In 1840, Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov wrote the novel “A Hero of Our Time.” What is the essence of this work, which is a classic of Russian literature? The image of the main character Pechorin Grigory Alexandrovich.
External characteristics of Pechorin. Reflection of the soul in details
To convey the appearance of the main character, the narrator in this novel describes his view of Pechorin. The image of a selfish person is always emphasized with a special gloss and careless body movements. The hero of our novel, Pechorin, was a fairly tall and stately young man. He was strongly built. His beautiful broad shoulders were very favorably emphasized by his thin and prominent figure. Athletic figure. For the most part, single people are very scrupulous about their appearance. Judging by his physical characteristics, it is noticeable that Pechorin is adapted to changes in time zones and climate. The writer was surprised by his thin and pale hands. Their owner had the thin fingers of an aristocrat. They were decorated with perfectly tailored gloves of high quality workmanship. His back curved like a snake's body when he sat alone. A smile with snow-white teeth. Velvet light skin. Wavy curly blond hair gave a childish spontaneity. In contrast to this, traces of wrinkles were visible on the forehead. All the lightness of his image is favorably emphasized by his brown eyes and the black color of his eyebrows and mustache. He had a slightly upturned nose and an unusually caustic, piercing gaze. His eyes were frozen even as he laughed. As the author who described him from the outside noted, Pechorin’s eyes shone with a phosphorescent brilliance, dazzling, but icy.
Pechorin tried to emphasize his superiority in everything. Dressed in the St. Petersburg style - a velvet frock coat, carelessly buttoned with the last two buttons. Rarely in the Caucasus do you meet a person in absolutely snow-white underwear that shows through. The ladies paid attention to him. His gait reflected independence, self-confidence and uniqueness.
The image of Pechorin at the second meeting with Maxim Maksimych
The main character of the novel does not see the expediency of friendship. The few who wanted to be friends with him were amazed by his indifference and lack of friendly feelings. After five years of parting with his friend Maxim Maksimych, Pechorin reacted casually to the meeting with the elderly staff captain. In vain Maxim Maksimych clung to his old friend, who he considered Pechorin to be. After all, they lived together for about a year and he helped him survive the tragedy with Bela. Maxim Maksimych could not believe that Grigory would say goodbye to him so tersely, so dryly, without even talking for ten minutes. He was very sad that a person important to him did not value their long-standing friendship.
Characteristics of Pechorin through his relationships with women
Petersburger - G.A. Pechorin has a great understanding of female nature. Magnificently, exactly according to the instructions, he makes Bela fall in love with him. Then he cools off towards her. Afterwards, the death of the “Maiden of the Mountains” does not bring much suffering to Pechorin’s life. It is so empty that there is not a single tear. He is even somewhat annoyed that he is to blame for the death of the Circassian woman.
Miss Mary. Pechorin falls in love with the Moscow princess's daughter. Did he want mutual love, by no means. His pride wanted to amuse himself at the expense of Grushnitsky. Pechorin needs other people's suffering, he feeds on it. At the end of his diary, he compares a woman to a blooming flower. And he tears it up to drink all the strength and juices and throw it on the road for someone to pick up. Merciless executioner women's souls who does not think about the consequences of his actions and games.
Faith, which he so deeply and truly loved, became Once again a toy in the hands of this mentally depressed and unbalanced person. Despite his feelings for this woman, he deliberately makes her jealous for the sake of intimacy. He doesn’t even want to think about how much she suffers; sometimes he just feels sorry for her. And when she leaves, Pechorin is like Small child crying over loss the only woman, which at least somehow worried his cold heart.
Pechorin, through each hero with whom the events happened, is revealed from different sides. They are like a mirror reflection of his inner emptiness. The novel is built by reflecting the internal contradictions of the main character, through relationships with each person described in it. Lermontov does not criticize or analyze the image of G.A. Pechorin. With its help, the author reflects the post-Decembrist reality of that time, with all its vices and shortcomings.
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A person is always driven by the desire to know his purpose. Should you go with the flow or resist it? What position in society would be correct, should all actions comply with moral standards? These and similar questions often become the main ones for young people who are actively comprehending the world and human essence. Youthful maximalism requires clear answers to these problematic questions, but it is not always possible to give an answer.
