D. i. fanvizin "undergrowth" Mitrofan's attitude to his mother before the tragic denouement and after

From the age of six, children of nobles were assigned to some regiment as lower ranks: corporals, sergeants, and even privates. By the age of majority, the young men received an officer's rank for their length of service and had to "go to work". Teenagers under the age of sixteen were called "undergrowths", which meant: they had not grown up to responsibility, adulthood.

The family of the future officer was obliged to provide the underage with a certain level of education, which was tested in the exam. Often such a test was formal, and the young man was allowed to continue home schooling until the age of 25. All this time he received a promotion in ranks without leaving home. Spoiled and undereducated, often already married and having children, the officer immediately occupied a high position. It is not difficult to guess how this affected the combat capability of the army. The situation with the civil service was no better.

Such a vicious practice of homeschooling nobles was ridiculed by Denis Fonvizin in the comedy "Undergrowth". The protagonist of the work is not accidentally named Mitrofan, which means - "like mother". Mrs. Prostakova embodies the most unattractive features of a landowner from the time of serfdom: tyranny, cruelty, greed, swagger, ignorance. Her weak-willed and narrow-minded husband is afraid to say a word without the approval of his wife.

Prostakova is trying to make a copy of her son. Mitrofanushka grows up as a selfish, rude and arrogant slacker, all of whose interests are centered around delicious food and entertainment. The immoderate appetite of an overgrown "child" is encouraged in every possible way by the mother, even to the detriment of her son's health. Despite a hard night after a hearty dinner, Mitrofanushka eats five buns for breakfast, and Prostakova demands that he be served the sixth. It is not surprising that the undersized, according to the mother, "delicate build".

Mitrofan's entertainment is the most primitive. He loves to drive pigeons, play pranks and listen to the stories of the cowgirl Khavronya. Mother encourages such idleness, because Prostakova herself is illiterate, like her parents, husband and brother. She even prides herself on her ignorance: “Don’t be that Skotinin who wants to learn something”. But the landowner is forced to invite teachers to her son. Because of her pathological greed, she hires the cheapest "specialists". The retired sergeant Tsyfirkin teaches arithmetic, the half-educated seminarian Kuteikin teaches grammar, and the former coachman Vralman teaches "everything else".

However, stupidity and laziness do not allow Mitrofan to receive even those primitive knowledge that the unfortunate teachers are trying to convey to him. Tsyfirkin admits that he did not learn the ward in three years "count three", and Kuteikin complains that the undergrowth is four years old "ass mumbling". Vralman's science is to constantly advise "to kid" stress less and not communicate with smart people. Mrs. Prostakova's fears that there will be no company for her beloved child, Vralman easily refutes: “What a motherfucking son, there are millions of them on the planet”.

Support from the German only strengthens in the mind of the landowner a contemptuous attitude towards education. And this makes Mitrofanushka very happy. He had not even heard of geography, and the word "Door" considers it an adjective because "she is attached to her place".

It should be noted that although Mitrofan is stupid, he is cunning, he perfectly understands his own benefit. He deftly manipulates his mother's feelings. Not wanting to start the lesson, the teenager complains that his uncle beat him, promises to drown himself from such an insult.

Mitrofan does not value those who are lower than him in rank or position in society, but fawns over wealth and power. The appeals of the undergrowth to servants and teachers are characteristic: "old bastard", "garrison rat". He calls the dreaming parents "such rubbish", but fawns over the rich Starodum and is ready to kiss his hands.

Mitrofan is very cowardly. He threatens with the wrath of his mother, whom others are afraid of, but in a skirmish with Skotinin, he hides behind an old nanny. Prostakova does not have a soul in an only child, protects him and tries to arrange a happy future. For the sake of her son, she enters into a fight with her own brother, by hook or by crook she tries to marry him to the rich heiress Sophia.

The ungrateful Mitrofanushka pays Prostakova for love and care with her indifference. When in the final scene, a woman who has lost her power rushes to her son for consolation, the undergrowth repels Prostakova with contempt: "Yes, get rid of you, mother, how imposed".

The image of Mitrofanushka has not lost its relevance even after two and a half centuries. The problems of upbringing, blind maternal love, ignorance and rudeness, unfortunately, remain also important for modern society. And lazy, mediocre students can easily be met today.

The eighteenth century gave Russian (and world, of course) literature many outstanding names and talented figures. One of them is Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin, writer and playwright. Most of the inhabitants, he is known as the author of the comedy "Undergrowth". How was the most famous work of the author created, from whom did he write his characters and what is special about one of the heroes of the play - Mitrofanushka?

Denis Fonvizin

Before talking about the comedy itself, it is necessary to say at least briefly about its author. Denis Fonvizin lived a not too long (only forty-seven years), but a bright life. Most know him only as the person who wrote The Undergrowth, meanwhile, he wrote the play The Brigadier, many translations and adaptations, treatises and essays.

Despite the fact that he wrote only two plays (and even after "The Brigadier" he did not turn to drama for more than ten years), it is Fonvizin who is the "progenitor" of the so-called Russian everyday comedy.

