Pechorin's image brief summary. The character of Grigory Pechorin in the novel “Hero of Our Time”: positive and negative traits, pros and cons

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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 demands to give for these problematic issues clear answers, 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. Characteristics of Pechorin - central figure novel by Mikhail Lermontov - allows you 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 it 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. In society it was difficult to find representatives 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 needs to 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 lacks such scale destructive force, difficulties and inability to realize oneself cause in him 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 unique image endowed with the desire to actively search for one's purpose, 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 extra person. 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. Circumstances make Pechorin a “superfluous man.” 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 images Pushkinsky Evgeniy 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 people's affairs, but refrains from doing so. Pechorin, having a desire to reform society, finds himself deprived of such an opportunity. Grigory Alexandrovich wastes the wealth of spiritual powers 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 different characters 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 about his height and build: average height, strong athletic build. He was a man with pleasant features. As the author notes, he had “ unique face", the kind that women absolutely love. Blonde, naturally curly hair, a “slightly upturned” nose, snow-white teeth and a sweet, childish smile - all this complements his appearance favorably.

His brown eyes seemed to live 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 noble family, who received a decent upbringing and education (knows French, 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 impulses of creation are alien to him own family, and as soon as it comes to hints about the wedding, his ardor for the girl instantly disappears.

Pechorin is not assiduous - science and reading push him even more than secular society, blues. 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 did not bring the desired result, Pechorin decides to start 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 due to habit, mental or psychological development– here the point is precisely in the ability to express one’s emotions, to 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 reason for the destruction of the life paths of many people. By his mercy, the blind boy and the old woman are left to their 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 Alexandrovich destroys with his recklessness both his fate and the fates of the people around him. He is a destructive force that 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 his heart, but by the orders of his 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

The life and work of M. Yu. Lermontov fell on the reactionary period that began in Russia after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising. He creates a novel in which the main character tries to find himself. The novel “A Hero of Our Time” became the first psychological work in our literature, where the plot develops not chronologically, but in accordance with the transformation of the character of the main participant in the events - Grigory Pechorin.

The image of Pechorin in the novel

The book consists of five chapters that characterize new period Pechorin's life, his changes. This hero is often compared to Pushkin's Onegin - both of them hate the empty existence of high society. However, Pechorin does not submit to the conditions of society, like Onegin, he strives to end his dull vegetation, rushes about in search of something new, unbeaten, and constantly challenges fate.

How Pechorin lived before the Caucasus, why he ended up there, we do not know - Lermontov does not mention this. But historical facts indicate that at that time there was a war in the Caucasus with the mountaineers, and unwanted individuals were often exiled there. Perhaps the hero, having given up everything and taken part in hostilities, wanted to find the meaning of existence among risky people and dangers.

A man without feelings

The novel shows us a hero who constantly tempts fate, exists vigorously and actively. However, no events can deeply excite him or touch his soul. Love, adventure, friendship - everything leaves him indifferent, he predicts in advance that the result will be sad. However, he is not idle, he is constantly looking for something, because everyday life makes him sad.

Without meaning to, he always hurts those around him. Having ended up in fortress N because of the murder of Grushnitsky in a duel, he meets the daughter of the Caucasian prince Bela. Having been carried away for some time by an inaccessible beauty, Pechorin comes to an agreement with her younger brother Azamat to help him steal his sister. In return, he promised to help steal the horse of the robber Kazbich. The kidnapped girl soon falls in love with Pechorin, but he has already lost interest in her. He acts exactly the same way with Princess Mary - he makes her fall in love with herself, knowing in advance that he does not need this love.

Maxim Maksimych also suffered from the coldness of Pechorin’s feelings, encountering indifference on his part at the moment of the meeting. A simple and poorly educated person, he cannot understand what the hero’s restless soul requires.

Finding myself

Lermontov shows how the hero behaves in different environments- he moves him from one situation to another: either he serves in fortress N, where he meets the staff captain and Bela, then he finds himself at the healing waters, then he ends up on duty, where he lives in the house of smugglers. He does not sit still and even dies while traveling to Persia.

