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 detail
To convey the appearance of the protagonist, 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 sturdily built. His fine broad shoulders were very favorably accentuated by a thin and raised waist. An athletic figure. For the most part, lonely people are very scrupulous about their appearance. According to his physical data, it is noticeable that Pechorin is adapted to changing time zones and climate. The writer was surprised by his thin and pale hands. Their owner had the thin fingers of an aristocrat. Gloves of quality work, perfectly tailored to the hand, adorned them. His back curved like a snake body when he sat alone. A smile with white teeth. Velvet fair skin. Wavy, curly blond hair lent childlike spontaneity. In contrast, there were traces of wrinkles on the forehead. All the lightness of his image is favorably emphasized by the brown eyes and the black color of his eyebrows and mustache. He had a slightly upturned nose and an unusually piercing piercing gaze. His eyes were frozen even when he laughed. As the author, who described it from the side, noticed, Pechorin's eyes shone with a phosphoric sheen, dazzling, but icy.
Pechorin tried to emphasize his superiority in everything. Dressed in the Petersburg style - a velvet frock coat, casually buttoned up with the last two buttons. Rarely in the Caucasus you will meet a person in absolutely snow-white underwear that shows through. The ladies paid attention to him. His gait responded with independence, self-confidence and uniqueness.
The image of Pechorin at the second meeting with Maxim Maksimych
The protagonist of the novel does not see the expediency of friendship. Few who wanted to be friends with him were struck by the indifference and lack of friendly feelings. After five years of parting with his friend Maksim Maksimych, Pechorin was careless about his meeting with the elderly staff captain. In vain Maxim Maksimych clung to his old friend, whom Pechorin believed. 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 so laconically, so dryly, without even speaking for ten minutes. He was very bitter that an important person for him did not have the value of their long-standing friendship.
Characteristics of Pechorin through his relationship with women
Petersburger - G.A. Pechorin has a great understanding of female nature. Perfectly, exactly according to the instructions, Bela falls in love with herself. Then it cools down to her. After that, 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 guilty of the death of a Circassian woman.
Miss Mary. Pechorin falls in love with the Moscow daughter of the princess. Did he want mutual love, not at all. His pride wanted to amuse himself at the expense of Grushnitsky. Pechorin needs other people's suffering, he feeds on them. At the end of his diary, he compares a woman to a blossoming flower. And tears it up to drink all the strength and juices and throw it on the road for someone to pick it up. A ruthless executioner of female souls, who does not think about the consequences of his actions and games.
Faith, which he loved so much and so deeply, became once again a plaything 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, like a small child, cries over the loss of the only woman who somehow worried his cold heart.
Pechorin, through each hero with whom the events took place, is revealed from different sides. They are like a mirror image 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 the help of it, the author displays the post-Decembrist reality of that time, with all its vices and shortcomings.
). 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 the “history of the soul” of “a modern man as he understands him and, to him and the misfortune of others, he 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 rancorous; 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 - nobody 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 imposed 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 mistrust 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 pleasures of the world and the love of numerous admirers. He was also engaged in books, looking for strong impressions in the war - but admitted that all this is nonsense - and “under the Chechen bullets” it is as boring as reading books. He thought to fill his life with love for Bela, but how Aleko made a mistake in Zemfira , - and 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 extraordinary 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 ... the night sky - it's not for nothing that only free nature is dear to him here on earth ...
"Thin, white," but well 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 accustomed himself not to respect others, not to reckon with someone else's world, he sacrifices the whole world selfishness. When Maksim Maksimych tries to hurt 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, for the sake of 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 does it matter to me to 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 “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 "saturated 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" or 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. Sometimes 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 much 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 with 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 by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. In many respects, 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 be published. 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 characterization of Pechorin is replete with descriptions of 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, inclined 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, he quickly cools down, as it was with Bela.
But the fault 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.
Maksim Maksimych, a simple-minded and kind 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 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 throwings, experiences, inability to cope with their feelings and emotions.
The author's quotation characteristic of Pechorin is very critical and even ironic: “When he sank down on 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 ... There was something childish in his smile ... ”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 afraid of family life, which 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 to 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 lonely, 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, the embodiment of the greatest human tragedy - 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 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 predetermined, he is no longer alive, although he is not yet completely dead. That is 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 era and philosophical problems, Pechorin's personality turned out to be out of time. His throwings 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 where to apply their strength, how to serve for the good of people and the Fatherland. That is why 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 characteristic. “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 a savage turned out to be little better for him than the love of a 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 bend his soul, he is sincere with himself - and thanks to this we can learn about the true reasons for his actions, understand him.
Appearance
A traveling author turned out to be a witness of 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. The young man's forehead showed traces of wrinkles. 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 the 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 rancorous; 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 is true that my assignment was high, because I feel immense strength within me." Secular entertainment, novels - 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 he meets on his way. There is no longer a place for emotions - 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 the 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: this 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
Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin, the protagonist of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time, is an ambiguous and very interesting figure for analysis. A person who destroys other people's destinies, but who enjoys respect and love, cannot fail to interest. The hero cannot be called unambiguously positive or negative; it seems that he is literally woven from contradictions.
Grigory Pechorin, a young man in his twenties, immediately attracts attention with his appearance - neat, handsome, fit, he makes a very favorable impression on the people around him and almost immediately causes deep trust. Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin was also famous for his developed physical data and could easily spend almost a whole day hunting and practically not get tired, but he often preferred to do it alone, not being dependent on the need to be in human society.
If we talk about the moral qualities of Pechorin and directly about his character, then you can see how amazingly both white and black are combined in one person. On the one hand, he is undoubtedly a deep and wise person, rational and judicious. But on the other hand, he does absolutely nothing to develop these strengths - Grigory Pechorin is biased towards education, believing that it is essentially meaningless. Among other things, Grigory Alexandrovich is a brave and independent person, capable of making difficult decisions and defending his opinion, but these positive aspects of his personality also have a downside - selfishness and a tendency to self-admiration. It seems that Pechorin is not capable of disinterested love, self-sacrifice, he simply seeks to get from life what he wants at the moment, without thinking about the consequences.
However, Grigory Pechorin is not alone in the specifics of his image. No wonder they say that his image can be called cumulative, reflecting a whole generation of people with broken lives. Forced to adapt to conventions and obey the whims of other people, their personalities seemed to be divided into two parts - natural, given by nature, and artificial, the one created by social foundations. Perhaps this is the reason for the internal contradiction of Grigory Alexandrovich.
I believe that in the work "A Hero of Our Time" Lermontov tried to show his readers how scary it is to become a morally crippled person. In fact, in Pechorin, in a mild form, you can observe what now we would call a split personality, and this is, of course, a serious personality disorder that cannot be dealt with on our own. Therefore, the life of Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is similar to the life of a certain creature that rushes about in search of a home or refuge, but cannot find it in any way, just as Pechorin cannot find harmony in his own soul. This is the trouble with the protagonist of the work. This is the trouble of an entire generation, and if you think about it, not just one.
Option 2
The protagonist of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" M.Yu. Lermontov - Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin. According to the author himself, Pechorin is a collective image of a representative of the generation of the 30s of the 19th century.
Pechorin is an officer. He is a gifted person, trying to act in order to find a sphere of application for his talents, but he does not succeed. Pechorin constantly asks himself the question of why he lived, for what purpose he was born.
An important role is played by the portrait of Pechorin, written by the author himself. How sharp is the contrast between the appearance of the protagonist and his eyes (and in fact the eyes are the mirror of the soul)! If the whole appearance of Pechorin still retains a childish freshness, then the eyes betray an experienced, sober, but ... unhappy person. They do not laugh when their owner laughs; Isn't this a sign of the inner tragedy of loneliness? ..
The soulless attitude of Pechorin to Maxim Maksimych, who became attached to him with all his soul, once again convinces us of the inability of the protagonist to experience real human feelings.
Pechorin's diary is not just a statement of daily events, but a deep psychological analysis. Reading these records, oddly enough, we think that Pechorin has the right to be indifferent to others, because he is indifferent ... to himself. Indeed, our hero is characterized by a strange split personality: one lives a normal life, the other judges this first and everyone around him.