"Undergrowth" Fonvizin: the history of creation

Despite the fact that The Undergrowth was completed by the writer and politician in the early eighties, there is reason to believe that Fonvizin conceived his satirical "comedy of manners" back in the sixties: it was at this time that the play belongs, which first saw the light of day only in the past century - during the life of the author, it was never published. Her characters can be called the early prototypes of the heroes of "Undergrowth": familiar features are quite easily captured in each of them.

While working on comedy, Denis Ivanovich used a huge variety of sources - both articles and works of various authors (both modern and past centuries), and even texts written by Catherine the Great herself. Having finished work on The Undergrowth, Fonvizin, of course, decided to stage the play, although he understood that it would be difficult to do this - an abundance of new ideas and bold statements blocked the work from reaching a wide audience. Nevertheless, he himself took up the preparation of the performance and, albeit slowly, albeit with all sorts of delays, The Undergrowth saw the light of day in the theater on Tsaritsyn Meadow and received phenomenal success with the audience. This happened in 1782, and a year later the play was first published.

Who is this imbecile

Many are sincerely perplexed by the title of the work. In fact, why - undergrowth? What is this word anyway? Everything is simple. In the eighteenth century (and it was then that Denis Fonvizin lived and worked), a young man of noble (that is, noble) origin who had not received an education was called a “undergrowth”. A person is lazy, stupid, incapable of anything - that's who such an undergrowth is. Such young men could not get a job, and they were not given permission to marry.

Denis Ivanovich called his work "Undergrowth" because that is exactly what Mitrofanushka is, one of the main characters. He put a little more satire into this word than it had in reality. The undergrowth, with the light hand of Fonvizin, is not only uneducated, but also a selfish and rude young man. The characterization of the image of Mitrofanushka will be presented in more detail later.

The plot of "Undergrowth" revolves around the modest girl Sophia, left without parents and therefore taken up by the Prostakov family, greedy and narrow-minded people. Sophia is a rich heiress, a marriageable bride, and both the Prostakovs want to get a wife with such a dowry, trying to pass her off as their sixteen-year-old son Mitrofanushka, who is undersized, and Prostakova's brother Skotinin, obsessed with the idea of ​​​​a large number of cattle in Sophia's farm. Sophia also has a loved one - Milon, for whom she wants to give her and her only relative - Uncle Starodum. He comes to the Prostakovs and is very surprised to see how the owners curry favor with him and his niece. They try to put Mitrofanushka in the best light, but the uneducated and lazy bumpkin spoils all the attempts of the mother.

Having learned that Starodum and Milon are taking Sophia away, at night, on the orders of the Prostakovs, they try to steal her, but Milon prevents the abduction. It all ends with the fact that the Prostakovs lose not only a profitable bride, but also their estates - their greed, anger and self-interest are to blame.

Main characters

The main characters of "Undergrowth" are the already mentioned Mitrofanushka and his parents (it should be noted that everything in this family is run by the mother, who does not consider servants to be people, strongly following the fashion of that time; the father of the family is completely under the heel of his domineering wife, who even raises her hand against him), Sofya, her uncle Starodum, fiance Milon, state official Pravdin, whose goal is to expose the atrocities of the Prostakovs (he eventually succeeds in this). It is necessary to pay special attention to the fact that Fonvizin used “talking” names for his characters - they are endowed with both positive (Starodum, Pravdin, Sofya) and negative (Skotinin, Prostakov) characters. In the characterization of Mitrofanushka, his name is also of great importance - from the Greek "Mitrofan" means "sissy", which really fully reflects the character of the hero. Only at the very end of the play Mitrofanushka quarrels with her mother and tells her to leave him alone.

Fonvizin pushes foreheads in his work on completely different social strata - officials, nobles, and servants are represented here ... He openly ridicules the nobles with their upbringing, condemns people like the Prostakovs. From the very first words of the play it is easy to understand where are the positive and where are the negative characters and what is the attitude of the author towards each of them. It is largely thanks to the beautifully written images of negative characters (especially the characterization of Mitrofanushka) that the “comedy of manners” brought such success to its creator. The name of Mitrofanushka has generally become a household name. The play, in addition, was disassembled into popular expressions with quotes.

Characteristics of Mitrofanushka should be given special attention. However, first it is necessary to say about three more characters in the play. These are Mitrofanushka's teachers - Tsyfirkin, Kuteikin and Vralman. They cannot be directly attributed either to the positive, or to they belong to a type of people in which both good and bad are equally combined. However, their last names are also “speaking”: they talk about the main property of a person - for example, Vralman’s is a lie, and Tsyfirkin’s is a love of mathematics.

"Undergrowth": characteristics of Mitrofanushka

The character, in whose "honor" the work is named, is almost sixteen years old. While many at his age are completely independent adults, Mitrofanushka cannot take a single step without her mother's prompting without holding on to her skirt. He is one of those who are called "sissy" (and as mentioned above, a direct indication of this is contained even in the meaning of his name). Despite the fact that Mitrofanushka has a father, the boy does not receive a male upbringing in the full sense of the word - his father himself is not famous for such properties.

