Frame from the film "The Captain's Daughter" (1959)

The novel is based on the memoirs of the fifty-year-old nobleman Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, written by him during the reign of Emperor Alexander and dedicated to the “Pugachevshchina”, in which the seventeen-year-old officer Pyotr Grinev, due to a “strange chain of circumstances”, took an involuntary part.

Pyotr Andreevich recalls his childhood with slight irony, the childhood of a noble undergrowth. His father, Andrey Petrovich Grinev, in his youth “served under Count Munnich and retired as prime minister in 17 .... Since then, he lived in his Simbirsk village, where he married the girl Avdotya Vasilyevna Yu., the daughter of a poor local nobleman. The Grinev family had nine children, but all Petrusha's brothers and sisters "died in infancy." “Mother was still my belly,” recalls Grinev, “as I was already enrolled in the Semyonovsky regiment as a sergeant.”

From the age of five, Petrusha has been looked after by the stirrup Savelich, “for sober behavior” granted to him as uncles. “Under his supervision, in the twelfth year, I learned Russian literacy and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound male.” Then a teacher appeared - the Frenchman Beaupre, who did not understand the "meaning of this word", since he was a hairdresser in his own country, and a soldier in Prussia. Young Grinev and the Frenchman Beaupré quickly got along, and although Beaupré was contractually obliged to teach Petrusha "in French, German and all sciences", he preferred to soon learn from his student "to speak Russian". Grinev's upbringing ends with the expulsion of Beaupre, convicted of debauchery, drunkenness and neglect of the duties of a teacher.

Until the age of sixteen, Grinev lives "undersized, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys." In the seventeenth year, the father decides to send his son to the service, but not to St. Petersburg, but to the army "to smell gunpowder" and "pull the strap." He sends him to Orenburg, instructing him to serve faithfully "to whom you swear", and to remember the proverb: "take care of the dress again, and honor from youth." All the "brilliant hopes" of the young Grinev for a cheerful life in St. Petersburg collapsed, ahead of him was "boredom in the deaf and distant side."

Approaching Orenburg, Grinev and Savelich fell into a snowstorm. A random person who met on the road leads a wagon lost in a snowstorm to a litter. While the wagon was “quietly moving” towards the dwelling, Pyotr Andreevich had a terrible dream in which the fifty-year-old Grinev sees something prophetic, connecting it with the “strange circumstances” of his later life. A man with a black beard lies in the bed of Father Grinev, and mother, calling him Andrei Petrovich and “an imprisoned father,” wants Petrusha to “kiss his hand” and ask for blessings. A man swings an ax, the room is filled with dead bodies; Grinev stumbles over them, slips in bloody puddles, but his "terrible man" "calls affectionately", saying: "Do not be afraid, come under my blessing."

In gratitude for the rescue, Grinev gives the “counselor”, dressed too lightly, his hare coat and brings a glass of wine, for which he thanks him with a low bow: “Thank you, your honor! God bless you for your goodness." The appearance of the “counselor” seemed “wonderful” to Grinev: “He was about forty, medium height, thin and broad-shouldered. Gray hair showed in his black beard; living large eyes and ran. His face had a rather pleasant, but roguish expression.

The Belogorsk fortress, where Grinev was sent to serve from Orenburg, meets the young man not with formidable bastions, towers and ramparts, but turns out to be a village surrounded by a wooden fence. Instead of a brave garrison - disabled people who do not know where the left and where the right side is, instead of deadly artillery - an old cannon clogged with garbage.

The commandant of the fortress Ivan Kuzmich Mironov is an officer "from soldiers' children", an uneducated man, but an honest and kind one. His wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, manages him completely and looks at the affairs of the service as if they were her own business. Soon, Grinev becomes “native” to the Mironovs, and he himself “invisibly ‹…› became attached to a good family.” In the daughter of the Mironovs, Masha, Grinev "found a prudent and sensitive girl."

The service does not burden Grinev, he became interested in reading books, practicing translations and writing poetry. At first, he becomes close to Lieutenant Shvabrin, the only person in the fortress who is close to Grinev in terms of education, age and occupation. But soon they quarrel - Shvabrin mockingly criticized the love "song" written by Grinev, and also allowed himself dirty hints about the "custom and custom" of Masha Mironova, to whom this song was dedicated. Later, in a conversation with Masha, Grinev will find out the reasons for the stubborn slander with which Shvabrin pursued her: the lieutenant wooed her, but was refused. “I do not like Alexei Ivanovich. He is very disgusting to me, ”admits Masha Grinev. The quarrel is resolved by a duel and wounding Grinev.

Masha takes care of the wounded Grinev. Young people confess to each other "in a heartfelt inclination", and Grinev writes a letter to the priest, "asking for parental blessings." But Masha is a dowry. The Mironovs have “only one girl Palashka”, while the Grinevs have three hundred souls of peasants. The father forbids Grinev to marry and promises to transfer him from the Belogorsk fortress "somewhere far away" so that the "nonsense" will pass.

After this letter, life became unbearable for Grinev, he falls into gloomy thought, seeks solitude. "I was afraid to either go crazy or fall into debauchery." And only “unexpected incidents,” Grinev writes, “which had an important impact on my whole life, suddenly gave my soul a strong and good shock.”

At the beginning of October 1773, the commandant of the fortress received a secret message about the Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, who, posing as "the late Emperor Peter III", "gathered a villainous gang, made an outrage in the Yaik villages and already took and ruined several fortresses." The commandant was asked to "take appropriate measures to repulse the aforementioned villain and impostor."

Soon everyone was talking about Pugachev. A Bashkir with "outrageous sheets" was captured in the fortress. But it was not possible to interrogate him - the Bashkir's tongue was torn out. From day to day, the inhabitants of the Belogorsk fortress expect an attack by Pugachev,

The rebels appear unexpectedly - the Mironovs did not even have time to send Masha to Orenburg. At the first attack, the fortress was taken. Residents greet the Pugachevites with bread and salt. The prisoners, among whom was Grinev, are taken to the square to swear allegiance to Pugachev. The first to die on the gallows is the commandant, who refused to swear allegiance to the "thief and impostor." Under the blow of a saber, Vasilisa Yegorovna falls dead. Death on the gallows awaits Grinev, but Pugachev pardons him. A little later, Grinev learns from Savelich "the reason for mercy" - the ataman of the robbers turned out to be the tramp who received from him, Grinev, a hare sheepskin coat.

In the evening, Grinev was invited to the “great sovereign”. “I pardoned you for your virtue,” Pugachev says to Grinev, “‹…› Do you promise to serve me with diligence?” But Grinev is a “natural nobleman” and “sweared allegiance to the empress”. He cannot even promise Pugachev not to serve against him. “My head is in your power,” he says to Pugachev, “let me go - thank you, execute me - God will judge you.”

Grinev's sincerity amazes Pugachev, and he releases the officer "on all four sides." Grinev decides to go to Orenburg for help - after all, Masha remained in the fortress in a strong fever, whom the priest passed off as her niece. He is especially worried that Shvabrin, who swore allegiance to Pugachev, was appointed commandant of the fortress.

But in Orenburg, Grinev was denied help, and a few days later the rebel troops surrounded the city. Long days of siege dragged on. Soon, by chance, a letter from Masha falls into Grinev's hands, from which he learns that Shvabrin is forcing her to marry him, threatening otherwise to extradite her to the Pugachevites. Again, Grinev turns to the military commandant for help, and is again refused.

Grinev and Savelich leave for the Belogorsk fortress, but they are captured by the rebels near Berdskaya Sloboda. And again, providence brings Grinev and Pugachev together, giving the officer a chance to fulfill his intention: having learned from Grinev the essence of the matter on which he is going to the Belogorsk fortress, Pugachev himself decides to free the orphan and punish the offender.

On the way to the fortress, a confidential conversation takes place between Pugachev and Grinev. Pugachev is clearly aware of his doom, expecting betrayal, first of all, from his comrades, he knows that he can’t wait for the “mercy of the empress”. For Pugachev, as for an eagle from a Kalmyk fairy tale, which he tells Grinev with “wild inspiration”, “than eating carrion for three hundred years, it is better to drink living blood once; and then what God will give!”. Grinev draws a different moral conclusion from the tale, which surprises Pugacheva: “To live by murder and robbery means for me to peck at carrion.”

In the Belogorsk fortress, Grinev, with the help of Pugachev, frees Masha. And although the enraged Shvabrin reveals the deceit to Pugachev, he is full of generosity: “Execute, execute like this, favor, favor like that: this is my custom.” Grinev and Pugachev part "friendly".

Grinev sends Masha as a bride to his parents, and he remains in the army due to his “debt of honor”. The war "with robbers and savages" is "boring and petty." Grinev's observations are filled with bitterness: "God forbid to see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless."

The end of the military campaign coincides with the arrest of Grinev. Appearing before the court, he is calm in his confidence that he can be justified, but Shvabrin slanders him, exposing Grinev as a spy sent from Pugachev to Orenburg. Grinev is condemned, shame awaits him, exile to Siberia for an eternal settlement.

Grinev is saved from shame and exile by Masha, who goes to the queen to "beg for mercy." Walking through the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, Masha met a middle-aged lady. In this lady, everything "involuntarily attracted the heart and inspired confidence." Having learned who Masha was, she offered her help, and Masha sincerely told the lady the whole story. The lady turned out to be the empress, who pardoned Grinev in the same way that Pugachev had pardoned both Masha and Grinev in his time.

Sergeant of the Guard

The protagonist of the novel, Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, recalls. He was born into the family of a small landowner. Grinev's father is a retired officer. Even before the birth of his son, he assigned him as a sergeant to the Semyonovsky Guards Regiment.

When Peter was five years old, his father assigned him a servant, Arkhip Savelich, to bring up the little master. The servant taught the boy to read and write Russian and understand hunting dogs. At the age of twelve, a French teacher, Beaupré, was discharged for Petya. But he became addicted to vodka and did not miss a single skirt, completely forgetting about his duties.

Once the maids complained about the teacher, and Grinev's father came straight to the lesson. The drunken Frenchman was sleeping, and Petya was making a kite from a geographic map. The angry father expelled the Frenchman. That was the end of Petya's studies.

Grinev turns sixteen, and his father sends him to the service. But not to Petersburg, but to his good friend in Orenburg. Savelich goes with Petya. In Simbirsk, at an inn, Grinev meets the hussar captain Zurin, who teaches him to play billiards. Peter gets drunk and loses a hundred rubles to the military man. In the morning he drives on.

Chapter II

counselor

On the way to the duty station, Grinev and Savelich go astray. A lone wanderer leads them to an inn. There, Peter manages to see the guide. This is a black-bearded man of about forty, strong, lively and of the most robbery appearance. He enters into a strange conversation with the owner of the inn, full of allegory.

Grinev gives the guide his hare sheepskin coat, since the black-bearded one is practically undressed. The escort pulls on a sheepskin coat, although it is bursting at the seams, and promises to remember the kindness of the young master for a century.

The next day, Grinev arrives in Orenburg and introduces himself to the general, who, on the advice of Father Petya, sends the young man to the Belogorsk fortress under the command of Captain Mironov.

Chapter III

Fortress

Grinev arrives at the Belogorsk fortress. It is a village surrounded by a palisade with a single cannon. Captain Ivan Kuzmich Mironov is a gray-haired old man, under whose command about a hundred old soldiers and two officers serve. One of them is an elderly one-eyed lieutenant Ivan Ignatich, the second is Alexei Shvabrin, exiled to this outback for a duel.

Peter is settled in a peasant's hut. That same evening, he meets Shvabrin, who describes the captain's family in person: his wife Vasilisa Yegorovna and daughter Masha. Vasilisa Yegorovna commands both her husband and the entire garrison, and Masha, according to Shvabrin, is a terrible coward. Grinev himself gets acquainted with Mironov and his family, as well as with constable Maksimych. He is terrified of the upcoming service, which he sees as endless and boring.

Chapter IV

Duel

The concept of service turned out to be wrong. Grinev quickly liked the Belogorsk fortress. There are no guards and exercises here. The captain sometimes drills the soldiers, but so far he cannot get them to distinguish between "left" and "right."

Grinev becomes almost at home in Mironov's house and falls in love with Masha. And he likes Shvabrin less and less. Alexey makes fun of everyone, speaks badly about people.

Grinev dedicates poems to Masha and reads them to Shvabrin, since he is the only person in the fortress who understands poetry. But Alexey cruelly ridicules the young author and his feelings. He advises instead of poetry to give Masha earrings and assures that he himself has experienced the correctness of this approach.

Grinev is offended and calls Shvabrin a liar. Alexei challenges the young man to a duel. Peter asks Ivan Ignatich to become a second. However, the old lieutenant does not understand such a cruel showdown.

After dinner, Grinev informs Shvabrin about his failure. Then Alexey suggests doing without seconds. The opponents agree to meet in the morning, but as soon as they converge with swords in their hands, they are arrested by soldiers led by a lieutenant.

Vasilisa Yegorovna forces the duelists to reconcile. Shvabrin and Grinev pretend to reconcile, they are released. Masha says that Aleksey has already wooed her and was refused. Now Peter understands the malice with which Shvabrin slanders the girl.

The next day, the opponents again converge at the river. Shvabrin is surprised that Grinev can give such a worthy rebuff. Peter manages to push the officer, but at this time Savelich calls out to the young man. Grinev abruptly turns around and is wounded in the chest.

Chapter V

Love

The wound is serious, Peter comes to his senses only on the fourth day. Shvabrin asks for forgiveness and receives it from his opponent. Masha takes care of Grinev. Peter, taking advantage of the moment, declares his love for her and finds out that the girl also has tender feelings for him. Grinev writes a letter home in which he asks for parental blessings for marriage. But the father refuses and threatens to transfer his son to another place so that he does not fool around. The letter also says that Grinev's mother has fallen ill.

Peter is depressed. He wrote nothing to his father about the duel. How did her mother know about her? Grinev decides that it was Savelich who reported it. But the old servant is offended by this suspicion. As proof, Savelich brings a letter from Grinev's father, in which he scolds the old man for not reporting the injury. Peter learns that Mironov also did not write to his parents and did not report to the general. Now the young man is sure that Shvabrin did this to upset their marriage with Masha.

Learning that there will be no parental blessing, Masha refuses to marry.

Chapter VI

Pugachevshchina

In early October 1773, a message arrives about the Pugachev rebellion. Despite all the precautions and Mironov's attempts to keep it a secret, the rumor spreads instantly.

The captain sends constable Maksimych to reconnaissance. Two days later, he returns with the news that a huge force is moving. An unrest rises among the Cossacks. The baptized Kalmyk Yulai reports that Maksimych saw Pugachev and went over to his side, and now he is inciting the Cossacks to revolt. Mironov arrests Maksimych, and Yulaya puts him in his place.

Events are developing rapidly: the sergeant flees from under guard, the Cossacks are dissatisfied, a Bashkir is captured with Pugachev's appeal. It is not possible to interrogate him, because the prisoner has no tongue. Vasilisa Egorovna rushes into the meeting of officers with bad news: the neighboring fortress was taken, the officers were executed. It becomes clear that soon the rebels will be under the walls of the Belogorsk fortress.

It was decided to send Masha and Vasilisa Yegorovna to Orenburg.

Chapter VII

Attack

In the morning, Grinev learns that the Cossacks left the fortress and forcibly took Yulai with them. Masha did not have time to leave for Orenburg - the road was blocked. Already at dawn, Cossack and Bashkir patrols appeared near the fortress. By order of the captain, they are driven away by cannon shots, but soon the main force of the Pugachevites appears. Ahead - Yemelyan himself in a red caftan on a white horse.

Four traitor Cossacks drive up to the walls of the fortress. They offer to surrender and recognize Pugachev as sovereign. The Cossacks throw Yulai's head over the palisade right at Mironov's feet. The captain orders to shoot. One of the negotiators is killed, the rest rush away.

The assault on the fortress begins. Mironov says goodbye to his wife and blesses the frightened Masha. Vasilisa Egorovna takes the girl away. The commandant manages to fire the cannon again, then he orders the gates to be opened and rushes out. But the soldiers do not follow the commander. Attackers break into the fortress.

Grinev is tied up and brought to the square, where the Pugachevites are building a gallows. People gather, many meet the rebels with bread and salt. The impostor sits in an armchair on the porch of the commandant's house and takes the oath from the prisoners. Ivan Ignatich and Mironov refuse to take the oath. They are hung up right away.

The turn comes to Grinev. With surprise, he recognizes Shvabrin among the rebels. Peter is brought to the gallows, but then Savelich falls at Pugachev's feet. The servant manages to beg for pardon, and Grinev is released.

Vasilisa Yegorovna is taken out of the house. Seeing her husband on the gallows, she calls Pugachev a runaway convict. The old woman is killed.

Chapter VIII

Uninvited guest

Grinev is trying to find out about the fate of Masha. It turns out that she lies unconscious at the priest, who passes the girl off as her seriously ill niece.

Grinev returns to his ransacked apartment. Savelich explains why Pugachev suddenly spared the young man. This is the same escort to whom the young officer bestowed a hare sheepskin coat.

Pugachev sends for Grinev. The young man comes to the commandant's house, where he dines with the rebels. At the meal, a military council is also held, at which the rebels decide to go to Orenburg. After that, everyone disperses, but Pugachev leaves Grinev alone to talk. He again demands an oath of allegiance, but Peter refuses. Grinev cannot promise that he will not fight against Pugachev. He is an officer, therefore he is obliged to follow the orders of his commanders.

The honesty of a young man bribes the leader of the rebels. Pugachev releases Peter.

Chapter IX

Parting

In the morning the impostor emerges from the fortress. Before leaving, Savelich comes up to him with a list of goods that the rebels took from Grinev. At the end of the list, a hare sheepskin coat is mentioned. Pugachev gets angry and throws the paper away. He leaves, leaving Shvabrin as commandant.

Grinev rushes to the priest to find out about Masha's condition. He is informed that the girl is feverish and delirious. Peter has to leave his beloved. He can neither take her out nor stay in the fortress.

With a heavy heart, Grinev and Savelich wander on foot to Orenburg. Suddenly, they are overtaken by the former Cossack officer Maksimych, who is leading an excellent Bashkir horse. It was Pugachev who ordered the young officer to be presented with a horse and a sheepskin coat. Grinev gratefully accepts the gift.

Chapter X

City siege

Peter arrives in Orenburg and reports to the general about what happened in the fortress. At the council, a decision is made not to oppose the impostor, but to defend the city. Peter is very worried that he cannot help Masha in any way.

Soon Pugachev's army appears, the siege of Orenburg begins. Grinev often goes on outings. Thanks to a fast horse and luck, he manages to stay unscathed.