The hero is trying to find something that will revive his interest in life, but fate did not give him this. In his confession, he says that from his youth he was spoiled by the world, because of mistrust, the young man learned to wear a mask of indifference, and the vices he had were formed due to attributions by society.

Pechorin is not always indifferent, he is interested in what he encounters in life - the customs of the Caucasians, new people, adventures. However, it does not resonate with people because no one understands it. There was no such person nearby who would stand on the same level as him, who would search for himself in the same way. Pechorin is not a passive person, but his energy is wasted. His environment doesn't give him a chance to show what he really is. good man. You can condemn the hero, but you can also sympathize with him - although he knows how to love, he does not meet true love, knowing how to be a friend, remains without friendly support.

“And there’s no one to give a hand to”

In “A Hero of Our Time,” the author shows that if society cannot support an individual and understand him, then the person turns out to be morally devastated. Lermontov brought out in his work the so-called type of superfluous people who search for themselves, suffer from this, but are left with nothing.

Pechorin is a controversial personality

The image of Pechorin in the novel “Hero of Our Time” by Lermontov is an ambiguous image. It cannot be called positive, but it is not negative either. Many of his actions are reprehensible, but it is also important to understand the motives for his behavior before making a judgment. The author called Pechorin a hero of his time not because he recommended emulating him, and not because he wanted to ridicule him. He just showed the portrait typical representative that generation - the “superfluous person” - so that everyone can see what the social order that disfigures the individual leads to.

Qualities of Pechorin

Knowledge of people

Can Pechorin’s quality of understanding the psychology of people and the motives of their actions be called bad? Another thing is that he uses it for other purposes. Instead of doing good and helping others, he plays with them, and these games, as a rule, end tragically. This is exactly the ending of the story with the mountain woman Bela, whom Pechorin persuaded her brother to steal. Having achieved the love of a freedom-loving girl, he lost interest in her, and soon Bela fell victim to the vengeful Kazbich.

Playing with Princess Mary also did not lead to anything good. Pechorin's intervention in her relationship with Grushnitsky resulted in the princess's broken heart and Grushnitsky's death in a duel.

Ability to analyze

Pechorin demonstrates his brilliant ability to analyze in a conversation with Dr. Werner (chapter “Princess Mary”). He quite accurately logically calculates that Princess Ligovskaya was interested in him, and not her daughter Mary. “You have a great gift for thought,” Werner notes. However, this gift again does not find worthy use. Pechorin could possibly do scientific discoveries, but he became disillusioned with studying science because he saw that in his society no one needed knowledge.

Independence from the opinions of others

The description of Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” gives many reasons to accuse him of callousness. It would seem that he acted badly towards his old friend Maxim Maksimych. Having learned that his colleague, with whom he had eaten more than a pound of salt, was staying in the same city, Pechorin did not rush to meet him. Maxim Maksimych was very upset and offended by him. However, Pechorin is essentially to blame only for not living up to the old man’s expectations. “Am I really not the same?” - he reminded, nevertheless hugging Maxim Maksimych in a friendly manner. Indeed, Pechorin never tries to pretend to be someone he is not, just to please others. He prefers to be rather than seem, he is always honest in expressing his feelings, and from this point of view, his behavior deserves all approval. He also doesn’t care what others say about him - Pechorin always acts as he sees fit. IN modern conditions such qualities would be invaluable and would help him quickly achieve his goal, to fully realize himself.

Bravery

Bravery and fearlessness are character traits thanks to which one could say “Pechorin is a hero of our time” without any ambiguity. They appear both on the hunt (Maksim Maksimych witnessed how Pechorin “went to kill a boar one on one”), and in a duel (he was not afraid to shoot with Grushnitsky on conditions that were obviously unfavorable for him), and in a situation where it was necessary to pacify the raging drunken Cossack (chapter “Fatalist”). “... nothing worse will happen than death - and you cannot escape death,” Pechorin believes, and this conviction allows him to move forward more boldly. However, even the mortal danger that he faced daily Caucasian War, did not help him cope with boredom: he quickly got used to the buzzing of Chechen bullets. Obviously, military service was not his vocation, and therefore Pechorin’s brilliant abilities in this area did not find further application. He decided to travel in the hope of finding a cure for boredom “with the help of storms and bad roads.”

