A verbal portrait of Pechorin in the fatalist chapter. Essay on the topic: Pechorin is a fatalist (based on the novel by M. Yu

The work of M. Yu. Lermontov is a novel about one hero. The image of Grigory Pechorin is collective; the author himself believed that the image includes all the shortcomings of an entire generation. The compositional features of the novel deserve special attention. The work consists of five parts, independent of each other.

The only thing that unites them is the main character himself. The author invites the reader to familiarize themselves with these parts in the order that most fully reveals the character of the central character.

The main character in the chapter "Fatalist"

The final chapter “Fatalist” is a kind of finale to the work, highlighting and complementing the main features of Pechorin.

In the first four parts, the main character is presented as a person who has an extraordinary, analytical mindset and is aware of his own shortcomings.

Before us appears a contradictory, truly tragic personality, disappointed in life. He does not know how to be happy himself and brings misfortune to others. At the same time, as a rule, there is no malicious intent in his actions, but he does not feel any regrets either. Pechorin could not understand the meaning of his existence, did not find a goal in life.

The theme of predestination in the novel

In the story “Fatalist,” the central character arrives in a Cossack village, where he whiles away the time playing card games with other officers. In one of the conversations we talked about predestination, the predetermination of fate. Vulich opposed this position and made a bet with Grigory Pechorin. The officer took the gun, put it to his head and pulled the trigger. But it turned out that the shot was a blank, and the next one was real. It might have seemed that the dispute was over, but Pechorin carefully watched Vulich and noticed the “stamp of death” on his face. But Vulich did not believe the main character. And in vain: he accidentally died that same day at the hands of a Cossack.

The theme of predestination is a cross-cutting theme in Mikhail Lermontov's novel. Pechorin is contradictory in this too.

On the one hand, the situation with Vulich, that is, we can say that he believes in fate. But on the other hand, Gregory ridicules those who believe that the stars can influence human life. From his reasoning we understand that he considers the belief that the heavenly bodies predetermine fate “convenient.” It’s easier for a person to live this way. And Pechorin himself is trying to understand his thoughts and form a common point of view on this issue.

Other officers' opinions about predestination also differ: some believe in fate, while others do not.

The most important is the final episode, in which the inhabitants of the village gather around the house of Yefimych, the same Cossack who killed Vulich. Pechorin believes that there is no determination in the Cossack’s gaze, but in the entire crowd there is no one who would dare to break down the door and take Yefimych out.

The old esaul believes that you can try to shoot the criminal through the cracks in the hut, leaving him no chance of repentance, but the situation is complicated by the fact that Yefimych’s mother is also there. To avoid killing a Cossack in front of his mother, Pechorin dares to take a brave action.

The main character sneaks into the house and captures the criminal alive, thereby saving his life. Such an act is like an attempt to test fate. After all, nothing can save if you are destined to perish. But the main character remains alive.

From the first pages of the diary it becomes known that the hero died on the way to Persia. But by the end of the story, we perceive him differently: he is not just an ordinary representative of his generation, but a hero, a bright personality with his own vices and virtues.

This is a young man, tired of the trials that befell him, but still believing in the best, in the fact that he can find a purpose and meaning for his own existence. He is critical of his thoughts and actions, and does not create illusions about himself. And this earns the reader's respect.

Such inconsistency in everything constitutes the very essence of his personality. Such is Pechorin - the hero of his time.

“A Hero of Our Time” is a novel by one hero. The image of Pechorin is collective, as Lermontov himself says, it consists of “the vices of our entire generation in their full development.” You should pay attention to the composition of the novel. It consists of five independent parts, united by the main character, which the author invites us to study not in chronological order, but in one that better reveals Pechorin’s character.

From this point of view, the last chapter “Fatalist” is of particular interest to us, which seems to be the finale, the final touch in the portrait of Grigory Alexandrovich.

In the previous chapters, the author portrays to us a person with an extraordinary analytical mind, who knows all his shortcomings and weaknesses, and shows a contradictory personality. He is disillusioned with life, his fate is full of tragedy, he makes other people unhappy, “often without malice, always without regret...” Pechorin was never able to unravel his destiny, was unable to spend the strength of his “immense soul” as he should have, I didn't find a purpose in life.

In the last chapter, Pechorin arrives on the left flank, in the Cossack village. There he spends time playing cards with the officers. One day the conversation turned to the fact that “man’s fate is written in heaven.” Officer Vulich resolutely opposes this point of view and makes a bet with Pechorin. He shoots himself in the temple with a pistol, but the shot turns out to be a blank. The next one is real. It would seem that the dispute has been resolved, but Pechorin, watching Vulich, sees the “seal of death” on his face and tells him about it, but Vulich does not believe him. Grigory Alexandrovich is still convinced that the officer will die today. And so it happens: he is accidentally killed by a Cossack.

