Grigory Pechorin from the novel by M. Yu
Grigory Pechorin - central character the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time", which appeared in the late 30s and early 40s of the XIX century and caused an ambiguous and very diverse reaction from readers. This is the first socio-psychological novel in Russian classical literature and all the plot twists and turns, events and minor characters are shown in order to fully reveal Pechorin's character and personal characteristics.
The novel includes five novellas, which represent some stages in the development of Pechorin's personality and the disclosure of all the depths of his difficult and ambiguous character to the reader.
Characteristics of the hero
Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is an attractive young aristocrat and officer from St. Petersburg, a typical representative of the youth of the 30s of the nineteenth century. He has received a proper education and upbringing, is rich and independent, has an attractive appearance and is popular with people of the opposite sex. At the same time, he is dissatisfied with his life and is spoiled by luxury. He quickly gets bored with everything and he does not see an opportunity for himself to become happy. Pechorin is in perpetual motion and in search of himself: now he is in a Caucasian fortress, then on vacation in Pyatigorsk, then together with smugglers in Taman. Even his death lies in wait when he travels from Persia to his homeland.
With the help of a detailed description of the hero's appearance, the author tries to reveal his character to us. Pechorin is not deprived of male attractiveness, he is strong, slender and fit, the military uniform suits him very much. He has curly blond hair, expressive brown eyes, cold and haughty, they never laugh and from their expression it is impossible to read thoughts. Blond hair combined with dark mustache and eyebrows give his appearance a personality and originality.
(Pechorin on horseback, drawing)
Pechorin's soul is burning with a thirst for activity, but he does not know where to apply himself, and therefore wherever he appears, he sows evil and sorrow around. Because of a stupid duel, his friend Grushnitsky dies, through his fault the daughter of the Caucasian prince Circassian Bela dies, for the sake of entertainment he falls in love with himself, and then leaves Princess Mary without regret. Because of him, the only woman he loved, Vera, also suffers, but he also cannot make her happy and she is doomed to suffer.
The image of the main character
Pechorin reaches out to people, longs for communication, but does not see a response in their souls, because he is not like them, their thoughts, desires and feelings do not coincide at all, which makes him strange and unlike others. Pechorin, like Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, is burdened by his calm and measured life, but unlike the Pushkin hero, he is constantly looking for ways to add spice to his life, and not finding it, he suffers greatly from this. His own whims have always been and will be in the first place for him, and to satisfy his desires, he is ready for anything. He likes to manipulate people and subjugate them, he enjoys power over them.
At the same time, Pechorin possesses and positive qualities and in addition to reproaches and censure, it deserves sympathy and sympathy. He is distinguished by a sharp mind and condemning others, he is rather self-critical and demanding of himself. Pechorin is not alien to poetry and lyrical moods, he subtly feels nature and admires its beauty. During a duel, he shows enviable courage and courage, he does not coward and does not retreat back, his cold-bloodedness is at its best. Despite his own egoism, Pechorin is capable of real feelings, for example, in relation to Vera, it turns out that he can also be sincere and know how to love.
(M.A. Vrubel "Duel of Pechorin with Grushnitsky" 1890-1891)
The personality of Pechorin is so complex and ambiguous that it is impossible to say with certainty what feelings he evokes in readers: sharp condemnation and hostility, or all the same sympathy and understanding. The main features of his character are the inconsistency between his thoughts and actions, opposition to the surrounding circumstances and turns of fate. The hero is seething with desires to act, but most often his actions result either in empty and unnecessary actions, or, on the contrary, bring pain and misfortune to his loved ones. Having created the image of Pechorin, a kind of hero of his time, whose prototypes Lermontov met at every step, the author wanted to focus on the moral responsibility of each person for his thoughts and actions, for life choices and how it can affect the people around him.
). As its very title shows, Lermontov depicted in this work typical an image that characterizes the generation of his day. We know how little the poet appreciated this generation ("I look sadly ...") - he holds the same point of view in his novel. In the "preface" Lermontov says that his hero is "a portrait made up of the vices" of people of that time "in their full development."
However, Lermontov is in a hurry to say that, speaking about the shortcomings of his time, he does not undertake to read moral teachings to his contemporaries - he simply draws a "history of the soul" " modern man as he understands it and, to him and the misfortune of others, has met too often. There will also be the fact that the disease is indicated, but how to cure it - God knows! "
Lermontov. Hero of our time. Bela, Maxim Maksimych, Taman. Feature Film
So, the author does not idealize his hero: as Pushkin executes his Aleko in Gypsies, Lermontov in his Pechorin brings the image of a disappointed Byronist off the pedestal, an image that was once close to his heart.
Pechorin speaks about himself more than once in his notes and in conversations. He recounts how frustrations followed him from childhood:
“Everyone read on my face the signs of bad qualities that were not there; but they were supposed - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of cunning: I became secretive. I deeply felt good and evil; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was gloomy - other children are cheerful and talkative; I felt superior to them - they put me lower. I became envious. I was ready to love the whole world - no one understood me: and I learned to hate. My colorless youth passed in the struggle with myself and the light; my best feelings, fearing ridicule, I buried in the depths of my heart; they died there. I spoke the truth - they did not believe me: I began to deceive; Having learned well the light and springs of society, I became skilled in the science of life and saw how others without art were happy, using the gift of those benefits that I so tirelessly sought. And then despair was born in my chest - not that despair that is cured with the barrel of a gun, but cold, powerless despair, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile. I have become a moral cripple. "
He became a “moral cripple” because people “distorted” him; they not understood him when he was a child, when he became a youth and an adult ... They forced him on his soul duality,- and he began to live in two halves of his life - one ostentatious, for people, the other - for himself.
“I have an unhappy character,” says Pechorin. "Whether my upbringing created me this way, whether God created me this way, I don't know."
Lermontov. Hero of our time. Princess Mary. Feature film, 1955
Offended by the vulgarity and distrust of people, Pechorin closed in on himself; he despises people and cannot live by their interests - he experienced everything: like Onegin, he enjoyed both the vain joys of the world and the love of numerous female fans. He also studied books, looked for strong impressions in the war - but admitted that all this is nonsense - and “under the Chechen bullets” it is just as boring as reading books. He thought to fill his life with love for Bela, but how Aleko made a mistake in Zemfira , - so he did not manage to live one life with a primitive woman, an unspoiled culture.
“I am a fool or a villain, I don’t know; but it is true that I am also very deserving of pity, - he says, - maybe more than she: in me my soul is spoiled by light, my imagination is restless, my heart is insatiable; Everything is not enough for me: I get used to sadness as easily as to pleasure, and my life becomes empty day by day; I have only one means left: to travel. "
In these words, an outstanding person is outlined in full size, with a strong soul, but without the ability to apply his abilities to anything. Life is small and insignificant, but there is a lot of strength in his soul; their meaning is unclear, since there is nowhere to apply them. Pechorin is the same Demon for whom his wide, free wings were entangled and dressed in an army uniform. If the mood of the Demon expressed the main features of Lermontov's soul - his inner world, then in the image of Pechorin he portrayed himself in the sphere of that vulgar reality that with lead pressed him to the ground, to people ... No wonder Lermontov-Pechorin is drawn to the stars - more than once he admires the night sky - it's not for nothing that only free nature is dear to him here on earth ...
"Thin, white," but strongly built, dressed like a "dandy", with all the manners of an aristocrat, with well-groomed hands - he made a strange impression: in him strength was combined with some kind of nervous weakness. " On his pale, noble forehead, there are traces of premature wrinkles. His pretty eyes "didn't laugh when he laughed." - "This is a sign of either an evil disposition, or deep, constant sadness." In these eyes “there was no reflection of the heat of the soul, or of the playing imagination - it was a shine, like the shine of smooth steel, dazzling, but cold; his glance is short, but penetrating and heavy. " In this description, Lermontov borrowed some features from his own appearance. (See Pechorin's appearance (with quotes).)
With contempt for people and their opinions, Pechorin, however, always, out of habit, broke down. Lermontov says that even he "sat like a thirty-year-old coquette Balzakova sits on her downy armchairs, after an exhausting ball."
Having taught himself not to respect others, not to reckon with another's world, he sacrifices the whole world selfishness. When Maksim Maksimych tries to offend Pechorin's conscience with cautious hints at the immorality of Bela's abduction, Pechorin calmly replies with the question: "When do I like her?" He "executes" Grushnitsky without regret not so much for his meanness as for the fact that he, Grushnitsky, dared to try to fool him, Pechorin! .. Vanity was outraged. In order to make fun of Grushnitsky ("it would be very boring without fools!"), He enthralls Princess Mary; cold egoist, he, in order to please his desire to "have fun", brings a whole drama into Mary's heart. He ruins the reputation of Vera and her family happiness all from the same immeasurable selfishness.
"What do I care about the joys and disasters of men!" He exclaims. But not only cold indifference causes these words in him. Although he says that “sad is funny, funny is sad, but, in general, in truth, we are rather indifferent to everything, except ourselves” - this is only a phrase: Pechorin is not indifferent to people, he is takes revenge, evil and merciless.
He admits to himself both "minor weaknesses and bad passions." He is ready to explain his power over women by the fact that "evil is attractive." He himself finds in his soul a "nasty but invincible feeling" - and he explains this feeling to us in the words:
“There is immense pleasure in the possession of a young, barely blossoming soul! It is like a flower, whose best fragrance evaporates towards the first ray of the sun, it must be picked at this moment and, having breathed its fill, thrown along the road: maybe someone will pick it up! "
He himself realizes in himself the presence of almost all the "seven deadly sins": he has an "insatiable greed" that absorbs everything, which looks at the suffering and joys of others only as food that supports mental strength. He has a frenzied ambition, a lust for power. "Happiness" - he sees in "rich pride." “Evil breeds evil: the first suffering gives the concept of the pleasure of torturing another,” says Princess Mary and, half in jest, half seriously, tells him that he is “worse than a murderer”. He himself admits that “there are minutes” when he understands “Vampire.” All this testifies that Pechorin does not have complete “indifference” to people. Like the "Demon", he has a large reserve of anger - and he can do this evil either "indifferently", then with passion (the Demon's feelings at the sight of an angel).
“I love enemies,” says Pechorin, “although not in a Christian way. They amuse me, excite my blood. To be always on guard, to catch every look, the meaning of every word, guess the intention, destroy conspiracies, pretend to be deceived and suddenly, with one push, overturn the entire huge and difficult building of tricks and plans - that's what I call life».
Of course, this is again a "phrase": not all of Pechorin's life was spent on such a struggle with vulgar people, there is a better world in him, which often makes him condemn himself. At times he is “sad”, realizing that he is playing “the pitiful role of an executioner or a traitor”. He despises himself, ”he is burdened by the emptiness of his soul.
“Why did I live? for what purpose was I born? .. And, it is true, it existed and, it is true, there was a high purpose for me, because I feel immense strength in my soul. But I did not guess this appointment — I was carried away by the lures of passions, empty and ungrateful; from their furnace I came out hard and cold as iron, but I have lost forever the ardor of noble aspirations - the best color of life. And since then, how many times have I played the role of an ax in the hands of fate. As an instrument of execution, I fell on the heads of doomed victims, often without malice, always without regret. My love did not bring happiness to anyone, because I did not sacrifice anything for those whom I loved; I loved for myself, for my own pleasure; I satisfied a strange need of my heart, greedily absorbing their feelings, their tenderness, their joys and sufferings - and I could never get enough. " The result is "doubled hunger and despair."
“I am like a sailor,” he says, born and raised on the deck of a robber brig: his soul has gotten used to storms and battles, and, thrown ashore, he is bored and languishing, no matter how the shady grove beckons him, no matter how the peaceful sun shines on him ; he walks for himself all day on the coastal sand, listens to the monotonous murmur of the oncoming waves and peers into the misty distance: if there, on the pale line separating the blue abyss from the gray clouds, the desired sail will not flicker. " (Compare Lermontov's poem “ Sail»).
He is burdened by life, is ready to die and is not afraid of death, and if he does not agree to commit suicide, then only because he still “lives out of curiosity”, in search of a soul that would understand him: “Maybe I’ll die tomorrow! And not a single creature will remain on earth who would understand me completely! "
"A Hero of Our Time" is the most famous prose work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. In many ways, it owes its popularity to the originality of the composition and plot and the contradictory nature of the image of the protagonist. We will try to figure out what is so unique about Pechorin's characteristic.
History of creation
The novel was not the first prose work of the writer. Back in 1836, Lermontov began a novel about the life of St. Petersburg high society - "Princess Ligovskaya", where the image of Pechorin first appeared. But due to the poet's exile, the work was not completed. Already in the Caucasus, Lermontov again took up prose, leaving the former hero, but changing the place of action of the novel and the name. This work was named "A Hero of Our Time".
The publication of the novel begins in 1839 in separate chapters. Bela, Fatalist, Taman were the first to appear in print. The work has received many negative reviews from critics. They were primarily associated with the image of Pechorin, which was perceived as slander "against a whole generation." In response, Lermontov puts forward his own characteristic of Pechorin, in which he calls the hero a collection of all the vices of the modern author of society.
Genre originality
The genre of the work is a novel that reveals the psychological, philosophical and social problems of the Nikolaev times. This period, which began immediately after the defeat of the Decembrists, is characterized by the absence of significant social or philosophical ideas that could inspire and unite the advanced society of Russia. Hence the feeling of uselessness and inability to find their place in life, from which the younger generation suffered.
The social side of the novel already sounds in the title, which is saturated with Lermontov's irony. Pechorin, despite his originality, does not correspond to the role of a hero, it is not for nothing that he is often called an antihero in criticism.
The psychological component of the novel is in the enormous attention that the author pays to the inner experiences of the character. With the help of various artistic techniques, the author's characteristic of Pechorin turns into a complex psychological portrait, which reflects all the ambiguity of the character's personality.
And the philosophical in the novel is represented by a number of eternal human questions: why does a person exist, what he is, what is the meaning of his life, etc.
What is a romantic hero?
Romanticism as a literary movement emerged in the 18th century. His hero is, first of all, an extraordinary and unique personality who is always opposed to society. A romantic character is always alone and cannot be understood by others. He has no place in the ordinary world. Romanticism is active, it strives for accomplishment, adventure and unusual scenery. That is why the characteristic of Pechorin is replete with description unusual stories and no less unusual actions of the hero.
Portrait of Pechorin
Initially, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is an attempt to typify the young people of Lermontov's generation. How did this character turn out?
A brief description of Pechorin begins with a description of his social position. So, this is an officer who was demoted and exiled to the Caucasus because of some unpleasant story. He is from an aristocratic family, educated, cold and calculating, ironic, endowed with an extraordinary mind, prone to philosophical reasoning. But where to apply his abilities, he does not know and often exchanges on trifles. Pechorin is indifferent to those around him and to himself, even if something captures him, then he quickly cools down, as it was with Bela.
But the fault is that such an extraordinary person cannot find a place for himself in the world, lies not with Pechorin, but with the whole society, since he is a typical “hero of his time”. The social environment gave birth to people like him.
Quotation characteristics of Pechorin
Two characters speak out about Pechorin in the novel: Maxim Maksimovich and the author himself. Also here you can mention the hero himself, who writes about his thoughts and experiences in a diary.
Maxim Maksimych, simple-minded and good person, describes Pechorin as follows: "Nice guy ... just a little strange." All Pechorin is in this strangeness. He does illogical things: he hunts in bad weather and sits at home on clear days; goes to the wild boar alone, not valuing his life; can be silent and gloomy, or can become the soul of the company and tell funny and very interesting stories... Maxim Maksimovich compares his behavior with the behavior of a spoiled child who is used to always getting what he wants. This characteristic reflected mental rushes, experiences, inability to cope with their feelings and emotions.
Author's quotation characteristic Pechorina is very critical and even ironic: “When he sank onto the bench, his camp bent ... the position of his whole body depicted some kind of nervous weakness: he sat like a thirty-year-old coquette of Balzakov sits on her downy armchairs ... In his smile there was something childish ... "Lermontov does not in the least idealize his hero, seeing his shortcomings and vices.
Attitude to love
Belu, Princess Mary, Vera, "undine" made Pechorin his beloved. The characterization of the hero would be incomplete without a description of his love stories.
Seeing Bela, Pechorin believes that he has finally fallen in love, and this is what will help to brighten up his loneliness and relieve him of suffering. However, time passes, and the hero realizes that he was mistaken - the girl entertained him only for a short time. In Pechorin's indifference to the princess, all the egoism of this hero, his inability to think about others and to sacrifice something for them, manifested itself.
The next victim of the character's restless soul is Princess Mary. This proud girl decides to step over social inequality and is the first to confess her love. However, Pechorin is frightened family life that will bring peace. The hero does not need this, he longs for new experiences.
A brief description of Pechorin in connection with his attitude to love can be reduced to the fact that the hero appears as a cruel person, incapable of constant and deep feelings. He causes only pain and suffering for both girls and himself.
Duel of Pechorin and Grushnitsky
The main character appears as a contradictory, ambiguous and unpredictable person. The characteristic of Pechorin and Grushnitsky indicates another striking feature of the character - the desire to have fun, to play with the fate of other people.
The duel in the novel was Pechorin's attempt not only to laugh at Grushnitsky, but also to conduct a kind of psychological experiment. The main character gives his opponent the opportunity to do the right thing, to show his best qualities.
The comparative characteristics of Pechorin and Grushnitsky in this scene are not on the side of the latter. Since it was his meanness and the desire to humiliate the main character that led to the tragedy. Pechorin, knowing about the conspiracy, tries to give Grushnitsky the opportunity to justify himself and retreat from his plan.
What is the tragedy of Lermontov's hero
Historical reality dooms to collapse all Pechorin's attempts to find at least some useful use for himself. Even in love, he could not find a place for himself. This hero is completely alone, it is difficult for him to get close to people, to open up to them, to let them into his life. Sucking melancholy, loneliness and the desire to find a place in the world - these are the characteristics of Pechorin. "A Hero of Our Time" became a novel-personification the greatest tragedy a person - the inability to find oneself.
Pechorin is endowed with nobility and honor, which manifested itself in a duel with Grushnitsky, but at the same time selfishness and indifference dominate in him. Throughout the entire story, the hero remains static - he does not evolve, nothing can change him. Lermontov seems to be trying to show that Pechorin is practically half-corpses. His fate is a foregone conclusion, he is no longer alive, although he is not yet completely dead. That's why the main character does not care about his safety, he fearlessly rushes forward because he has nothing to lose.
Pechorin's tragedy is not only in the social situation, which did not allow him to find use for himself, but also in the inability to simply live. Introspection and constant attempts to comprehend what is happening around have led to throwing, constant doubts and uncertainty.
Output
An interesting, ambiguous and very contradictory characterization of Pechorin. "A Hero of Our Time" became Lermontov's iconic work precisely because of such a complex hero. Having absorbed the features of romanticism, social changes of the Nikolaev period and philosophical problems, Pechorin's personality turned out to be timeless. His throwing and problems are close to today's youth.
Why Pechorin is a "hero of our time"
The novel "A Hero of Our Time" was written by Mikhail Lermontov in the 1830s. This was the time of the Nikolaev reaction, which came after the dispersal of the Decembrist uprising in 1825. Many young, educated people did not see a goal in life at that time, did not know what to use their strength for, how to serve for the good of people and the Fatherland. Therefore, such restless characters arose as Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin. The characteristic of Pechorin in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" is, in fact, a characteristic of the entire generation of the author today. Boredom is his feature... “The Hero of Our Time, my dear sirs, is, for sure, a portrait, but not of one person: this is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation, in their full development,” Mikhail Lermontov writes in the preface. "Are the young people there really like that?" - asks one of the characters in the novel Maxim Maksimych, who knew Pechorin closely. And the author, acting in the role of a traveler, replies to him that "there are many people who say the same thing" and that "nowadays those who ... are bored try to hide this misfortune as a vice."
We can say that all of Pechorin's actions are motivated by boredom. We begin to be convinced of this practically from the first lines of the novel. It should be noted that compositionally, it is built in such a way that the reader can see as best as possible all the character traits of the hero, from different angles. The chronology of events here fades into the background, or rather, it is not here at all. Pieces have been snatched from Pechorin's life, which are interconnected only by the logic of his image.
Pechorin's characteristic
Deeds
For the first time we learn about this man from Maxim Maksimych, who served with him in the Caucasian fortress. He tells the story of Bela. Pechorin, for the sake of entertainment, persuaded her brother to steal the girl - a beautiful young Circassian woman. While Bela is cold with him, he is interested in her. But as soon as he achieves her love, he immediately grows cold. Pechorin does not care that because of his whim, destinies are tragically destroyed. Bela's father is killed, and then herself. Somewhere deep in his soul, he is sorry for this girl, any memory of her causes bitterness in him, but he does not repent of his deed. Even before her death, he confesses to his friend: "If you want, I still love her, I am grateful to her for a few rather sweet minutes, I will give my life for her, - only I am bored with her ...". The love of the savage turned out to be little for him better than love noble lady. This psychological experiment, like all the previous ones, did not bring him happiness and satisfaction with life, but left one disappointment.
