Still from the film “The Captain's Daughter” (1959)
The novel is based on the memoirs of the fifty-year-old nobleman Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, written by him during the reign of Emperor Alexander and dedicated to the “Pugachevism,” in which the seventeen-year-old officer Pyotr Grinev, due to a “strange combination of circumstances,” unwittingly took part.
Pyotr Andreevich recalls his childhood, the childhood of a noble undergrowth, with slight irony. His father Andrei Petrovich Grinev in his youth “served under Count Minich and retired as prime minister in 17.... Since then he lived in his Simbirsk village, where he married the girl Avdotya Vasilievna Yu., the daughter of a poor nobleman there.” There were nine children in the Grinev family, but all of Petrusha’s brothers and sisters “died in infancy.” “Mother was still pregnant with me,” recalls Grinev, “as I was already enrolled in the Semyonovsky regiment as a sergeant.”
From the age of five, Petrusha is looked after by the stirrup Savelich, who was granted him the title of uncle “for his sober behavior.” “Under his supervision, in my twelfth year, I learned Russian literacy and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog.” Then a teacher appeared - the Frenchman Beaupré, who did not understand “the meaning of this word,” since in his homeland he was a hairdresser, and in Prussia he was a soldier. Young Grinev and the Frenchman Beaupre quickly got along, and although Beaupre was contractually obligated to teach Petrusha “French, German and all sciences,” he soon preferred to learn from his student “to chat in Russian.” Grinev's education ends with the expulsion of Beaupre, who was convicted of dissipation, drunkenness and neglect of the duties of a teacher.
Until the age of sixteen, Grinev lives “as a minor, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys.” In his seventeenth year, the father decides to send his son to serve, but not to St. Petersburg, but to the army to “sniff gunpowder” and “pull the strap.” He sends him to Orenburg, instructing him to serve faithfully “to whom you swear allegiance,” and to remember the proverb: “Take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor from a young age.” All the “brilliant hopes” of young Grinev for a cheerful life in St. Petersburg were destroyed, and “boredom in a deaf and distant side” awaited ahead.
Approaching Orenburg, Grinev and Savelich fell into a snowstorm. A random person met on the road leads the wagon, lost in the snowstorm, to the sweeper. While the wagon was “quietly moving” towards housing, Pyotr Andreevich had a terrible dream, in which fifty-year-old Grinev sees something prophetic, connecting it with the “strange circumstances” of his future life. A man with a black beard is lying in Father Grinev’s bed, and mother, calling him Andrei Petrovich and “the planted father,” wants Petrusha to “kiss his hand” and ask for a blessing. A man swings an ax, the room fills with dead bodies; Grinev stumbles over them, slips in bloody puddles, but his “scary man” “kindly calls out,” saying: “Don’t be afraid, come under my blessing.”
In gratitude for the rescue, Grinev gives the “counselor,” dressed too lightly, his sheepskin coat and brings him a glass of wine, for which he thanks him with a low bow: “Thank you, your honor! May the Lord reward you for your virtue.” The appearance of the “counselor” seemed “remarkable” to Grinev: “He was about forty years old, average height, thin and broad-shouldered. His black beard showed some gray; the lively big eyes kept darting around. His face had a rather pleasant, but roguish expression.”
The Belogorsk fortress, where Grinev was sent from Orenburg to serve, greets the young man not with formidable bastions, towers and ramparts, but turns out to be a village surrounded by a wooden fence. Instead of a brave garrison there are disabled people who do not know where the left and where the right side is, instead of deadly artillery there is an old cannon filled with garbage.
The commandant of the fortress, Ivan Kuzmich Mironov, is an officer “from soldiers’ children”, an uneducated man, but honest and kind. His wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, completely manages it and looks at the affairs of the service as her own. Soon Grinev becomes “native” for the Mironovs, and he himself “imperceptibly ‹…› became attached to a good family.” In the Mironovs’ daughter Masha, Grinev “found a prudent and sensitive girl.”
Service does not burden Grinev; he is interested in reading books, practicing translations and writing poetry. At first, he becomes close to Lieutenant Shvabrin, the only person in the fortress close to Grinev in education, age and occupation. But soon they quarrel - Shvabrin mockingly criticized the love “song” written by Grinev, and also allowed himself dirty hints regarding the “character and customs” of Masha Mironova, to whom this song was dedicated. Later, in a conversation with Masha, Grinev will find out the reasons for the persistent slander with which Shvabrin pursued her: the lieutenant wooed her, but was refused. “I don’t like Alexei Ivanovich. He’s very disgusting to me,” Masha admits to Grinev. The quarrel is resolved by a duel and the wounding of Grinev.
Masha takes care of the wounded Grinev. The young people confess to each other “the inclination of their hearts,” and Grinev writes a letter to the priest, “asking for parental blessing.” But Masha is homeless. The Mironovs have “only one soul, the girl Palashka,” while the Grinevs have three hundred souls of peasants. The father forbids Grinev to marry and promises to transfer him from the Belogorsk fortress “somewhere far away” so that the “nonsense” will go away.
After this letter, life became unbearable for Grinev, he falls into gloomy reverie and seeks solitude. “I was afraid of either going crazy or falling into debauchery.” And only “unexpected incidents,” writes Grinev, “which had an important influence on my whole life, suddenly gave my soul a strong and beneficial shock.”
At the beginning of October 1773, the commandant of the fortress received a secret message about the Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, who, posing as “the late Emperor Peter III,” “gathered a villainous gang, caused outrage in the Yaik villages and had already taken and destroyed several fortresses.” The commandant was asked to “take appropriate measures to repel the aforementioned villain and impostor.”
Soon everyone was talking about Pugachev. A Bashkir with “outrageous sheets” was captured in the fortress. But it was not possible to interrogate him - the Bashkir’s tongue was torn out. Any day now, residents of the Belogorsk fortress are expecting an attack by Pugachev,
The rebels appear unexpectedly - the Mironovs did not even have time to send Masha to Orenburg. At the first attack the fortress was taken. Residents greet the Pugachevites with bread and salt. The prisoners, among whom was Grinev, are led to the square to swear allegiance to Pugachev. The first to die on the gallows is the commandant, who refused to swear allegiance to the “thief and impostor.” Vasilisa Egorovna falls dead under the blow of a saber. Grinev also faces death on the gallows, but Pugachev has mercy on him. A little later, Grinev learns from Savelich the “reason for mercy” - the chieftain of the robbers turned out to be the tramp who received a hare sheepskin coat from him, Grinev.
In the evening, Grinev is invited to the “great sovereign.” “I have pardoned you for your virtue,” Pugachev says to Grinev, “Do you promise to serve me with zeal?” But Grinev is a “natural nobleman” and “sworn allegiance to the Empress.” He cannot even promise Pugachev not to serve against him. “My head is in your power,” he says to Pugachev, “if you let me go, thank you, if you execute me, God will be your judge.”
Grinev’s sincerity amazes Pugachev, and he releases the officer “on all four sides.” Grinev decides to go to Orenburg for help - after all, Masha, whom the priest passed off as her niece, remained in the fortress in a severe fever. He is especially concerned that Shvabrin, who swore allegiance to Pugachev, was appointed commandant of the fortress.
But in Orenburg, Grinev was denied help, and a few days later rebel troops surrounded the city. Long days of siege dragged on. Soon, by chance, a letter from Masha falls into the hands of Grinev, from which he learns that Shvabrin is forcing her to marry him, threatening otherwise to hand her over to the Pugachevites. Once again Grinev turns to the military commandant for help, and again receives a refusal.
Grinev and Savelich leave for the Belogorsk fortress, but near the Berdskaya settlement they are captured by the rebels. And again, providence brings Grinev and Pugachev together, giving the officer the opportunity to fulfill his intention: having learned from Grinev the essence of the matter for which he is going to the Belogorsk fortress, Pugachev himself decides to free the orphan and punish the offender.
On the way to the fortress, a confidential conversation takes place between Pugachev and Grinev. Pugachev is clearly aware of his doom, expecting betrayal primarily from his comrades; he knows that he cannot expect “the mercy of the empress.” For Pugachev, like an eagle from a Kalmyk fairy tale, which he tells Grinev with “wild inspiration,” “than to feed on carrion for three hundred years, it is better to drink living blood once; and then what God will give!” Grinev draws a different moral conclusion from the fairy tale, which surprises Pugachev: “To live by murder and robbery means for me to peck at carrion.”
