In the satirical comedy “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboedov, the guests gathered in the house of the master Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, it was not by chance that they turned out to be heroes with household characteristics. Expanding the topic of “Famusov: quotation description” and analyzing the image of the owner of the house Famusov, it is worth noting that almost every word he uttered speaks in defense of the “age of fear and humility.” He loves to teach young people and wants them to follow the example of the older generation, which has always preferred flattery and sycophancy. These qualities, according to him, have always helped to advance in career ladder, which means getting rich, and there was no need to wish for more.
Uncle Famusov
He always remembers with great pleasure his late uncle Maxim Petrovich Famusov, whose quotation goes something like this: “I ate either on gold or on silver, but if I had to help myself, I bent over backwards.” For Famusov, he was once an uncle of a rich nobleman who lived during the reign of Catherine the Great. Famusov enthusiastically talks about how Maxim Petrovich used the embarrassment that happened to him at a reception in the empress’s palace to his advantage, playing a funny jester, which gained the favorable attention of Catherine. After which he became the most revered and respected nobleman at court.
For Famusov, the high government rank that he held was not something important, he did not even try to understand the essence of the matter, he signed the papers without reading, as he himself said: “It’s signed, off your shoulders.” Daughter Sophia notes that her father is “grumpy, restless, quick...”.
Uncle Griboyedov
If we study more deeply the topic “Quotation characteristics: “Woe from Wit,” Famusov,” then the prototype of the hero Famusov for the writer Griboedov was his own uncle, Alexey Fedorovich. In his passage “The Character of My Uncle,” the author notes that his uncle’s character literally dominated about 20 years ago. Griboyedov calls this long ago a time of vices and courtesy, believing that on the outside there was chivalry in morals, but in the hearts there was complete emptiness of feelings.
But here the uncle’s resemblance to Famusov is revealed only in a few features - everyday and psychological. There is a lot of typical stuff in Famusov’s image; he identifies with himself a large number of representatives of the aristocratic Moscow nobility. At that time there were many duels, and many had some kind of passion, for example, to deceive a man at cards, a woman in love, and subordinates often built meanness to their superiors, making promises and not fulfilling them.
The author further explains that, to put it simply, everyone was dishonest in his soul and deceitful in his tongue. And he adds: “It seems that this is not the case today, but perhaps it is.” But he ranks his uncle precisely in that era. He says about him that his uncle could fight like a lion with the Turks under the command of Suvorov, and then in the front palaces of St. Petersburg he groveled before random people, and in retirement he completely lived on gossip.
Famusov is a typical representative of his society
But, as was said earlier, Famusov is not eager to serve, but is more afraid of the accumulation of papers. Developing further the theme of “Famusov: quotation description,” it should be noted that the life of this government official is filled with nothing more than attending various receptions, dinner parties, christenings and name days. And in the service, Famusov surrounds himself with relatives in order to help them climb the career ladder, and it is not so important whether he is an expert in this field or not, the main thing is to then “please his loved one” and present him to the order on time.
Famusov: quotation description
Famusov evaluates people by their rank and wealth, and for Sophia he is looking for the right person, telling her: “Whoever is poor is not a match for you.” In his opinion, the groom is the one who has at least a couple of thousand souls. And the maid Lisa notices that her father would like a son-in-law with ranks and stars.
In a dispute with Chatsky, Famusov draws his conclusions that “learning is a plague.” He says: “They should take the books and burn them.” Famusov is not interested in a person’s enlightenment; nobility and financial status are important to him, while his opponent Chatsky sharply criticizes the outdated conservative views of Moscow society, which sooner or later will lead to a dead end.
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In the world you rarely find a teaching that promotes violence, lies and deception. For the most part, world dogmas affirm the principles of humanity, peacefulness and decent attitude towards other people, however, real life far from these teachings.
