Positive traits Pechorin is a hero of our time. Characteristics of the hero Pechorin, Hero of our time, Lermontov

The image and characterization of Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” will help you understand what kind of person he really is. How the long-term influence of the surrounding world was able to leave its mark on the depth of character, turning the complex inner world Main character.

Pechorin's appearance

“...he was generally very handsome and had one of those original physiognomies that are especially popular with secular women...”

“...of medium height, his slender, thin figure and broad shoulders proved his strong build...”

"...they didn't laugh when he laughed..."

It was rare that anyone could bear his gaze; he was too heavy and unpleasant for his interlocutor.

The nose is slightly turned up. Snow-white teeth.

“...a slightly upturned nose, dazzling white teeth...”

Gregory dressed immaculately. The clothes are expensive, clean, well ironed. Pleasant aroma of perfume. The boots are cleaned to a shine.

Gregory's character

Grigory promised himself that he would never show his real face, forbidding him to show any feelings for anyone. He was disappointed in people. When he was real, without guile and pretense, they could not understand the depth of his soul, accusing him of non-existent vices and making claims.

“...everyone read on my face signs of bad feelings that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of guile: I became secretive. I felt good and evil deeply; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was gloomy, - other children were cheerful and talkative; I felt superior to them - they put me lower. I became envious. I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me: and I learned to hate...”

Boredom was eating away at the man. Pechorin hoped that the melancholy would go away during the war, but he was wrong. The Caucasian War brought another disappointment. Lack of demand in life led Pechorin to actions that defied explanation and logic.

Pechorin and love

Those rare meetings that they could afford compromised them too much in the eyes of others. The woman was forced to leave the city. It was not possible to catch up with my beloved. He only drove the horse to death in an attempt to stop and bring her back.

Pechorin did not take other women seriously. They are a cure for boredom, nothing more. Pawns in a game where he set the rules. Boring and uninteresting creatures made him even more despondent.

Attitude towards death

The image of Georgy Alexandrovich Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” written by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov in 1838-1840, represents a completely new type of protagonist.

Who is Pechorin

The main character of the novel is a young man, a representative of high society.

Georgy Alexandrovich is educated and smart, brave, decisive, knows how to impress, especially the ladies, and... is tired of life.

Rich and not the happiest life experience leads him to disappointment and loss of interest in anything.

The hero becomes bored with everything in life: earthly pleasures, high society, the love of beauties, science - everything, in his opinion, happens according to the same patterns, monotonously and empty.

The hero is definitely a skeptic, but it cannot be said that feelings are alien to him. Georgy Alexandrovich has arrogance and pride (although he is self-critical), has an affection for his only comrade, Doctor Werner, and also enjoys manipulating people and their suffering as a consequence.

The hero is incomprehensible to everyone around him, and therefore he is often called strange. Pechorin repeatedly confirms the inconsistency of his character.

This inconsistency is born of the struggle of reason and feelings within him, the most striking example of which is his love for Vera, which George realizes too late. So, let's look at this hero in action through brief description by chapter.

Characteristics of Pechorin by chapters in the novel

In the first chapter of “Bela,” the narration is told on behalf of Pechorin’s old acquaintance, officer Maxim Maksimych.

In this part, the hero reveals himself as an immoral person who plays with the destinies of others. Pechorin seduces and kidnaps the daughter of a local prince, simultaneously stealing a horse from Kazbich, who is in love with her.

After some time, Bela gets bored with Pechorin, the young man breaks the girl’s heart. At the end of the chapter, Kazbich kills her out of revenge, and Azamat, who helps Pechorin in his crimes, is forever expelled from the family. Georgy Alexandrovich himself only continues his journey, without feeling guilty for what happened.

The narration of the subsequent chapter “Maxim Maksimych” is narrated by a certain staff captain. Being familiar with Maxim Maksimych, the narrator accidentally witnesses his meeting with Pechorin. And again the hero shows his indifference: the young man is completely cold towards his old comrade, whom he has not seen for many years.

“Taman” is the third story in the novel, which is already notes in the diary of Pechorin himself. In it, by the will of fate, a young man becomes a witness to smuggling activities. The girl involved in the crime flirted with Pechorin in order to “remove” him.

In the episode of Pechorin's attempted drowning, we see his desperate struggle for life, which is still dear to him. However, in this chapter, the hero remains indifferent to people and their destinies, which this time are spoiled by his involuntary intervention.

In the chapter "Princess Mary" main character is revealed in more detail and diversified. We see such qualities as cunning and prudence in making plans to seduce Princess Mary and duel with Grushnitsky.

Pechorin plays with their lives for his own pleasure, breaking them: Mary remains an unhappy girl with broken hearted, and Grushnitsky dies in a duel.

Georgy is cold towards all people in this secular society, except for his old friend Vera.