In the Belogorsk fortress, Grinev, with the help of Pugachev, frees Masha. And although the enraged Shvabrin reveals the deception to Pugachev, he is full of generosity: “Execute, so execute, favor, so favor: this is my custom.” Grinev and Pugachev part on a friendly basis.
Grinev sends Masha to his parents as a bride, while he himself, out of “duty of honor,” remains in the army. The war “with bandits and savages” is “boring and petty.” Grinev’s observations are filled with bitterness: “God forbid that we see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless.”
The end of the military campaign coincides with the arrest of Grinev. Appearing before the court, he is calm in his confidence that he can justify himself, but Shvabrin slanderes him, exposing Grinev as a spy dispatched from Pugachev to Orenburg. Grinev is convicted, disgrace awaits him, exile to Siberia for eternal settlement.
Grinev is saved from shame and exile by Masha, who goes to the queen to “beg for mercy.” Walking through the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, Masha met a middle-aged lady. Everything about this lady “involuntarily attracted the heart and inspired confidence.” Having found out who Masha was, she offered her help, and Masha sincerely told the lady the whole story. The lady turned out to be an empress who pardoned Grinev in the same way as Pugachev had pardoned both Masha and Grinev.
Pushkin A.S. story “The Captain's Daughter”: Summary.
The narration is told from the first person of the main character of the story, Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, in the form of family notes.
Chapter 1. Sergeant of the Guard.
In this chapter, Pushkin introduces the reader to Pyotr Grinev. His family had 9 children. However, everyone died while still babies, and only Peter remained alive. Peter's father once served, but has now retired. Peter was enrolled before his birth in the Semenovsky regiment. While the boy was growing up, he was listed in his regiment as being on leave. The boy had an uncle Savelich, who raised him. He taught the boy Russian literacy and writing, and gave him knowledge about greyhounds. After a certain time, a Frenchman is sent to Petra as a teacher. The Frenchman's name was Beaupre. His duties included teaching the boy French and German, as well as providing education in other sciences. However, the Frenchman was more concerned about booze and girls. When Peter's father noticed the Frenchman's negligence, he kicked him out. At the age of 17, Peter’s father sent him to serve in Orenburg, although the young man hoped to serve in St. Petersburg. At the moment of instructions before leaving, the father told his son that he needed to take care of “ dress again, and honor from a young age"(Author's note: Subsequently, these words from the work Pushkin « Captain's daughter"became a catchphrase). Peter left his native place. In Simbirsk, the young man visited a tavern and there he met captain Zurin. Zurin taught Peter to play billiards, and then got him drunk and won 100 rubles from Peter. Pushkin wrote that Peter “ behaved like a boy who had broken free". In the morning, despite Savelich’s active resistance, Grinev pays back the lost money and leaves Simbirsk.
Chapter 2. Counselor.
Grinev understood that he did the wrong thing when he arrived in Simbirsk. Therefore, he asked Savelich for forgiveness. During a storm, the travelers lost their way. But then they noticed a man, " intelligence and subtlety of instinct"were noticed by Peter and delighted. Grinev asked this man to accompany them to the nearest house that was ready to receive them. On the way, Grinev had a strange dream in which he returned to his estate and found his father dying. Peter asked his father for a blessing, but suddenly instead he saw a man with a black beard. Petya’s mother tried to explain who this person was. According to her, it was allegedly his imprisoned father. Then the man suddenly jumped out of bed, grabbed an ax and began to swing it. The room was filled with the dead. The man smiled at the young man and called for his blessing. Here the dream ended. Arriving at the place, Grinev took a closer look at the man who agreed to accompany them. This is how Pushkin described the counselor: “ He was about forty, of average height, thin and broad-shouldered. There was a streak of gray in his black beard, and his big, lively eyes were darting. His face had a rather pleasant, but roguish expression. His hair was cut into a circle, he was wearing a tattered army coat and Tatar harem pants". A man with a black beard, i.e. The counselor was talking to the owner of the inn in an incomprehensible, allegorical language for Peter: “ He flew into the garden and pecked hemp; grandma threw a pebble, but missed". Grinev decided to treat the counselor to wine and gave him a hare sheepskin coat before parting, which again aroused Savelich’s indignation. In Orenburg, his father’s friend, Andrei Karlovich R., sent Peter to serve in the Belgorsk fortress, which was located 40 miles from Orenburg.
Chapter 3. Fortress.
Grinev arrived at the fortress and found it similar to a small village. The wife of the commandant of the fortress, Vasilisa Egorovna, was in charge of everything. Peter met the young officer Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin. Shvabrin told Grinev about the inhabitants of the fortress, about the routine in it and in general about life in these places. He also expressed his opinion about the family of the commandant of the fortress and extremely unflatteringly about his daughter Mironova Mashenka. Grinev found Shvabrin not a very attractive young man. He was " short, with a dark and distinctly ugly face, but extremely lively". Grinev learned that Shvabrin ended up in the fortress because of a duel. Shvabrin and Grinev were invited to dinner at the house of commandant Ivan Kuzmich Mironov. The young people accepted the invitation. On the street, Grinev saw military exercises taking place. The platoon of disabled people was commanded by the commandant himself. He was " in a cap and a Chinese robe«.
Chapter 4. Duel.
Grinev began to visit the commandant’s family more and more often. He liked this family. And I liked Masha. He dedicated poems about love to her. Peter became an officer. At first he enjoyed communicating with Shvabrin. But his caustic remarks addressed to his beloved girl began to irritate Grinev. When Peter showed his poems to Alexei and Shvabrin sharply criticized them, and then allowed himself to insult Masha, Grinev called Shvabrin a liar and received a challenge from Shvabrin to a duel. Having learned about the duel, Vasilisa Yegorovna ordered the arrest of the young officers. The girl Palashka took the swords from them. And later Masha told Peter that Shvvabrin once wooed her, but she refused him. That is why Shvabrin hated the girl and threw endless barbs at her. After some time, the duel resumed. In it, Grinev was wounded.
Chapter 5. Love.
Savelich and Masha began to care for the wounded man. At that moment, Grinev decided to confess his feelings to Mashenka and propose to her. Masha agreed. Then Grinev sent a letter to his father asking him to bless him for marriage with the daughter of the commandant of the fortress. The answer has come. And from it it turned out that the father was refusing his son. Moreover, he learned about the duel from somewhere. Savelich did not report the duel to Grinev Sr. Therefore, Peter decided that this was the work of Shvabrin. Meanwhile, Shvabrin came to visit Peter and asked him for forgiveness. He said that he was guilty before Peter for everything that happened. However, Masha does not want to get married without her father’s blessing and therefore she began to avoid Grinev. Grinev also stopped visiting the commandant’s house. He lost heart.
Chapter 6. Pugachevism
The commandant received a letter from the general, which reported that the escaped Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev was gathering a villainous gang and therefore it was necessary to strengthen the fortress. It was immediately reported that Pugachev had already managed to plunder several fortresses and hang officers. Ivan Kuzmich gathered a military council and asked everyone to keep this news secret. But Ivan Ignatievich accidentally spilled the beans to Vasilisa Yegorovna, who became a priest, and as a result, rumors about Pugachev spread throughout the fortress. Pugachev sent spies to Cossack villages with leaflets in which he threatened to beat up those who did not recognize him as sovereign and did not join his gang. And he demanded that the officers surrender the fortress without a fight. We managed to catch one of these spies, a mutilated Bashkir. The poor prisoner had no nose, tongue or ears. It was clear from everything that this was not the first time he had rebelled and that he was familiar with torture. Ivan Kuzmich, at Grinev’s suggestion, decided to send Masha from the fortress to Orenburg in the morning. Grinev and Masha said goodbye. Mironov wanted his wife to leave the fortress, but Vasilisa Egorovna firmly decided to stay with her husband.
Chapter 7. Attack.
