(387 words, table at the end of the article) Type " extra person"is quite popular in Russian literature. Our writers abound in presenting us with heroes who are disillusioned with life and have not found their destiny. These people can be completely different: ardent intellectuals, like Chatsky, or bored and tired of life, sensualists, like Onegin and Pechorin. The last two form one type of person, because there are few differences between them. If you make a comparative description, you will notice that one of the heroes is new version another, it’s not for nothing that Belinsky calls Pechorin “Onegin of our time.”
The similarity can be traced already at the level of names. Lermontov names Pechorin according to the same principle as Pushkin: based on the name of the river. The Pechora is a stormy, noisy mountain river, while the Onega is calm and smooth, which to some extent reflects the characters’ characters.
Teaching the sciences “quickly bored” Pechorin, as did Onegin, who “had no desire to rummage / in the chronological dust,” and both set off to enjoy social life to relieve boredom, but just as quickly became disillusioned with these joys. One “got bored with the noise of the world” and he “completely lost interest in life,” while the other “shies away” from society and considers himself “a small loss for the world.” Pechorin experiences this much more tragically than Onegin, due to the fact that the heroes live in different eras, but a general disappointment in themselves and the world around them is inherent in both heroes, so they quickly become cynical egoists. Those around them treat them with interest because they see them as a mystery, women love them, since both have skillfully mastered the “science of tender passion.” But, despite their cynicism, both have their only beloved, with whom they are not destined to be together. So, Onegin loses Tatiana, and Pechorin loses Vera. Friends suffer next to them: for similar reasons, Lensky and Grushnitsky die at their hands.
These are “Byronic heroes” who have lost the flair of romanticism that idealized them. Onegin is one of those young people who believed in the ideals of the revolution, while Pechorin is a man of a different time, when these ideals were not only shaken, but destroyed due to the collapse of Decembrism. The characters are similar in many ways, but the results of their similarities are different. Onegin is an idle rake, sharply fed up with life due to laziness. Pechorin is not like that at all, who is looking for himself, “chasing madly after life,” not believing in a meaningless destiny. We can say that Onegin remained in the “water society”, from which Pechorin hastened to escape.
Pushkin and Lermontov showed two typical representatives of successive decades, so the images of the heroes could not be radically different. They complemented each other, and the authors created a real picture of the reality of that time, which changed under the influence of crisis circumstances.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!Comparative characteristics Onegin and Pechorin
What a short time separates Pushkin’s Onegin and Lermontov’s Pechorin! The first quarter and forties of the 19th century. And yet these are two different eras separated by an unforgettable event for Russian history - the uprising
Decembrists. Pushkin and Lermontov managed to create works that reflected the spirit of these eras, works that touched upon the problems of the fate of the young noble intelligentsia, who did not know how to find use for their strengths.
Herzen called Pechorin “Onegin’s younger brother,” so what do these people have in common and how do they differ?
Onegin, before becoming a “young rake,” received a traditional upbringing and an extensive, but rather superficial education. Due to the fact that in the end he could express himself “perfectly” in French, dance the mazurka easily and “bow at ease,” “the world decided that he was smart and very nice.” However, quickly fed up with the fruitless bustle of social life, Onegin begins to be burdened by it, but finds nothing in return. Realizing the futility of the existence of secular people, Onegin begins to despise them, withdraws into himself, and indulges in the “Russian blues.” Living only by himself, without taking into account the feelings and experiences of other people, Onegin commits a whole series unworthy actions. By the time he met him, Pushkin noted in Onegin “inimitable strangeness,” “a sharp, chilled mind,” “involuntary devotion to dreams,” an internal gap and misunderstanding between him and the people around him. Despite his deep contempt for the “light,” Onegin remains dependent on public opinion, and as a result kills his friend Lensky. Selfishness leads the “rake of the ardent” to serious emotional drama and at odds with myself.
We don’t know much about Pechorin’s past, mainly from the pages of his own diary, from his conversations with other people. We learn that Pechorin’s “soul is spoiled by light”: “From childhood, everyone read on my face signs of bad qualities that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born.” Now those around him often do not understand either Pechorin’s thoughts or his actions, and he (and often quite justifiably) considers himself head and shoulders above those around him. Unlike Onegin, Pechorin does not shy away from people, does not avoid contact with them, but, on the contrary, becomes an extremely subtle psychologist, capable of understanding not only other people’s actions and thoughts, but also feelings. Unfortunately, communication with him most often brings people and even himself only suffering and dissatisfaction. Unlike Onegin, Pechorin is not yet tired of life, he interferes in everything, is interested in many things, but he is not capable of truly loving and making friends. And if only Tatyana suffers from Pushkin’s love for Onegin (and later from Onegin’s love), then Pechorin brings misfortune to all the women he encounters: Bela, Vera, Princess Mary, even the smugglers’ friend.
Onegin's problem is his inability to make his life interesting, bright, and fill it with significant events. Pechorin is concerned about the question of the goal own life, its meaning. The consciousness of lost opportunities constantly haunts him, since his belief in his “high purpose” does not find real confirmation. Both one and the other value their freedom, liberty, but it turns out that they too often sacrifice to it what is truly dear to them.
The differences in the destinies and characters of the heroes are explained by differences in eras: the life of Russia on the eve of the December uprising (Onegin) and the severe political reaction after the defeat of the Decembrists (Pechorin). Both Onegin and Pechorin belong to the type of “superfluous people,” that is, people for whom there was neither place nor work in the society around them. And yet, even despising their surroundings, Onegin and Pechorin were children of this society, that is, heroes of their time.
Clockwork
Comparative characteristics of the main characters of the novels by M. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time” and A. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”.
Evgeny Onegin, so to speak, is older than Grigory Pechorin: the novel by A.S. Pushkin's final version was published in 1831, and his brainchild was published in 1840.
Unlike his younger “brother,” Pushkin’s hero is not given a patronymic (I believe, for the completely prosaic reason of the inconvenience of putting it into the poetic size of a stanza - however, Alexander Sergeevich could have had other motives). Famous critic of that time, V. Belinsky in his article called Pechorin “Onegin of our time.” There are definitely reasons for this.
Only the lazy, probably, did not note the “geographical” similarity of the heroes, or rather, their surnames. It’s just that, unlike Onega, which flows to the sea, Pechora is a stormy mountain river. This immediately evokes associations with the Caucasus - the setting of the events of the novel “A Hero of Our Time”.
An interesting point: the reader sees most of “A Hero of Our Time” with the help of Pechorin’s diary, through the prism of his worldview, since the narration is told in the first person. As for Onegin, we mainly look at the hero through the eyes of the author - with the exception of direct dialogues and a letter to Tatyana. It is also impossible not to note the fact that, unlike, who is the true protagonist of his novel, invisibly present in every phrase and commenting on everything that happens, Lermontov comments on Pechorin only in the preface - and quite briefly.
Both heroes were raised in noble families, educated in accordance with the spirit of the times. They are in the same social environment, so to speak. However, the matured Evgeniy remained to belong to secular society. A military career awaited Gregory.
Both Onegin and Pechorin have some success in social life, taking part in it quite vigorously, but soon both get tired of the external fuss. For Evgeniy it looks like this:
No: his feelings cooled down early;
He was tired of the noise of the world...
We also know that (I quote inaccurately) that the Russian melancholy took possession of him and he completely lost interest in life, although he did not want to part with it.
Pechorin experiences similar feelings: “I entered this life having already experienced it mentally, and I became bored and disgusted, like someone who is reading a bad imitation of a long-known book.”
So, both heroes’ attitude towards society in the broad sense of the word is quite intolerant, condescending with elements of some compulsion.
Their attitude towards self-education is also approximately the same: Onegin, having read many books, was consistently disappointed in them, after which he tried to write himself, but also did not succeed. Pechorin says the same thing: reading caused annoyance due to the fact that the paths to happiness were not indicated there...
Both Onegin and Pechorin at some point fall out of the usual secular circle: Evgeny goes to the village to visit his uncle, entering into inheritance rights, Grigory makes a military career.
Both characters are insightful, sarcastic, and well-understood human nature. There is a certain contrast between them and the surrounding society; they stand out, not wanting to fully play by generally accepted rules. Onegin, having arrived in the countryside, shocks his neighbors with his unexpected habits: he replaces heavy corvee labor with light rent and ignores duty visits from neighbors. He only gets along with Lensky, a man of the same origin, upbringing and education. Likewise, Pechorin does not fit completely into any of his social circles, more or less singling out Dr. Werner due to some similarity in their views on life.
Both Onegin and Pechorin have a subtle mind and are prone to various kinds of games psychological nature, considering the people around them as a kind of chess pieces on a board.
A.S. Pushkin speaks of his hero like this:
How early could he be a hypocrite?
To harbor hope, to be jealous,
To dissuade, to make believe,
Seem gloomy, languish...
And so on. True, in to the greatest extent Evgeniy’s “games” are still related to the female gender, which is probably explained to a certain extent by his age. Grigory Aleksandrovich plays more prudently and cruelly, his actions do not have a gender orientation.
Both heroes are, of course, selfish. But egoists think, feel and suffer a lot from manifestations of their own nature. Onegin is noticeably simpler than Pechorin, so to speak in relation to character traits; he is less prone to self-criticism and self-flagellation, but, unlike Lermontov's character, he is capable of repentance. Grigory Aleksandrovich is written out sharper and more cynical. He causes more harm to people, and the price for this is higher - but who cares about his internal experiences and torment, since they do not have external expression? Who is better off from his self-torture, since his behavior has no tendency to change?
In the lives of both heroes, an event occurs that goes beyond the everyday and ordinary. This is a duel. And not just an abstract duel with random person on the basis of a serious difference in views on life, but a duel with a fairly close (in any case, not a stranger - definitely) friend.
Yes, Onegin’s friendship with Lensky was, in the words of Pushkin the commentator, “nothing to do.” There were few similarities between them, but most likely, they were interesting to each other in their own way. The reason for the duel was another “game of boredom” performed by Evgeniy, who decided to pay increased attention to Lensky’s bride for the sake of entertainment. For the same reason, Pechorin fought with Grushnitsky: he did not forgive him for the story with Princess Ligovskaya (which, again, was provoked by Grigory Alexandrovich out of boredom), came up with a rather vile insinuation and, as a result, was killed.
We must pay tribute: neither Onegin nor Pechorin sought a duel. Onegin blamed himself for what was happening, realizing that he should not have teased the feelings of the young boy and played on his ardent jealousy; Lensky’s challenge could and should have been rejected by curbing his pride and condescending to the seriousness of the situation, excusing the person who was not a stranger to him. But still, the sarcastic inner duelist won, and Eugene rejected the voice of generosity. Pechorin also did not want to shoot himself, realizing that, due to his character, Grushnitsky valued life more than himself, and death could be too great a price to pay for his stupidity. A public apology was enough for him, which he (unlike Onegin!) asked his rival to think about until the last minute. There is no thirst for murder in him, despite other bad traits of his nature: in this game with Grushnitsky, Pechorin is initially the winner, and there is absolutely no reason to draw a bloody line under this, everything is already clear.
Evgeniy sleeps peacefully the night before the duel, but afterwards he is terribly amazed by the death of Lensky and his bleak role in it. He wanders aimlessly around the world, trying, in essence, to escape from himself and his hopeless melancholy. Pechorin does not sleep before the duel, understanding himself. But in general, not only does he not run away from himself in principle - on the contrary, he keeps a diary designed to capture individual moments of the past - he is not particularly obsessed with Grushnitsky. At that moment, the most acute experience for him was parting with his loving Vera, who, having left farewell letter, leaves the Caucasus. He rushes to catch up with her, but cannot, and here the reader sees for the only time the hero’s painful despair, his powerless tears.
If we consider the relationship of the heroes A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov with women, then it differs significantly. Yes, Onegin, as the first chapter of the novel tells in detail, was also a heartthrob, and many society ladies were caught in the web of his intrigues. But, apparently, it was about mutual games, and not about the shameless seduction of an inexperienced soul. In any case, Evgeniy singled out Tatyana immediately, appreciating her unconditional merits. Having received the letter, he gave the poor girl a whole rebuke (here she is, the mask of a condescending and indifferent cynic!), but nevertheless did not take advantage of the moment to seduce the young lady in love. I regretted it.
... But he didn’t want to deceive
The gullibility of an innocent soul.
From the very beginning, in essence, he did not flirt with her and did not inspire false hopes. And, of course, it was possible to somehow talk more delicately with Tatyana after receiving the letter, to show more sympathy, but in general there is nothing particularly cruel in this episode.
Pechorin is generally not particularly embarrassed by his merciless exercises. He understands perfectly well what’s what, admits his own guilt and involvement in someone else’s misfortune, but as if from the outside: it is in his will to state the sad situation - and that’s all. “I weigh and examine my own passions and actions with strict curiosity, but without participation.” Also in Pechorin’s diary, at some point, the idea of the duality of his nature slips through: as if one part of it lives here and now, and the second is watching the first, sometimes commenting and condemning it.
Onegin at first did not dare to connect his life with Tatiana for fear of losing his usual freedom. However, their next meeting brought the hero awareness of the bitterness of the irretrievable loss of the girl in love with him. But if you dream a little? What if Tatyana decided to separate from her husband? Or, for example (we all walk under God...) widowed? It is quite possible to imagine that after the time allotted by decency, she and Onegin could be happy together, making up a couple. It is absolutely impossible to imagine Pechorin married! Again, let's give some space to the imagination: suppose the hero managed to find Vera and take her away from her husband. What's next? And then it’s about the same as in “Bel”. A short flash of an acute semblance of happiness - and that’s all... Judging by the magnetism this character is endowed with in the eyes of women, a charming young lady would certainly be discovered who would become his new target. Or another Grushnitsky who touched a nerve. And away we go, actually...
Onegin is more capable of happiness. Not having a passion for self-study as strong as Pechorin’s, it seems to me that under favorable circumstances (if Tatyana had gone to him) he could well have felt happy, organically entering the society that would surround him at the moment.
And there is one more point that is difficult to ignore when it comes to comparing Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s heroes. We can draw some sad analogy. The denouement of the novel "Eugene Onegin", drawing a line under important stage the life of the hero, takes place in St. Petersburg. In this story, there was a duel that left a bloody mark on Onegin’s soul. The author of these lines died as a result of a duel on the Black River - in St. Petersburg.
A colossal period of Grigory Alexandrovich’s life is connected with events in the Caucasus, there was also a duel there. And, no matter how sad, the fact remains: Lermontov became the victim of a well-aimed shot from the enemy in Pyatigorsk, where, according to his pen, the drama with the participation of Pechorin took place...
Evgeny Onegin and Grigory Pechorin have a lot in common. Their main similarity and what stands out most is the type of “extra person”. The extra person is literary hero who cannot find application for his talents and abilities. This describes these two heroes perfectly. However, first we should talk about both separately.
Evgeny Onegin- a wealthy nobleman, belongs to the upper class. In his youth, he was passionate about social life, had a good command of the rules of behavior, and courted girls. But he quickly got tired of it: the way of life, the same things repeated day after day, balls and empty talk. The hero gets tired and disappointed, loses interest in life, becomes bored and apathetic:
“In short: the Russian melancholy took possession of him little by little...”
