How many children did Pshenitsyna have? Oblomov characterization of the image of Agafya Matveevna Wheat. Simple and sincere Pshenitsyna Agafya

Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna is the widow of a minor official. Her image is contrasted with the image of Olga.

The dominant character of Pshenitsyna is selfless love combined with the deepest humility. Her whole life is devoted to caring for her neighbors - about her children, about her unworthy brother, whom she does not even dare to criticize, and then about Oblomov.

Deep and simple-minded faith in God and hope for His help are also a distinctive feature of the heroine.

Pshenitsyna is almost exclusively busy with housework.

She is not attracted to entertainment - walks, theaters.

The portrait characteristics of Agafya Matveevna are very significant. There is no aristocratic sophistication in her appearance. Her hands are rough; she tends to be overweight. She dresses simply. Pshenitsyna’s speech and manners are also distinguished by their simplicity.

The story of Agafya Matveevna’s love for Oblomov reveals different character traits in her, compared to Olga. For both Olga and Agafya Matveevna, love for Oblomov meant spiritual awakening and personal flourishing. But if Olga demands that Oblomov live up to the ideal of a “real man,” then Pshenitsyna loves him selflessly, without demanding anything in return. Goncharov writes that Agafya Matveevna “fell in love with Oblomov simply, as if she had caught a cold and had an incurable fever.”

Pshenitsyna's love is love and adoration. Ilya Ilyich is a child and a master for her. His appearance brought her light and spiritual rebirth. What is dying for Oblomov is a dream, but for her it is awakening, life.

Thus, the novel recreates two ideals of female love: Olga’s love-duty and Agafya Matveevna’s love-adoration.

Updated: 2012-02-13

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The image of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna in Ivan Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is usually considered secondary, however, if you think deeper, you begin to understand how important a role she plays in the work.

This woman enters the life of Ilya Ilyich quietly and unnoticed and becomes a good angel for him. Thanks to her, the hero felt happy, and even though this happiness was to some extent an illusion, Ilya Ilyich lived the last years of his life with Agafya well and well. To understand the intentions and aspirations of this simple but kind woman, you need to familiarize yourself with her characteristics.

Agafya Pshenitsyna - a widow with two children

From the pages of the novel we learn that Agafya Pshenitsyna remained a widow with two children - eight-year-old Vanya and six-year-old Masha. Her former husband was the collegiate secretary Pshenitsyn, for whom the woman did not have any special feelings.

Agafya is not very smart

Down-to-earth and dull Agafya Pshenitsyna is the complete opposite of Olga Ilyinskaya, who strives for self-development. All the woman’s interests boil down to feeding Oblomov and the rest of the household deliciously, and cleaning the house and yard clean. Agafya does not attend the theater, is not interested in art, the heroine’s mind is limited, she is unable to perceive what goes beyond the usual understanding: “...She listened stupidly, blinking her eyes evenly...” The woman answered any question concerning a sphere that was distant to her a smile or silence, behind which she tried to hide her lack of education and ignorance.
However, if this woman started talking about a familiar subject, even dullness disappeared.

A distinctive feature of Agafya is thriftiness.

And in the kitchen, where she feels like a fish in water, and in the garden, and in the house, this woman works tirelessly. Not a single undarned sock, always ironed and sewn clothes, skillfully ground and brewed coffee, excellent baked goods, delicious food, cleanly decorated rooms - all this characterizes Agafya Matveevna as an excellent, even brilliant, housewife.

When Ilya Oblomov appeared in her destiny, this woman began to live and work for his happiness and well-being, giving all of herself to the one she sincerely loved. It is noteworthy that Agafya cooks herself, although she has a cook, Anisya, who helps.

It seems like this woman never rests. In addition, she is a great neat person. “Agafya Matveevna is neatness itself!” - Oblomov speaks enthusiastically about her when talking with Andrei Stolts.

House of Agafya Pshenitsyna

In St. Petersburg, on the Vyborg side, there is an old house with a large vegetable garden, which belongs to Agafya Pshenitsyna. Here, despite the small rooms with low ceilings and old windows, perfect order always reigns. “Plain walnut chairs were huddled along the walls; under the mirror stood a card table; the windows were crowded with pots of eranya and marigolds, and four cages with siskins and canaries hung…”

The furnishings in Agafya Pshenitsyna’s kitchen indicate that she is a real housewife. Here “there is everything that could be needed on the farm. In the kitchen there were large and small dishes, round and oval dishes, gravy boats, cups, piles of plates, cast iron, copper and clay pots. Agafya's pantry was full of various products. There was everything here - cheese, butter, meat, sugar, mushrooms, nuts, sour cream, eggs, and many other products.

Dear readers! We invite you to read the novel “Oblomov” by I. Goncharov

Four of all the rooms are occupied by Oblomov, who moved into the house; Agafya and her children live in the two non-dress ones, and the hostess’s brother, the official Mukhoyarov, lives at the top of the house.

Agafya and Oblomov

When Ilya Ilyich Oblomov appeared in Agafya Matveevna’s life, it flowed in a different direction. Joint farming brought these heroes closer together. Pshenitsyna now has someone for whom she can live, giving away her abilities and skills and enjoying reciprocal gratitude. “Everything in Pshenitsyna’s house breathed such abundance and completeness of economy, which had never happened before, when Agafya Matveevna lived in the same house with her brother.” “Before she saw it as a duty, now it has become her pleasure. She began to live in her own full and varied way,” the author characterizes the heroine from this side.

When Ilya Ilyich fell ill, Agafya, without taking her eyes off him, sat by his bed at night, and then ran to church, hastening to order a prayer service to remember his health. The woman became nervous and irritable, which was not observed in her before.

But as soon as Oblomov began to recover, “she gained weight again, again her household began to run briskly, cheerfully, cheerfully, with a little original touch.” A simple-minded woman, Agafya did not even know that she fell in love with Oblomov, she was not aware of her feelings, she simply lived for this person dear to her heart. And she was happy. The relationship between Agafya and Ilya Ilyich, developing, gradually grew into marriage. Oblomov married Pshenitsyna, and the couple had a son together, Andryusha. Life flowed peacefully and quietly, like Oblomov, but suddenly trouble came knocking on their cozy home.

Agafya after Oblomov's death

Unfortunately, the happiness of Agafya and Ilya did not last long. Oblomov died, and Pshenitsyna’s life seemed to stop. The inconsolable widow constantly cried and prayed in the church. The author describes this period of time as follows: “...There she is, in a dark dress, with a black woolen scarf around her neck, walking from the room to the kitchen like a shadow, still opening and closing cabinets, sewing, ironing lace, but quietly, without energy, speaks as if reluctantly, in a quiet voice...” The only joy for the woman was her son Andryusha, but she also gave him to the care of Stolz, because such was the will of her late husband.

The heroine of the novel was sure that she did the right thing, because she believed that the youngest son had no place among the mob, because he was a “little baron.” “He’s so white, like a liquid,” Agafya admired. What about adult children? Maybe they became a consolation for the unhappy mother? But no. The son and daughter each went their own way in life: Vanya completed a “science course” and entered the service, and Masha married the caretaker of a state-owned house.

Dear readers! We propose to analyze in I. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”

After Oblomov’s death, unfortunate Agafya lived in the same house with Anisya and Zakhar for six months, overcome with grief. She realized that “the sun shone in her and darkened again.” And only when, arriving at the Stolts, she saw her son, she burst into bitter tears, and Olga, imbued with the pain of the poor woman, cried with her. Unhappy Agafya, who experienced what love is, but lost a dear person forever. Alas, it happens, sometimes fate teaches bitter lessons. But you still have to live, despite everything.

The secondary character of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna is one of the characteristic female images of the work and is the complete opposite of the main character of the novel, Olga Ilyinskaya.

The author portrays the heroine as a real Russian woman of curvaceous figure, deeply religious. Agafya is described as a beautiful housewife who loves cleanliness and home comfort, a kind, modest, submissive wife of the main character Oblomov.

The woman is not educated at all and is not informed about many life issues; she has a very narrow outlook, but at the same time she knows how to skillfully hide it, preferring either to remain silent or to smile sweetly. Agafya's interests are limited to housekeeping, working in the kitchen, communicating with servants or merchants.

The writer focuses on the positive qualities of the heroine, who surrounded her husband with love and constant care, protecting him from any problems and worries. This is exactly that quiet, calm haven, the long-awaited, peaceful happiness that Oblomov has dreamed of all his life.