It is precisely this seeker of answers that M.Yu. tells us about. Lermontov in his novel “Hero of Our Time”. It should be noted that Mikhail Yuryevich was always on good terms when writing prose, and his same position remained until the end of his life - all the prose novels he started were never finished. Lermontov had the courage to bring the matter with “Hero” to its logical conclusion. This is probably why the composition, the manner of presentation of the material and the style of narration look, compared to other novels, quite unusual.
“Hero of Our Time” is a work imbued with the spirit of the era. The characterization of Pechorin - the central figure of Mikhail Lermontov's novel - allows us to better understand the atmosphere of the 1830s - the time the work was written. It is not for nothing that “A Hero of Our Time” is recognized by critics as the most mature and ambitious in philosophical sense novels by Mikhail Lermontov.
Great importance there is a historical context for understanding the novel. In the 1830s Russian history was reactive. In 1825, the Decembrist uprising occurred, and subsequent years contributed to the development of a mood of loss. The Nikolaev reaction unsettled many young people: young people did not know which vector of behavior and life to choose, how to make life meaningful.
This caused the emergence of restless individuals, unnecessary people.
Origin of Pechorin
Basically, the novel singles out one hero, who is centrally in the story. It seems that this principle was rejected by Lermontov - based on the events told to the reader, the main character is Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin - a young man, an officer. However, the style of the narration gives the right to doubt - the position in the text of Maxim Maksimovich is also quite weighty.
In fact, this is a misconception - Mikhail Yuryevich repeatedly emphasized that in his novel main character– Pechorin, this corresponds to the main purpose of the story - to talk about typical people of the generation, point out their vices and mistakes.
Lermontov provides rather scant information about childhood, conditions of upbringing and the influence of parents on the process of formation of Pechorin’s positions and preferences. Several fragments of his past life lift this veil - we learn that Grigory Alexandrovich was born in St. Petersburg. His parents, according to existing orders, tried to give their son a proper education, but young Pechorin did not feel the burden of science, he “quickly got bored” with them and he decided to devote himself to military service. Perhaps such an act is not connected with the emerging interest in military affairs, but with the special disposition of society towards military people. The uniform made it possible to brighten up even the most unattractive actions and character traits, because the military was loved for what they were. It was difficult to find representatives in society who did not have a military rank - military service was considered honorable and everyone wanted to “try on” honor and glory along with the uniform.
As it turned out, military affairs did not bring proper satisfaction and Pechorin quickly became disillusioned with it. Grigory Alexandrovich was sent to the Caucasus because he was involved in a duel. The events that happened to the young man in this area form the basis of Lermontov's novel.
Characteristics of Pechorin's actions and deeds
The reader gets his first impressions of the main character of Lermontov’s novel after meeting Maxim Maksimych. The man served with Pechorin in the Caucasus, in a fortress. It was the story of a girl named Bela. Pechorin treated Bela badly: out of boredom, while having fun, the young man kidnapped a Circassian girl. Bela is a beauty, at first cold with Pechorin. Gradually, the young man kindles the flame of love for him in Bela’s heart, but as soon as the Circassian woman fell in love with Pechorin, he immediately lost interest in her.
Pechorin destroys the destinies of other people, makes those around him suffer, but remains indifferent to the consequences of his actions. Bela and the girl's father die. Pechorin remembers the girl, feels sorry for Bela, the past resonates with bitterness in the hero’s soul, but does not cause Pechorin to repent. While Bela was alive, Grigory told his comrade that he still loved the girl, felt gratitude to her, but boredom remained the same, and it was boredom that decided everything.
An attempt to find satisfaction and happiness pushes the young man to experiments that the hero performs on living people. Psychological games, meanwhile, turn out to be useless: the same emptiness remains in the hero’s soul. The same motives accompany Pechorin’s exposure of the “honest smugglers”: the hero’s act does not bring good results, only leaving the blind boy and the old woman on the brink of survival.
The love of a wild Caucasian beauty or a noblewoman - it does not matter for Pechorin. Next time, the hero chooses an aristocrat, Princess Mary, for the experiment. Handsome Gregory plays with the girl, arousing love for him in Mary’s soul, but then leaves the princess, breaking her heart.
