How Pechorin describes himself. The character of Grigory Pechorin in the novel "A Hero of Our Time": positive and negative features, pros and cons

The novel "A Hero of Our Time" by M. Yu. Lermontov can be attributed to the first socio-psychological and philosophical work in prose. In this novel, the author tried to display the vices of the entire generation in one person, to create a multifaceted portrait.

Pechorin is a complex and controversial person. The novel includes several stories, and in each of them the hero opens up to the reader from a new side.

The image of Pechorin in the chapter "Bela"

In the chapter "Bela" opens to the reader from the words of another hero of the novel - Maxim Maksimych. This chapter describes Pechorin's life circumstances, his upbringing and education. Here, too, the portrait of the protagonist is revealed for the first time.

Reading the first chapter, we can conclude that Grigory Alexandrovich is a young officer, has an attractive appearance, at first glance pleasant in any respect, he has good taste and a brilliant mind, and an excellent education. He is an aristocrat, an esthete, one might say, a star of secular society.

Pechorin - the hero of our time, according to Maxim Maksimych

The elderly staff captain Maksim Maksimych is a gentle and good-natured man. He describes Pechorin as rather strange, unpredictable, not like other people. Already from the first words of the staff captain, one can notice the internal contradictions of the protagonist. He can be in the rain all day and feel great, and another time he can freeze from a warm breeze, he can be frightened by the cotton of window shutters, but he is not afraid to go to the wild boar one on one, he can be silent for a long time, and at some point a lot talk and joke.

The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter "Bel" has practically no psychological analysis. The narrator does not analyze, evaluate or even condemn Gregory, he simply conveys many facts from his life.

The tragic story of Bela

When Maksim Maksimych tells the wandering officer a sad story that happened before his eyes, the reader gets acquainted with the incredible cruel egoism of Grigory Pechorin. By virtue of his whim, the protagonist steals the girl Bela from her home, without thinking about her future life, about the time when she finally gets tired of her. Bela later suffers from Gregory's coldness, but can't do anything about it. Noticing how Bela is suffering, the staff captain tries to talk to Pechorin, but Grigory's answer causes only misunderstanding in Maxim Maksimych. It doesn’t fit in his head how a young man, for whom everything is going very well, can also complain about life. It all ends with the girl's death. The unfortunate woman is killed by Kazbich, who had previously killed her father. Having fallen in love with Bela like his own daughter, Maxim Maksimych was struck by the coldness and indifference with which Pechorin suffered this death.

Pechorin through the eyes of a wandering officer

The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter "Bela" differs significantly from the same image in other chapters. In the chapter “Maxim Maksimych”, Pechorin is described through the eyes of a wandering officer who was able to notice and appreciate the complexity of the character of the protagonist. The behavior and appearance of Pechorin are already attracting attention. For example, his gait was lazy and careless, but at the same time he walked without waving his arms, which is a sign of some kind of secrecy in character.

The fact that Pechorin experienced mental storms is evidenced by his appearance. Gregory looked older than his years. In the portrait of the main character there is ambiguity and inconsistency, he has delicate skin, a childish smile, and at the same time deep. He has light blond hair, but a black mustache and eyebrows. But the complexity of the hero's nature is emphasized most of all by his eyes, which never laugh and seem to scream about some hidden tragedy of the soul.

Diary

Pechorin arises by itself after the reader encounters the thoughts of the hero himself, which he wrote down in his personal diary. In the chapter “Princess Mary”, Grigory, having a cold calculation, makes the young princess fall in love with him. According to the development of events, he destroys Grushnitsky, first morally, and then physically. All this Pechorin writes down in his diary, every step, every thought, accurately and correctly evaluating himself.

Pechorin in the chapter "Princess Mary"

The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter “Bela” and in the chapter “Princess Mary” is striking in its contrast, since Vera appears in the second mentioned chapter, who became the only woman who managed to truly understand Pechorin. It was her that Pechorin fell in love with. His feeling for her was unusually quivering and tender. But in the end, Grigory loses this woman as well.

It is at the moment when he realizes the loss of his chosen one that a new Pechorin opens up before the reader. The characterization of the hero at this stage lies in despair, he no longer makes plans, he is ready for stupid ones and Unable to save the lost happiness, Grigory Alexandrovich cries like a child.

