The problem of intergenerational relations is considered one of the eternal questions of morality. Time accelerates its course, but people do not keep pace with it. Social institutions, codes, norms preserve the traditions of the past. The trends of today, not to mention the future, turn into a storm in the musty crypt of the past.
In this article, we will try to highlight not only the relationship of generations, but also the study of this issue in the works of Russian writers.
The essence and origins of the problem
Today in our fast-paced world under conditions of total globalization, the problem of intergenerational relations is becoming noticeably acute. It seems that the children are moving away from their parents not by one, but by several steps at once.
The peculiarity of the struggle between the new and the old is that the first does not always come out of it as a winner. Adults have more leverage, confidence in their unwavering rightness, the need to be an authority and leader for a child.
Further, we will consider this problem from the point of view of psychologists, and also learn how writers saw it in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Particularly interesting material will be for students who are preparing for exams. Often one of the topics is the following: “Problems of intergenerational relationships.” You can easily write an essay on this assignment after reading this article.
Today, the emphasis has shifted from the experience of older generations to peer achievement. Almost all the knowledge from parents is received by the child in an "outdated" form. Nowadays, the life span of an innovation sometimes ranges from a few days or hours.
In adolescence, boys and girls are forced to go through a kind of initiation phase. They need to learn how to control emotions, to become reasonable and wise. This is called "growing up." The difficulty is that with the acceleration of the pace of life, parents often themselves have not yet fully formed into an integral mature personality. Or their image is only suitable for the heroes of a nineteenth-century novel.
The problem is that often parents cannot even tell their offspring what to do in a given situation. After all, they never spent their youth in the present. What used to be revolutionary, today youth refers to the era of the Stone Age.
Let's look at the issue of disagreements between parents and children. How do psychologists and writers see him?
What psychologists say
If the task concerns the problem of intergenerational relationships, the essay can begin with the opinion of specialists on this topic.
Now we will talk about some of the studies conducted by scientists to study the psychology of the adult generation. They believe that the main problem lies in the inability of the elders to understand their failure in matters of education.
It turns out that complacency and confidence that past life experience is the standard by which to measure the “correctness” of a child serves as the foundation for contention. It turns out that adults speak the same language, and children - completely different.
Moreover, from the point of view of psychologists, the problem of intergenerational relationships often comes from parents. The most common complaint from children: "They do not want to hear me."
Experiments were conducted to confirm this hypothesis. We give a description and results of one of them.
The school invited students of the tenth grade to evaluate themselves on a five-point scale. It was necessary to measure internal qualities, such as kindness, sociability, initiative and others. The second task was to determine how their parents would appreciate these same qualities. The older generation was asked to evaluate their children, and then to predict their self-esteem.
As a result, it turned out that the children accurately imagine what their parents think about them, and the fathers and mothers, in turn, do not know anything about their offspring.
Other studies have proved, in addition to this point, a number of difficulties in relations between children and adults. So, it was revealed that the child is more outspoken with his mother than with his father. The second unpleasant moment is that many of the things that interest a teenager are not customary to discuss in our society.
The themes of feelings, openness, sexuality pose an insurmountable barrier between generations in the family. Such a turn of events leads to formal communication and routinization of relations.
Turgenev, “Fathers and Sons”
According to many critics, the problem of intergenerational relations in the novel Fathers and Sons is most fully covered. In principle, the most attention is paid to her here, but you will soon see that there are other works in which this issue is raised.
Ivan Sergeyevich in his novel shows not just the confrontation of father and son in a single family. The problem of intergenerational relationships is depicted here, since Kirsanov and Bazarov are not relatives.
The first is young, a nihilist, a democrat and a revolutionary. Pavel Petrovich is shown as a monarchist and aristocrat to the core. The clash of their worldviews is the basis of the plot.
We see that Yevgeny Bazarov is inclined to deny everything, putting science above all other values. The depiction of the landscape of Switzerland, for example, is interesting to him only from a geological point of view. He is pragmatic, trying to prove the advantage of new views. However, in the end, Eugene perishes with the thought that Russia did not accept him.
The antagonist of Bazarov is Kirsanov. He likes to talk about the "Russian idea", the simplicity of a peasant life. But in reality all his words turn out to be an illusion. He is inclined only to talk about it, but in deeds shows the opposite.
Like many other nineteenth-century writers, Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev is on the side of the younger generation. He shows through the prism of the novel the agony of the old worldview and the birth in the throes of a new philosophy of society.
Tolstoy, “War and Peace”
Next, we will consider the problem of intergenerational relations in the novel War and Peace. Here Tolstoy, being a connoisseur of human souls and motives of behavior, shows three different families. They have different social status, values and traditions. On the example of the Bolkonsky, Kuraginy and Rostov we see almost the entire palette of Russian citizens of the nineteenth century.
However, the novel shows not only the relations between different generations, but also the friction of various sectors of society. Bolkonsky, for example, brings up children in the framework of service to the Fatherland. He puts the honor and benefit for other people above all. Such grow Andrei and Maria. However, the old prince often went too far in education, about which he laments on his deathbed.
