Is Pechorin responsible for his tragic fate? Pechorin is a tragic personality, our hero. Is Pechorin a tragic hero? Several interesting essays. that “Chichikov is a real devil”

In the novel “Hero of Our Time,” Lermontov introduces the reader to the image of a man who absorbed the most characteristic qualities of the generation of the 30s of the 19th century. The novel examines the problem of the “superfluous person” using the example of the main character, Pechorin.
Pechorin is a very difficult and contradictory person. His life bears the imprint of tragedy. This is both a tragedy of a person rejected by society and a tragedy of a crippled soul. What is this tragedy and what are its origins and causes?
Pechorin is placed in conditions in which his extraordinary personality cannot fully open up and express himself, and therefore is forced to waste his energy on unnecessary petty intrigues that only bring misfortune to people. Pechorin is forced to play the role of an egoist, that is, to be a “reluctant egoist,” and he himself suffers because of this.
This is the tragedy of the hero.
Pechorin stands out from the crowd of people around him. He is smart, straightforward and insightful. Lies and pretense, hypocrisy and cowardice are alien to him. He is not satisfied with an empty and monotonous existence in pursuit of petty, insignificant interests. Pechorin does not want to go with the flow with everyone else. With his intelligence and strength of character, he is capable of the most decisive and courageous actions. If he had directed his activities towards good, lofty goals, he could have achieved a lot. But fate and life decreed differently. As a result, Pechorin appears before us as an egoist who lives in the world to dispel his boredom at the expense of the misfortunes of others. He lives not with his heart, but with his mind. His soul is half dead. “I have become a moral cripple,” Pechorin admits to Princess Mary. Pechorin is full of contempt and hatred for people. He loves to study the psychology of people in various situations, without empathy or sympathy, but completely indifferently. Pechorin brings nothing but misfortune to those around him. Through his fault, the smugglers suffer, Bela dies, the lives of Vera and Princess Mary are destroyed, and Grushnitsky dies. “I played the role of an ax in the hands of fate,” Pechorin writes in his diary. What prompted the hero to cruel, selfish actions? Most likely the desire to relieve boredom. Pechorin did not think that behind each of his unbridled actions there was a living person with a soul and heart, with his own feelings and desires. Pechorin did everything for himself and nothing for others. “I look at the suffering and joy of others only in relation to myself,” Pechorin admits. This is how he explains his actions in relation to Princess Mary: “... There is immense pleasure in possessing a young, barely blossoming soul... I feel this insatiable greed in myself.” No wonder Princess Mary considers Pechorin worse than a murderer.
What made the hero this way? Possessing extraordinary qualities, Pechorin stood out from the crowd of peers, friends and other people from childhood. He put himself above others, and society put him below. Society does not tolerate those who are not like everyone else; it cannot come to terms with the existence of an extraordinary person who stands out in some way. And yet people failed to bring Pechorin to their average level, but they managed to cripple his soul. Pechorin became secretive, envious, and vindictive. “And then despair was born in my chest - not the despair that is treated with the barrel of a pistol, but cold, powerless despair, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile.”
Using the example of Pechorin, Lermontov shows the inevitable conflict between a thinking person and society, the confrontation between a strong personality and a gray, faceless crowd, the problem of the “superfluous person.”
But can the hero be definitely called a cruel egoist?
“... If I am the cause of the misfortune of others, then I myself am no less unhappy!.. I... am very worthy of regret,” says Pechorin. Indeed, by torturing others, Pechorin himself suffers no less. If he is an egoist, then he is a suffering egoist. Genuine human feelings did not completely die in him. An example is the attitude towards Faith. Indeed, his feelings for this woman are genuine. Pechorin at his core is a deeply unhappy person. He is lonely and incomprehensible.
People avoid him, feeling some kind of evil force in him. Pechorin lives without a goal, without aspirations, wasting himself on empty intrigues and unnecessary passions. But despite this, his heart is still capable of love, his soul is still capable of feeling, and his eyes are still capable of crying. At the end of the chapter “Princess Mary” we see Pechorin crying like a child. We see an unhappy, lonely person who has never found his place in life, who repents of his actions, a person who evokes pity and compassion.
The image of Pechorin is a tragic image of a thinking, strong man. Pechorin is a child of his time, in him Lermontov concentrated the main typical vices of his generation, namely: boredom, individualism, contempt. Lermontov portrayed a man in a struggle with society and with himself and the tragedy of this man.