They once had a fleeting romance, but when new meeting their feelings take on a second life. Georgy and Vera meet secretly, but her husband, having learned about the presence of a lover, decides to take her away from the city. This event makes young man realize that Vera is the love of his life.

Georgy rushes after him, but is too late. In this episode, the main character is revealed from a completely new side: no matter how cold and cynical the young man is, he is also a human being, even he cannot be spared by this strong feeling.

In the last part, “Fatalist,” the hero is shown to have lost the slightest interest in life and even seek his own death.

In the episode of the argument with the Cossacks over cards, the reader sees a certain mystical connection between Pechorin and fate: George had foreseen events in people’s lives before, and this time he foresaw the death of Lieutenant Vulich.

One gets the impression that the young man has already learned everything in this life, which he now does not feel sorry for. George says the following words about himself: “And maybe I’ll die tomorrow! ... and there will not be a single creature left on earth who would understand me completely.”

Description of Pechorin's appearance

Georgy Alexandrovich has a fairly attractive appearance. The hero has a slender, strong physique with average height.

George has blond hair, delicate pale aristocratic skin, but a dark mustache and eyebrows. The young man dressed in fashion, looked well-groomed, but walked carelessly and lazily.<…>Of the many quotes describing his appearance, the most telling is about his eyes, which “didn’t laugh when he laughed!

This is a sign of either an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness.”

His gaze always remained calm, only sometimes expressing a certain challenge or impudence.

How old is Pechorin At the time of the action in the chapter “Princess Mary” he is about twenty-five years old.

George dies at the age of about thirty, that is, still young.

The main character of the novel has noble origin, born and raised in St. Petersburg.

All his life Georgy was a upper layers society, since he was a hereditary wealthy landowner.

Throughout the entire work, the reader can observe that the hero is a military man and bears the military rank of ensign.

Pechorin's childhood

Having learned about the childhood of the main character, his life path becomes clear. As a little boy, the best aspirations of his soul were thwarted in him: firstly, his aristocratic upbringing required it, and secondly, he was not understood, the hero was lonely since childhood.

More details about how the evolution of a kind boy into an immoral social unit took place are shown in the table with a quote from Pechorin himself:

Pechorin's education

Georgy Alexandrovich received an exclusively secular upbringing.

The young man speaks French skillfully, dances, knows how to behave in society, but he hasn’t read many books, and he soon gets tired of the world.

His parents did not play a big role in his life.

In his youth, the hero went to great lengths: he spent a lot of money on entertainment and pleasure, but this also disappointed him.

Pechorin's education

Little is known about the education of the novel's protagonist. The reader is given to understand that he was interested in science for some time, but also lost interest in it; it does not bring happiness.

After this, Georgy took up military affairs, which were popular in society, which he also soon became bored with.

The death of Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” The reader learns about the death of the hero from the preface to his diary. The cause of death remains undisclosed.

What is known is that this happened to him on his way from Persia, when he was about thirty years old.

Conclusion

In this work, we briefly examined the image of the main character of the novel “A Hero of Our Time.” The character and attitude to life of the hero remain incomprehensible to the reader until the episode when Pechorin talks about his childhood.

The reason that the hero became a “moral cripple” is his upbringing, the damage from which affected not only his life, but also the fate of the people whom he hurt. However, no matter how hard-hearted a person is, he cannot avoid true love . Unfortunately, Pechorin realizes it too late. This disappointment turns into loss last hope on normal life

and the happiness of the hero.

The image was created by M. Yu. Lermontov to show the loss of moral guidelines of the generation of the 30s of the nineteenth century.

A person is always driven by the desire to know his purpose. Should you go with the flow or resist it? What position in society would be correct, should all actions comply with moral standards? These and similar questions often become the main ones for young people who are actively comprehending the world and human essence. Youthful maximalism 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. tells us. Lermontov in his novel “Hero of Our Time”. It should be noted that Mikhail Yuryevich was always on good terms when writing prose, and his same position remained until the end of his life - all the prose novels he started were never finished. Lermontov had the courage to bring the matter with “Hero” to its logical conclusion. This is probably why the composition, the manner of presentation of the material and the style of narration look, compared to other novels, quite unusual.

“Hero of Our Time” is a work imbued with the spirit of the era. The characterization of Pechorin - the central figure of Mikhail Lermontov's novel - allows us to better understand the atmosphere of the 1830s - the time the work was written. It is not for nothing that “A Hero of Our Time” is recognized by critics as the most mature and ambitious in philosophical sense novels by Mikhail Lermontov.

Great importance there is a historical context for understanding the novel. In the 1830s Russian history was reactive. In 1825, the Decembrist uprising occurred, and subsequent years contributed to the development of a mood of loss. The Nikolaev reaction unsettled many young people: young people did not know which vector of behavior and life to choose, how to make life meaningful.

This caused the emergence of restless individuals, unnecessary people.

Origin of Pechorin

Basically, the novel singles out one hero, who is centrally in the story. It seems that this principle was rejected by Lermontov - based on the events told to the reader, the main character is Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin - a young man, an officer. However, the style of the narration gives the right to doubt - the position in the text of Maxim Maksimovich is also quite weighty.

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

Lermontov provides rather scant information about childhood, conditions of upbringing and the influence of parents on the process of formation of Pechorin’s positions and preferences. Several fragments of it past life lift this veil - we learn that Grigory Alexandrovich was born in St. Petersburg. His parents, according to existing orders, tried to give their son a proper education, but young Pechorin did not feel the burden of science, he “quickly got bored” with them and he decided to devote himself to military service. Perhaps such an act is not connected with the emerging interest in military affairs, but with the special disposition of society towards military people. The uniform made it possible to brighten up even the most unattractive actions and character traits, because the military was loved for what they were. It was difficult to find representatives in society who did not have a military rank - military service was considered honorable and everyone wanted to “try on” honor and glory along with the uniform.

As it turned out, military affairs did not bring proper satisfaction and Pechorin quickly became disillusioned with it. Grigory Alexandrovich was sent to the Caucasus because he was involved in a duel. The events that happened to the young man in this area form the basis of Lermontov's novel.

Characteristics of Pechorin's actions and deeds

The reader gets his first impressions of the main character of Lermontov’s novel after meeting Maxim Maksimych. The man served with Pechorin in the Caucasus, in a fortress. It was the story of a girl named Bela. Pechorin treated Bela badly: out of boredom, while having fun, the young man kidnapped a Circassian girl. Bela is a beauty, at first cold with Pechorin. Gradually, the young man kindles the flame of love for him in Bela’s heart, but as soon as the Circassian woman fell in love with Pechorin, he immediately lost interest in her.

Pechorin destroys the destinies of other people, makes those around him suffer, but remains indifferent to the consequences of his actions. Bela and the girl's father die. Pechorin remembers the girl, feels sorry for Bela, the past resonates with bitterness in the hero’s soul, but does not cause Pechorin to repent. While Bela was alive, Grigory told his comrade that he still loved the girl, felt gratitude to her, but boredom remained the same, and it was boredom that decided everything.

An attempt to find satisfaction and happiness pushes the young man to experiments that the hero performs on living people. Psychological games, meanwhile, turn out to be useless: the same emptiness remains in the hero’s soul. The same motives accompany Pechorin’s exposure of the “honest smugglers”: the hero’s act does not bring good results, only leaving the blind boy and the old woman on the brink of survival.

The love of a wild Caucasian beauty or a noblewoman - it does not matter for Pechorin. Next time, the hero chooses an aristocrat, Princess Mary, for the experiment. Handsome Gregory plays with the girl, arousing love for him in Mary’s soul, but then leaves the princess, breaking her heart.

The reader learns about the situation with Princess Mary and the smugglers from the diary that the main character kept, wanting to understand himself. In the end, even Pechorin gets tired of his diary: any activity ends in boredom. Grigory Aleksandrovich does not complete anything, unable to endure the suffering of loss of interest in the subject former passion. Pechorin's notes accumulate in a suitcase, which falls into the hands of Maxim Maksimych. The man experiences a strange attachment to Pechorin, perceiving the young man as a friend. Maxim Maksimych keeps Grigory’s notebooks and diaries, hoping to give the suitcase to a friend. But the young man does not care about fame, fame, Pechorin does not want to publish the entries, so the diaries turn out to be unnecessary waste paper. This secular disinterest of Pechorin is the peculiarity and value of Lermontov’s hero.

Pechorin has one important feature - sincerity towards himself. The hero’s actions evoke antipathy and even condemnation in the reader, but one thing needs to be recognized: Pechorin is open and honest, and the touch of vice comes from weakness of will and the inability to resist the influence of society.

Pechorin and Onegin

After the first publications of Lermontov’s novel, both readers and literary critics began to compare Pechorin from Lermontov's novel and Onegin from Pushkin's work with each other. Both heroes share similar character traits and certain actions. As researchers note, both Pechorin and Onegin were named according to the same principle. The surname of the characters is based on the name of the river - Onega and Pechora, respectively. But the symbolism doesn't end there.

Pechora is a river in the northern part of Russia (modern Komi Republic and Nanetsky autonomous region), by its nature it is a typical mountain river. Onega - located in modern Arkhangelsk region and more calm. The nature of the flow has a relationship with the characters of the heroes named after them. Pechorin's life is full of doubts and active searches for his place in society; he, like a seething stream, sweeps away everything without a trace in his path. Onegin is deprived of such a scale of destructive power; complexity and inability to realize himself cause him to feel a state of dull melancholy.

Byronism and the “superfluous man”

In order to holistically perceive the image of Pechorin, understand his character, motives and actions, it is necessary to have knowledge about the Byronic and superfluous hero.