Kuragins are shown as the exact opposite of Bolkonsky. These are careerists who place social status above all else. Their example illustrates the cold attitude of parents to children. The lack of sensuality and trust becomes natural for Helen and Anatole.
In fact, with the help of the Kuragin family, Tolstoy shows empty people who are exclusively interested in material values and outward brilliance.
The exact opposite are Rostovs. The perfect family is pictured here . Parents fully support Nikolai and Natasha. Children can always turn to them for help when they need it. This genus is completely different from the aristocratic Bolkonsky and from the careerists Kuragins.
Thus, in the first two works mentioned by us, the problem of relations between generations is most fully disclosed. Composition (Unified State Examination) is best written by starting from these novels.
Paustovsky, "Telegram"
When discussing the issue of intergenerational relationships, “life” arguments will be the best. The story of Konstantin Paustovsky will affect the most painful strings of the human soul. It highlights the situation when children forget their parents.
This is the second extreme that the family can fall into. Often the reason is not so much the problem of upbringing as the pernicious moments of social influence.
Sometimes teenagers unprepared for aggression in the real world fall into a whirlpool of other people's goals. They live on other people's ideals and lose themselves. If the parents did not succeed in accustoming the child from childhood to the fact that they will accept him at home in any condition, then the young man will move away.
Thus, we are faced with the multifaceted problem of intergenerational relationships. Arguments in favor of proper upbringing and other preventive measures can be given, but it is better to show the terrible consequences of a deepening abyss.
It is such examples that we see in the works of many writers. In the "Telegram", in particular, my daughter was late. When the girl came to her senses and came to visit her mother in the village, she found only a grave mound and a simple tombstone.
Paustovsky shows that pride, hidden anger and other barriers that impede the warm relations between relatives, always lead to the tragedy of the “offended”. Therefore, the best way to solve the problem of intergenerational relations is forgiveness and a sincere desire to understand the interlocutor.
Gogol, "Taras Bulba"
The problem of intergenerational relations in Russian literature is quite acute in Gogol’s work. He addresses the unexpected and terrible side of the realization of this moment.
The story illustrates the killing by a father of his child for the sake of his own sense of honor and pride. Taras Bulba could not forgive and survive the betrayal of ideals by Andrei. He takes revenge on him because the young man did not grow up by the one who raised him.
On the other hand, he punishes the Poles for the death of his youngest son - Ostap.
Thus, in this work we see the bitter truth of reality. Fathers rarely seek to understand their children. They just want to realize their concept of "ideal life" in them.
That is why the problem of intergenerational relationships is an eternal one. The arguments of Russian writers in favor of the impossibility of its solution can be found in our article. Next, we will consider different areas of this issue.
But after reading most of the works and studies, it remains the impression that, along with age, the ideals of house building awaken at the genetic level.
The Eldest Son - play and film
We are now discussing the problem of intergenerational relationships (the USE often includes it in the list of tasks). Let's look at Vampilov’s comedy “The Eldest Son”. It was written in the late sixties of the twentieth century.
The significance of the work is that several generations intertwine here. We see the relationship between three: fathers, adults, and younger children.
The essence of the comedy is an innocent joke that has grown into a significant stage in the life of an entire family. Two friends (Busygin and Silva) are late until late in a foreign city, are late for transport. They are in search of an overnight stay.
In the city they meet with the Sarafanov family. Silva tells their new friend that Busygin is his son. A man takes the message at face value, because he "had a sin of youth."
The essence of the work is that Busygin has to become the link between the father and the children, who do not put their parent in anything.
We already see enough matured "youngest" Vassenka, who, out of jealousy, burns Natalia’s housing. Nina, named Busygin’s sister, wants to run away with her fiancé to the Far East, but her new brother keeps her.
Obeying a burst of feelings, the deceiver confesses everything. In the work, everything ends well. But the main emphasis is nevertheless put. The situation was created in a comic form for convenient perception and comfortable introduction of a “family friend” into the comedy.
It is through the prism of a third-party view of the family that the problem of intergenerational relationships is revealed. Vampilov's work is fundamentally different from similar works of the nineteenth and eighteenth centuries. It is here that we see the picture that exists in our time.
The traditions of house-building have already become obsolete, but the softness and thoughtless love of many parents plays a trick on them when children grow up.
Griboedov and Fonvizin
The problem of the relationship of generations in “Woe from Wit” is revealed by the example of Famusov and Chatsky. Let's take a closer look at these symbolic images.
The old generation is characterized by the worship of ranks, wealth and status in society. It is afraid, does not understand and hates new trends. Famusov stuck in the philistine worldview of the last century. His only desire is to find for his daughter a son-in-law with ranks and stars on his chest.
Chatsky is the exact opposite of Pavel Afanasevich. He not only verbally exposes the home-building foundations of the past, but also shows with all his behavior the depravity of the old and the power of the new worldview.