Self-love

Pechorin cannot be called vain, greedy for praise, but he is quite proud. It hurts him very much if a woman does not consider him the best and prefers someone else. And he strives with all his might, by any means, to win her attention. This happened in the situation with Princess Mary, who first liked Grushnitsky. From Pechorin’s analysis, which he himself does in his journal, it follows that it was important for him not so much to achieve the love of this girl as to recapture her from his competitor. “I also confess that an unpleasant, but familiar feeling ran slightly through my heart at that moment; this feeling was envy... It is unlikely that there will be a young man who, having met a pretty woman who has attracted his idle attention and suddenly clearly distinguishes another, equally unfamiliar to her, it is unlikely, I say, there will be such a young man (of course, he lived in big world and accustomed to pampering his pride), who would not be unpleasantly struck by this.”

Pechorin loves to achieve victory in everything. He managed to redirect Mary's interest to own person, make the proud Bela his mistress, get a secret meeting from Vera, outplay Grushnitsky in a duel. If he had a worthy cause, this desire to be first would allow him to achieve enormous success. But he has to give vent to his leadership inclinations in such a strange and destructive way.

Selfishness

In an essay on the topic “Pechorin - a hero of our time,” one cannot help but mention such a trait of his character as selfishness. He does not really care about the feelings and fates of other people who have become hostages of his whims; all that matters to him is the satisfaction of his own needs. Pechorin did not even spare Vera, the only woman he believed he really loved. He put her reputation at risk by visiting her at night in the absence of her husband. A striking illustration of his disdainful, selfish attitude is his beloved horse, which he drove, and was unable to catch up with the carriage with the departing Vera. On the way to Essentuki, Pechorin saw that “instead of a saddle, two ravens were sitting on his back.” Moreover, Pechorin sometimes enjoys the suffering of others. He imagines how Mary, after his incomprehensible behavior, “will spend the night without sleep and cry,” and this thought gives him “immense pleasure.” “There are moments when I understand the Vampire...” he admits.

Pechorin’s behavior is the result of the influence of circumstances

But can this bad character trait be called innate? Is Pechorin initially vicious or was he made so by the conditions of his life? This is what he himself told Princess Mary: “... this has been my fate since childhood. Everyone read on my face signs of bad feelings that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of deceit: I became secretive... I was ready to love the whole world - no one understood me: and I learned to hate... I told the truth - they didn’t believe me: I began to deceive... I became a moral cripple.”

Finding himself in an environment that does not suit his inner essence, Pechorin is forced to break himself, to become what he really is not. This is where this internal contradiction comes from, which left its mark on his appearance. The author of the novel paints a portrait of Pechorin: laughter with unlaughing eyes, a bold and at the same time indifferently calm look, a straight figure, limp, like that of Balzac’s young lady when he sat down on the bench, and other “inconsistencies.”

Pechorin himself is aware that he makes an ambiguous impression: “Some people consider me worse, others better than I really am... Some will say: he was a kind fellow, others – a scoundrel. Both will be false.” But the truth is that, under the influence of external circumstances, his personality underwent such complex and ugly deformations that it is no longer possible to separate the bad from the good, the real from the false.

In the novel "Hero of Our Time" the image of Pechorin is moral, psychological portrait a whole generation. How many of its representatives, not finding a response to the “beautiful impulses of the soul” in those around them, were forced to adapt, become the same as everyone around, or die. The author of the novel, Mikhail Lermontov, whose life ended tragically and prematurely, was one of them.

Work test

In Russian classical literature The “golden” and “silver” centuries highlight characters who deserve the honorary title - “heroes of our time.” The image of Pechorin, masterfully depicted by M. Yu. Lermontov, is worthily included among them.

Heroes of time, who are they?