Agafya's love for Oblomov is significantly different from the feeling that Olga had for him. Pshenitsyna loves her husband not for anything, but for the opportunity to be next to him and feel his sincere gratitude for her self-sacrifice for him.

The main character, exhausted by his relationship with Olga Ilyinskaya, finds calm well-being with his devoted Agafya, plunging into the routine of his illusory dreamy world. On the other hand, the image of Pshenitsyna illustrates and reveals the drama of Oblomov’s life ideals, stuck in the abyss of inaction and laziness. It is precisely the peaceful atmosphere of family life, created by Agafya for her beloved husband, that leads at the end of the novel to the sudden death of Oblomov, who refuses to follow the doctors’ recommendations. The couple gives birth to a son, whom Agafya adores, but decides to give Oblomov’s friends Stolts to raise, because she believes that only they can give the child of an extraordinary person the necessary upbringing and education.

Narrating the life of Oblomov with Agafya, the writer involuntarily compares Pshenitsyna with Ilyinskaya and reveals the paradoxical truth that an ordinary believing woman, overwhelmed by a comprehensive feeling of love, is superior in everything to a successful, educated, intelligent career woman, and can be completely happy in her selfless love.

Essay Characteristics and image of Agafya Pshenitsyna

In the novel “Oblomov” by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna is a minor female character. Agafya Matveevna is a simple Russian woman, she is uneducated and very often communicates with servants and food vendors. Pshenitsyna is very kind and gives herself entirely to her loved ones. Until she became Oblomov’s wife, she devotes herself entirely to her brother and it may even seem that Agafya Matveevna does not have her own opinion and is living someone else’s life.

Goncharov decided to make a contrast between the heroines Olga and Agafya; if Olga values ​​material wealth more, then Pshenitsyna is more a person of spiritual organization. If Agafya Matveevna did not know the answer to some question, she simply remained silent or smiled sweetly at her interlocutor.

The writer described Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsa as an angel and savior for her men, brother and Oblomov. She is a very thrifty and wise woman who has always tried to protect her man and create comfort and coziness for him. She liked that Oblomov felt comfortable next to her, because that’s what she tried for.

Oblomov was a very lazy person who loved to eat, Agafya Matveevna prepared all sorts of goodies for Oblomov and tried to please him in this. Perhaps it was this sacrifice and giving of oneself entirely to Oblomov that made Pshenitsyna truly happy.

Agafya Matveevna was happy next to such an unusual person as Oblomov, she devoted herself entirely to him and it touched her. She protects him from any grief and adversity and takes on all the work that she can. Agafya Matveevna is a believing woman and this faith helped her to be happy.

Ivan Aleksandrovich emphasized that, despite the heroine’s lack of education, she became happy, which cannot be said about the other characters in the novel. We can definitely say that Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna is a positive character. Pshenitsyna sets an example of endless love for people and everything that surrounds her. Unlike the other heroes of the novel, she did not chase money and found her happiness. Ivan Aleksandrovich uses as an example an ordinary Russian woman who has an infinite soul and is ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of love.

Several interesting essays

• The image and characteristics of Nastya in the story The Young Lady-Peasant by Pushkin essay

  One of the minor characters of the work is a young girl named Nastya, presented by the writer in the image of a maid, the maid of the main character Lisa Muromskaya, who assists her in personal affairs.

  The genre of the work belongs to the comedic style with the inclusion of tragic motifs in the content, creating the impression of a kind of philosophical parable.

In contrast, I.A. Goncharov, with a portrait of Olga Ilyinskaya, puts on a “everyday” portrait of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, the wife of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. Unlike the full image of Olga, which includes not only the heroine’s appearance, but also her character traits, here the author shows some features of Pshenitsyna’s appearance, her clothes, the writer is silent about her character, manners and habits.