In one of the sorties, Peter runs into Maksimych, who gives him a letter from Masha. The girl writes that Shvabrin took her from the priest's house and forced her to become a wife. Grinev asks the general for a company of soldiers to liberate the Belogorsk fortress, but is refused.

Chapter XI

rebellious settlement

Grinev is going to run away from Orenburg. Together with Savelich, he safely leaves in the direction of the Berdskaya settlement, occupied by the Pugachevites. Peter hopes to go around the settlement in the dark, but stumbles upon a detachment of sentinels. However, he manages to get away. Unfortunately, Savelich is detained.

Peter returns to rescue the old man and is also captured. Pugachev immediately recognizes Grinev and asks why the young officer left Orenburg. Peter tells that he wants to release the orphan, whom Shvabrin offends.

Pugachev is angry with Shvabrin and threatens to hang him. The impostor's adviser, the fugitive corporal Beloborodov, does not believe Grinev's story. He believes that the young officer is a spy. Suddenly, another adviser to Pugachev, the convict Khlopusha, stands up for Peter. Things almost come to a fight, but the impostor pacifies the advisers. Pugachev undertakes to arrange the wedding of Peter and Masha.

Chapter XII

Orphan

Arriving at the Belogorodskaya fortress, Pugachev demands to show him the girl Shvabrin is holding under arrest. Alexey makes excuses, but the impostor insists. Shvabrin leads Pugachev and Grinev into a room where an exhausted Masha is sitting on the floor.

Pugachev asks the girl why her husband punished her. Masha replies indignantly that she would rather die than become Shvabrin's wife. Pugachev is unhappy with Alexei's deceit. He orders Shvabrin to issue a pass and releases the young couple on all four sides.

Chapter XIII

Arrest

Grinev and Masha set off. In the fortresses and villages captured by the rebels, they are not obstructed. There is a rumor that this is Pugachev's godfather. The couple enters the town, in which there should be a large detachment of Pugachevites. But it turns out that this place has already been vacated. They want to arrest Grinev, he breaks into the room where the officers are sitting. Fortunately, at the head of the garrison is an old acquaintance Zurin.

Peter sends Masha and Savelich to his parents, while he himself remains in Zurin's detachment. Soon, government troops lift the siege from Orenburg. The news of the final victory arrives. The impostor is captured, the war is over. Grinev is going home, but Zurin is ordered to arrest him.

Chapter XIV

Court

Grinev is accused of betrayal and espionage in favor of Pugachev. The main witness is Shvabrin. Grinev does not want to make excuses so as not to drag Masha into the trial, who will be called as a witness or even an accomplice.

They want to hang Peter, but Empress Catherine, taking pity on his elderly father, changes the execution for an eternal settlement in Siberia. Masha decides to throw herself at the feet of the Empress and ask for mercy. She is going to Petersburg.

Stopping at the inn, the girl learns that the hostess is the niece of the court stoker. This woman helps the girl to get to the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, where Masha meets an important lady. The girl tells her story, and she promises to help.

A long, long time ago (this is how my grandmother began her story), at a time when I was still no more than sixteen years old, we lived - me and my late father - in the Nizhne-Ozernaya fortress, on the Orenburg line. I must tell you that this fortress did not at all resemble either the local city of Simbirsk, or that county town to which you, my child, went last year: it was so small that even a five-year-old child would not get tired running around it; the houses in it were all small, low, for the most part woven from twigs, smeared with clay, covered with straw and fenced with wattle. But Nizhne-ozernaya it also didn’t look like your father’s village, because this fortress had, in addition to huts on chicken legs, an old wooden church, a rather large and equally old house of the serf chief, a guardhouse and long log bakery stores. In addition, our fortress was surrounded on three sides by a log fence, with two gates and pointed turrets at the corners, and the fourth side tightly adjoined the Ural coast, as steep as a wall and as high as the local cathedral. Not only was Nizhneozernaya so well fenced off: there were two or three old cast-iron cannons in it, but about fifty of the same old and smoky soldiers, who, although they were a little decrepit, nevertheless kept on their feet, had long guns and cleavers, and after every evening dawn they cheerfully shouted: with god the night begins. Although our invalids seldom succeeded in showing their courage, nevertheless it was impossible to do without them; because the local side was very restless in the old days: the Bashkirs rebelled in it, then the Kirghiz robbed - all unfaithful Busurmans, fierce as wolves and terrible as unclean spirits. They not only captured Christian people in their filthy captivity and drove away Christian herds; but sometimes they even approached the very tyne of our fortress, threatening to chop and burn us all. In such cases, our soldiers had enough work: for whole days they shot back from adversaries from small turrets and through the cracks of the old tyna. My late father (who received the captain's rank even in the blessed memory of Empress Elisaveta Petrovna) commanded both these honored old men and other residents of Nizhneozernaya - retired soldiers, Cossacks and raznochintsy; in short, he was in the present commandant, but in the old commander fortresses. My father (God remember his soul in the kingdom of heaven) was a man of the old age: fair, cheerful, talkative, he called the service his mother, and the sword his sister - and in every business he liked to insist on his own. I no longer had a mother. God took her to himself before I could pronounce her name. So, in the big commander's house, which I told you about, only the father lived, and I, and a few old orderlies and maids. You might think that we were very bored in such a remote place. Nothing happened! Time rolled on just as quickly for us as it did for all Orthodox Christians. Habit, my child, adorns every share, unless the constant thought gets into the head that it's good where we're not as the proverb says. Besides, boredom attaches itself mostly to idle people; but my father and I rarely sat with our hands folded. He or learned his kind soldiers (it is clear that soldier science needs to be studied for a whole century!), Or read sacred books, although, to tell the truth, this happened quite rarely, because the deceased-light (God grant him the kingdom of heaven) was taught in old, and he himself used to say jokingly that the diploma was not given to him, like the infantry service to the Turk. On the other hand, he was a great master - and he looked after the work in the field with his own eyes, so that in the summer he used to spend whole God's days in the meadows and arable land. I must tell you, my child, that both we and the other inhabitants of the fortress sowed bread and mowed hay - a little, not like the peasants of your father, but as much as we needed for household use. You can judge the danger in which we then lived by the fact that our farmers worked in the field only under the cover of a significant convoy, which was supposed to protect them from the attacks of the Kirghiz, who constantly prowl about the line, like hungry wolves. That is why the presence of my father during the field work was necessary not only for their success, but also for the safety of the workers. You see, my child, that my father had enough to do. As for me, I did not kill time in vain. Without boasting, I will say that, despite my youth, I was a real mistress in the house, I was in charge both in the kitchen and in the cellar, and sometimes, in the absence of the priest, in the yard itself. The dress for myself (we have never heard of fashion stores) was sewn by me; and besides that, she found time to mend her father’s caftans, because the company tailor Trofimov began to see badly from old age, so that once (it was funny, it was true) he put a patch, past the hole, on the whole place. Being able to manage my household chores in this way, I never missed an opportunity to visit God's temple, unless our father Vlasy (God forgive him) was not too lazy to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. However, my child, you are mistaken if you think that the father and I lived alone within four walls, not knowing anyone and not accepting good people. True, we rarely managed to visit; but the priest was a great hospitality, but does a hospitality ever have no guests? Almost every evening they gathered in our reception room: the old lieutenant, the Cossack foreman, Father Vlasy and some other inhabitants of the fortress - I don’t remember everyone. They all liked to sip cherries and homemade beer, they liked to talk and argue. Their conversations, of course, were arranged not according to bookish writings, but so at random: it happened that whoever came up with something would grind, because the people were all so simple ... But only good things must be said about the dead, and our old interlocutors have long, long ago been buried in the cemetery.

