Ivan Petrovich from a peasant young lady. Characteristics of the main characters of the work The Young Lady-Peasant, Pushkin. Their images and descriptions. Young tribe of the Berestovs and Muromskys

20.04.2021

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Prose by A.S. Pushkin is definitely distinguished by a certain amount of irony and humor. There is always some element in the plot that makes the reader smile. The story “The Young Lady-Peasant Woman” is also not devoid of such an element. In the story, such a share of humor is associated with the image of Liza of Murom, but at the same time it has a broad character and affects the course of events not only life path Lisa, but also all the main characters of the story.

Who is Ivan Petrovich Berestov

Ivan Petrovich Berestov is one of the main characters in Pushkin’s story. He is a nobleman by birth, he owns the village of Tugilovo, which is located somewhere in the outback. Ivan Petrovich was once a married man, but his wife died many years ago, leaving him with a small son.

At the time of the story, Ivan Petrovich is already an old man, and his son, accordingly, is a young man. Very little is known about Ivan Petrovich’s youth and youth - the bulk of information in the story is based on Ivan Petrovich’s old age.

Personality characteristics

Ivan Petrovich has a difficult character. On the one hand, this allowed him to achieve significant results and become one of the richest and most influential people in the area, but, on the other hand, this caused certain difficulties in his life, in particular his personal one.

We invite you to read the poem “Eugene Onegin” by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

For example, his strict disposition and character do not allow him to build friendly and trusting relationships with his son Alexei.

When Alexey expresses his reluctance to marry Liza Muromskaya, the father does not try to understand the reasons for this attitude of the young man - he behaves very categorically and threatens to deprive his son of his inheritance and even curse him if he does not fulfill his father’s will.

Ivan Petrovich is a very stubborn person - this quality also plays a cruel joke on Ivan Petrovich and has two manifestations - positive and negative. Ivan Petrovich's stubbornness allows him to achieve the desired goal and this is definitely good, but at the same time, ego stubbornness often becomes the cause of discord in relationships even with the closest people.

Ivan Petrovich does not engage in self-education and, in general, has little interest in life except the everyday side of its functioning.

Berestov considers himself a man of exceptional intelligence and equates himself with the most smart people in District.

Relations between Muromsky and Berestov

Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky also belongs to a landowner family. He lives next door to the Berestovs, which significantly aggravates the already difficult relationships between neighbors. Despite the fact that the fate of the landowners has certain similarities - both of them became widowers early and raised their children alone. Muromsky is a daughter, and Berestov is a son; friendly relations did not develop between them.

The hostility between neighbors was long-lasting and ineffective in any sense. It consisted in the ability to perceive innovations in society.

Ivan Petrovich was an ardent opponent of everything new and foreign - he considered such innovations stupid and unnecessary. He fiercely defended his position and did not even try to understand the position of people with opinions different from his own.

Grigory Ivanovich, on the contrary, adored everything foreign, in particular everything that had to do with England and the culture of this country. He even built his house in the English style. English periodicals and books never left Muromsky's circulation. At home he also spoke English.

Like his neighbor, Muromsky did not take into account the opinions of others on this matter and was absolutely confident that he was right.

Naturally, in such a situation, which excluded any compromise, there could be no friendly or even neutral relations.

Reason for reconciliation

An accident helped put an end to many years of hostility. Ivan Petrovich Berestov was distinguished by a special passion for hunting and, despite his age, could often spend time doing this activity. Grigory Ivanovich also hunted from time to time. This love of hunting became a prerequisite for a change in relations between landowners.

One day Muromsky, while hunting, fell from his horse. Berestov, who witnessed this scene, despite the enmity, hastened to help his neighbor - this event became the beginning of friendship between old enemies. Muromsky invites Berestov and his son to his place for dinner, which strengthens the positive beginning of the relationship.

Thus, Ivan Petrovich Berestov is endowed with both positive and negative qualities. The life path of this character in Pushkin’s story was not easy; the early loss of his wife and the need to raise his son alone were not the best in the best possible way influenced his character, but such difficulties did not prevent him from getting together and becoming a successful landowner. At the end of the story we see pictures where former enemies became friends, which means that no enmity can last forever if the warring parties are ready to come to the aid of each other.

The main characters of Pushkin's "The Young Lady of the Peasant" live during the times of the nobility of the 19th century and are forced to comply with the principles of society.

The main characters of the story “The Peasant Young Lady”

Ivan Petrovich Berestov,
his son Alexey is the son of Ivan Berestov,
Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky - neighbor landowner, Anglomaniac landowner, “a real Russian gentleman”
Lisa- daughter of Muromsky.

