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- Take care of your honor from a young age according to the story The Captain's Daughter
The main problem of the novel by A.S. Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter" - the problem of preserving honor. That is why Pushkin chose the popular saying “take care of your honor from a young age” as the epigraph to his story.
The code of honor and adherence to it in Pushkin’s works is a mandatory quality of a positive hero. For the protagonist of the work, Pyotr Grinev, this virtue is elevated to the Absolute, giving his fate a tragic quality. The code of honor was not developed by Peter himself, it was dictated by society and nature itself. The rules he follows are not just class prejudice. According to Pushkin's worldview, a person deprived of honor must be immediately condemned by society and rejected by it.
It is this code that prevents Maria Mironova and Peter from entering into their desired marriage, since the captain’s daughter does not want to marry a young nobleman without parental blessing. But this Code of Honor also helps the heroes save face during the rampant uprising of Emelyan Pugachev.
Shvabrin is the complete opposite of Peter. He, like a litmus test, shows that a fugitive robber like Pugachev is not as dangerous as an officer who is devoid of honor and even in prison remains an insignificantly vile person.
Of all the rebels, Grinev likes only Pugachev, who, although a rebel, is clear that he did not take this road out of a good life. Only the Code of Honor does not allow the young officer to go over to the side of the rebels and in every possible way defend the main symbol of the work - Maria Mironova. For Shvabrin, the girl is a stupid captain’s child, with whom you can do whatever you want, but for Pugachev, she is an unfortunate orphan. And only to Grinev Maria appears as a lady of the heart for whom one can give one’s life.
With his work, Pushkin emphasizes that noble people will always be rewarded for their actions. So Catherine II could not resist Mironova’s story about the fate of Peter when he was threatened with punishment. Neither rebels nor even rulers can resist the power of the Code of Honor.
Option 2
The main idea of the work by A.S. Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter” is rooted in the simple Russian proverb “Take care of your honor from a young age,” which served as the epigraph for the work. In the story, the author touches on important life issues, namely: what a person should do in a situation of moral choice, what he should hope for and from whom to expect support in a difficult situation. The writer is convinced that only those who have self-esteem can preserve themselves and not lose their human face.
The father teaches his son to serve faithfully, to follow the orders of his superiors, not to be a servant, but not to shirk his responsibilities, and most importantly, to maintain honor and dignity no matter what in any situation. Peter followed all these instructions relentlessly, remaining faithful to his fatherland, the empress and his duty to the country. Even under pain of death, Grinev refuses to take the oath to Pugachev. He, in turn, is amazed at the sincerity and courage of the hero, whose beliefs and actions evoke real respect in him. Pugachev releases Grinev “on all four sides.”
The theme of the story is devoted not just to military honor, but to honor in a broad sense. Almost all the heroes of the story are endowed with it, even the “ruthless robber” Pugachev. He helps the heroes get out of the raging snowstorm, for which Grinev gives him his sheepskin coat. At that time, they did not yet know who fate had confronted them with. Pugachev regards such an act as worthy of nobility and respect. He remembers him when he saves the lives of Peter and his uncle. Another time, he frees Masha Mironova from captivity, because he considers it impermissible to offend a girl, much less an orphan.
In contrast to Pugachev, the writer puts a completely different image - Alexei Shvabrin. This man is completely devoid of honor and self-respect. From the very beginning, Shvabrin acts unworthy when he denigrates the name of the girl who rejected him. Then he goes over to the side of the Cossacks, forgetting about duty and oath. Next, Shvabrin tries by force to get Masha Mironova’s consent to marry him. The girl agrees to accept death rather than become the wife of such a terrible person as Shvabrin.
After Grinev’s arrest, the Fearless Girl decides to go to the Empress herself in order to achieve the release of an innocent man.
Fate generously gifts the heroes of the story with a happy reunion. The work of A.S. Pushkin teaches that the most faithful helpers in difficult life situations are honor and dignity.
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Essay Take care of honor from a young age (The Captain's Daughter)
One of the central themes that worried writers at all times was reflection on the concept of honor, which is the main moral symbol of man.
In the work, the themes of duty, nobility, and honor are revealed by the author using the example of the main character of the story, Pyotr Andreevich Grinev.
Peter is a representative of an old family, who received a decent education and appropriate upbringing. The only and true example of an honest and respectable person for a young man is his father.
Possessing rich life experience, Andrei Petrovich raises his son in severity, respect for elders, trying to raise him as a decent and honorable member of society.
The first manifestation of Pyotr Grinev’s worthy behavior occurs at the time of his assignment to his duty station, when the young man must pay a large sum of money after losing at billiards. Despite the persuasion of the old servant Savelich to avoid repaying the debt, Peter decides to act according to his conscience and completely pays off his debts.
