Pechorin to reveal the image of the protagonist. Grigory Pechorin from the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time": characteristics, image, description, portrait. The tragic story of Bela

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A person is always driven by the desire to know his destiny. Should you go with the flow or resist it? What position in society will be correct, should all actions comply with moral norms? These and similar questions often become the main ones for young people who actively comprehend the world and the human essence. Youthful maximalism requires clear answers to these problematic questions, but it is not always possible to give an answer.

It is about such a seeker of answers that M.Yu. Lermontov in his novel A Hero of Our Time. It should be noted that with writing prose, Mikhail Yuryevich was always on the "you" and his same position remained until the end of his life - all the novels in prose he started were never finished. Lermontov had the courage to bring the case with the "Hero" to a logical conclusion. This is probably why the composition, manner of presentation of material and style of narration look rather unusual against the background of other novels.

A 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, makes it possible to better understand the atmosphere of the 1830s, the time when the work was written. "A Hero of Our Time" is not in vain recognized by critics as the most mature and large-scale in philosophical sense novels by Mikhail Lermontov.

Of great importance for understanding the novel is historical context... In the 1830s Russian history differed in reactivity. In 1825, the Decembrist uprising took place, and the following years contributed to the development of a mood of loss. The Nikolaev reaction knocked many young people off track: young people did not know which vector of behavior and life to choose, how to make life meaningful.

This was the reason for the emergence of restless personalities, superfluous people.

The origin of Pechorin

Basically in the novel, one character is highlighted, who is centrally in the narrative. One gets the impression 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 narration gives the right to doubt - the position in the text of Maxim Maksimovich is also quite weighty.

In fact, this is a delusion - Mikhail Yurievich has repeatedly emphasized that in his novel the main character- Pechorin, this corresponds to the main purpose of the story - to tell about typical people of the generation, to point out their vices and mistakes.

Lermontov gives rather scant information about childhood, the conditions of upbringing and the influence of parents on the process of forming Pechorin's positions and preferences. Several fragments of it past life they open this veil - we learn that Grigory Alexandrovich was born in St. Petersburg. His parents, according to the existing order, tried to give their son a proper education, but the young Pechorin did not feel a burden to the sciences, they "quickly bored him" and he decided to devote himself to military service. Perhaps such an act is not connected with the arisen 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 already loved for what they are. In society, it was difficult to find representatives 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 the proper satisfaction and Pechorin quickly became disillusioned with it. Grigory Alexandrovich was sent to the Caucasus, as 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 the actions and deeds of Pechorin

The reader gets the first impressions of the main character of Lermontov's novel when he meets Maxim Maksimych. The man served with Pechorin in the Caucasus, in a fortress. It was the story of a girl named Bela. Pechorin acted badly with Bela: out of boredom, having fun, the young man stole a Circassian girl. Bela is a beauty, at first cold with Pechorin. Gradually, the young man kindles a 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 fate of other people, makes others suffer, but remains indifferent to the consequences of his actions. Bela and the girl's father are killed. Pechorin remembers the girl, regrets Bela, the past echoes in the hero's soul with bitterness, but does not cause remorse in Pechorin. 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, happiness pushes the young man to experiments, which the hero puts 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 old woman on the brink of survival.

The love of a wild Caucasian beauty or a noblewoman - it does not matter for Pechorin. The next time for the experiment, the hero chooses an aristocrat - Princess Mary. Handsome Gregory plays with a girl, causing Mary to love him in her soul, but after that he 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 started, wishing to understand himself. In the end, even the diary bothers Pechorin: any activity ends with boredom. Grigory Alexandrovich does not bring anything to the end, unable to endure the suffering from the loss of interest in the subject of his former passion. Pechorin's notes accumulate in a suitcase, which falls into the hands of Maksim Maksimych. The man experiences a strange affection for 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 is indifferent to fame, fame, Pechorin does not want to publish notes, so diaries turn out to be unnecessary waste paper. In this secular disinterest of Pechorin is the peculiarity and value of the hero of Lermontov.