Grigory Pechorin- a young officer, not as rich as Onegin, but not poor either. Social life spoiled him. His character is very contradictory. He is full of feelings, but he cannot realize them. An egoist who has no goal in life. However, he is actively looking for her, proof of this is the eternal eccentric antics and actions that drag the people around him into trouble. To relieve boredom, he is ready to destroy the life of another.
What do these heroes of the novels of Pushkin and Lermontov have in common? Onegin and Pechorin are lonely and unhappy, both are of no use to anyone, their character makes them superfluous everywhere. They are both smart and talented, but they do not use their abilities in practice or use them unsuccessfully. Heroes are unable to bring any benefit or benefit to others. The characters cannot find anything that could give them motivation in life, meaning. They have no place in this world, they are superfluous, society rejects them. People around them think they are strange.
Both of them are also unlucky in love. Although it's not a matter of luck, but of their characters. Onegin fell in love with Tatiana when it was too late, causing the girl to suffer greatly; Pechorin used many girls, but as soon as they became uninteresting to him, he turned away from them. Only Vera Pechorin truly loved, but their love also turned out to be unhappy.
Their relationships with friends are similar. Just as Onegin, for the sake of entertainment, laughed at the love of his friend Lensky, so Pechorin plays on Grushnitsky’s feelings for Mary. For both, their “friendship” ends in a duel and the death of their friend.
How do the heroes differ from each other? Regarding the differences between the characters, Belinsky wrote the following:
"Onegin is a bored egoist, Pechorin is a suffering one."
If Onegin did not pay attention to his boredom, perceiving it as something inevitable, then Pechorin got into different situations, did various reckless things and created troubles, thus hoping to find some kind of interest, to find hope.
Thus, the heroes of “Eugene Onegin” and “Hero of Our Time” have a lot in common, including their attitude to the world around them, society’s attitude towards them, some character traits and characteristics, but they are still different people.
The undoubted similarity of the images of Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin was one of the first to be noted by V.G. Belinsky. “Their dissimilarity is much less than the distance between Onega and Pechora... Pechorin is the Onegin of our time,” the critic wrote.
The life span of the heroes is different. Onegin lived in the era of Decembrism, freethinking, and rebellion. Pechorin is a hero of the timeless era. What the great works of Pushkin and Lermontov have in common is the image spiritual crisis noble intelligentsia. The best representatives of this class turned out to be dissatisfied with life, removed from social activities. They had no choice but to waste their strength aimlessly, turning into “superfluous people.”
The formation of characters and the conditions of education of Onegin and Pechorin are, without a doubt, similar. These are people of the same circle. The similarity of the heroes is that both of them went from agreement with society and themselves to denial of light and deep dissatisfaction with life.
“But the feelings in him cooled down early,” writes Pushkin about Onegin, who “sick” with the “Russian blues.” For Pechorin, too, very early... despair was born, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile.”
These were well-read and educated people, which placed them above other young people in their circle. Onegin's education and natural curiosity are revealed in his disputes with Lensky. One list of topics is worth it:
...Tribes of past treaties,
The fruits of science, good and evil,
And age-old prejudices,
And the grave secrets are fatal,
Fate and life...
Evidence of Onegin’s high education is his extensive personal library. Pechorin said this about himself: “I began to read, study - I was tired of science too.” Possessing remarkable abilities and spiritual needs, both failed to realize themselves in life and squandered it on trifles.
In their youth, both heroes were fond of a carefree social life, both succeeded in the “science of tender passion”, in the knowledge of “Russian young ladies”. Pechorin says about himself: “... when meeting a woman, I always unmistakably guessed whether she would love me... I never became a slave to the woman I loved, on the contrary, I always acquired invincible power over their will and heart... Is that why I never did anything very much I treasure..." Neither the love of the beautiful Bela, nor the serious passion of the young Princess Mary could melt Pechorin’s coldness and rationality. It only brings misfortune to women.