Then Grinev thanks a random ragamuffin he met for the service rendered, dressing him in a warm sheepskin coat, showing sympathy and selflessness.
In the future, Peter more than once has to defend his honor, protecting his beloved girlfriend Masha Mironova from the attacks of the selfish Shvabrin. Grinev challenges Shvabrin, who insulted his beloved, to a duel, in which he ends up losing due to the dishonorable act of his opponent.
The author clearly shows the idea that the education of moral principles in a person does not depend on the education he received. Shvabrin is a highly educated man who is fond of reading and art, but lives with low and vile passions.
The author provides a vivid illustration of the theme of honor in the events that occurred during the Pugachev rebellion, when Pugachev himself shows deep respect for the noble Grinev and listens to his opinion, since he is not devoid of generosity and a sense of gratitude. Standing on the scaffold on the eve of death punishment, the leader sees Grinev and bids him farewell with a nod of his head.
Finding himself in the thick of events of a popular uprising, Peter finds himself arrested following a denunciation, but he is saved from the death penalty by his beloved, who managed to convince the empress of the decency and patriotism of the Russian officer. At the end of the work, the lovers find long-awaited happiness.
Narrating the fate of an ordinary military man who experienced many difficulties in life, the author confidently asserts the great strength of a man of honor, the decisive significance of the actions of every citizen who is aware of the concepts of good and evil.
Essay on the topic “Take care of honor from a young age”
In literature lessons, we became acquainted with A. S. Pushkin’s story “The Captain’s Daughter,” where most attention is paid to the issue of honor. Using the example of two heroes of the work: Pyotr Grinev and Alexey Shvabrin, the author showed us how people can behave differently in the same situations.
From childhood, Peter Grinev was taught that he should always and in any situation be an honest and noble person. Grinev was a well-mannered man and lived among moral people with strong moral principles. Sending him to serve, his father gave the order: “serve faithfully to whom you swear allegiance; obey your superiors; Don’t chase their affection; don’t ask for service; do not turn away from service; and remember the proverb: take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor from a young age.” Grinev was only 17 years old at the time, but he remembered his father’s words very well.
When Peter lost one hundred rubles to Zurin, despite Savelich’s protests, he forced him to return the lost money, as it was a matter of honor. So in the work we first noticed the nobility of this man.
In the Belgorod fortress, Grinev had the opportunity to meet Alexei Shvabrin. This man had a good education, but at the same time he was selfish, vindictive and ignoble. Shvabrin spoke with contempt about the inhabitants of the fortress, slandered Masha only because she did not reciprocate his feelings; he constantly spread gossip and never punished himself for it - for him it was an ordinary thing. Grinev, showing his nobility, immediately stood up for the lady and challenged Shvabrin to a duel, although he knew that duels were prohibited. It’s just that Grinev values a person’s honor as much as an officer’s honor.
When the siege of the fortress began, Shvabrin realized that victory would be on Pugachev’s side, and therefore immediately went over to his side. For Grinev, it was better to die than to betray the Motherland and break the oath. Peter saved himself from hanging thanks to his own kindness: in Pugachev he recognized his guide, to whom he had once given a hare sheepskin coat; Emelyan, in turn, also remembered this manifestation of goodness and pardoned Grinev. Pugachev offered to serve him, but Peter refused, explaining that he had already sworn an oath to serve the empress and would not be able to break the oath of allegiance. Grinev honestly admitted to Pugachev that if he was ordered, he would fight against him. But, despite this, Pugachev released Peter.
At the end of the story, Shvabrin is executed for treason, but he manages to inform Grinev that he was on good terms with Pugachev. Masha managed to achieve justice and Peter was released from lifelong exile. Masha tells the empress the whole truth, although Peter, for reasons of honor, decided not to speak at the trial about Masha’s involvement in this case, so that she would not have to relive the horrors that she suffered in the fortress. Grinev comes to Pugachev’s execution, thereby expressing his gratitude for saving Masha and their happiness.
In his story, A.S. Pushkin wanted to show that honor in society is not an empty word, great meaning is invested in it, and that a man of honor is much happier and luckier than a dishonest man.
