything... But you also need to build.”

Arkady stands up for him, arguing that the task of the nihilists is only to destroy everything old, to free up a new place. It was not only Kirsanov who felt the weakness in Bazarov’s reasoning. Odintsova also quickly sensed the lack of a main life goal in her new acquaintance. Possessing incredible insight, she cannot believe that Eugene, endowed with such a high degree of pride, is capable of being content with the activities of an ordinary county doctor. To which the main character replies: “And, besides, what is the desire to talk and think about the future, which for the most part does not depend on us? If there’s an opportunity to do something, that’s great, but if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll be pleased that you didn’t chatter in vain beforehand.” Kirsanov is sincerely confident that Bazarov is nothing more than a poser and uses his theory to cover up his ignorance and bad manners: “...before you had to learn... and now they should be told that everything in the world is nonsense... and it’s all in the bag. ..before they were just idiots, but now they suddenly became nihilists.” If at the beginning of the novel the reader clearly senses a chasm; separating the younger and older generations, then as the action develops it becomes clear that it as such does not exist at all. Despite the fact that young people, talking among themselves about the Kirsanov brothers, do not call them anything other than “old men,” the author accurately indicates the ages of Nikolai Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich.

As a result, it becomes clear that they are not old enough to be considered old people, especially by modern standards. Arkady's father is brought even closer to the new generation by his young wife and infant son; the family seems to indicate to the reader that Nikolai Petrovich is in the prime of his life. It is he who to a greater extent opposes the nihilistic ideas of his son and his friend. Pavel Petrovich hates Bazarov, entering into debates with him, he defends his point of view exclusively in words, but only Nikolai Petrovich gets down to business without further ado. He does not experience strong negative emotions towards Evgeniy, like his brother. Moreover, he respects the opinion of this person, deservedly considering him smart and well-read. Kirsanov is keenly interested in the scientific chemical experiments of his guest, like a sponge, absorbing everything new and interesting. At the same time, it is Nikolai Petrovich, the only one of all who is engaged in practical activities, who can resist the nihilist and question his arguments regarding the materiality of everything that is happening. Kirsanov does not just reason, but tries to change something in the life around him, for which he creates a farm and gives part of the land to the peasants. With his seemingly unnoticed work, he achieves much greater results than all the nihilists put together who stand up for freedom and reject ideals for the sake of improving life. Nikolai Petrovich is very worried about his disagreements with his son.

The conflict that flared up on the first pages subsides in the work as if by itself. After the departure of the nihilist, calm reigns again in the Kirsanov family. Arkady gradually moves away from his friend and falls under the influence of the smart and practical Katya. Irritation against Eugene, which arose in the soul of the young man during the period of friendship with his involuntary mentor. It grows to such an extent that it ruins the entire friendship. Arkady, also not lacking in insight, begins to notice that his friend’s words do not always correspond to his actions. Evgeniy’s sharp and not always harmless statements about the relatives and friends of Kirsanov Jr. cause dissatisfaction.

As a result, Bazarov leaves for his father’s estate, where he soon becomes infected and dies. Arkady adopts the experience of his father, becoming closer and closer to him. He likes to engage in economic activities, nihilistic inclinations fade into the background until they remain somewhere far in the past. A young man with a creative nature, who loves music and poetry, realizes the inconsistency of his friend’s theory and quickly abandons it.

In the novel “Fathers and Sons,” Bazarov’s parents are prominent representatives of the older generation. Despite the fact that the author does not pay as much attention to them as, say, to the Kirsanov brothers, the images of Vasily Ivanovich and Arina Vlasyevna were not given by chance. With their help, the author most fully shows the relationships between generations.

Bazarov's parents

Vasily Ivanovich Bazarov is the father of the main character of the novel. This is a man of the old school, brought up in strict rules. His desire to appear modern and progressive is cute, but the reader understands that he is more of a conservative than a liberal. Even in his profession as a healer, he adheres to traditional methods, not trusting modern medicine. He believes in God, but tries not to show his faith, especially in front of his wife.

