Why in the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" events are not depicted in chronological order?
The work of M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" (1841) - a socio-psychological novel.
The protagonist of the work, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin, on the one hand, is a specific person with vivid deeds and strong feelings. On the other hand, Pechorin embodies the generalized features of the younger generation of the 1830-1840s, whose tragedy consisted in insufficient social activity and low demand in society.
Pechorin is an officer, an aristocrat, he is one of those who are considered to be the darling of fate. His life is extremely restless. It is filled with a desperate search for something unusual, special, going beyond the usual impressions. His strong feelings are akin to passions, but the fact of the matter is that his cold rationality, a tendency to analyze what is happening around him, balance the ardor of his nature.
Why, then, in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" events are not depicted in chronological order?
First of all, because this method creates a feeling of some mystery, understatement in the characterization of the hero himself, which in spirit brings the novel closer to the Byronic trend in literature. In addition, the reader is indifferent to the chronology of the events described. He is interested in Pechorin's life itself, intrigue and intricacy of collisions and those situations that arise here and there on his life path.
And from the point of view of the main artistic idea, this is how, with a violation of the chronology of events, the novel is built for one important reason. The reader traces the life of Pechorin sequentially, from simple to complex, recognizing the personality of this person, comprehending the originality of his nature.
In the chapter “Bel”, the reader gets acquainted with the image of Pechorin through the story of Maxim Maksimych about him and is convinced of how decisive, impudent and unpredictable this young man is in his actions. But these are only indirect ideas about the hero, which are destined to be replenished in the further content of the novel. In the chapter “Maxim Maksimych”, the reader sees Pechorin live and makes up his mind about him. The appearance of the protagonist testifies both to the romantic inclinations of his character and to his strong-willed qualities. But at the same time, the coldness and indifference of the “wandering officer”, shown by him to the humane and wise Maxim Maksimych, unpleasantly surprise the reader.
In the chapters "Taman" and "Princess Mary" Pechorin is depicted through entries in his own diary in a very complete, detailed and versatile way. His diary is the hero's story about himself, a confession in which the motives of his actions are explained and an assessment is given to them.
We learn that the center of the hero's vital interests is his own personality, his "ego". The rest of the characters in the novel are "others" who, by chance, find themselves on his life path.
Pechorin admits to himself that there are two people in him: one performs actions, the other impartially evaluates them. He brings a lot of suffering to other people; through his fault, Bela and Grushnitsky perish. However, Pechorin is inclined to think that objectively he is not to blame for the misfortunes of these "others". But in his subconscious lurks the thought that no - to blame!
For this reason, he "laughed" after Bela's funeral, and Maxim Maksimych "frost ran through his body." Pechorin has enough intelligence and compassion to say sincere words to Maxim Maksimych, offended by him, at parting. Realizing how guilty he is, he is ready to throw himself at the feet of Princess Mary, whose heart is broken, and weeps on the road to Pyatigorsk near the fallen horse.
The heart of the protagonist longs for an unprecedented response to his feelings. He himself unsuccessfully strives to meet the “high purpose” and fruitfully spend “immense forces”, which, he is sure, are given to him by nature. But his goals remain unfulfilled; he did not find a great field in which he could take place as an outstanding personality. Therefore, the critic Belinsky called him a "suffering egoist."
And, finally, the chapter “The Fatalist” completes Pechorin’s characterization, where the issue of inevitable, predetermined turns in the fate of a person is resolved on a serious philosophical level. So, deeply thought out by the author from the ideological and artistic positions, we see the life story of Pechorin, the “hero” of Russian reality in the 1830s-1840s.
M.Yu. Lermontov wrote that in the novel A Hero of Our Time, he wanted to explore "the history of the human soul," which is "almost more curious and more useful than the history of an entire people." The author presents us not a biography novel, but a portrait novel. The entire plot-compositional structure of the work is subordinated to this goal. "A Hero of Our Time" includes five stories, each of which tells about some extraordinary story in the life of Pechorin. Moreover, in the arrangement of the stories (“Bela”, “Maxim Maksimych”, “Taman”, “Princess Mary”, “Fatalist”) Lermontov violates the life chronology of the episodes of the novel. In reality, events took place in a different order. On the way from St. Petersburg to the Caucasus, Pechorin stops in Taman. The hero risks his life here, his fight with smugglers takes place. After participating in a military expedition, which is not depicted in the novel, he travels to Pyatigorsk, where he kills Grushnitsky in a duel. For this, Pechorin is sent to the fortress, where he serves under the command of Maxim Maksimych. At the same time, the story of Bela takes place. From the fortress, he leaves for two weeks to the Cossack village, where the fight with Vulich takes place. Then he again returns to fortress N. Then Pechorin retires and lives in St. Petersburg for five years. Then he goes to Persia and meets with Maxim Maksimych and the publisher in Vladikavkaz. Finally, returning from Persia, Pechorin dies. Thus, the real chronology of events required the following arrangement of the stories: "Taman", "Princess Mary", "Bela", "Fatalist", "Maxim Maksimych", "Preface to Pechorin's Journal". But why did Lermontov need such a rearrangement of events? The writer ends the novel not with the death of Pechorin, but with the episode where he, being in mortal danger, nevertheless escaped death. Moreover, in the story "The Fatalist" the hero questions the existence of predestination, fate, giving priority to his own strengths and intellect. Thus, the author does not relieve him of responsibility for all his actions, including those that he committed after his stay in the Cossack village. The character of Pechorin is static, Lermontov only varies life situations and guides the hero through them, exploring more and more new facets of his inner world. Thanks to the specific composition, Lermontov portrays the hero in a “triple perception”: first through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, then the “publisher”, then Pechorin himself talks about himself in his diary. The meaning of such a composition is the gradual disclosure of the character of the hero (from external to internal), when the author first intrigues the reader with the unusual situations, actions of the hero, and then reveals the motives of his behavior. Pechorin's "Caucasian History" is given in the perception of Maxim Maksimych, who has known Pechorin for a long time, loves him, but does not understand his behavior at all. The staff captain is simple-minded, his spiritual needs are small - Pechorin's inner world is incomprehensible to him. Hence - the strangeness, mystery of Pechorin, the improbability of his actions. The last story, which concludes the novel, is called "The Fatalist". This is part of the hero's diary. In revealing the image of Pechorin, she plays the role of an epilogue. Lermontov raises here the philosophical problem of fate, fate, fate. Vulich dies in the story, as Pechorin predicted, and this suggests that predestination exists. But Pechorin himself decided to try his luck and remained alive, the hero’s thoughts are already more optimistic: “... how often do we take a deceit of feelings or a mistake of reason for conviction! ..”. The conclusion of A Hero of Our Time with a philosophical tale is significant. Pechorin often does evil, well aware of the true meaning of his actions. However, the "ideology" of the hero allows him such behavior. Pechorin himself is inclined to explain his vices by evil fate or fate, life circumstances, etc. Lermontov, however, does not relieve Pechorin of responsibility for his actions, recognizing the possibility of choosing between good and evil. It is interesting that in both the first and the last story of the novel, the author shows the actions of the protagonist in the perception and assessment of Maxim Maksimych. It is Pechorin who conducts experiments, testing his philosophical judgments, and the staff captain simply remarks about the case with Vulich: “This is a rather tricky thing!” (i.e., not a question of the human mind), and then he said: “Yes, sorry for the poor fellow ...” (but to regret is a human matter). Thus, the novel is imbued with unity of thought. Lermontov's ring composition is symbolic: it reveals the futility of the hero's searches, his inability to break out of the framework of his own ideas about life.
Features of the plot of the novel
Any literary work has its own system of events, which reveals not only the characters of the characters, but also the attitude of the author himself to the phenomena and events he depicts, that is, the plot. In the novel A Hero of Our Time, the plot is determined by the idea of the whole system of stories, and this idea is in the “unfolding” step by step of the history of the “human soul”, “especially when it is the result of a mature mind observing itself”.
