The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter" by Alexander Pushkin

The basis of the story "Captain's Daughter" by Alexander Pushkin - the events that occurred in 1773-1774. The author depicts a peasant uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev.

The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter". Brief contents of the book

For a deeper understanding of the image that was recreated by a brilliant writer, let us turn to the main points of the book.

Young nobleman Peter Grinev goes to serve in the Belogorsky fortress. He gets acquainted with the daughter of the captain, Maria Mironova, whom she later falls in love with. Peter is friends with the officer Shvabrin, also in love with the captain's daughter. Between the young people a duel takes place, during which Grinev was seriously wounded. Maria and Peter love each other, but parents are unhappy with the choice of their son.

Emelian Pugachev captures the fortress, Masha's parents die, who hides in the priest's house. Shvabrin tries to force Maria to marry him. Peter frees the girl and gets under arrest. Maria goes to Petersburg and rescues her fiancé. Grinev is released. Young people become a happy husband and wife.

Approximately this would look like a short content of the story, if it did not have Emelian Pugachev. Not a word is said about this character, and, it would seem, the essence of the narrative is not broken.

What is the image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter"? In the abbreviation, conveying only a brief summary, it is difficult to tell about this hero. Portrait of Pugachev is most fully drawn during meetings with Grinev, who, in fact, could be decorated in a separate work.

Four meetings of Grinev with Pugachev

As already mentioned above, the image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter" is revealed during four meetings with Grinev.

The first meeting determined the course of their further relations. Pugachev brought Grinev out of the steppe during a snowstorm. Peter thought that his guide was a simple traveler. He gave Pugachev a heaped sheepskin coat, which marked the beginning of relations based on Christian concepts.

The second meeting of these characters takes place in the Belogorsky fortress, which the rebels occupied. Pugachev recognized in the nobleman a young man who presented him with a sheepskin coat. Grinev refused to swear to the ataman, the sense of duty to the fatherland was higher than fear for his own life. About this Peter frankly tells Pugachev, intuitively feeling that the impostor has his own ideas about honor and duty.

A shocking impression was made on Grinev by a meeting of the military council. It was evident that with his "retinue" impostor communicates on an equal footing. The relationship between all present, rather, was like a friendly. Most of all, Peter was shocked by the participants in the "meeting" of the song about the gallows. It seemed that all those present, including Pugachev, understand the outcome of their destiny.

The third meeting of two heroes of the story occurred when Grinev fought against an impostor in Orenburg and received news from Masha, who wrote to him that Shvabrin forced her to marry him. Petrusha hurried to the aid of the girl, but on his way he was stopped by Pugachev's posts and sent to an impostor. Emelian recognized Grinev and greeted him warmly. Fortunately for Peter, his friendly relations with Pugachev again came into effect, and the impostor helped Grinev in freeing his beloved, as soon as he heard that they were offending an orphan.

Even Shvabrin did not interfere with the noble deed of the ataman, informing Pugachev that Maria was Mironov's daughter. Emelyan was angry that this fact was hidden from him, but he responded to Grinev's call to release him and the orphan.

The last meeting of the young nobleman with the ataman took place during the execution of the latter. Pugachev recognized his friend, nodded to him, and a moment later his dead head was exposed.

Composition on the theme "The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story" The Captain's Daughter "is often perceived by students as fairly simple. However, this character is so complex and multifaceted that a more in-depth analysis leads students to difficult conclusions due to the multifaceted personality of Pugachev. So, for example, he shows himself merciless towards the parents of Masha Mironova, but she shows generosity.

The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter". The attitude of the author to the hero

Emelyan Pugachev on the pages of the book is portrayed by Pushkin not a murderer, shown by historians of the XVIII-XIX centuries, but an intelligent and courageous leader of the people. The smart, energetic, able to lead - such is the image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter". The writing of every schoolboy must necessarily mention these qualities of the hero.

With respect to the nobility and the representatives of power, Pugachev is merciless, in their person he sees enemies. Bloodthirsty, cruel - these features also determine the image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter".

The composition about this character necessarily affects the murder of Captain Mironov and his wife, with whom the impostor treated mercilessly. The coolness with which he kills people is amazing.

The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter" is a bit comical. AS Pushkin depicts an imposter as a simple Cossack. His speech is full of folk proverbs and sayings. He tells his "guys" to call him king-father. At the same time, in his relations with people, there is no rank-reading, and everyone can challenge his opinion. Pugachev realizes that he is doomed to perish, and understands that it can easily be betrayed.

Pushkin sympathizes with Pugachev, but for his irony it's easy to catch a sneer at this character.

National Russian character

The essay on "The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story" The Captain's Daughter "" must necessarily contain the idea that this hero expresses a fairy tale about the eagle and crow. The impostor believes that it is better not to live long, but worthy, than to exist for many years, eating carrion.

Stressing in this hero the mind, courage, ingenuity, the author shows the best features of the character of the Russian people.

Pushkin's attitude to the peasant uprising

The image of Emelian Pugachev in the story "The Captain's Daughter", of course, is endowed with a lot of positive characteristics. However, Pushkin does not idealize this hero at all. The author of the story negatively relates to various kinds of bloodshed and prefers reforms. He calls the Russian revolt senseless and ruthless. The author did not set himself the task of showing in his work the atrocities of rebels, but merely trying to recreate the story.

Pugachev on the pages of history and in the work of Pushkin

Turning to the works of historians, you can find out that Pugachev is a native of the village of Zimoveyska Don region. His name came from the nickname of the grandfather of the impostor Mikhail Pugach.

In official historical documents Pugachev is characterized exclusively as a thief, murderer and impostor.

However, Pushkin showed Emelian Pugachev a talented people's leader. He drew attention to the other side of this person and, most likely, was right, giving him intelligence, energy, charisma, because if he were not an impostor, he could not lead a peasant uprising of this scale.

The idea of a riot in the book "The Captain's Daughter" finds echoes in Pushkin's novel "Dubrovsky". Emelian Pugachev is a more colorful figure than Vladimir Dubrovsky. Nevertheless, both heroes are rebels, coming from different classes, but possessing the common features of "robbery of nobility".