For parents, Mitrofanushka is still a small child - even in his presence they talk about him in this way, calling him a child, a child - and Mitrofanushka shamelessly uses this throughout the comedy. The boy does not put his father in a penny, thus proving once again that he is a perfect "sissy". Very indicative in this respect is the scene where Mitrofan pities his mother, who is tired of beating her father - so she, poor, worked hard, beating him. There is no question of sympathizing with the father.

It is not entirely possible to give a brief description of Mitrofanushka in "Undergrowth" - there is so much that can be said about this character. For example, he really likes to eat tightly, and then - to soak up his heart's content without work (however, he doesn’t really have anything to do, except for studies, in which, to be honest, he is not at all diligent). Like his mother, Mitrofan is a rather heartless person. He likes to humiliate others, putting them below himself, once again "pointing the place" to the people working for him. So, he constantly offends his nanny, assigned to him from birth, who is always on his side. This is another significant moment in the characterization of Mitrofanushka from the comedy "Undergrowth".

Mitrofanushka is a sneak and insolent, but meanwhile he is a toady: already at that age he feels who should not be rude, in front of whom it is worth "showing his best qualities." The only trouble is that with such a mother's upbringing, Mitrofanushka simply cannot have the best qualities. Even to her, the one who so blindly loves him and allows him everything, he threatens, blackmails her in an attempt to achieve what he wants for himself. Such qualities do not honor the characterization of Mitrofanushka, speaking of him as a bad person, ready to go over heads for the sake of himself and his demands, as a person who loves only as long as his will is fulfilled.

Interestingly, Mitrofan is characterized by self-criticism: he is aware that he is lazy and stupid. However, he is not at all upset about this, declaring that "he is not a hunter for smart girls." It is unlikely that such a quality passed to him from his mother, rather he adopted it from his father - at least he had to inherit something from him. This is a brief description of Mitrofanushka, a hero whose name for several centuries has been called people with similar character traits.

Was it a boy?

It is known that Fonvizin “peeped” scenes for his work in life. And what about the heroes? Are they completely invented or written off from real-life people?

The characterization of the hero Mitrofanushka gives reason to believe that Alexei Olenin was his prototype. Subsequently, he became known as a statesman and historian, as well as an artist. But until the age of eighteen, his behavior was absolutely similar to the characteristics of Mitrofanushka: he did not want to study, he was rude, lazy, as they say, wasting his life in vain. It is believed that it was Fonvizin’s comedy that helped Alexei Olenin “get on the right path”: allegedly, after reading it, he recognized himself in the main character, saw his portrait from the side for the first time and was so shocked that he gained motivation for “rebirth”.

Like it or not, now it is impossible to know for sure. But some facts from Olenin's biography have been preserved. So, until the age of ten, he was raised by his father and a specially hired tutor, he also studied at home. When he went to school (and not to any, but to the Court of Pages), he was soon sent to continue his studies abroad - he was chosen for this purpose, since little Alyosha showed excellent success in learning. Abroad, he graduated from two higher institutions - thus, it is not necessary to say that Olenin was lazy and ignorant, like Mitrofanushka. It is quite possible that some of the qualities inherent in Olenin resembled the characteristics of Mitrofanushka, however, most likely, it is impossible to assert that Olenin is a 100% prototype of Fonvizin's hero. More likely, however, that Mitrofan is a kind of collective image.

The meaning of the comedy "Undergrowth" in literature

"Undergrowth" has been studied for more than two centuries - from the very release of the play to this day. It is difficult to overestimate its significance: it satirically ridicules the social and even state structure of society. And he does it openly, not even being afraid of the authorities - and meanwhile, Catherine the Great, precisely because of this, after the publication of The Undergrowth, forbade the publication of anything that came out from the pen of Fonvizin.

His comedy highlights the thorny issues of the time, but they remain no less relevant today. The shortcomings of society that existed in the eighteenth century have not gone away in the twenty-first. The play, with the light hand of Pushkin, was called a "folk comedy" - it has every right to be called that today.

1. In the first version of the play, Mitrofanushka is called Ivanushka.
2. The initial version of the comedy is closer to the play "The Brigadier".
3. Fonvizin worked on The Undergrowth for about three years.
4. He drew ideas for writing from life, but spoke about the creation of only one scene - the one where Eremeevna protects her pupil from Skotinin.
5. When Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol studied at the gymnasium, he played the role of Mrs. Prostakova in school productions.
6. Fonvizin sketched out the continuation of "Undergrowth" in letters to Sophia and Starodum to each other: according to the author's idea, after the wedding, Milon cheated on Sophia, which she complained to her uncle about.
7. For the first time, the idea of ​​creating such a work originated with Denis Ivanovich when he was in France.

More than two centuries have passed since the creation of the play, and it does not lose its relevance to this day. More and more research is devoted to the study of comedy itself and its individual characters. This means that Denis Fonvizin managed to notice and highlight in his work something that will attract the attention of readers and viewers at all times.