National cultural tradition was the creation within a certain historical era a character expressing the most advanced thoughts and aspirations in society. Just portray this thinking man, aimed at the future, was possible only for the most insightful talents, who caught the sprouts of something new in the midst of everyday life. The first creator of such an image was A.S. Pushkin. His Eugene Onegin is an aristocrat tired of social life, gradually transforms from a “man of society” into a real personality. In contrast, Lermontov’s hero, warrant officer Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin, appears already at the beginning of the novel as an established personality. And the entire content of the book comes down to a painful (throughout the entire narrative) search for one’s path in life.

The uniqueness of Pechorin's image

The characters of Pushkin and Lermontov in their own way inner essence are an expression of the self-awareness of the most advanced part of Russian society - the educated aristocracy. They are undoubtedly heroes of their time - early XIX century. The image of Pechorin is much broader than what Lermontov himself put into him. He became the first main character in Russian literature psychological novel. Moreover creative method, first tested by Lermontov, was continued by subsequent generations of writers. F. M. Dostoevsky called the author of “A Hero of Our Time” his teacher.

Many literary critics compare the image of Pechorin with the image of Lermontov himself. It is in this aspect that it is discussed in this article.

Autobiographical features invested by Lermontov in the main character of the novel

Indeed, there are common biographical features between the author and the character: military service, participation in hostilities. By the way, colleagues spoke of Mikhail Yuryevich as a decisive and brave man in battle. In the battle on the Valerik River, which is located 30 km from modern city Terrible, he, with the first ranks of brave men, stormed the battle formation of Naib Akhberdil Mohammed. Like him literary hero, Lermontov participated in the Caucasian War not of his own free will, but because of disgrace. Like Pechorin's, the death of the great Russian poet turned out to be absurd, accidental and untimely.

Why did Mikhail Yuryevich claim that it was the image of Pechorin that is the hero of our time? The answer is obvious. Real thinking individuals were uncomfortable during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, known for suppressing the Decembrist uprising, curtailing all freedoms and achieving the omnipotence of the gendarmerie apparatus. What else was going on in those days?

Logical order of the novel's chapters

This was the tragedy of a whole generation of young people who wanted to “dedicate their souls to the Fatherland.” beautiful impulses" Russia during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I lost its ideals. Painfully and intensely on the pages of the novel, a young man yearning for freedom searches for his relevance and does not find it. This is exactly how the image of Pechorin appears before the reader. “A Hero of Our Time” is a novel that consistently reveals the evolution of the soul of the main character.

The work consists of five parts, interconnected by no means in chronological order. Each chapter is a separate story. Lermontov does not stoop to a banal statement; his task is an order of magnitude more complex: he talks about changes in inner world hero.

Chronologically, the sequence of events in which the image of Pechorin created by the classic is involved should be briefly outlined, starting with his military service in the Caucasus in a combat detachment.

Then the hero, being wounded, undergoes treatment in Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. Here his duel with Grushnitsky takes place, ending in the death of the latter.

As punishment, the disgraced officer is sent to serve in the fortress, where he meets an acquaintance from his service in the combat detachment, Staff Captain Maxim Maksimovich. From the fortress Pechorin, on business, first finds himself in a Cossack village. He then goes to St. Petersburg for a short time, after which he proceeds to Persia through the Caucasus.

Returning to Russia from an overseas trip, the main character of the work dies.

The composition of the novel is such that the reader first gets acquainted with Pechorin from the story of Maxim Maksimovich, who reveres him, and then from the diary of Grigory Alexandrovich himself.

Lermontov filled the image of Pechorin with the utmost force with the problems of his time. Briefly, his “mad race for life,” his attempts to change his fate can be expressed by Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be.” After all, Pechorin is extremely sincere in his quest and is ready to sacrifice everything to achieve his goal.

The story "Bela". Pechorin's egocentrism

The logic of the evolution of Pechorin’s soul determined chronological order sequence of parts included in the work. The novel begins with the story "Bela". The image of Pechorin appears in him as youthfully ardent, a real maximalist. “A Hero of Our Time” presents the reader with an officer who despises secular conventions and wants to find true happiness in love with the free mountain woman Bela.