Masha did not have time to leave the fortress. Under cover of night, the Cossacks left the Belogorsk fortress to go over to Pugachev’s side. There were a few warriors left in the fortress who were unable to resist the robbers. They defended themselves as best they could, but in vain. Pugachev captured the fortress. Many immediately swore allegiance to the robber, who proclaimed himself king. He executed commandant Mironov Ivan Kuzmich and Ivan Ignatievich. Grinev was supposed to be executed next, but Savelich threw himself at Pugachev’s feet and begged him to be left alive. Savelich even promised a ransom for the life of the young master. Pugachev agreed to such conditions and demanded that Grinev kiss his hand. Grinev refused. But Pugachev still pardoned Peter. The surviving soldiers and residents of the fortress went over to the side of the robbers and for 3 hours kissed the hand of the newly-crowned sovereign Pugachev, who was sitting in a chair on the porch of the commandant’s house. The robbers robbed everywhere, taking various goods from chests and cabinets: fabrics, dishes, fluff, etc. Vasilisa Yegorovna was stripped naked and taken out in public like that, after which she was killed. Pugachev was given a white horse and he rode away.
Chapter 8. Uninvited guest.
Grinev was very worried about Masha. Did she manage to hide and what happened to her? He entered the commandant's house. Everything there was destroyed, looted and broken. He entered Marya Ivanovna’s room, where he met Broadsword hiding. From Broadsword he learned that Masha was in the priest's house. Then Grinev went to the priest’s house. There was a drinking party of robbers in it. Peter called the priest. From her, Grinev learned that Shvabrin had sworn allegiance to Pugachev and was now resting with the robbers at the same table. Masha lies on her bed, half-delirious. The priest told Pugachev that the girl was her niece. Fortunately, Shvabrin did not reveal the truth to Pugachev. Grinev returned to his apartment. There Savelich told Peter that Pugachev was their former counselor. They came for Grinev, saying that Pugachev was demanding him. Grinev obeyed. Entering the room, Peter was struck by the fact that “ Everyone treated each other like comrades and did not show any special preference to their leader... Everyone boasted, offered their opinions and freely challenged Pugachev". Pugachev suggested singing a song about the gallows, and the bandits sang: “ Don't make noise, mother green oak tree...“When the guests finally left, Pugachev asked Grinev to stay. A conversation arose between them, in which Pugachev invited Grinev to stay with him and serve him. Peter honestly told Pugachev that he did not consider him a sovereign and could not serve him, because. once already swore allegiance to the empress. He also will not be able to fulfill his promise not to fight against Pugachev, because... this is his officer's duty. Pugachev was amazed by Grinev’s frankness and honesty. He promised to let Grinev go to Orenburg, but asked him to come in the morning to say goodbye to him.
Chapter 9. Separation.
Pugachev asks Grinev to visit the governor in Orenburg and tell him that in a week Emperor Pugachev will be in the city. He appointed Shvabrin commandant of the Belogorsk fortress, since he himself had to leave. Savelich, meanwhile, compiled a list of the lord's plundered property and submitted it to Pugachev. Pugachev, being in a generous state of mind, decided to give Grinev a horse and his own fur coat instead of punishment. In the same chapter, Pushkin writes that Masha was seriously ill.
Chapter 10. Siege of the city.
Grinev, having arrived in Orenburg, was sent to General Andrei Karlovich. Grinev asked to give him soldiers and allow him to attack the Belgorod fortress. The general, having learned about the fate of the Mironov family and that Captain's daughter remained in the hands of the robbers, expressed sympathy, but the soldier refused to give, citing the upcoming military council. Military Council, at which " there was not a single military man“, took place that same evening. " All the officials spoke about the unreliability of troops, about the unfaithfulness of luck, about caution and the like. Everyone believed that it was more prudent to remain under the cover of cannons behind a strong stone wall than to try the happiness of weapons in an open field.". Officials saw one way out in setting a high price for Pugachev’s head. They believed that the robbers themselves would betray their leader, tempted by the high price. Meanwhile, Pugachev kept his word and appeared at the walls of Orenburg exactly a week later. The siege of the city began. Residents suffered severely due to hunger and high prices. The raids of the robbers were periodic. Grinev was bored and often rode the horse given to him by Pugachev. One day he ran into a Cossack, who turned out to be the constable of the Belogorsk fortress, Maksimych. He gave Grinev a letter from Masha, which reported that Shvabrin was forcing her to marry him.
Chapter 11. Rebellious settlement.
To save Masha, Grinev and Savelich went to the Belogorsk fortress. On the way they fell into the hands of robbers. They were taken to Pugachev. Pugachev asked where Grinev was going and for what purpose. Grinev honestly told Pugachev about his intentions. They say he would like to protect the orphaned girl from Shvabrin’s claims. The robbers offered to cut off the heads of both Grinev and Shvabrin. But Pugachev decided everything in his own way. He promised Grinev to arrange his fate with Masha. In the morning, Pugachev and Grinev went in the same cart to the Belogorsk fortress. On the way, Pugachev shared with Grinev his desire to march on Moscow: “ ...my street is cramped; I have little will. My guys are smart. They are thieves. I have to keep my ears open; at the first failure they will ransom their neck with my head". While on the way, Pugachev managed to tell a Kalmyk fairy tale about a raven that lived for 300 years, but ate carrion, and about an eagle that preferred hunger to carrion: “ It's better to drink living blood«.
Chapter 12. Orphan.
Arriving at the Belogorsk fortress, Pugachev learned that Shvabrin mocked Masha and starved her. Then Puchev wished, on behalf of the sovereign, to marry Grinev and Masha immediately. Then Shvabrin told Pugachev that Masha was not the priest’s niece, but the daughter of Captain Mironov. But Pugachev turned out to be a generous man: “ execute, so execute, favor, so favor" and released Masha and Grinev.
Chapter 13. Arrest
Pugachev handed Peter a pass. Therefore, lovers could freely pass through all the outposts. But one day an outpost of imperial soldiers was mistaken for Pugachev’s, and this served as a reason for Grinev’s arrest. The soldiers took Peter to their superior, in whom Grinev recognized Zurin. Peter told his story to an old friend and he believed Grinev. Zurin suggested postponing the wedding and sending Masha, accompanied by Savelich, to her parents, and Grinev himself remaining in the service, as required by his officer’s duty. Grinev heeded Zurin’s proposal. Pugachev was eventually defeated, but not caught. The leader managed to escape to Siberia and gather a new gang. Pugachev was wanted everywhere. In the end he was caught. But then Zurin received an order to arrest Grinev and send him to the Investigative Commission in the Pugachev case.
Chapter 14. Judgment.
Grinev was arrested because of Shvabrin's denunciation. Shvabrin claimed that Pyotr Grinev served Pugachev. Grinev was afraid to involve Masha in this story. He didn't want her to be tormented by interrogations. Therefore, Grinev could not justify himself. The Empress replaced the death penalty with exile to Siberia only thanks to the merits of Father Peter. The father was depressed by what happened. It was a shame for the Grinev family. Masha went to St. Petersburg to talk with the Empress. It so happened that one day Masha was walking in the garden early in the morning. While walking, she met an unfamiliar woman. They started talking. The woman asked Masha to introduce herself and she replied that she was the daughter of Captain Mironov. The woman immediately became very interested in Masha and asked Masha to tell her why she came to St. Petersburg. Masha said that she came to the empress to ask for mercy for Grinev, because he could not justify himself in court because of her. The woman said that she visits the court and promises to help Masha. She accepted Masha’s letter addressed to the empress and asked where Masha was staying. Masha answered. At this point they parted. Before Masha had time to drink tea after her walk, a palace carriage drove into the courtyard. The messenger asked Masha to immediately go to the palace, because... the empress demands her to come to her. In the palace, Masha recognized the empress as her morning interlocutor. Grinev was pardoned, Masha was given a fortune. Masha and Peter Grinev got married. Grinev was present during the execution of Emelyan Pugachev. " He was present at the execution of Pugachev, who recognized him in the crowd and nodded his head, which a minute later, dead and bloody, was shown to the people«
That's how it is summary by chapter Pushkin's stories " Captain's daughter«
Good luck on your exams and A's on your essays!