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 a touch of vice comes from weak 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 the novel by Lermontov and Onegin from the work of Pushkin with each other. Both heroes have in common similar character traits, certain actions. As the researchers note, both Pechorin and Onegin were named according to the same principle. The names of the heroes are based on the name of the river - Onega and Pechora, respectively. But the symbolism does not end there.

Pechora is a river in the northern part of Russia (the modern Komi Republic and the Nanets Autonomous Okrug), by its nature it is a typical mountain river. Onega is located in the modern Arkhangelsk region and is quieter. 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 oneself cause in him a state of dull melancholy.

Byronism and the "extra man"

In order to holistically perceive the image of Pechorin, to 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. Dzh.Bynov in his poem "Childe-Harold's Pilgrimage" created a unique image endowed with the desire to actively search for their destiny, 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 one who, based on his knowledge and understanding of everyday truths, is higher in the development of others and, as a result, he is not accepted by society. Such characters become the cause of suffering for female representatives who love them.

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a classic representative of romanticism, who combined the concepts of Byronism and extra person... Despondency, boredom and spleen are the product of this combination.

Mikhail Lermontov considered the history of the life of an individual more interesting than the history of the people. Circumstances make Pechorin a "superfluous person". The hero is talented and intelligent, but the tragedy of Grigory Alexandrovich consists in the absence of a goal, in the inability to adapt himself, his talents to this world, in the general restlessness of the personality. In this, Pechorin's personality is an example of a typical decadent.

The strength of a young man is spent not on the search for a goal, not on the realization of oneself, but on adventure. Sometimes, literary critics compare the images of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin and Lermontov's Grigory Pechorin: Onegin is bored, and Pechorin is 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, is deprived of such an opportunity. The wealth of spiritual forces Grigory Alexandrovich ruins on trifles: he hurts the 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 the adults did not believe in the boy's words.

Then Gregory became disillusioned with life and former ideals: a lie took the place of truth. As a young man, Pechorin sincerely loved the world. Society laughed at him and this love - Gregory's kindness turned into malice.

The secular environment, literature quickly bored the hero. 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 whole evolution of the personality of the protagonist: the characteristic of Pechorin is revealed to the reader by all the central episodes of the formation of the hero's personality.

The character of Grigory Alexandrovich is accompanied by actions, behavior, decisions that more fully reveal the personality traits of the character. Pechorin is also evaluated by other heroes of Lermontov's novel, for example, Maxim Maksimych, who notices the contradictory nature of Grigory. Pechorin is a strong, strong-bodied young man, 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 in appearance the hero is no more than 23 years old. The hero laughs, but at the same time sadness can be seen in Pechorin's eyes. The opinions about Pechorin, expressed by different characters in the novel, allow readers to look at the hero, respectively, from different positions.

The death of Pechorin expresses the idea of ​​Mikhail Lermontov: a person who has not found a goal remains superfluous, unnecessary for the environment. Such a person cannot serve for the good of mankind, does not represent value for society and the fatherland.

In A Hero of Our Time, the writer described the entire generation of his 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 prone to boredom, which turns into a vice in the context of the development of the local society.

Pechorin's appearance and age

At the time of the beginning of the story, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is 25 years old. He looks very good, well-groomed, so in some moments it seems that he is much younger than he really is. There was nothing unusual about his height and build: medium height, strong athletic physique... He was a man with pleasant features. As the author notes, he had a "unique face", one that women are madly in love with. Light, naturally curly hair, a "slightly upturned" nose, snow-white teeth and a cute childish smile - all this complements his appearance.

His eyes, brown in color, seemed to live a separate life - they never laughed when their owner laughed. Lermontov names two reasons for this phenomenon - either we have an evil disposition in front of us, or in a state of deep depression. What kind of explanation (or both at once) are applicable to the hero Lermontov does not give a direct answer - the reader will have to analyze these facts themselves.

The expression on his face is also incapable of expressing any emotion. Pechorin does not restrain himself - he simply lacks the ability to empathize.

The heavy, unpleasant look finally smears this look.

As you can see, Grigory Alexandrovich looks like a porcelain doll - his cute face with childish features seems to be a frozen mask, and 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 untidy slob.

While in the Caucasus, Pechorin easily leaves his usual outfit in the closet and puts on the national male Circassian attire. Many people note that these clothes make him look like a true Kabardian - sometimes people belonging to this nationality do not look so impressive. Pechorin looks more like a Kabardin than the Kabardians themselves. But even in these clothes he is a dandy - the length of the fur, the decoration, the color and size of the clothes - everything was chosen with extraordinary care.

Characteristics of character traits

Pechorin is a classic representative of the aristocracy. He himself comes from a noble family, who received a decent upbringing and education (knows French, dances well). All his life he lived in abundance, this fact allowed him to start his journey of searching for his destiny and such an occupation that would not let him get bored.

At first, the attention given 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 the ladies became boring and predictable for him. The impulses to create his own family are alien to him, and as soon as it comes to hints about a wedding, his ardor for the girl instantly disappears.

Pechorin is not assiduous - science and reading catch up with 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 painful for him, and travel, literary activity and science did not bring desired result, Pechorin decides to start a military career. He, as is customary among the aristocracy, serves in the Petersburg Guard. But even here he does not stay long - participation in a duel dramatically changes his life - for this offense he is exiled to serve in the Caucasus.

If Pechorin were a hero of the folk epic, then the word "strange" would be his constant epithet. All heroes find in him something unusual, different from other people. This fact is not related to habits, mental or psychological development - here it is just about the ability to express your emotions, adhere to the same position - sometimes Grigory Aleksandrovich is very contradictory.

He likes to bring pain and suffering to others, he realizes this and understands that such behavior does not paint not only him specifically, but also any person. And yet he does not 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 of many people. By his grace, the blind boy and the old woman remain abandoned 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 whom the main character insulted, became a reason for resentment and depression. Does Pechorin know and understand the full severity of the consequences of his actions? Quite, but this fact does not bother him - he does not value his life either, not that the fate of other people.

Thus, the image of Pechorin is contradictory and ambiguous. On the one hand, it is easy to find in it positive features character, but on the other hand, callousness and selfishness confidently reduce all his positive achievements to nothing - Grigory Aleksandrovich destroys his own fate and the fate of the people around him with his recklessness. He is a destructive force that is difficult to resist.

Psychological portrait of Grigory Pechorin

The appeal to the appearance and habits of the hero helps Lermontov to represent the character traits of the character. For example, Pechorin is distinguished by a lazy and careless gait, but at the same time the hero's gestures do not mean that Pechorin is a secretive person. The young man's forehead was spoiled with wrinkles, and when Grigory Alexandrovich was sitting, the impression was created that the hero was tired. When Pechorin's lips laughed, his eyes remained motionless, sad.

Pechorin's fatigue manifested itself in the fact that the hero's passion did not linger for a long time in any object or person. Grigory Alexandrovich said that in life he is guided not by the dictates of the heart, but by the orders of the head. This is coldness, rationality, periodically interrupted by a short-term riot of feelings. Pechorin is characterized by a feature called fatality. The young man is not afraid to go to the wild boar, looking for adventure and risk, as if tempting 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 crackle 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, saving people from a Cossack killer.

The novel "Hero of Our Time" by M. Yu. Lermontov can be attributed to the first socio-psychological and philosophical work in prose. V 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 contradictory person. The novel includes several stories, and in each of them the hero opens up to the reader from a new perspective.

The image of Pechorin in the chapter "Bela"

In the chapter "Bela" opens to the reader with the words of another hero of the novel - Maksim Maksimych. This chapter describes the life circumstances of Pechorin, his upbringing and education. The portrait of the protagonist is also revealed here 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, an excellent education. He is an aristocrat, an esthete, one might say, a star of secular society.

Pechorin is a hero of our time, according to Maxim Maksimych

Elderly Staff Captain Maksim Maksimych is a gentle and good-natured person. He describes Pechorin as rather strange, unpredictable, not like other people. From the very 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 freeze from the warm breeze, he may be afraid of the pop 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 characteristic of Pechorin in the chapter "Bel" has practically no psychological analysis... The narrator does not analyze, evaluate or even condemn Gregory, he simply conveys a lot of facts from his life.

The tragic story of Bela

When Maxim Maksimych tells a wandering officer sad story, which happened before his eyes, the reader gets acquainted with the incredible cruel egoism of Grigory Pechorin. By virtue of his whim, the main character steals the girl Bela from her home, without thinking about her future life, about the time when he will finally get tired of her. Later, Bela suffers from the emerging coldness of Gregory, but cannot do anything about it. Noticing how Bela suffers, the captain tries to talk to Pechorin, but Grigory's answer causes only misunderstanding in Maxim Maksimych. It does not 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 death of the girl. The unfortunate one is killed by Kazbich, who had previously killed her father. Fell in love with Bela as his own daughter, Maxim Maksimych is struck by the coldness and the indifference with which Pechorin endured this death.

Pechorin through the eyes of a wandering officer

The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter "Bel" differs significantly from the same image in other chapters. In the chapter "Maksim 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. Behavior and appearance Pechorin is 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 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 protagonist there are ambiguities and contradictions, he has delicate skin, a childish smile, and at the same time deep. He has light blond hair, but black mustache and eyebrows. But the complexity of the hero's nature is most emphasized by his eyes, which never laugh and seem to shout about some hidden tragedy of the soul.

Diary

Pechorina arises by itself after the reader is confronted with the thoughts of the hero himself, which he wrote down in his personal diary. In the chapter "Princess Mary" Gregory, having a cold calculation, falls in love with the young princess. According to the development of events, he destroys Grushnitsky, first morally, and then physically. All this Pechorin writes 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 "Bel" and in the chapter "Princess Mary" is striking in its contrast, since in the second mentioned chapter Vera appears, who became the only woman who was able 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, Gregory also loses this woman.

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, is ready for the stupid and Failing 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 protagonist doesn't 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 deeds, having such a will and such abilities, but in fact it all boiled down to "thrill", to the 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 indeed of any time. This is a person who knows habits, weaknesses, and to some extent he is an egoist, because he thinks only of himself and does not care about others. But in any case, this hero is romantic, he is opposed to the surrounding world. There is no place for him in this world, his life is wasted, and the way out of this situation is death, which overtook our hero on the way to Persia.

Grigory Pechorin is the central character of M. Yu. Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time", which appeared in the late 30s and early 40s of the XIX century and caused an ambiguous and very diverse reaction among readers. This is the first socio-psychological novel in Russian classical literature and all plot twists and turns, events and minor characters are shown in order to fully reveal Pechorin's character and personal characteristics.

The novel includes five novellas, which represent some stages in the development of Pechorin's personality and the disclosure of all the depths of his difficult and ambiguous character to the reader.

Characteristics of the hero

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is an attractive young aristocrat and officer from St. Petersburg, a typical representative of the youth of the 30s of the nineteenth century. He has received a proper education and upbringing, is rich and independent, has an attractive appearance and is popular with people of the opposite sex. At the same time, he is dissatisfied with his life and is spoiled by luxury. He quickly gets bored with everything and he does not see an opportunity for himself to become happy. Pechorin is in perpetual motion and in search of himself: now he is in a Caucasian fortress, then on vacation in Pyatigorsk, then together with smugglers in Taman. Even his death lies in wait when he travels from Persia to his homeland.

By using detailed description the appearance of the hero, the author is trying to reveal to us his character. Pechorin is not deprived of male attractiveness, he is strong, slender and fit, the military uniform suits him very much. He has curly blond hair, expressive brown eyes, cold and haughty, they never laugh and from their expression it is impossible to read thoughts. Blond hair combined with dark mustache and eyebrows give his appearance a personality and originality.