"The Captain's Daughter" is a historical novel (in some sources - a story), written by A.S. Pushkin. The author tells us about the origin and development of a great and strong feeling between a young noble officer and the daughter of the commandant of the fortress. All this happens against the backdrop of the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev and creates additional barriers and threats to life for the lovers. The novel is written in the form of a memoir. Such an interweaving of historical and family chronicles gives it additional charm and charm, and also makes you believe in the reality of everything that happens.

History of creation

In the mid-1830s, translated novels were gaining popularity in Russia. Society ladies were read by Walter Scott. Domestic writers, and among them Alexander Sergeevich, could not stand aside and responded with their own works, among which were The Captain's Daughter.

Researchers of Pushkin's work claim that at first he worked on a historical chronicle, wanting to tell readers about the course of the Pugachev rebellion. Approaching the matter responsibly and wanting to be truthful, the author met with the direct participants in those events, having specially left for the South Urals.

Pushkin doubted for a long time who to make the main character of his work. First, he settled on Mikhail Shvanvich, an officer who, during the uprising, went over to the side of Pugachev. What made Alexander Sergeevich abandon such a plan is unknown, but as a result he turned to the format of memoirs, and put an officer-nobleman at the center of the novel. At the same time, the main character had every chance to go over to the side of Pugachev, but the duty to the Fatherland turned out to be higher. Shvanvich turned from a positive character into a negative Shvabrin.

For the first time, the novel appeared before the audience in the Sovremennik magazine in the last issue of 1836, and Pushkin's authorship was not mentioned there. It was said that these notes were written by the late Pyotr Grinev. However, in this novel, for reasons of censorship, an article about the peasants' revolt on the estate of Grinev himself was not published. The lack of authorship led to the absence of any printed reviews, however, many noted the "overall effect" that The Captain's Daughter had on those who read the novel. A month after publication, the real author of the novel died in a duel.

Analysis

Description of the work

The work is written in the form of memoirs - the landowner Pyotr Grinev talks about the times of his youth, when his father ordered him to be sent to serve in the army (albeit under the supervision of Uncle Savelich). On the road, one meeting happens to them, which radically influenced their future fate and the fate of Russia - Pyotr Grinev meets Emelyan Pugachev.

Having reached his destination (and it turned out to be the Belogorsk fortress), Grinev immediately falls in love with the commandant's daughter. However, he has a rival - officer Shvabrin. A duel takes place between young people, as a result of which Grinev is wounded. His father, having learned about this, does not give his consent to marry the girl.

All this is happening against the background of the developing Pugachev rebellion. When it comes to the fortress, Pugachev's accomplices first take the life of Masha's parents, after which they offer Shvabrin and Grinev to swear allegiance to Emelyan. Shvabrin agrees, but Grinev, for reasons of honor, does not. His life is saved by Savelich, who reminds Pugachev of their chance meeting.

Grinev fights against Pugachev, but this does not prevent him from calling the latter as an ally to save Masha, who turned out to be Shvabrin's hostage. On the denunciation of a rival, Grinev ends up in prison, and now Masha is doing everything to save him. A chance meeting with the Empress helps the girl achieve the release of her lover. To the delight of all the ladies, the case ends with the wedding of the young in Grinev's parental home.

As already mentioned, the background for the love story was a great historical event - the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev.

main characters

There are several main characters in the novel. Among them:

Emelyan Pugachev

Pugachev - according to many critics, the brightest main figure in the work due to his coloring. Marina Tsvetaeva once claimed that Pugachev obscures the colorless and faded Grinev. In Pushkin, Pugachev looks like a sort of charming villain.

Peter Grinev, who at the time of the story was only 17 years old. According to the literary critic Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky, this character was needed for an impartial assessment of the behavior of another character - Emelyan Pugachev.

Aleksey Shvabrin is a young officer serving in the fortress. A freethinker, smart and educated (it is mentioned in the story that he knows French and understands literature). Literary critic Dmitry Mirsky called Shvabrin a "purely romantic scoundrel" because of his betrayal of the oath and defection to the rebels. However, since the image is written in a shallow way, it is difficult to say about the reasons that prompted him to such an act. Obviously, Pushkin's sympathies were not on Shvabrin's side.

At the time of the story, Mary was only 18 years old. A real Russian beauty, at the same time simple and sweet. Capable of an act - in order to save her beloved, she goes to the capital to meet with the Empress. According to Vyazemsky, she decorates the novel in the same way that Tatyana Larina decorated Eugene Onegin. But Tchaikovsky, who at one time wanted to stage an opera based on this work, complained that it did not have enough character, but only kindness and honesty. Marina Tsvetaeva was of the same opinion.

From the age of five he was assigned to Grinev as an uncle, the Russian analogue of a tutor. The only one who communicates with a 17-year-old officer like a small child. Pushkin calls him a "faithful serf", but Savelich allows himself to express uncomfortable thoughts to both the master and his ward.

