The origin and social position of Pechorin is brief. The character of Grigory Pechorin in the novel “Hero of Our Time”: positive and negative traits, pros and cons


Roman M.Yu. Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" was written in 1840. This is the first psychological novel in Russian literature, exploring inner world the main character is a young nobleman, military officer Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin.

Revealing the image

The image of Pechorin is revealed gradually. At first we see him through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, a fifty-year-old staff captain. The old man tells the author that he had the pleasure of knowing very strange man G.A. Pechorina. He, according to him, is not a simple “guy” who has a number of inexplicable contradictions: he could hunt all day in the drizzling rain, or he could catch a cold due to open window; capable of going after a wild boar one on one, but at the same time being frightened by the sound of a closing window. Maxim Maksimych was surprised by his ability to remain silent for hours, and sometimes talk in such a way that “you’ll tear your stomach with laughter.”

We also learn about Pechorin’s wealth, about his special purpose: “There are these people who are written in their family that extraordinary things should happen to them!”

Pechorin's problem

Pechorin's main problem is that he quickly gets bored with everything. In his youth, he turned to the light, but high society quickly became boring to him; Pechorin did not see the point in the education he had received for years. The hope of gaining interest in life in the Caucasus also turns out to be false: the whistling of bullets worries him no more than the buzzing of mosquitoes. Bela, a young Circassian, was the last chance for Pechorin. But it turned out that “the love of a savage is a little better than love noble lady."

The hero's internal contradictions are also expressed in his appearance, presented to the reader through the eyes of a traveling officer - an author-narrator close to the hero in age and social status.

In the chapter “Maksim Maksimych” we see the main character as a slender, stately retired officer, dressed in the latest fashion. He is of average height, fair-haired, but with a black mustache and eyebrows. The author sees the secrecy of character in the carelessness of his gait and the absence of waving his arms. At first glance, Pechorin’s face seems youthful, but upon closer examination, the author notices traces of wrinkles, and there is something childish in his smile. It is significant that the hero's eyes did not laugh when he laughed. This speaks of an evil disposition or a great and difficult life experience.

Pechorin's trials

Like many others literary heroes, Pechorin undergoes tests of love and friendship, but does not withstand them: he kills a friend in a duel, causing pain to all those who love him and loved ones. He himself says that he is only capable of causing people suffering, since “he did not sacrifice anything for those he loved.” He is an individualist by nature, he does not need anyone to realize his life goals, he is able to solve all his problems on his own.

Indeed, Pechorin is cruel to many close people. Take even his meeting after a long separation with Maxim Maksimych - he treated the old man, who considered him his son, as a stranger. But it should be noted that he is also cruel to himself. There is not a single requirement for others that he would not fulfill himself. Many of his misfortunes and clashes with society occur due to his maximalism, demanding everything from life at once, but the impossibility of receiving proper satisfaction.

In my opinion, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a worthy, intelligent, spiritually strong person. But he cannot find application for his immense powers and capabilities in the conditions of his contemporary society, which does not have any spiritual values.

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 the capital's 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. Also in at a young age Pechorin realized that neither happiness nor fame depend 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 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. His image shows originality, talent, energy, honesty and courage in a strange way get along with skepticism, lack of faith 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 as a subtle connoisseur of 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”

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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. The characterization of Pechorin - the central figure of Mikhail Lermontov's novel - allows us 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 for understanding the novel historical context. 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 has repeatedly emphasized that in his novel the main character is Pechorin, this corresponds to the main goal of the story - to talk about typical people generations, 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. It was difficult to find representatives in society 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 - located in modern Arkhangelsk region and more calm. 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 is deprived of such a scale of destructive power; complexity and inability to realize himself cause him to feel 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. Baynov, in his poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,” created a unique image endowed with the desire to actively search for one’s purpose, the 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 Alexandrovich Pechorin - classic representative romanticism, which combined the concepts of Byronism and the superfluous man. 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. " An extra person“Pechorin is made by circumstances. 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 the images of Pushkin’s Eugene 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 of the people's cause, 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 by different characters in the novel allow readers to look at the hero, respectively, from 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 a “unique face,” one that women are madly attracted to. 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 a noble family, who received a decent upbringing and education (he knows French and 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 cause of destruction life paths 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

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The very title of the novel suggests that Lermontov wanted to delve deeper into social life of its time. the main problem this novel is the fate of a thinker, talented person, which could not find application in conditions of social stagnation.

In the image of his main character, Lermontov embodied the features inherent in to the younger generation that time. In this way the author raised the question of the fate of the extraordinary human personality in that era. In the preface, he noted that the “hero of our time” is not a portrait of one person, but composed of the vices of an entire generation in their full development.

The main task of the novel is to reveal the depth of Pechorin's image. There is no visible plot connection between the stories. Each of them is a separate episode of the hero’s life, which reflects different traits of his character.

The deep inner world of Grigory Alexandrovich, his negative traits are most clearly revealed in the story “Princess Mary”. The plot here is Pechorin’s meeting with Grushnitsky, a familiar cadet. And then Pechorin’s next “experiment” begins, the goal of which is to comprehend the truth and nature of man. Main character plays the role of an observer and actor simultaneously. It’s not enough for him to simply observe people’s behavior, he pits them against each other, forcing their souls to open up and manifest themselves to the fullest: to love, to hate, to suffer. This is what makes the people he “experiments” on dislike and even hate him.

This is exactly what happens in the case of Grushnitsky. This young army officer from the petty nobility was placed next to Grigory Alexandrovich not by chance. The image of the cadet is very important in the novel, it is a distorting mirror of Pechorin - it highlights the truth and significance of this “suffering egoist”, the depth and exclusivity of his nature.

Grushnitsky has a trait that especially irritates Pechorin: he is vain, strives to play the role of a disappointed romantic hero. Pechorin can clearly see his posturing and desire to make an effect. Having exchanged a rough soldier's overcoat for a shiny officer's uniform, Grushnitsky could not hide his delight.

Delving into the plot, the reader understands that Pechorin was not interested in the young Princess Ligovskaya, he achieves her love only to annoy Grushnitsky, without even thinking about the fact that he is dooming Mary to suffering. Later, this subtle, calculated move of the protagonist becomes clear, on the one hand it does not decorate him, but on the other hand, it exposes Grushnitsky, who, overwhelmed by jealousy and hatred, easily succumbs to the influence of others. He turns out to be capable of low and vile acts and participates in an intrigue directed against Pechorin. The scene of the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky reveals the characters' characters. It is written vividly and impressively. Pechorin is cheerful and full of nobility, he is ready to forgive Grushnitsky for wanting to shoot with an unarmed man, but Grushnitsky could not rise to nobility, admit himself guilty and ask for forgiveness.

Pechorin can be condemned for his indifferent attitude towards the young princess, but is it worth it? The princess changed after meeting him: she became smarter and wiser. This girl has matured and began to understand people. And we cannot firmly say what would be better for her: to remain that naive girl or to become a woman with a completely clearly defined character. It seems to me that the second one is better. Pechorin in this case played a positive role in her fate.

The hero always hopes to find in people something for which he can love and respect them, but he does not find it. I think this is why he despises others or is indifferent to them. This hurts him.

Each story has another separate goal - to show the loneliness of the hero, his alienation from people. The author achieves this by placing Pechorin in different environments. The contrast of the hero against the background of other people, against the background of the highlanders, helps to reveal to us as much as possible many of the traits of his character. We see that because of his alienation the hero is not subject to traditions or moral standards the society into which he finds himself.

The image of Pechorin “as a hero of his time” is revealed in relationships with other characters who are not similar either in character or in position to Pechorin. The change of persons leading the narrative is also of particular importance. First, Maxim Maksimych, a “passing officer,” talks about Pechorin. Then the author-narrator talks about him, and then Pechorin reveals himself in his diaries. The portrait of Pechorin itself characterizes him as an extraordinary personality.

It is impossible not to note the skill with which Lermontov revealed his main character to us. Throughout the entire work, the author strives to reveal the inner world of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin as fully as possible. The compositional complexity of the novel is inextricably linked with the psychological complexity of the image of the main character. The ambiguity of Pechorin’s character, the inconsistency of this image, was revealed not only in the study of his spiritual world, but also in the correlation of the hero with other characters. In the first part we see Pechorin through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych. This man is sincerely attached to Pechorin, but is spiritually deeply alien to him. It's not just the difference that separates them social status and age. They are people of principle various types consciousness and children different eras. For the staff captain, an old Caucasian, his young friend is an alien, strange and inexplicable phenomenon. Therefore, in the story of Maxim Maksimych, Pechorin appears as a mysterious and mysterious person.

There are qualities in Pechorin that attract people with whom he has to communicate. There are situations when it even compares favorably with others. Pechorin, no matter who he communicates with, makes an impression on everyone, without trying to great effort. Werner is the only person with whom it is easy and simple for Pechorin. They understand each other perfectly, and Pechorin values ​​Werner’s opinion. The story of their relationship is the story of a failed friendship between people who are spiritually and intellectually similar. Pechorin explains the impossibility of their friendship this way: “I am incapable of friendship: of two friends, one is always the slave of the other.” Throughout the entire novel, Pechorin does not have a single friend, but he acquires many enemies. In Pechorin's duel with Grushnitsky, Werner acts as a second, but the outcome of the duel frightens him, and Werner decides to say goodbye to Pechorin.

Already from the first story “Bella” the duality and contradiction of the hero is revealed to us. Maxim Maksimovich described Pechorin as follows: “He was a nice guy, I dare to assure you; just a little strange. After all, for example, in the rain, in the cold, hunting all day; everyone will be cold and tired - but nothing to him.” And the hero himself wrote in his diary: “I have an innate gift of contradiction; “My whole life has been nothing but a chain of sad and unsuccessful contradictions to my heart or reason.”

We see the duality of his nature in the fact that he is extraordinary, clever man, but on the other hand, an egoist who breaks hearts, and at the same time a victim or hostage of society, to which he opposes himself.

Passion for contradictions and dual personality are the main character traits of the hero. Contradictions manifest themselves in the external circumstances of his life; skepticism and unbelief create discord in his soul, feelings and thoughts.

Pechorin is a richly gifted nature, he is eager for action, constantly feeling the need to search for a sphere of his activity. He creates adventures for himself, actively interfering in the fate and lives of those around him, changing the course of things in such a way that it leads to an explosion, a collision. Adding his alienation to people's lives, his craving for destruction, he acts without regard for the feelings of other people, without paying attention to them.

Grigory Pechorin is an energetic, intelligent person, but he cannot find use for his mind, his knowledge. Possessing effective energy, he directs it to ordinary circumstances, for which it becomes destructive. His life does not correspond to the desire to surpass everyone, to exalt his will and desires, the thirst for power over people. Gregory's character is manifested in different situations, But special feature for him is the desire for introspection. The hero ponders his actions and condemns himself, fighting with himself. His nature needs this internal struggle; it contains the unity of the personality. The hero's reasoning about himself, his conviction that his “high purpose” suggests that he dreamed of the fate of a person capable of playing a great role in the lives of many people. Without wishing harm to anyone, but without doing any good, he destroys the established quiet life those around you. Pechorin is opposed to other characters, like movement is to peace. He interferes in other people's lives.

Pechorin tries to explain why fate needs him, and comes to an unexpected conclusion, in which something irrational is felt: fate is keeping him so that he drinks the “cup of suffering” to the end.

The motif of fate grows towards the end of the novel. In the story “Fatalist,” Pechorin tests fate and emerges victorious from this clash, but doubts his victory.

He cannot stay in one place, he needs to change the situation, environment, so he cannot be happy with any woman. Neither deep love, Pechorin does not feel any real affection for any of the women. He treats Bela like an annoying toy. Playing on the prejudices and instincts of the mountaineers, Pechorin wastes his mind and energy on a goal unworthy of a decent person. In his attitude towards Princess Mary, Pechorin looks even more repulsive.

After some time, Grigory Pechorin is overcome by boredom, and he rushes in search of novelty and change. Only the hero’s tender relationship with Vera shows the reader that he loves her. This feeling manifests itself most strongly at the moment when there is a danger of losing Faith: “Faith has become dearer to me than anything in the world...”.