A very brief summary (in a nutshell)
When Pyotr Grinev turned 16 years old, his father decided to send him to military service in Orenburg. His teacher from the age of five, Savelich, went with him. On the way to Orenburg, they lose their way in a snowstorm. They are rescued by an unknown person, to whom Grinev gives a hare fur coat. Having reached Orenburg, he meets with General Andrei Karlovich R., who sends him to the Belogorsk fortress. In the fortress he is well received by the commandant and his wife. They have a daughter, Masha, with whom Grinev immediately falls in love. One of the officers of the Shvabrin fortress speaks poorly of her. It comes to a duel, in which Peter is wounded. After some time, the rebel Emelyan Pugachev with his army approaches the fortress and quickly captures it, so many go over to his side, including Shvabrin. Pugachev kills Masha’s parents and is about to hang Grinev, but recognizes him. It turns out that he is the stranger who helped Peter in the snowstorm, and for this, he gave him a fur coat. He releases Grinev to Orenburg, and makes Shvabrin commandant of the fortress, who immediately begins to harass Masha. She writes a letter to Grinev asking him to help her, and he goes to Pugachev with a request to let her go, which he does. Soon Pugachev was caught, and Peter was unexpectedly arrested, accused of conspiring with Pugachev, and sentenced to exile. Masha goes to St. Petersburg and accidentally meets the empress in the garden. She tells her the whole truth, and she frees Grinev. Soon Pugachev is executed, and the young people get married.
We present to your attention the most successful options summary of the work by A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter". By tradition, we have prepared not only a summary of the chapters, but also a brief retelling, as well as a very brief summary.
Pushkin himself called The Captain's Daughter (late September 1836) a novel. But the first censor, Korsakov, recognized this work as a story. It so happened that this work was always called differently by critics and colleagues of Alexander Sergeevich. Belinsky and Chernyshevsky considered “The Captain’s Daughter” a story, and the first Pushkin biographer P.V. Annenkov - a novel.
For a normal introduction to The Captain's Daughter, we recommend reading the chapter-by-chapter summary. But if you have very little time, or you just need to refresh your memory of the main details, you can read a short retelling or a very brief summary of this work.
The captain's daughter - summary by chapter
Chapter I
The author begins the story by introducing the main character, Pyotr Grinev. Grinev himself narrates his life in the first person. He is the only survivor of 9 children of a retired prime minister and a poor noblewoman; he lived in a middle-class aristocratic family. “Mother was still pregnant with me,” Grinev recalled, “as I was already enrolled in the Semyonovsky regiment as a sergeant.”
Wanting to give his son a good education, teach him “languages and all sciences,” father Andrei Petrovich Grinev hires a French teacher, Beaupre. However, the Frenchman drinks more than he teaches the undergrowth. A brief summary of the upbringing of young Grinev boils down to the fact that instead of teaching science in French, he himself teaches his French teacher to “chat in Russian.” Finding no significant benefit from such an education, Beaupre is soon expelled.
Instead of the traditional brilliant career of a St. Petersburg officer, the father chooses harsh service for his son in one of the fortresses on Yaik. On the way to Orenburg, Peter stops in Simbirsk, where he meets the hussar Ivan Zurin. The hussar undertakes to teach Grinev how to play billiards, and then, taking advantage of Peter’s simplicity, he easily wins 100 rubles from him. Wanting to get rid of the tutelage of the uncle Savelich sent with him, Peter repays the debt, despite the old man’s protests.
Chapter II
In the Orenburg steppe, Peter falls into a snowstorm. The coachman was already despairing of getting the horses out, when suddenly a certain man appeared next to the cart, offering to guide the lost wanderers. The stranger correctly pointed out the way, and the coachman managed to lead his riders, including his new companion, to the inn (umet).
Next, Grinev talks about a prophetic dream that he had in a wagon. The summary of the dream is this: he sees his house and his mother, who says that his father is dying. Then he sees an unfamiliar man with a beard in his father’s bed, and his mother says that he is her sworn husband. The stranger wants to give his “father’s” blessing, but Peter refuses, and then the man takes up an ax, and corpses appear around. He doesn't touch Peter.
They arrive at an inn that resembles a thieves' den. A stranger, frozen in the cold in only an army coat, asks Petrusha for wine, and he treats him.
In the house, a stranger starts an allegorical conversation with the owner. The language of their communication had the features of a thieves' vocabulary, which revealed the stranger as a “dashing person.”
After spending the night on the ropes, Grinev gets ready to hit the road again, having previously thanked yesterday’s counselor with a hare’s sheepskin coat. In Orenburg, Peter falls into the hands of General Andrei Karlovich, an old friend of his father, and the general gives the young man directions to the Belogorsk fortress, lost forty miles from the city, on the border with the “Kyrgyz steppes.” Exile to such a wilderness upsets Peter, who had long dreamed of a guards uniform.
Chapter III
Upon arrival at the fortress, which turns out to be a tiny village in appearance, Peter meets the local residents and, first of all, the family of the old commandant.
The owner of the Belgorod garrison was Ivan Kuzmich Mironov, but in fact his wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, was in charge of everything. Grinev immediately liked simple and kind people.
Grinev is of great interest to the witty officer Shvabrin, who was transferred to the fortress from St. Petersburg for violation of discipline and “murder.”
Prone to unflattering comments about those around him, Shvabrin often spoke sarcastically about Masha, the captain’s daughter, making her out to be a very narrow-minded person. Then Grinev himself meets the commander’s daughter and becomes convinced that Lieutenant Shvabrin’s opinion is wrong.
Chapter IV
Service does not burden Grinev; he is interested in reading books, practicing translations and writing poetry.
The rapprochement with Shvabrin ends abruptly in a quarrel. Shvabrin allowed himself to arrogantly criticize the love “song” written by Grinev for Masha.
Out of jealousy, Shvabrin slanderes Masha in front of Grinev, for which the young man challenges the officer to a duel.
The commandant's wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, found out about the duel, but the duelists pretended to make peace, deciding in fact to postpone the meeting until the next day. In the morning, the opponents hastened to complete their plan. However, even then the duel was interrupted by the efforts of the commandant’s family. Having reprimanded the quarrelsome young men properly, Vasilisa Egorovna released them. That same evening, Masha, worried about the news of the duel, told Pyotr Grinev about Shvabrin’s unsuccessful matchmaking with her. Now Grinev understood Shvabrin’s behavior. And yet the blow took place. In short, its result was the injury of Grinev.
Chapter V
The wounded Grinev, thanks to the care of the regimental barber and Masha, is quickly recovering.
He forgives Shvabrin, because he sees in his actions a sign of the wounded pride of a rejected man in love.
Pyotr Grinev asks for Masha's hand in marriage. The girl agrees. A young man composes a touching letter for his father in order to beg his blessing for an alliance with Marya Mironova. The father, who learned about the duel, is indignant and refuses. In a fit of anger, Grinev Sr. hints to his son that he is ready to transfer him to another duty station.
However, his father's refusal to bless him does not change Peter's intentions. But at the same time, Masha is against secret marriage. They move away from each other for a while, and Grinev realizes that unhappy love can deprive him of his reason and lead to debauchery.
Chapter VI
Trouble begins in the Belgorod fortress. Commandant Mironov receives a notification from Orenburg about the appearance of Emelyan Pugachev’s “gang” on Yaik. Mironov was ordered to prepare the fortress for an attack by rebels and robbers.
Soon everyone was talking about Pugachev. A Bashkir with “outrageous sheets” was captured in the fortress. It was impossible to interrogate him, because... his tongue was torn out.
Alarming news continues to arrive, and Mironov decides to send Masha away from the fortress.
Chapter VII
Pugachev's robbers appear unexpectedly - the Mironovs did not even have time to send Masha to Orenburg. With their first raid, the rebels take the fortress.
Commandant Mironov, anticipating the worst, says goodbye to his wife and daughter, ordering the girl to be dressed as a peasant so that she does not become a victim of the rebels.
Meanwhile, Pugachev begins a trial of those who do not recognize him as sovereign.
The first to be hanged are Commandant Mironov and Lieutenant Ivan Ignatyich.
Grinev's former comrade-in-arms, Shvabrin, is in a hurry to take advantage of the situation. He goes over to the side of the rebels and tries in every possible way to persuade Pugachev to execute Pyotr Grinev as one of the main opponents of the new government.
