Problems and ideological content of fathers and children. The meaning of the title and problems of the novel I

Most often, the title of a work is the key to its content and understanding. This is what happens with I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons.” Just two simple words, but they contained so many concepts that divided the heroes into two opposite camps. Such a simple title reveals the essence of the novel “Fathers and Sons” in complex issues.

The main issue of the novel

In his work, the author not only raises the problem of the collision of two opposite generations, but also tries to find a solution, to indicate a way out of the current situation. The confrontation between the two camps can be seen as a struggle between old and new, radicals and liberals, between democracy and aristocracy, determination and confusion.

The author believes that the time has come for change and tries to show it in the novel. The old representatives of the noble system are being replaced by the young and restless, searching and fighting. The old system has already outlived its usefulness, but the new one has not yet formed, and the meaning of the novel “Fathers and Sons” clearly indicates the inability of society to live either in the old or in the new way. This is a kind of transitional time, the border of eras.

New society

The representative of the new generation is Bazarov. It is he who plays the main role, which creates the conflict in the novel “Fathers and Sons”. He represents a whole galaxy of young people who have accepted a form of complete denial as faith. They deny everything old, but do not bring anything to replace this old.

A very clearly conflicting worldview is shown between Pavel Kirsanov and Evgeny Bazarov. Straightforwardness and rudeness versus manners and sophistication. The images of the novel “Fathers and Sons” are multifaceted and contradictory. But Bazarov’s clearly defined system of values does not make him happy. He himself outlined his purpose for society: to break the old. But how to build something new on a destroyed foundation of ideas and views is no longer his business.
The problem of emancipation is considered. The author shows this as a possible alternative to the patriarchal system. But only the female image of the emancipe is given as unsightly, completely different from the ordinary Turgenev girl. And, again, this was not done by chance, but with a clear intention to show that before destroying something established, it is necessary to find a replacement for it. If this does not happen, then the changes fail; even what was clearly intended to be a positive solution to the problem may change in a different direction and become a sharply negative phenomenon.

The novel “Fathers and Sons” is still relevant today, the characteristics of the heroes in it are a kind of confirmation of this. This work contains the most a large number of problems that the author poses to his generation. But even today many questions of Turgenev’s novel have not been answered.

The materials posted on this page will help 10th grade students prepare an essay on the topic “The meaning of the novel “Fathers and Sons”.”

Work test

The novel “Fathers and Sons” was created by Turgenev at a difficult time for Russia. The growth of peasant uprisings and the crisis of the serfdom system forced the government to abolish serfdom. In Russia it was necessary to carry out peasant reform. Society split into two camps: in one there were revolutionary democrats, ideologists of the peasant masses, in the other - the liberal nobility who stood for the reformist path. The liberal nobility did not tolerate serfdom, but feared a peasant revolution.

The great Russian writer shows in his novel the struggle between the worldviews of these two political directions. The plot of the novel is based on the contrast between the views of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov and Evgeny Bazarov, who are prominent representatives these directions. The novel also raises other questions: how to treat the people, work, science, art, what transformations are necessary in the Russian village.

The title already reflects one of these problems - the relationship between two generations, fathers and children. Disagreements on various issues have always existed between the youth and the older generation. So here, the representative of the younger generation Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov cannot, and does not want to understand the “fathers”, their life credo, principles. He is convinced that their views on the world, on life, on relationships between people are hopelessly outdated. “Yes, I will spoil them... After all, this is all pride, lionish habits, foppishness...”. In his opinion, the main purpose of life is to work, to produce something material. That is why Bazarov disrespects art and sciences that do not have a practical basis; to “useless” nature. He believes that it is much more useful to deny what, from his point of view, deserves denial, than to watch indifferently from the outside, not daring to do anything. “At the present time, the most useful thing is denial - we deny,” says Bazarov.

For his part, Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov is sure that there are things that cannot be doubted (“Aristocracy... liberalism, progress, principles... art...”). He values habits and traditions more and does not want to notice the changes taking place in society.

The disputes between Kirsanov and Bazarov are revealed ideological plan novel.

These heroes have a lot in common. Both Kirsanov and Bazarov have highly developed pride. Sometimes they cannot calmly argue. Both of them are not subject to the influence of others, and only what they themselves have experienced and felt makes the heroes change their views on certain issues. Both the democrat commoner Bazarov and the aristocrat Kirsanov have enormous influence on those around them, and strength of character cannot be denied to either one or the other. And yet, despite such similarities in nature, these people are very different, which is due to the difference in origin, upbringing and way of thinking.

Discrepancies already appear in the portraits of the heroes. The face of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov is “unusually correct and clean, as if carved with a thin and light chisel.” And in general, the whole appearance of Uncle Arkady “...was elegant and thoroughbred, his hands were beautiful, with long pink nails.” Bazarov’s appearance is the complete opposite of Kirsanov. He is dressed in a long robe with tassels, he has red hands, his face is long and thin , With wide forehead and not at all an aristocratic nose. The portrait of Pavel Petrovich is a portrait of a “socialite” whose manners match his appearance. The portrait of Bazarov undoubtedly belongs to “a democrat through and through,” which is confirmed by the hero’s behavior, independent and self-confident.

Evgeniy's life is full of intense activity; he devotes every free minute to natural science studies. In the second half of the 19th century, the natural sciences experienced a boom; materialist scientists appeared who, through numerous experiments and experiments, developed these sciences, for which there was a future. And Bazarov is the prototype of such a scientist. Pavel Petrovich, on the contrary, spends all his days in idleness and groundless, aimless thoughts and memories.

The views of those arguing about art and nature are opposite. Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov admires works of art. He is capable of admiring starry sky, enjoy music, poetry, painting. Bazarov denies art (“Raphael is not worth a penny”) and approaches nature with utilitarian standards (“Nature is not a temple, but a workshop, and man is a worker in it”). Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov also does not agree that art, music, nature are nonsense. Going out onto the porch, “...he looked around, as if wanting to understand how one could not sympathize with nature.” And here we can feel how Turgenev expresses his own thoughts through his hero. The beautiful evening landscape leads Nikolai Petrovich to a “sorrowful and joyful game of lonely thoughts”, evokes Nice memories, opens to him “ Magic world dreams.” The author shows that by denying admiration for nature, Bazarov impoverishes his spiritual life.

But the main difference between a commoner-democrat who finds himself on the estate of a hereditary nobleman and a liberal lies in his views on society and the people. Kirsanov believes that aristocrats - driving force social development. Their ideal is “English freedom,” that is, a constitutional monarchy. The path to the ideal lies through reforms, openness, progress. Bazarov is confident that aristocrats are incapable of action and there is no benefit from them. He rejects liberalism, denies the ability of the nobility to lead Russia to the future.

Disagreements arise over nihilism and the role of nihilists in public life Pavel Petrovich condemns nihilists for the fact that they “respect no one”, live without “principles”, considers them unnecessary and powerless: “There are only 4-5 of you.” To this Bazarov replies: “Moscow burned down from a penny candle.” Speaking about the denial of everything, Bazarov means religion, the autocratic serfdom system, and generally accepted morality. What do nihilists want? First of all, revolutionary actions. And the criterion is the benefit for the people.

Pavel Petrovich glorifies the peasant community, family, religiosity, and patriarchy of the Russian peasant. He claims that “the Russian people cannot live without faith.” Bazarov says that people don’t understand own interests, dark and ignorant, that in the country there is no honest people, that “a man is happy to rob himself just to get drunk on dope in a tavern.” However, he considers it necessary to distinguish popular interests from popular prejudices; he claims that the people are revolutionary in spirit, therefore nihilism is a manifestation of the national spirit.

Turgenev shows that, despite his tenderness, Pavel Petrovich does not know how to talk to ordinary people, “He winces and sniffs the cologne.” In a word, he is a real gentleman. And Bazarov proudly declares: “My grandfather plowed the land.” And he can win over the peasants, although he makes fun of them. The servants feel “that he is still his brother, not a master.”

This is precisely because Bazarov had the ability and desire to work. In Maryino, on the Kirsanov estate, Evgeniy worked because he could not sit idle; there was “some kind of medical-surgical smell” in his room.

In contrast, representatives of the older generation did not differ in their ability to work. So, Nikolai Petrovich is trying to manage things in a new way, but nothing works out for him. About himself he says: “I am a soft, weak person, I spent my life in the wilderness.” But, according to Turgenev, this cannot serve as an excuse. If you can't work, don't do it. And the biggest thing that Pavel Petrovich did was help his brother with money, not daring to give advice, and “not jokingly imagining himself to be a practical person.”

Of course, most of all a person manifests himself not in conversations, but in deeds and in his life. Therefore, Turgenev seems to lead his heroes through various trials. And the strongest of them is the test of love. After all, it is in love that a person’s soul reveals itself fully and sincerely.

And then Bazarov’s hot and passionate nature swept away all his theories. He fell in love, like a boy, with a woman whom he valued highly. “In conversations with Anna and Sergeevna, he expressed his indifferent contempt for everything romantic even more than before, and when left alone, he was indignantly aware of the romanticism in himself.” The hero is experiencing severe mental discord. “... Something... took possession of him, which he never allowed, which he always mocked, which outraged all his pride.” Anna Sergeevna Odintsova rejected him. But Bazarov found the strength to accept defeat with honor, without losing his dignity.

And Pavel Petrovich, who also loved her very much, could not leave with dignity when he became convinced of the woman’s indifference to him: “.. he spent four years in foreign lands, now chasing after her, now with the intention of losing sight of her... and already I couldn’t get into the right groove.” And in general, the fact that he seriously fell in love with a frivolous and empty society lady says a lot.

Bazarov - strong nature, This new person in Russian society. And the writer carefully considers this type of character. The last test he offers his hero is death.

Anyone can pretend to be whoever they want. Some people do this their whole lives. But in any case, before death a person becomes what he really is. Everything pretentious disappears, and the time comes to think, perhaps for the first time and last time, about the meaning of life, about what good he did, whether they will remember or forget as soon as they are buried. And this is natural, because in the face of the unknown, a person discovers something that he may not have seen during his lifetime.

It’s a pity, of course, that Turgenev “kills” Bazarov. So brave to a strong man I wish I could live and live. But perhaps the writer, having shown that such people exist, did not know what to do with his hero next... The way Bazarov dies could be an honor to anyone. He feels sorry not for himself, but for his parents. He is sorry to leave life so early. Dying, Bazarov admits that he “fell under the wheel,” “but is still bristling.” And Odintsova says bitterly: “And now the giant’s whole task is to die decently... I won’t wag my tail.”

The novel “Fathers and Sons” was written by I. S. Turgenev during the revolutionary situation in Russia (1859-1862) and

abolition of serfdom. The writer revealed the turning point in the novel public consciousness Russia, when the noble

liberalism was supplanted by revolutionary democratic thought. This division of society is reflected in

the novel in the person of Bazarov, a commoner democrat (“children”) and the Kirsanov brothers, the best of the liberal nobles (“fathers”).

Turgenev himself was ambivalent about the image he created. He wrote to A. A. Fet: “Did I want to scold Bazarov or extol him? I don’t know this myself, because I don’t know whether I love him or hate him!” And in a note about “Fathers and Sons” Turgenev writes: “Bazarov is my favorite brainchild... This is the prettiest of all my figures.”

The personality of Bazarov, the exponent of the ideas of revolutionary democracy, interests Turgenev, because he is a hero of the time who has absorbed distinctive features era of social change. Turgenev highlights democracy in Bazarov, manifested in the noble habit of work, which is developed from childhood. On the one hand, the example of parents, on the other - a harsh school of life, studying at the university for pennies. This feature distinguishes him favorably from the Kirsanovs and for Bazarov is the main criterion for assessing a person. The Kirsanovs are the best of the nobles, but they do nothing, they don’t know how to get down to business. Nikolai Petrovich plays the cello and reads Pushkin. Pavel Petrovich carefully monitors his appearance, changing clothes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Arriving to his father, Bazarov says: “I want to work.” And Turgenev constantly. emphasizes that “work fever” is characteristic of active nature hero. A feature of the generation of Democrats of the 60s was a passion for natural sciences. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, Bazarov, instead of resting, “cuts frogs”, preparing himself for scientific activity. Bazarov does not confine himself only to those sciences that are directly related to medicine, but reveals extensive knowledge in botany, agricultural technology, and geology. Understanding the limitations of his capabilities due to the deplorable state of medicine in Russia, Bazarov still never refuses to help those in need, regardless of his busy schedule: he treats Fenichka’s son and the peasants of the surrounding villages, and helps his father. And even his death occurred due to infection during the autopsy. Bazarov's humanism is manifested in his desire to benefit the people, Russia.

Bazarov is a man with a great sense of self-esteem; in this respect he is in no way inferior to aristocrats, and in some ways even surpasses them. In the story of the duel, Bazarov showed not only common sense and intelligence, but nobility and fearlessness, even the ability to be ironic at oneself in a moment of mortal danger. Even Pavel Petrovich appreciated his nobility: “You acted nobly...” But there are things that Turgenev denies in his hero - this is Bazarov’s nihilism in relation to nature, music, literature, painting, love - everything that makes up the poetry of life , which elevates a person. Bazarov denies everything that is devoid of a materialistic explanation.

He considers everything rotten political system Russia, therefore he denies “everything”: autocracy, serfdom, religion - and what is generated by the “ugly state of society”: popular poverty, lawlessness, darkness, ignorance, patriarchal antiquity, family. However, Bazarov does not put forward a positive program. When P.P. Kirsanov tells him: “...You are destroying everything... But you also need to build,” Bazarov replies: “This is no longer our business... First we need to clear the place.”

When Bazarov branded inflated, abstract “principles” with ridicule, he wins. And the author shares his position. But when Bazarov enters the sphere of refined experiences that he has never accepted, not a trace of his confidence remains. The more difficult it is for Bazarov, the more palpable the author’s empathy for him.

Bazarov's ability to strong feeling and respect for a woman, her mind and character - after all, he shared his most cherished thoughts with Odintsova, filling his feelings with reasonable content.

Love for Odintsova helped Bazarov reconsider his views and rethink his beliefs. A complex reassessment of values ensues. Boundless Rus' with its dark, dirty villages becomes the subject of his close attention. But he never acquires the ability to “talk about the affairs and needs” of the peasants and only helps the village population in his father’s medicinal practice. V Turgenev showed the greatness of Bazarov during his illness, in the face of death. In the speech of the dying man there is pain from the consciousness of the imminent inevitable end. Each remark addressed to Odintsova is a clot of spiritual suffering: “Look at what an ugly sight: a half-crushed worm” and still bristling. And I would also think: I’ll break a lot, grandfather, I won’t die, no matter what! There is a task, because I am a giant!.. Russia needs me... No, apparently, I am not needed. And who is needed? Knowing that he will die, he consoles his parents, shows sensitivity to his mother, hiding from her the danger that threatens him, and makes a dying request to Odintsova to take care of the elderly: “After all, there are people like them in your big world you can’t find it during the day with fire...” The courage and steadfastness of his materialistic and atheistic views were manifested in his refusal to confess when, yielding to the pleas of his parents, he agreed to take communion, but only in an unconscious state, when a person is not responsible for his actions. Pisarev noted that in the face of death, “Bazarov becomes better, more humane, which is proof of the integrity, completeness and natural richness of nature.” Not having time to realize himself in life, Bazarov only in the face of death gets rid of his intolerance and for the first time truly feels that real life much wider and more diverse than his ideas about her. This is main meaning finals. Turgenev himself wrote about this:

“I dreamed of a gloomy, wild, large figure, half grown out of the soil, strong, evil, honest - yet doomed to death - because it still stands on the threshold of the future.”

The events that I. S. Turgenev describes in the novel take place in mid-19th century century. This is the time when Russia was experiencing another era of reforms. The idea contained in the title of the novel is revealed very widely, since it deals not only with the uniqueness of different generations, but also about the confrontation of the nobility, descending from historical scene, and the democratic intelligentsia, moving to the center of the social and spiritual life of Russia, representing its future.

Philosophical thoughts about the change of generations, about the eternal movement of life and the eternal struggle between old and new were heard more than once in the works of Russian writers even before Turgenev (“Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboyedov). Similar thoughts and feelings, along with disputes about the peasant community, about nihilism, about art, about aristocracy, about the Russian people, are also heard in Turgenev’s novel. But there are also universal human problems that the author reflects on.

At the center of the novel is the figure of commoner Bazarov, who embodies the type of person newest generation. The “fathers” are represented by the Kirsanov brothers and Bazarov’s parents.

The antagonism of the views of Pavel Petrovich and Bazarov is revealed in heated debates between them. But in disputes with Bazarov, Pavel Petrovich cannot defeat the nihilist, cannot shake his moral principles, and then he resorts to the last means of resolving the conflict - a duel.

39. The genre of the novel in the works of I.S. Turgenev. Peculiarities artistic structure and problems of the writer’s novels. Analysis of one novel of your choice. Analysis of the novel "Fathers and Sons". Turgenev 1817-1883. T. created and developed special variety a novel that reflected new and special trends of the era. Feature writer's appearance of T: the more acutely he perceives the world in the individual uniqueness of transient phenomena, the more alarming and tragic becomes his love for life, for its fleeting beauty. The T-artist is endowed with a special sense of time. Its inexorable and swift progress. After all, he lived in an era of intensive, accelerated development of Russia, when “transformations took place in a few decades that took entire centuries in some old European countries.” The writer had the opportunity to witness the crisis of noble revolutionism of the 20s and 30s, he saw the struggle of two generations of revolutionary-democratic intelligentsia of the 60s and 70s, a struggle that each time brought not the joy of victories, but the bitterness of defeats. All six of T’s novels were not only included in the “ currently“the life of society, but in their own way they anticipated it. The writer was especially sensitive to what was “on the eve”, what was still in the air. His novels turned into a kind of chronicle of the change of different mental trends in the cultural stratum of Russian society: an idealist-dreamer, “ extra person» 30-40s in the novel “RUDIN”; nobleman Lavretsky, striving to merge with the people, in “THE NOBLERY’S NEST”; “new man” revolutionary commoner - first Dmitry Insarov in “ON THE EVE”, and then Evgeny Bazarov in “O and D”; the era of ideological impassability in “SMOKE”; a new wave of social upsurge in the 70s in NOVI. “The physiognomy of Russian people of the cultural stratum” in the T era changed very quickly - and this introduced a special touch of drama into novels, characterized by a rapid start and an unexpected denouement, “tragic, as a rule, endings.” T's novels are strictly confined to a narrow period of historical time; precise chronology plays a significant role in them. The hero's life is extremely limited compared to the heroes of the novels of Pushkin, Lermontov, Goncharov. The characters of Onegin, Pechorin, Oblomov “reflected a century”; in Rudin, Lavretsky or Bazarov - the mental trends of several years. The life of Turgenev's heroes is like a spark that flashes brightly, but quickly fades. History, in its inexorable movement, measures out a tense, but too short-term fate for them. All Turgenev's novels obey the rigid rhythm of the annual natural cycle. The action in them begins, as a rule, in early spring, culminating in hot days summer, and ends with the “whistle of the autumn wind” or “in the cloudless silence of the January frosts.” T shows his heroes in happy moments maximum rise and flourishing of their vital forces. But these minutes turn out to be tragic: Rudin dies on the Prague barricades, during the heroic takeoff, the life of Insarov, and then Bazarov, Nezhdanov, is suddenly cut short. “Extra” and “new” people became heroes, i.e. noble and mixed-democratic intelligentsia, which predetermined the moral and ideological-political level of Russian. society. The characters were distinguished not only by their belonging to different social types, but also by their attraction to the specific type of relationship with surrounding world. 3 types of heroes in T.’s novels 1) “inferior” – the relationship between a person and society. Presented various types opportunists and careerists (Pandonevsky, Ibasov). 2) “average” - honest and decent people, hostile to peace self-interest and vanity, endowed with a high idea of duty, limited by ready-made norms and traditions, moderate in desires (Valyntsev, Basistov, Mikhalevich, Kirsanov brothers). 3) “highest” – spiritually free people, whose goal is to reorganize the world. The national meaning of the life and activity of the human person is concentrated. T.'s love has many faces. The “lower” type experiences a passion that can capture a person entirely. S T entered not only literature, but also life poetic image companions of the Russian hero, Turgenev's girl - Natalya Lasunskaya, Lisa Kalitina, Elena Stakhova, Marianna. The writer depicts in his novels and stories the most flourishing period in women's fate when in anticipation of the chosen one blossoms female soul, all its potential possibilities are awakened to temporary triumph. The “average” type has high aspirations. The condition for the fulfillment of love is reciprocity. Mutual love and happiness compensate for spiritual narrowness. “The test of love replaces social practice in novels with epic practice. The test of love in relation to nature is associated with the specifics of T.'s philosophy, which goes back to the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Pascal. For T. nature is eternal, and human life is a short moment among the endless and eternal nature. The plot of T.'s works: the hero arrives somewhere, enters a new circle of people for him, whom he does not know, with whom he has different relationships. With the departure or death of the hero, the novel ends. The philosophical tone enlarges the characters and takes the problems of the works beyond narrow temporal interests. “Fathers and Sons” was begun in 1860, in early August, and completed in July 1861. The actions of the novel take place in 1869, and the epilogue tells about the actions of 1861, those. after the fall of serfdom. The disputes between “fathers” and “sons”, representatives of two cultures – the old, outgoing noble one, and the new, democratic one – are vividly conveyed. The bleak fate of the serfs, the darkness and ignorance of the people are shown. The deep basis of the content was the question of the fate of Russia, the Russian people, the ways of their further development. In P.P. Kirsanov T. portrays an aristocratic gentleman. His life was reduced to love for a woman and regret about the past. Uselessness and inability to adapt to life are also shown in Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. This is also a type of outgoing lordship. Arkady Kirsanov, a representative of the young noble generation, is also critically depicted in the novel, quickly turning into an ordinary landowner, busy with his family and his farm. A positive hero Bazarov appears in the novel. T. wanted to understand and truthfully show the features of a new person, to get used to his image, and therefore kept a diary on behalf of Bazarov. Bazarov is a representative of the democratic youth of all ranks, an independent nature, not bowing to any authorities. For him, everything is subject to the judgment of thoughts. In this respect, Bazarov was a typical representative of the commoners of the sixties. In nihilism (nihilism is a complete denial of everything. Complete skepticism; nihilist - in the 60s of the 19th century in Russia: a supporter of the democratic movement, denying foundations and traditions noble society, serfdom) Bazarova T. saw manifestations of revolutionism. Depicting the clash of “fathers” and “children,” the writer showed the triumph of democracy over the aristocracy, but the mental and moral superiority of the common democrat and materialist Bazarov over Pavel Petrovich meant the defeat of those principles and foundations on which the life of the “fathers” was based. Among the contradictory features are contradictory statements about love and the great feeling that flared up in him for Odintsova. T. takes away love story secondary place. Bazarov carries more positive than negative traits, and this brings him closer to that part of the mixed-democratic youth of the 60s, who then embodied the progress of science. The novel “Fathers and Sons” is the pinnacle artistic creativity T. Here there are two environments with their established ideas and interests as two composition center. The composition of the novel itself reflected Russian reality during the period of the fall of serfdom, the struggle between two historical trends, two possible paths of social development. The action of the novel is led by Bazarov; he comes to the fore in almost all scenes of the novel, rather than the noble environment and its heroes. With the death of Bazarov, “O and D” ends. The composition and plot conflicts and situations reflected the peculiarity of the time of intensification of the class struggle. The mentality and character of Turgenev's hero reflected the features and appearance of all the progressive democratic youth of the 60s. But Bazarov’s physiology and his passion for natural science reflected the traits of the youth of the 60s. Bazarov’s attitude to issues of art and aesthetics is connected with the direction of materialist thought of the 60s. T. portrayed the type young man, who believes exclusively in science and has contempt for art and religion. With his views and interests, Bazarov represented that part of the democratic youth of the 60s who followed the “Russian Word” and Pisarev. The inevitable blow of fate is read in the final episode of the novel: there is, undoubtedly, something symbolic in the fact that the brave “anatomist” and “physiologist” of Russian life destroys himself during the autopsy of a peasant’s corpse. In the face of death, the supports that once supported Bazarov's self-confidence turned out to be weak: medicine and natural sciences, having discovered their powerlessness, retreated, leaving B. alone with himself. And then the forces that were once denied by him, but kept at the bottom of his soul, came to the aid of the hero. It is them who he mobilizes to fight death, and they restore the integrity and fortitude of his spirit in the last test. Dying B is simple and humane: there is no longer any need to hide his “romanticism,” and now the hero’s soul is freed from the flesh, seething and foaming like a deep river. Love for a woman, love of sons for father and mother merge in the consciousness of dying B with love for his homeland, for mysterious Russia, which remained an incompletely solved mystery for B. T, created the image of a person who did not exist in life, but ideally possible and alive. B is a hero of large scale, who with his fate paid for all the costs of nihilistic theories. T showed what consequences the righteous force of anger, contempt and destruction can lead to for a revolutionary if it takes nihilistic forms, if the class struggle is not based on the foundation of a living theory that takes into account the real complexity of life. The creation of such an image of a revolutionary nihilist can be considered creative discovery great artist, who was not the guardian of culture.

Most often, the title of a work is the key to its content and understanding. This is what happens with I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons.” Just two simple words, but containing so many concepts that divided the heroes into two opposing camps. Such a simple title reveals the essence of the novel “Fathers and Sons” in complex issues.

The main issue of the novel

New society

The novel “Fathers and Sons” is still relevant today, the characteristics of the heroes in it are a kind of confirmation of this. This work has collected the largest number of problems that the author poses to his generation. But even today many questions of Turgenev’s novel have not been answered.

The materials posted on this page will help 10th grade students prepare an essay on the topic “The meaning of the novel “Fathers and Sons”.”

Work test

As we remember, in the previous two novels Turgenev convinces both himself and the reader that the nobility in Russia is doomed to quietly and ingloriously leave the stage, since they bear a great guilt before the people. Therefore, even the best representatives of the nobility are doomed to personal misfortune and the inability to accomplish anything for the Motherland. But the question remains open: where can we find a hero-activist capable of carrying out radical changes in Russia? In the novel “On the Eve” Turgenev tried to find such a hero. This is not a nobleman and not a Russian. This is a Bulgarian student Dmitry Nikanorovich Insarov, who is enormously different from the previous heroes: Rudin and Lavretsky.

Rice. 2. Elena and Insarov (Ill. G.G. Filippovsky) ()

He will never live at the expense of others, he is decisive, effective, not prone to chatter, and speaks with enthusiasm only when he talks about the fate of his unfortunate homeland. Insarov is still a student, but his life’s goal is to lead an uprising against Turkish rule. It would seem that it has been found perfect hero, but this is not exactly the same hero, because he is Bulgarian and will fight against the enemies of Bulgaria. At the very end of the novel, when many die, including Insarov and his beloved Elena (Fig. 2), some characters wonder whether there will be such Insarovs in Russia.

Now let us turn to Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons,” written between 1860 and 1861. (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Title page second edition of the novel “Fathers and Sons”, 1880 ()

At the very beginning of the work we see a question from one of the characters: “What, Peter, haven’t you seen it yet?” Of course, the situation in the novel is quite specific: Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov (Fig. 4)

Rice. 4. Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov (Artist D. Borovsky) ()

is waiting for her son Arkasha, a candidate who has just graduated from university. But readers understand: the search for a hero continues. « No way, sir, not to be seen", - the servant answers. Then the same question and the same answer follow again. And so, over the course of three pages, we expect not just Arkasha the candidate, but a hero, significant, intelligent, active. Thus, we are faced with a certain author’s technique that is easy to read. Finally the hero appears. Evgeny Bazarov arrives with Arkady (Fig. 5)

Rice. 5. Bazarov (Artist D. Borovsky, 1980) ()

who is distinguished by honesty, clarity, masculinity, he despises ordinary prejudices: he comes to a noble family, but is dressed completely differently from what is expected in such cases. At our first meeting we learn that Bazarov is a nihilist. Let us recall that in the first three novels Turgenev persistently searches for a hero-doer, but new people from noble class and the intelligentsia were not suitable for this role. Insarov was not suitable for this role either. Bazarov, in turn, is also not entirely suitable, since he is not a hero-doer, but a hero-destroyer who preaches all-round destruction.

« Nihilist- its from Latin word nihil, Nothing; This a person who does not bow to any authority, does not accept a single principle on faith, no matter how much respect this principle may be surrounded by..."

Bazarov's nihilism is impressive. He denies God, because he is a convinced atheist, he denies all the laws of contemporary Russia, the customs of the people, he also has a nihilistic attitude towards the people, because he is convinced that the people are at a low stage of development and are the object of the actions of people like Bazarov. Bazarov is skeptical about art, does not know how to appreciate nature and its beauty, for him “nature is not a temple, but a workshop, and man is a worker in it”. Bazarov is also skeptical about friendship. His devoted, albeit slightly narrow-minded friend is Arkady. But as soon as Arkady tries to talk to Bazarov about something intimate, Bazarov cuts him off quite harshly: "AboutI ask you one thing: don’t speak beautifully...» . Bazarov loves his parents, but he is rather ashamed of this love, because he is afraid of “falling apart,” so he pushes them away too. And finally, love, the world of feelings. Bazarov believes that if you can get some sense from a woman, then you need to act, and if not, then you should look elsewhere. He completely denies the possibility of a mysterious look: « We, physiologists, know […] the anatomy of the eye: where does […] the mysterious look come from?» Thus, Bazarov’s nihilism is striking in its scale, it is comprehensive.

Modern researchers point out that Bazarov's nihilism is not similar to the real manifestations of the nihilists, Bazarov's contemporaries, because the nihilists did not even recognize themselves in this portrait. There were indignant responses. Young critic Antonovich (Fig. 6)

Rice. 6. M.A. Antonovich ()

even wrote an article “Asmodeus of our time”, Bazarov seemed to him a small devil. Nihilists denied a lot in life, but not everything. Turgenev objected to his young opponents and said that he wanted to depict the figure in all its scale. And indeed, Bazarov is such a significant personality that he has neither friends nor enemies in the novel. He is tragically alone. Is it possible to seriously talk about his friendship with Arkady? Arkady is a kind, friendly, handsome person, but he is small and not independent, he literally glows with the reflected light of Bazarov. However, as soon as he gains more serious authority, a young and determined girl, Katya, (Fig. 7)

Rice. 7. "Fathers and Sons." Chapter 25. Arkady and Katya (Artist D. Borovsky, 1980). ()

Arkady leaves Bazarov's influence. Bazarov, in turn, seeing this, himself breaks off their friendly relationship.

There are two people in the novel, Sitnikov and Kukshina, who consider themselves Bazarov's students. These are anecdotal personalities: stupid, fashion-conscious, for them nihilism is fashionable entertainment. Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov can be considered Bazarov’s enemy (Fig. 8),

Rice. 8. Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov (Artist E. Rudakov, 1946-1947) ()

He is the only person who objects to Bazarov. As we remember, Nikolai Petrovich does not always agree with Bazarov, but he is afraid to object, is embarrassed, or does not consider it necessary. And Pavel Petrovich from the first minutes felt a sharp antipathy towards Bazarov, and quarrels broke out almost from the very beginning of their acquaintance (Fig. 9).

Rice. 9. "Fathers and Sons." Chapter 10. Bazarov’s dispute with Pavel Petrovich (Artist D. Borovsky) ()

If you do not delve into the essence of the dispute, you will notice that Pavel Petrovich fusses, swears, and quickly turns to anger, while Bazarov is calm and self-confident. But if you look closely, it turns out that Kirsanov is not so wrong. He accuses Bazarov of denying everything moral, and yet the people are conservative, they live by these principles. Is it possible in a country inhabited a huge amount call illiterate serfs to take violent action? Wouldn't this be ruinous for the country? Turgenev himself nurtured these thoughts. Bazarov, in response, says some rather strange things: at first we only wanted to criticize, then we realized that it was useless to criticize, we needed to change the entire system. They accepted the idea of the complete destruction of everything that exists. But who will build? Bazarov is not thinking about this yet; his job is to destroy. This is precisely the tragedy of the novel. Bazarov is most likely wrong. We already have historical experience: We remember what a disaster the desire to destroy turned into in 1905, 1917.

But Pavel Petrovich himself cannot compete ideologically with Bazarov, if only because he has wasted his life: he lives in the village, professes the principles of liberalism, aristocracy, but does nothing. Kirsanov devoted his entire life to mad love for Princess R. (Fig. 10),

Rice. 10. Princess R. (Artist I. Arkhipov) ()

who died, and Pavel Petrovich shut himself up in the village.

How did Turgenev himself feel about nihilistic youth? He knew people in whom he was struck by a certain untidiness, their type of education, and most importantly, their attitude towards the fate of Russia. Turgenev was against the revolution, which he believed could lead to disaster. An objective attitude towards such youth, the author’s disagreement with their position formed the basis of the image of Bazarov.

This is how Turgenev himself defines the idea of the novel: “If the reader does not fall in love with Bazarov with all his rudeness, dryness, and harshness, then I, as a writer, have not achieved my goal.” That is, the hero is ideologically alien to the author, but at the same time he is a very serious person and worthy of respect.

Now let's see if there is dynamics in the image of Bazarov. At first, he is absolutely confident in himself, he is a total nihilist and considers himself above all those phenomena that he denies. But then Turgenev sets tests for the hero, and this is how he passes them. The first test is love. Bazarov does not immediately understand that he has fallen in love with Odintsova (Fig. 11),

Rice. 11. Anna Sergeevna Odintsova (Artist D. Borovsky) ()

smart, beautiful, deeply significant woman. The hero does not understand what is happening to him: he is losing sleep, appetite, he is restless, pale. When Bazarov realizes that this is love, but a love that is not destined to come true, he receives a heavy blow. Thus, Bazarov, who denied love and laughed at Pavel Petrovich, himself found himself in a similar situation. And the unshakable wall of nihilism begins to crumble a little. Suddenly Bazarov feels a general melancholy, he does not understand why he is bothering, denies himself everything, lives strict life, depriving yourself of all pleasures. He doubts the meaning of his own activities, and these doubts eat away at him more and more. He is surprised by the carefree life of his parents, who live without thinking (Fig. 12).

Rice. 12. Bazarov’s parents - Arina Vlasevna and Vasily Ivanovich (Artist D. Borovsky) ()

And Bazarov feels that his life is passing, that his great ideas will turn into nothing and he himself will disappear without a trace. This is what Bazarov's nihilism leads to.

Modern researchers are of the opinion that not only students and commoners of that time served as the prototype for Bazarov, but also, to some extent, L.N. Tolstoy (Fig. 13),

Rice. 13. L.N. Tolstoy ()

who in his youth was a nihilist, which infuriated Turgenev. But after 10 years, Tolstoy will also experience the horror that life is finite and death is inevitable. In his novel, Turgenev seems to predict what nihilism can lead to.

Thus, Bazarov’s nihilism does not stand up to scrutiny; life test begins to destroy this theory. The second test is the proximity of death. In the hardest state of mind Bazarov lives with his old parents, helps his father, and one day they go to open the body of a peasant who died of typhus. Bazarov cuts himself, there is no iodine, and the hero decides to rely on fate: whether there will be blood poisoning or not. When Bazarov finds out that the infection has occurred, he is faced with the question of death. Now we see that as a person Bazarov can withstand this test. He does not lose courage, does not change his basic beliefs, but before his death he turns out to be more humane, more gentle than before. He knows that if he dies without communion, it will bring suffering to his parents. And he agrees: when he loses consciousness, let his parents do what they think is right. Before his death, he is not ashamed to show love and care for his parents, not ashamed to admit that he loved Odintsova, not ashamed to call her and say goodbye to her. Thus, if at the beginning of the novel we had a nihilist hero, similar to Lermontov’s demon, then at the end of the work Bazarov becomes a real person. His death is like leaving Shakespeare's Hamlet, who also accepts it courageously.

Why did Turgenev condemn his hero to death? On the one hand, as Turgenev said: “Where I write “nihilist,” I mean “revolutionary”.” But Turgenev could not portray a revolutionary both because of censorship and because of ignorance of this circle of people. On the other hand, doubts, torment and heroic death enormously increase the figure of Bazarov in the reader’s mind. Turgenev wanted to say that he categorically disagrees with what the new young generation is trying to offer as salvation for their country. But at the same time, he pays tribute to these people who have high spiritual qualities, who are selfless and ready to give their lives for their beliefs. It was in this that Turgenev’s high writing skills and his high spiritual freedom were manifested.

Bibliography

Sakharov V.I., Zinin S.A. Russian language and literature. Literature (basic and advanced levels) 10. - M.: Russian Word.
Arkhangelsky A.N. and others. Russian language and literature. Literature (advanced level) 10. - M.: Bustard.
Lanin B.A., Ustinova L.Yu., Shamchikova V.M. / ed. Lanina B.A. Russian language and literature. Literature (basic and advanced levels) 10. - M.: VENTANA-GRAF.

Litra.ru ().
Online store of the publishing house "Lyceum" ().
Turgenev.net.ru ().

Homework

Reveal the author's attitude towards Bazarov.
Compose comparative characteristics images of Insarov and Bazarov
* After analyzing the images of Rudin, Lavretsky, Insarov and Bazarov, derive perfect image a new hero-activist.