In the same way, for the sake of idle interest, he intervened in the life of "honest smugglers" (chapter "Taman"), as a result of which the unfortunate old woman and the blind boy were left without a livelihood.
Another fun for him was Princess Mary, with whose feelings he shamelessly played, giving her hope, and then admitting that he did not love her (chapter "Princess Mary").
We learn about the last two cases from Pechorin himself, from a magazine that he kept at one time with great enthusiasm, wanting to understand himself and ... kill boredom. Then he lost interest in this occupation. And his notes - a suitcase of notebooks - remained with Maxim Maksimych. It was in vain that he drove them with him, wanting to hand them over to the owner on occasion. When such an opportunity presented itself, Pechorin did not need them. Consequently, he did not keep his diary for the sake of fame, not for the sake of publication. This is the special value of his notes. The hero describes himself without worrying about how he will look in the eyes of others. He does not need to be honest, he is sincere with himself - and thanks to this we can learn about true reasons his actions, understand him.
Appearance
A traveling author turned out to be a witness to the meeting between Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin. And from him we learn how Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin looked. In all his appearance, an inconsistency was felt. At first glance, he was no more than 23 years old, but the next minute it seemed that he was 30. His gait was careless and lazy, but at the same time he did not wave his arms, which usually testifies to the secrecy of character. When he sat down on the bench, his straight stance bent, limp, as if not a single bone was left in his body. On the forehead of this young man traces of wrinkles were visible. But the author was especially struck by his eyes: they did not laugh when he laughed.
Traits
The external characteristics of Pechorin in "A Hero of Our Time" reflects his internal state... “I have long been living not with my heart, but with my head,” he says about himself. Indeed, all his actions are characterized by cold rationality, but feelings no-no and break through. He fearlessly walks alone on the wild boar, but flinches from the knock of shutters, he can spend the whole day hunting on a rainy day and is panicky afraid of a draft.
Pechorin forbade himself to feel, because his real impulses of the soul did not find a response in those around him: “Everyone read on my face signs of bad feelings, which were not there; but they were supposed - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of cunning: I became secretive. I deeply felt good and evil; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was gloomy - other children are cheerful and talkative; I felt superior to them - they put me lower. I became envious. I was ready to love the whole world - no one understood me: and I learned to hate. "
He rushes about, not finding his vocation, purpose in life. “It’s true, my assignment was high, because I feel immense strength in myself.” Secular entertainment, novels are a passed stage. They brought him nothing but inner emptiness. In the study of the sciences, which he engaged in in the desire to be useful, he also did not find any sense, because he realized that the guarantee of good luck is in dexterity, and not in knowledge. Boredom overcame Pechorin, and he hoped that at least the Chechen bullets whistling over his head would save him from her. But in the Caucasian war he was again disappointed: "A month later I got so used to their buzzing and to the proximity of death that, really, I paid more attention to mosquitoes - and I became more bored than before." What was he to direct his unspent energy to? The consequence of his lack of demand was, on the one hand, unjustified and illogical actions, and on the other - painful vulnerability, deep inner sadness.
Attitude to love
The fact that Pechorin did not lose the ability to feel is also evidenced by his love for Vera. This is the only woman who understood him completely and accepted him as he is. He does not need to embellish himself in front of her, or, conversely, to seem unapproachable. He fulfills all the conditions, just to be able to see her, and when she leaves, he drives the horse to death in an effort to catch up with his beloved.
In a completely different way, he treats other women on his way. There is no place for emotions anymore - one calculation. For him, they are just a way to dispel boredom, at the same time showing their selfish power over them. He studies their behavior, like those of guinea pigs, coming up with new twists and turns in the game. But this does not save him either - often he knows in advance how his victim will behave, and he becomes even more melancholy.
Attitude towards death
Another important point in the character of Pechorin in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" is his attitude to death. It is fully demonstrated in the chapter "The Fatalist". Although Pechorin recognizes the predetermination of fate, he believes that this should not deprive a person of will. We must boldly go forward, "after all, nothing worse than death will happen - and you cannot avoid death." It is then that we see what noble actions Pechorin is capable of, if his energy is directed in the right direction. He bravely throws himself out the window in an effort to neutralize the Cossack assassin. His innate desire to act, to help people finally finds at least some application.
