The chapter begins with a story about the bet of Pechorin and Vulich. In this controversy, Vulich proves the existence of a predestination from above. He shoots himself with a loaded pistol, but as a result of the misfire, he survives. Is it a game of chance or fate? Pechorin is sure that fate. It is this confidence of his that contributes to the appearance that this incident is not the end, but only the beginning of the main, most likely tragic events in life.

In a philosophical dispute between them, their life positions were determined: Vulich, as a person associated with the East, believes in predestination, and Pechorin acts as a person-carrier of practical thinking: “... if there is definitely predestination, then why are we given the will, reason? why should we give an account of our actions? ... ". Pechorin, questioning everything, does not agree with Vulich, the evidence given by the officer is not enough for him, he must check himself and test his fate. Paradoxically, it is he who predicts the imminent death of Vulich, based only on the fact that "on the face of a person who is to die in a few hours, there is some terrible imprint of the inevitability of fate."

However, the dispute agitated Pechorin, he reflects on this on the way home, but fate has prepared for him a sleepless night. Describing what is happening, the hero of the work will note: "... apparently, it was written in heaven that this night I will not get enough sleep."

This is how the episode begins: officers appear at his house and bring him the shocking news - Vulich has been killed. What a terrible predestination? Confused, because he foresaw this death, Pechorin goes to the hut in which the Cossack murderer Vulich is locked. How amazed he is, is evidenced by his inner reflections, the fragmentary nature of his phrases and thoughts. Approaching the hut, he sees "a terrible commotion." Lermontov psychologically accurately conveys his condition, the rest of the inhabitants of the village and the flushed officers. The abundance of verbs (jumped out, ahead, ran, howl, wail) reflects the confusion and horror of all these people who learned about Vulich's tragic death. They are so scared that they cannot control themselves, confusion does not allow them to do anything. And Pechorin is already calm. His sharp mind notices the indecisive Cossacks, the despair of women, and the madness in the eyes of the old woman-mother of the locked-in killer. Everyone realizes the need to "decide on something," but no one dares to capture the insane Cossack. Neither persuasion nor threats to him help. After all, the killer understands the hopelessness of his situation. He, who has already committed such a grave crime, being in an extremely agitated state, has nothing to lose. Pechorin, looking through the window, immediately noticed the pallor of the Cossack, and his horror at the sight of blood, and his terribly rotating eyes, and his gestures when he grabbed his head. He looked like a mad man. He is ready to die, but, probably, will not surrender voluntarily, but, most likely, will shoot back if they try to grab him. The officers also understand this, therefore they propose to shoot the criminal. At this moment, Pechorin decides on a desperate act that struck him himself: he wants, like Vulich, to try his luck. This idea, which seems strange and inexplicable, is actually very logical. She is the opportunity to try fate and find out if there is a predestination from above. The events of the previous evening, the insane killer, the indecision of the officers - all this forces Pechorin to make a very risky decision, that is, to try alone and without weapons to seize an armed man, though cornered, but very dangerous. Is it suicide? However, the hero of the work takes this step. He challenges his fate, his inner reflection, excitement “do not interfere with the decisiveness of character,” even the feeling is created that he is delighted by making a dangerous decision. "My heart was beating violently," writes Pechorin. He captures the Cossack, and at the same time remains alive. Is it incredible luck or destiny? What saved the hero from the bullet that flew just over his ear? What prevented the Cossack from picking up the saber lying next to him? Probably luck, or maybe fate.

One way or another, the killer was captured, and Pechorin survived. All the officers congratulated him, and he, returning to the fortress and telling Maksim Maksimych about this, again thinks about predestination. And how not to become a fatalist after all that happened ?! However, Pechorin not only is not convinced of the existence of predestination, but, on the contrary, comes to the conclusion that a person "always goes forward more boldly when he does not know what awaits him."

This episode, like the entire Fatalist story, is Pechorin's diary, his confession, his reflections on himself and his actions. Analyzing his actions in the scene of the capture of a Cossack murderer, Pechorin comes to the same conclusion as Lermontov in his poem "Duma": their generations are "miserable descendants wandering the earth without convictions and pride, without pleasure and fear." All that remains for them is to spend their lives on entertainment, drunkenness, this is a life without meaning and lofty ideas. And the way such educated, thinking people like Vulich and Pechorin risk their lives aimlessly, trying to prove false truths, once again confirms their "lack of demand by society." These are "superfluous people", this is their tragedy, and the episode where Pechorin plays with death proves this.

