Fate will point to the enemy. War brings pain and loss. In dire life circumstances, it becomes clear who your friends and loved ones really are.

The image and characteristics of Shvabrin in the story “ Captain's daughter“will reveal to the reader the cruel truth about how easily a person betrays those around him and his own homeland. Life punishes traitors, and so will the hero of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Appearance of Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin

He was no longer young. Judging by his figure and short stature, one could not say that he had a military bearing. The dark face was not at all attractive, but rather repulsive. When he was already standing among the rebels, Peter noticed his changes. “Cut in a circle, wearing a Cossack caftan”.

In the service of Pugachev, he turned into a thin and pale old man, his hair turned grey. Only grief and experiences could change so quickly appearance person. But there is no turning back now.

The first opinion turns out to be deceptive

Officer Shvabrin ended up in the Belogorsk fortress because he stabbed a familiar lieutenant with his sword. He has been living here for five years now. Being with people for so long, he can easily betray them, slander them, insult them. His deceit manifests itself in many ways. As soon as he meets Grinev, he immediately begins to tell him unpleasant things about Ivan Kuzmich’s daughter. “He described Masha as a complete fool.” Before this, a new acquaintance made a good impression on Peter. “Shvabrin was not very stupid. His conversation was interesting".

He wooed Masha and was refused. The young lady intelligently described the reason why she could not become his wife. She simply could not imagine life with someone for whom she had no feelings.

The honor of the beloved is hurt. Duel

When Peter read poems to Shvabrin dedicated to the daughter of Commandant Mironov, the officer advised him to give her expensive gifts so that she would come to him at night. It was a cruel, groundless insult, and the young man in love challenged the offender to a duel.

In the duel the officer performed poorly. Grinev recalls that the enemy overtook him at the moment when he was distracted.

“I looked back and saw Savelich running down the path. At this time I was hit hard in the chest, I fell and lost consciousness.”

It was dishonest and unmanly.

Deceit and duplicity

Shvabrin cannot come to terms with the fact that Masha chose his opponent. He understands that the lovers are planning to get married. Then the liar decides to stop them once again. He reports to Peter's parents about everything that happened in the fortress: the duel, Grinev's wound, his upcoming wedding with the daughter of the impoverished commandant. Before committing this act, he pretended to be an honest, sincere friend who regretted what he had done.

“He expressed deep regret about what happened, admitted that he was to blame, and asked to forget about the past.”

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Enemy for one's own state

For Shvabrin, the concept of honor and duty to the homeland does not exist. When Pugachev captured the fortress, he went over to the side of the rebels. The traitor looks at all the atrocities committed by Pugachev’s gang without a drop of regret.

Shvabrin occupies the place that belonged to the father of Maria Mironova. He keeps Masha locked up on bread and water and threatens her with violence. When the leader of the peasant war demands to release the girl, Shvabrin will tell whose daughter she is, putting at great risk the one to whom he recently declared his love. This proves that sincere feelings are alien to him.

The image of Shvabrin in the story is very clearly outlined; it leaves no blank spots, no opportunities to “find out, finish writing” his biography. Detailed characteristics Shvabrina is given at the moment Grinev arrives for duty. "Officer short, with a dark and distinctly ugly face, but extremely lively.” He seemed glad to have a new comrade. “Yesterday I learned about your arrival; The desire to finally see a human face took such hold of me that I could not stand it.”

Alexey Ivanovich is an educated young man who knows languages, a freethinker, with a short track record as a lieutenant, with his own ideas about good and evil. It seems to him that he is not doing anything special, but in seeking Masha’s favor, he crosses the line of decency and sanity. What kind of girl, tell me, would marry a man who threatens to take her by force?

Shvabrin was exiled to a remote garrison for his hot temper and participation in duels. Very soon he will see in Grinev a rival for Masha’s heart and will decide to slander her. But he doesn't expect such a rebuff. The conflict is growing, it will end in a duel and Peter being seriously wounded.

The further behavior of the victim of a fiasco on the personal, love front does not go beyond the once set framework. At the most difficult, culminating moment of the story, Shvabrin betrays the commandant of the fortress, going over to Pugachev’s side. Thus, he violates his oath. The traitor is rewarded: now he is the leader of the Belogorsk fortress.

Subsequently, Shvabrin prevents the rescue of Masha, and even later writes a denunciation to the investigative authorities about his colleague’s collaboration with the rioters. But disorderly and chaotic actions to shield oneself and denigrate the eternal rival do not achieve the goal: Grinev loves and is loved, he is acquitted by the empress, and hard labor awaits the intriguer and traitor.

