The problem of fathers and children in the image of Turgenev. What are the eternal themes in the novel "Fathers and Sons"? Fathers and sons in the image I
>Essays based on the work Fathers and Sons
The problem of fathers and children
The problem of fathers and children can be called eternal, because its relevance never fades. The younger generation often comes into conflict with the older generation due to divergent ideas and worldviews. This problem is depicted especially well in I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons,” which was published in the second half of the 19th century. He became a symbol of the era, and the relationship between the nihilist Bazarov and the aristocrat Pavel Kirsanov became an undesirable model for many.
These two heroes can by no means be called negative. However, their intransigence and intolerance of other people's opinions forced critics to take a fresh look at the two social classes. Pavel Petrovich, although a man of the old school, tried to adhere to progressive trends. He is always well-groomed, well and neatly dressed. Kirsanov Sr. respects the peasants, speaks well of them, but at the same time he frowns at the sight of them and “smells perfume,” which already speaks of his contradictory character.
His younger brother Nikolai Petrovich, on the contrary, tries to smooth out all the conflicts that arise. He sees perfectly well that their views are at odds with the younger generation, but he does everything possible to maintain friendly relations with his son Arkady. We also see the problem of fathers and children in Bazarov’s relationship with his own parents - people raised on the old foundations, who believe in the power of one God and who love their only son to death.
Being a nihilist, Eugene denies the existence of God and does not accept any overt manifestations of love. Vasily Ivanovich and Arina Vlasevna know about this and therefore try not to show their love. The author emphasizes that these people should have been born a century earlier, since their views on life are too outdated. However, at the same time, he does not detract from their merits and breadth of soul. Evgeniy himself, being near death, admits that people like his parents cannot be found among today’s people, they are so decent and complacent to others.
Despite all the efforts of Nikolai Petrovich, a conflict still flares up between Bazarov and Kirsanov Sr. These two find themselves involved in a secret duel, where Evgeny accidentally wounds Pavel Petrovich, then he himself is the first to give him a helping hand. The problem of fathers and sons has been and remains one of the most important in Russian classical literature. Many authors reflected it in their works, among them Griboyedov, Pushkin, Ostrovsky. However, Turgenev’s work most fully reflected the clash of the “past century” with the “present century.”
The theme of fathers and sons, which becomes especially acute at turning points in the development of society, when the older and younger generations become exponents of the ideas of two different eras, can be considered eternal. Actually, such a period in the history of Russia - the 60s of the 19th century - is depicted in the novel by I. S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons." The conflict between fathers and children presented in it goes far beyond the family framework - it is a social conflict between the ancient nobility and aristocracy and the young progressive intelligentsia.
The problem of fathers and children is revealed in the novel in the relationship between the young nihilist Bazarov and the representative of the nobility Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, Bazarov with his parents, as well as through the example of views within the Kirsanov family.
Two generations are contrasted in the novel even by their external description. Evgeny Bazarov appears before us as a person cut off from the outside world, gloomy and at the same time possessing enormous inner strength and energy. Describing Bazarov, Turgenev focuses on his mind. The description of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, on the contrary, consists mainly of external characteristics. Pavel Petrovich is an outwardly attractive man; he wears starched white shirts and patent leather ankle boots. A former socialite who had once made a splash in metropolitan society, he maintained his habits while living with his brother in the village. Pavel Petrovich is always impeccable and elegant.
In Bazarov, Turgenev reflected the qualities that were beginning to appear in the youth of that time, such as determination and steadfastness in judgment. Nevertheless, Turgenev believed that the future of Russia belonged to such people. Every now and then we notice the author's hints about Bazarov's upcoming great activity. But ardent nihilism also has disadvantages that Turgenev did not share with his hero - this is a complete denial of the inner world of man, his emotional, sensual aspects of life.
To show this error in views, the author pits the hero against a representative of the aristocratic elite - Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, a man who represented the noble society. Of average height, dressed in a dark English frock coat, a fashionable low tie and patent leather ankle boots. This is how we first meet Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. At first glance, it becomes clear that this person is completely different from Evgeniy Vasilyevich in his attitude to life.