Lisa Muromtseva- the daughter of a wealthy Anglomaniac landowner Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky, Alexei’s beloved.

“She was 17 years old. Her dark eyes enlivened her dark and very pleasant face. She was the only child and therefore a spoiled one.”

The girl was raised by her father, assisted by an English nanny, Miss Jackson. Lisa was a romantic person, but she was very smart. To meet the son of landowner Ivan Petrovich Berestov, Lisa introduced herself as the blacksmith’s daughter, Akulina. They walked, he taught her and was delighted with her intelligence. Lisa, who introduced herself as a peasant, charmed Alexei because she was an intelligent, resourceful, natural, kind and decent girl with a sense of dignity.

When her father invited the Berestovs to dinner, Lisa was scared, but came up with a way out of the current situation. She dressed up and pretty much whitened her face, so Alexey didn’t recognize her. He learned the truth when their fathers decided to marry them. Alexey came to the Muromtsevs to explain that he loves the daughter of the blacksmith Akulin, but cannot marry Lisa. Having learned that Lisa was the same Akulina, he was very surprised and delighted.

Alexey Berestov- Vstudied at the university. “Well done,” “handsome, slender, tall, blush all over his cheek.” Plays burners with the peasants. Lisa liked him because he was sincere and was not proud of his origin and wealth.

“He was brought up at ... the university and intended to join military service, but the father did not agree... They were not inferior to each other, and young Alexey began to live for the time being as a master, growing a mustache just in case (a military attribute).”
“Surprisingly good, handsome, one might say. Slender, tall, blush all over his cheek..."
“...so kind, so cheerful”

Ivan Petrovich Berestov- a Russian nobleman who runs a household according to the Russian model. He is a reasonable person, a good father, a hospitable host. Berestov is proud of his cloth factory and rich estate, but thinks only about profit.

« In my youth he served in the guard , retired early 1797, went to his village and since then he has not left there. He was married to a poor noblewoman , which died in childbirth , while he was in the departing field.
Household exercises he was soon consoled. He lined up house according to my own plan, I startedcloth factory , tripled income and began to consider himself the smartest person all over the area..."

Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky- “he was a real Russian gentleman,” but he did everything in the English manner. Both types of landowners are characteristic of the landed nobility of that time in the 19th century. He is in He introduced something new all the time, but he was a good father. But Muromsky lives beyond his means and does not run his household very wisely.

"This one was real Russian gentleman . Having squandered big in Moscow part of the estate his and widowed at that time , he left last your village , where p continued play tricks , but in a new way.
He cheated english garden , on which spent almost everything other income.
U his daughter was an English madam . He cultivated his fields English method and despite significant cost reductions, Grigory Ivanovich’s income did not increase ; he is in the villagefound a way to incur new debts ; with all that was considered a man not stupid …»

A person’s character is not determined at birth; it develops on the basis of natural data under the influence of the environment and society, manifesting itself especially clearly at turning points in life.
Pushkin does not give evaluative definitions to the characters of Berestov and Muromsky, Alexei and Liza.
Confidently drawn life history of the heroes, laconic lines of portraits, short and succinct speech characteristics, including improperly direct speech, the very behavior of the characters in the current situation - all this artistic media creating characters in the story.
In fact, the time limits of the action of “The Young Lady-Peasant Woman” are defined. This is two to three months, starting from Nastya’s visit to the chef’s wife and to the recognition scene. However, the boundaries are pushed back when we restore the biographies of Muromsky and Berestov and, looking ahead, we see how two estates, two families merge into one - one rich, the other noble, and old men babysitting their grandchildren.

Ivan Petrovich Berestov

in his youth he served in the guard. Under Catherine II, service in the guard was a privilege for wealthy noble families. The guards have always been the Empress's support. It is no coincidence that Berestov retired at the beginning of 1797, when, after the death of Catherine II, Paul I, who imposed Prussian orders in Russia, came to the throne. A young, ardent guardsman, Berestov, like most Russian people, does not want to obey Paul I, and his protest against the new order is expressed by his resignation. Berestov was about 30 years old at that time, that is, he was born around 1767.
In 1801, Alexander I became emperor. Serfdom seemed unshakable. The nobility enjoyed all the privileges. The nobles understood that manufactories and factories were a profitable business, so the number of industrial enterprises in Russia increased significantly. Having become the sole owner of the estate, Berestov was not satisfied with his parents’ house, but decided to build his own, according to his own plan (he had something to compare with - he served in St. Petersburg!). The money invested in the construction of the factory was quickly returned, and income tripled. Serfs did not have to be paid like hired workers. Berestov became one of the richest landowners in the province, sent his son, who had grown up by that time, to study in the capitals, and then to the university (the University of Göttingen was the most popular among Russian students), he himself received guests, took care of horses and dogs, did not read anything, except for the Senate Gazette, and recorded the expenses himself.
Out of affection for everything domestic, Russian - or out of economy bordering on stinginess, he wore a frock coat made of cloth homework, but on weekdays he wore a corduroy jacket. It seemed that he was a hospitable host, but for the treat the neighbors paid him with loud praises about his household management, agreed that he was the smartest person, did not interfere with his narcissism, feigned humility, and then went to tell Muromsky about Berestov and were amused by the rage of Grigory Ivanovich.
Of course, Berestov was a good host. Russian people said about such people: “The arrogance is noble, but the mind is peasant.” (V.I. Dal). He knew the value of work and time, he knew the value of money, and therefore could not understand Muromsky’s extravagance. Self-confidence allowed Ivan Petrovich to feel at home everywhere. He was used to people around him listening to him, and he didn’t think much about people’s moods.
In the first place in Berestov’s value chain was wealth and property. He does not miss an opportunity to emphasize his wealth: to travel three miles, he harnesses six horses; stubborn Alexei, who does not want to marry Liza Muromskaya, is threatened with deprivation of his inheritance. He looks at his son’s marriage as a profitable deal: “Grigory Ivanovich was a close relative of Count Pronsky, a noble and strong man; The count could be very useful to Alexei...”
From the image of Berestov there are only a few steps to the image of Kirila Petrovich Troekurov. The main, most prominent, prominent character trait of both is self-love.
If we conditionally divide the story, like a play, into five acts, then in the first two acts we see supposedly a pronounced conflict between Berestov and Muromsky.

Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky

was a close relative of Count Pronsky and had a significant fortune. It is possible that he was born in Moscow and, if he visited his estate as a child, he visited it extremely rarely. It was precisely these people, who did not know the value of labor and the time spent on work, who had no idea how bread would be born, who carelessly squandered their fortune in the capitals, lost at cards, and held balls (remember Eugene Onegin’s father). Muromsky served, but probably not for long (“the old men remembered the old times and the anecdotes of their service”). Perhaps he traveled abroad, where he became infected with Anglomania, that is, he became a passionate supporter of everything English.
In Moscow, his daughter was born and grew up. After the death of his wife, Muromsky left with his daughter to his village. His “pranks” - the English garden, the costumes of English jockeys on grooms, the maintenance of “Madame Miss Jackson”, who “received ... two thousand rubles and died of boredom in this barbaric Russia,” all this turned into new debts, moreover, the peasants of the estate pledged by Grigory Ivanovich to the Guardian Council had to pay interest on the amount that the landowner had successfully spent. The peasants went bankrupt, and the neighbors admired how Muromsky loved and pampered his daughter, whom he left without an inheritance, in fact with only debts (“... all her mother’s diamonds, not yet pawned, shone on her fingers, neck and ears” ). Besides, he never tried to penetrate her inner world. He interpreted all actions that were incomprehensible to him in a way convenient for himself: after Lisa’s first early walk, he talks about “the principles of human longevity, gleaned from English magazines”; after dressing Lisa for dinner, he asks her a question and, without waiting for an answer, advises his daughter to use whitewash.
Just as Berestov does not see and does not understand his son, so Muromsky sees in Liza only the prankster and minx Betsy. But if Berestov is like Krylov’s hardworking Ant, then his neighbor glides through life like a Moth. This slippage, the habit of avoiding serious solutions to problems, carelessness and irresponsibility are also manifested in his speech. (“Are you crazy?” the father objected, “how long ago have you become so shy, or do you have a hereditary hatred of them, like a novel heroine?”)
We see the same thoughts of Muromsky about Lisa’s marriage: “...after the death of Ivan Petrovich, all his estate will pass into the hands of Alexei Ivanovich; that in this case Alexey Ivanovich will be one of the richest landowners of that province and that there is no reason for him not to marry Liza.” Muromsky's thought about of death neighbor contributed to the transformation of acquaintance into friendship!
Just as easily as he approaches financial matters, Muromsky treats matters of the heart: “... if Alexey is with me every day, then Betsy will have to fall in love with him. This is par for the course. Time will sort everything out." Grigory Ivanovich wants to get rid of his daughter as quickly as possible, because the heaviest burden is the burden of responsibility.
Pushkin himself, thanks to the narrator - Belkin, does not give a direct assessment of the life of an "educated European", only once with sober eyes - the eyes of Alexei - we see Muromsky simply as a "narcissistic Anglomaniac", and Berestov as a "calculating landowner".
So, the life positions of Berestov and Muromsky are built on the same platform - on pride. It was this, and not the “timidity of the short filly,” that became the reason for the cessation of the “ancient and deeply rooted” enmity. Was there any hostility? It could not be ancient, Muromsky did not live in Priluchin for so long, and the neighbors portrayed its depth, zealous in conveying the words of one landowner to another.
The author parodies the theme of the enmity of fathers, popular thanks to W. Shakespeare, which is why he uses so many words suddenly, unexpectedly, hatred, enemy and the promising “suddenly found himself within pistol shot distance.” But the enmity is fanned by neighbors and bursts like soap bubble, at the first meeting of two landowners.
It should be noted that in “Dubrovsky” the conflict is already real, it is based on the independence of one neighbor and the lust for power of another neighbor.
Berestov and Muromsky are two typical representatives of the nobility early XIX century, their images will be continued in the heroes of I. S. Turgenev, L. N. Tolstoy, I. A. Goncharov and I. A. Bunin.