However, unfortunately, what happened was just a burst of passion. Soon the young man gets tired of Bela. He doesn't know how to be responsible for other people. He wants to realize himself as a person only himself, but to those he meets life path people are conscientious, considering only their own interests to be the absolute dominant.

Therefore, having abandoned the bored mountain girl, he did not even think about the mortal danger that threatened the girl, according to the laws of those places, from the cruel Kazbich. Also, Lermontov’s hero did not burden himself with thoughts about the fate of the beauty’s brother, Azamate, who had previously helped him steal Bela, and then was forced to leave his family and become an outcast.

Neglect of friendship. The story "Maxim Maximovich"

The image of Pechorin is no longer distinguished by its warmth. “A Hero of Our Time” tells in the next part of the novel - “Maxim Maksimovich”, how frivolous and fixated on his problems Pechorin offends a former colleague who is friendly towards him with inattention.

Their meeting, despite a preliminary agreement, to the deepest disappointment of the latter, did not take place. The image of Pechorin in this part of the story is distinguished by its optionality and frivolity in relation to other people.

"Taman". Romance of investigation

In the third part of the work, entitled “Taman,” the author introduces the reader to a different, matured protagonist.

His activity is purposeful and obvious. Pechorin in the system male images Lermontov's work undoubtedly stands out among the officers. Despite his average height, he is strong, agile, and energetic. There is charisma and a thirst for activity in him. He quickly navigates and makes the right decisions. Lermontov's hero, by the will of fate, settles in the house of the smugglers' accomplices and soon reveals the scheme of their simple trade. However, the investigation does not bring him internal satisfaction.

Moreover, he sympathizes with the smugglers who engage in this illegal trade just to have a source of livelihood. The sailor Danko is charismatic, going to sea for goods on a fragile boat, and his loving young girlfriend is desperate. And yet this couple shows generosity, providing everything necessary for life to a blind boy and a helpless old woman. Frightened by the prospect of criminal liability, criminals swim away. The reader does not understand how the boy and the old woman will live next.

Gregory later even calls them honest smugglers and regrets that he voluntarily got involved in this private investigation.

"Princess Mary". Lermontov's utmost frankness

Acquired life experience and Pechorin is distinguished by his charismatic character in the system of male images of the story “Princess Mary”. He finally establishes a friendly relationship with Dr. Werner. They were brought together by common personality traits: insight and skepticism, similar established views on the selfishness of others, occupied primarily with their own personal interests.
In friendship, according to Gregory, both comrades should be equal and avoid dominance.

At first, the hero became close to the cadet Grushnitsky, who later received an officer rank. Their communication, however, did not develop into friendship. On the contrary, it ended in tragedy. Why did this happen? Let's try to answer.

Psychological self-portrait of Lermontov

Pechorin occupies a special place in the system of images created by Lermontov. Moreover, the author confesses to the whole world through the lips of this hero. If we discard the legend (life story) invented by the author, we get a subtle psychological self-portrait of Mikhail Yuryevich. The poet, according to the recollections of his contemporaries, was truly soulful only in a narrow circle of like-minded people. Therefore, his hero, like the classic himself, is sincerely disappointed by the falsehood and deceit of the majority of those around him. At first it seems to the reader that the cadet Grushnitsky is also not satisfied with the order prevailing in society. As a matter of fact, it was on the basis of discussions about this annoying circumstance that the young man met Pechorin. However, soon the insightful hero realizes that this young man’s position in life is a complete pose, that this officer is mentally empty and false. Gregory becomes offended; he does not accept hypocrisy and lies.

He decides to click Grushnitsky on the nose. His idea, however, is not entirely harmless. The hero, taking advantage of the cadet's predisposition to Princess Ligovskaya, gets acquainted with her and takes the girl away from her. former comrade. True, at the same time, Pechorin himself goes to moral costs in relation to Princess Mary, because he makes her fall in love with him, not wanting further development relationships.

Could Pechorin have foreseen that Grushnitsky, a submissive slave to the puppet concepts of honor that reign in high society, would challenge him to a duel? Grigory did not want such an outcome of events. Moreover, he gave his counterpart the right to fire the first shot, thereby offering him an alternative to stop this madness. However, Grushnitsky fired. Pechorin had no options left but to shoot seriously. As a result, the cadet was killed.