This person leads the life of a typical representative of an aristocratic society - he spends his time in idleness and idleness. In contrast, Bazarov brings real benefits to people and deals with specific problems. In my opinion, the problem of fathers and children is most deeply shown in the novel precisely in the relationship between these two heroes, despite the fact that they are not directly related. The conflict that arose between Bazarov and Kirsanov proves that the problem of fathers and sons in Turgenev’s novel is both a problem of two generations and a problem of the collision of two different socio-political camps.
These heroes of the novel occupy directly opposite positions in life. In the frequent disputes between Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich, almost all the main issues were touched upon on which common democrats and liberals disagreed (about the ways of further development of the country, about materialism and idealism, about knowledge of science, understanding of art and about attitude towards the people). At the same time, Pavel Petrovich actively defends the old foundations, and Bazarov, on the contrary, advocates their destruction. And to Kirsanov’s reproach that you are destroying everything (“But you also need to build”), Bazarov replies that “first you need to clear the place.”
We also see a generational conflict in Bazarov’s relationship with his parents. The main character has very contradictory feelings towards them: on the one hand, he admits that he loves his parents, on the other, he despises the “stupid life of his fathers.” Bazarov is alienated from his parents, first of all, by his beliefs. If in Arkady we see superficial contempt for the older generation, caused more by the desire to imitate a friend, and not coming from within, then with Bazarov everything is different. This is his position in life.
With all this, we see that it was to the parents that their son Evgeniy was truly dear. The old Bazarovs love Evgeny very much, and this love softens their relationship with their son, the lack of mutual understanding. It is stronger than other feelings and lives even when the main character dies. “There is a small rural cemetery in one of the remote corners of Russia... It looks sad: the ditches surrounding it have long been overgrown; gray wooden crosses have drooped and are rotting under their once painted roofs... But between them there is one (grave) which no man touches, which is not trampled by animals: only birds sit on it and sing at dawn... Bazarov is buried in this grave... Two already decrepit old men come to it... "
As for the problem of fathers and children within the Kirsanov family, it seems to me that it is not deep. Arkady looks like his father. He has essentially the same values - home, family, peace. He prefers such simple happiness to caring for the world's good. Arkady is only trying to imitate Bazarov, and this is precisely the reason for the discord within the Kirsanov family. The older generation of Kirsanovs doubts “the benefits of his influence on Arkady.” But Bazarov leaves Arkady’s life, and everything falls into place.
The problem of fathers and sons is one of the most important in Russian classical literature. The collision of the “present century” with the “past century” was reflected in his wonderful comedy “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboyedov, this theme is revealed in all its severity in Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”, we find its echoes in Pushkin and many other Russian classics . As people looking to the future, writers tend to side with the new generation. Turgenev, in his work “Fathers and Sons,” does not openly take sides on either side. At the same time, he so fully reveals the life positions of the main characters of the novel, shows their positive and negative sides, that he gives the reader the opportunity to decide for himself who was right. It is not surprising that Turgenev’s contemporaries reacted sharply to the appearance of the work. The reactionary press accused the writer of currying favor with young people, while the democratic press accused the author of slandering the younger generation.
Turgenev's novel "Fathers and Sons", be that as it may, ranks among the best works of Russian classical literature, and the problems raised in it remain relevant to this day. Turgenev impartially conveyed all the positive and negative aspects of generations; He saw youth as a powerful force capable of leading to changes in society. This power was like an iron plow, sparing neither art, nor poetry, nor even love itself. Turgenev could not disagree with this. He understood that without these simple things, life would be dull, joyless, “not real.” Therefore, Ivan Sergeevich was closer to “aristocratic” judgments about life. Undoubtedly, the aristocrats were not as energetic as the nihilists, but living in a family, taking care of their ostentatious appearance, and carelessly managing the household, they were happy in their own way. And the most important thing that a person must strive for is happiness.
The theme of fathers and sons is eternal. It is especially aggravated during critical moments of social development. It was during this period that people from different generations represent inhabitants of opposite historical eras. The problem of fathers and children in the image of Turgenev reflects the sixties of the 19th century. The reader can see not only the family drama, but also the social conflict between the aristocratic nobility and the developing intelligentsia.
Key Narrative Objects
The main participants in the process are the young and outstanding representative of the nobility Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. The text describes Bazarov’s relationship with his parents, and also discusses examples of communication in the Kirsanov family.
External description of the main characters of the work
The problem of fathers and children in the portrayal of I. S. Turgenev is visible even in the appearance of the characters. Evgeny Bazarov is presented to readers as an object not of this world. He is always gloomy, but has enormous fortitude and an impressive energy reserve for new achievements. The author pays special attention to describing the hero’s high mental abilities. Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov is deprived of a vivid description of his mind, but he appears to the reader as a very well-groomed person, his entire description consists of admiration for external characteristics. He is always perfect; he can only be seen in a starched white shirt and patent leather ankle boots. Which is no wonder: his secular past does not allow itself to be forgotten. Despite living with his brother in a village society, he still always looks impeccable and elegant.
Personal qualities of a youth representative
Turgenev endowed Bazarov with such qualities as decisiveness in action and a reasonable personal opinion. Such people set goals for themselves and brought real benefits to society. Many representatives of that historical period had similar characteristics. The author assumed that the future of Russia would consist of precisely such people. But as an ardent fan, he completely denied his inner peace and emotionality. He did not allow the existence of the sensual side of life. On this issue, Turgenev categorically disagrees with his character. Many critics suggest that it was for this reason that the main character was killed by the author.
Aristocratic elite
To show the errors in youth views, the problem of fathers and sons in the image of Turgenev is reflected through the clash of a convinced nihilist with a member of the aristocracy. Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov was chosen by the author as a representative of noble society. For the first time, the reader sees this hero perfectly dressed in an English frock coat. From the first lines it is clear that this person is the absolute opposite of Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov on the issue of attitude towards life values. The typical life of a wealthy aristocrat was reduced to constant idleness and holidays.
Fathers and sons in the image of I. S. Turgenev
The clash between a representative of an aristocratic society and a developing intelligentsia is the main problem described in the work. The relationship between Bazarov and Kirsanov is proof of the existence of Despite the fact that they are not related, nevertheless, two different socio-political camps do not find common ground. The problem of fathers and children in the depiction of Turgenev on the basis of real family unions occurs, but indirectly.
Opposite life positions
During the course, the author often touches on topics of political disagreement. Democrats and liberals do not reach a consensus on these issues. The main disputes arise from reflections on the further development of the country, on material values, experience, idealism, science, art history and attitude towards ordinary people. Kirsanov stubbornly defends old concepts, and Bazarov, in turn, strives to destroy them. Kirsanov tried to reproach his opponent for this desire. But Bazarov always answered that it was necessary to first clear the place in order to build something new.
Bazarov's relationship with his parents
In the family of Evgeny Bazarov there is a problem of fathers and children. Turgenev I.S. finds its reflection in the hero’s attitude towards his parents. It is contradictory. Bazarov confesses his love for them, but at the same time despises their stupid and aimless lives. This is his unshakable life position. But, despite his attitude, his son was very dear to his parents. The old people loved him very much and softened tense conversations. Even after the death of the main character of the work, the very moment of their unconditional love is considered. Turgenev described a rural cemetery with a sad overgrown landscape where the main character Bazarov is buried. Birds sing at his grave, old parents come to visit her.
Perhaps, if not for the ardent defense of one’s rightness and a more gentle attitude towards the opinions of other people, the duel and subsequent infection with typhus could have been avoided. Obviously, it was the wound that contributed to the spread of the disease. But a clash of views was inevitable. The problem of fathers and children in the depiction of Turgenev led to tragic consequences.
