Speaking about the characterization of Grigory Pechorin, first of all it should be noted that the author of the work, Mikhail Lermontov, clearly showed his attitude towards the hero Grigory Pechorin. Pechorin does not fit into society, he seems to "fall out" of it, and it's not at all about his appearance. Indeed, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is a handsome officer, has a sharp mind, a lively and ebullient nature, and has an explosive character. However, Mikhail Lermontov himself, mentioning the characterization of Grigory Pechorin, notes: "This is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation, in their full development."
Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is, of course, an image of the people of that time, namely the 30s of the 19th century, brought together.
So, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is, of course, an image of the people of that time, namely the 30s of the XIX century, brought together. What can be interesting to say about the characterization of Grigory Pechorin?
He leads a rather boring lifestyle, he is lonely, it is hard to occupy himself. Although at one time Pechorin revolves in the best circles of society, however, he is bored with everything: both courting ladies and secular fun.
On the one hand, Grigory is afraid that society will negatively affect him, so he internally eschews his influence, but on the other hand, Pechorin does not worry about the welfare and well-being of others. Not only does he not appreciate true love and friendship, but in addition to everything else, the main character of Lermontov does not worry about the fact that by his behavior he is ruining the fate of those close to him. This fact, of course, significantly overshadows the characterization of Grigory Pechorin.
Characteristics of Grigory Pechorin in the chapter "Bela"
In the course of reading the book and analyzing the hero Lermontov Pechorin, it becomes clear that Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin indulges in recklessness simply because he is bored. But when the passion of adventure takes possession of him, he is prudent and ready to do anything - sacrifice friendship, hurt someone's feelings, break something inside himself. For example, in the chapter "Bela" Pechorin burns with passion for the girl Bela, and does everything possible to achieve her location. It seems that Grigory Pechorin loves Bela, but how can one explain the fact that he ruthlessly destroys her family, forcibly kidnaps the girl, pushes Bela's brother Azamat into madness, and then puts on a mask and tries to arouse sympathy and pity for himself? It is unlikely that such actions can be explained by true love.
Reflecting on the characterization of Grigory Pechorin after reading this chapter, it is clear that in fact Lermontov's hero Pechorin did not need Bela, she became a fleeting satisfaction of boredom and dispersed his melancholy for a while, while he was trying to achieve it.
True, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is not without compassion. