Marya Ivanovna In The Captain's Daughter

“Marya Ivanovna suffered most. She was certain that I could of cleared myself if I had chosen to do so, and guessing the truth, considered herself the cause of my misfortune. She concealed her tears and sorrow from everyone, but was continually thinking of means to save me.” (120) Often times in novels, the protagonist takes on the role of the hero in the story. However, this is not the case in the novel of ‘The Captain’s Daughter’ written by Alexander Pushkin. In the novel, there are two characters, Peyotr and Marya Ivanovna who fight to gain the title of hero. The character of Masha does this by taking on the role of the underdog, acting resiliently in the face of tragedy in saving Pyotr and in turn saving herself. The character
In the fortress, all of the men look down upon her and even Pyotr himself had been “prejudiced against her” because “Shvabrin had described Masha, the Captain’s daughter, as quite stupid.” (26) The men view Masha as slow, deficient and in general, very passive. In saying that Masha is passive, it is said with the implication that she does what she is told without questioning or reprimanding. While others speak poorly of her and her character, Masha does not stand up for herself, but rather accepts the criticism and keeps to herself. During Pytor’s first night at dinner, Masha demonstrates her ability to simply hear and understand the criticism that is being made of her. When Masha’s mother makes a joke about her never getting married Masha simply, “flushed crimson and tears dropped to her plate.” (27) She accepts the role of her parents as head of the
She does this by helping him to mature through the love he has for her. Essentially, Pytor’s love for Marya Ivanovna presents him with a sense of purpose. Pyor is described as, “evidently in love with Marya Ivanovna.” (88) Pyotr was taunted by thoughts such as “What was I to do? How could I help her? How could I free her from the villain’s hands?” (78) These thoughts aided him in expressing his motivation to be loyal to Masha. Although the battles and harsh treatment Pyotr witnesses help to sculpt him into the man he becomes, Masha Ivanovna, his love interest, plays a more prominent role in encouraging him to stay on track and return home safely. Not only does he now understand he must take care of himself responsibly, but he also needs to ensure the safety of his love. Through taking care of Masha, Pytor matures and demonstrates his responsibility to her. This played a key role in shaping him into an adult. Masha’s motivation to shape Pyotr into the best version of himself results in them establishing a happy ending, which could also be viewed as their saving grace. Through her love, Masha motivates Pytor to become a stronger individual than he could have been had he never met her. Pytor takes on the role of her protector and in turn saves her life. She literally saves him when she journeys to St. Petersburg to appeal his sentence. She takes the initiative to go speak