The widespread relevance of the problem
In high school, students are asked to write an essay on literature. The problem of fathers and sons is an insoluble dispute that has lasted hundreds of years. Turgenev's novel "Fathers and Sons" remains one of the best works of world classics. An impartial description of everyday life and relationships without embellishment makes it clear to the reader that youth is a perpetual motion machine. Behind them lies strength and new achievements, inventions and improvement of life. But mature aristocrats also live their own lives, they cannot be blamed. They look at life differently, do not understand each other's views, but they are happy. Each in their own way. This is the meaning of life. Just be happy.
As long as the human race continues to exist, its representatives will always face the eternal problem of the opposing views of “fathers and sons.” Its basis is the breaking of ties that exist between different generations. So what causes misunderstandings between parents and their children?
Even in the time of Socrates, there were conflicts in society between representatives of different generations. Nowadays, nothing has changed - it is also difficult to avoid the disagreements that lie at the heart of how the characters fight.
This question plays, if not a central role, then one of the main ones in their thoughts. Rapid changes in human life give rise to an exacerbation of the problem: conservative fathers are alien to any changes, while children act as “engines of progress”, expressing a desire to overthrow foundations and traditions and implement their ideas. “Fathers and sons” - this expression has a broader meaning than the concept of family ties.
A.S. Griboedov wrote the comedy “Woe from Wit,” where the author highlighted the issue regarding the emergence of a conflict between the older generation and the younger, that is, “fathers and children.” Its essence lies in the difference in worldviews and views on the world. According to Famusov, he lived his life with dignity. Therefore, Sophia should not look for another role model if there is a “father’s example.”
From the above, we can draw a conclusion regarding the fact of the existence of eternal disagreements that arise between the conservative generation of “fathers” and the democratic generation of “children”. The reasons may be completely different, but the essence is always a misunderstanding of people of different eras.
Updated: 2016-11-19
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Problems of the novel by I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”
“Fathers and Sons” can safely be called a new novel, since for the first time a new type of hero appears in it, a new person - the democrat commoner Yevgeny Bazarov.
In the title of the novel, the author sought to reflect not just the relationship between two generations, but the confrontation between two social camps. Showing the clash of two different social forces, Turgenev brought into the historical arena a new hero, a new force that marked the onset of a new era. In the face of social change, noble culture had to be tested.
All the acute social problems of Russian life in the 50s of the 19th century were reflected in the disputes between Bazarov and the Kirsanovs. Turgenev believed that “a poet should be a psychologist, but a secret one.” He must know and feel the roots of a phenomenon, but imagine only the phenomena themselves in their flourishing or fading. “To accurately and powerfully reproduce the truth, the reality of life is the highest happiness for a writer, even if this truth does not coincide with his own sympathies,” Turgenev wrote in his article “About Fathers and Sons,” setting this reproduction as his task. Therefore, he sought to comprehensively show his characters and their belief systems, without leaning towards any one point of view.
And he observes this principle throughout the novel. Turgenev shows the clash between Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich, who fiercely oppose each other and do not agree on anything. Pavel Petrovich does not accept anything that is in Bazarov, and vice versa. When Arkady tries to explain to his father and uncle who the nihilists are, he says that nihilists are those who do not accept a single principle on faith, doubt everything, and deny love. His uncle responds to this that “before there were Hegelists, and now there are nihilists,” but in essence everything is the same. This moment is very indicative; it suggests that Pavel Petrovich does not want to come to terms with the fact that times and views are changing.
Turgenev is a master of detail. Through such a touch as a knife with butter, Turgenev shows Pavel Petrovich’s hostility towards Bazarov. The episode with the frogs plays exactly the same role.
Bazarov, with his characteristic youthful maximalism, denies everything: he understands a person like a frog. Bazarov believes that “first you need to clear the place,” and then build something; he believes only in science. Paul
Petrovich is indignant, and Nikolai Petrovich is ready to think, perhaps, indeed, he and his brother are backward people.
In Chapter X, Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich approach the most important thing - the question of who has the right to speak on behalf of the people, who knows the people better. The most interesting thing is that each of them thinks that their opponent has no idea how things really are. “I don’t want to believe that you, gentlemen, know the Russian people for sure, that you are representatives of their needs, their aspirations! No, the Russian people are not what you imagine them to be,” says Pavel Petrovich, who insisted that the Russian people are “patriarchal” and “cannot live without faith.” Bazarov, in turn, believed that “the freedom that the government is busy about will hardly benefit us, because our peasant is happy to rob himself just to get drunk on dope in a tavern.” Thus, it turns out that one embellishes, and the other denigrates, and in this contrast Turgenev seeks to show the farce and absurdity of the situation.