Despite all efforts, deceit and deception prevail in society. This trend is typical for any social group. However, the realization that the elite of society is also not devoid of these vices of humanity is depressing - I want to believe that there is a certain ideal of society in the world and this is not a utopia.
Famus society could quite possibly serve as such an ideal model, but this does not happen. With the help of Alexander Chatsky's exposure, the reader learns about the vices and negative character traits typical of aristocrats.
The denunciation of the aristocracy occurs through the example of the manager government agency in Moscow Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. He has neither a unique biography nor a unique character - all his qualities are typical of the aristocracy of that time.
Family life of Famusov
In the story, the reader gets acquainted with an already formed, mature person, both biologically and psychologically.
His exact age is not indicated in the play - at the time of the unfolding of the main events he is a man of considerable age: “At my age, you can’t start squatting on me,” - this is what Famusov himself says about his age.
Family life Pavel Afanasyevich’s life was not cloudless - his wife died, and he remarried a certain “Madame Rosier”. Famusov cannot boast of a large number of successors to his family - he has one child - daughter Sonya, born from his first wife.
Famusov is not devoid of a sense of compassion - he took in his friend’s son, Alexander Chatsky, to raise him after the boy was orphaned. Alexander retained pleasant impressions of his teacher and, after returning from a long trip abroad, the first thing he did was pay a visit to Pavel Afanasyevich. Sincerely speaking, his respect and gratitude towards Famusov is not the only reason for the visit. Chatsky is in love with Sonya and hopes to marry the girl.
Based on this situation, we can conclude that Pavel Afanasyevich was a good teacher, he knew how to win Alexander over at any age, otherwise Chatsky would not have sought to pay him a visit with such zeal.
However, Famusov’s meeting with Chatsky became a reason for disappointment and quarrel. Alexander begins to analyze the actions and position of his teacher and comes to extremely unsatisfactory results on his part.
Famusov State Service
The reader gets acquainted with Famusov already when he is in the position of manager “in a government place”; Griboedov does not specify how he received this position and what his career path was.
It is known that Famusov prefers to see relatives among his fellow employees: “When I have employees, strangers are very rare.”
Pavel Afanasyevich surrounded himself with relatives at work, he loves to please them with a promotion or another award, but he does this for a reason - the concept of selflessness is alien to Famusov.
Personal qualities and habits of Famusov
First of all, selfish motives stand out. He himself is a rich and wealthy man, therefore, when choosing his future son-in-law, he is guided by the prospects for growth of both a career and a financial young man, because in Famusov’s concept, the first is inseparable from the second.
Famusov himself is dependent on ranks; he believes that a person who has the proper rank and many awards is already a priori worthy of respect.
“You, passionate about ranks,” is how Chatsky describes him. In addition to the desire to achieve rank, his son-in-law must also have sufficient financial security. At the same time, Pavel Afanasyevich is not interested in the morality and integrity of the young man.
Based on this position, Alexander Chatsky looks like an extremely unattractive candidate for the husband of Sonya Famusova. He left military service, civil service He is also not interested, of course, Chatsky has a family estate, but this does not evoke reliability and prospects in Famusov’s eyes: “Whoever is poor is not a match for you.”
Stunned by such a verdict, Chatsky still does not lose hope of being reunited with his beloved, but further development conflict forces Chatsky to abandon this idea.
Famusov highly values the achievements of the reign of Catherine II, and considers Maxim Maksimych to be the ideal person, who, thanks to his sycophancy and ability to please, managed to reach heights in his career and was held in high esteem:
On the kurtag he happened to step on his feet;
He fell so hard that he almost hit the back of his head;
They deigned to laugh; what about him?
It suddenly fell in a row - on purpose,
And the laughter is worse, and the third time it’s the same.
A? what do you think? in our opinion, he is smart.
Guided by old principles, Famusov evaluates a person by his condition, and the ability to get what he needs, even through humiliation, becomes a subject of admiration.