Perhaps, the image of the protagonist is revealed more fully in the story "Princess Mary". It is here that Pechorin expresses his views on love, friendship, the meaning of life; here he explains each of his actions, and not biasedly, but objectively. “My soul is tainted by the light,” says Pechorin. This is the explanation of the character of the "hero of our time" as a "superfluous person". Doctor Werner Pechorin is not a friend, but a friend - because they have a lot in common; both are burdened by light, both have non-standard outlooks on life. But Grushnitsky cannot even be our hero's friend - he is very ordinary. The duel of the heroes is also inevitable - the legitimate ending of the clash of philistine romanticism in the person of Grushnitsky and the outstanding character of Pechorin. Pechorin declares that he “despises women in order not to love them,” but this is a lie. They play a big role in his life, take at least the fact that he sobbed from powerlessness and inability to help Vera (after writing to her), or his confession to Princess Mary: he let her into his soul so deeply as he did not let anyone in , explaining the reason and essence of their actions. But it was a trick: he aroused compassion in the girl's soul, and through this - and love. What for?! Boredom! He didn't love her. Pechorin brings misfortune to everyone: Bela dies, Grushnitsky is killed, Mary and Vera suffer, smugglers leave their house. But at the same time he himself suffers.
Pechorin is a strong, bright and at the same time tragic personality. The author is fully convinced that such a person is too extraordinary to live in a common "grave". Therefore, Lermontov had no choice but to "kill" Pechorin.
Composition 3
Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov is a blinding star in the horizon of Russian literature. His works raise the problems of the meaning of life, loneliness and love. The novel "A Hero of Our Time" is no exception, the main character of which, Pechorin, reflects the author's philosophical thoughts about life with amazing accuracy. But what is it that sinks into the soul of the reader after reading the novel? I will answer this question in my essay.
Pechorin is a character in which all the vices of society of the Nikolaev era are collected. He is ruthless, indifferent, vicious and sarcastic. But why does the reader have warm sympathy for Grigory Alexandrovich? Everything, if not strange, is simple. Each of us sees in Pechorin a part of himself, which is why the clearly negative character is seen by the readers to some extent even as a hero. From an objective point of view, his decisions are so absurd that they are approved by the reading public, at least his attitude towards Vera.
Loving her and having the opportunity to be with her, Pechorin loses the only thing to which he was not indifferent. Why? This question can be answered in two ways: the motive of eternal loneliness and spiritual emptiness - these are the main motives of Lermontov's work, but look into the very depths of the work? Pechorin cannot be with Vera for the reason that he is a real egoist. It is an egoist, and with his egoist and cold attitude towards her, he gives her pain, and his decision not to be with her is a noble deed, because he could always call her, and he would come - so Vera herself said.
But at the same time, Pechorin loves faith. How can this happen? This is a clear contradiction. But the book reflects life, and life is full of ambiguity and contradictions, both internal and external, and since Lermontov was able to reflect this lousy, but at the same time wonderful essence of the world, then he is rightfully considered a classic!
Each page of the novel shocked me, an unimaginably deep knowledge of the human soul is imprinted on each page of the work, and the closer to the end of the book, the more you can admire the image that Lermontov created.
Composition Image of Pechorin
Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov is the brightest star of Russian poetry of the 19th century, his works are filled with such motives as loneliness, fate and unrequited love. Lermontov's works reflected the spirit of the times very well. One of these is the novel "A Hero of Our Time", the key character of which is a collection of the main, prominent people of the Nikolaev era.
Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a young officer wandering around the Russian Empire on duty. For the first time, he appears to the reader as the hero of the story of Maxim Maksimovich, and then from his own notes about the path of life. Lermontov endowed Pechorin with an irresistibly strong indifference to life and coldness to everything that was happening around. One of his core beliefs in life is fatalism. This is especially well manifested in Pechorin's decision to go to war in Persia and in agreement to go to a deliberately dishonest duel with Grushnitsky.
A disregard for his own fate is one of Pechorin's brightest flaws. The feeling of love is also inaccessible to Pechorin: he not only cannot love someone with strong human love, but also have a long-term interest in something. Experiencing definitely positive feelings for Vera, Pechorin cannot afford to stay with her for a long time, although it seems to the reader that Grigory Alexandrovich wants to be with Vera. But why is this happening? The thing is that Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is an undisguised personification of loneliness, it is not fate that makes him lonely, but with his conscious decisions he prefers to be alone.
The closeness of his own soul from the outside world is the very part of himself that Lermontov laid in his main character. Such a conclusion can be made by reading such poems of Lermontov as "I go out on the road alone", "Sail", "I look at the future with fear", "And it is boring and sad."
But who is Pechorin? Why is the novel called "A Hero of Our Time"? Lermontov, seeing the frank, undisguised vices of society, mercilessly lays them in Pechorin. It was in the era of spiritual extinction, the prosperity of egoism and the Nikolaev tyranny that the novel was born. That is why many critics praised Pechorin, they saw in him not only society, but also themselves. Also, every ordinary person of our society sees himself in Pechorin, which indicates that with the growth of technology, changes in the structure of society, human relations and the person himself do not change.