Along with the article “Essay on the topic “Take care of honor from a young age”” read:
Essay on the topic “Honor and dishonor”
The captain's daughter essay on the topic take care of honor from a young age Grinev and Shvabrin
I believe that honor ranks first among moral symbols. You can survive the collapse of the economy, you can come to terms, although it is very difficult, with the collapse of the state, you can finally endure even parting with your dearest people and with your homeland, but not a single people on earth will ever come to terms with the decay of morality. Human society has always treated dishonest people with contempt. The loss of honor is a decline in moral principles, followed by inevitable punishment: entire states disappear from the map of the earth, peoples disappear into the black hole of history, and individuals perish. Russian writers have always addressed the problem of honor in their works. We can say that this problem was and is one of the central ones in Russian literature. The concept of honor is brought up in a person from childhood. Using the example of the story by A.S. Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter” clearly shows how this happens in life and what results it leads to. The main character of the story, Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, was brought up from childhood in an atmosphere of high everyday morality. He had someone to follow by example. Pushkin, through the mouth of Savelich, on the first pages of the story introduces readers to the moral principles of the Grinev family: “It seems that neither the father nor the grandfather were drunkards; there’s nothing to say about mother...” With these words the old servant brings up his ward Pyotr Grinev, who got drunk for the first time and behaved unsightly. The first time Pyotr Grinev acted honorably, returning the gambling debt, although in that situation Savelich tried to persuade him to evade payment. But nobility prevailed. A man of honor, in my opinion, is always kind and selfless in his interactions with others. For example, Pyotr Grinev, despite Savelich’s dissatisfaction, thanked the tramp for his service by giving him a hare sheepskin coat. His action saved both of their lives in the future. This episode seems to say that fate itself protects a person who lives by honor. But, of course, it’s not a matter of fate, but simply there are more people on earth who remember good than evil, which means that a noble person has a better chance of everyday happiness. Moral tests awaited Grinev in the fortress where he served. Officer Shvabrin interferes with Grinev’s love for Masha Mironova and weaves intrigues. In the end it comes down to a duel. Shvabrin is the complete opposite of Grinev. He is a selfish and ignoble man. This shows up in everything. Even during the duel, he did not hesitate to take advantage of a dishonorable situation to strike. Fate in the future will also present him with a bill for his position in life, but completely different than for Grinev. Shvabrin will side with Pugachev, and he will be condemned as an officer who betrayed the oath. Using the example of Shvabrin, the author wants to show that external culture has little influence on the development of a person’s character. After all, Shvabrin was more educated than Grinev. I read French novels and poems. He was a smart conversationalist. He even got Grinev addicted to reading. Apparently, the family in which a person was raised is of decisive importance. During the Pugachev rebellion, the moral qualities of some heroes of the story and the baseness of the feelings of others were especially clearly revealed. We learned that Captain Mironov and his wife chose death, but did not surrender to the mercy of the rebels. Pyotr Grinev did the same, but was pardoned by Pugachev. It seems to me that the author made it clear to the reader that Pugachev showed generosity towards the young officer not only out of a feeling of gratitude for the old favor. He equally, it seemed to me, appreciated Grinev as a man of honor. The leader of the popular uprising himself set noble goals for himself, so he was not alien to the concepts of honor. Moreover, thanks to Pugachev, Grinev and Masha found each other forever. Shvabrin, too, was powerless in implementing his selfish plans. Pugachev not only did not support Shvabrin, but also clearly made it clear to him that he was dishonest and therefore not a competitor to Grinev. Grinev’s morality even influenced Pugachev himself. The chieftain told the officer a fairy tale he had heard from an old Kalmyk woman, in which it was said that it was better to drink fresh blood once than to feed on carrion for three hundred years. Of course, the fairy eagle and the raven were arguing at the moment, solving a purely human problem. Pugachev clearly preferred the eagle that feeds on blood. But Grinev boldly answered the chieftain: “Intricate... But to live by murder and robbery means, for me, to peck at carrion.” After such an answer from Grinev, Pugachev plunged into deep thoughts. Therefore, deep down in his soul, Pugachev had noble roots. The ending of the story is interesting. It would seem that a connection with the rebellious chieftain would be fatal for Grinev. He is actually arrested based on a denunciation. He faces the death penalty, but Grinev decides, for reasons of honor, not to name his beloved. If he had told the whole truth about Masha, for the sake of saving whom he, in fact, found himself in such a situation, then he would probably have been acquitted. But at the very last moment, justice triumphed. Masha herself turns to a lady close to the Empress for Grinev’s pardon. The lady takes the poor girl at her word. This fact suggests that in a society where most people live by honor, justice is always easier to prevail. The lady turns out to be the empress herself, and the fate of her beloved Masha is decided for the better. Grinev remained a man of honor to the end. He was present at the execution of Pugachev, to whom he owed his happiness. Pugachev recognized him and nodded his head from the scaffold. So, the proverb “take care of honor from a young age” has the meaning of a life talisman that helps to overcome the harsh trials of life. Source:
