Who is included in the water society? Essay “The significance of showing the noble society for revealing the meaning of the novel “A Hero of Our Time”

The action of the novel “Hero of Our Time” by M. Yu. Lermontov, published during 1839–1840 in the magazine “ Domestic notes"and describing the events that took place during the era of reaction that came after the Decembrist uprising, takes place in the Caucasus. We see the “water society”, that is, people who came to the mineral waters, in the largest part of the novel, which is called “Princess Mary”. It is written on behalf of the main character Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin and forms part of his diary, the so-called “Pechorin's Journal”. Secular " water society» Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk consists of Russian army officers who received leave and did not go home or were recovering after being wounded. In addition, it is represented by people from the secular society of the two Russian capitals, whom Moscow and St. Petersburg doctors sent for treatment to the newly discovered mineral waters, as well as the “steppe landowners”, their wives and daughters.
And what does it represent main character novel by Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin? Readers were all waiting for the appearance of the hero promised in the title, that is, the person who would actually do something heroic. But M. Yu. Lermontov explained to his readers in the preface that he used the word “hero” in this work in the meaning: a person who most fully reflects modern moral principles. “A Hero of Our Time,” dear sirs, is like a portrait, but not of one person, it is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation in their full development,” the author writes about the main figure of his novel.
In the preface, the author also speaks very unequivocally about the peculiarities of depicting reality: “The history of the human soul... is perhaps more interesting and instructive than the history of an entire people.” Consequently, M. Yu. Lermontov subordinates everything artistic features of his work to the task of most fully revealing the “history of the soul” of Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin. Including the system of images of the novel. Every minor character The novel is depicted in such a way as to highlight, by similarity or contrast, some facets of the protagonist’s character. This is how the collective image of the “water society” is written, which we see through the eyes of Pechorin: “I’ll go to the Elisabeth spring: there, they say, the whole water society gathers in the morning.” Characterizing the main features of these people, Pechorin writes in his diary: “They drink - but not water, they walk a little, they drag around only in passing; they play and complain about boredom. They are dandies... they take on academic poses... They profess deep contempt for provincial houses and sigh for the capital’s aristocratic drawing rooms, where they are not allowed.” What irony sounds in these words of Pechorin, dedicated to the people who came to the waters!
The main character of the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov is quite obviously opposed to the “water society” and treats it very skeptically and negatively, since it consists mainly of people like Grushnitsky: not very smart, busy with their careers, their position in society, in general, everything “that makes self-loving mediocrity so happy.” Pechorin's mind ridicules the rules of life and good manners accepted in the “water society” of Pyatigorsk.
In order to make the character of the hero even closer and clearer to the reader, and also to illustrate the idea that Pechorin is a remarkable person who really suffers in an atmosphere of secular gossip, intrigue, slander and who cannot find a worthy use for his life, Lermontov shows us how significantly The main character and the typical representative of the “water society” Grushnitsky differ from each other.
Pechorin is handsome and aristocratic: “He was of medium height, his slender, thin figure and broad shoulders proved a strong build... blond hair, naturally curly, so picturesquely outlined his pale, noble forehead... his mustache and eyebrows were black - a sign of the breed in a person... a slightly upturned nose, dazzling white teeth and brown eyes.” Grushnitsky is simply “well built, dark and black-haired; he looks like he might be twenty-five years old, although he is hardly twenty-one. He throws his head back when he speaks, and constantly twirls his mustache with his left hand, because with his right he leans on a crutch.”

Pechorin, a nobleman by birth, occupied a fairly high position in secular society. Princess Ligovskaya, for example, after meeting him, found out that she was friends with “half a dozen of his aunts.” For some kind of “history” he was exiled to the Caucasus, but, recalling his youth, he writes that it passed “in a fruitless struggle with the light.” Social status Grushnitsky is not at all so brilliant: “Grushnitsky is a cadet. He's only been in the service for a year. His arrival in the Caucasus is also a consequence of his romantic fanaticism.”
Pechorin has “satanic pride” and would like, in order not to get bored, to benefit the whole humanity, he is bored even under Chechen bullets, “he madly chases after life, looking for it everywhere,” but, unfortunately, not finding use for his “immense powers” and desperately bored. Grushnitsky only takes on the appearance of an outcast, misunderstood and bored man, because nowadays it is fashionable to seem like this: “He is one of those people who have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions... and who importantly drape themselves into extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering. Making an effect is their pleasure.”
Pechorin enjoys success with women; the history of his stay in the Caucasus includes a whole list of names of women who fell victim to his charms: Bela, Mary, Vera. Although Grushnitsky is able to please “romantic provincial women to the point of madness,” he loses the competition for Mary’s heart to Pechorin. The girl, who was initially interested in him, later turns her gaze to the main character, after which Grushnitsky, together with the rest of the members of the “water society” of Pyatigorsk who have rallied around him, declares a real war on Pechorin and offers him completely dishonest conditions for a duel, according to which the hero must stand under a bullet with an unloaded pistol.
Pechorin is a rather cynical young man. He takes pleasure in manipulating other people: subordinating Princess Mary to his will and making him fall in love with him, infuriating Grushnitsky, and almost destroying Vera’s fate at his whim. He is rather indifferent to the suffering of his victims, although he is visited by a moment of remorse when he realizes that he is the cause of the misfortune of those around him. At the moment of his explanation with Mary, he was ready to throw himself at her feet and ask for the hand of this girl; he sobs when his horse fell and he failed to catch up with Vera, who was leaving for her husband. But all these, from his point of view, are momentary weaknesses, since the main life principle his is this: “And what do I care about human misfortunes and misfortunes, me, a traveling officer, and even on the road for official reasons.”
Grushnitsky, on the other hand, is not able to predict events that are about to happen, he is arrogant and stupid, the goal of his life, as it turns out, is the “guiding stars” of officer epaulets, marriage to Mary and career. That is why he is so furious when Pechorin upsets all his plans. He lacks courage even during a duel, when Grigory Alexandrovich gives him the last opportunity to apologize or shoot in the air.
It is through a comparison of the images of Pechorin and Grushnitsky in M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” that we understand the difference in the scale of personality of these two characters. We understand that the “water society” in the novel has become for its creator the embodiment of a secular society that does not want to accept those who are at least a little smarter, more educated and more decent than its representatives and whom the poet himself hated from the bottom of his heart.

“A Hero of Our Time” is a socio-psychological novel in which the author set himself the task of revealing inner world hero, “to explore the human soul.”
Lermontov is a romantic, so the problem of personality is central problem romanticism and, naturally, the poet’s creativity. However, the innovation of “A Hero of Our Time” lies in the fact that the conflict between the individual and the surrounding world is resolved using a variety of means, both romantic and realistic.
Pechorin, the main character of the novel, is social type. Traditionally, following Onegin, he is placed in the gallery “ extra people”.
The images of Pechorin and Onegin have a lot in common, from details, character traits, to the situations in which they find themselves. However, the conflict between the individual and society in “A Hero of Our Time” is more acute than in “Eugene Onegin,” since Pechorin “frantically chases after life,” but receives nothing from it, and Onegin simply “goes with the flow.”
The composition of the novel is subordinated to the main task that the author set for himself - solving the problem of personality. In Pechorin’s journal, the central story is “Princess Mary,” in which the character of the hero is revealed from the inside, that is, Lermontov uses such artistic technique like a confession. All artistic media- portrait, landscape, dialogues, details - worn psychological character. In the story, with the help of an expanded figurative system The secret of the hero's character is revealed.
Lermontov, like many romantics, contrasts personality and society, and he places his hero in different environments, pushes him against different people. We can see this in the stories “Bela”, “Taman” and “Princess Mary”.
In the psychological story “Princess Mary,” Pechorin’s personality is contrasted with the “water society,” and the hero’s attitude towards this society and society in general is shown. “Water Society” is a collective image of representatives of local and metropolitan nobility, in whose behavior and life all can be traced character traits the era described. The conflict between the individual and society is embodied not only in revealing the character of the main character, but also in the depiction of the “water society”, their life, interests, and entertainment.
Pechorin notes with slight contempt the carefully hidden envy of each other, the love of gossip and intrigue. The life and customs of visitors to the Caucasian mineral waters, which both the author and the main character are ironic about, are determined by history and traditions. The image of the “water society” is also given in parallel with the image of the secular society, which Pechorin mentions and which has more than once been the object of study in the works of Griboedov and Pushkin. In general, the entire “water society” is opposed to Pechorin. However, it is still possible to identify heroes who are not only opposed to Pechorin, but also compared with him.
Grushnitsky is a kind of parody of Pechorin. What for Pechorin constitutes the essence of character, for Grushnitsky it is a pose designed to produce an effect, an impression on others. Grushnitsky is an anti-romantic hero. His penchant for romanticization is carried to the point of caricature. He shows off and often behaves inappropriately to the situation. In everyday life he looks for romantic circumstances, but in truly romantic situations he gets lost. Grushnitsky's participation in the duel is ignoble and vile, but he cannot refuse it, since he is very proud. There are many external details in his image (overcoat, crutch, limp, ring with the date he met and the name Mary). Obviously, the image of Grushnitsky was not created without the influence of the image of Lensky: both are romantics, both were killed in a duel, both are younger than their friend-enemy.
Werner is the only one male image, which is compared with Pechorin, and not opposed. Their similarities are manifested in their relationships with society, skepticism, and wit. But along with general features there are many differences in their characters. Pechorin is “madly chasing after life,” while Werner is passive. Werner is a less deep and complex nature than Pechorin. Before the duel, Pechorin admires nature, and Werner asks if he wrote his will. In appearance Werner can be traced romantic traits, but he is a contradictory nature.
All female images presented in the novel are also subordinated to the main task - revealing the image of Pechorin and showing his attitude towards love.
Princess Mary of all female images described most fully. Like Grushnitsky, she is passionate about romanticism, she is young, smart, witty. The princess's purity and naivety makes Pechorin's selfishness even more obvious. The story of Mary's seduction is the reason for deep introspection and extensive internal monologues in Pechorin's diary. In a conversation with Mary, Pechorin talks about his fate (relationships with society, inclinations, quirks of character).
Faith is the most obscure image, incompletely outlined, and given only by hints. This is the only female image that is compared with Pechorin. It is in his relationship with Vera that the tragedy of Pechorin’s situation is most fully felt, his inability to deeply and truly love: he doesn’t even need Vera. This emphasizes the loneliness of the hero, his inability to truly feel, reveals internal conflict hero. Romantic irony illuminates the relationship between Pechorin and Vera: Pechorin drives his horse, trying to catch up with Vera, and then falls asleep to Napoleon at Waterloo.
In addition, Lermontov pays attention a large number others, less noticeable, but also very important for creating more full picture society, heroes, who are all, without exception, subject to the principle of typification, which speaks of the realism of the novel. In this case, the author proceeds from traditional types, relying on the creative experience of his predecessors, Griboyedov and Pushkin.
As soon as Pechorin arrives in Pyatigorsk, he becomes acquainted with the customs of the families of the steppe landowners: “... the St. Petersburg cut of the frock coat misled them, but soon recognizing the army epaulettes, they turned away indignantly.”
Here we learn about the wives of local bosses, “mistresses of the waters”: “...they pay less attention to the uniform, they are accustomed in the Caucasus to meet an ardent heart under a numbered button and an educated mind under a white cap.”
A special class in the “water society” is made up of men, civilians and military (Captain Dragunsky, who with his participation in the duel resembles Zaretsky). The “water youth” stands out separately. In general, it is difficult to imagine anything new that has not yet been depicted in the works of Griboyedov and Pushkin. The same passion for rank, sycophancy, the same balls, gossip, idle pastime, emptiness, which reign not as vices of society, but as elements public life. Everything is the same, only with the difference that we saw there secular society, and here it is provincial, which is trying with all its might to resemble the capital. Against the background of all this, it is impossible not to note with what irony not only specific images are drawn, but also the entire atmosphere.
Thus, the “water society” is not an accidental theme in the novel. The problem of personality, its relationships with others are the main task of all Lermontov’s work. At the same time, he is a continuator of the traditions of Russian literature of the 19th century centuries,

“Hero of Our Time” was conceived by Lermontov as a work of acute social and psychological orientation.

But he could not help but touch upon the theme of society, which makes the novel social.

The “superfluous man” as a product of his era

Pechorin is included in the category of “superfluous people” by many literary scholars, as is Evgeny Onegin. The composition of the book was built in accordance with the goal that Lermontov tried to achieve - to understand the problems of the individual.

In the psychological chapter “Princess Mary,” the character of Grigory Pechorin comes into conflict with the “water society.” In this story we see how he relates specifically to this society and the whole world in general.

"Water Society" has become collectively typical representatives aristocratic circle of nobles. Their actions and their entire lives reflect the characteristics of that era. The struggle of the individual against the social environment is revealed not only in Pechorin’s character traits, but also in pictures of the life of the “water society”, in its specifics, in the description of its members.

