Composition for grade 10 based on Turgenev's novel "Fathers and Sons".
The theme of the essay is “The Kirsanov brothers”.
In the novel Fathers and Sons, Turgenev depicts the images of Nikolai and Pavel Kirsanov. Who are they?
Pavel Kirsanov is a former military man. In his youth he was very handsome: "he could not help but like him." He spent most of his life dragging behind a secular beauty. Then he "settled" in the village, where Turgenev introduces us to him.
Nikolai Kirsanov never wanted to be a military man, because, unlike his brother, he was never brave and decisive. As a child, he was often called a coward. Nikolai Petrovich graduated from the university, defended his dissertation and, having married, went to live in the village, where he quietly and peacefully spent his time almost without a break, since, by nature, a timid man, he did not like to appear in society.
From the above, we can understand that there are a lot of differences between the Kirsanov brothers. But from the description of the biographies of the heroes, we do not learn about all the differences between Nicholas and Paul. What other difference exists in the characters of the Kirsanov brothers?
Firstly, Pavel Petrovich is an aristocrat, but this cannot be said about Nikolai Petrovich.
Also, Pavel Petrovich is indifferent to art, he reads very little, does not like music. The author writes about him: “... but in his beautiful dark eyes nothing was reflected except the light of the stars. He was not born a romantic, and his dandy dry and passionate, in the French way, misanthropic soul did not know how to dream. " From these words, it can be understood that Pavel Petrovich is indifferent to nature. And Nikolai Petrovich, unlike his brother, loves nature and art, he is very dreamy: he plays the cello, reads Pushkin.
In addition, Nikolai Petrovich is more progressive than his brother: he dissociated himself from the peasants, trying to introduce more modern, productive instruments of labor into his economy. Pavel Kirsanov, on the other hand, finds the housekeeping boring. He disdains men, when talking to them he sniffs cologne. The life of Pavel Petrovich Turgenev shows us empty in his novel. We can be convinced of this, having learned that the elder Kirsanov lost the dispute and the duel with Bazarov.
But, along with a huge number of shortcomings, Pavel Petrovich also has positive aspects in his character: he is noble in relations with his brother, with Fenechka, honest and loyal. "It is all the more bitter that the life of a person with undoubted virtues is so worthless."
For Nikolai Petrovich, "in essence, life is poor in content." And in fact, the younger Kirsanov fails in an attempt to understand the aspirations of young people, he failed to arrange his estate. And at the end of the novel, Nikolai Kirsanov even begins to think about the fact that it is impossible to cope with the peasants without the use of punishment. Turgenev says Bazarov's words about Nikolai Petrovich: "His song has been sung," "a retired man."
Turgenev does not sympathize with Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov either.
So, both brothers adhere to the old order, the old noble views. Neither one nor the other understands the aspirations and goals of the progressive youth of that time. This is exactly how Turgenev saw the way of life and thoughts of the camp of the fathers, to which he attributed Nicholas and Pavel.
The author of the novel considers the Kirsanov brothers to be one of the best representatives of the noble class, but they are unable to adhere to an active, full-fledged life position. Showing this to us, Turgenev says: "If the cream is bad, then what about the milk?" If the best of the best are parasitic, what about the whole father camp?
