The famous moral and social play in verses “Woe from Wit” by A.S. Griboedova became an original highly artistic and socially significant work of the first quarter of the XIX century. The author worked on the main work of his life for several years and depicted in it the images and real types of people of that era.
Conflict
In the work “Woe from Wit”, the plot is based on two conflicts: the first is a love one, in which the main character Chatsky and Sofia take part, the second is a socio-ideological one, where again one can’t live without Chatsky, the owner (Famusov) and his guests, defending outdated conservative views.
Coming to the topic “Attitude to Famusov's Serfdom”, we first understand what kind of person this is, what his priority is. Chatsky will become the main exposer of such pillars of noble society as Famusov, convinced serfs who are ready to send for any mistake their serf servants to Siberia.
The image of Famusov
Pavel Afanasevich Famusov is the central figure of the play. Turning to the topic “Attitude to Famous Serfdom”, it should be noted that this hero is a vivid representative of conservatives who adhere to the philosophical teachings of their ancestors. He calls them "fathers", in turn, these are people who occupy high government posts and are wealthy landowners. They always advocate the preservation of autocracy and serfdom. They were never interested in issues of enlightenment and freedom. Famusov’s image is a collective image, which is the ruling class that has power over others.
State man
Famusov himself is also not a poor person and has a rather high rank of "manager in a state place." The success and promotion of many people depends on him in many respects. He distributes awards and ranks, makes patronage to young officials and pensions to retirees. It is quite clear that people like Famusov will fight until the last to preserve their status and privileges. This hero praises Moscow traditions and customs. He believes that in everything you need to rely on the experience of the "fathers" and learn from the older generation.
Famusov’s quotes contain the meaning of “that honor is respected by father and son”, even if he is poor, but if he has a couple of thousand serfs, then he will be considered worthy of the groom.
Excess of mind is vice
Famusov, in his convictions of life, calls the innovative young free-thinking a vice. He believes that this comes from an excess of intelligence and learning. He has a mundane and worldly idea of mind. According to his reasoning, an intelligent one who was able to get a good job and at the expense of patrons make a career for himself. For him, scholarship is like freethinking, in which he sees a huge danger to society and the state. Famusov’s quotes in this case are simply staggering: “if evil were stopped, all books should be burned.”
Service attitude
In Famus society, the main theme is service; here everyone dreams of ranks and wealth. To such people as Colonel Skalozub, Famusov treats with deep respect. Chatsky, who abandoned the service, considers the man to be "lost", "although if he wanted to, he would have been business," Famusov remarks about him. However, the landowner himself was very dismissive of his duties "signed, so off the shoulder."
Attitude to serfdom Famusov
Famusov is a Russian landowner of the XIX century, for whom the possession of serfs seems to be the most natural thing. Chatsky, on the contrary, sharply speaks about serfdom and strongly denounces his supporters. He never accepts that serfs can be traded for thoroughbred puppies of greyhounds. Chatsky opposes the oppression of the people, he is for freedom and equality between people. The landowners live and feast at the expense of their slaves, therefore, "they themselves are fat, and their lackeys are skinny."
If we further expand on the topic “Attitude to Famusov's Serfdom”, then the image of Famusov is a harsh reactionary officialdom, which was the stronghold of the tsarist autocracy. Exposing the reactionary nature of Famus society, Griboedov wanted to show where these people dominate, how they influence the life of the simple Russian people.