Final chapter

In the chapter "The Fatalist" Pechorin is revealed from another side. The main character does not value his life. Pechorin is not even stopped by the possibility of death, he perceives it as a game that helps to cope with boredom. Gregory risks his life in search of himself. He is courageous and brave, he has strong nerves, and in a difficult situation he is capable of heroism. You might think that this character is capable of great things, having such a will and such abilities, but in fact it all came down to the "thrill", a game between life and death. As a result, the strong, restless, rebellious nature of the protagonist brings only misfortune to people. This thought gradually arises and develops in the mind of Pechorin himself.

Pechorin is a hero of our time, a hero of his own, and of any time. This is a person who knows habits, weaknesses, and to some extent he is selfish, because he thinks only about himself and does not take care of others. But in any case, this hero is romantic, he is opposed to the world around him. There is no place for him in this world, life is wasted, and the way out of this situation is death, which overtook our hero on the way to Persia.

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Quotation characteristic of Pechorin based on the work of M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time".

Pechorin Onegin Lermontov image

10-B student

Galichyan Oleg

"He was of medium height; his slender, thin frame and broad shoulders proved a strong build, capable of enduring all the difficulties of nomadic life and climate change, not defeated by either the debauchery of metropolitan life or spiritual storms; his dusty velvet frock coat, fastened only with two lower buttons I could see the dazzlingly clean linen, which betrayed the habits of a decent person, his soiled gloves seemed to be purposely sewn on his small aristocratic hand, and when he took off one glove, I was surprised at the thinness of his pale fingers. that he did not wave his arms is a sure sign of a certain secretiveness of character. However, these are my own remarks, based on my own observations, and I do not at all want to make you believe in them blindly. When he sank down on the bench, his straight frame bent as if he had not a single bone in his back; the position of his whole body depicted some kind of nervous weakness: he sat as a thirty-year-old Balzac coquette sits on her feather chairs after a tiring ball. At first glance at his face, I would not have given him more than twenty-three years, although after that I was ready to give him thirty. There was something childlike in his smile. His skin had a kind of feminine tenderness; blond hair, curly by nature, so picturesquely outlined his pale, noble forehead, on which, only after a long observation, one could notice traces of wrinkles that crossed one another and, probably, were much more pronounced in moments of anger or mental unrest. Despite the light color of his hair, his mustache and eyebrows were black - a sign of breed in a man, just like a black mane and a black tail in a white horse. To complete the portrait, I will say that he had a slightly upturned nose, teeth of dazzling whiteness, and brown eyes; I must say a few more words about the eyes.

First, they didn't laugh when he laughed! - Have you ever noticed such strangeness in some people? This is a sign - or an evil disposition, or a deep constant sadness. Their half-drooped eyelashes shone with a kind of phosphorescent sheen, so to speak. It was not a reflection of the heat of the soul or a playful imagination: it was a brilliance, like the brilliance of smooth steel, dazzling, but cold; his glance, short, but penetrating and heavy, left an unpleasant impression of an indiscreet question and might have seemed impudent if it had not been so indifferently calm. All these remarks came to my mind, perhaps only because I knew some details of his life, and, perhaps, the sight of him would have made a completely different impression on another; but since you will not hear about him from anyone but me, you will have to be content with this image. In conclusion, I will say that he was generally very good-looking and had one of those original physiognomies that secular women especially like.