How exactly does the author build the plot? Let us listen to the opinion of the Russian critic V. Belinsky: “Mr. Lermontov’s novel is imbued with a unity of thought, and therefore ... it cannot be read in the order in which the author himself placed it: otherwise you will read two excellent stories and several excellent stories, but the novel will not you will know. There is not a page, not a word, not a feature that would have been randomly sketched; here everything comes out of one main idea and everything returns to it. That is why the chronological series of events described in the novel is broken - the chronology is not important for the realization of the idea.
First, we learn about Pechorin in the story “Bela”, following the conversation of temporary fellow travelers, and then following the story told by Maxim Maksimych about a young Circassian woman and the role of the protagonist in her fate. We draw up the following idea of Pechorin by directly observing how Grigory behaves, how his character manifests itself outwardly - the narrator describes this in detail in the second chapter of the novel. And, finally, from the journal written by the hero, we comprehend the inner world of Pechorin: his thoughts, feelings, aspirations.
With each subsequent story of the “Hero of Our Time”, our interest in the character of the main character increases, because it is unlikely that Lermontov called the hero of the time a person with a vicious attitude towards people and a complete lack of attractive human qualities. Gradually you understand that it was in this order that by placing the chapters of the work, the author was able to consistently reveal the character of the hero in all its complexity, inconsistency and unpredictability. It is this idea that the plot of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" is subordinated to.
Correlation of the plot and plot of the "Hero of Our Time"
Reading page after page, we can immediately notice: the temporal sequence of events in the novel differs from the order of the stories, which was determined by Lermontov. “I’m going to the active detachment on official duty,” writes Pechorin in Taman in the magazine, and chronologically, this part opens the story of the main character. It is followed by a story about Gregory's stay on the waters and the next morning after the duel he received "an order from the higher authorities to go to the fortress N". Pechorin “happened” to leave “this boring fortress” and “live for two weeks in a Cossack village”, here he decides for himself the question of whether the fate of any person is predetermined. Serving further in the fortress, Gregory kidnaps Bela. We trace Pechorin’s last movements by watching his meeting with the staff captain (“I’m going to Persia - and beyond”) and reading the narrator’s preface to Pechorin’s Journal (“I recently learned that Pechorin, returning from Persia, died”).
Let's compare the chronological and authorial series of stories
In the plot, the stories are arranged in the following sequence: "Bela" - "Maxim Maksimovich" - Preface to "Pechorin's Journal" - "Taman" - Princess Mary "-" Fatalist ".
The plot, however, requires a temporary order: "Taman" - "Princess Mary" - "Fatalist" - "Bela" - "Maxim Maksimovich" - Preface to Pechorin's Journal.
The plot and plot of the novel A Hero of Our Time, therefore, do not coincide. Chronology, according to Lermontov, does not direct us to comprehend the character of the protagonist, and therefore is not needed. And the construction of the plot not only makes it possible to understand the character of the protagonist, but at the same time encourages each reader to look into the depths of his own soul. We agree with A.N. Tolstoy: “Lermontov ... in five stories connected by a single internal plot - the disclosure of the image of Pechorin, the hero of the time, the product of the era, reveals to us the perfection of real, wise ... art. You read and feel: everything is here - no more and no less than what you need and how you can say it.
Artwork test
1. Chronological sequence of events.
2. Mixing genres.
3. The meaning of the violation of chronology in the novel.
Accept the collection of colorful heads,
Half funny, half sad
She is simple relatives, ideal,
The careless fruit of my amusements,
Insomnia, light inspirations,
Immature and withered years
Crazy cold observations
And hearts of sad notes.
A. S. Pushkin
The novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" consists of five stories-chapters. These chapters, in turn, are combined into two parts in accordance with the person on whose behalf the story is being told. In the first part, the narration is conducted on behalf of the author and Maxim Maksimych. The second part is the diary of Pechorin himself, that is, a first-person story.