To a large extent, the image of Shvabrin in the story The Captain's Daughter is written in bright, largely “sarcastic” colors, which directly indicates the author’s attitude towards this type of people. Behavior unworthy of an officer and a man only further emphasizes the nobility and infallibility of the protagonist of the story, rewarded for his diligence, perseverance, and selflessness.

Agreeing to compromises where this cannot be done, making a deal with conscience, looking for workarounds, writing anonymous letters, weaving intrigues, in other words, ruining one’s own soul - this is the choice of Alexei himself. The author thinks so, and in his judgments he is quite straightforward. Only once, at the very end of the story, will we hear sympathetic notes in the speeches of Pyotr Grinev. He will give credit to the defendant in shackles, because during interrogations he never mentioned the name of Masha Mironova.

Work test

“The Captain's Daughter” is the pinnacle prose work of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The author himself called his story historical, since it was based on the true events of the peasant uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev. The author recreates the atmosphere of those times, depicts characters typical of that era.

The story is a memoir, “family notes”, narrated on behalf of Pyotr Grinev, a witness and participant in the events described. The main characters in the work are: the Grinev family, Savelich, the Mironov family, Pugachev and the rebellious peasants, as well as Shvabrin. It is on this that I want to dwell in more detail.

This hero in the story is the direct opposite of Grinev. The latter “preserves honor from a young age”, embodies best features Russian person: breadth of soul, resourcefulness, courage, readiness to help. Shvabrin, on the contrary, is petty and selfish, cowardly and vile. Only one thing unites them - love for Masha Mironova.

Shvabrin is an aristocrat who previously served in the guard. He is smart, educated, eloquent, witty, resourceful. He has been serving in the Belogorsk fortress for five years, transferred to it for murder - he stabbed a lieutenant in a duel. Shvabrin once wooed Masha Mironova, was refused, and therefore often used insulting language towards the girl. This is precisely what served as the reason for his duel with Grinev. But a fair fight is not for Shvabrin. Having cheated, he wounds Peter when he looks back at the unexpected call of the servant.

Shvabrin is deeply indifferent to everything that does not concern his personal interests. The concepts of honor and official duty are alien to the hero. As soon as Belogorsk fortress ends up captured by Pugachev, Shvarin goes over to the side of the rebels and becomes one of their commanders. He went over to Pugachev’s side not for high ideological reasons, but to reprisal Grinev and marry Masha, who lived under the guise of a niece with a local priest.

A morally devastated person, Shvabrin evokes a sharply negative attitude from Pushkin. The author's assessment of this character is sharply negative; in the story he is called by his last name, or only his initials are indicated: A.I.

How does neglect of male and official honor ultimately turn out for the hero? Pugachev, who learned from Grinev that Shvabrin is holding the girl, is angry. The traitor aristocrat literally lies at the feet of the fugitive Cossack in search of mercy and forgiveness. Meanness, thus, turns into shame, which, unfortunately, did not teach the hero anything. Having fallen into the hands of government troops, Shvabrin points at Grinev as a traitorous Pugachevite.

Probably, we should not condemn this hero, but feel sorry and sympathize with him. Personally, he doesn’t evoke any feelings in me other than pity. A person who cannot overcome his fears, who cannot see beyond his own nose, is weak and insignificant. It’s not even a matter of aristocratic origin and brilliant education, but a lack of spiritual qualities. What could be worse than constantly being dependent on someone because of the fear of directly expressing your thoughts and desires, because of the habit of going with the flow? Why fight Pugachev when it is easier to take his side? Why do you need to wait until someone loves you, when you can force a girl to marry!.. Why fight an honest duel when it’s easier to deceive your opponent?!
What kind of honor can we talk about if a person thinks this way?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like Shvabrin around us. Because of them, others suffer, similar in spiritual qualities to Grineva and Masha. But, as a rule, committed meanness and betrayal turn against the mops. This is their problem: fear gives rise to lies and hypocrisy, and these, in turn, are the causes of failure.

Why did I like the image of Shvabrin? Perhaps because in his example one can clearly see what meanness and submission to circumstances lead to. Each of our actions has a consequence, so the epigraph to the story “Take care of honor from a young age” after analyzing the image of Shvabrin takes on a new meaning. Having sacrificed honor once, a person dooms himself to lifelong failures.

The story “The Captain's Daughter” can be considered one of the pinnacle works of A. S. Pushkin, written in prose. More than once even the author himself of this work said that it was historical, since it was based on peasant uprisings led by Pugachev. The author managed to recreate the atmosphere that was characteristic of those times. He portrayed the characters of the main characters amazingly and ordinary people who lived during that difficult time.

The work is a kind of narrative, which is told on behalf of the main character - P. Grinev. He became a witness and participant in all the events described by the author. But the work would be incomplete if there was no place in it for a hero who is the complete opposite of Grinev. We are, of course, talking about Shvabrin. With its help, the author managed to make the plot of the story more vivid and exciting. This is probably why the image of Shvabrin and Grinev are considered only together. But in this review we should take a closer look at the main anti-hero of the story.

What is hidden in the image of Shvabrin?

The image of Shvabrin demonstrated how petty, selfish and cowardly people can be in their desires. Shvabrina has only one thing in common with Grinev in the story “The Captain’s Daughter” - strong feelings to M. Mironova. Underneath the image of the anti-hero is an aristocrat who once served in the guard. He got into it due to his not very easy character. Namely, after the moment when the lieutenant was killed by him in the next duel.

The author of the story indicated that there was a moment when Shvabrin was already wooing Masha. But the answer, naturally, was negative. That is why one could often hear insults against her from him. These unpleasant expressions became the reason for the duel between him and Grinev. But the image of Shvabrin in the story “The Captain's Daughter” is not endowed with such a quality as honesty. At that moment, when Grinev turned away at the servant’s shout, Shvabrin managed to seriously wound him.

Among the shortcomings that the antihero of the story was endowed with, the absence of such concepts as honor and official duty stands out especially well. At that moment, when the fortress fell under the onslaught of Pugachev, Shvabrin, without thinking twice, went over to his side, receiving the position of one of the commanders. The reason for switching to the rebellious side was hatred of Grinev and the desire for Masha to become his wife.

The author’s attitude to the image that was revealed in the person of Shvabrin

Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin, devoid of any moral principles, is shown in the story as a guards officer corrupted by intrigues and conspiracies, court morals. He despised domestic reality quite strongly and even spoke exclusively in French. But Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin did not deprive the image of Shvabrin in the story “The Captain’s Daughter” and positive qualities. The author endowed him with a sharp mind, resourcefulness and good education.

From the author's side to this hero a negative attitude appears. If you look at his assessment, you can say with great accuracy that it is quite negative. This can be seen at least in the fact that in the story he is mentioned only by his last name. Also, in some places in the work only the initials of this antihero are indicated.

What did Shvabrin’s meanness ultimately lead to?

And what happens in the end? Pugachev, to whom Grinev told that Shvabrin was holding Masha by force, became angry. The image of Shvabrin in the story “The Captain's Daughter” became an excellent demonstration of what can happen to a person if he forgets about honor, courage and bravery. But it’s impossible to say that this teaches something. When Shvabrin joined the government forces, he singled out Peter among the traitors. He did this primarily in order to remove suspicion from himself. Naturally, Grinev was able to get out of a difficult situation without losing his honor and officer’s courage.

The fate of Shvabrin remained a mystery, since A.S. Pushkin did not write anything definite about this. But most likely, he was simply executed. And such punishment cannot be called unfair.

What was A. S. Pushkin trying to show readers with the help of the image of Shvabrin?

Probably, the author was trying to show that people should not be condemned for their actions, using for these purposes the image of Shvabrin in the story “The Captain's Daughter.” It is better to feel sorry for them and sympathize with them. Shvabrina can be classified as one of those people who cannot get rid of their fears. He sees nothing except what is directly related to him. It was not even his aristocratic origin that made him this way, but the absence of any spiritual qualities.

Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of people like Shvabrin around. They harm other people who in some way resemble characters like Grinev and Masha. But, as in the story by A.S. Pushkin, all their atrocities always act against their masters. This is precisely the problem with such people. Thus, fear can only give rise to hypocrisy and lies, which, in turn, lead to failure.

What is hidden in the image of Shvabrin?

But the image of Shvabrin was created for a reason. With its help, the author showed that meanness can only lead to failure and failure. Almost every action we take leads to a certain result. So it is necessary to draw the following conclusion: once you forget about your honor, you can doom yourself to further failures.

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Without the image of Shvabrin, Pushkin’s novel “The Captain’s Daughter” would have been deprived of confidence in the triumph of justice. It is thanks to this hero that we can fully appreciate the nobility of Grinev and the truth of Masha’s love.