Alexey Berestov.

In the 19th century, the relative speed of the passage of time intensified even more, and long before I. S. Turgenev, A. S. Pushkin outlined the theme of the conflict between fathers and children. Ivan Petrovich Berestov, reading the Senate Gazette on his estate, has no idea what the life of a university student is filled with. The father is a monolithic figure, frozen in his habits. In Alexey we can distinguish and highlight several subpersonalities, each of which lives its own life, as it were, at the same time they form a single whole.
Alexey the Hussar. His father does not allow him to serve in the military, but Alexey grows a mustache just in case. “Alexey was really great. It would really be a pity if his slender figure was never pulled together by a military uniform and if, instead of showing off on a horse, he spent his youth bent over office papers.”
Alexey is a mysterious melancholic, brought new fashion from the capitals to the provinces. “He was the first to appear before them, gloomy and disappointed, the first to tell them about lost joys and about his faded youth; Moreover, he wore a black ring with the image of a death’s head.”
How similar:

Lensky was sincere in his songs. Alexey chose this role for himself only when it seemed necessary to him: “He decided that cold absent-mindedness was, in any case, the most decent thing.”
Alexey the master.“Amazingly good,” Nastya says about him, “handsome, one might say. Slender, tall, blush all over his cheek...” With peasant women and courtyard girls, he is “used to not standing on ceremony” and behaves not like a gentleman, but like a spoiled barchuk.
Alexey-son knows well the disposition of his father, who if he “gets into his head, then, in the words of Taras Skotinin, you can’t knock him out with a nail,” therefore, in a conversation with his father, he takes the pose of a respectful son and prefers to look obedient to his father’s will until he They don’t take you alive.
Alexey the Göttingener. In Germany, at the University of Göttingen, the flower of the Russian nobility was studying at that time. There they talked about philosophy, about freedom and enlightenment of the people, read progressive literature, and thought about duty and honor. Alexey, starting to teach Akulina to read and write, was surprised: “Yes, our learning proceeds faster than according to the Lancastrian system.” The Bell-Lancaster system of peer education, when older successful students (monitors), under the guidance of a teacher, taught classes to other students, became known in Russia since 1818.
This system was considered progressive, and it was used by the Decembrists to spread literacy among soldiers. Alexei's acquaintance with this system speaks of his connection with the advanced, educated nobility.
For the third lesson, Alexey brings Akulina “Natalia, the Boyar’s Daughter” by N. M. Karamzin. This is a historical idyll in a sentimental-romantic spirit - a story about two lovers, whose lives are inextricably linked with the fate of the state. The books of N. M. Karamzin were hardly kept in the library of old Berestov. Karamzin was an entire era of Russian literature, an idol of young poets. The idea of his work was “to elevate the rank of man in our fatherland” (“Once upon a time there was a good king”).
Alexei ( main character"Natalia, the Boyar's Daughter" (also Alexey) and Lisa read about the movements of the human heart. Lisa may have already been familiar with the book and thought a lot about it, because her comments “truly” amaze Alexey.
The subtext of the story is the connection between the relationship between Alexei and Akulina with the plot of “Poor Liza” by Karamzin, where the nobleman Erast seduces the pure-hearted peasant woman Liza. At some moments, Erast strives to go beyond the feudal morality of the society around him. Alexey finds satisfaction in the fact that his relationship with Akulina does not look like seduction, that he has never broken his word, that he is engaged in educating his beloved: “Akulina apparently got used to the best way of speaking, and her mind noticeably developed and formed.”
Alexey is still free to take on any of his roles. Not a single mask had yet grown on him, he “...was a kind and ardent fellow and had a pure heart, capable of feeling the pleasures of innocence.”
Alexey appears before us sincerely and amazed after his father’s words about marriage. The state of shock passes, and during several subsequent remarks, Alexey begins to choose a role, an option of behavior. He has not yet completely left the image of an obedient son and cannot motivate his refusal, but in his room, reflecting “on the limits of parental power,” he makes an attempt to understand his feelings and decides to explain himself to Muromsky and marry a peasant woman. And the feeling of satisfaction brings him not so much the idea as the very fact of making a decision. But the decision to marry a peasant woman is not subject to a life test, since the peasant woman turns out to be imaginary. The conflict with the father also loses its basis.
Why does Pushkin the psychologist give us a string of Alexei’s subpersonalities? Alexey is a hussar, a fashionable melancholic, a young gentleman, an obedient son, a kind fellow, an educated Göttingener. To this list we can also add the potentially present image of an official, a person in the civil service, about whom we know that he will not “jump headlong.”
Aleksey potentially contains the beginnings of all the paths along which in the future Russian will do nobility. Pushkin leaves the ending of the story open: we do not know which road Alexey will take. We can safely say that “The Peasant Young Lady” is in fact a story filled with epoch-making life content. By placing this story at the end of the entire cycle of “Belkin’s Tales,” Pushkin seems to be asking a question to Russian society: where will we go? What will we be like? What kind of life will we make?
Few contemporaries understood the depth of the story, and the answer to Pushkin’s questions was the history of Russia.

Image Lisa Muromskaya

has always attracted researchers. Attention was paid to the number of masks being replaced: Lisa, Betsy, Akulina.
A masquerade is a place where everyone can show their essence without fear of being recognized. People participate in a masquerade in order to have the opportunity to be themselves, if the circumstances Everyday life do not give the opportunity to realize the human essence.
Throughout the story, Alexey does not change his appearance, but appears to us in different guises. Lisa, changing masks, does not betray the main idea - the idea of \u200b\u200btrusting and tender - female - love.
Lisa - noblewoman, but there is no aristocratic arrogance in her, as in Marya Kirilovna Troekurova. She talks with Nastya with pleasure, enters into the affairs and concerns of the village girls, knows how to speak the local dialect and does not consider it shameful for herself to wear a thick shirt and a blue Chinese sundress.
Lisa is an orphan. Her mother will not help her with advice. The father, having hired Miss Jackson, believes that he did everything for her upbringing. Miss Jackson, in turn, does not bother her with her instructions. Thus, her life, like a river, flows whimsically and freely, not driven into the granite banks of secular conventions. She is a local young lady, but she does not blindly follow the fashion of metropolitan magazines. The county news was too simple and vain; they could not occupy all of Lisa’s leisure time.
And Lisa read quite thoughtfully.
Among N. M. Karamzin’s stories, “Poor Liza” was the most popular. Pushkin's Liza knows this story quite well and completely agrees with the idea that “even peasant women know how to love.” Thinking about deceived love and the melodramatic death of poor Liza, Liza Muromskaya wants to establish justice, “to see the Tugilov landowner at the feet of the daughter of the Priluchinsky blacksmith.” It was important that a woman triumph over a man, it was important that unshakable class prejudices crumble to dust before love. “...The ways to please a man depend on fashion, on momentary opinion, but in women they are based on feelings and nature, which are eternal,” wrote A. S. Pushkin in “A Novel in Letters.”
Perhaps the issue of fidelity in love is especially painful for a man. As a girl in the capital, Lisa saw a lot that she was able to comprehend when left alone with herself in Priluchina.
For Lisa, Alexei’s loyalty to the peasant woman Akulina was very significant. She was smart, she saw life as real, without powder and languid passion, and she wanted a man for her husband who would love her and remain faithful to her.
The first change of clothes was caused by natural female curiosity. Dressing up is a favorite technique in the comedy tradition. But curiosity is also the main feature of a provincial girl. The second change of clothes was necessary to maintain the existing relationship. Thoughts about the morality of her meetings with Alexey worried her, but not for long: youth and love triumphed, Alexey and Akulina were quite happy that day.
In our time, in beginning of XXI centuries, the ability to be happy is very rare. The reason for this is increased anxiety, uncertainty about the future, resulting in a constant state of aggression. Aggression is incompatible with the state of happiness, that is, acceptance of the world as it is, awareness of oneself as a part of this world. Happiness is integrity, harmony with oneself and the world. Few people know this condition now. It was available to Lisa and Alexey.
In conversations with Alexei, Lisa honestly tries to play the role of a peasant woman. She speaks the local dialect, but uses expressions that were characteristic only of the speech of people of the noble class, sometimes she speaks as, in the opinion of N.M. Karamzin, a peasant woman should speak. “I don’t need an oath,” the imaginary Akulina repeats after poor Liza, Karamzin’s heroine. And just like Karamzin’s Liza, Akulina complains about her illiteracy.