The first concept came to Russian literature from England. J. Bynov in his poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” created unique image endowed with the desire to active search their purpose, the characteristics of egocentrism, dissatisfaction and desire for change.

The second is a phenomenon that arose in Russian literature itself and denotes a person who was ahead of his time and therefore alien and incomprehensible to those around him. Or someone who, based on his knowledge and understanding of everyday truths, is higher in development than the rest and, as a result, he is not accepted by society. Such characters become the cause of suffering for female representatives who love them.

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a classic representative of romanticism, who combined the concepts of Byronism and the superfluous man. Dejection, boredom and spleen are the product of this combination.

Mikhail Lermontov considered the life story of an individual more interesting than the history of a people. " An extra person“Pechorin is made by circumstances. The hero is talented and smart, but the tragedy of Grigory Alexandrovich lies in the lack of a goal, in the inability to adapt himself, his talents to this world, in the general restlessness of the individual. In this, Pechorin’s personality is an example of a typical decadent.

A young man’s strength goes not to finding a goal, not to realizing himself, but to adventure. Sometimes, literary critics compare the images of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin and Lermontov’s Grigory Pechorin: Onegin is characterized by boredom, and Pechorin is characterized by suffering.

After the Decembrists were exiled, progressive trends and tendencies also succumbed to persecution. For Pechorin, a progressive-minded person, this meant the onset of a period of stagnation. Onegin has every opportunity to take the side of the people's cause, but refrains from doing so. Pechorin, having a desire to reform society, finds himself deprived of such an opportunity. Grigory Alexandrovich wastes the wealth of spiritual powers on trifles: he hurts girls, Vera and Princess Mary suffer because of the hero, Bela dies...

Pechorin was ruined by society and circumstances. The hero keeps a diary, where he notes that, as a child, he spoke only the truth, but adults did not believe in the boy’s words.

Then Gregory became disillusioned with life and his previous ideals: the place of truth was replaced by lies. As a young man, Pechorin sincerely loved the world. Society laughed at him and this love - Gregory’s kindness turned into anger.

The hero quickly became bored with his secular surroundings and literature. Hobbies were replaced by other passions. Only travel can save you from boredom and disappointment. Mikhail Lermontov unfolds on the pages of the novel the entire evolution of the protagonist’s personality: Pechorin’s characterization is revealed to the reader by all the central episodes in the formation of the hero’s personality.

The character of Grigory Alexandrovich is accompanied by actions, behavior, and decisions that more fully reveal the characteristics of the character’s personality. Pechorin is also appreciated by other heroes of Lermontov’s novel, for example, Maxim Maksimych, who notices the inconsistency of Grigory. Pechorin is a strong young man with a strong body, but sometimes the hero is overcome by a strange physical weakness. Grigory Alexandrovich turned 30 years old, but the hero’s face is full of childish features, and the hero looks no more than 23 years old. The hero laughs, but at the same time one can see sadness in Pechorin’s eyes. Opinions about Pechorin, expressed by different characters in the novel, allow readers to look at the hero, respectively, with different positions.

Pechorin's death expresses the idea of ​​Mikhail Lermontov: a person who has not found a goal remains superfluous, unnecessary for those around him. Such a person cannot serve for the benefit of humanity and is of no value to society and the fatherland.

In “Hero of Our Time,” the writer described the entire generation of contemporaries - young people who have lost the purpose and meaning of life. Just as Hemingway’s generation is considered lost, so Lermontov’s generation is considered lost, superfluous, restless. These young people are susceptible to boredom, which turns into a vice in the context of the development of their society.

Pechorin's appearance and age

At the time the story begins, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is 25 years old. He looks very good, well-groomed, so in some moments it seems that he is much younger than he actually is. There was nothing unusual about his height and build: average height, strong athletic build. He was a man with pleasant features. As the author notes, he had a “unique face,” one that women are madly attracted to. Blonde, naturally curly hair, a “slightly upturned” nose, snow-white teeth and a sweet, childish smile - all this complements his appearance favorably.

His 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 in front of us a person of evil disposition, or someone in a state of deep depression. Lermontov does not give a direct answer which explanation (or both at once) is applicable to the hero - the reader will have to analyze these facts themselves.

His facial expression is also incapable of expressing any emotion. Pechorin does not restrain himself - he simply lacks the ability to empathize.

This appearance is finally blurred by a heavy, unpleasant look.

As you can see, Grigory Alexandrovich looks like a porcelain doll - his cute face with childish features seems like a frozen mask, not a face real person.

Pechorin's clothes are always neat and clean - this is one of those principles that Grigory Alexandrovich follows impeccably - an aristocrat cannot be an unkempt slob.

While in the Caucasus, Pechorin easily leaves his usual outfit in the closet and dresses in the national men's attire of the Circassians. Many note that these clothes make him look like a true Kabardian - sometimes people who belonged to this nationality do not look so impressive. Pechorin looks more like a Kabardian than the Kabardians themselves. But even in these clothes he is a dandy - the length of the fur, the trim, the color and size of the clothes - everything is chosen with extraordinary care.