Mitrofan Prostakov is one of the main characters in D.I. Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth". From the list of characters, we learn that it is to him that the title of the play refers. So the nobles were officially called, mostly young, who did not receive a document on education and did not enter the service. At the same time, the word "undergrowth" meant any minor nobleman.
Mitrofan is the almost sixteen-year-old son of provincial nobles. One of the heroes of the comedy - the official Pravdin - characterizes his parents in this way: "I found the landowner an innumerable fool, and his wife a wicked fury, to whom the hellish disposition makes misfortune of their whole house." Fonvizin used speaking names and surnames in the play: the name Mitrofan in Greek has the meaning of "resembling a mother." Indeed, as the plot develops, the reader is convinced that the son inherited all the disgusting traits of character from Prostakova, and it is she who is his main educator and example.
Mitrofan is stupid and ignorant: for the fourth year he sits over the book of hours, for the third year he cannot learn to count. In addition, he cannot be called a cheerful student, he believes that with his “occupations” he does everyone a great favor, and Prostakova herself, who sees only harm in enlightenment, asks him: “You at least learn for the sake of it.” She constantly teaches her son her life principles, among which greed and stinginess occupy not the last place. Therefore, the landowner calls arithmetic "stupid science", since according to the condition of the problem, it is necessary to divide the money found by three or calculate an increase in the teacher's salary.
In relation to the teachers and the soul of Eremeevna, who does not have a soul in him, Mitrofanushka shows rudeness and cruelty, calling them "garrison rat", "old bastard", threatening to complain to the ambulance about the massacre of his mother. But as soon as his uncle Skotinin pounces on him, he cowardly asks for protection from the old nurse offended by him.
The undergrowth is lazy and spoiled, uses every opportunity to get rid of the teachers and go chasing pigeons. All his base aspirations are only to eat tasty and a lot, not to study, but to get married. His father notices in him the Skotinins' family love for pigs.
Mitrofan is used to getting his way both with threats (“After all, the river is close here. I’ll dive in, so remember what your name was”), and with clumsy flattery. His fiction about sleep is comical: “The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes ... Yes, then you, mother, then father ... As soon as I start to fall asleep, I see that you, mother, deign to beat the father ... So I felt sorry ... You, mother : you are so tired, beating the father.
To achieve their goals, the Prostakovs do not shun any means. Together with his parents, Mitrofan first grovels before Starodum in the hope of receiving an inheritance, and then is ready to marry his niece Sophia by force. When the kidnapping fails, he, like his mother, is going to take out his anger on the serfs.
Brought up in an atmosphere of malevolence and cruelty, Mitrofan grows up selfish, not loving anyone but himself, even his mother indulging him in everything. Having lost power and therefore becoming unnecessary to Prostakov, who turned to her son for consolation, he repels with the words: “Yes, get rid of it, mother, as it was imposed ...”.
His stupidity and ignorance cause irony among the positive heroes of the comedy, and they perceive his cruelty as a logical consequence of bad education. The author himself is of the same opinion. In the comedy “Undergrowth”, Fonvizin expressed his educational ideals in the words of Pravdin and Starodum: “Direct dignity in a person is a soul ... Without it, the most enlightened smart girl is a miserable creature ... An ignoramus without a soul is a beast.” The image of Mitrofan has become an instructive example of what evil ignorance leads to, and his name has become a household name. More than one lazy person was frightened by the prospect of becoming like him.

Denis Fonvizin wrote the comedy "Undergrowth" in the 18th century. At that time, in Russia, the decree of Peter I was in force, prescribing that young men under the age of 21 without education were forbidden to enter the military and public service, as well as to marry. Young people up to this age in this document were called "underage" - this definition formed the basis of the title of the play. In the work, the main character is Mitrofanushka the undersized. Fonvizin portrayed him as a stupid, cruel, greedy and lazy young man of 16 who behaves like a small child, does not want to learn and is naughty. Mitrofan is a negative character and the funniest hero of the comedy - his awkward statements, stupidity and ignorance cause laughter not only among readers and spectators, but also among other heroes of the play. The character plays an important role in the ideological concept of the play, so the image of Mitrofan the Undergrowth requires a detailed analysis.

Mitrofan and Prostakova

In Fonvizin's work "Undergrowth", the image of Mitrofanushka is closely connected with the theme of education, since, in fact, it was the wrong upbringing that caused the young man's malevolence and all his negative features. His mother, Mrs. Prostakova, is an uneducated, cruel, despotic woman, for whom material wealth and power are the main values. She adopted her views on the world from her parents - representatives of the old nobility, the same uneducated and ignorant landowners like herself. The values ​​and views received through upbringing were passed on to Prostakova and Mitrofan - the young man in the play is depicted as a “sissy” - he can’t do anything himself, everything is done for him by servants or his mother. Having received from Prostakova cruelty towards servants, rudeness and the opinion that education occupies one of the last places in life, Mitrofan also adopted disrespect for loved ones, a willingness to deceive or betray them for a better offer. Recall how Prostakova persuaded Skotinin to marry Sophia in order to essentially get rid of the “extra mouth”. Whereas the news about the girl’s large inheritance made her a “caring teacher”, supposedly loving Sophia and wishing her happiness. Prostakova is looking for her own self-interest in everything, which is why she refused Skotinin, because if the girl and Mitrofan, who listens to his mother in everything, would marry, Sophia's money would go to her.