The problem of fate has repeatedly appeared on the pages of Lermontov's literary work. In "Bela" Maxim Maksimych said about Pechorin: "After all, there are, indeed, such people who have it written in their family, various unusual things must happen to them." In "Taman" Pechorin asks himself: "... why was fate to throw him into a peaceful circle of smugglers?" In "Princess Mary" Pechorin wrote in his diary: "... fate somehow always led me to the denouement of other people's dramas ... What was the purpose of fate?"

Honestly, after reading the story "Princess Mary" from "A Hero of Our Time" I thought that the work was finished. After all, everything that could have happened has already happened. Only an epilogue is needed. And suddenly I see - "Fatalist". And then - another episode from the life of Pechorin. This means that Lermontov decided to give Pechorin another riddle or, conversely, a solution to the image of his hero.

The main "triangle" of the story is Vulich - Pechorin - Fate. An example of a composition is faith or disbelief in the predetermination of a person's life. Hence the name - "Fatalist".

Why is Pechorin not the key person in the story? Here is more than half of the story about Officer Vulich. The characteristic given by the author of the work is very important for understanding his image: "... he was brave, spoke little, but harshly, ... he almost never drank wine ... There was only one passion that he did not conceal: a passion for playing." The image is very interesting, Vulich attracts us with his passion, mysterious behavior. So he offers to "try it on yourself," is there fate, and asks: "Who wants it?" Pechorin "jokingly" offered his bet. "I affirm that there is no predestination," I said. " Why did Pechorin join this game? He must certainly participate in everything, especially since Vulich attracts Pechorin with strength, mystery. Passions ran high. Here Vulich "silently went into the Major's bedroom, took the pistol from the nail," "cocked the trigger and poured gunpowder on the shelf."

What do you want to do? Listen, this is crazy! - shouted to him. No one wants to even indirectly take part in this bet. As always, Pechorin is observant and sees what others do not see: “... it seemed to me that I was reading the stamp of death on his pale face.

You will die today! - I told him. He answered slowly and calmly:

Maybe yes, maybe no "...

Then we read: "I am tired of this long ceremony." Is it too cruel? Moreover, Pechorin encourages Vulich: "... either shoot yourself, or ... let's go to bed." Vulich won the bet. The pistol misfired. You could easily disperse. But Pechorin is not like that. He continues the game: "... why did it seem to me that you must die by all means ..." Why does he need this? After all, Pechorin played with someone else's life.

Is there a destiny? What influences a person's life? Such questions were asked by our hero of the work, returning home through deserted lanes. He thought about his ancestors, about his generation, living “without convictions and pride, without pleasure and fear ...” Each phrase of Pechorin’s last confession, made by him in “Fatalist,” reveals another facet of his spiritual tragedy. He confesses: “In my first youth I was a dreamer ... but what is left of this to me? One fatigue ... and a vague recollection ... In this vain struggle, I exhausted both the heat of the soul and the constancy of will ... "

It is difficult to understand Pechorin. He is the embodiment of contradiction. I increasingly come to the conclusion that Pechorin has a lot in common with Lermontov himself. Some kind of seal of doom was imposed on his entire life. The empty light in which Lermontov spent his youth, departments, shelves - nowhere was life. What is life? This is freedom of thought and action. Neither Lermontov nor Pechorin had it. What is left for these people? Fatigue, "a bitter smile at oneself."

Before his death, Vulich said: "He's right!" Pechorin correctly predicted his imminent death. Now, obviously, he must believe in fate. An analysis of further events will help us to dispel our doubts.

The fate of our hero is at stake. It was necessary to neutralize the "intoxicated" Cossack who killed Vulich. Pechorin plays with life again, this time with his own. And not recklessly, like Vulich, but for the sake of saving people. Well, did Pechorin believe in fate this time? He miraculously survived. Undoubtedly, there is faith in "fate", but there is also a lack of faith in the predestination of life. I think Pechorin is a fatalist, but strange. He wants to manage his own life. The lines involuntarily come to memory:

And he, rebellious, asks for storms ...

I think these words correctly express the essence of not only Lermontov, but also his hero Pechorin.

Undoubtedly, the story "Fatalist" has great artistic value. It is divided, so to speak, into two large episodes. The first ended well for Vulich, the second - death.

The role of the landscape in the work plays a very important role. Let us recall the scene when Pechorin returned home in sad loneliness "... a month, full and red, like the glow of a fire, began to appear from behind the jagged horizon of houses ..." The description of a beautiful summer night emphasizes the state of the hero.