Characteristics of character qualities

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

At first, the attention shown to him by women pleasantly flattered Grigory Alexandrovich, but soon he was able to study the types of behavior of all women and therefore communication with ladies became boring and predictable for him. The impulse to create his own family is alien to him, and as soon as it comes to hints about marriage, his ardor for the girl instantly disappears.

Pechorin is not assiduous - science and reading push him even more than secular society, blues. A rare exception in this regard is provided by the works of Walter Scott.

When Savor became too burdensome for him, and travel, literary activity and science did not bring the desired result, Pechorin decides to start military career. He, as is customary among the aristocracy, serves in the St. Petersburg Guard. But he doesn’t stay here for long either - participation in a duel dramatically changes his life - for this offense he is exiled to serve in the Caucasus.

If Pechorin were a hero folk epic, then it permanent epithet the word would be "strange". All the heroes find something unusual in him, different from other people. This fact is not related to habits, mental or psychological development - the point here is precisely the ability to express one’s emotions, adhere to the same position - sometimes Grigory Alexandrovich is very contradictory.

He likes to cause pain and suffering to others, he is aware of this and understands that such behavior does not look good not only on him specifically, but on any person. And yet he doesn’t try to restrain himself. Pechorin compares himself to a vampire - the realization that someone will spend the night in mental anguish is incredibly flattering to him.

Pechorin is persistent and stubborn, this creates many problems for him, because of this he often finds himself in not the most pleasant situations, but here courage and determination come to his rescue.

Grigory Alexandrovich becomes the cause of destruction life paths many people. By his mercy, the blind boy and the old woman are left to their fate (the episode with the smugglers), Vulich, Bella and her father die, Pechorin’s friend dies in a duel at the hands of Pechorin himself, Azamat becomes a criminal. This list can still be replenished with many names of people to whom the main character insulted and became a reason for resentment and depression. Does Pechorin know and understand the full gravity of the consequences of his actions? Quite, but this fact does not bother him - he does not value his life, let alone the destinies of other people.

Thus, the image of Pechorin is contradictory and ambiguous. On the one hand, it is easy to find positive features character, but on the other hand, callousness and selfishness confidently reduce all his positive achievements to “no” - Grigory Alexandrovich destroys with his recklessness both his fate and the fates of the people around him. He - destructive force which is difficult to resist.

Psychological portrait of Grigory Pechorin

Lermontov helps to imagine the character's character traits by referring to the hero's appearance and habits. For example, Pechorin is distinguished by a lazy and careless gait, but the hero’s gestures do not indicate that Pechorin is a secretive person. The young man’s forehead was marred by wrinkles, and when Grigory Alexandrovich sat, it seemed that the hero was tired. When Pechorin's lips laughed, his eyes remained motionless, sad.

Pechorin's fatigue was manifested in the fact that the hero's passion did not linger for long on any object or person. Grigory Alexandrovich said that in life he is guided not by the dictates of his heart, but by the orders of his head. This is coldness, rationality, periodically interrupted by a short-term riot of feelings. Pechorin is characterized by a trait called fatality. The young man is not afraid to go wild and seeks adventure and risk, as if testing fate.

The contradictions in Pechorin’s characterization are manifested in the fact that with the courage described above, the hero is frightened by the slightest cracking of window shutters or the sound of rain. Pechorin is a fatalist, but at the same time convinced of the importance of human willpower. There is a certain predetermination in life, expressed at least in the fact that a person will not escape death, so why then are they afraid to die? In the end, Pechorin wants to help society, to be useful by saving people from the Cossack killer.

Grigory Pechorin from the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”: characteristics, image, description, portrait

“Hero of Our Time” is the most famous prose work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. It owes its popularity largely to the originality of the composition and plot and the contradictory image of the main character. We’ll try to figure out what makes Pechorin’s characterization so unique.

History of creation

The novel was not the first prose work 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 due to the poet’s exile, the work was not completed. Already in the Caucasus, Lermontov again took up prose, leaving the same hero, but changing the location of the novel and the title. This work was called “Hero of Our Time.”

Publication of the novel begins in 1839 in separate chapters. The first to go into print are “Bela”, “Fatalist”, “Taman”. The work received many negative responses from critics. They were primarily associated with the image of Pechorin, which was perceived as slander “on an entire generation.” In response, Lermontov puts forward his own characterization of Pechorin, in which he calls the hero a collection of all vices contemporary author society.

Genre originality

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

The social side of the novel is already evident in the title, which is imbued with Lermontov’s irony. Pechorin, despite his originality, does not fit 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 lies in the enormous attention that the author pays to the character’s inner experiences. Using 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 arose 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. He has no place in ordinary world. Romanticism is active, it strives for accomplishments, adventures and unusual scenery. That is why Pechorin’s characterization is replete with descriptions unusual stories and no less unusual actions of the hero.

Portrait of Pechorin

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

A brief description of Pechorin begins with a description of him social status. 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 calculating, ironic, endowed with an extraordinary mind, prone to philosophical reasoning. But he doesn’t know where to use his abilities and often wastes his time on trifles. Pechorin is indifferent to others and himself, even if something captures him, he quickly cools down, as was the case with Bela.

But the fault is that such extraordinary 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 situation gave birth to people like him.

Quoted description of Pechorin

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

Maxim Maksimych, simple-minded and a kind person, describes Pechorin this way: “A nice fellow... just a little strange.” Pechorin is all about this strangeness. He does illogical things: he hunts in bad weather and sits at home on clear days; goes to the wild boar alone, not valuing his life; can be silent and gloomy, or can become the life of the party 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 tossing, worries, and inability to cope with one’s feelings and emotions.

Author's quotation description Pechorina is very critical and even ironic: “When he sat down on the bench, his figure bent... the position of his whole body depicted some kind of nervous weakness: he sat as Balzac’s thirty-year-old coquette sits on her downy chairs... In his smile there was something childish..." Lermontov does not at all idealize his hero, seeing his shortcomings and vices.

Attitude towards love

Pechorin made Bela, Princess Mary, Vera, and the “undine” 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 is only short time entertained him. Pechorin's indifference to the princess revealed all the egoism of this hero, his inability to think about others and sacrifice something for them.

Next victim restless soul The character turns out to be Princess Mary. This proud girl decides to step over social inequality and is the first to confess her love. However, Pechorin is scared family life which will bring peace. The hero doesn’t need this, he craves new experiences.

A brief description of Pechorin in connection with his attitude towards love can boil down 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 between Pechorin and Grushnitsky

The main character appears as a contradictory, ambiguous and unpredictable personality. The characterization of Pechorin and Grushnitsky points to another striking feature of the character - the desire to have fun, to play with the destinies 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 and show his best qualities.

The 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 main character that led to the tragedy. Pechorin, knowing about the conspiracy, is trying to give Grushnitsky an 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 himself at least some useful application. Even in love he could not find a place for himself. This hero is completely alone; it is difficult for him to get close to people, to open up to them, to let them into his life. Sucking melancholy, loneliness and the desire to find a place for oneself in the world - these are the characteristics of Pechorin. "A Hero of Our Time" became the epitome of greatest tragedy a person - the inability to find himself.

Pechorin is endowed with nobility and honor, which was demonstrated during the duel with Grushnitsky, but at the same time, selfishness and indifference dominate in him. Throughout the entire narrative, 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 half a corpse. His fate is sealed; he is no longer alive, although he is not completely dead yet. This is why the main character does not care about his safety; he fearlessly rushes forward because he has nothing to lose.

Pechorin's tragedy lies not only in the social situation, which did not allow him to find a use for himself, but also in his inability to simply live. Introspection and constant attempts to comprehend what is happening around us led to wandering, constant doubts and uncertainty.

Conclusion

The characterization of Pechorin is interesting, ambiguous and very contradictory. “A Hero of Our Time” became Lermontov’s iconic work precisely because of such a complex hero. Having absorbed the features of romanticism, social changes of the Nikolaev era and philosophical problems, Pechorin’s personality turned out to be timeless. His thoughts and problems are close to today’s youth.

The image of Pechorin in the novel A Hero of Our Time by Lermontov is an image of a man tired of life who seeks joy and happiness in bullying and moral torture of people.

Of course, as a person, this hero is not completely negative. He has a lot of bright and warm personality traits, but only due to habit, and even due to time, he extinguishes them, suppresses them in different ways.

It is significant that Lermontov specifically makes his hero a military man. If, for example, Pechorin was either a detective or a postman, the storm in his soul would look simply funny.

And so he always walks along the very edge. Always on the front line, and even in moments when death is about to seize the officer, he does not grieve. To put it simply modern language- it’s as if he doesn’t care.

But this does not mean that he does not like life. Life is just something fleeting for him, and if it suddenly ends, so be it. That is why, it seems to me, he is perceived by many as an immoral hero. He wanted to seduce someone's wife - he takes her and seduces her. Whether this is good or bad is a secondary question. Firstly, it is bad for whom and good for whom. And secondly, it’s just how he works as a human being.

And this is a kind of new stage of “taking everything from life.” For the time in which the novel “A Hero of Our Time” takes place, a moment of amusing tautology, the archetype itself, the very appearance of such a person was new. Does this mean that everyone, absolutely everyone, was a Pechorin and lived just such a life? No, that doesn't mean it.

After all, this was not a massive social wave of people who did not care about the future or the past. For them, the existence of one time period was important - the present. Undoubtedly, this was a fantastic phenomenon, which can only be explained now, and even then not completely. But as for me, the novel itself played a huge role, because now every third person has become Pechorin. As they say, it suddenly became fashionable to be idiots.