Bazarov is too pessimistic about the current state of the people: he talks about superstitions, about underdevelopment, about the lack of enlightenment of the people. He pompously declares: “My grandfather plowed the land,” thus trying to show his closeness to the people, to prove to Pavel Petrovich that he better understands the peasants and their needs. But in fact, this phrase is an exaggeration, since Bazarov’s father was poor, but still a landowner, and “was formerly a regimental doctor.” Turgenev writes that, despite the fact that Bazarov was a commoner and considered himself close to the people, he “did not even suspect that in their eyes he was still something of a fool.”
Pavel Petrovich's attitude towards the people is also described in the novel rather ironically. He idealized the people, believed that he loved and knew them, but at the same time, speaking with a peasant, he “wrinkled his face and sniffed cologne.” At the end of the novel, Turgenev writes that Pavel Petrovich went to live in Germany, “he doesn’t read anything Russian, but on his desk there is a silver ashtray in the shape of a peasant’s bast shoe.”
The story of the relationship between these irreconcilable disputants ends with a duel. This happens after Pavel Petrovich sees Bazarov kissing Fenechka in the gazebo.
Turgenev approached the description of the duel scene very carefully, which is presented in the novel as if from the author’s point of view, but it is clear from everything that this episode is shown through the eyes of Bazarov. Before the duel, a verbal duel takes place, where there is one multi-valued symbolic detail: in response to the French phrase of Pavel Petrovich, Bazarov inserts an expression in Latin into his speech. Thus, Turgenev emphasizes that his heroes really speak different languages. Latin is the language of science, reason, logic, progress, but it is a dead language. French, in turn, is the language of the Russian aristocracy of the 18th-19th centuries; it implies a huge cultural layer. Two cultures stand on the historical arena, but together they have no place on it - and a duel takes place between them.
The whole pathos of the author’s position states with regret that the best people of Russia do not understand, do not hear each other. Their problem is that no one wants to make concessions. Turgenev laments that they speak different languages and cannot agree and understand each other.
The secret psychologism of the novel lies in the fact that the narration is told on behalf of the author, but it still seems that the author’s position is close to Bazarov’s position. Due to the fact that the description of the duel is given as if from the perspective of Bazarov, it has a mundane character. This noble tradition is not close to Bazarov, he is a man of a different culture, a physician, and for him this is doubly unnatural.
The duel produces a kind of revolution in Pavel Petrovich. He now looks differently at the civil marriage of Nikolai Petrovich and Fenechka - he blesses his brother to marry her.
Turgenev masterfully combines the comic and the serious. This is especially evident in the description of the duel, or more precisely of Commandant Peter, who first turned green, then turned pale, and after the shot generally hid somewhere. The wounded Pavel Petrovich, seeing Peter appear, says: “What a stupid face!”, which is also, of course, an element of the comic.
In Chapter XXIV, Turgenev allows himself a direct author’s word: “Yes, he was a dead man,” in relation to Pavel Petrovich. This should be understood as a statement that a “change” has already occurred: it is clear that the era of Pavel Petrovich is ending. But the author resorted to direct expression of his own views only once, and usually Turgenev used hidden or indirect ways to show his attitude, which, undoubtedly, is one of the types of Turgenev’s psychologism.
While working on the novel “Fathers and Sons,” Turgenev strives to be objective, so he is ambiguous in relation to his heroes. On the one hand, Turgenev shows the failure of the nobility, and on the other, he says about Bazarov that he cannot accurately answer the question of why he killed him. “I dreamed of a gloomy, wild, large figure, half grown out of the soil, strong, evil, honest - and yet doomed to death - because it still stands on the threshold of the future,” Turgenev wrote in a letter to K. K. Sluchevsky.
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