Contemporaries of A. S. Pushkin, who knew well the then few works of Russian literature, perfectly heard the author’s hidden ironic polemic with sentimentalists regarding how the people should be portrayed.
N.M. Karamzin’s Liza says to Erast: “Oh, why can’t I read or write! You would notify me about everything that happens to you, and I would write to you about my tears!”
A. S. Pushkin’s Lisa is real and concrete: “However,” she said with a sigh, “even though the young lady may be funny, I’m still an illiterate fool in front of her.”
In the cycle of “Belkin’s Tales” A.S. Pushkin more than once addresses the issue of women’s right to an independent choice of life path. In the time of Pushkin, there was no opportunity for a woman to get an education; only men were accepted into universities, although women had already proven that they were not to occupy their minds. Princess E.R. Dashkova, Catherine II and even Pushkin’s heroine Liza amazes the Göttingener Alexei with the subtlety of her remarks!
Men dominated in literature and art. The appearance of a woman in public office was virtually impossible, and being an entrepreneur... This was unthinkable!
The young lady had only one path, approved by society: to get married and become a mother.
The wedding of Lisa and Alexei, decided in advance by their fathers, turned out to be desirable for the children - a rare coincidence.
In “The Peasant Young Lady”, in the subtle parody, in the fascinating masquerade, in the dynamics of the scenes, plots are hidden that could become the beginning of tragedies. If the enmity of the fathers had been ineradicable, the fathers would not have made peace; a story would have arisen, insisting on great tragedy W. Shakespeare, similar in plot to “Dubrovsky”. If young people did not have strong feelings for each other and their fathers would marry them by force, then plots similar to “Anna Karenina” by L.N. Tolstoy would arise. If Alexey turned out to be a seducer like Erast, and Akulina really was a peasant woman, then collisions similar to L. N. Tolstoy’s “Resurrection” would arise.
A. S. Pushkin masterfully completes the story, but the happy ending does not remove the question posed by N. M. Karamzin. From now on—and forever—Russian writers write about the Russian woman, whose soul is based on love.
Another Pushkin Liza (“Novel in Letters”) writes to her friend about a mutual friend: “Let him embroider new patterns on the old canvas and present to us in a small frame a picture of the world and the people he knows so well.” Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in “The Young Peasant Lady” embroidered new patterns on the old canvas and in a small frame presented a picture of the great world and the people whom he knew and loved so well.

A short story by A.S. Pushkin completes the cycle. This story is somewhat vaudeville in nature, not without a sense of humor and masquerade. This is a love story with a happy ending. The main characters of the story “The Peasant Young Lady”:

Ivan Petrovich Berestov- an economic landowner who knew how to increase his fortune. He was a hospitable and hospitable gentleman. Guests came to him from all over the area. Some considered him proud. Although Berestov had something to be proud of. He had his own cloth factory, which brought in a good income.

Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky- Berestov’s neighbor and his complete opposite. He was a passionate Anglomaniac and ran his household in the English manner, for which Berestov constantly criticized him. Muromsky squandered his fortune from his youth, and spent the remaining funds on maintaining an external anglicized gloss. At Muromsky, even the grooms were dressed like English jockeys. This landowner was deeply in debt.

Alexey Berestov- the son of Ivan Petrovich, a young man, a stately handsome man, graduated from the university and dreamed of joining the military service. My father was against it. He did not deny himself the pleasure of flirting with the courtyard girls. When he fell in love with the “peasant woman” Akulina, he was determined to marry her, and even came to the Muromsky estate to have an explanation with the girl and her father.