The reader learns about the situation with Princess Mary and the smugglers from the diary that the main character kept, wanting to understand himself. In the end, even Pechorin gets tired of his diary: any activity ends in boredom. Grigory Alexandrovich does not complete anything, unable to bear the suffering of losing interest in the subject of his former passion. Pechorin's notes accumulate in a suitcase, which falls into the hands of Maxim Maksimych. The man experiences a strange attachment to Pechorin, perceiving the young man as a friend. Maxim Maksimych keeps Grigory’s notebooks and diaries, hoping to give the suitcase to a friend. But the young man does not care about fame, fame, Pechorin does not want to publish the entries, so the diaries turn out to be unnecessary waste paper. This secular disinterest of Pechorin is the peculiarity and value of Lermontov’s hero.
Pechorin has one important feature - sincerity towards himself. The hero’s actions evoke antipathy and even condemnation in the reader, but one thing must be recognized: Pechorin is open and honest, and the touch of vice comes from weakness of will and the inability to resist the influence of society.
Pechorin and Onegin
After the first publications of Lermontov’s novel, both readers and literary critics began to compare Pechorin from Lermontov's novel and Onegin from Pushkin's work with each other. Both heroes share similar character traits and certain actions. As researchers note, both Pechorin and Onegin were named according to the same principle. The surname of the characters is based on the name of the river - Onega and Pechora, respectively. But the symbolism doesn't end there.
Pechora is a river in the northern part of Russia (modern Komi Republic and Nanets Autonomous Okrug), by its nature it is a typical mountain river. Onega is located in the modern Arkhangelsk region and is calmer. The nature of the flow has a relationship with the characters of the heroes named after them. Pechorin's life is full of doubts and active searches for his place in society; he, like a seething stream, sweeps away everything without a trace in his path. Onegin is deprived of such a scale of destructive power; complexity and inability to realize himself cause him to feel a state of dull melancholy.
Byronism and the “superfluous man”
In order to holistically perceive the image of Pechorin, understand his character, motives and actions, it is necessary to have knowledge about the Byronic and superfluous hero.
The first concept came to Russian literature from England. J. Bynov in his poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” created a unique image endowed with a desire for active search their purpose, the characteristics of egocentrism, dissatisfaction and desire for change.
The second is a phenomenon that arose in Russian literature itself and denotes a person who was ahead of his time and therefore alien and incomprehensible to those around him. Or someone who, based on his knowledge and understanding of everyday truths, is higher in development than the rest and, as a result, he is not accepted by society. Such characters become the cause of suffering for female representatives who love them.
Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a classic representative of romanticism, who combined the concepts of Byronism and the superfluous man. Dejection, boredom and spleen are the product of this combination.
Mikhail Lermontov considered the life story of an individual more interesting than the history of a people. " An extra person“Pechorin is made by circumstances. The hero is talented and smart, but the tragedy of Grigory Alexandrovich lies in the lack of a goal, in the inability to adapt himself, his talents to this world, in the general restlessness of the individual. In this, Pechorin’s personality is an example of a typical decadent.
Powers young man They go not to find a goal, not to realize themselves, but to adventure. Sometimes, literary critics compare the images of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin and Lermontov’s Grigory Pechorin: Onegin is characterized by boredom, and Pechorin is characterized by suffering.
After the Decembrists were exiled, progressive trends and tendencies also succumbed to persecution. For Pechorin, a progressive-minded person, this meant the onset of a period of stagnation. Onegin has every opportunity to take the side of the people's cause, but refrains from doing so. Pechorin, having a desire to reform society, finds himself deprived of such an opportunity. Grigory Alexandrovich wastes his wealth of spiritual strength on trifles: he hurts girls, Vera and Princess Mary suffer because of the hero, Bela dies...
Pechorin was ruined by society and circumstances. The hero keeps a diary, where he notes that, as a child, he spoke only the truth, but adults did not believe in the boy’s words.
Then Gregory became disillusioned with life and his previous ideals: the place of truth was replaced by lies. As a young man, Pechorin sincerely loved the world. Society laughed at him and this love - Gregory’s kindness turned into anger.
The hero quickly became bored with his secular surroundings and literature. Hobbies were replaced by other passions. Only travel can save you from boredom and disappointment. Mikhail Lermontov unfolds on the pages of the novel the entire evolution of the protagonist’s personality: Pechorin’s characterization is revealed to the reader by all the central episodes in the formation of the hero’s personality.