The faithful Savelich stood up for Grinev. The guy on his knees begged forgiveness from Pugachev for the “child.”
Meanwhile, the reprisal continues: on Pugachev’s orders, Mironov’s wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, is killed.
Chapter VIII
Later, Grinev learns from Savelich the real “reason for mercy” - the ataman of the robbers turned out to be the tramp who received a hare sheepskin coat from him, Grinev.
In the evening, Grinev is invited to the “great sovereign.” “I have pardoned you for your virtue,” Pugachev says to Grinev, “Do you promise to serve me with zeal?” But Grinev is a “natural nobleman” and “sworn allegiance to the Empress.” He cannot even promise Pugachev not to serve against him. “My head is in your power,” he says to Pugachev, “if you let me go, thank you, if you execute me, God will be your judge.”
Pugachev liked Grinev’s honesty; he promised the officer to let him go to Orenburg.
Chapter IX
In the morning, in front of the people, Pugachev called Peter to him and told him to go to Orenburg and convey the message to the generals. The summary of this message is that Pugachev promises to attack the city in a week.
Just before his departure, the emboldened Savelich tried to get compensation from Pugachev for the master’s property stolen by the Cossacks, but the “tsar” only threatened the old man. Despite the uncle’s behavior that amused him, Grinev left the fortress with gloomy thoughts. Pugachev appoints Shvabrin as commandant, and he himself goes off to his next exploits.
Chapter X
Having reached Orenburg, Grinev tells the general everything he knows about Pugachev’s gang, and then comes to the military council. However, Grinev’s arguments in favor of a rapid attack on the rebels are not approved. One of the military men recommends “bribery tactics.” As a result, the majority of those present agree that it is necessary to defend the city.
Within a few days, rebels surround the city. Long days of siege dragged on. During his forays outside the city walls, Grinev received a letter from Masha through a police officer. The girl asked to protect her from Shvabrin, who intended to force her to marry him. Grinev goes to the general with a request to give half a company of soldiers to save the girl, but he is refused. Peter begins to look for another way out of this situation.
Chapter XI
In despair, Pyotr Grinev leaves Orenburg and heads to the Belogorsk fortress. Already close to the fortress, Peter and Savelich were captured by the rebels, who led them to Pugachev.
Grinev openly tells Pugachev about his plans and thoughts. Peter says that the chieftain is free to do whatever he wants with him. Pugachev's thug advisors offer to execute the officer, but he says, “have mercy, so have mercy.”
Grinev admits that he is going to save his bride from Shvabrin. The chieftain is happy to hear this news and is ready to personally marry the newlyweds and bless them. Peter persuades Pugachev to give up “theft” and rely on the mercy of the empress.
For Pugachev, like an eagle from a Kalmyk fairy tale, which he tells Grinev with “wild inspiration,” “than to feed on carrion for three hundred years, it is better to drink living blood once; and then what God will give!”
Grinev, in turn, draws a different moral conclusion from this tale, which surprises Pugachev: “To live by murder and robbery means for me to peck at carrion.”
Chapter XII - Summary
Pugachev arrives with Grinev at the Belogorsk fortress and tells Shvabrin to show him the orphan. Shvabrin reluctantly agrees, then it is discovered that he kept Masha locked up on bread and water. Having threatened Shvabrin, Pugachev releases the girl and allows Peter to take her away, at the same time forgiving Grinev’s forced lie about Masha’s true origins.
Chapter XIII
On the way back, near one of the small towns of Grinev, guards detained him, mistaking him for a rebel. Fortunately for the young man, the major who was supposed to understand the incident turned out to be the hussar Zurin, already known to Peter. Zurin advised not to return to Orenburg, but to remain with him for greater safety, sending the bride to the Grinev family estate.
Agreeing with this advice, Grinev sends Masha as a bride to his parents, while he himself, out of “duty of honor,” remains in the army. The war “with bandits and savages” is “boring and petty.”
During the pursuit of the rebel detachments by the hussars, Grinev discovers terrible pictures of devastation in the villages engulfed in the peasant war. Grinev’s observations are filled with bitterness: “God forbid that we see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless.”
After some time, Zurin receives a secret decree for the arrest of Grinev and sends Peter to Kazan under escort.
Chapter XIV
In Kazan, Grinev appeared before an investigative commission, which treated his story with disbelief.
Appearing before the court, he is calm in his confidence that he can justify himself, but Shvabrin slanderes him, exposing Grinev as a spy dispatched from Pugachev to Orenburg.
Peter's reluctance to mention his relationship with Masha Mironova led to the judges finding Peter guilty of friendship with the leader Pugachev
Having learned about what happened, Masha decides to go to St. Petersburg and ask for help from the Empress herself. In St. Petersburg, the girl learns that the court has moved to Tsarskoe Selo and is heading there. In one of the Tsarskoe Selo gardens, Masha meets a lady with whom she enters into a conversation and outlines the essence of her petition to the empress. The lady pretends that she agrees to convey Masha’s words to the Empress. Only later does Masha learn that she had a conversation with Catherine II herself when, on the same day, she appeared at the palace on the orders of the Empress.
The Empress granted Grinev a pardon.
The narrative, which was conducted on behalf of Grinev, ends with its own note. In a brief afterword, he reports that Grinev was released in 1774 by a personal decree of Catherine II and in January 1775 was present at the execution of Pugachev, who nodded to Peter as he ascended the gallows.
Application. read
Missing chapter
This unfinished draft chapter tells about the circumstances of Grinev’s (brought out as Bulanin) visit to his native estate. Grinev’s regiment was located not far from the village where his parents and fiancee lived. Having asked for leave from the command, Peter crossed the Volga at night and made his way to his village. Here the young officer learns that his parents are locked in the barn by Zemstvo Andryukha. Grinev frees his relatives, but tells them to continue to take refuge in the barn. Savelich reports that a detachment of Pugachevites led by Shvabrin is taking the village. Grinev manages to repel the first attack and lock himself in the barn. Shvabrin decides to set fire to the barn, which forces the Grinev father and son to make a sortie. The Pugachevites take the Grinevs prisoner, but at this time the hussars enter the village. As it turned out, they were brought to the village by Savelich, who secretly made his way past the rebels. Grinev, having received his parents’ blessing to marry Masha, returns to the army. After some time, he learned about Pugachev’s capture and received permission to return to his village. Grinev was happy, but some kind of premonition overshadowed this joy.
Summary of the story The Captain's Daughter - option No. 2
Chapter 1. Sergeant of the Guard.
The story begins with a summary of the biography of Peter Grinev: his father served, retired, there were 9 children in the family, but everyone except Peter died in infancy. Even before his birth, Grinev was enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment. Until he reached adulthood, he was considered to be on vacation. The boy is raised by Uncle Savelich, under whose guidance Petrusha masters Russian literacy and learns to judge the merits of a greyhound dog.
Later, the Frenchman Beaupré was hired to teach him, who was supposed to teach the boy “French, German and other sciences.” However, he did not educate Petrusha, but drank and led a dissolute lifestyle. Having discovered this, the father kicks the Frenchman out. In his seventeenth year, Peter’s father sent him to serve, but not to St. Petersburg, as his son wanted, but to Orenburg. In parting words to his son, the father tells him to take care of “his dress again, but his honor from a young age.” In Simbirsk, Grinev meets captain Zurin in a tavern, who teaches him to play billiards, gets him drunk and wins 100 rubles from him. Grinev “behaved like a boy who had broken free.” The next morning Zurin demands the winnings. Not wanting to lose honor, Grinev forces Uncle Savelich to repay the debt and, ashamed, leaves Simbirsk.
Chapter 2 Counselor.
On the way, Gritsev, realizing his childishness, asks his uncle for forgiveness for his stupid behavior. Soon they are caught in a snowstorm, which leads them astray. Almost desperate to get out, they meet a man whose “sharpness and subtlety of instinct” amazes Grinev. The stranger accompanies them to the nearest home. In the carriage, Grinev has a strange dream, as if he arrives at the estate and finds his father near death. Peter approaches him for a blessing and sees a man with a black beard instead of his father. Grinev’s mother assures him that this is his imprisoned father. The man jumps up, begins to swing an ax, the room is filled with dead bodies. The man doesn’t touch Petra.
Upon arrival at the overnight stay, Grinev tries to make out the random savior. “He was about forty, average height, thin and broad-shouldered. His black beard showed streaks of gray, and his large, lively eyes darted about. His facial expression was quite pleasant, but roguish. His hair was cut into a circle, he was wearing a tattered army coat and Tatar trousers.” The stranger talks to the owner of the lodging for the night in “allegorical language”: “I flew into the garden, pecked hemp; Grandma threw a pebble, but missed it.” Grinev brings the counselor a glass of wine and gives him a rabbit sheepskin coat. The stranger is flattered by the young man’s generous attitude. From Orenburg, his father's old friend Andrei Karlovich R. sends Grinev to serve in the Belogorsk fortress (40 versts from the city). Grinev is saddened by such a distant exile.
Chapter 3. Fortress.
Grinev arrives at his place of duty, in a fortress more like a village. The fortress is run by a reasonable and kind old woman, the wife of Commandant Mironov, Vasilisa Egorovna. The next day, Grinev meets Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin, a young officer “of short stature, with a dark face and distinctly ugly, but extremely lively.” Shvabrin was transferred to the fortress for the duel. Shvabrin tells Grinev about life in the fortress, about the commandant’s family, and speaks especially unflatteringly about the commandant Mironov’s daughter, Masha. Shvabrin and Grinev are invited to dinner at the commandant's family. Along the way, Grinev sees a “training”: commandant Ivan Kuzmich Mironov commands a platoon of disabled people. At the same time, he himself is dressed quite unusually: “in a cap and a Chinese robe.”
Chapter 4. Duel.
Pretty soon Grinev becomes attached to the commandant's family. He is promoted to officer. Grinev continues his friendship with Shvabrin, but he likes him less and less, especially for his unflattering remarks about Masha. Grinev dedicates mediocre love poems to Masha. Shvabrin sharply criticizes them and insults Masha in a conversation with Grinev. Grinev calls him a liar, Shvabrin demands satisfaction. Before the duel, on the orders of Vasilisa Yegorovna, they are arrested, the courtyard girl Palashka even takes away their swords. After some time, Grinev learns from Masha that Shvabrin had previously wooed her, but she refused. Grinev understood the reason for Shvabrin’s anger towards the girl. The duel still took place. Shvabrin, who is more experienced in military affairs, wounds Grinev.
Chapter 5. Love.
Masha Mironova and Uncle Savelich are nursing the wounded Grinev. Realizing his attitude towards Masha, Grinev proposes to her. The girl accepts it. Peter hurries to notify his parents about the imminent wedding, he writes them a letter. Shvabrin visits Grinev and admits that he himself was to blame. Grinev's father denies his son a blessing (he also knows about the duel, but not from Savelich. Grinev decides that Shvabrin told his father). Having learned that the groom's parents did not give him their blessing, Masha avoids him. Grinev loses heart and moves away from Masha.
Chapter 6. Pugachevism.
The commandant receives notification of the bandit gang of Emelyan Pugachev attacking the fortress. Vasilisa Egorovna finds out everything, and rumors about the attack spread throughout the fortress. Pugachev calls on the enemy to surrender. One of the appeals falls into the hands of Mironov through a captured Bashkir who has no nose, ears or tongue (consequences of torture). Concerned about the future, the commandant decides to send Masha out of the fortress. Masha says goodbye to Grinev. Vasilisa Egorovna refuses to leave and remains with her husband.
Chapter 7. Attack.
That same night, the Cossacks leave the fortress and go under the banner of Pugachev. The Pugachevites attack the fortress and quickly capture it. The commandant does not even have time to send his daughter out of the city. Pugachev arranges a “trial” of the defenders of the fortress. The commandant and his comrades are executed (hanged). When it’s Grinev’s turn, Savelich throws himself at Pugachev’s feet, begging him to spare the “master’s child,” and promises a ransom. Pugachev has mercy on Grinev. Residents of the city and garrison soldiers swear allegiance to Pugachev. A naked Vasilisa Egorovna is taken out onto the porch and killed.
Chapter 8 Uninvited Guest.
Grinev is tormented by the thought of the fate of Masha, who never managed to leave the fortress taken by the robbers. Masha hides her priest in her place. From her, Grinev learns that Shvabrin has gone over to Pugachev’s side. Savelich tells Grinev that he understood the real reason for Pugachev’s leniency towards Peter’s life. The fact is that Pugachev is the same stranger who once led them out of the snowstorm to their overnight stay. Pugachev invites Grinev to his place. “Everyone treated each other like comrades and did not show any special preference to their leader... Everyone boasted, offered their opinions and freely challenged Pugachev.” The Pugachevites sing a song about the gallows (“Don’t make noise, mother green oak tree”). Pugachev's guests disperse. Face to face, Grinev honestly admits that he does not consider Pugachev a tsar. Pugachev: “Isn’t there good luck for the daring? Didn’t Grishka Otrepiev reign in the old days? Think what you want about me, but don’t leave me behind.” Pugachev releases Grinev to Orenburg, despite the fact that he honestly promises to fight against him.
Chapter 9. Separation.
Pugachev orders Grineva to inform the Orenburg governor that his army will arrive in the city in a week. Next, Pugachev leaves the Belogorsk fortress. He appoints Shvabrin as commandant of the fortress. Savelich gives Pugachev a “register” of the lord’s plundered goods; Pugachev, in a “fit of generosity,” leaves him without attention and without punishment. He favors Grinev with a horse and a fur coat from his shoulder. Meanwhile, Masha falls ill.
Chapter 10. Siege of the city.
Grinev hurries to Orenburg to see General Andrei Karlovich. At the military council “there was not a single military person.” “All the officials talked about the unreliability of the troops, about the unfaithfulness of luck, about caution and the like. Everyone was afraid to fight. Officials offer to bribe Pugachev's people (put a high price on his head). The constable brings Grinev a letter from Masha from the Belogorsk fortress. Brief content of the letter: Shvabrin is forcing Masha to marry. Alarmed Grinev asks the general to give him at least a company of soldiers and fifty Cossacks to clear the Belogorsk fortress, but is refused.
Chapter 11. Rebellious settlement.
Finding themselves in a hopeless situation, Grinev and Savelich go alone to help Masha. On the way, he falls into the hands of Pugachev's people. Pugachev interrogates Grinev about his intentions in the presence of his confidants. “One of them, a frail and hunched old man with a gray beard, had nothing remarkable about himself except a blue ribbon worn over his shoulder over his gray overcoat. But I will never forget his comrade. He was tall, portly and broad-shouldered, and seemed to me to be about forty-five years old. A thick red beard, gray sparkling eyes, a nose without nostrils and reddish spots on his forehead and cheeks gave his pockmarked wide face an inexplicable expression.” Grinev admits that he is going to save an orphan from the claims of the new commandant Shvabrin. The confidants propose to deal not only with Shvabrin, but also with Grinev - to hang both of them. But Pugachev still clearly sympathizes with Grinev - “the debt is clear in payment”, promises to marry him to Masha. In the morning, Grinev goes to the fortress in Pugachev’s wagon. In a confidential conversation, Pugachev tells him that he wants to go to Moscow, but “my street is cramped; I have little will. My guys are smart. They are thieves. I have to keep my ears open; at the first failure, they will ransom their neck with my head.” Pugachev tells Grinev an old Kalmyk tale about an eagle and a raven (the raven pecked carrion, but lived up to 300 years, and the eagle agreed to starve, “it’s better to get drunk with living blood,” but not to eat the carrion, “and then what God will give”).
Chapter 12. Orphan.
Arriving at the fortress, Pugachev learns that the commandant he appointed, Shvabrin, is starving Masha. “By the will of the sovereign,” Pugachev frees the girl. He wanted to immediately marry her to Grinev, but Shvabrin reveals that she is the daughter of the executed captain Mironov. “Execute, so execute, favor, so favor,” summarizes Pugachev and releases Grinev and Masha.
Chapter 13. Arrest.
On the way from the fortress, soldiers arrest Grinev, mistaking him for a Pugachevo, and take him to their superior, who turns out to be Zurin. On his advice, Grinev decides to send Masha and Savelich to his parents, and continue to fight himself. “Pugachev was defeated, but was not caught” and gathered new detachments in Siberia. Over time, he is caught, and the war ends. But at the same time, Zurin receives an order to arrest Grinev and send him under guard to Kazan to the Investigative Commission in the Pugachev case.
Chapter 14. Judgment.
With the direct complicity of Shvabrin, Grinev is accused of serving Pugachev. Peter is sentenced to exile in Siberia. Grinev's parents became very attached to Masha. Not wanting to abuse their generosity, Masha goes to St. Petersburg, stops in Tsarskoe Selo, meets the empress in the garden and asks for mercy from Grinev, explaining that he came to Pugachev because of her. At the audience, the Empress promises to help Masha and grant amnesty to Grinev. The Empress keeps her promise and Grinev is released. Peter decides to attend Pugachev's execution. The chieftain recognized him in the crowd and nodded his head to him as he climbed onto the scaffold. “... a minute later, Pugachev’s dead and bloody head “was shown to the people.”
A very brief retelling of the novel "The Captain's Daughter"
The basis of this work by A.S. Pushkin consists of the memoirs of fifty-year-old nobleman Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, written by him during the reign of Emperor Alexander and dedicated to the “Pugachevism,” in which seventeen-year-old officer Pyotr Grinev took an involuntary part. Pyotr Andreevich recalls his childhood as a noble undergrowth with slight irony. His father Andrei Petrovich Grinev in his youth “served under Count Minich and retired as prime minister in 17.... Since then he lived in his Simbirsk village, where he married the girl Avdotya Vasilievna Yu., the daughter of a poor nobleman there.” There were nine children in the Grinev family, but only Peter survived. The rest died in infancy. “Mother was still my belly,” recalls Grinev, “as I was already enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment as a sergeant.”
From the age of five, Petrusha is looked after by the stirrup Savelich, who was granted him the title of uncle “for his sober behavior.” “Under his supervision, in my twelfth year, I learned Russian literacy and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog.” Then a teacher appeared - the Frenchman Beaupré, who did not understand “the meaning of this word,” since in his homeland he was a hairdresser, and in Prussia he was a soldier. Young Grinev and the Frenchman Beaupre quickly got along, and although Beaupre was contractually obligated to teach Petrusha “French, German and all sciences,” he preferred to soon learn from his student “to chat in Russian.” Grinev's education ends with the expulsion of Beaupre, who was convicted of dissipation, drunkenness and neglect of the duties of a teacher. Until the age of sixteen, Grinev lives “as a minor, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys.”
At the age of seventeen, the father sends his son to serve in the army to “smell gunpowder” and “pull the strap.” Peter, although disappointed, goes to Orenburg. His father instructs him to serve faithfully “to whom you swear allegiance,” and to remember the proverb: “Take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor from a young age.”
On the way, Grinev and Savelich got into a snowstorm. A random traveler met on the road takes him to the place. On the way, Pyotr Andreevich had a terrible dream, in which fifty-year-old Grinev sees something prophetic, connecting it with the “strange circumstances” of his future life. A man with a black beard is lying in Father Grinev’s bed, and mother, calling him Andrei Petrovich and “a planted father,” wants Petrusha to “kiss his hand” and ask for a blessing. A man swings an ax, the room fills with dead bodies; Grinev stumbles over them, slips in bloody puddles, but his “scary man” “kindly calls out,” saying: “Don’t be afraid, come under my blessing.”
In gratitude for the rescue, Grinev gives the “counselor,” who is dressed too lightly, his hare sheepskin coat and offers him a glass of wine. The stranger thanks him with a low bow: “Thank you, your honor! May the Lord reward you for your virtue.” The appearance of the “counselor” seemed “remarkable” to Grinev: “He was about forty years old, average height, thin and broad-shouldered. His black beard showed streaks of gray; the lively big eyes kept darting around. His face had a rather pleasant, but roguish expression.”
The Belogorsk fortress, where Grinev was to serve, turns out to be a village surrounded by a wooden fence. Instead of a brave garrison there are disabled people who do not know where the left and where the right side is, instead of deadly artillery there is an old cannon filled with garbage. The commandant of the fortress, Ivan Kuzmich Mironov, is an officer “from soldiers’ children”, an uneducated man, but honest and kind. His wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, is the true mistress of the fortress and runs it everywhere.
Soon Grinev becomes “native” for the Mironovs, and he himself “imperceptibly became attached to a good family.” Grinev falls in love with the Mironovs’ daughter Masha, “a prudent and sensitive girl.” Service does not burden Grinev; he is interested in reading books, practicing translations and writing poetry.
Over time, he finds a lot in common with Lieutenant Shvabrin, the only person in the fortress close to Grinev in education, age and occupation. However, then they quarrel - Shvabrin repeatedly speaks badly about Masha. Later, in a conversation with Masha, Grinev will find out the reasons for the persistent slander with which Shvabrin pursued her: the lieutenant wooed her, but was refused. “I don’t like Alexei Ivanovich. He’s very disgusting to me,” Masha admits to Grinev. The quarrel is resolved by a duel and the wounding of Grinev.
Further events unfold against the backdrop of a wave of bandit uprisings, led by Emelyan Pugachev, sweeping across the country. Soon the Belogorsk fortress is attacked by Pugachev's rebels. Pugachev himself arranges a trial of the defenders of the fortress and executes Commandant Mironov and his wife, as well as everyone who refused to recognize him (Pugachev) as sovereign. Miraculously, Masha manages to escape, being hidden by the priest. Pyotr Grinev also only miraculously escaped execution. Brief summary of the story his salvation boils down to the fact that Pugachev turned out to be the same stranger who once brought Grinev out of the storm and received generous gratitude from him.
Pugachev treated the frank Grinev with respect and sent him to Orenburg to report his imminent invasion. In Orenburg, Grinev tries in vain to persuade the military to fight against the rebels. Everyone is afraid of war and decides to hold the defense inside the city. Soon Grinev receives news that Shvabrin, appointed by Pugachev as commandant of Belogorsk skepticism, is forcing Masha to marry. Peter and Savelich go to help her, but find themselves captured by rebel troops. Pyotr Grinev again finds himself in front of Pugachev. He speaks honestly about the purpose of his visit to the fortress. Pugachev again treats Grinev very kindly and frees his beloved Masha from the hands of Shvabrin. They are released from the fortress. Peter sends his beloved to his parents, and he returns to work. Soon Pugachev is caught and sentenced to execution. At the same time, Grinev also goes on trial. Shvabrin slandered him for complicity with Pugachev. Peter is convicted and sentenced to exile to Siberia. For the sake of her beloved, Masha seeks a meeting with Empress Catherine II. She begs her to forgive Peter and Catherine grants him freedom.
The story ends with the execution of Pugachev, where Grinev was also present. The chieftain recognized him in the crowd as he ascended the scaffold, and nodded briefly to him goodbye. After this, the robber was executed.
The story "The Captain's Daughter", a retelling of which is offered in this article, was written by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in 1836. It tells about the Pugachev uprising. The author, when creating the work, was based on the events that actually happened in 1773-1775, when the Yaik Cossacks, led by Emelyan Pugachev, who pretended to be Tsar Peter Fedorovich, began taking villains, thieves and escaped convicts as servants. Maria Mironova and Pyotr Grinev - however, their destinies truly reflected the sad time of the civil war.
Chapter 1 Sergeant of the Guard
The story "The Captain's Daughter", a retelling of which you are reading, begins with Pyotr Grinev's story about his life. He was the only child who managed to survive out of 9 children of a poor noblewoman and a retired major; he lived in a noble family with average income. The old servant was actually the young master's tutor. Peter received a poor education, since his father hired a Frenchman, the hairdresser Beaupre, as a tutor. This man led an immoral, dissolute lifestyle. For his debauchery and drunkenness, he was eventually kicked out of the estate. And Petrusha, a 17-year-old boy, his father decided to send him to serve in Orenburg through old connections. He sent him there instead of St. Petersburg, where they were supposed to take the young man into the guard. To look after his son, he assigned Savelich, an old servant, to him. Petrusha was very upset, because instead of capital partying, a joyless existence awaited him in this wilderness. Alexander Sergeevich writes about these events in the story “The Captain's Daughter” (Chapter 1).