Analysis of the work

Colleagues of Alexander Sergeevich, to whom he personally read the novel, made small remarks about non-observance of historical facts, while generally speaking positively about the novel. Prince VF Odoevsky, for example, noted that the images of Savelich and Pugachev were written out carefully and thought out to the smallest detail, but the image of Shvabrin was not finalized, and therefore it would be difficult for readers to understand the motives for his transition.

Literary critic Nikolai Strakhov noted that such a combination of family (partially love) and historical chronicles is typical for the works of Walter Scott, the answer to the popularity of which among the Russian nobility, in fact, was Pushkin's work.

Another Russian literary critic Dmitry Mirsky highly appreciated The Captain's Daughter, emphasizing the manner of narration - concise, accurate, economical, at the same time spacious and unhurried. His opinion was that this work played one of the main roles in the development of the genre of realism in Russian literature.

A few years after the publication of the work, the Russian writer and publisher Nikolai Grech admired how the author managed to express the character and tone of the time he tells about. The story turned out to be so realistic that one could really think that the author was an eyewitness of these events. Fyodor Dostoevsky and Nikolai Gogol also periodically left rave reviews about this work.

conclusions

According to Dmitry Mirsky, The Captain's Daughter can be considered the only full-fledged novel written by Alexander Sergeevich and published during his lifetime. Let us agree with the critic - everything is present in the novel in order to be successful: a romantic line that ended in marriage is a delight for beautiful ladies; a historical line that tells about such a complex and controversial historical event as the Pugachev uprising will be more interesting to men; clearly written main characters and set guidelines regarding the place of honor and dignity in the life of an officer. All this explains the popularity of the novel in the past and compels our contemporaries to read it today.

Cool! 26

Pyotr Andreevich Grinev is the protagonist of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin's story "The Captain's Daughter".

While reading the book, we see a series of events that vividly characterize the personality of Pyotr Grinev, allowing us to see the formation and formation of his inner world, views and foundations.

Grinev's character was influenced by his mother's upbringing, he adopted her kindness, sensitivity and even some gentleness. Little Petrusha lived with his father on the estate, where he received the usual, for that time, home education. He was trained first by the stirrup Savelich, and then by the French teacher Beaupre. However, the concepts of justice, honor and devotion, he acquired, for the most part, not from his tutors, but in a noisy company of his friends - yard boys.

Peter developed a sense of reverence and respect for his parents. Therefore, when his father decided to send him to serve in Orenburg, and not in the long-desired Semenovsky regiment, Pyotr Grinev obediently fulfilled his will.

Thus, young Pyotr Andreevich ended up in the Belogorsk fortress, where instead of the full brilliance of Petersburg life, village silence awaited him behind a log fence. But Grinev did not have to be upset for long. Unexpectedly for himself, he finds here a simple charm in communicating with kind, unpretentious people living in the fortress. It is in conversations with them that the best qualities of Pyotr Grinev are finally strengthened and formed.

To such a young and open person as Grinev, a high feeling could not but come. Pyotr Andreevich fell in love with Masha Mironova, the lovely daughter of the commandant of the fortress. The subsequent duel with Shvabrin, who insulted Masha, ends with Grinev's injury and a ban on the marriage of lovers from the hero's father.

Lyrical events in the life of Peter Andreevich are interrupted by the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. At this time, such qualities of Pyotr Grinev as honesty, straightforwardness and nobility, which used to seem like an unnecessary burden, now help to save the life of not only himself, but also Masha. Grinev's courage and courage make an indelible impression on Pugachev, causing sincere, genuine respect.

Everything that Grinev experienced made him think more and more about the meaning of human life, allowed him to grow up. Throughout the story, we see the continuous development and growth of Peter Grinev. From a frivolous boy, Grinev imperceptibly grows into a self-affirming, looking for the meaning of existence, a young man, and, in the end, a brave, determined and mature man appears before us.

I think that the heightened sense of justice that the author put into the image of his hero seems so sincere only because the nobility and defense of honor were very important for Pushkin himself. As well as his character, Alexander Sergeevich, subsequently defended the honor of his wife, challenging the offender to a duel. Therefore, the straightforwardness and inner dignity of Grinev does not seem to be a literary exaggeration. This is the quality of a real, adult person.

More essays on the topic: "The Captain's Daughter"

Pyotr Andreevich Grinev is the protagonist of the novel by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter".

Peter lived on his father's estate and received the usual home education. He was brought up first by the stirrup Savelyich, and then by the Frenchman Beaupre, and in his free time, Peter spent with the yard boys.

Peter honored his parents and respected their wishes. When his father decided to send him to serve in Orenburg, Peter did not dare to disobey, although he really wanted to serve in St. Petersburg. Before the dear father ordered Peter to serve faithfully and remember the proverb: "take care of the dress again, and honor from a young age." Grinev remembered well the words of his father and faithfully served the empress.

Pyotr Grinev is very noble and honest. Having lost a hundred rubles to Zurin, he forces Savelich to repay the debt, considering it a debt of honor. And when Shvabrin insulted Masha, Peter did not hesitate to challenge him to a duel.

Grinev showed himself to be a brave, courageous and courageous person. When talking with Emelyan Pugachev, he did not lie to him, but directly said that he would not go over to his side, and if ordered, he would fight against Emelyan's gang. Peter was not afraid to go to save Masha from Shvabrin, although he knew that he could be caught and killed. He risked his life making his way into the fortress, showed courage and ingenuity.

Grinev's kindness and generosity were very useful to him, because Pugachev remembered the gift and that was the only reason he pardoned him.

In the story, Pyotr Grinev is shown in development: first, a frivolous boy, then a self-affirming young man, and finally, an adult and determined man.