Is Lermontov a hostage to the plot of his book?

How is the image of the hero he invented related to the fate of the author of the work? Pechorin can safely be compared with Lermontov, because in this episode he seemed to anticipate tragic death its creator himself. The fatal duel in Pyatigorsk began with the poet teasing Martynov. Like your favorite one created earlier literary character, Mikhail Yuryevich could not tolerate falsehood. He himself showed courage in battle, but he could not stand Nikolai Solomonovich Martynov, who falsely portrayed himself as a hero on vacation in the company of ladies. Lermontov began to egg on the retired major... As is known, their duel ended in the death of the poet.

Let us return, however, to the story “Princess Mary”. In building its composition, Lermontov generously endowed the image of Pechorin with traits of his own personality. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky wrote that it was in this work that for the first time in Russian literature a painful, soul-grabbing psychologism was heard.

Perhaps that is why the story was written by the author in the form diary entries a hero undergoing treatment “on the waters”.

Why does the story "The Fatalist" end the novel?

Disgraced after a fatal duel, the main character follows to Persia. On the way, he finds himself in a Cossack village, where he spends his leisure time in the officer’s company over cards and wine. The military communicate with each other, recalling combat episodes. Ensign Pechorin, deeply disappointed in Russian society, but believing in fate, is hard to surprise with anything. However, such a case still happens.

In the same company as him is Lieutenant Vulich, who doesn’t believe in anything at all. Pechorin, having experience in combat, with some inner instinct determines that this officer will soon face death. Vulich does not believe this and, trying to prove it, plays one round of “hussar roulette” with himself. A loaded pistol brought to your temple misfires. However, when all the officers disperse to their quarters, the returning Vulich is completely senselessly killed with a saber by a drunken Cossack.

Is it by chance that the image of Pechorin in the novel is presented as a broadcaster? Contemporaries of the book's author noted the latter's deep mysticism. They mention the heavy gaze of the classic: if Lermontov looked at a person’s back, he would certainly turn around. He amused himself with this property of his. For this, society ladies hated him. It is a known fact: Mikhail Yuryevich, during his only meeting with Belinsky, influenced the critic so much that he, who had hitherto treated him ironically, began to support him everywhere and unconditionally. Psychics would call it trance.

Mikhail was the last in the Lermontov family. All of his closest ancestors died untimely, and the death of the classic finally cut off the family tree. The poet’s contemporaries also recalled the unusual storm that broke out in a calm sky after Martynov’s fatal shot in Pyatigorsk. And 166 years later (in numerology this is the number of the universe), in the spring of 2007, lightning from another storm split and burned a pine tree growing at the site of the duel.

Psychologists note the ambivalence of Lermontov’s personality (the paradoxical connection between angelic and demonic principles). His ideal is the former monk Mtsyri, who abandoned humility and defeated the leopard. His Pushkin dies with a thirst for revenge and being in pride (“hanging his proud head”), while the real one departs with humility, having accepted Christian vows.

Grigory Pechorin, like Lermontov himself, is obsessed with pride. Although he has not passed the test of love or friendship, he has achieved what prevails over human feelings. He couldn't change the world, but he changed himself. Fate was revealed to him. Further life search is meaningless, and accordingly, the development of the novel’s plot is predictable: the main character suddenly and illogically dies. Did Lermontov himself strive for such a fate? Who knows. They write that before the fatal duel he was surprisingly calm...

Conclusion

Mikhail Yuryevich in the novel “Hero of Our Time” created a controversial and bright psychological image Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin. The classic endowed his beloved hero with his own creative mentality, restlessness, nihilism, and rejection of lies and hypocrisy. Thanks to this author’s plan, Russian literature appeared new genre- psychological novel.

The peculiarity of all classics is that their works often turn out to be deeper than their original intentions. Perhaps this is why more and more heroes of our time are trying to understand and comprehend the image of Pechorin.