The love of the inexperienced, naive Tatyana Larina also leaves Onegin indifferent at first. But later, our hero, upon meeting again with Tatyana, now a society lady and general’s wife, realizes what he has lost in the person of this extraordinary woman. Pechorin turns out to be completely incapable of great feeling. In his opinion, “love is satiated pride.”
Both Onegin and Pechorin value their freedom. Evgeniy writes in his letter to Tatyana:
Your hateful freedom
I didn't want to lose.
Pechorin directly states: “... twenty times I will put my life, even my honor, on the line, but I will not sell my freedom.”
The indifference to people inherent in both, disappointment and boredom affect their attitude towards friendship. Onegin is friends with Lensky “there is nothing to do.” And Pechorin says: “... I am not capable of friendship: of two friends, one is always the slave of the other, although often neither of them admits this to himself; I cannot be a slave, and in this case, commanding is tedious work, because at the same time you have to deceive...” And he demonstrates this in his cold attitude towards Maxim Maksimych. The words of the old staff captain sound helplessly: “I’ve always said that there is no use in those who forget old friends!”
Both Onegin and Pechorin, disillusioned with the life around them, are critical of the empty and idle “secular mob.” But Onegin is afraid of public opinion, accepting Lensky’s challenge to a duel. Pechorin, shooting with Grushnitsky, takes revenge on society for unfulfilled hopes. Essentially, the same evil prank led the heroes to a duel. Onegin “swore to infuriate Lensky and take some revenge” for the boring evening at the Larins’. Pechorin says the following: “I lied, but I wanted to defeat him. I have an innate passion for contradiction; my whole life was only a tribute to sad and unfortunate contradictions of the heart or mind.
The tragedy of the feeling of one’s own uselessness is deepened for both by the understanding of the uselessness of their lives. Pushkin exclaims about this bitterly:
But it's sad to think that it's in vain
We were given youth
That they cheated on her all the time,
That she deceived us;
What are our best wishes?
What are our fresh dreams
Decayed in quick succession,
Like rotten leaves in autumn.
Lermontov’s hero seems to echo him: “My colorless youth passed in a struggle with myself and the world; Fearing ridicule, I buried my best qualities in the depths of my heart: they died there... Having learned well the light and springs of life, I became a moral cripple.”
Pushkin's words about Onegin, when
Having killed a friend in a duel,
Having lived without a goal, without work
Until twenty-six years old,
Languishing in the inactivity of leisure.,
he “began wandering without a goal,” which can also be attributed to Pechorin, who also killed his former “friend,” and his life continued “without a goal, without work.” Pechorin reflects during the trip: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?
Feeling “immense forces in his soul,” but completely wasting them, Pechorin seeks death and finds it “from a random bullet on the roads of Persia.” Onegin, at twenty-six, was also “hopelessly tired of life.” He exclaims:
Why wasn't I pierced by a bullet?
Why am I not a frail old man?
Comparing the description of the heroes' lives, one can be convinced that Pechorina is a more active person with demonic traits. “To be the cause of suffering and joy for someone, without having any positive right to do so, is not this the sweetest food of our pride?” - says Lermontov’s hero. As a person, Onegin remains a mystery to us. No wonder Pushkin characterizes him this way:
The eccentric is sad and dangerous,
The creation of hell or heaven,
This angel, this arrogant demon,
What is he? Is it really imitation?
An insignificant ghost?
Onegin image Pechorin intelligentsia
Both Onegin and Pechorin are selfish, but thinking and suffering heroes. Despising an idle secular existence, they do not find ways and opportunities to freely and creatively resist it. IN tragic outcomes The individual destinies of Onegin and Pechorin are marked by the tragedy of “superfluous people.” The tragedy of the “superfluous man,” no matter what era he appears, is at the same time the tragedy of the society that gave birth to him.