The character of Grigory Alexandrovich is accompanied by actions, behavior, and decisions that more fully reveal the characteristics of the character’s personality. Pechorin is also appreciated by other heroes of Lermontov’s novel, for example, Maxim Maksimych, who notices the inconsistency of Grigory. Pechorin is a strong young man with a strong body, but sometimes the hero is overcome by a strange physical weakness. Grigory Alexandrovich turned 30 years old, but the hero’s face is full of childish features, and the hero looks no more than 23 years old. The hero laughs, but at the same time one can see sadness in Pechorin’s eyes. Opinions about Pechorin, expressed by different characters in the novel, allow readers to look at the hero, respectively, with different positions.
Pechorin's death expresses the idea of Mikhail Lermontov: a person who has not found a goal remains superfluous, unnecessary for those around him. Such a person cannot serve for the benefit of humanity and is of no value to society and the fatherland.
In “Hero of Our Time,” the writer described the entire generation of contemporaries - young people who have lost the purpose and meaning of life. Just as Hemingway’s generation is considered lost, so Lermontov’s generation is considered lost, superfluous, restless. These young people are susceptible to boredom, which turns into a vice in the context of the development of their society.
Pechorin's appearance and age
At the beginning of the story, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is 25 years old. He looks very good, well-groomed, so in some moments it seems that he is much younger than he actually is. There was nothing unusual in his height and build: average height, strong athletic build. He was a man with pleasant features. As the author notes, he had a “unique face,” one that women are madly attracted to. Blonde, naturally curly hair, a “slightly upturned” nose, snow-white teeth and a sweet, childish smile - all this complements his appearance favorably.
His eyes, brown in color, seemed to live a separate life - they never laughed when their owner laughed. Lermontov names two reasons for this phenomenon - either we have a person with an evil disposition, or someone who is in a state of deep depression. Lermontov does not give a direct answer which explanation (or both at once) is applicable to the hero - the reader will have to analyze these facts themselves.
His facial expression is also incapable of expressing any emotion. Pechorin does not restrain himself - he simply lacks the ability to empathize.
This appearance is finally blurred by a heavy, unpleasant look.
As you can see, Grigory Alexandrovich looks like a porcelain doll - his cute face with childish features seems like a frozen mask, not a face real person.
Pechorin's clothes are always neat and clean - this is one of those principles that Grigory Alexandrovich follows impeccably - an aristocrat cannot be an unkempt slob.
While in the Caucasus, Pechorin easily leaves his usual outfit in the closet and dresses in the national men's attire of the Circassians. Many note that these clothes make him look like a true Kabardian - sometimes people who belonged to this nationality do not look so impressive. Pechorin looks more like a Kabardian than the Kabardians themselves. But even in these clothes he is a dandy - the length of the fur, the trim, the color and size of the clothes - everything is chosen with extraordinary care.
Characteristics of character qualities
Pechorin is a classic representative of the aristocracy. He himself comes from a noble family, who received a decent upbringing and education (he knows French and dances well). All his life he lived in abundance, this fact allowed him to begin his journey of searching for his destiny and an activity that would not let him get bored.
At first, the attention shown to him by women pleasantly flattered Grigory Alexandrovich, but soon he was able to study the types of behavior of all women and therefore communication with ladies became boring and predictable for him. The impulse to create his own family is alien to him, and as soon as it comes to hints about marriage, his ardor for the girl instantly disappears.
Pechorin is not assiduous - science and reading make him even more melancholy than secular society. A rare exception in this regard is provided by the works of Walter Scott.
When social life became too burdensome for him, and travel, literary activity and science didn’t bring desired result, Pechorin decides to start a military career. He, as is customary among the aristocracy, serves in the St. Petersburg Guard. But he doesn’t stay here for long either - participation in a duel dramatically changes his life - for this offense he is exiled to serve in the Caucasus.
If Pechorin were a hero folk epic, then it permanent epithet the word would be "strange". All the heroes find something unusual in him, different from other people. This fact is not related to habits, mental or psychological development - the point here is precisely the ability to express one’s emotions, adhere to the same position - sometimes Grigory Alexandrovich is very contradictory.
He likes to cause pain and suffering to others, he is aware of this and understands that such behavior does not look good not only on him specifically, but on any person. And yet he doesn’t try to restrain himself. Pechorin compares himself to a vampire - the realization that someone will spend the night in mental anguish is incredibly flattering to him.
Pechorin is persistent and stubborn, this creates many problems for him, because of this he often finds himself in not the most pleasant situations, but here courage and determination come to his rescue.