From the short story "Maxim Maksimych". Quotation characteristic of Pechorin

Great love for the Caucasus	1 . There is no woman's gaze that I would not forget at the sight of curly mountains illuminated by the southern sun, at the sight of a blue sky, or listening to the noise of a stream falling from cliff to cliff. 2 . “I was soon transferred to the Caucasus: this is the happiest time of my life. ” 3 . Moving away from the conditions of society and approaching nature, we involuntarily become children; everything acquired falls away from the soul, and it becomes again such as it once was and, surely, will someday be again.
An active nature striving for constant movement	1 . Glory is luck, and to achieve it, you just need to be dexterous. ( h. I " Bella") 2 . Ideas are organic creations, someone said: their birth already gives them a form, and this form is action; the one in whose head more ideas were born, he acts more than others; from this the genius, chained to the bureaucratic table, must die or go insane, just as a man with a powerful physique, with a sedentary life and a modest behavior, dies of apoplexy. 3 . To many, all epitaphs in general seem ridiculous, but not to me, especially when I remember what lies beneath them.
Passion for contradictions	1 . Russian young ladies for the most part feed only on platonic love, without mixing with it the thought of marriage; and platonic love is the most restless. 2 . Music in the afternoon puts me to sleep, and sleeping in the afternoon is great: hence, I love music medically. 3 . Almost all passions begin like this, and we often deceive ourselves very much, thinking that a woman loves us for our physical or moral virtues; of course, they prepare her heart to receive the sacred fire, but still the first touch decides the matter. 4 . Since poets write and women read them (for which they are deeply grateful), they have been called angels so many times that they really, in the simplicity of their souls, believed this compliment, forgetting that the same poets called Nero a demigod for money
	1 . I confess that I have a strong prejudice against all the blind, crooked, deaf, dumb, legless, armless, humpbacked, etc. I noticed that there is always some kind of strange relationship between the appearance of a person and his soul: as if with the loss of a member, the soul loses some feeling. ( " Magazine Pechorin" , " Taman") 2 . You men do not understand the pleasures of a look, a handshake, but I swear to you, listening to your voice, I feel such a deep, strange bliss that the hottest kisses cannot replace it. 3 . To be the cause of suffering and joy for someone, without having any positive right to do so - is this not the sweetest food of our pride? And what is happiness? Intense pride. 4 . My love did not bring happiness to anyone, because I did not sacrifice anything for those whom I loved: I loved for myself, for my own pleasure: I only satisfied the strange need of the heart, greedily absorbing their feelings, their joys and sufferings - and I never could get enough.
Not sincerity	1 . I lied; I wanted to annoy her 2 . “I spoke the truth - they did not believe me: I began to deceive; knowing well the light and springs of society, I became skilled in the science of life. ” 3 . I understood him, and for this he does not love me, although we outwardly are on the most friendly terms.
Manipulation of people	1 . Of two friends, one is always the slave of the other, although often neither of them admits this to himself. ( " Magazine Pechorin" , " Princess Mary") 2 . A penitent criminal should never be rejected: out of desperation, he can become even twice as criminal ... and then ... 3 . There is an immense pleasure in the possession of a young, barely blossoming soul! She is like a flower whose best fragrance evaporates towards the first ray of the sun; it must be torn off at that moment and, after breathing it to its fullest, throw it on the road: maybe someone will pick it up! 4 . Ambition is nothing but a thirst for power, and my first pleasure is to subordinate everything that surrounds me to my will; arouse to oneself a feeling of love, devotion and fear - is this not the first sign and the greatest triumph of power?
pride	1 . O selfishness! you are the lever with which Archimedes wanted to raise the globe!. ( " Magazine Pechorin" , " Princess Mary") 2 . Some revere me worse, others better than I really ... Some will say: he was a kind fellow, others - a bastard. Both will be false. Is it worth living after this? but you still live - out of curiosity: you expect something new ... Ridiculous and annoying! 3 .". it was true that I had a lofty appointment, because I feel immense strength in my soul. "
rancor	1 . Here are the people! all of them are like this: they know in advance all the bad sides of an act, they help, advise, even approve it, seeing the impossibility of another means - and then they wash their hands and turn away indignantly from the one who had the courage to take on all the burden of responsibility. All of them are like that, even the kindest, most intelligent ones! 2. I'm stupidly created: I don't forget anything 3 . Every reminder of past sadness strikes painfully into my soul and extracts all the same sounds from it.
Attitude towards friendship and love Attitude towards friendship and love	1 . A strange thing is the human heart in general, and the female heart in particular! 2 . I have already passed that period of my spiritual life when they are only looking for happiness, when the heart feels the need to love someone strongly and passionately - now I only want to be loved, and then by very few; even it seems to me that one constant attachment would be enough for me: a miserable habit of the heart! 3 . The restless need for love that torments us in the first years of youth throws us from one woman to another until we find one who cannot stand us: here begins our constancy - a true endless passion, which can be mathematically expressed by a line falling from a point to space; the secret of this infinity is only in the impossibility of reaching the goal, that is, the end.
Relationships with women	1 . Breed in women, as in horses, is a great thing; this discovery belongs to Young France. She, that is, the breed, and not Young France, is mostly exposed in her steps, in her arms and legs; especially the nose means a lot. The correct nose in Russia is less common than a small leg. ( " Magazine Pechorin" , " Taman") 2 . We must do justice to women: they have an instinct for spiritual beauty ( " Magazine Pechorin" , " Princess Mary") 3 . Women love only those they don't know. 4 . Women! women! who will understand them? Their smiles contradict their gazes, their words promise and beckon, and the sound of their voice repels ... Either they comprehend and guess our most secret thought in a minute, or they do not understand the clearest hints ... ( Grushnitsky) 5 . There is nothing more paradoxical than the female mind; women are difficult to convince of anything, they must be brought to the point where they convince themselves; the order of evidence with which they destroy their prejudices is very original; in order to learn their dialectics, one must overthrow in one's mind all the school rules of logic.

Comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin

Onegin and Pechorin are representatives of a certain historical era. In their deeds and deeds, the authors reflected the strength and weakness of their generation. Each of them is a hero of his time. It was time that determined not only their common features, but also their differences.

The similarity of the images of Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin is indisputable. Origin, conditions of upbringing, education, formation of characters - all this is common to our heroes.

They were well-read and educated people, which put them above the rest of the young people of their circle. Onegin is a capital aristocrat with a rich inheritance. This is a very complex and contradictory person. He is talented, smart and educated. Evidence of Onegin's high education is his extensive personal library.

Pechorin is a representative of the noble youth, a strong personality, there is a lot of exceptional, special in him: an outstanding mind, extraordinary willpower. Possessing significant abilities, spiritual needs, both failed to realize themselves in life.

In their youth, both heroes were fond of carefree secular life, both succeeded in the "science of tender passion", in the knowledge of "Russian young ladies". Pechorin says that when he met a woman, he always accurately guessed whether she would love him. It only brings misfortune to women. And Onegin left a not too good mark on Tatyana's life, not immediately sharing her feelings.

Both heroes go through misfortunes, both become the perpetrators of the death of people. Both Onegin and Pechorin value their freedom. The indifference to people characteristic of both, disappointment and boredom affect their attitude towards friendship. Onegin is friends with Lensky because there is nothing to do. And Pechorin says that he is not capable of friendship, and demonstrates this in his cold attitude towards Maxim Maksimych.

It becomes clear that there are differences between the heroes of Pushkin's and Lermontov's novels. Onegin is an egoist, which, in principle, is not his fault. The father almost did not pay attention to him, giving his son to tutors, who only praised the guy. So he grew up into a person who cared only about himself, about his desires, not paying attention to the feelings and suffering of other people. Onegin is not satisfied with the career of an official and a landowner. He never served at all, which distinguishes him from his contemporaries. Onegin leads a life free from official duties.

Pechorin is a suffering egoist. He understands the insignificance of his position. Pechorin considers himself one of their pitiful descendants who roam the earth without pride or conviction. Lack of faith in heroism, love and friendship deprive his life of values. He does not know why he was born and why he lives. Pechorin differs from his predecessor Onegin not only in temperament, willpower, but also in the degree of his attitude to the world. Unlike Onegin, he is not just smart, he is a philosopher and thinker.

Both Onegin and Pechorin, disappointed in the life around them, go to a duel. However, everyone has their own reason. Onegin is afraid of public opinion, accepting Lensky's challenge to a duel. Pechorin, shooting with Grushnitsky, takes revenge on society for unfulfilled hopes.

Fate sends Lermontov's hero test after test, he himself is looking for adventure, which is important. It attracts him, he just lives in adventure. Onegin, on the other hand, accepts life as it is, goes with the flow. He is a child of his era, spoiled, capricious, but obedient. Pechorin's disobedience is his death. Both Onegin and Pechorin are selfish, but thinking and suffering heroes. Because by hurting other people, they suffer no less.

Comparing the description of the life of the heroes, one can be convinced that Pechorin is a more active person. Onegin, as a person, remains a mystery to us.

But for us, these heroes remain interesting and important, as holders of high human dignity.

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Belinsky very accurately described the personality of Pechorin, calling him a hero of our time, a kind of Onegin. And they are so similar that the distance between the rivers Pechora and Onega is much greater than the difference in their characters. Herzen also agrees with Belinsky, who considers Pechorin to be Onegin's younger brother. And if you think about it, it's easy to guess that they are really very close. Both characters are typical representatives of secular society.