The plot of the novel points out to the reader the aimlessness of the main character's life. Although Pechorin is cruel and indifferent, Belinsky called him “a suffering egoist,” because he condemns himself for his actions, and nothing brings him satisfaction. Pechorin has everything to achieve his goal, but he does not see this goal: “Why did I live? why was he born? To find a goal, you need to stop, stop being free, give up part of your freedom. Pechorin does not do this. This, too, lies the tragic contradiction of his nature. Lermontov Pechorin Roman

All his life G.A. Pechorin can be called a tragedy. Lermontov showed the reader two main reasons explaining this tragedy. The first is a personality trait of Pechorin. The hero’s fate is not easy, he has experienced a lot, influenced many other people’s lives, and destroyed many human destinies.

The second reason for his tragedy is the unreasonable structure of society. From this point of view, Pechorin's tragedy is a tragedy of time. He dies, apparently without resolving his contradictions.

Lermontov did not seek to pass a moral verdict. He's only with enormous power showed all the abysses human soul devoid of faith, filled with skepticism and disappointment.

The image of Pechorin, depicted by Mikhail Lermontov, is, first of all, the personality of a young man who suffers from his restlessness and is constantly captivated by questions: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?

What kind of hero is he, the 19th century?

Pechorin is not at all like his peers; he does not have the slightest desire to move along the beaten path of secular youth of that time. The young officer serves, but does not seek to curry favor. He is not interested in music, philosophy, and does not want to go into the intricacies of studying military craft. But it immediately becomes clear to the reader that the image of Pechorin is the image of a man who is head and shoulders above the people around him. He is quite smart, educated and talented, distinguished by energy and courage. Nevertheless, Pechorin’s indifference to other people, the selfishness of his nature, and the inability to empathize, friendship and love are repulsive. The contradictory image of Pechorin is complemented by his other qualities: the thirst to live to the fullest, the ability to critically evaluate one’s actions, the desire for the best. The “pathetic actions” of the character, the senseless waste of energy, his actions that cause pain to others - all this makes the hero look bad. better light. However, at the same time, the officer himself is experiencing deep suffering.

The complexity and inconsistency of the main character of the famous novel is especially clearly represented by his words that two people live in him at the same time: one of them lives in the full sense of the word, and the second thinks and judges the actions of the first. It also talks about the reasons that laid the foundation for this “divination”: “I told the truth - they didn’t believe me: I began to deceive...” A young and hopeful young man in just a couple of years turned into a callous, vindictive, bilious and ambitious person; as he himself put it - “ moral cripple" The image of Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” echoes the image of Onegin created by A. S. Pushkin: he is a “reluctant egoist”, disappointed in life, prone to pessimism, experiencing constant internal conflict.

30s The 19th century did not allow Pechorin to find and reveal himself. He repeatedly makes attempts to lose himself in petty adventures, love, exposes himself to the bullets of the Chechens... However, all this does not bring him the desired relief and remains only an attempt to distract himself.

Nevertheless, the image of Pechorin is an image of a richly gifted nature. After all, he has a sharp analytical mind; he evaluates people and the actions they perform with unusual accuracy. He developed a critical attitude not only towards others, but also towards himself. In his diary, the officer exposes himself: a hot heart beats in his chest, capable of feeling deeply (the death of Bela, meeting Vera) and experiencing extremely strongly, although it is hidden under a mask of indifference. However, this indifference is nothing more than self-defense.

“A Hero of Our Time,” in which the image of Pechorin is the basis of the narrative, allows you to see the same person from completely different sides, to look into different corners of her soul. At the same time with all of the above, in the guise of an officer we see a strong-willed, strong and active person in whom “vital forces” lie dormant. He's ready to act. Unfortunately, almost all of his actions ultimately cause pain to both Pechorin himself and those around him; his activities are not creative, but destructive.

The image of Pechorin strongly resonates with Lermontov’s “Demon,” especially at the beginning of the novel, when something demonic and unsolved remains in the hero. The young man, by the will of fate, becomes the destroyer of other people's lives: it is he who is to blame for the death of Bela, for the fact that Maxim Maksimovich was completely disillusioned with friendship, for how much Vera and Mary suffered. Grushnitsky, in turn, dies at the hands of Pechorin. Pechorin played a role in how another young officer, Vulich, died, as well as in how “honest smugglers” were forced to leave their homes.

Conclusion

Pechorin is a man who no longer has a past left and only has hope for something better in the future. In the present, he remains a perfect ghost - this is how Belinsky characterized this contradictory image.

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