Grigory Alexandrovich becomes the cause of destruction life paths many people. By his mercy, the blind boy and the old woman are left to the mercy of fate (the episode with the smugglers), Vulich, Bella and her father die, Pechorin’s friend dies in a duel at the hands of Pechorin himself, Azamat becomes a criminal. This list can still be replenished with many names of people to whom the main character insulted and became a reason for resentment and depression. Does Pechorin know and understand the full gravity of the consequences of his actions? Quite, but this fact does not bother him - he does not value his life, let alone the destinies of other people.
Thus, the image of Pechorin is contradictory and ambiguous. On the one hand, it is easy to find positive features character, but on the other hand, callousness and selfishness confidently reduce all his positive achievements to “no” - Grigory Aleksandrovich destroys with his recklessness both his destiny and the destinies of the people around him. He - destructive force which is difficult to resist.
Psychological portrait of Grigory Pechorin
Lermontov helps to imagine the character's character traits by referring to the hero's appearance and habits. For example, Pechorin is distinguished by a lazy and careless gait, but at the same time the hero’s gestures do not indicate that Pechorin is a secretive person. The young man’s forehead was marred by wrinkles, and when Grigory Alexandrovich sat, it seemed that the hero was tired. When Pechorin's lips laughed, his eyes remained motionless, sad.
Pechorin's fatigue was manifested in the fact that the hero's passion did not linger for long on any object or person. Grigory Alexandrovich said that in life he is guided not by the dictates of the heart, but by the orders of the head. This is coldness, rationality, periodically interrupted by a short-term riot of feelings. Pechorin is characterized by a trait called fatality. The young man is not afraid to go wild and seeks adventure and risk, as if testing fate.
The contradictions in Pechorin’s characterization are manifested in the fact that with the courage described above, the hero is frightened by the slightest cracking of window shutters or the sound of rain. Pechorin is a fatalist, but at the same time convinced of the importance of human willpower. There is a certain predetermination in life, expressed at least in the fact that a person will not escape death, so why then are they afraid to die? In the end, Pechorin wants to help society, to be useful by saving people from the Cossack killer.
Grigory Pechorin from the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”: characteristics, image, description, portrait
4.3 (86.67%) 6 votesPechorin Grigory Alexandrovich- the main character of the novel. His character was formed in the atmosphere of high society, which makes him similar to the hero of the novel “Eugene Onegin”. But the vanity and immorality of society with the “decorum of pulled masks” bored the hero. Pechorin is an officer. He serves, but does not earn favors, does not study music, does not study philosophy or military affairs, that is, he does not strive to impress with the means available to him. ordinary people. M. Yu. Lermontov hints at the political nature of Pechorin’s exile to the Caucasus; some remarks in the text suggest his closeness to the ideology of Decembrism. Thus, in the novel, the theme of personal heroism arises in the tragic interpretation that it receives in the 30s of the 19th century.
Already in the first story it is emphasized that Pechorin is an extraordinary person. “After all, there are, really, such people who have it written in their nature that various extraordinary things should happen to them,” says Maxim Maksimych. The unusualness of the hero is also manifested in his portrait. His eyes, the author notes, “didn’t laugh when he laughed!” What is this: a sign of “an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness”?
The problem of morality is connected with the image of Pechorin in the novel. In all the short stories that Lermontov combines in the novel, Pechorin appears before us as a destroyer of the lives and destinies of other people: because of him, the Circassian Bela loses her home and dies, Maxim Maksimych is disappointed in his friendship with him, Mary and Vera suffer, and die by his hand Grushnitsky, forced to leave native home“honest smugglers,” the young officer Vulich dies. The hero of the novel himself realizes: “Like an instrument of execution, I fell on the heads of the doomed victims, often without malice, always without regret...” His whole life is a constant experiment, a game with fate, and Pechorin allows himself to risk not only his life, but also the lives of those who were nearby. He is characterized by unbelief and individualism. Pechorin, in fact, considers himself a superman who managed to rise above ordinary morality. However, he does not want either good or evil, but only wants to understand what it is. All this cannot but repel the reader. And Lermontov does not idealize his hero. However, in the title of the novel, in my opinion, there is an “evil irony” not over the word “hero”, but over the words “our time”.