Source: sdamna5.ru

Pyotr Grinev is the main character of the story. He is 17 years old, he is a Russian nobleman who has just entered the military service. One of the main qualities of Grinev is sincerity. He is sincere with the characters of the novel and with the readers. Telling his own life, he did not seek to embellish it. On the eve of the duel with Shvabrin, he is excited and does not hide it: “I confess that I did not have that composure, which almost always boast of those who were in my position.” He also directly and simply speaks of his condition before the conversation with Pugachev on the day he captured the Belogorsk fortress: “The reader can easily imagine that I was not completely cold-blooded.” Grinev does not hide his negative actions either (an incident in a tavern, during a snowstorm, in a conversation with the Orenburg general). Gross mistakes are atoned for by his remorse (the case of Savelch).
Grinev's Duma has not yet hardened in military service, he kept some of them until the end of his life. He shuddered at the sight of the mutilated Bashkir, captured while distributing Pugachev's leaflets. The singing of the Pugachevtsy makes a strong impression on him: “It is impossible to tell what effect this simple song about the gallows, sung by people doomed to the gallows, had on me. Their formidable faces, slender voices, the dull expression that they gave to words that were already expressive - everything shook me with some kind of poetic horror.
Grinev was not a coward. He accepts the challenge to a duel without hesitation. He is one of the few defending the Belogorsk fortress, when, despite the command of the commandant, "the timid garrison does not move." He returns for the straggler Savelich.
These actions also characterize Grinev as a person capable of love. Grinev is not vindictive, he sincerely puts up with Shvabrin. He does not tend to be malicious. Leaving the Belogorsk fortress, with Masha freed by order of Pugachev, he sees Shvabrin and turns away, not wanting to "triumph over the humiliated enemy."
A distinctive feature of Grinev is the habit of paying good for good with the ability to be grateful. He gives Pugachev his sheepskin coat, thanks for saving Masha.

Source: litra.ru

Pyotr Grinev is the main character in A. S. Pushkin's story "The Captain's Daughter". The reader goes through the entire life path of the protagonist, the formation of his personality, reveals his attitude to the ongoing events, of which he is a participant.

The kindness of the mother and the simplicity of the life of the Grinev family developed softness and even sensitivity in Petrusha. He is eager to go to the Semyonovsky regiment, where he was assigned from birth, but his dreams of life in St. Petersburg are not destined to come true - his father decides to send his son to Orenburg.

And here is Grinev in the Belogorsk fortress. Instead of formidable, impregnable bastions, there is a village surrounded by a log fence, with thatched huts. Instead of a strict, angry boss, there is a commandant who went out for training in a cap and a dressing gown; Instead of a brave army, there are elderly invalids. Instead of a deadly weapon - an old cannon clogged with garbage. Life in the Belogorsk fortress reveals to the young man the beauty of the life of simple kind people, gives rise to the joy of communicating with them. “There was no other society in the fortress; but I didn’t want anything else, ”recalls Grinev, the author of the notes. Not military service, not reviews and parades attract a young officer, but conversations with nice, simple people, literature studies, love experiences. It is here, in the “God-saved fortress”, in the atmosphere of a patriarchal life, that the best inclinations of Pyotr Grinev grow stronger. The young man fell in love with the daughter of the commandant of the fortress Masha Mironova. Faith in her feelings, sincerity and honesty caused a duel between Grinev and Shvabrin: Shvabrin dared to laugh at the feelings of Masha and Peter. The duel ended unsuccessfully for the main character. During the recovery, Masha looked after Peter and this served to bring the two young people closer. However, their desire to get married was opposed by Grinev's father, who was angry with his son's duel and did not give his blessing for the marriage.

The quiet and measured life of the inhabitants of the distant fortress was interrupted by the Pugachev uprising. Participation in hostilities shook Peter Grinev, made him think about the meaning of human existence. An honest, decent, noble man turned out to be the son of a retired major, who was not afraid of the formidable appearance of the leader of the "gang of bandits and rebels", dared to stand up for his beloved girl, who had become an orphan in one day. Hatred and disgust for cruelty and inhumanity, Grinev's humanity and kindness allowed him not only to save his life and the life of Masha Mironova, but also to earn the respect of Emelyan Pugachev - the leader of the uprising, the rebel, the enemy.

Honesty, straightforwardness, loyalty to the oath, a sense of duty - these are the character traits that Peter Grinev acquired while serving in the Belogorsk fortress.

Source: answer.mail.ru

The story "The Captain's Daughter" is a unique and interesting work by A. S. Pushkin, in which the author describes pure and sincere love that suddenly flared up and warms the heart throughout the story.

Pyotr Grinev is the main character of the work. This is an honest, noble and kind person who was raised by his father.

Andrei Petrovich Grinev is a former military man with an open heart and a sincere soul. He does not want to be dependent on others and "beg for" ranks. That is why his service ended quickly. He devoted himself entirely to raising his son and raised a noble man

Adult Petya dreamed of a bright and interesting service in St. Petersburg, but a strict father chose a worthy place for him and sent him to serve near Orenburg. At parting, Andrei Petrovich said: "Take care of the dress again, and honor from a young age." Peter carried these cherished words throughout his life.

In Orenburg, young Grinev met his true love - a modest and shy girl Masha Mironova. The main character of the story lived in the family of the commandant, a brave and correct man, a loyal subject of Empress Catherine II.

The character of the father and the nobility of the nobleman with age are manifested in Pyotr Andreevich more and more. I was especially impressed by the duel between Grinev and Shvabrin, an evil and mean coeval of Peter. Shvabrin publicly insulted Masha, and Grinev defended the honor of the girl. As a result, Peter was wounded, and Shvabrin emerged victorious, but what! This unfortunate coward struck from behind.

In the story "The Captain's Daughter" the image of Pyotr Grinev is one of the most vivid and memorable. This guy is not distinguished by a dodgy mind and heroic strength, but he is open, sincere and naive. It is these qualities that make readers especially sympathetic. He does not hypocrite and does not pretend, even being on the verge of death. This is the expression of strength of character and true nobility.

Source: sochinenienatemu.com

Narration in "The Captain's Daughter" by Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, who talks about his youth, plunged into the cycle of historical events. Grinev appears in the novel, therefore, both as a narrator and as one of the main characters of the events described.

Petr Andreevich Grinev is a typical representative of the provincial Russian nobility of the second half of the 18th century. He was born and raised on the estate of his father, a landowner in the Simbirsk province. His childhood passed as it did for most of the poor provincial nobles of that time. From the age of five, he was given into the hands of a serf uncle Savelich. Having overcome the letter in the twelfth year under the guidance of his uncle, Grinev comes under the supervision of Monsieur Beaupre, a French tutor, discharged from Moscow "along with a year's supply of wine and Provencal oil" and who turned out to be a bitter drunkard.

Describing his student years with good-natured humor, Grinev says: "I lived underage, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with yard boys." It would be a mistake, however, to think that we have before us a minor like Mitrofanushka from Fonvizin's comedy. Grinev grew up as an intelligent and inquisitive teenager and subsequently, having entered the service, writes poetry, reads French books and tries his hand even in translations.

