The image of Peter Grinev in the story “The Captain's Daughter” fascinates with its breadth and versatility. It contrasts with the image of Grinev Sr., the father of Peter - a man with an established worldview and a fully formed character. Pyotr Andreevich, on the other hand, is a young sixteen-year-old youth whose personality is just beginning to develop, is in a state of constant search and movement.
Union of Opposing Qualities
On the first pages of the story, Petrush Grinev remains a frivolous and rather nonchalant offspring of a landowner, an idler-loafer, dreaming of the life of a metropolitan guard officer who is simple and full of various worldly pleasures. The image of Pyotr Grinev in the story “The Captain's Daughter” is especially vivid in these episodes, where the young man meets a hussar officer Zurin during his visit to Simbirsk. And also in how he treats Savelich, devotedly devoted to him, how, imitating adults from his circle, he tries to put him in the place of a servant. However, in the same episode, Pushkin also reveals some of the positive qualities of his hero. Grinev yells at Savelich, realizing deep down that he is wrong, feeling that he is sorry for the poor old man. After some time, Peter comes to ask him for forgiveness.
Weaving characters
The image of Peter Grinev in the story “The Captain's Daughter” combines the loving and kind heart of the hero’s mother, as well as the directness, honesty and courage of his father. The young man was deeply impressed by the farewell farewell of the latter, in which he urged Peter to faithfully serve the one to whom he swore, to listen to the words of the bosses, but not to curry favor with them, not to evade the service. It is in the parting words of Grinev Sr. that the famous proverb appears: “take care of your dress again, and honor from youth”.
Kindness
The next moment when Peter showed the best qualities of his soul - when he generously donated a hare sheepskin coat to the counselor, not yet knowing what role this case will play in his whole future life. The kindness of the hero manifested repeatedly in other situations. This is the side of Grinev’s personality that allowed him to experience acute pity for the Bashkir, who suffered from the tsarist “justice”, to rush headlong to the rescue of Savelych captured. And especially vividly the breadth of Petrusha Grinev’s heart manifested after his meeting with Mashenka Mironova, which sowed in his soul a feeling in the name of which he was ready to make any sacrifices and face any dangers.
Father's covenants and personality development
Further, the image of Peter Grinev in the story "Captain's Daughter" becomes the personification of fidelity to the behests of his father. We are talking about events unfolding directly in the Belogorsk fortress. Despite everything, Peter did not betray himself, his ideas about honor and duty, despite the fact that these concepts were severely limited and distorted by his class and noble prejudices. In the conditions of the harsh school of life, to which his father gave in return for the free Petersburg, a new Peter Grinev appears before the reader. “The Captain's Daughter” is a story in which a stupid and selfish boy reveals his best features in a short time, and the reader observes how they are tempered and strengthened under the influence of various situations.
“A strong and good shock” produces in the heart of Grinev a grand rebellion of the peasants. He becomes a strong and confident person, not afraid of obstacles. And this is precisely what allowed Peter, even after his father did not give consent to their marriage with Masha Mironova, not to give up and not give up.
Why is the story "Captain's Daughter" so contradictory? The characterization of Pyotr Grinev, as well as other characters, is not just idealized images, clearly distinguished between “good” and “bad” characters. These are real living people, with their internal conflicts and doubts. For example, Peter Grinev himself, by virtue of his noble birth and upbringing, cannot support the ideas of the Pugachev uprising. Moreover, the young man is actively helping to fight the rebels. However, the head of the movement, Emelyan Pugachev himself , aroused sincere and deep sympathy in Peter's soul, which was explained not only by the fact that the former repeatedly helped him, but also by the fact that Grinev was involuntarily imbued with sympathy for this man from the people - bold, strong, outstanding and true to his ideas.