The theme of predestination runs throughout the novel. Pechorin remains controversial on this issue. On the one hand, he notices the “stamp of death” on Vulich’s face, that is, he believes in predestination, but on the other hand, he ridicules people who believe that the stars take part in their lives. He argues that it has always been more convenient for people to believe that the luminaries take part in their lives, tries to sort out his feelings, to come to a common opinion: “The incident of this evening made a rather deep impression on me and irritated my nerves; I don’t know for sure whether I now believe in predestination or not, but that evening I firmly believed in it: the proof was striking, and despite the fact that I laughed at our ancestors and their helpful astrology, I unwittingly fell into their rut.”

The officers' opinions about fate are also contradictory. Someone asks why a person needs reason and will if everything has already been decided, and someone exclaims that you cannot escape your fate.

But the most important thing is the last episode in the story, when the entire village gathers at the hut of Yefimych (the Cossack who killed Vulich). What stands out from all of them is the face of his mother, full of despair. According to Pechorin, Efimych’s gaze does not express determination, but no one dared to break down the door of the hut. The old esaul offers to shoot the criminal through the crack, in front of his mother, without giving him the opportunity to repent. Then Pechorin commits a reckless and at the same time noble act: he sneaks into the hut and captures the Cossack alive, saving him from imminent death. He seems to be testing his fate, knowing that if he is destined to die, then nothing will save him. But Pechorin remains alive.

As we learned at the beginning of the diary, he died on the way to Persia. But in our eyes he looks completely different by the end of the story. He becomes a hero. Not one of an entire generation, taken as an example of a set of vices, but an outstanding personality, with his own merits and demerits; a contradictory, tired person who, despite all the difficulties and troubles, of which he encountered many on his short life path, continues to believe that he will receive deliverance, that his life will get better, that he will find a goal and achieve it . He is boldly aware of all his actions and thoughts, intentions and desires.

By disarming the killer, Pechorin commits, probably, the first act that makes sense. He is a fatalist, but does not believe that “you cannot escape your fate.” First, he immorally risks someone else's life, then he puts his own at risk. This is another contradiction. This is the whole of Pechorin, the hero of our time.

Speaking about the work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, one cannot ignore his famous philosophical novel “A Hero of Our Time”. In his work, the writer tried to explore the psychological image of Grigory Pechorin, but he could not get by with Pechorin alone, since the main character captures many destinies, after whose touch they all either die or lose their meaning, interest and love for life.
Lermontov depicts the life stages of the main character in his novel, starting with a chapter called “Bella”, ending with an absolutely philosophical and thoughtful chapter, which contains in its title the main meaning of the entire content. “Fatalist” is the last section of Pechorin’s diary. According to one critic, the absence of the last chapter of the novel would make the image of Pechorin incomplete. Why, without this chapter, would the internal portrait of the main character be incomplete?
Reading the novel by Mikhail Lermontov, we observe the life cycle of Grigory Pechorin. During his life, Pechorin left only suffering in the memory of people, however, he himself was a terribly unhappy person. The contradictions and loneliness that were born in his soul consumed him, not giving life to sincere emotions and feelings. This is how, chapter by chapter, we got to know the main character, revealing new portions of human vices in his soul. But the main point of the entire novel is the chapter “Fatalist”. It shows Pechorin's attitude to fate; it is in it that the phenomenon of predestination is called into question. Thus, the author does not relieve the hero of responsibility for all the actions he has committed. The writer, varying life situations, only guides Pechorin through them, exploring new facets of his soul. It is this chapter that affirms the truth of Pechorin’s statements and the author’s thoughts in that the significance of human activity in one’s own destiny is very, very important. So, going against the fate of events and fate, Pechorin enters the hut where the Cossack killer is raging, whom he rather quickly and skillfully disarmed. At this moment, the best qualities of the hero’s nature emerged.
The final chapter of the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” “Fatalist,” brings the main idea of ​​the novel to its logical conclusion and full disclosure of the main character. The collective image, which contains both good qualities and completely unforgivable ones, asserts its position in the last part of the work. The writer leaves the question of fatalism open, ending Pechorin’s life on the way to Persia. It is in this chapter that the image of Grigory Pechorin is exhausted to the very end, completely absorbed in philosophical reflections on fate, the meaning of life and the fact that a person’s struggle for his own life is possible and necessary.
Of course, the final chapter of the novel is the most important section of Pechorin’s diary. Only in it do we reveal the last recesses of the soul of the main character, finding in him reflections on predestination, which certainly find their refuge in the soul of the writer himself.