The young man is as selfish as Prostakova. He becomes a worthy son of his mother, adopting her "best" features, which explains the final scene of the comedy, when Mitrofan leaves Prostakov, who has lost everything, leaving to serve the new owner of the village, Pravdin. For him, the efforts and love of his mother turned out to be insignificant before the authority of money and power.

Influence on Mitrofan father and uncle

Analyzing the upbringing of Mitrofan in the comedy "Undergrowth" one cannot fail to mention the figure of the father and his influence on the personality of the young man. Prostakov appears before the reader as a weak-willed shadow of his wife. It was the passivity and desire to transfer the initiative to someone stronger that Mitrofan adopted from his father. It is paradoxical that Pravdin speaks of Prostakov as a stupid person, but in the action of the play his role is so insignificant that the reader cannot fully understand whether he really is so stupid. Even the fact that Prostakov reproaches his son when Mitrofan leaves his mother at the end of the work does not indicate him as a character with positive traits. The man, like the rest, does not try to help Prostakova, remaining on the sidelines, thus again showing an example of weak will and lack of initiative to his son - he does not care, as it was all the same, while Prostakova beat his peasants and disposed of his property in her own way.

The second man who influenced Mitrofan's upbringing is his uncle. Skotinin, in fact, is a person that a young man could become in the future. They are even brought together by a common love for pigs, whose company is much more pleasant for them than the company of people.

Mitrofan's training

According to the plot, the description of Mitrofan's training is in no way connected with the main events - the struggle for Sophia's heart. However, it is these episodes that reveal many important problems that Fonvizin highlights in the comedy. The author shows that the reason for the stupidity of a young man is not only bad upbringing, but also bad education. Prostakova, hiring teachers for Mitrofan, chose not educated smart teachers, but those who would take less. The retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, the half-educated Kuteikin, the former groom Vralman - none of them could give Mitrofan a decent education. They all depended on Prostakova, and therefore could not ask her to leave and not interfere with the lesson. Recall how a woman did not even let her son think about solving an arithmetic problem, offering "her own solution." The scene of a conversation with Starodum becomes an exposure of Mitrofan's useless teaching, when the young man begins to invent his own grammar rules and does not know what geography is studying. At the same time, the illiterate Prostakova also does not know the answer, but if the teachers could not laugh at her stupidity, then the educated Starodum openly ridicules the ignorance of mother and son.

Thus, Fonvizin, introducing scenes of Mitrofan's training and exposing his ignorance into the play, raises the acute social problems of education in Russia in that era. Noble children were taught not by authoritative educated personalities, but by literate slaves who needed pennies. Mitrofan is one of the victims of such an old-fashioned, obsolete and, as the author emphasizes, meaningless education.

Why is Mitrofan the central character?

As it becomes clear from the title of the work, the young man is the central image of the comedy "Undergrowth". In the system of characters, he is opposed to the positive heroine Sofya, who appears before the reader as a smart, educated girl who respects her parents and older people. It would seem, why did the author make the weak-willed, stupid, with a completely negative characterization of the undergrowth the key figure of the play? Fonvizin in the image of Mitrofan showed a whole generation of young Russian nobles. The author was worried about the mental and moral degradation of society, in particular, young people who adopted outdated values ​​from their parents.

In addition, in The Undergrowth, Mitrofan's characterization is a composite image of the negative features of modern landowners Fonvizin. The author sees cruelty, stupidity, ignorance, sycophancy, disrespect for others, greed, civic passivity and infantilism not only in outstanding landowners, but also in officials at the court, who also forgot about humanism and high morality. For the modern reader, the image of Mitrofan is, first of all, a reminder of what a person becomes when he stops developing, learning new things and forgets about eternal human values ​​- respect, kindness, love, mercy.

A detailed description of Mitrofan, his character and lifestyle will help students in grades 8-9 in preparing a report or essay on the topic “Characteristics of Mitrofan in the comedy “Undergrowth””

Artwork test

Comedy D. I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth" is written on the result of the XVIII century. Today is the 21st century, and many of its problems are relevant, the images are still alive. One of the main problems touched upon by the play is the writer's reflection on the heritage that Skotinin and the simpleton are preparing for Russia. To Fonvizin, the word "undergrowth" had no judged meaning. Dropouts were called noble children under the age of 15, i.e. age appointed by Peter I for entry into the service. In Fonvizin, it received a mocking, ironic meaning. The upbringing of children is a state problem. But it is not only the education system that solves it, but also each family separately. Until the age of sixteen or seventeen, children of the nobility are just a "half-educated". They eat pies in abundance, chase pigeons, they are frequent visitors to the "girls". They do not burden themselves with anything, they do not care about anything. But childhood passes quickly, children must grow up, go to public service or continue the work of their parents. This means that they need to be prepared for adulthood, and parents prepare children for life in accordance with their ideals (if they have them), each in their own way. Mitrofan is the only son of provincial parents. Nobleman, future serf-owner or civil servant. "Like a mother" ... This already says a lot. The mother of simpletons is a cruel and domineering woman, insidious, cunning and greedy. An uneducated mother teaches her son the sciences, but she recruited teachers at a "cheaper price", and even interferes with that. What are her advice to her son worth: "... my friend, at least for the sake of appearance, learn, so that it comes to his ears how you work!" “I found money, don’t share it with anyone. Take everything for yourself, Metrofanushka. Don’t study this stupid science!” Mother brings up Mitrofan in her own image and likeness: he is stupid, greedy, lazy. In a fit of rage, she shouts at the courtyard girl Pelageya that she is seriously ill. She does not take into account the dignity of those who live next to her: she has long crushed her husband, depriving him of his freedom and her opinion, humiliates Sophia, considering her accustomers. In Prostakova, we see only the landowner, illiterate, cruel and unbridled. We do not see a woman in her, she has no mind, no mercy. In some respects, Mitrofan went further than his mother. Let us remember how he regrets his mother that she was tired while beating the father. He perfectly understands who is the real master in the house, and clumsily flatters his mother.Blindly and recklessly loving his son, the simpleton sees his happiness in wealth and idleness. Upon learning that Sophia is a rich bride, the mother flatters the girl and wants to marry her son by any means. A simpleton thinks that with his mind Mitrofan will "fly far", sabuvayuchy folk wisdom: "What you sow, you will reap." Apparently, she did not know the wisdom of the people, because the people are worse for her than cattle. Veremiivna, who devoted her whole life to serving in the Prostakov family, did not deserve anything except for poking. Teachers came to Mitrofan, and he growls: "Take them away from Sibenik!" Mitrofan calls Tsifirkin, who wants to teach him at least something, a "garrison rat", and after failing to kidnap Sophia, he and his mother intend to "take on people", that is, flog the servants. So, the simpleton raised her son the way she knew how and how she wanted. What happened? At the most critical moment of her life, when she found herself "with nothing," the simpleton rushes to his son with an exclamation: "You are the only one left with me, my heartfelt friend, Metrofanushka!" - And he comes across a stale, rude answer from his son: "Yes, diversion" huddle, mama, how you imposed it! The "disaster luck" of the son is a direct consequence of the bad qualities of his parents.Mitrofan is an undergrowth primarily because he is a complete ignoramus, knows neither arithmetic nor geography, "is unable to distinguish an adjective from a noun. But he is also short in moral terms, because he does not know how to respect the dignity of other people. He is also undersized in a civil sense, since he has not grown up to understand his duties to the state. It is quite natural that civic feeling is alien to Skotinin-Prostakov, the thought "to be useful to one's fellow citizens" cannot come into these chapters. Mitrofan does not rush either to study or to serve, and prefers the position of "half-educated". Mitrofan's mood is fully shared by his mother. “While Metrofanushka is still small,” she argues, “so long as he is pampered, and there, in a dozen years, when he comes out, God help him, to the service, to endure everything.Are there many such Mitrofans? Vralman said about this: “Do not grieve, my mother, do not grieve: what is your son - there are millions of them in the world. “We see,” says Starodum, “all the unfortunate consequences of bad education.” Now is a different time, other people. But Fonvizin says us: the family educates first.Children inherit from their parents not only genes, but also ideals, habits, way of thinking and life.As a rule, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Mitrofan Prostakov is one of the main characters in D.I. Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth". From the list of characters, we learn that it is to him that the title of the play refers. So the nobles were officially called, mostly young, who did not receive a document on education and did not enter the service. At the same time, the word "undergrowth" meant any minor nobleman.
Mitrofan is the almost sixteen-year-old son of provincial nobles. One of the heroes of the comedy - the official Pravdin - characterizes his parents in this way: "I found the landowner an innumerable fool, and his wife a wicked fury, to whom the hellish disposition makes misfortune of their whole house." Fonvizin used speaking names and surnames in the play: the name Mitrofan in Greek has the meaning of "resembling a mother." Indeed, as the plot develops, the reader is convinced that the son inherited all the disgusting traits of character from Prostakova, and it is she who is his main educator and example.
Mitrofan is stupid and ignorant: for the fourth year he sits over the book of hours, for the third year he cannot learn to count. In addition, he cannot be called a cheerful student, he believes that with his “occupations” he does everyone a great favor, and Prostakova herself, who sees only harm in enlightenment, asks him: “You at least learn for the sake of it.” She constantly teaches her son her life principles, among which greed and stinginess occupy not the last place. Therefore, the landowner calls arithmetic "stupid science", since according to the condition of the problem, it is necessary to divide the money found by three or calculate an increase in the teacher's salary.
In relation to the teachers and the soul of Eremeevna, who does not have a soul in him, Mitrofanushka shows rudeness and cruelty, calling them "garrison rat", "old bastard", threatening to complain to the ambulance about the massacre of his mother. But as soon as his uncle Skotinin pounces on him, he cowardly asks for protection from the old nurse offended by him.
The undergrowth is lazy and spoiled, uses every opportunity to get rid of the teachers and go chasing pigeons. All his base aspirations are only to eat tasty and a lot, not to study, but to get married. His father notices in him the Skotinins' family love for pigs.
Mitrofan is used to getting his way both with threats (“After all, the river is close here. I’ll dive in, so remember what your name was”), and with clumsy flattery. His fiction about sleep is comical: “The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes ... Yes, then you, mother, then father ... As soon as I start to fall asleep, I see that you, mother, deign to beat the father ... So I felt sorry ... You, mother : you are so tired, beating the father.
To achieve their goals, the Prostakovs do not shun any means. Together with his parents, Mitrofan first grovels before Starodum in the hope of receiving an inheritance, and then is ready to marry his niece Sophia by force. When the kidnapping fails, he, like his mother, is going to take out his anger on the serfs.
Brought up in an atmosphere of malevolence and cruelty, Mitrofan grows up selfish, not loving anyone but himself, even his mother indulging him in everything. Having lost power and therefore becoming unnecessary to Prostakov, who turned to her son for consolation, he repels with the words: “Yes, get rid of it, mother, as it was imposed ...”.
His stupidity and ignorance cause irony among the positive heroes of the comedy, and they perceive his cruelty as a logical consequence of bad education. The author himself is of the same opinion. In the comedy “Undergrowth”, Fonvizin expressed his educational ideals in the words of Pravdin and Starodum: “Direct dignity in a person is a soul ... Without it, the most enlightened smart girl is a miserable creature ... An ignoramus without a soul is a beast.” The image of Mitrofan has become an instructive example of what evil ignorance leads to, and his name has become a household name. More than one lazy person was frightened by the prospect of becoming like him.