The lexical side of the story "Fatalist" is thought out to the smallest detail. For example, the use of the short word "without" becomes tragic for Lermontov. After all, it defines the essence of the Pechorins' generation: “without convictions”, “without pleasure”, “without struggle”, “without glory”. There is one more such "word" - "no". "We are not capable of ... sacrifices for the good of mankind, nor ... even for our own happiness ..." without having "neither hope, nor ... pleasure ..."

Lermontov's vocabulary also defines the class of people. Here, for example, the officers say so: "gentlemen", "designated", "predetermined", "reason." Ordinary people express themselves differently: "sinned", "aunt", "cursed."

Great writers require us to reread them. You can see what you have not noticed before. Having looked through the pages of the story "Fatalist" once again, in particular, the scene of the bet between Vulich and Pechorin, I wondered how the two concepts are connected in the work: "fatalism" and "bet".

In SI Ozhegov's dictionary we read: "A bet is a dispute with the condition to fulfill some obligation in case of a loss." And fatalism is explained as a mystical belief in an inevitable fate. I was surprised how such words, different in lexical connotation, turned out to be very close in Lermontov's work and how talented the author of the work developed events around these concepts, making “fatalism” and “bet” either close friends or blood enemies.

The theme of fate, predestination and free will is the main theme in Lermontov's work and reflects one of the facets of the author's intention. This question stands most vividly in the story "The Fatalist". It is no coincidence that she completes the novel and is a kind of result of the moral and philosophical searches of the hero, and with him the author. The theme of fate can be revealed by comparing the images of Vulich and Pechorin. The main character of "Fatalist", like the main character of the whole novel, feels his uniqueness, exclusivity. Passion for gambling in the broadest sense - gambling, playing with death and playing with feelings, stubbornness with which the lieutenant every time begins with the hope of winning, denounce in Vulich something unusually close, somewhat akin to Pechorin, with his strange game with his own life.

Pechorin exposes himself to great danger, kidnapping Bela, tracking down the smugglers, agreeing to a duel with Grushnitsky, and neutralizing the drunken Cossack. In this respect, Vulich is Pechorin's double. However, in The Fatalist, Pechorin is no longer fighting with people and circumstances, but with the very idea of ​​fate, trying to prove to Vulich and himself that "there is no predestination", that "often we take a deception of feelings or a blunder of reason for persuasion." And here the “fatalist” Vulich considers Pechorin as opposed to the “skeptic” and is an ideological antipode. Thus, the heroes agree in their unanimous desire to penetrate beyond the ordinary, to comprehend the meaning of Rock and the power of its power over man. But we see that their attitude to fate, fate is the opposite.

In addition, Vulich is characterized by spiritual passivity characteristic of the young generation of the thirties of the nineteenth century, a feeling of being dissolved in their own destiny, a loss of the will to live, "a strong pleasure that the soul meets in any struggle with people or with fate." Hence the strange painful game of the hero with death. Throughout his life, Vulich strove to be stronger than fate.

But soon, because of his senseless games, he dies. He is killed by a Cossack. The description of this terrible and absurd death expresses the author's irony over a certain hero and the weakness of human nature in general, but at the same time reveals the tragedy of a whole generation of people, a special spiritual "illness" of the era. Pechorin also seems to be a fatalist, it is not for nothing that he also decides to "tempt fate."

However, if Vulich, as a true fatalist, really completely entrusts himself to fate and relies on predestination, pulls the trigger of a pistol without any preparation in an episode with a major, then Pechorin acts in a completely different way in such circumstances. He throws a murderer Cossack out the window, having thought out a plan of action in advance and provided many details. Comparing these heroes, the author tries to solve the issue of human freedom. So, Pechorin declares: “And if there is definitely a predestination ... why should we give an account of our actions? By this very hero, in contrast to Vulich, expresses the position of a spiritually independent person, who in her thoughts and actions relies primarily on her own mind and will, and not on dubious “heavenly” plans. At the same time, the account of a person in all his words and actions in the first place to himself increases not only the measure of his personal freedom, but also personal responsibility - for his life, for the fate of the world.

Pechorin spoke about this even after the duel with Grushnitsky, ranking himself among those who have "the courage to take on all the burden of responsibility" without shifting it to circumstances. Let us also recall the conversation with Werner before the duel, in which the hero remarks: "There are two people in me: one lives in the full sense of the word, the other thinks and judges him ..." the author's intention. Finally, the introduction of Vulich into the system of images of the novel allows the author to most fully and reliably portray the social and spiritual contradictions of the thirties: his passivity, blind faith in the chosenness of a person by fate and, at the same time, the effective position of a part of this generation in an attempt to resist predetermination.

