The Captain's Daughter

Maria Ivanova, the eponymous captain’s daughter, is the platonic ideal of a Romantic love interest. Maria is a flat, archetypal character who acts as an object of desire for Pyotr and catalyst for the plot while having very little interiority or development of her own. Maria is introduced as a blushing, virginal, delicate young lady. When Pyotr first meets Maria, she is “blushing profusely; there were even tears dropping onto her plate” (23); her mother describes how Maria will likely never marry, because they cannot afford a dowry. This emphasizes that Maria’s chief desire is to marry, and she is ashamed she might be a burden on her parents. Soon after, her mother describes Maria as a “coward” who “nearly died of fright” when she heard cannon fire (24). While this might seem insulting, this comment is truly meant to underscore how delicate and feminine Maria is and would have been seen as an appealing, ideal quality in a nobleman’s wife at the time.

Maria quickly falls for Pyotr. This love plot further highlights her qualities as an ideal Romantic female love interest. She tends to him and sits at his bedside when he is injured in a duel over her. She is sensitive and weeps when Pyotr leaves. She chastely admits the depth of her feelings for him. Stereotypically, when tragedy strikes, her poor, weak body cannot bear the strain and she succumbs to a mysterious illness that leaves her “pale, thin, and wild-haired” (84). After Pyotr rescues her from the evil Shvabrin, she devotes herself to Pyotr like a chivalric maiden.

The fairy tale element of Maria’s characterization is most clear in the final chapter of the work when Maria petitions Empress Catherine the Great to pardon Pyotr. The Empress appears in the garden like a fairy godmother to Maria’s Cinderella and grants her wish. This scene serves as a crucial element of the theme of Romantic Love as a Force of Salvation as Pyotr is saved by Maria’s love for him.

Pugachov is a complex character based on the historical figure of Yemelyan Pugachov, who led a rebellion against the monarchy. Alexander Pushkin’s fictional portrayal differs from his nonfiction portrayal of this historical figure in his A History of Pugachov. As Robert Chandler notes in his Introduction to his translation of The Captain’s Daughter, “In the work of history Pushkin subordinates himself to documented fact and portrays Pugachov as treacherous and sadistic: in the novel he shows us the more magnanimous Pugachov of popular legend” (xvi). Pugachov is first introduced in The Captain’s Daughter as a slightly dodgy character who nevertheless leads Pyotr and his party to safety during the blizzard. This early interaction highlights the character’s complexity: He is perhaps untrustworthy but he also contains a core element of integrity and goodness.

Pugachov is next introduced in heroic, Romantic fashion when he appears on the field of battle with his army arrayed around him riding “a white horse, wearing a red kaftan and carrying a drawn sword” (50). 

The fictional Pugachov is not a villain but rather a heroic individual on a doomed quest that leads to his execution in Moscow. Pyotr feels drawn to Pugachov because Pugachov deals with him fairly, even as they fight on opposite sides of the battle. Pugachov is impressed with Pyotr’s integrity, as when Pyotr refuses to concede to Pugachov’s claim that he is Czar Peter III, and the feeling grows to be mutual. At their final meeting, Pyotr feels a strong desire to save Pugachov from the forsaken path Pugachov is on and, notably, they “par[t] as friends” (88).

Savelich is a flat, stereotypical character who acts as a sidekick to Pyotr and, periodically, as comic relief. Savelich is a serf who served as senior huntsman for Pyotr’s father before being sent with Pyotr during his military post. Savelich is extremely close with Pyotr, having effectively raised the boy from the age of five. Savelich’s personality is first revealed when he grumbles about the hiring of a Frenchman to tutor Pyotr, usurping Savelich’s duty. He mutters, “Why throw money away on some Monseer [Monsieur]? Haven’t we got enough of our own folk?” (3). This attitude illustrates Savelich’s grumpiness and ability at expressing his own opinions despite being a servant. However, this note is also symbolic of Savelich’s desire for Pyotr to remain more closely aligned with his own social class, tradition, and the Russian population more generally; learning French is representative of the noble classes in Russia, who largely did not speak Russian. Savelich’s lack of tact and social grace leads to some comedic moments in the novella, as when he demands Pugachov recompense them for the items stolen by the rebels.

Savelich’s overarching quality is his loyalty to Pyotr. He attempts to protect Pyotr from the wrath of his master, Pyotr’s father, by not informing him of Pyotr’s dueling injury. Most notably, he throws himself at the feet of Pugachov and begs him, “[I]f you just want to string someone up to spread fear—then hang an old man, hang an old man like me!” (53) In his willingness to sacrifice himself for Pyotr, Savelich acts as an ideal serf who puts his charge’s life ahead of his own.