Disruptor of the foundations of Bazarov. "Fathers and children" - a novel about the dispute of generations

The fifties became in a certain sense revolutionary epochs in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the last century, a change in the rhythm of life, a new art, a technical and scientific breakthrough provoked a generation conflict. It seemed to young people that everything would now be different, humanity would live differently, and conservative "ancestors" would object to them: "Everything will return to normal, and no satellites and reactors with computers can change people."

Chemists or poets? Physicists or lyrics?

Approximately the same sentiments were in the air of the XIX century. Ivan Turgenev wrote his remarkable novel in the 60s, but his action takes place a little earlier, on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. The bearer of the generation conflict was the nihilist, materialist and cynic Yevgeny Bazarov. Fathers and children in the literary work are not represented as relatives. The representative of the senior generation and the admirer of the patriarchal-aristocratic way, Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, argues with the young rebel just as the youth of the times of the "thaw" entered ideological disputes in the middle of the 20th century.

Who is more important, who is more necessary, physics or lyrics? The debates on this topic were also of concern to people in the Soviet Union. "A chemist is more useful than a poet," Turgenev's character, son of a doctor Bazarov, believes in the late 1950s. "Fathers and children" is a novel about the eternal dispute between materialists and idealists, and its heroes hold extremely opposite views.

Conservatism and Liberalism

Kirsanov idealizes the role of the aristocracy and the "prince", without which life is impossible, and his young opponent objects hotly and sharply. He believes that it is necessary to "clear" a place for new social relations, and this can only be done by destroying the old world "to the ground, and then ...". It is unlikely that he read the works of Marx, at least, there are no references to this in the novel, but Bazarov declares their common spirit, albeit in a simplified-schematic form. "Fathers and children" is a novel, a work of art that reflects the movement of Russian social thought in the liberal direction.

Disputes about the peasant

Interesting are the controversies about Narodnichestvo, which are the heroes of the novel "Fathers and Sons." Evgeni Bazarov, it seems, has a deeper knowledge about peasant life, his grandfather even plowed the land. He quite reasonably reproaches Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov for failing to organize agricultural production, and at the same time in inactivity. All this is the true truth, only here is the misfortune, the peasants who disregard the foundations despise for ignorance. They respond to him with an equal coin, they consider him a pea fool. In fact, Kirsanov and Bazarov have a very distant idea of the life of the common people. Fathers and children are equally trapped in their own illusions on this issue.

And what about love?

Both conflicting characters are prone to a wonderful feeling. The materialist pays tribute to Fenechka's external attractiveness, he likes it, but meeting with Anna Sergeyevna Odintsova makes one look at love not just as a manifestation of the rational instinct of reproduction. Pavel Petrovich loves otherwise, he does not analyze his own feelings. Princess R. - his deity, but this novel ends tragically, she dies. He leaves Odintsov and Bazarov. "Fathers and children" is a book about unhappy love.

The attitude of the author to his characters

The author's sympathies on the side of Kirsanov, this is felt by every reader of the novel "Fathers and Sons". The image of Bazarov causes subconscious rejection, despite the fact that it is difficult to disagree with some of his arguments. However, Pavel Petrovich is not at all an ideal protagonist, he has shortcomings. So the writer ordered his characters, one "killed", the other sent abroad.

Apparently, Turgenev wanted to see other characters, and not only in the pages of books, but in life.