The comedy of D. I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth" is named after the ignoramus and idler. Mitrofanushka is one of the central characters in the play. Laziness, inaction, selfishness and indifference are its main internal qualities. Description of Mitrofan allows us to say about the generalized image of the nobility.

Relationships with parents

Mitrofan is very fond of his parents. Mother - Mrs. Prostakova - idolizes her son. She is really ready for everything for him. Prostakova raised Mitrofanushka in such a way that he did not know how to live for real. In life, he was not interested in anything, he was not familiar with problems and life difficulties, since his parents did everything so that Mitrofanushka would not encounter them. This fact strongly influenced Mitrofanushka's attitude to his own life: he felt his permissiveness. At the heart of the hero's life was laziness and apathy, the desire to achieve only his own goals related to peace.

The protagonist saw how his mother treats his father. Prostakov did not play a big role in their family. This was the reason that Mitrofan did not take his father seriously either. He grew up insensitive and selfish, not even showing love to his mother, who in turn loved him very much. The character demonstrated such an indifferent attitude towards his mother in the finale of the work: Mitrofanushka refuses to support Mrs. Prostakova with the words “Yes, get rid of you, mother, how you imposed yourself.”

Such a quotation characteristic fully indicates the results of permissiveness and blind parental love. D. I. Fonvizin demonstrated how such love has a detrimental effect on a person.

Life goals

The characterization of Mitrofan from the comedy "Undergrowth" is largely determined by his attitude to life. Mitrofanushka has no lofty goals. He is not adapted to real life, so his main actions are sleeping and eating peculiar foods. The hero does not pay attention either to nature, or to beauty, or to the love of his parents. Instead of studying, Mitrofanushka dreams of her marriage, while never thinking about love. Mitrofanushka never experienced this feeling, therefore marriage for him is what is accepted in society, which is why he so wants to get married. Mitrofanushka wastes her life without thinking about any large-scale goals.

Attitude towards learning

The image of Mitrofanushka, in short, personifies a negative attitude towards education. In "Undergrowth" the story about Mitrofan's studies is very comical. The hero was engaged in education only because it was supposed to be so in society. Ms. Prostakova herself, who decided to hire teachers for Mitrofan, considered science to be empty. This greatly influenced the worldview of the child, who, like the mother, began to consider education a waste of time. If it were possible to leave education, Mitrofan would gladly do it. However, the decree of Peter I, which is tacitly mentioned in The Undergrowth, obliged all nobles to take a training course. Education and knowledge for Mitrofanushka becomes a duty. The mother of the hero could not instill desire in her son, so he began to believe that he could do without knowledge. For four years of study, he did not achieve any results. Mitrofanushka's teachers also contribute to ignorance, for whom only material values ​​were important. Mitrofanushka treats her teachers with disrespect, calling them various names. He saw his superiority over them, so he allowed them to behave like that.

One of the main characters of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin is Prostakov Mitrofan Terentyevich, the noble son of the Prostakovs.