It was the era of reaction that came in Russia after the Decembrist uprising that gave birth to people like Pechorin. The hero “feels immense strength in his soul,” but does not find in life the opportunity to realize his “high purpose,” therefore he wastes himself in the pursuit of “empty passions,” quenches his thirst for life in senseless risk and constant self-analysis, which eats him away from the inside. Reflection, transferring active activity to isolation in one’s own inner world M. Yu. Lermontov considers it one of the most important features of his generation. Pechorin's character is complex and contradictory. The hero of the novel says about himself: “There are two people in me: one lives in the full sense of the word, the other thinks and judges him...” What are the reasons for this duality? “I told the truth - they didn’t believe me: I began to deceive; Having learned well the light and springs of society, I became skilled in the science of life...” admits Pechorin. He learned to be secretive, vindictive, bilious, ambitious, and became, in his words, a moral cripple. Pechorin is an egoist. Belinsky also called Pushkin’s Onegin “a suffering egoist” and “a reluctant egoist.” The same can be said about Pechorin. The novel “Hero of Our Time” became a continuation of the theme of “extra people”.
And yet Pechorin is a richly gifted nature. He has an analytical mind, his assessments of people and actions are very accurate; he has a critical attitude not only towards others, but also towards himself. His diary is nothing more than self-exposure. He is endowed with a warm heart, capable of deeply feeling (the death of Bela, a date with Vera) and worrying greatly, although he tries to hide his emotional experiences under the mask of indifference. Indifference, callousness is a mask of self-defense. Pechorin is, after all, a strong-willed, strong, active person, “lives of strength” lie dormant in his chest, he is capable of action. But all his actions carry not a positive, but a negative charge; all his activities are aimed not at creation, but at destruction. In this, Pechorin is similar to the hero of the poem “Demon”. Indeed, in his appearance (especially at the beginning of the novel) there is something demonic, unsolved. But this demonic personality became part of the “current tribe” and became a caricature of itself. Strong will and thirst for activity gave way to disappointment and powerlessness, and even high egoism gradually began to turn into petty selfishness. The traits of a strong personality remain only in the image of a renegade, who, however, belongs to his generation.
The genius of M. Yu. Lermontov was expressed primarily in the fact that he created immortal image a hero who embodied all the contradictions of his era. It is no coincidence that V. G. Belinsky saw in Pechorin’s character “a transitional state of spirit, in which for a person everything old is destroyed, but nothing new is yet there, and in which a person is only the possibility of something real in the future and a perfect ghost in the present.”
The significance of the novel “A Hero of Our Time” in the subsequent development of Russian literature is enormous. In this work, Lermontov, for the first time in the “history of the human soul,” revealed such deep layers that not only equated it with the “history of the people,” but also showed its involvement in the spiritual history of mankind through its personal and tribal significance. In an individual personality, not only its specific and temporal socio-historical characteristics were highlighted, but also all-human ones.
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Belinsky very accurately described Pechorin’s personality, calling him a hero of our time, a kind of Onegin. And they are so similar that the distance between the Pechora and Onega rivers is much greater than the difference in their characters. Herzen also agrees with Belinsky, who considers Pechorin to be Onegin’s younger brother. And if you think about it, it’s not hard to guess that they are really very close. Both heroes are typical representatives of secular society.
In their youth, they both tried to get everything from life, read books and became interested in science, but then lost interest in knowledge. They were completely overwhelmed by boredom. At the same time, the heroes think critically, they are better and smarter than many others.
However, everyone has their own spiritual life. Onegin belongs to the era of socio-political reforms and the time preceding the Decembrist uprising. Pechorin lives in a period of rampant reaction, when the uprising was put to an end. Onegin, if he wished, could join the Decembrist movement, but Pechorin is deprived of all opportunities, so he suffers greatly. In many ways, his suffering is due to the depth and talent of his nature.
Indeed, from the first pages, readers understand that before them is an extraordinary character with an unbending will and a remarkable mind, overwhelmed by passions and emotions.
Pechorin understands people with amazing insight and is critical of himself. He unmistakably guesses the character and inclinations of those around him. Outwardly he is calm, but he feels strongly and deeply. In addition to your inner strength, Pechorin is also overwhelmed by a thirst for activity.
However, he calls himself nothing more than a “moral cripple,” because all his actions are illogical and contradictory.