Origin and occupation of Shvabrin

Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin is a man of aristocratic origin. His family was rich and influential in aristocratic circles.

Alexey Ivanovich, like all nobles, received good education, he knew several foreign languages and was distinguished by his extraordinary intelligence.

We invite you to read the poem by A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”

Like most young people, Shvabrin chose a military career. Alexey Ivanovich began his military path in the elite troops - in the guard. At first his service was not difficult, but Alexei Ivanovich’s recklessness ruined everything.

Despite the ban on dueling, Shvabrin still disregards the official ban. The duel ended quite successfully for him, which cannot be said about his opponent, the lieutenant. The wound he received led to his death. The fact of the duel became known and Shvabrin, as punishment, was sent to the Belogorodskaya fortress, where he served for about five years: “God knows what sin befell him; As you can see, he went out of town with one lieutenant, and they took swords with them, and, well, they stabbed each other; and Alexey Ivanovich stabbed the lieutenant, and in front of two witnesses.”

Shvabrin's appearance

Alexey Ivanovich was not distinguished by his pleasant appearance - he was short, his face was absolutely ugly, it was difficult to identify any pleasant facial features, his face was distinguished by facial liveliness, which was even more repulsive. His skin had dark color, to match the hair. His hair was perhaps one of the few things that was attractive about Shvabrin - it was deep black and framed his face beautifully.

After Pugachev captured the fortress, Shvabrin’s appearance changed significantly - he changed his usual suit to Cossack clothes, and grew a beard.

The arrest by the official authorities also affected his appearance - his once beautiful hair turned gray, and his beard became matted and lost its attractiveness. “He was terribly thin and pale. His hair, recently jet black, was completely grey; long beard was disheveled."

In general, his appearance corresponded to a man awaiting sentencing - he was depressed and discouraged.

Characteristics of personal qualities

Alexey Ivanovich had an extremely hot temper, which repeatedly became the cause of his misfortunes. Intemperance towards the lieutenant deprived him of the opportunity to serve carefree in the elite troops. His temper towards Grinev became the reason for going over to the side of the rebels and, as a consequence, hard labor.

In general, Shvabrin is not a stupid person, he is endowed with intelligence and ingenuity, but in moments of emotional instability, his mental abilities fade into the background - emotions decide everything. “Shvabrin was not very stupid. His conversation was sharp and entertaining.”

Alexey Ivanovich is a dishonest person. His habits include deceiving people and slander. Sometimes he does this out of boredom, sometimes to gain some personal benefit.

One way or another, this pushes those around him away from Shvabrin - no one wants to communicate with a daring and insidious person.

Shvabrin and Grinev

Grinev's appearance in the fortress brought some revival to her sleepy and boring life. There weren't that many employees here, so there were no problems choosing a company to hang out with. Grinev says about Shvabrin: “I really didn’t like his constant jokes about the commandant’s family, especially his caustic remarks about Marya Ivanovna. There was no other society in the fortress, but I didn’t want anything else.” The noble and kind Grinev managed to win over everyone in the fortress, in particular the commandant’s daughter, Masha. Eaten by jealousy, Shvabrin challenges the young opponent to a duel. Shvabrin was practically convinced of his victory - he believed that a person of Grinev’s age could not have exceptional fencing abilities, but it turned out to be the opposite - an accident decided the course of the fight -

Unable to get rid of his opponent in a duel, Shvabrin resorts to deceit. He writes an anonymous letter to Grinev's father about the events that took place. Alexey Ivanovich hopes that the angry father will take his son from the fortress and the path to his beloved Masha will again be clear, but this does not happen. Shvabrin had to hide and wait for a more suitable opportunity.

After some time, such an opportunity arose - after the arrests of the participants in the uprising, to which Alexey Ivanovich belonged, legal proceedings began. It is here that Shvabrin recalls his long-standing grudge against Grinev and attributes to him a game on two fronts. However, this time Shvabrin’s hopes were not realized: thanks to Masha, Grinev was pardoned by the empress.

Shvabrin and Marya Ivanovna Mironova

Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin was by nature an amorous person. Once in the fortress, he immediately noticed a pretty girl - the daughter of the commandant of the fortress. Marya Ivanovna was not exceptionally beautiful; she would hardly have been able to compete with the first beauties, but she still had pleasant facial features. Over time, Alexey Ivanovich begins to show interest in the girl. It seems to him that even if he does not arouse Marya’s sympathy, then her parents will convince the girl to reciprocate - the Shvabrin family is wealthy, and the Mironovs eke out a miserable existence on the brink of poverty.