A decisive influence on Grinev's spiritual warehouse had a healthy atmosphere of family life, simple and modest. Grinev's father, a retired prime minister who had gone through a harsh school of life, was a man of firm and honest views. Seeing off his son to the army, he gives such instructions: “Serve faithfully to whom you swear allegiance; do not ask for service, do not refuse service; do not chase after the caress of the boss; take care of the dress again, and honor from a young age. Grinev inherited a sense of honor and a sense of duty from his father.
The first life steps of young Grinev reveal his youthful frivolity and inexperience. But the young man proved with his life that he had learned the basic rule of his father's morality: "take care of honor from a young age." For two years, Grinev experiences many events: acquaintance with Pugachev, love for Marya Ivanovna, duel with Shvabrin, illness; he almost dies when the fortress is taken by the troops of Pugachev, etc. Before our eyes, the character of the young man develops and grows stronger, and Grinev turns into a mature young man. A sense of honor and courage save him in life's adversity. With intrepid courage, he looks into the eyes of death when Pugachev orders him to be hanged. All the positive aspects of his character are revealed: simplicity and not depravity of nature, kindness, honesty, fidelity in love, etc. These properties of nature captivate Marya Ivanovna and arouse sympathy from Pugachev. Grinev comes out of life's trials with honor.

Grinev is not a hero in the usual sense of the word. This is an ordinary person, an average nobleman. This is a typical representative of those army officers who, in the words of the historian V. O. Klyuchevsky, “made our military history of the 18th century.” Pushkin does not idealize him, does not put him in beautiful poses. Grinev remains a modest ordinary person, retaining all the features of a realistic image.

Source: biblioman.org

Initially, Pushkin wanted to write a novel dedicated only to the Pugachev movement, but the censorship would hardly have let him through. Therefore, the main storyline of the story is the service of a young nobleman for the good of the fatherland and his love for the daughter of the captain of the Belogorod fortress. In parallel, another topic of Pugachevism that interested the author is given. The second topic, of course, Pushkin devotes much less pages, but enough to reveal the essence of the peasant revolt and acquaint the reader with the leader of the peasants, Emelyan Pugachev. In order for his image to be more reliable, the author needed a hero who personally knew Pugachev and would subsequently speak out about what he saw. Such a hero was Pyotr Grinev, a nobleman, an honest, noble young man. A nobleman was needed, and precisely a noble one, in order to make what he told look plausible and be believed.

The childhood of Petrusha Grinev was no different from the childhood of other children of the local nobles. Through the mouth of the hero himself, Pushkin ironically speaks of the customs of the old local nobility: “Mother was still my belly, as I was already enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment as a sergeant ... If, more than any expectation, mother gave birth to a daughter, then the priest would have announced where it should be about the death of the sergeant who did not appear, and that would be the end of the matter."

The author also makes fun of Pyotr Grinev's studies: at the age of five, Savelich was assigned to the boy as an uncle - a courtyard man, to whom such trust was given "for sober behavior." Thanks to Savelich, Petrusha learned to read and write by the age of twelve and "could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog." The next step in the training was the Frenchman Monsieur Beaupre, who was supposed to teach the boy "all sciences," discharged from Moscow "together with a year's supply of wine and Provence oil." However, due to the fact that the Frenchman was very fond of wine and the fair sex, Petrusha was left to his own devices. When the son reaches the age of seventeen, the father, filled with a sense of duty, sends Peter to serve for the good of the motherland.

Descriptions of the independent life of Pyotr Grinev are already devoid of irony. From the young man left to himself and to the simple Russian peasant Savelich, a noble nobleman turned out. Having lost at cards due to inexperience, Peter never succumbed to Savelich's persuasion to fall at the feet of the winner with a request to forgive the debt. He is guided by honor: lost - give it back. The young man understands that he must be responsible for his actions.

The meeting with the “counselor” reveals in Pyotr Grinev such a purely Russian quality as generosity. Finding themselves in the steppe during a blizzard, Grinev and Savelich accidentally stumbled upon a man who knew the way. Then, already at the inn, Pyotr Grinev really wanted to thank this stranger. And he offered him his hare coat, which, according to Savelich, cost a lot of money. At first glance, Grinev's act is a manifestation of youthful carelessness, but in fact it is a manifestation of the nobility of the soul, compassion for man.

Arriving at the service in the Belogorod fortress, Pyotr Grinev fell in love with the daughter of the captain of the fortress, Masha Mironova. Nobility and honor do not allow him to ignore the slander directed at his beloved by another nobleman, Alexei Shvabrin. The result of this is a duel that could cost Peter Grinev his life.

It is not in vain that the author introduces into the story the clever, well-read and at the same time vile and dishonorable Shvabrin, and also a nobleman. Comparing two young officers, Pushkin argues that high morality is not the lot of people of a separate class, and even more so, it has nothing to do with education: nobles can be scoundrels, and nobility can be a hallmark of a simple person, Pugachev for example.

The possibility of execution did not force the Pushkin hero to change the ideals of morality. He does not go into the enemy camp to save his life, he learned all too well.

the words spoken by the father as parting words: "Take care of the dress again, and honor from a young age." Honest Grinev and in a conversation with Pugachev: “I am a natural nobleman; I swore allegiance to the empress: I can’t serve you.” Moreover, to Pugachev’s question whether Grinev could make a promise not to go against him if ordered, the young man answered with the same sincerity and directness: “How can I promise you this ... You know, it’s not my will: they tell me to go against you - I’ll go , nothing to do. You are now the boss yourself; you yourself demand obedience from your own. What will it be like if I refuse the service when my service is needed?

Grinev's sincerity struck Pugachev. Imbued with respect for the young man, he lets him go. Pugachev's conversation with Grinev is very important. On the one hand, he shows the nobility of a nobleman, on the other hand, the same quality of his opponent: only an equal can appreciate another person.

All the same nobility, as well as love and tender affection, do not allow Grinev to name Masha Mironova at the trial, and this could explain a lot in the story with Pugachev, save him from imprisonment.

The events in the story are presented on behalf of Grinev, who, many years later, talks about two years of his life, about a meeting with Pugachev. The narrator strives to tell everything without exaggeration, objectively. Pugachev in his eyes does not look like a real beast. And we believe him, we cannot but believe: we know this man too well - noble, honest, just. And we think: who is this Pugachev really and what is it - Pugachevism?