Option 5
In the novel by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time", one of the main characters is Pechorin Grigory Alexandrovich. Studying the text, we learn that he came from St. Petersburg. All that is known about his appearance is that he has brown eyes, blond hair, and a dark mustache and eyebrows. A man of medium height, broad-shouldered. He is attractive, women like him. Pechorin knows them especially well, which, perhaps, is already bored. Lermontov allows his hero to get to know Bela and Princess Mary. His fate turns out to be rather difficult. In his magazine, the character describes the events and feelings at the time of his stay in the Caucasus.
Grigory Alexandrovich has both positive and negative qualities. We see that he is educated, but does not really like to read books.
In the chapter "Princess Mary" he meets his old beloved. He succumbs to feelings, and also, for fun, falls in love with Princess Ligovskaya. At first he wanted to do it only because of his pride, and also, it would have caused the jealousy of his "friend". He hurt the innocent Mary. The punishment for this act was Vera's county from Pyatigorsk. Pechorin could no longer catch up with her. On the other hand, in a duel, he gave Grushnitsky a chance to give up his words. We see that the hero is aware of the consequences.
After all the events with the Ligovsky and Grushnitsky in the chapter of "Bel", Grigory exchanges the princess for a horse. For him, she is like a thing. Not only does he destroy the family, he also values her life as a horse. Human life is priceless, and he takes such a step. The hero loved her, although, perhaps, it was only love, and soon it bored him. He realizes that nothing can be fixed and more and more often leaves her alone. The result was Bela's tragic death. Fortunately, he gave the last glass of water to the dying heroine. This situation shocked him greatly.
Grigory Alexandrovich suffered from the fact that he brought misfortune to the people around him. He was looking for his joy, but he could not find it in any way. On the one hand, we scold him for everything that happened, but on the other, he himself understands this and suffers. On his example, you can see a person who could not achieve his happiness. He was confused, tormented himself with thoughts. In some situations, his character is weak, in others - strong. However, Gregory tried in any way to achieve his inner satisfaction. It’s a pity that innocent girls have suffered because of this. The reader can only understand him and, possibly, forgive.
Sample 6
The publication of the work "A Hero of Our Time" received different opinions among the reading public.
The image of Pechorin was unusual for them. The author set for himself the main goal - to reveal this image. And although the stories are not arranged in a certain order in the novel, they accurately and vividly show all sorts of features of Pechorin's character. So, in "Maxim Maksimych" Pechorin is shown in its original position, he has tried everything and exhausted it. In "Bela" all the negative character traits of our hero are revealed. Placing the character in different conditions, Lermontov wants to reveal to us Pechorin's alienation. The young man, a renegade of society, did not obey the moral foundations of the circle from which he came. He craves adventure and danger, as he is full of extraordinary energy.
And yet our hero is a richly gifted nature. Evaluating sensibly his own actions and the actions of others, he has the mind of an analyst. His diary is self-disclosure. Pechorin has a warm heart, which is able to love ardently, hiding his truth under the guise of indifference. This is especially evident in the episodes of Bela's death and meeting with Vera. Our character is still a strong-willed and active person, and he is capable of action. But all his actions are destructive. In all short stories, Pechorin is the destroyer of destinies. He is guilty of the incidents that happened with many people who met on his way. But you cannot blame Pechorin for becoming such an immoral person. The people around him and the world where it was impossible to adequately apply the best qualities are to blame here.
So, he learned to deceive, began to hide everything, and he buried his feelings long ago in his heart.
It seems to me that if Pechorin was born in a completely different time, he could use his capabilities for the benefit of himself and the people around him. That is why this hero occupies the main place among the literary characters of "superfluous people". Indeed, in order for these people not to lose themselves in this world, we must try to understand and help them.
For grade 9
Several interesting compositions
- Composition based on the painting First viewers of Syromyatnikova for grade 6 (description)
Painting by E.V. Syromyatnikova "First Spectators" is flooded with sunlight. There are elements of several genres at once: a portrait of two curious boys, a wonderful landscape outside the window, an everyday genre - the decor of a room. They all are in harmony with each other.
Every person in our world, even remotely, is familiar with the unhappy and eternal love story of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare so accurately had to convey the state of the heroes and describe situations