In their youth, they both tried to get everything out of life, read books and were fond of science, but then lost interest in knowledge. They were completely bored. At the same time, the characters think critically, they are better and smarter than many others.

However, everyone has their own spiritual life. Onegin belongs to the era of socio-political reforms and the time preceding the Decembrist uprising. Pechorin, on the other hand, lives in a period of rampant reaction, when the uprising was put to an end. Onegin, if desired, could join the Decembrist movement, and Pechorin is deprived of all kinds of opportunities, so he suffers greatly. In many ways, his suffering is due to the depth and talent of nature.

Indeed, from the first pages, readers understand that in front of them is an extraordinary character with an unbending will and a remarkable mind, overwhelmed by passions and emotions. Pechorin understands people with amazing insight and is critical of himself. He accurately guesses the character and inclinations of those around him. Outwardly, he is calm, but feels strong and deep. In addition to his inner strength, Pechorin is also overwhelmed by a thirst for activity.

However, he refers to himself only as a "moral cripple", because all his actions are illogical and contradictory.

This inconsistency is visible both in his appearance and in his manners. Lermontov himself does not get tired of emphasizing the oddities of the hero's nature. For example, when Pechorin laughs, his eyes are cold, which is a sign of either anger or constant being in anguish. His glance is fleeting, but heavy and even impudent, however, Pechorin is very calm and indifferent. The hero is secretive, although some laziness and carelessness are guessed in his gait. He is both strong and weak at the same time. He is about 30 years old, but his smile is still visible spontaneity.

Maxim Maksimych also noticed Pechorin's features, saying that everyone can get tired while hunting, and Pechorin does not react to fatigue in any way, or he assures that he has caught a cold, turns pale and trembles.

Using the example of Pechorin, Lermontov shows the "disease" of the entire generation of that time. Pechorin himself says that his whole life consists of a string of unsuccessful and dreary events that are contrary to common sense and heart. How does this manifest itself?

First of all, it concerns his attitude to life. Pechorin does not hide the fact that he is skeptical and completely disappointed in life, continuing to live only out of curiosity. On the other hand, it is noticeable that he is eager to act.

Moreover, there is a continuous struggle between the senses and the mind. Pechorin admits that he thinks only with his head, and evaluates all his passions and emotions from the point of view of reason. However, the hero has a warm and understanding heart, capable of loving. Pechorin is especially indifferent to nature: in contact with it, all anxiety dissipates, longing disappears, and the soul becomes light.

In relations with women, Pechorin is also not all that simple. He gives in to his ambitious impulses and seeks to win the love of women. He dreams of subordinating everything to his will, to win the love and devotion of others.

But Pechorin cannot be called an egoist, since great love is not alien to him. His attitude towards Vera clearly demonstrates this. When the hero received her last letter, he immediately jumped on his horse and rushed to Pyatigorsk to see his beloved and say goodbye to her. Pechorin realized that Vera was very dear to him, more important than life, happiness and honor. In the steppe, he was left without a horse and wept from impotence, falling on the wet grass.

All these contradictions prevent Pechorin from living a full life. He sincerely believes that the best part of his soul has died.

On the eve of the scheduled duel, Pechorin thinks about his life and wonders if there is a goal in it. He answers his question in his diary, stating that he feels great powers within him, and that the purpose probably existed. But the problem is that he could not find an activity that would be worthy of him. He spends all his strength on petty and unworthy actions, for example, kidnaps Bela, plays with Mary's love, destroys the life of smugglers, kills Grushnitsky. Unwillingly, he brings death to everyone: Bela and Grushnitsky die, Vera and Mary are doomed to suffering, and Maxim Maksimych is distressed, who began to doubt the possibility of friendship and sincerity between people.

Thus, the most terrible thing in Pechorin's life is the discrepancy between the hero's immense spiritual strength and petty deeds. This contradiction is fatal for everyone.

So whose fault is it that Pechorin has become superfluous in his own life? Pechorin admits that his soul was pretty spoiled by secular society, with which he was never able to break the connection. He spent all his young years on a fruitless struggle with the high society and with himself. He deeply hid and practically destroyed all the best feelings, fearing misunderstanding and ridicule.

But not only the noble society is to blame for the difficult fate of Pechorin, because the Decembrists also came out of this society. Thus, Pechorin is a classic hero of the 1930s.

Talking surname Pechorin

The surname Pechorin is speaking, it clearly indicates his resemblance to the hero of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, Eugene Onegin. Their surnames are formed in the same way: the names of the rivers (Onega and Pechora) are used as the root, and the surname Pechorin in this case hints that these characters are similar in character, Pechorin, like Onegin, can be called "an extra person".

Pechorin's appearance

Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is a young officer of 25 years old, the protagonist of Mikhail Yuryevich's novel "A Hero of Our Time".

Pechorin's appearance suggests that he is a favorite of women: attractive, slender, but with broad shoulders, blond hair and a black mustache.

Origin, character, image of Pechorin

Pechorin's character is very contradictory: immoral, impudent, but smart, brave and persistent, he understands that he often behaves incorrectly, although he does not want to change. Pechorin comes from a wealthy noble family, he serves in St. Petersburg, but after one incident with a duel, he is transferred to the Caucasus. He has lived most of his life in a secular society, but sincerely hates it, including women from this society, whom he literally sees through. Pechorin is well educated, knows French, but practically does not read books. He is a secretive person who is well versed in people, but he opens up to few people. He is selfish, determined and believes that he has no friends, only buddies. He is greatly spoiled by his wealth and therefore does not value his life at all, nothing pleases him and almost nothing interests him. He dies at the age of 30 on the way from Persia to Russia.

Updated: 2018-03-03

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Useful material on the topic

"A Hero of Our Time" is the most famous prose work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. In many respects, it owes its popularity to the originality of the composition and plot and the inconsistency of the image of the protagonist. We will try to figure out why Pechorin's characteristic is so unique.

History of creation

The novel was not the first prose work of the writer. Back in 1836, Lermontov began a novel about the life of St. Petersburg high society - "Princess Ligovskaya", where the image of Pechorin first appears. But because of the exile of the poet, the work was not completed. Already in the Caucasus, Lermontov again takes up prose, leaving the former hero, but changing the scene of the novel and the title. This work was called "The Hero of Our Time".

The publication of the novel begins in 1839 in separate chapters. Bela, Fatalist, Taman are the first to be published. The work caused a lot of negative reviews from critics. They were connected primarily with the image of Pechorin, which was perceived as a slander "for a whole generation." In response, Lermontov puts forward his own characterization of Pechorin, in which he calls the hero a collection of all the vices of the society contemporary to the author.

Genre originality

The genre of the work is a novel that reveals the psychological, philosophical and social problems of the Nikolaev era. This period, which came immediately after the defeat of the Decembrists, is characterized by the absence of significant social or philosophical ideas that could inspire and unite the progressive society of Russia. Hence the feeling of uselessness and the impossibility of finding one's place in life, from which the younger generation suffered.

The social side of the novel already sounds in the title, which is saturated with Lermontov's irony. Pechorin, despite his originality, does not correspond to the role of a hero; it is not for nothing that he is often called an anti-hero in criticism.

The psychological component of the novel is in the great attention that the author pays to the inner experiences of the character. With the help of various artistic techniques, the author's characterization of Pechorin turns into a complex psychological portrait, which reflects all the ambiguity of the character's personality.

And the philosophical in the novel is represented by a number of eternal human questions: why does a person exist, what is he like, what is the meaning of his life, etc.

What is a romantic hero?

Romanticism as a literary movement emerged in the 18th century. His hero is, first of all, an extraordinary and unique personality who is always opposed to society. A romantic character is always lonely and cannot be understood by others. It has no place in the ordinary world. Romanticism is active, it strives for accomplishments, adventures and unusual scenery. That is why Pechorin's characterization is replete with descriptions of unusual stories and no less unusual actions of the hero.

Portrait of Pechorin

Initially, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is an attempt to typify young people of the Lermontov generation. How did this character turn out?

A brief description of Pechorin begins with a description of his social position. So, this is an officer who was demoted and exiled to the Caucasus because of some unpleasant story. He is from an aristocratic family, educated, cold and prudent, ironic, endowed with an extraordinary mind, prone to philosophical reasoning. But where to apply his abilities, he does not know and is often exchanged for trifles. Pechorin is indifferent to others and to himself, even if something captures him, he quickly cools down, as was the case with Bela.

But the fault that such an outstanding personality cannot find a place for himself in the world lies not with Pechorin, but with the whole society, since he is a typical "hero of his time." The social environment gave birth to people like him.

Quotation characteristic of Pechorin

Two characters speak about Pechorin in the novel: Maxim Maksimovich and the author himself. Also here you can mention the hero himself, who writes about his thoughts and experiences in his diary.

Maxim Maksimych, a simple-hearted and kind person, describes Pechorin as follows: "A nice fellow ... just a little strange." In this oddity, the whole Pechorin. He does illogical things: he hunts in bad weather and sits at home on clear days; goes to the boar alone, not cherishing his life; it can be silent and gloomy, or it can become the soul of the company and tell funny and very interesting stories. Maxim Maksimovich compares his behavior with the behavior of a spoiled child who is used to always getting what he wants. This characteristic reflected mental throwing, experiences, inability to cope with their feelings and emotions.

The author's quotation of Pechorin is very critical and even ironic: “When he sank down on the bench, his figure bent ... the position of his whole body depicted some kind of nervous weakness: he sat like a thirty-year-old Balzac coquette sits on her downy chairs ... There was something childish in his smile ... ”Lermontov does not idealize his hero at all, seeing his shortcomings and vices.

Attitude towards love

Bela, Princess Mary, Vera, "undine" made Pechorin his beloved. The characterization of the hero would be incomplete without a description of his love stories.

Seeing Bela, Pechorin believes that he has finally fallen in love, and this is what will help brighten up his loneliness and save him from suffering. However, time passes, and the hero realizes that he was mistaken - the girl only entertained him for a short time. In Pechorin's indifference to the princess, all the selfishness of this hero, his inability to think about others and sacrifice something for them, manifested itself.

The next victim of the character's restless soul is Princess Mary. This proud girl decides to step over social inequality and is the first to confess her love. However, Pechorin is afraid of family life, which will bring peace. The hero does not need this, he longs for new experiences.

A brief description of Pechorin in connection with his attitude to love can be reduced to the fact that the hero appears as a cruel person, incapable of constant and deep feelings. He only causes pain and suffering to both the girls and himself.

Duel Pechorin and Grushnitsky

The protagonist appears as a contradictory, ambiguous and unpredictable personality. The characteristic of Pechorin and Grushnitsky indicates another striking feature of the character - the desire to have fun, to play with the fate of other people.

The duel in the novel was Pechorin's attempt not only to laugh at Grushnitsky, but also to conduct a kind of psychological experiment. The main character gives his opponent the opportunity to do the right thing, to show the best qualities.

Comparative characteristics of Pechorin and Grushnitsky in this scene are not on the side of the latter. Since it was his meanness and desire to humiliate the protagonist that led to the tragedy. Pechorin, knowing about the conspiracy, is trying to give Grushnitsky the opportunity to justify himself and retreat from his plan.

What is the tragedy of Lermontov's hero

Historical reality dooms all Pechorin's attempts to find at least some useful use for himself. Even in love, he could not find a place for himself. This hero is completely lonely, it is difficult for him to get close to people, open up to them, let them into his life. Sucking melancholy, loneliness and the desire to find a place in the world - this is Pechorin's characteristic. "A Hero of Our Time" has become a novel-personification of the greatest human tragedy - the inability to find oneself.

Pechorin is endowed with nobility and honor, which manifested itself during the duel with Grushnitsky, but at the same time, egoism and indifference predominate in him. Throughout the story, the hero remains static - he does not evolve, nothing can change him. Lermontov seems to be trying to show by this that Pechorin is practically a half-corpse. His fate is predetermined, he is no longer alive, although he is not yet completely dead. That is why the main character does not care about his safety, he fearlessly rushes forward, because he has nothing to lose.

The tragedy of Pechorin is not only in the social situation, which did not allow him to find application for himself, but also in the inability to simply live. Introspection and constant attempts to comprehend what is happening around led to throwing, constant doubts and uncertainty.

Conclusion

An interesting, ambiguous and very contradictory characterization of Pechorin. "A Hero of Our Time" became Lermontov's landmark work precisely because of such a complex hero. Having absorbed the features of romanticism, the social changes of the Nikolaev era and philosophical problems, Pechorin's personality turned out to be timeless. His throwing and problems are close to today's youth.