Lermontov is certainly a hero. Write a novel, create a plot, develop it, and not in the good old way, this is the beginning, but this is the end, but create a mosaic, and so that the reader assembles this puzzle as he wants. But he didn’t invent Pechorin. He simply showed him to the world, making the hero a fashionable social trend.

Option 2

M.Yu. Lermontov created many characters in his novel “A Hero of Our Time,” but one of the most striking and controversial characters in the work is the main character, Grigory Pechorin.

Pechorin serves in the Caucasus, he is handsome, smart, knows how to find mutual language with people and in general understands people quite easily, can easily manipulate them, does not depend on the opinions of others. The first acquaintance with Grigory comes from the person of Maxim Maksimych. So, we learn that the main character stole a girl from his native village. He needed her because she was in everyone’s attention in order to stroke his pride. Pechorin awakened feelings in Bela, but as soon as he received reciprocity, he no longer needed her and soon died. This changed and broke Gregory’s soul, although from the outside it seemed that he was indifferent to the girl’s death.

In general, in the entire image of Pechorin there is duality: in clothes - stained, but the features of an aristocrat, in appearance - dark eyebrows, light hair, achieved - loses interest, suffers, but does not show it.

Gregory is indifferent to everything, easily lets go of the past, runs away from himself. He does not have a place where he could return, he is alone, as he keeps a diary of his experiences, he has no one to trust and speak out. Pechorin is distrustful, withdrawn, does not draw conclusions, does not analyze his actions. He gradually dies morally, as a person. When meeting with smugglers, he shows that he is attracted to freedom, he is not afraid to die. At the same time, in them he tries to find people close to himself, but does not find a place with either one or the other, since he is a stranger everywhere.

In the chapter “Princess Mary” the hero’s inner world is gradually revealed. He is envious, all actions are carried out out of boredom, he is self-confident, sincere when he loses someone. Pechorin seeks Mary only in order to annoy Grushnitsky and hit his pride. During a duel, he is cool-headed and sees things through to the end. For the first time, Gregory sorts things out with Mary and wants her to forget him and hate him. At this time, he loses a person dear to him, Vera, and realizes that he is unable to change anything.

After meeting with the fatalist, Pechorin changes from his mistakes, ceasing to be inactive.

Essay Image and characteristics of Pechorin

The book “A Hero of Our Time” was written in the 40s of the 19th century during a time of brutal political repression. The main character of the novel is Grigory Pechorin.

Grigory Pechorin is an intelligent person with a critical mind. The hero was not satisfied with life and did not see a way to find happiness. Compared to Onegin, Pechorin did not float with the flow of life, but tried to find his own path. A hero cannot be called a negative or positive person. In relation to another person, he was arrogant and cold, while the hero was not immature and weak-willed. At a young age, Pechorin enjoyed life and got everything with the help of money. Soon he got tired of such a life, and he set out into the world. Although at that time Pechorin was irritated by the attention of secular girls, the conversations of friends and society itself.

Boredom forced the hero to study and read books, especially scientific literature. Soon books did not bring him joy, and he decided to leave for the Caucasus. On Caucasian soil, he met Bella, who charmed him with her beauty. Pechorin mistook Bella for an angel who came to help him. A little later, he realized that she was no different from those secular girls, and her simple-heartedness and ignorance began to irritate him.

Pechorin had contradictory nature. He believed that his life consisted of unsuccessful and sad contradictions of mind and heart. Contradiction affects Gregory's thoughts and actions. The author fully emphasizes all the oddities of the hero from internal to appearance. Despite his age, Pechorin had a childish smile. The hero was distinguished by a careless and lazy gait. He had good health and weak nerves. Pechorin was skeptical about people. Pechorin, as a disappointed man, lived only relying on his curiosity. In a sense, the hero brought only misfortune and had no happiness himself. He denied family happiness and love. When meeting women, he was ambitious and vain.

He had deep feelings for Vera and was afraid of losing her. The hero assessed and called himself a “moral cripple” who had lost his good half of his soul. His external contradictions and behavior did not allow Pechorin to live a full life.

Essay 4

Literature and history go hand in hand. The novel “A Hero of Our Time” and its characters became a reflection of living conditions in Russia at that time. The novel was written when freedom of thought, speech, and action was brutally suppressed. Only losses were visible, but a huge amount of work was being done inside the country. Lermontov tried to show the tragic side of existence and survival in Russia. A parallel is drawn between the heroes of the novel and real people who had to live like in a barracks. The insignificance of the existence of people as individuals is shown, no matter how talented they are.