(Pechorin on horseback, drawing)

Pechorin's soul is burning with a thirst for activity, but he does not know where to apply himself, and therefore wherever he appears, he sows evil and sorrow around. Because of a stupid duel, his friend Grushnitsky dies, through his fault the daughter of the Caucasian prince Circassian Bela dies, for the sake of entertainment he falls in love with himself, and then leaves Princess Mary without regret. Because of him, the only woman he loved, Vera, also suffers, but he also cannot make her happy and she is doomed to suffer.

The image of the main character

Pechorin reaches out to people, longs for communication, but does not see a response in their souls, because he is not like them, their thoughts, desires and feelings do not coincide at all, which makes him strange and unlike others. Pechorin, like Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, is burdened by his calm and measured life, but unlike the Pushkin hero, he is constantly looking for ways to add spice to his life, and not finding it, he suffers greatly from this. His own whims have always been and will be in the first place for him, and to satisfy his desires, he is ready for anything. He likes to manipulate people and subjugate them, he enjoys power over them.

At the same time, Pechorin also possesses positive qualities and, in addition to reproaches and censure, deserves sympathy and sympathy. He is distinguished by a sharp mind and condemning others, he is rather self-critical and demanding of himself. Pechorin is not alien to poetry and lyrical moods, he subtly feels nature and admires its beauty. During a duel, he shows enviable courage and courage, he does not coward and does not retreat back, his cold-bloodedness is at its best. Despite his own egoism, Pechorin is capable of real feelings, for example, in relation to Vera, it turns out that he can also be sincere and know how to love.

(M.A. Vrubel "Duel of Pechorin with Grushnitsky" 1890-1891)

The personality of Pechorin is so complex and ambiguous that it is impossible to say with certainty what feelings he evokes in readers: sharp condemnation and hostility, or all the same sympathy and understanding. The main features of his character are the inconsistency between his thoughts and actions, opposition to the surrounding circumstances and turns of fate. The hero is seething with desires to act, but most often his actions result either in empty and unnecessary actions, or, on the contrary, bring pain and misfortune to his loved ones. Having created the image of Pechorin, a kind of hero of his time, whose prototypes Lermontov met at every step, the author wanted to focus on the moral responsibility of each person for his thoughts and actions, for life choices and how it can affect the people around him.

A short essay on literature on the theme "A Hero of Our Time: the Image of Grigory Pechorin in the Composition of the Novel" with quotations from the text for the 9th grade. Pechorin in the system of images: how does he compare with other characters?

"Hero of Our Time" - one of the first Russians psychological novels... Appearing in print, he immediately made a public outcry. The main task of the novel is to reveal the soul of the protagonist, Grigory Pechorin, in relations with various personalities, in acute conflict situations. This is the reason for the special composition of the novel: it is not chronological accuracy that is important here, but the recognition of the character by the readers.

Grigory Pechorin is a Russian officer serving in the Caucasus. He represents the image of a "superfluous person": lonely, misunderstood, not finding his own way, and therefore unhappy.

The character is revealed gradually, his features are not on the surface. That is why at first we see the hero with “alien” eyes: his colleague Maksim Maksimych and the narrator-traveler, from the external image we pass to the secrets of the soul. Pechorin is not deprived of his appearance: he is not puppetly handsome, but interesting ("... he was generally very good-looking and had one of those original physiognomies that women of society especially like ..."), the facial features are correct. Everything - from hands to hair color - expresses the hero's pedigree and aristocracy ("Despite the light color of his hair, his mustache and eyebrows were black - a sign of the breed in a person, just like the black mane and black tail of a white horse ..." and " ... his soiled gloves seemed to be deliberately sewn on his small aristocratic hand, and when he took off one glove, I was surprised at the thinness of his pale fingers ”). The eyes immediately reflect Pechorin's personality: they never laugh, they have a steel shine, an attentive, studying look.

In the presentation of Maxim Maksimych, the main character appears as a cold, calculating person who destroys other people's lives at his own whim. So he stole the beautiful Bela from his native aul, fell in love with himself, then she got bored, he began to neglect his previously beloved girl. As a result, Bela died, and Pechorin did not shed a single tear. Of course, we understand that the difference between the characters of the simple-hearted Maxim Maksimych and the restrained Pechorin, who suffered silently and deeply, plays a role here. After all, as we learn later, Bela was the last thread connecting the hero with the world, his last hope.