Oct 06 2014

The chapter begins with a story about the bet of Pechorin and Vulich. In this controversy, Vulich proves the existence of a predestination from above. He shoots himself with a loaded pistol, but as a result of the misfire, he survives. Is it a game of chance or fate? sure fate.

It is this confidence of his that contributes to the appearance that this incident is not the end, but only the beginning of the main, most likely tragic events in life. In a philosophical dispute between them, their life positions were determined: Vulich, being connected with the East, believes in predestination, and Pechorin acts as a person-carrier of practical thinking: “... if there is definitely predestination, then why are we given will, reason? why should we give an account of our actions? ...

". Pechorin, questioning everything, does not agree with Vulich, the evidence given by the officer is not enough for him, he must check himself and test his fate. Paradoxically, it is he who predicts the imminent death of Vulich, based only on the fact that "on the face of a person who is to die in a few hours, there is some terrible imprint of the inevitability of fate." However, the dispute agitated Pechorin, he reflects on this on the way home, but fate has prepared for him a sleepless night. Describing what is happening, the hero will note: “...

apparently, it was written in heaven that this night I will not get enough sleep. " This is how the episode begins: officers appear at his house and bring him the shocking news that Vulich is killed. What a terrible predestination? Confused, because he foresaw this death, Pechorin goes to the hut in which the Cossack murderer Vulich is locked. How amazed he is, is evidenced by his inner reflections, the fragmentary nature of his phrases and thoughts.

Approaching the hut, he sees "a terrible commotion." psychologically accurately conveys his condition, the rest of the inhabitants of the village and the flushed officers. The abundance of verbs (jumped out, ahead, ran, howl, wail) reflects the confusion and horror of all these people who learned about Vulich's tragic death. They are so scared that they cannot control themselves, confusion does not allow them to do anything. And Pechorin is already calm.

His sharp mind notices the indecisive Cossacks, the despair of women, and the madness in the eyes of the old woman-mother of the locked-in killer. Everyone realizes the need to "decide on something," but no one dares to capture the insane Cossack. Neither persuasion nor threats to him help.

After all, the killer understands the hopelessness of his situation. He, who has already committed such a grievous, being in an extremely agitated state, has nothing to lose. Pechorin, looking through the window, immediately noticed the pallor of the Cossack, and his horror at the sight of blood, and his terribly rotating eyes, and his gestures when he grabbed his head. He looked like a mad man. He is ready to die, but, probably, will not surrender voluntarily, but, most likely, will shoot back if they try to grab him.

The officers also understand this, therefore they propose to shoot the criminal. At this moment, Pechorin decides on a desperate act that struck him himself: he wants, like Vulich, to try his luck. This idea, which seems strange and inexplicable, is actually very logical. She is the opportunity to try fate and find out if there is a predestination from above. The events of the previous evening, the insane killer, the indecision of the officers, all this makes Pechorin take a very risky decision, that is, try alone and without weapons to seize an armed man, though cornered, but very dangerous.

Is it suicide? However, the hero takes this step. He challenges his fate, his inner reflection, excitement “do not interfere with the decisiveness of character,” even the feeling is created that he is delighted by making a dangerous decision. "My heart was beating violently," writes Pechorin. He captures the Cossack, and at the same time copyright

Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time" is rightfully called not only a socio-psychological, but also a moral-philosophical novel, and therefore philosophical issues are organically included in it. The main idea of ​​the novel is the search for the place of a strong personality in life, the problem of freedom of human action and the role of fate that limits it.

The question of freedom of human will and predestination, fate, in one way or another, is considered in all parts of the novel. Pechorin is not for a moment free from the question: “Why did I live? for what purpose was I born? .. And, surely, it existed, and, it is true, it 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 empty and ungrateful passions. "

And yet a detailed answer to the question about the degree of human freedom in the world, about the role of fate in his life and about the existence of predestination is put in the final part of the novel - the philosophical story "Fatalist".

A fatalist is a person who believes in the predetermination of all events in life, in the inevitability of fate, fate, fate. In the spirit of his time, which revises the fundamental questions of human existence, Pechorin tries to decide whether the purpose of a person is predetermined by a higher will, or whether a person himself determines the laws of life and follows them.

The story begins with a philosophical debate about the existence of predestination, which ties up the plot of Fatalist. Opponent of Pechorin in it is Lieutenant Vulich, presented as a person connected with the East: he is a Serb, a native of a land ruled by the Turks, endowed with an oriental appearance. He is not only a fatalist, but also a gambler, and this, from the point of view of the dispute over predestination, is very important. Gambling, which he is passionate about, makes the win completely dependent on chance. This allows us to connect the questions of winning or losing with fate - fortune. It is significant that Pechorin is also fond of the card game.

