Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov is one of the Russian literary geniuses of the beginning of the 19th century, who passed away too early (he tragically died in the diplomatic service at the age of 34). A nobleman, a versatile person who built a brilliant career in the diplomatic field, Griboedov managed to write very little. Peru of this talented writer was subject to translations from foreign languages, dramaturgy, prose and poetry, and among his works the play in the poems “Woe from Wit”, the writing of which was completed in 1824, was most famous.
The main ideas of the play include the irreconcilable confrontation of two worldviews - adherents of the old, hardened life and young freedom. Among many images, the main character stands out - Sofya Famusova. It is full of contradictions, ambiguous. There is some understatement in it. Such is Sophia’s characteristic (“Woe from Wit” does not elevate anyone to the ideal) that a girl cannot be unambiguously ranked as a purely positive character. Not stupid, according to the author himself, but has not yet become reasonable. The situation forces her to act as a liar, lie to her father and dodge in order to hide her feelings for a man whom he considers unworthy of her hand. A young seventeen-year-old charming woman, she has sufficient willpower to have her own views on things, sometimes completely contradicting the foundations of her environment.
If for the father of Sophia, Famusov, the opinion of society is above all, then the girl herself allows herself to scornfully speak about assessments from outsiders. Sometimes it seems that the main characteristic of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit” is a desire for freedom from an imposed will, a passion for a different, independent life and a naive purity of thoughts. Like every young girl, she wants the love and devotion of a worthy person, which she sees in her father's secretary, Molchalin. Having created in her imagination an ideal image of her lover, she does not notice the inconsistency of her fantasies with reality. She does not want to notice the feelings of Alexander Chatsky, in love with her and sharing many of her aspirations, close to her in spirit. One who, against the background of her entourage - her father, Colonel Skalozub, Molchalin and others - may seem like a breath of clean air during choking.
Her love for Molchalin is also a peculiar characteristic of Sophia. “Woe from Wit” shows him as a certain antipode of the main character - Chatsky. A quiet, modest, silent man "on his mind." But in her eyes he looks like a romantic hero. The passionate nature of the girl helps her to convince herself of the exclusivity of this mediocre person. At the same time, Chatsky, who embodies the spirit of freedom, honesty, directness and rejection of the old morals of society and their adherents, seems to Sofya rude and evil.
The girl does not understand that she is in many ways similar to him. She is also not concerned about the opinion of the crowd, allows herself to be direct, not to restrain feelings for the sake of society and to show her emotional impulses in front of strangers. A certain confidence in the correctness of their actions and feelings is another characteristic of Sophia. “Woe from Wit” nevertheless does not fully reveal the character of the heroine (even A. Pushkin expressed the opinion that this image was written out “unclear”). Possessing a lively mind and exalted nature, Sophia does not have sufficient firmness in beliefs and fortitude to defend them.
I. A. Goncharov considered the images of Sofya Famusova and Pushkinskaya Tatyana Larina as in many ways similar. Indeed, the characteristic is Sophia (“Woe from Wit”) and Tatyana (“Eugene Onegin”), who have forgotten everything in a dope of love and wander around the house, as if in a fit of sleepwalking. Both heroines are ready to open their feelings with childlike simplicity and spontaneity.
In the course of the play “Woe from Wit”, Sophia’s characteristics change in the eyes of the reader. From a naive and kind girl, she turns into a slanderer and a person who is ready, for the sake of petty revenge, to destroy Chatsky's authority in the eyes of acquaintances. Thus, she loses his respect and destroys warm feelings. Her punishment is Molchalin’s infidelity and shame in the eyes of society.
I can not judge if Sophia justly suffered. This girl brutally deceived herself. Apparently, her romanticism and lack of self-criticism failed her. However, without relying on someone else's opinion, it is better to read “Woe from Wit” and draw conclusions about the image of Sophia yourself.