Arina Vlasevna Bazarova is Evgeniy’s mother, a simple Russian woman. She is poorly educated and strongly believes in God. The image of a fussy old woman created by the author looks old-fashioned even for that time. Turgenev writes in the novel that she should have been born two hundred years ago. She evokes only a pleasant impression, which is not spoiled by her piety and superstition, or her good nature and complaisance.

The relationship between parents and Bazarov

The characteristics of Bazarov's parents clearly show that for these two people there is nothing more important than their only son. This is where the meaning of their life lies. And it doesn’t matter at all whether Evgeniy is nearby or far away, all thoughts and conversations are only about his beloved and beloved child. Every word exudes care and tenderness. Old people speak very reverently about their son. They love him with blind love, which cannot be said about Evgeny himself: Bazarov’s attitude towards his parents can hardly be called love.

At first glance, it is difficult to call Bazarov’s relationship with his parents warm and affectionate. You can even say that he does not appreciate parental warmth and care at all. But this is far from true. He sees and notices everything, even experiences reciprocal feelings. But it’s not that he doesn’t know how to show them openly, he just doesn’t consider it necessary to do it. And he doesn’t allow those around him to do this.

Bazarov has a negative attitude towards any attempts by his parents to show joy from his presence. Bazarov's family knows this, and his parents try to hide their true feelings from him, do not show increased attention to him and do not show their love.

But all these qualities of Evgeniy turn out to be ostentatious. But the hero understands this too late, only when he is already dying. Nothing can be changed or returned. Bazarov understands this, and therefore asks Odintsova not to forget his old people: “People like them cannot be found in your big world during the day.”

These words from his mouth can be compared to a declaration of love for his parents, he just doesn’t know how to express it any other way.

But the absence or manifestation of love is not the cause of misunderstanding between generations, and Bazarov’s upbringing is a clear confirmation of this. He does not abandon his parents; on the contrary, he dreams that they understand him and share his beliefs. Parents try to do this, but still remain true to their traditional views. It is this discrepancy that leads to the problem of eternal misunderstanding between children and fathers.

In the novel “Fathers and Sons” by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, it is written about the conflict of different generations.

The main character Evgeny Bazarov is a very hardworking person. He likes exact sciences, he conducts research and experiments. Bazarov tries in every possible way to benefit his homeland and society as a whole. He doesn't like to talk about feelings and denies any expression of them. For him, creativity and poetry have absolutely no meaning.

Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov becomes his opponent - it is he who enters into an argument with Bazarov. Kirsanov Sr. does not understand why the young man Evgeniy treats art with such disdain.

Every day these two treat each other more and more with hatred and anger. It comes to the point that they start a secret duel in which Bazarov wins. Evgeniy’s victory is just a lucky chance and it could also have turned up against Pavel Petrovich.

After the duel, passions in the Kirsanovs' house, where Bazarov was invited, subsided a little. However, they did not treat each other any better.

Arkady, who invites his friend to stay at his parents' house, also notices that Bazarov is not such a good person and in fact they do not have as much in common as he previously thought. Arkady and Evgeny considered themselves to be members of the nihilistic society.

The Kirsanovs are wealthy nobles, they have their own estate, a little dilapidated, but large. Kirsanov Sr. has a good education and is a very intelligent and well-mannered person. Arkady Kirsanov was receiving his education and met Evgeny Bazarov. It was Bazarov who led Arkady to the nihilists. Evgeniy has very few friends, or rather, practically none. All his friends and acquaintances at first eagerly accepted his ideas of nihilism, but then everyone quickly dispersed. Everyone went their separate ways, some got married and took care of their families, and some found things more interesting.

Arkady was very sympathetic to Bazarov and tried to support him in everything. Over time, Kirsanov realizes that it is better for them to stop communicating with Bazarov. Kirsanov has a loving family, father and uncle. A little time will pass and Arkady will marry a wonderful girl, Katerina, whom he fell in love with very much. Kirsanov believes that he should put his family at the head and abandon Bazarov’s obsessions.

Evgeny Bazarov has none of this. His parents, of course, love him madly, but they cannot show their feelings fully so as not to frighten their son. Evgeniy does not love anyone and believes that all people are no match for him. In order to satisfy his physiological needs, he does not need to love anyone. It is enough for the girl to be pretty. The only person he considered his equal was Anna Sergeevna Odintsova’s girl. Bazarov fell in love for the first time and wanted to own this woman. Anna Sergeevna refused him.