Famusov is dismissive of the people who serve him, he experiences a certain amount of relief, scolding and shouting at his serfs. Phrases like “Donkeys! Should I tell you a hundred times?” and “You, Filka, you are a straight blockhead” are a common occurrence in his vocabulary.
By the way, constant dissatisfaction is typical for Pavel Afanasyevich. He is dissatisfied with the servants, dissatisfied with the new time, modern youth, science and cultural figures.
Conflict between Chatsky and Famusov
The images of Chatsky and Famusov expose the “present century” and the “past century.” Famusov adheres to a conservative view and believes that it is necessary to adhere to the orders of bygone times, because the ancestors were wiser than their contemporaries. Famusov compares everything between “was” and “has become”.
It is difficult for him to realize that the time of his ancestors has passed and the demands of society have changed:
At the age of fifteen, teachers will be taught!
And our old people?? - How they will be taken by enthusiasm,
They will condemn deeds, that the word is a sentence, -
After all, the pillars don’t bother anyone;
And sometimes they talk about the government like this,
What if someone overheard them...
In addition to this division, the images of Famusov and Chatsky distinguish between the world of carnal pleasures and the spiritual world. Famusov and people like him are guided in life by the basic needs of the body, without caring about their spiritual and moral development. They embody man as a representative of the animal world.
The image of Famusov in the comedy “Woe from Wit” is the embodiment of representatives of the autocracy, the reactionary militia bureaucracy. At the beginning of the 19th century there were a lot of such people; friends of Griboyedov, Pushkin, and the Decembrists spoke about them. The lordly environment had a negative attitude towards everything new and vehemently defended the old order. Famusov is not one person, but a whole class of ignoramuses, for whom there is nothing more important in life than money.
Characteristics of the master
The adherence of the rich to the old regime and their resistance to newness in all aspects of life is shown in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” Famusov is a major official, a very respected person in society, he communicates closely with noble nobles, titled persons visit his house. Pavel Afanasyevich, in his views, is an Old Believer, a supporter of the serf-owning nobility.
Griboyedov revealed the image of Famusov in the comedy “Woe from Wit” from all sides. For those whom he considers his equal, the master is a cordial and hospitable host, whose house is always open. Pavel Afanasyevich is a resourceful and witty storyteller, a good-natured person who is not devoid of worldly intelligence. This is a loving father, ready to both scold and caress his daughter. He treats servants rudely, grumpily, and has a quick temper. As a boss, he is strict and demanding.
Landowner's cultural level
The image of Famusov in the comedy “Woe from Wit” embodies the semi-enlightenment of the noble class. Pavel Afanasyevich boasts that Moscow girls cannot put two words together, that his office is full of relatives who do nothing. Famusov’s speech speaks for itself; he has a rich vocabulary, in which folk expressions predominate, and there are also foreign words.
But the master is not able to express complex emotional experiences or talk about science, which indicates his low cultural level. This is an ordinary Russian landowner who prefers to communicate in everyday language.
Communication style
The rules of behavior in society are also touched upon in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” The image of Famusov is the embodiment of all Russian landowners, accustomed to humiliating and insulting the weak and poor, and to flatter themselves before those whom they are afraid of or who are beneficial to them. Pavel Afanasyevich communicates with a minor official on a first-name basis and only in an arrogant tone. He speaks ingratiatingly to influential people, adding the particle “s” to his words. A certain speech manner makes the image of Famusov in the comedy “Woe from Wit” realistic and truthful, because this is exactly how all the Moscow nobility spoke.
Griboyedov set himself the goal of exposing the serf society, showing where their domination was leading Russia, and he succeeded. The writer's contemporaries, having read the comedy, learned the events and facts that happened right before their eyes. Griboyedov did not embellish anything, but realistically depicted the nobility early XIX century. Famusov and others like him actively opposed education and culture, abandoning the spiritual and such an elite for Russia is a step back. Both Griboedov and his contemporaries understood this very well.