Most likely, Shvabrin does not truly love the girl - for him it is a game, entertainment. Marya realizes this and therefore avoids the dishonest and unattractive man, which causes indignation and irritation in Shvabrin. The appearance of Grinev in the fortress further strained the relationship between Alexei Ivanovich and Maria Ivanovna. Mironova falls in love with a sweet and kind young man, and Shvabrin is unable to rejoice at their mutual feeling, and all the time tries to find a way to defend his illusory right to the girl’s love. Shvabrin's attempts do not lead to anything good: Masha only becomes more convinced of his dishonesty and hypocrisy.

After the fortress is captured by the rebels, Shvabrin locks the girl up and starves her - he hopes that in this way he can break her and get what he wants, but Marya is helped to escape, and Alexey Ivanovich is left with nothing.

Shvabrin and Pugachev

Shvabrin's transition to the side of the rebels seems illogical and absurd. For him, as a representative of the aristocracy, a rich and wealthy person, supporting the rebellion is absolutely unnecessary and unjustifiably risky.

The first objective thought that explains such an act is fear for one’s life. Pugachev and the rebels are very categorical with people who do not want to serve them, but, as further developments of events show, Shvabrin was not only motivated by the desire to stay alive. Shvabrin was disdainful of other people's lives, but was in no hurry to part with his own. Seeing how decisively the rebels deal with the rebellious, Shvabrin takes an oath to faithfully serve Pugachev.

He faithfully serves him and his cause - he cuts his hair in the Cossack manner and dresses in Cossack clothes. Shvabrin behaves freely and uninhibitedly in company with the rebels; he has become so accustomed to the role that it is difficult to recognize him as an aristocrat.

It is likely that Shvabrin’s behavior was just a game for the public - it is unlikely that a person like Alexei Ivanovich truly shared the views and desires of Pugachev.

On our website you can read the poem “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin.

The image of Shvabrin did not inspire much confidence in Pugachev - Alexey Ivanovich was a traitor who went over to his side. The fact of betrayal should have alerted Pugachev and cast doubt on the sincerity of his intentions, but, in spite of everything, Pugachev makes Shvabrin the new commander of the fortress; it is likely that this choice was influenced by Shvabrin’s military past.

Thus, the negative image of Shvabrin becomes the background for displaying the actions and characteristics of other characters. A.S. Pushkin uses contrast to achieve a vivid portrayal of the importance of morality and integrity. Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin was always a dishonest, greedy person and as a result suffered for his temper, anger and self-interest - for his involvement in the activities of the rebels he was sent to hard labor.

Literary critical remarks about "The Captain's Daughter"

Reading “The Captain's Daughter” and condemning Shvabrin’s behavior, the reader probably doesn’t think about the fact that this work is unique in Russian literature in its own way. The problem of artistic psychologism is one of the most complex and least explored. This problem arose, in fact, along with literature and, therefore, went through a number of stages in its development. In the 20–30s of the 19th century, Russian literature had already acquired real maturity. First of all, in the work of Pushkin, who thus became the founder of Russian literature. Artistry has found its fullest expression in the creation of characters - as the most stable, multifaceted and dynamic psychological structures, embodying the uniqueness of individuality. It was on this basis that the formation of psychologism as one of the leading principles of reflection was completed. This happened in close interaction with romanticism and critical realism. After all, their pathos lay primarily in the display of human individuality, in the affirmation of its independence, in showing its flourishing and at the same time the injuries caused by the socio-historical conditions of life.

So, we must assume that in Russian literature the first half of the 19th century centuries there have been at least three forms of psychologism. First of all, this is the psychologism that arose when man in general was considered the subject of literature, and the dogmas of normative poetics still weighed heavily on writers to one degree or another. However, here it was no longer “high” and “low” that were opposed, but “sensitivity” and “coldness”...

Pushkin's words in the context of psychologism

The main one was also the form of psychologism, which arose with the recognition of the value of human individuality. This contributed to the fact that psychologism finally turned into one of the leading principles of literature (and, perhaps, culture), along with humanism. At that time, fundamental changes were taking place in social psychology in connection with the awakening of self-awareness in society, with the advent of an analytical approach to the existing way of life. Writers of the 20s and especially the 30s increasingly came to this form of psychologism.