This is how Oblomov sees this woman: “She was about thirty years old. She was very white and full in the face, so that the blush, it seemed, could not break through her cheeks. She had almost no eyebrows at all, but in their place there were two slightly swollen, shiny stripes with sparse blond hair. The eyes are grayish-simple, like the whole facial expression; the hands are white, but hard, with large knots of blue veins protruding outward. The dress fit her tightly: it is clear that she did not resort to any art, not even an extra skirt, to increase the volume of her hips and reduce her waist. Because of this, even her closed bust, when she was without a scarf, could serve a painter or sculptor as a model of a strong, healthy breast, without violating her modesty. Her dress, in relation to the elegant shawl and ceremonial cap, seemed old and shabby.” Goncharov, I.A. Oblomov. A novel in 4 parts. - M.: Fiction, 1984. - 493 p. - P. 304

The heroine made a positive impression on Ilya Oblomov, although she had a “simple but pleasant face” and the hero thought that she was probably a nice woman. The heroine’s hands betrayed her love for work and housekeeping. And as the writer notes, housework did not burden Pshenitsyn in any way; this was her calling.

Agafya Matveevna completely immersed herself in the main character. She is ready to do a lot for the sake of love for Oblomov, although she seems shy and meek to him. Her feeling of falling in love can only be noticed by her excessive absent-mindedness: then her “roast will burn, the fish in her ear will be overcooked, she will not put greens in the soup...”.

If we compare the portraits of the heroine at the beginning of I.I.’s arrival. Oblomov and the portrait after a long time of living together with him, you can notice significant differences. At the beginning, she is full of health, plump, rosy, round-cheeked. But here is a portrait a few years later. “She has changed terribly, not to her advantage” Goncharov, I.A. Oblomov. A novel in 4 parts. - M.: Fiction, 1984. - 493 p. - P. 427 - notes I.A. Goncharov - “She lost weight. There are no round, white, non-reddening and non-blanchable cheeks; Her sparse eyebrows are not shiny, her eyes are sunken.

She is dressed in an old cotton dress; her hands are either tanned or roughened from work, from fire or from water, or from both... there is deep despondency in her face.” Right there. - P. 427

What happened to the heroine? And all because Ilya Ilyich has not eaten all her cooking for several years now. This is how reverently Agafya Matveevna treated Oblomov. And as soon as the protagonist’s affairs improved with the payment of the debt, the heroine again returned to her former position: “she gained weight; the chest and shoulders shone with the same contentment and fullness, meekness and only economic care shone in the eyes.” Right there. - P. 473

But Pshenitsyna’s face showed much more. It “expressed the same happiness, complete, satisfied and without desires.”

In the portrait of Agafya Pshenitsyna I.A. Goncharov embodied the image of a typical Russian woman who is ready to completely devote herself to household chores and please the typical Oblomovs in every possible way.

The novel "Oblomov", written by the author, presents the reader with versatile characters. The female images in the work are complete opposites. and Agafya Pshenitsyna are antipodes. Literary critics note Olga’s life position, desire for self-improvement and constant development. The inner beauty of the heroine in the work is contrasted with the bourgeois love for the home and family of Agafya Pshenitsyna.

Agafya received negative reviews from the writer’s contemporaries and the public, who subsequently became acquainted with the novel. Pshenitsyna is close to the main character in spirit, but the sympathies of the audience always turned out to be on the side of Ilyinskaya. At the same time, the image of the second character is no less deep and multifaceted. The illusory happiness and love that he sought to find overtook him in his marriage to Agafya.

Biography and plot

Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna is the widow of an official and the illegitimate wife of the protagonist. The characterization of a character begins with an external description. She looked no more than 30 years old. The figure was distinguished by its fullness and whiteness of skin. The face did not stand out in anything remarkable: the eyebrows were inconspicuous, the eyes were unattractive, the expression did not reflect emotions. Only the woman’s hands betrayed her penchant for work. Until the appearance of Oblomov, her life was monotonous and devoid of bright events. The housewife had no education, talents or interests. The main value was the house, which she maintained immaculately.

Agafya fanatically managed her household affairs, realizing that there would always be work. Her activity prevented anyone from getting bored and wasting time. The character of the heroine and selfless devotion to ideals awakened love in Oblomov. Having become a lodger, Ilya Ilyich demonstrated how he could influence female nature. Laziness did not become an obstacle to the birth of a new love story. Pshenitsyna was transformed. She not only became thoughtful, but also tried in every possible way to please her lover. Oblomov’s clothes were always clean, the table was set in accordance with his wishes, and during moments of Ilya’s illness, Agafya Matveevna did not leave the patient’s bedside.