My attitude to Pechorin
How does this person deserve to be treated? Condemnation or sympathy? The author called his novel so with some irony. "A Hero of Our Time" is certainly not a role model. But he is a typical representative of his generation, forced to waste its best years aimlessly. “I am a fool or a villain, I don’t know; but it is true that I am also very deserving of regret, "Pechorin says about himself and gives the reason:" My soul is corrupted by the light. " He sees the last consolation for himself in travels and hopes: "Maybe I'll die somewhere along the way." You can treat him in different ways. One thing is certain: he is an unhappy person who never found his place in life. If the society of his day had been arranged differently, he would have shown himself in a completely different way.
Product test
The novel "A Hero of Our Time", written in 1840, is considered worthy literary work... Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov, the author of the novel, wanted to convey to us the atmosphere of that contradictory time of contrasts. The creator of the work reflected most of the shortcomings and vices of those times, simultaneously with the merits and strength of one person.
External description G.A. Pechorin in the chapter "Bela"
In the entire first chapter, the description and demeanor of Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin are conveyed from the words of the elderly staff captain Maksim Maksimych. According to his recollections, Pechorin was a slender young man. The ambition and pedantry of the protagonist was clearly visible. Confirmation of this will be the following lines: "He came to me in full uniform ... He was so thin, white, he was wearing such a new uniform." At the same time, the young age of the hero of the novel is emphasized.
Features of the character of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin in the chapter "Bel"
In this chapter, there is no reflection on the topic of condemning the selfishness of the protagonist. Maxim Maksimych is a straightforward and kind person. He did not understand the inner world of Grigory Alexandrovich. His old friend is vividly remembered in the memory of Maxim Maksimych. The many versatile character traits of Pechorin surprised the elderly staff captain. He recalls him as a man of extraordinary abilities and the owner of an unprecedented selfishness and coldness to other people's feelings. Maxim Maksimych was struck by the strength and fearlessness of Pechorin in front of a wild boar. At the same time, an unexpected draft and the opening shutters could frighten the protagonist to the point of shaking. For the most part, Pechorin spoke little, but he used to be in such a mood that one could laugh for hours at his stories. Pechorin had a too attentive attitude to his melancholy, which often overtook him when achieving certain goals.
Grigory Alexandrovich was smart, he studied a lot. At his young age, he had extensive experience of communication and relationships with young ladies of a high circle. Pechorin skillfully knew how to probe the inner world of any person and took advantage of people's weaknesses in the name of his game of insatiable thirst for emotions.
Pechorin's attitude to Bela
Bela was the daughter of a local prince in the Caucasus. But for Pechorin, she was a young Circassian and wild. He looked with insatiable lust at the black-eyed beauty. Her fortitude became the reason for a bright flash of passion in Grigory Alexandrovich. According to Maksim Maksimych, the girl was a worthy representative of the weaker sex and fell in love with him as his own daughter. The elderly man immediately felt that Pechorin wanted to take advantage of the young beauty. His intuition did not disappoint. However, Pechorin was able to defend his position and refused requests to return Bela back to her father.
At first, Grigory Alexandrovich was the most affectionate and generous husband for a southern girl. He obeyed her refusals. Over time, he managed to melt Bela's heart. He did it purposefully, he knew that he would get the desired result. Pechorin can be characterized as a cold-blooded manipulator. As Maxim Maksimych had foreseen, over time the hero of the novel lost interest in the unfortunate girl who loved him with all her heart. He stopped pampering her and spending time with her. The girl was homesick. But, according to a friend of Pechorin, this did not bother her lover. He just left for a long time. A person who is inconsistent in his choice is Gregory. He let his boredom rule the lives of others.
At the end of the chapter, Bela was killed. The staff captain described Pechorin's state of being too calm and indifferent to the grief that had happened. Not a tear flashed down the cheeks of this strange man.
Pechorin Grigory Alexandrovich was a very cruel man, he loved when he was breathtaking, but like a match, he burned out, satiated with another victory. It cannot be said that he was happy, because he himself was not happy with his inconstancy.