Nadezhda In The Messenger Maiden

To fully understand the actions that Nadezhda took, within her autobiography The Cavalry Maiden, we must begin by identifying Nadezhda family lineage—which in turn will present us her social class statues. Only from this can we correctly identify the specific roles and norms that pertain to Nadezhda. Durova states, “my mother[s] […] father, [is] a proud, autocratic [in] Little Russia” (17). By presenting such image, that Nadezhda grandfather, through her mother side, is an autocrat. We begin to associate him and his family with ideas such as: attending a university, having a high stance within the Russia government, and the luxury of living a comfortable life away from poverty. In addition to Nadezhda grandfather being an autocrat, her mother …show more content…
Although these are the traditional roles women of the noble class should partake in. Nadezhda never had to desire nor the drive to learn such traditions and practices. Initially we learn that Nadezhda mother hoped for a son, “a son […] as handsome as Cupid!” (17), and by having Nadezhda, a daughter, her mother began to resent Nadezhda and her birth. By having such hatred towards her daughter we begin to see how her mothers hatred is being used as an outlet in order to inflict punishment. According to Durova, Nadezhda seeks “freedom and a military life” (20). As a result, by Nadezhda mother knowing such desires; we begin to see a correlation between the persistence in attempting to implement noble women traditional roles into Nadezhda as a means to divide Nadezhda’s want and the cannot have—wanting a military life and to live away from social