Lisa, daughter of Muromsky, a lively, energetic young lady of 17 years old. Alexey, about whom the district young ladies talked among themselves, extremely interested and worried Liza Muromskaya. Having once gone for a walk in the forest and then, meeting with Alexei Berestov in the forest under the guise of the peasant woman Akulina, she overstepped moral and ethical standards.

Nastya- Lisa's yard girl. The girl is lively and smart. She was the first to tell Lisa how to see Berestov without losing her human dignity, that is, to dress up as a peasant.

Miss Jackson, Lisa’s mentor was a prim Englishwoman who used thick antimony and white. She did not like Russia and considered it a barbaric country.

The once warring landowners Muromsky and Berestov met one day under curious circumstances. This meeting served as the basis for reconciliation. The landowners began to visit each other and decided to marry their children. The children knew each other. They met in the forest all summer. Lisa - under the guise of the peasant woman Akulina. When Berestov’s father informed his son that he intended to marry him to Muromsky’s daughter, he decided to refuse and came to Lisa to talk to her. But in the room he saw his Akulina in a young lady’s dress. This, in brief, is the relationship between the characters that made up the plot of the story “The Peasant Young Lady.”

The story “The Young Lady-Peasant Woman” is part of the cycle of Pushkin’s famous “Belkin’s Tales”, created by the writer during the Boldin period. Conceived by Pushkin in 1829, they were published as a separate collection. The Boldino autumn (1830) became one of the most fruitful periods in the writer’s work. “The Young Lady-Peasant Woman” is a book that completes a cycle of five short stories.

Many researchers believe that the plot of the story largely repeats another famous work, written by Pushkin’s contemporary - N. M. Karamzin. “Poor Liza” is one of the first works of sentimentalism in Russian literature. Written in 1792, the story caused controversy in literary and social circles. The tragic love story of the peasant woman Lisa for the young nobleman Erast was enthusiastically received by readers and was later repeatedly interpreted by other authors.

However, many plots of Pushkin’s cycle migrated to the pages of the book from life. Memories and everyday stories heard and noted by the writer formed the basis of “The Shot,” “Blizzard” and other stories. But “The Young Lady-Peasant Woman” is more connected with the refraction in Pushkin’s consciousness of existing literary traditions, which the writer modified according to his author's intention.

Genre, direction

“Belkin’s Tales” is Pushkin’s first prose work, which was published during the author’s lifetime. Five short stories from the lips of the fictional storyteller Ivan Petrovich Belkin, who wrote down stories he heard from different people, formally represent separate plots, but internally connected, forming a single whole. Each story ideologically complements the other, enhancing the influence of each subsequent one.

"Belkin's Tales" is a vivid example of realistic prose. On behalf of the conventional narrator, Pushkin shares with the reader a series of non-fictional stories, the characters of which are not static, they are life-like and believable. It is no coincidence that the preface notes the fact of Belkin’s lack of education, his non-involvement in literary creativity. This approach convinces the reader of the authenticity of the events depicted. Outdated, tightly rooted romantic situations and characters in literature are inferior to the obvious simplicity and unpretentiousness of Pushkin’s plots, the heroes of which are placed in unusual, but quite probable life circumstances that truly reflect life.

“The Young Lady-Peasant Woman” is a story that is somewhat different from the others, since it contains more mischief and comedy. Rejecting the romantic template with its tragic ending, Pushkin resolves the love conflict happily, as if offering his own version of the traditional plot of unequal love in literature. Unlike the story of poor Lisa, the social barriers between the loving hearts of Lisa and Alexei are destroyed, which creates space for the happy, albeit obviously philistine, life of the heroes.

Meaning of the name

The title of the story is closely related to its plot. By Young Lady-Peasant Woman we mean the main character of the story - Lizaveta Grigorievna, the daughter of the district landowner Muromsky.

Disguised as a peasant woman, Lisa poses as the daughter of a local blacksmith. Thus, the village girl Akulina, met by Alexei Berestov in the forest, and the young lady Liza are one and the same character.

The essence

The main events of the story unfold around two noble families - the Berestovs and the Muromskys, living next door. The fathers of families do not get along with each other, since the conservative Berestov condemns his neighbor's Anglomania. Muromsky's daughter, Liza, wants to meet Alexei Berestov, but a quarrel between her fathers creates an obstacle to the meeting.

Disguised as a peasant woman, Lisa meets Alexei in the forest and introduces herself as Akulina, the daughter of the village blacksmith. Inspired by the acquaintance, Alexey teaches the uneducated girl to read and write, amazed at the speed with which she learns. Meanwhile, Father Berestov fails to control his horse during a hunt and accidentally ends up in the Muromskys’ house. As a result, the fathers get to know each other in detail and make peace.