Describes only some episodes from adult life hero when his character was already formed. First impression - Gregory strong personality. He is an officer, a physically healthy man of attractive appearance, active, purposeful, and has a sense of humor. Why not a hero? However, Lermontov himself calls the main character of the novel so bad person, that it’s even difficult to believe in its existence.

Pechorin grew up in a wealthy aristocratic family. Since childhood, he has not needed anything. But material abundance also has back side- the meaning of human life is lost. The desire to strive for something, to grow spiritually, disappears. This happened to the hero of the novel. Pechorin finds no use for his abilities.

He quickly got tired of metropolitan life with empty entertainment. The love of secular beauties, although it stroked one’s vanity, did not touch the heartstrings. The thirst for knowledge also did not bring satisfaction: all sciences quickly became boring. Even at a young age, Pechorin realized that neither happiness nor fame depended on science. "The most happy people- ignoramuses, and fame is luck, and to achieve it, you just need to be clever.”.

Our hero tried to write and travel, as many young aristocrats of that time did. But these activities did not fill Gregory’s life with meaning. Therefore, boredom constantly haunted the officer and did not allow him to escape from himself. Although Gregory tried his best to do this. Pechorin is always in search of adventure, testing his fate every day: in war, in pursuit of smugglers, in a duel, breaking into the house of a murderer. He tries in vain to find a place in the world where his keen mind, energy and strength of character could be useful. At the same time, Pechorin does not consider it necessary to listen to his heart. He lives by his mind, guided by cold reason. And it constantly fails.

But the saddest thing is that people close to him suffer from the actions of the hero: Vulich, Bela and her father die tragically, Grushnitsky is killed in a duel, Azamat becomes a criminal, Mary and Vera suffer, Maxim Maksimych is offended and insulted, smugglers flee in fear, leaving them to their own devices. the fate of the blind boy and the old woman.

It seems that in search of new adventures Pechorin cannot stop at anything. He breaks hearts and destroys people's destinies. He is aware of the suffering of those around him, but he does not refuse the pleasure of deliberately tormenting them. The hero calls "sweet food for pride" the opportunity to be the cause of happiness or suffering for someone without having the right to do so.

Pechorin is disappointed in life, in social activities, in people. A feeling of despondency and despair, uselessness and uselessness lives in him. In his diary, Gregory constantly analyzes his actions, thoughts and experiences. He tries to understand himself, exposing real reasons actions. But at the same time he blames society for everything, not himself.

True, episodes of repentance and the desire to look at things adequately are not alien to the hero. Pechorin was able to self-critically call himself "moral cripple" and, in fact, he turned out to be right. And what is the passionate impulse to see and talk to Vera worth? But these minutes are short-lived, and the hero, again absorbed in boredom and introspection, displays spiritual callousness, indifference, and individualism.

In the preface to the novel, Lermontov called the main character a sick person. At the same time, he meant the soul of Gregory. The tragedy is that Pechorin suffers not only because of his vices, but also his positive qualities, feeling how much strength and talent is dying in vain. Having ultimately failed to find the meaning of life, Gregory decides that his only purpose is to destroy people’s hopes.

Pechorin is one of the most controversial characters in Russian literature. In his image, originality, talent, energy, honesty and courage strangely coexist with skepticism, disbelief and contempt for people. According to Maxim Maksimovich, Pechorin’s soul consists of nothing but contradictions. He has a strong physique, but he exhibits unusual weakness. He is about thirty years old, but there is something childish in the hero’s face. When Gregory laughs, his eyes remain sad.

According to Russian tradition, the author experiences Pechorin with two main feelings: love and friendship. However, the hero does not pass any test. Psychological experiments with Mary and Bela show Pechorin a subtle connoisseur human souls and a cruel cynic. Gregory explains the desire to win the love of women solely by ambition. Gregory is also incapable of friendship.

The death of Pechorin is indicative. He dies on the way, on the way to distant Persia. Lermontov probably believed that a person who brings only suffering to his loved ones is always doomed to loneliness.

• “Hero of Our Time,” a summary of the chapters of Lermontov’s novel
• The image of Bela in Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time”