“The Captain's Daughter” is the author’s last word. Our writer began his creative path, when the process of awakening social self-awareness was directly reproduced in literature, and with this the recognition of the value of individual uniqueness. Thus, “everyday free-thinking” was reflected, according to Yuri Lotman, which was clearly manifested in “riotism,” as well as “hussarism,” “epicureanism,” a romantic attitude, etc. All these are different manifestations of personal self-affirmation. And it is from this point of view that the hero of Pushkin’s work interprets such forms of the psyche as “character” and “passion”.

Thus, psychologism finally took shape as a principle of reflection in connection with the reproduction of a special state of social psychology: the awakening of an individual’s self-awareness and recognition of the value of individual uniqueness. This is how the form arose that reached its highest development in the works of Pushkin and Gogol. Of course, this form was realized by these authors in different ways, because Pushkin and Gogol did not adhere to the same concepts of humanism and, moreover, dealt with different life materials. With the spread of reflection, in particular skepticism, the transition to new form psychologism, which was already discovered by Lermontov. The next step is the psychologism of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy... And, as we see, everything begins in many ways with Pushkin.

Modern receptions of “The Captain’s Daughter” and the image of Shvabrin

Above we analyzed the image of Shvabrin in isolation. However, one cannot help but admit the fact that literature is a series of receptions and reincarnations. Thus, we offer an original look at how the image of Shvabrin migrated to modern literature. In particular, we are talking about the work of Victor Pelevin. In his novel, Pelevin uses a plot device from Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter,” namely, the duel between Grinev and Shvabrin. This duel takes place through a heartfelt poem to Masha, written by the loving Grinev and the ridiculed Shvabrin. In Pelevin's "Empire V" the duel actually takes place in verses of different genres. Mithra writes a sycophantic madrigal, Roma-Rama writes an invective with a socio-political sound.

Pushkin and Pelevin carefully describe the rules of the duel as a knightly code of honor (“The Captain’s Daughter”) and as its verbal imitation (“Empire V”). The duel (the struggle between the heroes for Masha’s heart in “The Captain’s Daughter”) and the dispute over Hera’s commitment (in “Empire V”) becomes the reason for further self-characterization of the heroes. Shvabrin, like Mithra, reveals baseness and sycophancy. Grinev, like Roma-Rama, reveals, in turn, historical insight, wisdom, honesty, and patriotism. The historical insight of Pelevin’s hero continues Pushkin’s reflections on the causes of Russian national-historical “non-identity”, inconsistency with oneself at various stages of social development. Thoughts about the tragic consequences of Russian historical chaos, which are based on “violent upheavals,” have been continued for almost two centuries by the hero of the postmodern era, Roma-Rama. So, " eternal youth Russia” is ensured by a previous history torn to the core.

Pushkin's intertext in Pelevin's novel thus acts as a consolidating cultural factor that continues the original Russian literary tradition, creates a dialogue between modernity and the golden time of Russian literature, thereby embodying the saving continuity of eras.

Another emphasis: Shvabrin as a two-spirited person

Pushkin's system is a classic system of antitheses, when positive characters correspond to negative heroes. Shvabrin, as we have seen from our analysis, embodies those characteristics that are associated with negative figures. Meanness, dishonesty, a tendency to treason and betrayal, insidiousness, cruelty, unscrupulousness - all this is about Shvabrin.

When the reader first meets this hero, he finds him in the fortress. Shvabrin is serving a sentence “for murder.” Of course, negative heroes are usually endowed with a powerful mind, wit, attractive appearance, liveliness of character, and entertaining speech. Pushkin collects in the image of Shvabrin all those features that are inherent in typical villains. The reader becomes a witness to the unfolding drama - not jealousy, but the triumph of a sense of ownership. Shvabrin is opposed to Grinev - positive character. Grinev gets what Shvabrin couldn’t get. That is, the love of a girl. Dissatisfaction - almost in the Freudian sense - pushes Shvabrin to heinous acts: denigrating the name of Masha (the same girl, as we remember), wounding Grinev in a duel, finally recognizing the impostor Pugachev as sovereign, dressing up, betrayal... Shvabrin captivates Masha, trying to force her to come out marry him. Of course, the story ended happily, and Masha was freed from the fortress. However, Pushkin’s logic unfolds in the key of “misdemeanor - punishment”, in literary work justice triumphed, but in life it would probably have happened differently. Shvabrin, after a series of losses, still tries to console himself with revenge. However, he receives only devastation and the final loss of dignity - as a person.