Grigory contemptuously and demonstratively does not join society. From the outside it is easy for him to see how angry aristocrats are towards each other, how they envy, gossip, and commit mean things. The entire way of life and customs that have developed among the inhabitants of the mineral resort are built on the basis of history and traditions accepted in that circle.

"Water Society" - a mirror of that time

Almost all visitors to the resort are opposed to the main character, but there are also people there who are somewhat akin to him.

Grushnitsky was a distorted image of Pechorin. What is innate in Grigory, part of his character, in Grushnitsky became just posing, designed to attract attention and amaze others. With his desire for romance, he achieves the opposite effect - he becomes simply a caricature, a parody of the romantic hero.

Werner in this chapter became the only character comparable to Gregory. They are similar in their skeptical attitude towards people, similar in their intelligence. However, they have many differences. Werner has a passive attitude towards life, while Pechorin tries to experience all the pleasures and passions. Before the fight with Grushnitsky, Grigory calmly admires the landscape, and Werner is interested in whether he left a will.

All the female images drawn by Lermontov on the pages of his book help to further reveal the character of the main character and show how he relates to love.

Separately, it is necessary to consider in the “water society” male characters- civil and military. A special group is made up of young people on mineral waters. Before us appear people whose images were already depicted in their works by Pushkin and Griboedov. All the same passions are boiling here - the desire to achieve rank, admiration for money and titles, the same boring dance evenings, empty chatter, boredom and gossip.

Here it doesn’t even look like vices, but like a normal pastime. The only difference with Pushkin and Griboyedov is that Lermontov does not show the high society of the capital, but the provincial nobles who are trying with all their might to show that they are the same capital elite. The author skillfully uses irony, creating images of his characters and their surroundings.

The Water Society is not just a random backdrop for the main character. Questions of existence, problems of struggle and friendship of the individual, her relationships with other people became the author’s priority goal. He strives to show not a static individual, but a dynamically moving hero experiencing turbulent events.

/ / / “Water Society” in Lermontov’s novel “Hero of Our Time”

“” is a novel in which socio-psychological problems are clearly revealed. In the content of the novel, the author tries with all his might to convey and describe the inner world of the main character, who was an image younger generation those times. M.Yu. Lermontov creates different life scenes and episodes in which he shows the conflict between the main character and the society around him.

In one of the stories of the novel “Princess Mary”, Pechorin’s personality is directly opposed to the participants in the water society. What kind of society is this? This is a circle of people - local and metropolitan nobility, who convey the main character traits and behavior of people of that era. What dominates in such a society is hypocrisy, feigned emotions, feelings of envy of each other, petty affairs and dirty gossip. The “water society” is compared to a secular circle of people.

Spending time in such a society, he opposes almost all of its members. But there is also similar images. For example, it can be attributed to a parody character who tried to imitate Pechorin in everything. He tried to feign feelings of joy and happiness, although in reality he felt neither one nor the other. He tries to create a romantic relationship, but as soon as he gets into it, he is immediately lost. He tries to impress others, and it reaches the point of caricature. Grushnitsky's act in the duel is low and vile. He deprives him of his masculine nobility and honor. His pride overshadows all other emotions.

The image of Werner can be compared with the image of Pechorin. They are both witty, they both have the same views on society. But the inner world of the protagonist rushes forward to meet life. And Werner’s insides are filled with calm and passivity.

Several bright female images were created by the author in order to reveal the character of the main character as deeply as possible. The description is most detailed. The relationship with the princess prompts Pechorin to create deep diary entries, in which he writes about their conversations, in which the hero shares his attitude towards others.

Given incompletely. But it is precisely the relationship with this woman that shows the reader the true fact that Pechorin did not know how to truly love and did not understand the feelings of female love at all.

After Grigory Alexandrovich’s arrival in Pyatigorsk, we can get acquainted with the description family relations that time. A separate class consists of civilian and military men. Particularly passionate speech is made about the youth of the “water society”. It tells about their unknown passion for evening balls, for celebrations at which dirty gossip is constantly being waged. This provincial society was so much like a secular gathering of the same hypocritical and empty people.

Therefore, the topic of “water society” was not in vain touched upon by M.Yu. Lermontov. He tried to reveal and show the essence of the relationship between an individual and an entire society of that time and era.