M. Yu. Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time" is a novel about the struggle and contradictions in human character, deep introspection and self-awareness. Undoubtedly, it is these signs that make it possible to classify the work as psychologism. One of the important episodes that reveals the inner world of two heroes: Pechorin and Grushnitsky, is the scene of their duel. But how exactly does this scene help us understand the characters' characters? How does Pechorin appear, how does Grushnitsky appear?

Main character- Pechorin is a rather contradictory personality, which is typical for realism, to which the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov. In the duel scene, his character traits appear especially clearly.

Firstly, Pechorin has a sharp mind. Proposing to conduct a duel on a site from where the wounded person will fall onto sharp rocks, he thinks first of all about the strength of the consequences of the duel. "...one more condition; since we will fight to the death, we are obliged to do everything possible so that this remains a secret and so that our seconds are not held accountable." He instantly understands that in this way the murder will look like death through negligence.

Secondly, this implies another character trait - deep self-confidence. Pechorin knew in advance that he would survive. Despite the conspiracy that he knew about, Grushnitsky’s inflexibility and the difficult conditions that he himself proposed, the hero is confident in his victory, confident that Grushnitsky will lie on the rocks.

“I have not yet drained the cup of suffering,” writes Pechorin, “and now I feel that I still have a long time to live.”

Thirdly, despite the mask of indifference, coldness and detachment, the hero is still able to feel and experience. By challenging Grushnitsky to a duel, he does not wish him death, he only defends the honor of Mary, whom Grushnitsky slandered, intending to insult Pechorin. Before the duel, he is excited, although on the outside he looks rather reserved. “Let me feel the pulse!.. Oh! feverish!.. but nothing is noticeable on the face...”. He also tries to dissuade Grushnitsy several times, because he does not want to place the heavy burden of death on ex-friend on your shoulders. “You could, gentlemen, explain yourself and end this matter amicably. “I’m ready,” Pechorin says with confidence. “- Grushnitsky! - I said, - there is still time; give up your slander, and I will forgive you everything. You did not manage to fool me, and my pride is satisfied; - remember - we were once friends...” And then, when Grushnitsky nevertheless dies at the hands of Pechorin, the latter is very worried and writes. "I had a stone on my heart." Thanks to the duel scene, the inconsistency of Pechorin’s character is confirmed once again: he is cold, but capable of feeling, self-confident, but knows how to worry about the fate of others. He appears as a man with a complex inner world, clashing concepts and a difficult fate.

Grushnitsky, a former friend and current rival of the controversial Pechorin, has a not so complex character. His actions are understandable and somewhat predictable, he acts in accordance with the way he has been following for a long time. Grushnitsky is a romantic hero, but so imaginary that M.Yu. Lermontov, the author of the novel, treats the romantic mood with irony young man. His character is quite simple.

Firstly, Grushnitsky is not as smart as Pechorin. He rather follows the lead of feelings and emotions, which become especially strong at the time of the duel. “a dull pallor covered his cheeks,” “His knees trembled.” He is silent, although, as usual, he is very talkative, and he feels an insurmountable fear.

Secondly, Grushnitsky, due to his young age and inexperience, is unable to step over himself and fight back. He listens only to the dragoon captain. To all of Pechorin’s proposals to stop the duel, to stop before it’s too late, his answer is negative. “We will shoot...” he responds to another proposal from his former friend. His principles are too dear to him, he believes that Pechorin wants to dishonor him, make him look like a coward in the eyes of society, and not the hero he is diligently trying to seem like.

Thirdly, the image of a “romantic hero” becomes a feature of his character, which is incredibly important to him; he does not leave it for a moment. This is how he appears in the duel scene. His desperately romantic phrases are heard here: “There is no place for the two of us on earth...” he says before his death. Grushnitsky is not so complex and contradictory, he is predictable and dependent on the image romantic hero and this is exactly how he appears in the scene of the duel with Pechorin.

Of course, the duel scene is one of the important scenes in M.Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time.” It helps to reveal the images of Pechorin and Grushnitsky more fully. Pechorin appears restrained and self-confident - the way he shows himself in any situation. Grushnitsky appears as an unchanging romantic hero, dependent on feelings and emotions, but unusually frightened and silent. In the duel scene, the heroes are opposed to each other, and this is its feature, which helps to show them inner worlds quite openly and show the character traits characteristic of both.

At the center of Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” is the problem of the individual, the “hero of the time,” who, while absorbing all the contradictions of his era, is at the same time in deep conflict with society and the people around him. This conflict determines figurative system works. All characters are grouped around the main character - Pechorin, and, entering into various relationships with him, help highlight one or another trait of his personality.

By nature, Pechorin is a romantic of the Byronic type. He, a bright, strong and extremely contradictory personality, stands out from all the other heroes and is aware of his originality, despising other people and striving to make them toys in his hands. It is interesting that in the eyes of those around him, he also appears in the aura of a romantic hero, but the attitude towards him is ambiguous.

All this is manifested in the relationship between Pechorin and Grushnitsky, depicted in the chapter “Princess Mary”. Grushnitsky is the antipode of Pechorin. He. the personality is quite ordinary and ordinary, he tries with all his might to look like a romantic, an unusual person. As Pechorin ironically notes, “his goal is to become the hero of a novel.”

From the point of view of revealing the character of the “hero of the time,” Grushnitsky’s pseudo-romanticism emphasizes the depth of the tragedy of the true romantic - Pechorin. On the other hand, the development of their relationship is determined by the fact that Pechorin despises Grushnitsky, laughs at his romantic pose, which causes irritation and anger of the young man, who at first looks at him with delight. All this leads to the development of a conflict between them, which is aggravated by the fact that Pechorin, while courting Princess Mary and seeking her favor, finally discredits Grushnitsky.

All this leads to an open confrontation between them, which ends in a duel. This scene is very important both for understanding Pechorin’s character and for the general concept of the novel. It brings to mind another duel scene from Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin”. This is not surprising: if Belinsky called Pechorin “the Onegin of our time,” then Grushnitsky is often compared to Lensky. There are quite sufficient reasons for this.

Lensky and Grushnitsky represent a type of romantic who takes first of all the external side of romanticism - behavior, enthusiastic speech, style of clothing - which immediately raises doubts about its authenticity. Both young men admire their older comrade (Onegin and Pechorin, respectively), listen to his judgment, and then, angry with him for courting a girl who was for them the subject of romantic interest and then love, they challenge him to a duel. Both are killed in a duel. But, perhaps, it is the difference in this scene that most clearly expresses the difference between these two images and their place in each of the novels.

Lensky's duel, no matter how insignificant its reason may seem, is serious and truly tragic. Lensky, carried away by his imagination, is actually ready to lay down his life for the honor of his beloved. He boldly goes to the end and dies, defending his, albeit not entirely legitimate, view of life. He is undoubtedly an honest and noble man, and his death evokes the sincere regret and sympathy of the author and readers. Pushkin notes that “perhaps this is also true: the poet / An ordinary destiny awaited him,” that is, the external side of his romanticism could disappear over time, revealing a completely ordinary nature. But at the same time, the author does not exclude the possibility that Lensky’s romanticism could be truly serious and reflect the true originality of his personality.

Grushnitsky's duel is a dirty game from start to finish. Together with the dragoon captain, even before the open clash with Pechorin, he decided to “teach him a lesson”, exposing him as a coward in front of everyone. But already in this scene it is obvious to the reader that Grushnitsky himself is a coward, who agrees to the vile proposal of the dragoon captain to leave the pistols unloaded. Pechorin accidentally learns about this conspiracy and decides to seize the initiative: now he, and not his opponents, is leading the party, planning to test not only the extent of Grushnitsky’s meanness and cowardice, but also entering into a kind of duel with his own destiny.

Werner informs Pechorin that the opponents' plans have changed: now they are planning to load one pistol. And then Pechorin decides to put Grushnitsky in such conditions that he has no choice but to either admit himself to everyone as a scoundrel by revealing the conspiracy, or become a real murderer. After all, the possibility of simply satisfying his revenge by slightly wounding Pechorin and without exposing himself to danger was now excluded: Pechorin demanded that the duel be held on the edge of a cliff and that they shoot one by one. Under such conditions, even a slight wound to the enemy became fatal.

Obviously, compared to the duel between Lensky and Onegin, the situation here is much more acute. There, the outcome of the duel is to some extent predetermined only by the fact that Onegin, an experienced person in this kind of matter, has an advantage over a young and inexperienced opponent, who is also still in extreme nervous state. And yet, for Onegin, the death of a friend is an unexpected and terrible blow. Later we learn that it was this story that became the beginning for Onegin of a radical revision of his life positions, which resulted in the abandonment of romantic individualism and opened the way to true love.

In Lermontov, despite the importance of its ideological and compositional role, the scene of Pechorin’s duel with Grushnitsky, obviously, cannot be considered as the central episode of the entire novel, although in this chapter it is, to some extent, such. But it cannot be said that this story changed Pechorin’s life in significant ways, influenced the change in his character and inner appearance. As a result of a duel with Grushnitsky, Pechorin finds himself in a remote fortress, the story of which opens the novel (the story “Bela”). So by the time the events in “Princess Mary” take place, the reader already knows well that there, in the fortress, Pechorin remained the same as here. For him, a duel is just one of the arguments in his constant dispute with the people around him, with himself and his fate.

The problem of fate in the novel is the most important; its final solution will be presented only in the final part - the philosophical story “Fatalist”. But the question of fate is raised in one way or another in other parts of it. In the duel scene, Pechorin also decides to try his luck: “What if his happiness overcomes him? What if my star finally cheats on me? - he thinks on the eve of the duel. - And no wonder: she served my whims faithfully for so long; there is no more permanence in heaven than on earth.” As then in “Fatalist,” Pechorin suggests trusting fortune: he and Grushnitsky cast lots to see who should shoot first. And happiness smiled on the enemy.

But Pechorin’s dispute continues. He still has time to change everything - suffice it to say that he knows about the conspiracy. This is exactly what his second, Dr. Werner, expects from him. But Pechorin wants to test Grushnitsky, in whom conflicting feelings are struggling: shame to kill an unarmed person and repentance, fear of admitting meanness and at the same time fear of death. Pechorin, despite the threat to himself mortal danger, looks at the poor young man with curiosity, like a guinea pig. After all, he deliberately set up an “experiment” to check human nature: what is more in her - meanness, anger and fear or repentance and good impulses. “For a minute it seemed to me that he would throw himself at my feet,” Pechorin thinks about Grushnitsky, who is about to shoot. At some point, it seems that conscience and good principles may prevail in him: “I can’t,” he said in a dull voice. But the cry of the dragoon captain is “coward!” - returns everything to its place: Grushnitsky is used to posing and cannot change his habit: he shoots and almost kills Pechorin, because he wounds him in the knee.

Then it’s up to Pechorin. If earlier he tried to understand the psychology of Grushnitsky’s actions, now his subtle analytical mind, as if under a microscope, examines all the smallest movements of his own soul. What is in it: “and the annoyance of offended pride, and contempt, and anger”? The hero cannot explain this complex feeling to himself.

But Grushnitsky's trial continues. Pechorin once again invites him to renounce the slander and ask for forgiveness. Why does he need this? I think not only for the “purity of the experiment.” A little earlier, Pechorin, giving the opportunity to cast lots, thinks that the “spark of generosity” that could awaken in Grushnitsky will certainly be defeated by “pride and weakness of character.” He is an expert human souls, who studied Grushnitsky perfectly, was not mistaken in this. But there is another argument concerning himself: “I wanted to give myself the full right not to spare him if fate had mercy on me.” And then he strictly observes these “conditions with his conscience” concluded here.

After Pechorin demands to load the pistol, he last time calls out to Grushnitsky: “Give up your slander, and I will forgive you everything... remember - we were once friends.” What is it: a sincere desire to end the quarrel peacefully or something else? If we take into account Pechorin’s very specific attitude towards friendship (in fact, he does not believe in it, and even more so it is problematic to talk about friendship with Grushnitsky at all), as well as his views on enemies (“I love enemies, but not in a Christian way”), then we can draw the following conclusion. Pechorin had already become convinced of Grushnitsky’s weakness, he had already exposed him as a complete scoundrel and a coward in front of everyone, and now the fight with him had become uninteresting for him: the enemy turned out to be too insignificant. And then Pechorin, pulling the necessary strings, like a puppeteer, ensures that he has a real enemy in front of him: “Shoot! - Grushnitsky shouts. “...There is no place for the two of us on earth...” These are no longer just words of despair from a frightened boy to death. And Pechorin kills Grushnitsky in cold blood, concluding the scene just played with the words: “Finita la commedia.” A comedy, but one in which real people play, not actors, and they die for real. Truly a cruel comedy!

How does its director feel? “I had a stone on my heart,” notes Pechorin. Even nature, with which he, unlike people, had no contradictions, seemed to condemn him: “The sun seemed dim to me, its rays did not warm me.” It is no coincidence that the entire scene is framed by a landscape: the beautiful description of the “blue and fresh” morning at the beginning shows the only thing that is truly dear to the romantic hero: “This time, more than ever before, I loved nature.” The description of the place of the duel on the rock and the gloomy abyss below is also quite consistent with the spirit and mood of the hero. And having left after the duel far from people and having ridden on horseback through unfamiliar places until the evening, Pechorin regains his peace of mind. The romantic remained a romantic: a person’s life is worth nothing to him compared to the power and beauty of nature, and his own individuality will always be more significant and important than everything that concerns others: “What do I care about the joys and misfortunes of people!..” - this the hero's position remained unchanged.

Can it be justified? The author does not hide his ambivalent attitude towards his hero, but he is a romantic himself and, probably, for him in some ways Pechorin’s behavior was, if not closer, then at least more understandable than for us. Maybe he himself decided at one time to conduct such an “experiment” with his old friend Martynov? But life turned out to be more cruel to its hero - Martynov’s bullet pierced the poet’s heart. That's how tragic ending duel that stretched a thread from art world novel into the real world.

“Hero of our time” is of a lyrical and psychological nature. It tells the story of the life of an extraordinary person who, alas, cannot find a use for his abilities. The events described in the novel take place in the writer’s native Caucasus. Central theme became the problem of an individual in deep conflict with society. Pechorin is a bored intellectual exiled from St. Petersburg for some sensational story.

In the Caucasus he meets a lot interesting people and, of course, love. Since the novel is divided into stories that are not connected by a sequential presentation, we see how at different stages of his life Pechorin searches for a definition of happiness, love and friendship, but never finds it. In the story dedicated to Princess Mary, during a trip to Pyatigorsk, he meets his old comrade cadet Grushnitsky, with whom he once served in a detachment. Although Grushnitsky can be called his friend, this is only an “outward” manifestation. In fact, Pechorin knows that they will someday have to collide on a narrow road and one of them will definitely be in trouble.

What caused such hostility towards Grushnitsky? From the first lines of the description of their meeting, it becomes clear that these two are absolutely different people. Grushnitsky is a superficial, mediocre person who loves false gloss and pathos. This image does not fit at all with the pensive and dissatisfied Pechorin with life. The main character is so deeply disappointed in the people he meets along the way, which is why he cannot help but feel the falseness of the cadet. An even bigger rift in the relationship is created by the meeting with the young Princess Mary, with whom Grushnitsky is seriously in love.

The behavior of both heroes in relation to the princess special sympathy doesn't call. One of them is a windbag who tends to exaggerate everything, and the other is a subtle cynic who enjoys playing on other people’s feelings. It was precisely because of his characteristic cynicism that Pechorin decided to challenge his “friend” and begin to court Mary. The key moment in the novel is the episode of the duel between Grushnitsky and Pechorin. This duel is strikingly different from those previously encountered in Russian literature, if only in that it is devoid of honesty and respect for the opponent.

Each of the opponents shows their true face. Grushnitsky organizes a vile conspiracy with some dragoon captain so that Pechorin’s pistol turns out to be unloaded during the duel. Pechorin, in turn, knowing this, agrees to a duel. Risking his life, he wants to teach the vile cadet a lesson and, as a result, achieves his goal. All this leads to an open clash between young people, which ends in a tragic outcome - the death of Grushnitsky.

The author masterfully shows that this duel is a dirty game from start to finish. Even the mere condition that the murdered person could be blamed on the Circassians speaks of the dishonesty of its participants. At the end of the duel, proposing the rules of his game, Pechorin still leaves a narrow loophole for his opponent, but he, due to his stupidity and complacency, does not notice it, for which he pays with his own life.

The duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky is desperate and rash step

Main actor M.Yu. Lermontov's novel “Hero of Our Time” is Pechorin.

The events described in the work take place in the Caucasus. And this is probably not an accident, since at that time people persecuted by the government were sent here. Among them was Pechorin, who was exiled to the Caucasus for some sensational story in St. Petersburg. Here he met Grushnitsky, who had arrived at the waters to heal his wounds. Pechorin and Grushnitsky served together in the active detachment and met like old friends.

Grushnitsky is a cadet, he somehow wears his thick soldier’s overcoat in a special way, speaks in pompous phrases, the mask of disappointment does not leave his face. Producing an effect is his main pleasure. The goal of his life is to become the hero of a novel. He is proud. Bored Pechorin, having nothing else to do, decided to play on his friend’s pride, foreseeing in advance that one of them would be in trouble. And the opportunity was not long in coming. Pechorin was forced to challenge Grushnitsky to a duel for the vile slander that he spread against his friend. Incited by “his friends,” Grushnitsky, so as not to look like a coward, accepted the challenge.

The night before the duel, Pechorin could not sleep and mentally asked himself: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?” And he noted with sadness that he had not guessed his “high purpose”, “he had lost forever the ardor of noble aspirations, best color life and played the role of an ax in the hands of fate.” Pechorin feels the presence of two people in him: “...one lives in the full sense of the word, the other thinks and judges him...” Our hero, who deeply and subtly feels nature, before the fight peers into every dewdrop and says: “I don’t I remember a bluer and fresher morning...”

And here Pechorin stands at gunpoint. The conditions of the duel are very strict. With the slightest injury, you can find yourself in the abyss. How much self-control and endurance he has! He knows that his gun is not loaded, that in a minute his life could end. He wants to test Grushnitsky to the end. But he forgets about honor, conscience and decency when his pride is affected. No generosity awoke in Grushnitsky’s petty soul. And he shot at an unarmed man. Fortunately, the bullet only grazed his opponent's knee. Contempt and anger gripped Pechorin at the thought that this man could so easily kill him.

But despite everything, Pechorin is ready to forgive his opponent and says: “Grushnitsky, there is still time. Give up your slander, and I will forgive you everything, you didn’t manage to fool me, and my pride is satisfied.” Grushnitsky, his eyes flashing, replied: “Shoot. I despise myself, and I hate you... There is no place for the two of us on earth...” Pechorin did not miss.

The author showed that in the face of death, the hero of the novel turned out to be as dual as we saw him throughout the entire work. He sincerely feels sorry for Grushnitsky, who, with the help of intriguers, found himself in a stupid position. Pechorin was ready to forgive him, but at the same time he could not refuse the duel due to the prejudices that existed in society. Feeling his loneliness among the water society, among people like Grushnitsky, condemning this society, Pechorin himself is a slave to its Morality.

Pechorin repeatedly speaks of his duality, and his duality, as we see, is not a mask, but a real state of mind.

The duel scene in the novel, in my opinion, is one of the most striking and interesting. The heroes participating in it: Pechorin, Grushnitsky, Doctor Werner, a dragoon captain, who was not even honored with a name, and no one famous Ivan Ignatyevich.

Before the duel scene, we are shown a sleepless night of the main character, during which he thinks about the duel, and about life, and about death, and about love, and again returns his thoughts to death.

Of course, from this preface preceding the duel, you can learn that Pechorin is one of the few who does not embellish his role on earth and reality itself, and boldly faces the truth. He, like anyone in his place, thinks about what will happen if he dies. But he does not think about the afterlife: about heaven or hell. A man like Pechorin, extra person, talks about the meaninglessness of his life: “...the loss for the world is small; and I’m pretty bored myself. I’m like a man yawning at a ball who doesn’t go to bed only because his carriage isn’t there yet.” Further, Pechorin evaluates his life: “... I did not guess the destination, I was carried away by the lures of empty and ungrateful passions, from their crucible I emerged as hard and cold as iron, but I lost forever the rear of noble aspirations - the best color of life.”

And finally comes to the sad conclusion about the meaning human life: “...and you always live out of curiosity: you expect something new... It’s funny and annoying!”

At this moment, the reader has a doubt: will this person live?

Pechorin reports that he did not forget anything that happened at night and in the duel: “How clearly and sharply the past was cast in my memory! Not a single feature, not a single shade has been erased by time!” It seems to me that he doesn’t forget anything at all, and it’s hard. But maybe this is his gift - to remember.

So, the day of the duel arrived. Coming out of the bath, Pechorin was in a good mood. Seeing the excited doctor in an unusual Circassian outfit for him, he burst out laughing.

When they drove to the place of the duel, the weather seemed fine to Pechorin. He was as attentive as ever and did not overlook anything. Perhaps this is the state of everyone who is preparing for death.

During the trip between Werner and Pechorin, something happens interesting conversation, as, indeed, always.

Werner reminds us of a will that can be left to friends or a loved one. But Pechorin says that there is no eternal friendship, neither eternal love, and he realized this a long time ago.

The dragoon captain undertakes from the very beginning unsuccessful attempt offend Pechorin so that the latter feels awkward and confused: “We have been waiting for you for a long time.” But Pechorin remains cool and calm. Following this, the doctor, like anyone who finds himself in his place, asks, first of all, Grushnitsky, to reconcile. Pechorin briefly expresses his agreement. The captain perceives this as cowardice. This thought is conveyed to Grushnitsky, who “takes on a proud look,” not suspecting that he is becoming even more pitiful and ridiculous. But it is clear that he is worried and still wants to avoid a duel, unlike the dragoon captain. He wants to know what he needs to do to “reconcile.” The answer is to admit the mistake and apologize publicly.

When Grushnitsky shoots, his hands shake, he is afraid to shoot at a person, because there is a high probability of killing him (the duel takes place on a sheer cliff). Grushnitsky lowers the pistol. “I can’t!” - he says. But after the word “coward” uttered by the dragoon captain, a shot is heard. Pechorin was wounded in the knee, but the wound was light.

It's Pechorin's turn. The captain began to hug Grushnitsky, the second second even shed tears. The captain said a phrase that, apparently, he specially composed for this occasion: “Nature is a fool, fate is a turkey, and life is a penny.”

I think that this whole tragedy was played out for Pechorin to look at his condition and laugh at him later.

Pechorin once again asks if his opponent is going back on his words, but he does not change his mind, because he is sure that nothing threatens him. The captain, wanting to complete the plan, reminds Pechorin that he is “not here to confess.”

Pechorin calls the pale doctor, who cares about our hero, and asks him to load the pistol. The captain begins to shout that this is not according to the rules (it’s strange that he remembered them at all), and when Pechorin suggests resolving the issue by a duel with the captain, the latter falls silent.

Grushnitsky, who felt that death was nearby and was breathing down his back, apparently realized that he could not hide from it and now it was too late to resist. He asks Pechorin to shoot.

Pechorin once again asks him to think about an apology. Here Grushnitsky utters the key phrase of the entire scene: “There is no place for the two of us on earth...”

Pechorin shoots, this shot turns out to be fatal for Grushnitsky. After this, the hero says the final line: “The comedy is over!” even the doctor turns away from him in horror. And only when he sees Grushnitsky’s corpse, he understands in his heart what he did: “There was a stone on my heart.” Now nature does not please him, the sun does not warm him.