Molchalin is the same age as Chatsky, but contrasts with him in his thoughts, goals and behavior. He is pragmatic, duplicitous and hypocritical. Above all, for him - a warm and money place. That is why the young man in everything pleases Famusov, quiet and modest with Sophia.
Chatsky has a drama in his personal life. His girlfriend calls him crazy and pushes him away, preferring "a servant with a rank." But, despite this, the outcome of the comedy is shown to readers openly. It is the “carbonarians” and the rebels who will replace the traditional orderly worship and mossiness of the old nobles.
The Undergrowth also addresses the issue of intergenerational relationships. The work is an amazing decoding of the saying: "An apple does not fall far from an apple tree." Here we see a separate aspect of the relationship between parents and children. Parenting, which is designed not to help the child find himself in life and be realized, but to reflect an outdated picture of the mother’s world.
So, in the comedy "Undergrowth" we see the result that Mrs. Prostakova received. She did her best to protect the child from the "hated" world and a ruined society. Teachers were hired only because Peter the Great bequeathed. And the teachers at Mitrofanushka did not differ in scholarship.
Comedy is written in the vein of classicism, so all the names in it are speaking. Teachers Tsifirkin, Kuteikin, Vralman. Mitrofan’s son, which is translated from Greek as “like a mother”, and Prostakova herself.
We see the disappointing results of blindly following dead dogmas without the slightest attempt to comprehend them.
Opposing the old traditions Starodum, Pravdin and some other characters. They reflect the desire of the new society to see the soul in man, and not an empty gilded shell.
As a result of the conflict, we get a completely merciless, greedy and stupid "undergrowth." "I do not want to study, but I want to get married," - this is the most accurate reflection of its essence.
Coverage of the problem in the works of Pushkin
One of the eternal moral questions is the problem of intergenerational relationships. Arguments from the life of modern society rarely fully correspond to literary images. The closest situation is mentioned in the Elder Son, which we spoke about earlier.
The works of nineteenth-century classics are often useful to young people only globally. The general ethical and moral topics that are raised in them will be relevant for more than a century.
The problems of intergenerational relationships in Pushkin's works are highlighted many times. Examples include the following: “Captain's Daughter”, “Station Warden”, “Boris Godunov”, “The Mean Knight” and some others.
Alexander Sergeevich, most likely, did not set himself the goal of reflecting precisely this conflict, like Tolstoy and Turgenev. The clash of generations has been part of everyday life since the time of primitive people. It’s just that over time, the gap between parents and children becomes larger. This is affected by progress, a change in social values, globalization, and many other factors.
In particular, in the "Station Warden" the situation is similar to the one that Paustovsky subsequently highlighted (we spoke about this above). Here, Samson’s daughter, Vyrina, escapes from her father’s house with a hussar. She falls into urban society, becoming a rich and respectable mistress.
When the father finds her, he does not recognize and does not want to accept the new image of his daughter. Samson returns to the station, where he drank and dies. Here the conflict is formed due to the different meanings that the characters put in the concept of "happiness".
In “The Captain's Daughter” we see a completely different picture. Here Peter Grinev tightly remembered the traditional teachings of his father. Following these rules helped him to save face and honor in difficult situations.
The old baron in “The Mean Knight” loses his own son, because he is committed to the old philistine foundations. He does not want to change the ossified worldview, feudal views. In this essay, we see a too big gap between father and son. As a result, a final break in ties occurs.
Ostrovsky, Thunderstorm
As you have already seen, if the composition of the problem of intergenerational relations is to be touched upon in the essay, arguments (literary, vital, etc.) will easily help to do this.
At the end of our article, we give one more example that fits perfectly with the task at hand. Now we will talk about the drama Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm".
In this amazing work, the clash of the old Domostroevsky and young generations is very clearly shown . Of all the characters, it is decided to confront the ossified tyranny of the elders only the main character - Katerina.
There is a saying that Russia is a country of facades. It is in this play that this phrase stands for frightening nudity. Behind the apparent prosperity and piety of an ordinary Volga town, we discover for ourselves the true evil that lies in the souls of people.
The problem is not only the cruelty, stupidity and bigotry of the older generation. Wild boar, Wild tyranny of youth only when they are not seen by society. By such actions, they are just trying to “guide the true path” of their non-merry children. However, the difficulty is that all the knowledge and traditions inherent in house building have long been transformed from norms of behavior into an unnecessary burden.
The flip side of this issue is the lack of will, weakness and bestial humility of the younger, as well as the indifference of the rest of the townspeople to what is happening before their eyes.
The problems of intergenerational relationships in the drama are shown in parallel with the impending storm. As nature seeks to free itself from the accumulated, sending life-giving rain on fossilized soil, so Katerina’s suicide makes the indifferent souls of people startle.
Thus, we have examined the relationship of generations with examples from life, the origins and manifestations of this problem. In addition, we got acquainted with the works of many Russian writers who accurately, sharply and frighteningly truthfully addressed this issue.
Good luck to you, dear readers! Try to find the strength in yourself to be better, so as not to become boars, simpletons and other house-builders.