The final part of Lermontov’s work “A Hero of Our Time” is the story “Fatalist”. The events in this chapter take place near the Cossack village, where the main character stayed for two weeks. Basically, what the officers did was play cards. But one day there was a disagreement between them.

One of the officers told everyone present an Islamic story that the fate of every person had long been decided and a person is not the master of his own destiny. Most agreed with this statement. However, there was also someone who disagreed. Ardent and brave Lieutenant Vulich. He called for trying reasoning about the destiny of man. The lieutenant said that if the die was cast, then a pistol shot would not kill him and offered a bet. Only one person agreed, it was Pechorin.

At the same moment, Vulich took the pistol, reloaded it and fired. But the weapon ricocheted. At the same moment, Pechorin notices death on his face and reports that he will die today. The next shot made a large hole in the hat hanging on the wall. Then Pechorin doubted his words. After some time, everyone disperses. When Pechorin heads home, he is still thinking about the words he said to the lieutenant and continues to believe in them. On the way, he sees the carcass of a chopped up pig, and people were looking for a drunken Cossack. In the morning, Pechorin is informed that Vulich was stabbed to death by that same Cossack.

By nature, Pechorin himself was a fatalist. So when such an opportunity presented itself, he himself decided to find out his fate. The lieutenant's killer locked himself in a house on the outskirts. When he was distracted, Pechorin climbed through the window. The Cossack began to defend himself and shoot, but Pechorin managed to escape unscathed. When he returned to the fortress, he immediately reported this story to Maxim Maksimovich. After listening to the story, he replied that this often happens with pistols, and then continued, apparently, this is the fate of Vulich.

In “Fatalist”, a certain night picture in the hero’s reflections on the comparability of the stars and the destinies of people seems to transform into a “universal” one. A lyrical digression emerges that conveys the philosophical meaning of the image of Pechorin and the story “Fatalist” as the epilogue of the novel.

Option 2

In the chapter of the novel “Fatalist”, all the characters unite around the main character. This chapter, Pechorin’s diary, helps to most accurately understand all his actions. Pechorin does not agree with society, he opposes it, but he cannot rebel against it.

Pechorin remains true to his principles, no matter what. At a time when his friends ask Vulich to put down the pistol, Pechorin suggests either putting down the pistol or shooting himself. After the tragic events of the evening, we observe interesting reflections of the main character of the novel. Yes, he admits his guilt, but from the words of his comrades. Reflecting further, he comes to the conclusion that today's generation of youth is just pitiful descendants, unable to think, feel, or act. It’s as if they are wandering the earth with the thought of an inevitable end. He seemed to reproach the younger generation for their inaction. But he himself is entirely under the power of fate.

During Pechorin’s time, many people, due to the impossibility of explaining this or that event, were fatalists and believed in the inevitability of fate. As a result, all social life seemed useless and meaningless. Lermontov in the novel, but mainly in the chapter “Fatalist,” wanted to emphasize that in addition to fate, there is also the will of man. This is how he tried to portray Pechorin. He tests his fate, rushing towards death, and defeats it. It is simply necessary to fight and resist. He acted, but as if according to a planned plan of events, for verification or comparison. Going on a trip, Pechorin dropped the phrase: “Perhaps I’ll die somewhere!” Knowingly preparing yourself for the inevitable, and no matter under what circumstances. After all, physically Pechorin is absolutely healthy, but his soul was terminally ill.

Pechorin hates everyone around him. Causes pain just like that, without reason, even to the closest people. The hero's selfish nature brings only tears and death. He is able to live in his individualism, such a society is a burden to him. He never sacrifices his principles, his views, while he easily sacrifices those around him. Such actions of his are committed not out of spiritual malice, but because of the struggle within himself. We see him tormented by his own ego. It is very difficult for Pechorin himself to live with such views that tear him apart. But at the same time, he is not ready to sacrifice his personal principles.

Lermontov showed us not an egoist fatalist, but raised a deeply philosophical topic about the purpose of man on earth.

Analysis 3

The place of the individual in society has always worried writers and poets of different eras. Many works are devoted to this topic. Examples of searching for an answer to the question posed can be traced in the works of M.Yu. Lermontov. The novel “A Hero of Our Time” is no exception.

The main character of the novel, Pechorin, is looking for the meaning of life, he constantly tests fate and cannot decide on his place in society. The novel consists of five parts, the last of which, The Fatalist, sums up the entire narrative. All chapters of the novel represent a separate storyline and can be considered as independent works. What unites them all is the main character.