School essay

The main theme of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" is the depiction of the socially typical personality of the noble circle after the defeat of the Decembrists. The main idea is the condemnation of this individual and the social environment that gave birth to him. Pechorin is the central figure of the novel, its driving force. He is Onegin's successor - "an extra man." He is a romantic in character and behavior, by nature a person of exceptional abilities, outstanding intelligence and strong will.

Lermontov paints a portrait of Pechorin with psychological depth. Phosphorically dazzling, but cold shine of the eyes, a penetrating and heavy gaze, a noble forehead with traces of intersecting wrinkles, pale, thin fingers, nervous relaxation of the body - all these external features of the portrait testify to the psychological complexity, intellectual talent and strong-willed, evil power of Pechorin. In his “indifferently calm” look “there was no reflection of the heat of the soul,” Pechorin was indifferent “to himself and others,” disappointed and internally devastated.

He was characterized by the highest aspirations for social activities and a passionate desire for freedom: “I am ready for all sacrifices... but I will not sell my freedom.” Pechorin rises above the people of his environment with his versatile education, wide awareness of literature, science, and philosophy. He sees the inability of his generation “to make great sacrifices for the good of humanity” as a sad shortcoming. Pechorin hates and despises the aristocracy, therefore he becomes close to Werner and Maxim Maksimych, and does not hide his sympathy for the oppressed.

But Pechorin’s good aspirations did not develop. The unrestrained socio-political reaction, which stifled all living things, and the spiritual emptiness of high society changed and stifled its capabilities, disfigured its moral image, and reduced its vital activity. Therefore, V. G. Belinsky called the novel a “cry of suffering” and a “sad thought” about that time. Chernyshevsky said that “Lermontov - a deep thinker for his time, a serious thinker - understands and presents his Pechorin as an example of what the best, strongest, noblest people become under the influence of the social situation of their circle.”

Pechorin fully felt and understood that under conditions of autocratic despotism, meaningful activity in the name of the common good was impossible for him and his generation. This was the reason for his boundless skepticism and pessimism, the conviction that life was “boring and disgusting.” Doubts devastated Pechorin to such an extent that he had only two convictions left: the birth of a person is a misfortune, and death is inevitable. He diverged from the environment to which he belonged by birth and upbringing. Pechorin denounces this environment and cruelly judges himself; this, according to V. G. Belinsky, is the “strength of spirit and power of will” of the hero. He is dissatisfied with his aimless life, passionately searches and cannot find his ideal: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?..” Internally, Pechorin moved away from the class to which he rightfully belonged by birth and social status, but the new system He did not find a social relationship that would suit him. Therefore, Pechorin does not pass any laws other than his own.

Pechorin is morally crippled by life, he has lost his good goals and turned into a cold, cruel and despotic egoist who is frozen in splendid isolation and hates himself.

According to Belinsky, “hungry for anxiety and storms”, tirelessly chasing life, Pechorin manifests himself as an evil, egocentric force that brings people only suffering and misfortune. Human happiness for Pechorin is “saturated pride.” He perceives the suffering and joy of other people “only in relation to himself” as food that supports his spiritual strength. Without much thought, for the sake of a capricious whim, Pechorin tore Bela from her home and destroyed her, greatly offended Maxim Maksimych, ruined the nest of “honest smugglers” due to empty red tape, disturbed Vera’s family peace, and grossly insulted Mary’s love and dignity.

Pechorin does not know where to go and what to do, and wastes the strength and heat of his soul on petty passions and insignificant matters. Pechorin found himself in a tragic situation, with a tragic fate: neither the surrounding reality nor the individualism and skepticism characteristic of him satisfied him. The hero has lost faith in everything, he is corroded by dark doubts, he longs for meaningful, socially purposeful activity, but does not find it in the circumstances around him. Pechorin, like Onegin, is a suffering egoist, an involuntary egoist. He became this way because of the circumstances that determine his character and actions, and therefore evokes sympathy for himself.

Pechorin is the main character in M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time.” The author himself points out that he embodied in his hero a collective image in which all the vices of the generation were embodied. But Pechorin’s fate is to some extent tragic; sometimes one sincerely wants to feel sorry for the hero. To understand the meaning of the work, it is important to evaluate the tragedy of Pechorin’s fate.

Character of the hero

Pechorin is a very controversial character. He is endowed with a lot of positive qualities. Everything is with him: he is handsome and rich, well-mannered and educated. Grigory carefully monitors his neatness, is not rude to anyone, or is rude. It would seem that all the positive qualities of a well-mannered secular person indicate that he can be happy. He is confident in himself and does not doubt his actions and actions. But the worst thing about this character is the lack of ability to feel. This character is a cynic and an egoist. He does not feel responsible for the destinies and lives of other people, and is capable of playing with the destinies of those who treat him well for the sake of his own whim.

The hero is incapable of love. He himself constantly feels bored, understands the strength of his egoism, and calls himself a “moral cripple.” But he doesn't feel guilty about it. Knowing that his soul has become hardened, he does nothing to correct the situation. He is prone to introspection, but this does not justify him. Pechorin cannot be called a happy person. He is constantly bored. For the sake of satisfying this feeling, he neglects the feelings of other people, but he himself is completely incapable of experiencing them. Probably, the tragedy of the entire generation lies in this - the inability to experience real feelings, because this is a real gift that is inherent only to man. This can be called both a personal tragedy, because such a person is simply pitiful, and a tragedy for those around him, because they are the ones who suffer from the cynicism and selfishness of people like Pechorin.

Tragedy of a generation

But the problem lies not only in Pechorin’s character itself. It is not for nothing that the novel bears such a name, because it reflects the tragedy of an entire generation. Lermontov noted that he had met people similar to Pechorin more than once in his life, and perhaps he himself was one of them. They have a lot of opportunities, but do not feel happy. They live in a period of changing eras, when the old has already become obsolete, and the new is not yet clear. That is why the problem of this generation is global boredom, restlessness, and callousness.

"Moral Cripple"

When Pechorin starts a conversation with someone about himself, he constantly makes it clear that he knows how insensitive he is and that he himself suffers from it. When talking with Maxim Maksimych, he mentions that he is experiencing great boredom, and one can feel sorry for him. Talking to Mary, he says that society made him like this, not accepting good feelings, seeing only evil and negativity in him. That is why he became a “moral cripple.”

THE TRAGICITY OF PECHORIN'S IMAGE. The main theme of the novel “A Hero of Our Time” is the depiction of the socially typical personality of the noble circle after the defeat of the Decembrists. The main idea is the condemnation of this individual and the social environment that gave birth to him. Pechorin is the central figure of the novel, its driving force. He is Onegin's successor - "an extra man." He is a romantic in character and behavior, by nature a person of exceptional abilities, outstanding intelligence and strong will.

Lermontov paints a portrait of Pechorin with psychological depth. Phosphorically dazzling, but cold shine of the eyes, a penetrating and heavy gaze, a noble forehead with traces of intersecting wrinkles, pale, thin fingers, nervous relaxation of the body - all these external features of the portrait testify to the psychological complexity, intellectual talent and strong-willed, evil power of Pechorin. In his “indifferently calm” look “there was no reflection of the heat of the soul,” Pechorin was indifferent “to himself and others,” disappointed and internally devastated.

He was characterized by the highest aspirations for social activities and a passionate desire for freedom: “I am ready for all sacrifices... but I will not sell my freedom.” Pechorin rises above the people of his environment with his versatile education, wide awareness of literature, science, and philosophy. He sees the inability of his generation “to make great sacrifices for the good of humanity” as a sad shortcoming. Pechorin hates and despises the aristocracy, therefore he becomes close to Werner and Maxim Maksimych, and does not hide his sympathy for the oppressed.

But Pechorin’s good aspirations did not develop. The unrestrained socio-political reaction, which stifled all living things, and the spiritual emptiness of high society changed and stifled its capabilities, disfigured its moral image, and reduced its vital activity. Therefore, V. G. Belinsky called the novel a “cry of suffering” and a “sad thought” about that time. Chernyshevsky said that “Lermontov - a deep thinker for his time, a serious thinker - understands and presents his Pechorin as an example of what the best, strongest, noblest people become under the influence of the social situation of their circle.”

Pechorin fully felt and understood that under conditions of autocratic despotism, meaningful activity in the name of the common good was impossible for him and his generation. This was the reason for his boundless skepticism and pessimism, the conviction that life was “boring and disgusting.” Doubts devastated Pechorin to such an extent that he had only two convictions left: the birth of a person is a misfortune, and death is inevitable. He diverged from the environment to which he belonged by birth and upbringing. Pechorin denounces this environment and cruelly judges himself; this, according to V. G. Belinsky, is the “strength of spirit and power of will” of the hero. He is dissatisfied with his aimless life, passionately searches and cannot find his ideal: “Why did I live? for what purpose was I born?..” Internally, Pechorin moved away from the class to which he rightfully belonged by birth and social status, but he did not find a new system of social relationships that would suit him. Therefore, Pechorin does not pass any laws other than his own.

Pechorin is morally crippled by life, he has lost his good goals and turned into a cold, cruel and despotic egoist who is frozen in splendid isolation and hates himself.

According to Belinsky, “hungry for worries and storms”, tirelessly chasing life, Pechorin manifests himself as an evil, egocentric force that brings people only suffering and misfortune. Human happiness for Pechorin is “saturated pride.” He perceives the suffering and joy of other people “only in relation to himself” as food that supports his spiritual strength. Without much thought, for the sake of a capricious whim, Pechorin tore Bela from her home and destroyed her, greatly offended Maxim Maksimych, ruined the nest of “honest smugglers” due to empty red tape, disturbed Vera’s family peace, and grossly insulted Mary’s love and dignity.

Pechorin does not know where to go and what to do, and wastes the strength and heat of his soul on petty passions and insignificant matters. Pechorin found himself in a tragic situation, with a tragic fate: neither the surrounding reality nor the individualism and skepticism characteristic of him satisfied him. The hero has lost faith in everything, he is corroded by dark doubts, he longs for meaningful, socially purposeful activity, but does not find it in the circumstances around him. Pechorin, like Onegin, is a suffering egoist, an involuntary egoist. He became this way because of the circumstances that determine his character and actions, and therefore evokes sympathy for himself.

Pechorin Grigory Alexandrovich, the main character of the work appears in all five parts of the novel. Maxim Maksimych talks about his subordinate in a fatherly manner: “... He was so thin, white, his uniform was so brand new.” The kind Maxim Maksimych sees contradictions in Pechorin’s behavior: “...He was a nice little guy, only a little strange - sometimes he’s silent for hours, sometimes he makes you laugh so much that you’ll tear your tummies.” The staff captain is sure that there are people with whom one must certainly agree, that extraordinary things must happen to them

A more detailed portrait (psychological) is given in the psychological story “Maksim Maksimych” through the eyes of the narrator: “His gait was lazy and careless, but... he did not wave his arms, a sure sign of some secrecy of character. Despite the light color of his hair, his mustache and eyebrows were black - a sign of the breed in a person.”

It is obvious that Lermontov's Pechorin belongs to the disillusioned young people of that era. He continues the gallery of “extra people”. His bright abilities and powers do not find worthy use and are wasted on fleeting hobbies and meaningless and sometimes cruel experiments on others. Already at the beginning of the novel, the hero’s self-confession sounds: “My soul is spoiled by light, my imagination is restless, my heart is insatiable; Everything is not enough for me: I get used to sadness just as easily as to pleasure, and my life becomes emptier day by day...” The best features of Maxim Maksimych, the “Russian Caucasian” of Yermolov’s time, set off the moral anomalies of Pechorin’s nature with its inner coldness and spiritual passion, genuine interest in people and selfish self-will. Pechorin admits: “...I have an unhappy character: whether my upbringing made me this way, whether God created me this way, I don’t know; I only know that if I am the cause of the misfortune of others, then I myself am no less unhappy.” The confession of the main character reveals internal motives of spiritual melancholy and boredom; the hero is not able to find happiness in achieving life goals, since upon achieving them he immediately loses interest in the result of his efforts. The causes of this moral illness are partly related to the “corruption of the world,” which corrupts young souls, and partly to the premature “old age of the soul.”

In his journal, Pechorin analyzes the external and internal events of his life. His sober introspection, clear understanding of himself and other people - all this emphasizes the strength of character, his earthly, multi-passionate nature, doomed to loneliness and suffering, a tireless struggle with his unhappy fate.

Pechorin is a wonderful actor, deceiving everyone and partly himself. There is both the player’s passion and tragic protest, the desire to take revenge on people for their grievances and suffering invisible to the world, for a failed life.

“Pechorin’s soul is not rocky soil, but earth dried up from the heat of fiery life...” notes V.G. Belinsky. Pechorin did not bring happiness to anyone, he did not find a friend in life (“of two friends, one is the slave of the other”), nor love, nor his place - only loneliness, unbelief, skepticism, fear of seeming funny in the eyes of society. He “frantically chases after life,” but finds only boredom, and this is the tragedy not only of Pechorin, but of his entire generation.