The story about the main character Pechorin is told from several people: first, this is a story from the perspective of Maxim Maksimych, he shows his attitude towards the character. Afterwards, this is a story from the perspective of the author, that is, Lermontov himself, his attitude towards the hero. And then this is the story from the inside, from the diary entries. And this is no coincidence. Lermontov wants to show the versatility and versatility of Pechorin, and with him the entire Russian society. In Pechorin, two contradictions are fighting, both in appearance and in the soul. He is young, but you can see the wrinkles when he laughs, his eyes don't laugh.

Pechorin is smart and educated person, with broad views, culture. He cannot sit in one place; he is distinguished by a desire for action and a change of environment. Every time it's time to stop, he gets bored with his life and tries to change it again. But Pechorin spends his energy on actions that are unworthy of him: he kidnaps Bela, and after that he is not interested in her. Tries to destroy the activities of smugglers, but does not pursue any goal or benefit. He gets Mary, and then leaves her alone with her disappointments. He doesn't care about the feelings of other heroes. He is selfish, but tries to justify himself.

Perhaps at other times in his life, he would not have been such a hero, but now not only he himself became a moral cripple, his environment helped him become such. He learned to hate, hide his feelings, became a liar, a hypocrite. He breaks destinies, breaks love and faith in him, Pechorin is a victim of society.

However, Lermontov also showed the hero’s love story. He truly fell in love with faith. And although there was a barrier between them, her husband, Pechorin, achieved his goal with all his might. And he achieved it, because Vera also fell in love with him. She loved him for who he really was. And in return she received only suffering - like everyone else who came close to him.

The word "hero" has several meanings. Pechorin did not perform any heroic deeds, which means Lermontov wanted to show that this is just one character. And this one character reflected the whole essence of society of that time, young people who could not find a use for themselves in the world.

Option 5

Grigory Pechorin is the main character of the work “Hero of Our Time”. The author of this work is Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov. Many critics recognized Pechorin as one of the most interesting characters creativity of Lermontov. Pechorin destroys the lives of other people, but at the same time he is surrounded by respect and love. It is impossible to identify positive or negative aspects of his character. We can say that this is a neutral hero. But at the same time, we can say that this is not so, since he stands at the center of the plot and the entire work is built around him. We can conclude that he has both white and black qualities.

Pechorin is about thirty years old. He is a young, handsome and fit man. Readers are attracted by what inspires trust. He's only for healthy image life. The author has repeatedly emphasized his endurance and productivity. He could easily hunt in the forest, walking many kilometers, and not get tired. He preferred hunting alone. He went hunting to be alone with himself. He did not go with other hunters, because he did not like hunting societies.

In Russian literature there are many images similar to the image of Pechorin. Over the long history of literature, a whole dynasty of such images has been created. The characters of these heroes are two-sided, that is, they are divided into innate and acquired character traits. Perhaps this is what the author wanted to show in his characters.

Lermontov did not want to make his hero uniform from all sides. It can be viewed from different points of view. Some readers do not like it, while others, on the contrary, admire it. But still, the author tried to highlight its internal contradictions. He has no connection between feeling and thought. He wastes all his energy, but how many good deeds he could do. He thinks only about himself and all his actions are selfish. They only bring harm to the people around them. For example, he was friends with Maxim Maksimych, and when he no longer needed him, he broke off the relationship. But he even killed Grushnitsky, and this did not cause him any discomfort. Lermontov also focuses on psychological condition hero. He also raises the question of the essence and worldview of the hero, about his actions.

In my opinion, the author was able to perfectly betray the character of his hero. He was also able to compare all character traits with storyline works. For my literary life Lermontov was able to create very few heroes of this kind.

Sample 6

M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “Hero of Our Time” is a masterpiece of Russian writing. The author created many entertaining characters in the work, but the main character is the young nobleman Grigory Pechorin.

Pechorin is a young man who has already become disillusioned with life and tired of social meetings, the attention of girls and his existence in general. He does not want to go with the flow of life, but on the contrary, he is desperately trying to find his path and place in life. A hero cannot be called positive or negative. In his relationships with others, he undoubtedly reveals himself to the reader as a cruel, selfish, domineering and proud young man. But if we look at his inner worldview, we can understand that Pechorin himself suffers from the way he lives.

Boredom prompted the hero to want to make fun of the weaknesses of other people, humiliate them and put them below himself. Tired of attention society ladies, he wants to feel the love of a simple girl, even a savage. But he is also disappointed in her. Due to Gregory's irresponsibility, the girl dies. The hero destroys the lives of all the people around him without even trying.

Again, out of boredom, he flirts with the fiancee of his friend, the young poet Lensky. Lensky is offended and challenges Pechorin to a duel. And instead of asking his friend for forgiveness for his immoral behavior, Gregory agrees to the challenge and kills his friend.

The hero breaks the fate of many girls. He earnestly wooes Princess Mary, and then leaves her alone with his disappointment. He truly loves only one girl, Vera. But even to her he brought suffering, as well as to everyone with whom Pechorin had to connect his life.