But the player can perceive himself in a romantic spirit - as a person entering into a duel with Rock, a rebel, placing hope on his will. Or maybe, on the contrary, like the fatalist Vulich, believe that everything depends on Fate, mysterious and hidden from the eyes. At the same time, both positions do not equally exclude personal courage, activity and energy.

It is from these positions - romantic and fatalistic - that Pechorin and Vulich make a bet. Vulich, believing that "the fate of a man is written in heaven," boldly decides to test his fate: he shoots himself with a loaded pistol - but the pistol misfires. When he again cocks the trigger and shoots at the cap hanging over the window, the bullet pierces it.

It is interesting to note Pechorin at the end of this episode: “You are happy in the game,” he says to Vulich. “For the first time,” he replies. Indeed, it turns out that this was the first and last case of his luck. After all, on the same night, returning home, he was killed by a drunken Cossack. And again we must return to the bet of Pechorin and Vulich. After all, this death was predicted by Pechorin even before Vulich's shot: "You will die today!" - Pechorin says to him. And it was not for nothing that Vulich "flushed and was embarrassed" when, after the happy end of the bet, Pechorin, who claims that he now believes in predestination, says: "But now I don’t understand why it seemed to me that you must certainly die today." Everything that follows serves as an illustration of the thesis: "You cannot escape fate."

It would seem that the dispute is over, the bet and what followed it only confirmed the existence of predestination, fate. Moreover, Pechorin himself is tempting fate, deciding to disarm a drunken Cossack, Vulich's murderer. “... A strange thought flashed through my head: like Vulich, I decided to try my luck,” says Pechorin.

Thus, as the action of "Fatalist" develops, Pechorin receives a threefold confirmation of the existence of predestination and fate. But his conclusion sounds like this: “I like to doubt everything: this disposition of the mind does not interfere with the decisiveness of character; on the contrary, as far as I am concerned, I always go forward more boldly when I do not know what awaits me. "

He feels in himself, in his time, liberation from the blind faith of his ancestors, accepts and defends the opened free will of man, but he knows that his generation has nothing to replace the “blind faith” of previous eras. And yet the problem of the existence of predestination, posed by Lermontov in this story, is mainly of a philosophical nature. It forms part of the philosophical concept of the writer about the relationship between East and West, which is reflected in all of his work. Belief in predestination is characteristic of a person of Eastern culture, belief in one's own strength is characteristic of a person of the West.

Pechorin, of course, is closer to a man of Western culture. He believes that belief in predestination is a trait of people of the past, they seem ridiculous to a modern person. But at the same time, the hero thinks about "what willpower gave them" this faith. His opponent, Lieutenant Vulich, is presented as a person connected with the East: he is a Serb, a native of a land ruled by the Turks, endowed with an oriental appearance.

The story seems to leave open the question of the existence of predestination. But Pechorin still prefers to act and verify the course of life with his own actions. The fatalist has turned his opposite: if predestination exists, then this should only make a person's behavior more active. It is humiliating to be just a toy in the hands of fate. Lermontov gives just such an interpretation of the problem, without answering unequivocally the question that tormented the philosophers of that time.

Thus, the philosophical story "Fatalist" plays the role of a kind of epilogue in the novel. Thanks to the special composition of the novel, it ends not with the death of the hero, which was reported in the middle of the work, but with Pechorin's demonstration at the moment of coming out of the tragic state of inaction and doom. Here, for the first time, a hero disarming a drunken Cossack who killed Vulich and is dangerous to others, does not perform some far-fetched action designed only to dispel his boredom, but a generally useful act, moreover, not associated with any "empty passions": the theme of love in "Fatalist" turned off altogether.

In the first place is the main problem - the possibilities of human action, taken in the most general terms. This is what allows us to end on a positive note the seemingly “sad thought” about the generation of the 30s of the XIX century, as Belinsky called the novel “A Hero of Our Time”.

Nevertheless, the path of searches has already been indicated, and this is Lermontov's great merit not only to Russian literature, but also to Russian society. And today, when deciding the question of fate and its role in human life, we involuntarily recall Lermontov and the hero of his novel. Of course, hardly any of us living in our time will go on such a deadly experiment, but the very logic of solving the question of fate, proposed in "Fatalist", I think, may be close to many. After all, "who knows for certain whether he is convinced of what or not? .. And how often do we take for conviction a deception of the senses or a blunder of reason! .."

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