The arrangement of chapters in the novel does not coincide with the chronological sequence of events in the life of the hero. It is obvious that events unfolded in this way. On the way to his destination in the Caucasus, Pechorin passed through Taman (chapter "Taman"). Some time later, after participating in a military expedition, Pechorin goes to Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk, where his duel with Grushnitsky (the head of "Princess Mary") takes place. Later, by order of the authorities, Pechorin arrives in the fortress beyond the Terek under the command of Maxim Maksimych (the head of "Bel"). Apparently, Pechorin was sent to the "line" for a duel. The bet with Vulich (the head of the Fatalist) takes place in the Cossack village, where Pechorin stayed for two weeks, having left the fortress. Five years later, Pechorin, retired and now idly traveling the world, travels to Persia and meets with Maxim Maksimych (the head of "Maxim Maksimych") in Vladikavkaz. Here the author of the novel had the opportunity to personally see the hero of his work. Returning from Persia to Russia, Pechorin dies (Preface to Pechorin's Journal).
It should also be noted that Lermontov's novel is a complex fusion of elements from various genres. In "A Hero of Our Time" one can find the features of a novel-description of morals, an adventure novel, a confessional novel, as well as features of a travel essay, a bivouac story, a secular story and a Caucasian short story. But back to the composition of the novel. Why did the author need such a bizarre game with time, when the events in the narrative do not follow each other as they happened in real life? Time and its perception by the characters of the work in most cases are significant categories for understanding the author's intention, the characters of the characters and the characteristics of their life path. Roman Lermontov is no exception. On the one hand, a number of typical features of the generation were embodied in the image of Pechorin. Many of the situations described in the novel are also characteristic of a certain time, in particular the war in the Caucasus. But on the other hand, many of Pechorin's deepest experiences do not depend on the time in which this person lives. Boredom and thirst for activity, the desire to be loved, the thirst for power over others, admiration for the beauty of nature or the creation of a talented writer, impartial introspection - all this is timeless. And Lermontov sought not only to tell about the events that occurred in the life of Pechorin, but also to show the features of his character, the movements of the soul, often invisible to others: “The history of the human soul, even the smallest soul, is almost more curious and not more useful than the history of a whole people ...".
First, Lermontov shows his hero from the side, as we all see the people around us. Maxim Maksimych talked with Pechorin for a long time, knows about many of his oddities, while treating him with friendly affection. But, despite the sincere benevolence towards Pechorin, Maxim Maksimych does not understand him too well. This is not surprising - there is a big difference between them in age and social status, and most importantly, in worldview. The image of Maxim Maksimych is quite typical for his time and environment. This is an honest, executive officer, a warm-hearted, kind person, but the range of his interests is rather limited. In the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, Pechorin, a representative of secular society, adventurous and fickle in his hobbies, is a strange, mysterious person.
The complexity of the composition of the novel manifested itself already in the first chapter of "Bela", which is built on the principle of a story within a story. This chapter-story plays the role of plot start: from it we learn about the main character of the novel. The romantic love story of an officer and the daughter of a Circassian prince also develops here, in which the character of Pechorin is clearly manifested: while there were obstacles in his path, his energy and ingenuity did not know peace, but as soon as Bela fell in love with him, he soon cooled off to her.
Maxim Maksimych tells about the external events of Pechorin's life, which he witnessed; however, the staff captain does not understand the actions of his friend. Numerous questions slipping through the story "Bela" remain unanswered.
The author watched Pechorin for a much shorter time than Maxim Maksimych, did not even communicate with him personally. However, Lermontov's view of his hero is psychologically deeper. The author not only knows a number of details of Pechorin's life. He better represents the secular society in which the hero of the novel revolved, therefore it is easier for him to understand the reasons that Pechorin's character was formed in this way and not otherwise. The story "Maxim Maksimych" not only makes it possible to look at the hero through the eyes of a person who does not know him personally, therefore, free from any likes or dislikes, but also explains how Pechorin's diary came to the author of the novel. In addition, this story clearly demonstrates Pechorin's indifferent attitude towards the people around him, which, however, he himself does not deny in his notes.
The chapter "Taman" is a kind of mini-novel inside a large work, a romantic story about robbers, imbued with the spirit of an ominous and attractive mystery. In this chapter, the driving forces of Pechorin's character are visible - his thirst for activity, determination and courage, which make him interfere in the lives of others simply out of curiosity.
The chapter "Princess Mary" is built on the principle of diary entries - Pechorin indicated the date to which certain events and reflections belonged. In this chapter, a significant place is given to self-analysis of the hero. We do not just become witnesses of events, but we find out what prompted Pechorin to take certain actions, what he thinks on various issues, and even how he evaluates his own personality, his character, his purpose and the real state of things. The motif of Pechorin's influence on others, on their destinies, sounds even stronger. Close interaction with him makes people reveal their true essence, but does not make anyone happier, on the contrary, often becomes a cause of suffering.
In the chapter "The Fatalist" the problem of fate is raised: is there a predestination, can a person choose his own fate? Man's opposition to fate, the motif of playing with fate, with death, have repeatedly sounded in literature. The theme of fate is certainly not accidental in Lermontov's novel. Pechorin believes that he had a high purpose, but what is it? He has not been able to find an answer to this question. At the end of the Fatalist chapter, Pechorin returns to the fortress and tries to discuss the problem of predestination with Maxim
Maksimych, however, he does not even understand the essence of the issue. The story closes in a circle. The fortress, where Pechorin returns, also appeared in the story "Bela", with which the novel begins. The circular composition of the novel reflects the vicious circle of searching for the meaning of Pechorin's life.
At the same time, such a composition, as it were, makes the hero immortal - the message about his death was lost somewhere in the middle of the novel, but after the long adventures described in Pechorin's diary, the idea that this person has already died is relegated to the background. .
One of the distinguishing features of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time" is a violation of the chronological order of the narrative.
Indeed, if we trace the plot and plot order, the difference becomes noticeable: according to the plot, the reader already learns about the death of Pechorin in the preface, while the plot logically and gradually leads to the death of the protagonist.
There are several reasons for this structural approach. Firstly, according to the author's intention, the narrative line gradually brings the reader closer to a deeper understanding of Pechorin's personality. The story is thus told by three narrators. First, Pechorin is watched by Maxim Maksimych. He fixes his actions, but does not give them motivations. This is not surprising: there is no deep understanding between the heroes, they come from different strata, separated, moreover, by military subordination (Pechorin is higher in rank). Thus, Maxim Maksimych, being close to Pechorin only due to life circumstances, can tell the reader very little about him.
A large emotional component is inherent in the second plan of the narrative: here the officer acts as the narrator. Unlike Maxim Maksimych, he is of the same class as Pechorin, and therefore, on an equal footing, he can look at Pechorin and analyze his type and actions. Here, for the first time, a description of the appearance of the hero appears, as well as a characteristic: "cold, tall, lonely." Noticing such a cardinal difference between Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin, the officer even pities the former, realizing how hard it must be to exist side by side with coldness like Pechorin's.
Finally, Pechorin himself becomes the third narrator, his introspection is the maximum disclosure of the hero's personality. Lermontov uses a form of direct psychologism, reveals the deep and intimate, shows what is really behind the coldness of the hero, and exposes his pain and inner tragedy. The reader feels more involved in the events described in the chapter "Pechorin's Journal", since it is written in the first person.
There is one more reason for Lermontov's violation of the chronological sequence in the presentation of the events of the novel - this is the intention to "prescribe" the character of Pechorin as mysterious, adventurous, looking for bright turns in his life path. A bright image requires a bright environment, the reticence that occurs with chronological shifts enhances interest in the hero. Thus, the author resorts to the violation of chronology for the sake of entertainment, to draw attention to the image of Pechorin.
Finally, the violation of chronology is the surest way to show the evolution of Pechorin as a complex novel character. Pechorin's inconsistency is not presented axiomatically, as if it were possible with a linear narrative. Connecting the pieces of the mosaic of Pechorin's life, traveling from one pole of his personality (demonstrative strength and cultivation of will) to another (secret weakness), the reader independently discovers and explores this inconsistency for himself.
Nikitina Valeria, 11th grade, 2013