Lisa's father invites Berestov and his son to his place. Lisa manages to avoid detection. She goes out to dinner, dressed in ridiculous clothes, made up and bleached. Alexey doesn't recognize her. The fathers, who have become close friends in a short time, decide to marry their children. Alexey is determined to go against his father’s will and secretly marry Akulina. He goes to the Muromskys’ house and recognizes his Akulina in young lady Liza. This is the plot of the story.

The main characters and their characteristics

Lisa Muromskaya- the main character of the story, the daughter of the landowner Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky, a beautiful and cheerful girl. Playful and frivolous, she, on the one hand, is capable of pranks, and on the other, of bold and decisive action. “She was an only and therefore spoiled child.” Having received a good education, the girl is well versed in music and the arts, studies languages, but deep down Lisa is a romantically inclined person. She believes in love, so she has a genuine interest in Alexei Berestov, who, according to rumors, has concentrated in himself a whole set of truly romantic qualities. Disguised as a peasant woman, Lisa shows miracles of imagination, and for a long time passes herself off as the uneducated daughter of a blacksmith. Her funny and easy-going character is combined with amazing ability be in love. She is devoid of stiffness and arrogance, therefore, in the image of a peasant girl, Lisa is so organic that Alexey does not catch her in a lie. The naturalness of her behavior, sharp mind and amazing beauty - everything in general attracts the hero.
Alexey Berestov- Berestov’s son, who after university came to the village to visit his father. He dreams of becoming a military man, which is quite consistent with his appearance: a tall, stately, attractive young man becomes the main reason for gossip among the district girls. “The young ladies looked at him, and others looked at him.” Alexey himself puts on an even greater aura of mystery, appearing gloomy and disappointed in front of the girls, telling them “about lost joys and about his faded youth” and generally showing himself as an experienced womanizer. But, in general, Alexey is simple and good man, honest and kind. Having fallen in love with the peasant woman Akulina, the hero is so sincere in his feelings that he is ready to take her as his wife against the will of his father.

Topics and issues

The main theme of the story, of course, love. Love becomes basic driving force development of action. All external circumstances pale before the mutual inclination of the heroes.
Humor. In addition, in “The Peasant Young Lady” the reader will discover the obvious comedy of the situation. But the humor of the story is kind and bright, making you smile at the happy absurdity of the events taking place, in the center of which the heroes find themselves. For example, Pushkin very ironically draws the image of Muromsky in his desire to build life in English manners. Anglomania is also a peculiar manifestation of the stereotyping of noble life.
Issues“Young Peasant Women” is also closely connected with the denial of the prejudices of society, in this case the district. Stereotypes and conventions of the environment are also manifested in the lives of the heroes: their noble status obliges them to lead a life that they do not like, to marry against their own will.
Conflict. In order to be truly sincere, the heroes are forced to constantly fight with the way of life that reigns around them. The heroes themselves, Lisa and Alexey, are very trivial characters, they have not escaped the imprint of the vulgarity of county life, but they are both capable of bold and decisive actions in the name of love, which undoubtedly deserves respect.

the main idea

The main idea of the story is a person’s desire to be above prejudice, defending his right to happiness. It is enough to step over conventions to become happy. By a lucky chance, the fate of the heroes turned out well, and the end is marked by the triumph of eternal values: love, family and friendship.

The story makes the reader believe in the sincerity of a real feeling that overcomes all obstacles. All external circumstances pale before love. The meaning laid down by A.S. Pushkin is to affirm eternal values and criticize class prejudices. It is social barriers that hinder happiness.

What does it teach?

A.S. Pushkin laid down a certain morality in the story. A person needs to remain himself, and not put on the masks that society imposes on himself. Only then will people begin to value not their social status, not their level of wealth, but the personality itself. This is what happened with the main characters, who chose each other, and not the labels hung on them.

The author's conclusion is simple: people need equality in order to get to know each other better. It is obvious that all conflicts stem from ignorance, because even neighbors may not communicate with each other for years, and therefore may not know the true state of affairs. Only after a normal human conversation did the fathers make peace, realizing how stupid it was to judge someone you don’t even know. And their children proved that peasants and nobles also lack equal communication. Only conversation can unite them, destroy all omissions and mutual grievances. But people lack the courage to reject social labels that hinder unification. Thus, the author condemns social inequality in Russia, which divides a single people into elite and slaves. In his reasoning one can hear a protest against serfdom.