The author wrote that with the advent of love in Pshenitsyna’s life, the entire household, like an organism, acquired a new meaning of life. The specificity of the image of Agafya Pshenitsyna is that she turns out to be the only decisive and unselfish person among Oblomov’s acquaintances. The heroine is ready to make sacrifices to help out her husband: she pawns jewelry, borrows from the family of her late husband, breaks ties with her brother, who is trying to involve Oblomov in intrigue.

In the union of Pshenitsyna and Oblomov, a son is born. The boy is not like Agafya Matveevna’s other children. He has no place in the family and, realizing this, after Oblomov’s death the child is transferred to foster care.

A woman’s love did not need material reinforcements and did not require changes in Ilya Ilyich’s personality. He was the best man for her. The connection between the characters was built not on fictitious attachments, but on the conscious similarity of characters and worldview.

Goncharov, describing the heroine, presents a dual image. This is a narrow-minded woman without ambitions or interests, whose social circle is servants and merchants. A weak-willed character, ready to live someone else’s life in the absence of his own ideals and ambitions. On the other hand, Pshenitsyna appears as a savior in the situation in which the main character finds himself. This is a quiet housewife trying to hide her illiteracy, a believing home woman who protects Oblomov’s peace. Capable of sacrifice, she gives herself completely, showing natural femininity and finding happiness from the opportunity to be close to her loved one.

Relations with Agafya Matveevna become a healing balm for Oblomov after the vicissitudes of his relationship with Ilyinskaya. He receives the long-awaited peace and harmony. He is idolized and loved despite his nature and habits. The character of Pshenitsyna, depending on the reader’s perception of the main character of the work, evokes different feelings. Oblomov the lazy man provokes the appearance of a negative image of Agafya, who panders to his shortcomings. Oblomov, an ordinary man who is not looking for movement and development, is happy with Agafya. For a simple bourgeois existence, Pshenitsyna turns out to be a suitable passion.

A comparison of Pshenitsyna and Ilyinskaya shows that the first is a character demonstrating Christian love. When wondering why it was not the brave Olga, but the quiet Agafya, who turned out to be closer to Oblomov, it is easy to get the answer:

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".

Tortured by needs, Oblomov’s essence felt comfortable in bliss and adoration. The hero, incapable of fighting, turned out to be inclined to a simple way of existence.

Actresses

The role of Agafya Matveevna in films was performed by diverse artists. In the 1965 film of the same name, the role of Oblomov’s last love was played by Tamara Aleshina. The main role in the actress’s career was the character of the film “Heavenly Slug” - Masha Svetlova. The performer's appearance was conducive to her appointment to the role. Director Alexander Belinsky relied on the dramatic talent of the theater artist, thanks to which the image turned out to be deep and authentic.

In 1966, Italian film director Claudio Fino released a project called OBLOMOV. The role of Agafya Pshenitsyna went to Pina Chei. The actress is known for playing the leading female roles in projects based on classical literature.

In 1972, Soviet directors Oscar Remez and Galina Kholopova began filming the novel. The image of Agafya Pshenitsyna was embodied by Marina Kuznetsova.

The actresses who played the role of Oblomov's named wife were distinguished by pleasant but typical facial features. This matched the description of the heroine in the novel. The subtle nuance of the director's plan emphasized Goncharov's idea that for Oblomov, Pshenitsyna was not a simple housewife. She was more of a guardian angel who took responsibility for someone else's life and well-being.

• Agafya Pshenitsyna is not a random character in the novel. Its prototype is the image invented by the author to depict Oblomov’s mother. Avdotya Matveevna, like Agafya, has an Old Russian name and a similar patronymic. A believer and kind woman personified caring for her son and home.
• Despite the desire to interpret Pshenitsyna’s character as negative, it is noteworthy that he is described in the traditions of Russian beauty. A plump woman who takes care of the family hearth is a symbol of the fertility of the Russian land and everything that attracts Oblomov in his native country.
• The system of images in the novel is curious: two men and two women opposed to each other find happiness based on the similarity of characters. Educated intellectuals find each other, guided by ambitions and aspirations. Their happiness seems feigned and incomplete. At the same time, ordinary people find peace and harmony in a family where respect for each other reigns.