Bazarov will die trying to prove to everyone that he is right and that the manifestation of feelings is complete nonsense. He did not want to choose a family home and a loving family. I couldn’t even convey my knowledge of nihilism to Bazarov. Evgeny Bazarov died alone.

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1. Socio-political sentiments.

2. Innovation in the work.

3. Similarities and differences between Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich.

4. The character of Nikolai Petrovich.

5. Arkady’s life position.

Conflict of generations in the work of I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons.” I. S. Turgenev, as a creative and sensitive nature, perfectly saw and understood what was happening in the social life of his contemporaries. The novel “Fathers and Sons” was completed in 1862, when the confrontation between the two political parties of liberal aristocrats and revolutionary democrats was clearly visible in society. Of course, this could not help but be reflected in the writer’s novel, where the conflicting parties are represented by the nihilist Evgeny Bazarov and the nobleman Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov.

Being a nobleman, Ivan Sergeevich could not share the views of Bazarov, who, according to the author, was the bearer of revolutionary democratic ideas. On the other hand, Turgenev, as an artist, was interested in these people and their characters. His attitude towards his hero is far from clear, as evidenced by the fact that Eugene “suppresses all the other characters in the novel.” When writing his novel, Ivan Sergeevich showed some innovation in terms of constructing the plot and the idea of the work. This was a new trend in fiction of that time. Turgenev's novel is completely devoid of the usual traditional elements of any other work of art. It is difficult to discover the outcome or plot of the plot; there is no strict plan that determines the course of the action. On the other hand, in the work you can see well-drawn strong characters, observations and pictures from the everyday life of landowners and peasants. The absence of strictly verified artistic components does not at all detract from the value of this work, since a thorough psychological analysis of the human personality is carried out here, and the author’s attitude towards his characters is revealed.

Arkady stands up for him, arguing that the task of the nihilists is only to destroy everything old, to free up a new place. It was not only Kirsanov who felt the weakness in Bazarov’s reasoning. Odintsova also quickly sensed the lack of a main life goal in her new acquaintance. Possessing incredible insight, she cannot believe that Eugene, endowed with such a high degree of pride, is capable of being content with the activities of an ordinary county doctor. To which the main character replies: “And, besides, what is the desire to talk and think about the future, which for the most part does not depend on us? If there’s a chance to do something, that’s great, but if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll be pleased that you didn’t chatter in vain beforehand.” Kirsanov is sincerely confident that Bazarov is nothing more than a poser and uses his theory to cover up his ignorance and bad manners: “... before you had to learn... and now they should be told that everything in the world is nonsense... and it’s all in the bag... before they were just idiots, and now they have suddenly become nihilists.” If at the beginning of the novel the reader clearly feels the gap separating the younger and older generations, then as the action develops it becomes clear that it does not exist at all. Despite the fact that young people, talking among themselves about the Kirsanov brothers, do not call them anything other than “old men,” the author accurately indicates the ages of Nikolai Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich.

He is the first to take a step forward and tries to understand the new generation. Sometimes he feels that in some ways he lags behind the progressive youth, that something is no longer within his reach. However, this awareness further encourages Kirsanov to engage in practical activities with triple zeal. Only work allows him to prove to others and to himself that he is still alive and young, that while he can benefit his family and the state, it is too early to write him off. With regret, Nikolai Petrovich recalls his delusions of his youth, his disputes with his mother, whom, due to inexperience, he considered lagging behind life and too old to perceive new trends and views. Now his own son is feeding him “the same pill.” The conflict that flared up on the first pages subsides in the work as if by itself. After the departure of the nihilist, calm reigns again in the Kirsanov family. Arkady gradually moves away from his friend and falls under the influence of the smart and practical Katya. Irritation against Eugene, which arose in the soul of the young man during the period of friendship with his involuntary mentor. It grows to such an extent that it ruins the entire friendship. Arkady, also not lacking in insight, begins to notice that his friend’s words do not always correspond to his actions. Evgeniy’s sharp and not always harmless statements about the relatives and friends of Kirsanov Jr. cause dissatisfaction.