The name Mitrofan means “similar”, similar to the mother. Maybe with this name Mrs. Prostakova wanted to show that her son is a reflection of Prostakova herself.

Mitrofanushka was sixteen years old, but his mother did not want to part with her child and wanted to keep her until the age of twenty-six, not letting him go to work.

Mrs. Prostakova herself was stupid, insolent, impolite, and therefore did not listen to anyone's opinion.

“While Mitrofan is still in the undergrowth, while he is to be married; and there, in ten years, when he enters, God forbid, into the service, endure everything.

Mitrofanushka himself has no purpose in life, he only loved to eat, mess around and chase pigeons: “I’ll run to the dovecote now, so maybe either ...” To which his mother replied: “Go, frolic, Mitrofanushka.”

Mitrofan did not want to study, his mother hired teachers for him only because it was necessary in noble families, and not so that her son would learn the mind - the mind. As he told his mother: “Listen, mother. I amuse you. I will learn; just make sure it's the last one. The hour of my will has come. I don’t want to study, I want to get married” And Mrs. Prostakova always echoed him: “It’s very nice for me that Mitrofanushka doesn’t like to step forward, With his mind, let him sweep far, and God forbid! Only you are tormented, and everything, I see, is emptiness. Don't study this stupid science!"

The worst qualities of character, the most backward views on science characterize such young nobles as Mitrofan. He is also unusually lazy.

Mrs. Prostakova herself did not look for a soul in Mitrofanushka. Fonvizin understood the unreasonableness of her blind, animal love for her offspring, Mitrofan, a love that, in essence, destroys her son. Mitrofan ate himself to the point of colic in his stomach, and his mother tried to persuade him to eat more. The nanny said: “He already ate five buns, mother.” To which Prostakova replied: “So you feel sorry for the sixth, you beast.” These words show concern for the son. She tried to provide him with a carefree future, decided to marry him to a rich wife. If someone offends her son, she immediately comes to the defense. Mitrofanushka was one of her consolations.

Mitrofan treated his mother with disdain: “Yes! Just look what a task is from uncle: and there from his fists and for the watch book ”What, what do you want to do? Come to your senses, darling!” “Vit here and the river is close. I’ll dive, and remember your name.” “Dead! God died with you! ”: these words prove that he does not love at all and he does not feel sorry for his own mother at all, Mitrofan does not respect her and plays on her feelings. And when Prostakova, who has lost power, rushes to her son with the words: You are the only one left with me, my heartfelt friend, Mitrofanushka! ". And in response he hears a heartless: “Yes, get rid of you, mother, how you imposed yourself.” “The whole night such rubbish climbed into my eyes.” “What kind of rubbish Mitrofanushka?”. “Yes, then you, mother, then father.”

Prostakov was afraid of his wife and in her presence he spoke of his son as follows: “At least, I love him as a parent, this is a smart child, that is a reasonable, amusing, entertainer; sometimes I am overjoyed with him, I myself truly do not believe that he is my son, ”and added, looking at his wife:“ In your eyes, mine do not see anything.

Taras Skotinin, looking at everything that was happening, repeated: “Well, Mitrofanushka, I see you are a mother’s son, not a father!” And Mitrofan turned to his uncle: “What are you, uncle, overeating with henbane? Get out, uncle, get out."

Mitrofan was always rude to his mother and snapped at her. Although Eremeevna did not receive a penny for raising a minor, she tried to teach him good, defended him from his uncle: “I will die on the spot, but I will not give the child away. Sunsya, sir, just show yourself if you please. I'll scratch out those thorns." I tried to make a decent person out of him: “Yes, teach at least a little.” “Well, say another word, you old bastard! I'll finish them off; I will again complain to my mother, so she will deign to give you a task in yesterday's way. Of all the teachers, only the German Adam Adamych Vralman praised Mitrofanushka, and even then because of the fact that Prostakov was not angry with him and scolded. The rest of the teachers openly scolded him. For example, Tsyfirkin: “Your nobility is always idle toil, if you please.” And Mitrofan snapped: “Well! Come on board, garrison rat! Get your asses back." “All butts, your honor. We’ll be left with tasks a century behind. ” Mitrofan's dictionary is small and poor. “Shoot them and take them with Eremeevna”: this is how he spoke about his teachers and nanny.

Mitrofan was ill-bred, a rude, spoiled child, whom everyone around obeyed and obeyed, he also had freedom of speech in the house. Mitrofan was sure that the people around him should help him, give advice. Mitrofan had an inflated self-esteem.

No matter how smart and hardworking a person is, there is a particle of such Mitrofanushka in him. Every person is sometimes lazy. There are also people who try to live only at the expense of their parents, without doing anything themselves. Of course, many depend on the upbringing of children by parents.

To people like Mitrofan, I am neither good nor bad. I just try to avoid talking to people like that. In general, I think that such people should try to help with their difficulties and problems. We need to reason with him, make him learn. If such a person does not want to improve himself, studies and studies, but, on the contrary, remains stupid and spoiled, treats his elders disrespectfully, then for the rest of his life he will remain undersized and ignorant.