Lermontov consistently leads the reader to the final part of the novel through previous chapters, which provide an opportunity to understand the character and moral image of the hero. The logical conclusion of the story was Pechorin’s philosophical and moral reasoning about the meaning of life and the justification of his actions. At first glance, an intelligent person, the hero completely relies on fate. He believes that a person’s life path is dictated by fate and cannot be changed.

The chapter consists classically of an exposition, a main part and a finale. It begins with a dispute between officers about the pattern of fate. Conventionally, the dispute sets the author the task of showing whether a person’s hour of death is predetermined by fate, whether the hero is responsible for his reckless actions, playing with death. Vulich tries to prove to Grigory about the real existence of fate; on a dare, he grabs the first pistol he comes across and shoots himself in the head. The gun misfired, which, in his opinion, clearly proves the existence of fate. Pechorin saw Vulich’s approaching death in the shot, but he shot again, thereby showing the hero’s vain warnings.

When Pechorin learns about the death of an officer at the hands of a drunken Cossack, he reaffirms his belief about the existence of signs of fate, regardless of a person’s behavior and his actions. The difference between the main character and his deceased friend is not without his integral game with death.

The main part of the chapter “Fatalist” is the main character testing his fate. He, being on the brink of death, was able to neutralize the criminal under targeted shots from his friend’s killer. Here again fortune turned its face to Gregory, who began to think about whether it was worth risking his life for no reason and whether everything depended on fate.

The final part of the novel is the hero’s reflection on his life, which passed without a goal and wasted on trifles. Pechorin turned out to be an unnecessary person for the society of that time, he understands this, his soul is empty.

An interesting ring device is used by M.Yu. Lermontov in the ideological plot line of the work. The novel ends where it began in the fortress. The author seems to emphasize the possibility of a repeat development of the event.

The chapter “Fatalist” is a dedication to the new generation. In it, Lermontov shows his attitude towards the hero, masterfully building the plot and leading him to the philosophical theory of Pechorin. The reader's attitude towards the main character may be ambiguous, but one thing is clear: Lermontov is a psychologist of the human soul.

The Fatalist chapter is the last, final part of the novel. The action begins with a heated argument, the ending of which is a bet between Pechorin and Vulich. The theme is predetermination of fate. Vulich believed in this, but Grigory did not agree with him. He is used to denying everything, questioning everything. Vulich's evidence is not significant for him. He must verify everything personally. An analysis of the chapter “Fatalist” from the novel “A Hero of Our Time” will reveal the author’s position in relation to Pechorin and help to understand who Pechorin is, a victim in the current circumstances or a winner.

Gregory foresaw his death and was surprised when, shooting from a loaded pistol, he remained alive. Was it really a mistake? How could this happen, because he clearly saw the stamp of death on his face. Pechorin returned home in deep thought. Near the house, the reflections were interrupted by officers who suddenly appeared and reported the news of Vulich’s death. This is predestination. He knew that Vulich was not a tenant and was now convinced that he was right.

Deciding to try his own fate, Pechorin goes to the killer’s house, relying on cold calculation, courage and clear, consistent actions that have saved him more than once in difficult situations. Grigory immediately assessed the situation. He noticed the slightest nuances of the further development of events. Seeing the Cossack killer, he noted his unhealthy appearance, madness in his gaze, panic at the sight of blood. He is a madman ready to die, but not surrender to the police. Then he decides to capture the killer alone. A great opportunity to play roulette with fate.

He managed to capture the killer and remain unharmed. He was lucky again. He remains alive again. So is there destiny or does it all depend on the person. Returning to the fortress, he shares his thoughts with Maxim Maksimych. Another in his place would definitely have become a fatalist, but not Pechorin. After reflecting on this topic, Gregory came to the final conclusion that man

“always moves forward more boldly when he does not know what awaits him.”

This chapter is Pechorin’s thoughts about himself and his actions. His character requires him to take decisive action and struggle, but he is not ready to rebel against reality. There is nothing real in the society to which he belongs. His fight against him has no meaning and no future. In this fight he wasted all his mental strength. Morally devastated, he realizes that he has no strength left for real life.

In his notes, Pechorin admits:

“Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? And it’s true that it existed, and it’s true that I had a high purpose, because I feel immense strength in my soul; but I did not guess this purpose. I was carried away by the lures of empty and ungrateful passions; I came out of their crucible, hard and cold as iron, but I lost forever the ardor of noble aspirations for a better color of life...”

Restless, aimlessly existing, spiritually devastated, he became superfluous in this society and at this time.