In "Pechorin's Journal" we are transported into the thoughts of the hero, we see everything through the prism of his perception. In "Taman" we see the adventurous beginning of Pechorin's character. His thirst for adventure and desire to overcome boredom overrides even his keen mind and observation, which is why he sets off with a mysterious girl, wittily named by him Undine, on a night walk. Pechorin almost dies, because he finds out that he got to the smugglers. The hero stirred up a nest of criminals, destroyed a long-term way of life. For the first time, the motive of fatality sounds.

"Princess Mary" is the most ambitious part of the novel. Several incarnations of the hero are shown here. Pechorin is a friend in relations with Dr. Werner (the protagonist does not believe in friendship, therefore he distances himself from Werner, despite his internally friendly attitude). Pechorin is a rival in a conflict with Grushnitsky (the protagonist values ​​honor, does not allow himself to be laughed at, he is immeasurably stronger and higher than the enemy, but also ruthless). Pechorin is a conqueror of hearts in a relationship with Princess Mary (he decided to seduce the girl in order to annoy Grushnitsky, amuses and laughs at her, soon imbued with sympathy for the heroine, but cannot lose his freedom and ruin Mary's life with his presence). Pechorin is passionately loving in relations with Vera (it is in front of her that he does not play a role, she knows and understands him for a long time, the loss of Vera is the main and most serious shock in the hero's life). In all his guises, Pechorin is an "ax of fate", he left a tragic mark in the life of every hero (and he cut off Grushnitsky's life altogether).

The Fatalist is the most philosophical chapter of the novel, in which the hero asks the eternal questions of fate, predestination, his place in the world. It is the latter that he does not find. His large-scale personality does not find real meaning in his entire life, he needs great accomplishments, and all around him is routine. Awareness of his own uselessness leads Pechorin to his own death in the future, he has no reason to live.

The protagonist of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" really reflected the era: this generation is lost, disappointed, its best representatives have died out, not finding their way. A personality like Pechorin is rare. He really charms and can lead him, his nobility, subtle mind, observation - these are the qualities that readers should learn.

And analysis] - a story about Pechorin, a representative of a whole generation of Russian people. [Cm. See also articles: Characteristics of Pechorin with quotes, Appearance of Pechorin, Description of Pechorin in the story "Maxim Maksimych".]

In another story, which is part of the "Hero of Our Time", "Bela" [see. its full text and a summary], Pechorin kidnaps the daughter of the Caucasian prince, the beautiful savage Bela and takes her to the fortress beyond the Terek. Bela is chaste and proud. Pechorin does not like her, but he is bored, and his resistance amuses him. As with Princess Mary, so with Bela, he makes an experiment: to conquer this self-willed and pure creature for himself. Only his means are now simpler: to defeat the poor savage, a rude affection, threats and gifts are enough. Bela is conquered: she loves passionately, forgetting honor, her native village, and free life. But the experience is over, and Pechorin leaves her. Fortunately, the stray bullet of the highlander robber shortens her ruined life. Good captain Maksim Maksimych [see. The image of Maxim Maksimych], under whose command Pechorin serves, wanted to console him; he "raised his head and laughed." “I got a frost on my skin,” says Maksim Maksimych.

The stories "Taman" [see. full text and summary] and "Fatalist" [see. full text and summary] do not add anything new to the characteristics of Pechorin. The first describes his strange adventure with a smuggling girl who lured him into a boat and tried to drown him; the second tells the story of Lieutenant Vulich, who wished to experience the power of fate: he shoots himself with a pistol, and he misfires, but on the same night a drunken Cossack on the street kills him with a saber.

In the image of Pechorin, the Russian "disease of the century" was revealed by Lermontov in all its sinister depths. Strong personality, power-hungry and icy, strong-willed and inactive, reached the point of self-decomposition. The whole way has been covered. The romantic beautiful demon turned out to be debunked.