This inconsistency is visible both in his appearance and in his manners. Lermontov himself never tires of emphasizing the strangeness of the hero’s nature. For example, when Pechorin laughs, his eyes are cold, which is a sign of either anger or constant melancholy. His glance is fleeting, but heavy and even impudent, however, Pechorin is very calm and indifferent. The hero is secretive, although some laziness and carelessness can be discerned in his gait. He is both strong and weak at the same time. He is already about 30 years old, but his smile still shows spontaneity.
Maxim Maksimych also noticed Pechorin’s peculiarities, saying that on a hunt everyone can get tired, but Pechorin does not react to fatigue, or insists that he has a cold, turns pale and trembles.
Using the example of Pechorin, Lermontov shows the “disease” of the entire generation of that time. Pechorin himself says that his whole life consists of a string of unsuccessful and dreary events that contradict common sense and heart. How does this manifest itself?
First of all, this concerns his attitude to life. Pechorin does not hide the fact that he is skeptical and completely disappointed in life, continuing to live only out of curiosity. On the other hand, it is noticeable that he is eager to act.
Moreover, there is a continuous struggle between feelings and reason. Pechorin admits that he thinks only with his head, and evaluates all his passions and emotions from the point of view of reason. However, the hero has a warm and understanding heart, capable of love. Pechorin is especially partial to nature: when he comes into contact with it, all anxiety dissipates, melancholy goes away, and his soul becomes light.
Pechorin’s relationships with women are also not simple. He gives in to his ambitious impulses and strives to achieve the love of women. He dreams of subordinating everything to his will, winning the love and devotion of those around him.
But Pechorin cannot be called an egoist, because great love is not alien to him. His attitude towards Vera clearly demonstrates this. When the hero received her last letter, he immediately jumped on his horse and rushed to Pyatigorsk to see his beloved and say goodbye to her. Pechorin realized that Vera was very dear to him, more important than life, happiness and honor. In the steppe he was left without a horse and cried from powerlessness, falling on the wet grass.
All these contradictions prevent Pechorin from living life to the fullest. He sincerely believes that best part his soul died.
On the eve of the appointed duel, Pechorin thinks about his life and wonders whether there is a purpose in it. He answers his question in his diary, writing down what he feels in himself enormous forces, and that a target likely existed. But the problem is that he could not find an activity that would be worthy of him. He spends all his energy on small and unworthy actions, for example, kidnapping Bela, playing with Mary with love, destroying the existence of smugglers, killing Grushnitsky. Without wanting it, he brings death to everyone: Bela and Grushnitsky die, Vera and Mary are doomed to suffer, Maxim Maksimych is also upset, who began to doubt the possibility of the existence of friendship and sincerity between people.
Thus, the most terrible thing in Pechorin’s life is the discrepancy between the hero’s immense spiritual strength and the petty actions of the hero. This contradiction is destructive for everyone.
So whose fault is it that Pechorin has become superfluous in his own life? Pechorin admits that his soul was pretty spoiled by secular society, with which he was never able to break ties. He spent all his young years in a fruitless struggle with high society and with yourself. He hid deeply and practically destroyed all his best feelings, fearing misunderstanding and ridicule.
But not only the noble society is to blame for difficult fate Pechorin, because the Decembrists also came from this society. Thus, Pechorin is a classic hero of the time of the 30s.
Speaking surname Pechorina
Pechorin's surname is telling; it clearly indicates his similarity with Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin's hero Evgeny Onegin. Their surnames are formed in the same way: the names of rivers (Onega and Pechora) are used as the root, and the surname Pechorin in in this case hints that these characters are similar in character, Pechorin, like Onegin, can be called an “extra person.”
Pechorin's appearance
Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a young officer of 25 years old, the main character of Mikhail Yuryevich’s novel “A Hero of Our Time.”
Pechorin's appearance suggests that he is a favorite of women: attractive, slender, but with broad shoulders, blond hair and a black mustache.
Origin, character, image of Pechorin
Pechorin's character is very contradictory: immoral, daring, but smart, brave and persistent, he understands that he often behaves incorrectly, although he does not want to change. Pechorin comes from a wealthy noble family, he serves in St. Petersburg, but after one incident with a duel he is transferred to the Caucasus. He lived most of his life in secular society, but sincerely hates him, including women from this society, whom he already literally sees right through. Pechorin is well educated, knows French, but practically does not read books.
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