The retelling of the work continues. During one of the stops along the way, the young master meets Zurin, a rake-captain, because of whom he became addicted to playing billiards under the pretext of studying. Soon Zurin invites the hero to play for money, and in the end Peter loses 100 rubles - a significant amount for those times. Savelich, who was entrusted with keeping the master’s “treasury,” protests that Pyotr Grinev pay the debt, but the master insists on it. Savelich had to submit and give the money.
Chapter 2 Counselor
We continue to describe the events of the story "The Captain's Daughter". The retelling of the second chapter is as follows. Peter eventually begins to feel ashamed of this loss and promises the servant not to gamble for money anymore. A long journey awaits them, and Savelich forgives his master. But they again get into trouble because of Peter's indiscretion. Despite the approaching storm, Grinev ordered the coachman to continue the journey, and they got lost and almost froze. However, luck was on the side of the heroes - they suddenly met a stranger. He helped the travelers get to
We continue our retelling of chapter 2 of "The Captain's Daughter". Grinev recalls that he, tired after this unsuccessful trip, had a dream in a wagon, which he called prophetic: he saw his mother, who said that Peter’s father was dying, and his house. After that, Grinev saw a man with a beard in his father’s bed, whom he did not know. The mother told the hero that this man was her named husband. Peter refuses to accept the stranger's "father's" blessing, and then he grabs an ax, corpses appear everywhere. However, he does not touch Grinev.
Now they are already approaching the inn, which resembles a thieves' den. A stranger, frozen in only an overcoat, asks Petrusha for wine, and he treats him. An incomprehensible conversation begins between the owner of the house and the man in the thieves' language. Peter does not understand its meaning, but what he heard seems very strange to the hero. Grinev, leaving the shelter, thanked his guide, again to Savelich’s displeasure, by giving him a sheepskin coat. The stranger bowed in response, saying that he would not forget this mercy forever.
When the hero finally gets to Orenburg, one of his father’s colleagues, having read a letter with a request to keep the young man, sends him to serve in the Belogorsk fortress - an even more remote place. This upsets Peter, who had long dreamed of a guards uniform.
Chapter 3 Fortress
Chapter 3 of the story "The Captain's Daughter", a retelling of which is offered to your attention, begins with the following events. We meet the commandant of the fortress. Ivan Kuzmich Mironov was its owner, but in fact everything was managed by the boss’s wife, Vasilisa Egorovna. Peter immediately liked these sincere and simple people. The already middle-aged couple had a young daughter, Masha, but her acquaintance with the main character had not yet taken place. In what turned out to be an ordinary fortress village, a young man meets a lieutenant named Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin. He was sent here from the guard for participating in a duel that ended in the death of his opponent. This hero often made sarcastic remarks about Masha, the captain's daughter, making her look like a fool, and generally had the habit of speaking unflatteringly about people. After Grinev himself met the girl, he expresses doubt about the lieutenant’s remark. Let's continue our retelling. "The Captain's Daughter", chapter 4, is presented below in a brief summary.
Chapter 4 Duel
Benevolent and kind by nature, Grinev began to communicate more and more closely with the commandant’s family, and gradually moved away from Shvabrin. Masha did not have a dowry, but she turned out to be a lovely girl. Peter did not like Shvabrin's caustic remarks. In the evenings, inspired by thoughts of this girl, he began to write poetry to her and read them to Alexei Ivanovich. But he only ridiculed him, beginning to further humiliate the girl’s dignity, saying that she would come at night to anyone who gave her earrings.
In the end, the friends quarreled violently, and a duel had to take place. Vasilisa Egorovna found out about the duel, but the heroes pretended that they had made peace, and they themselves decided to postpone the duel until the next day. In the morning, as soon as they drew their swords, 5 disabled people and Ivan Ignatich led them to Vasilisa Yegorovna under escort. Having properly reprimanded the duelists, she released them. Alarmed by the news of this duel, Masha in the evening told Pyotr Grinev about Alexei Shvabrin’s failed matchmaking with her. Then Grinev understood the motives for this man’s behavior. The duel still took place. Peter turned out to be a serious opponent for Alexei Ivanovich. However, Savelich suddenly appeared at the duel, and, having hesitated, Peter was wounded.
Chapter 5 Love
The retelling of the story "The Captain's Daughter" continues, we have already reached chapter 5. Masha was leaving the wounded Peter. The duel brought them closer, and they fell in love with each other. Grinev, wanting to marry a girl, writes a letter to his parents, but does not receive a blessing. The father's refusal does not change the hero's intentions, but Masha does not agree to get married secretly. The lovers move away from each other for a while.
Chapter 6 Pugachevshchina
We bring to your attention a retelling of chapter 6 (“The Captain’s Daughter”). There is a commotion in the fortress. Mironov receives orders to prepare for an attack by robbers and rebels. Calling himself Peter III, he escaped from custody and is now terrorizing the local population. He is approaching Belogorsk. There are not enough people to defend the fortress. Mironov sends his wife and daughter to Orenburg, where it is more reliable. The wife decides not to leave her husband, and Masha says goodbye to Grinev, but she is no longer able to leave.
Chapter 7 Massacre
Pugachev offers to surrender, but the commandant does not agree to this and opens fire. The battle ends with the transfer of the fortress into the hands of Pugachev.
Emelyan decides to carry out reprisals against those who refused to obey him. He executes Mironov and Ivan Ignatich. Grinev decides to die, but not to swear allegiance to this man. But the servant Savelich throws himself at the ataman’s feet, and he decides to have mercy on Peter. The Cossacks drag Vasilisa Yegorovna out of the house and kill her.
Chapter 8 Uninvited guest
The retelling of the story "The Captain's Daughter" does not end here. Grinev understands that Masha will also be executed if they find out that she is here. In addition, Shvabrin took the side of the rebels. The girl is hiding in the priest's house. In the evening, Peter had a friendly conversation with Pugachev. He remembered the good and in return granted the young man freedom.
Chapter 9 Parting
Pugachev ordered Peter to go to Orenburg in order to report his attack in a week. The young man leaves Belogorsk. Shvabrin becomes commandant and remains in the fortress.
Chapter 10 Siege of the city
Upon arrival in Orenburg, Grinev reported on what was happening in the council. At the council, everyone except the main character voted not for attack, but for defense.
The siege began, and with it need and hunger. Peter secretly corresponds with Masha, and in one of the letters she tells the hero that Shvabrin is holding her captive and wants to marry her. Grinev reports this to the general and asks soldiers to save the girl, but he refuses. Then Peter alone decides to save his beloved.
Chapter 11 Rebel settlement
On the way, Grinev ends up with Pugachev’s people, and he is sent for interrogation. Peter tells Pugachev about everything, and he decides to have mercy on him.
They travel to the fortress together and have a conversation along the way. Peter persuades the troublemaker to surrender, but Emelyan knows that it is too late.
Chapter 12 Orphan
Pugachev learns from Shvabrin that Masha is the daughter of the former commandant. At first he is angry, but this time Peter manages to gain Emelyan’s favor.
Chapter 13 Arrest
Pugachev releases the lovers, and they go home to their parents. On the way they meet Zurin, the former head of the outpost. He persuades the young man to stay in the service. Peter himself understands that duty is calling him. He sends Savelich and Masha to their parents.
In battles, Pugachev begins to suffer defeat. But he himself could not be caught. Zurin and his squad are sent to suppress a new rebellion. Then news comes that Pugachev has been captured.
Chapter 14 Court
We continue our brief retelling. Pushkin ("The Captain's Daughter") further narrates the following events. Grinev is arrested as a traitor, following Shvabrin's denunciation. The Empress pardoned him, taking into account his father's merits, but sentenced the hero to lifelong exile. Masha decides to go to St. Petersburg to ask the Empress for her beloved.
By chance, a girl meets her on a walk in the garden and talks about her grief, not knowing who her interlocutor is. After this conversation, Maria Mironova was invited to the palace, where she saw Catherine II. She pardoned Grinev. Pugachev was executed. The lovers reunited and continued the Grinev family.
Only a brief retelling of the chapters has been offered to your attention. It does not cover all the events and does not fully reveal the psychology of the characters, therefore, to form a more detailed idea of this work, we recommend turning to the original.
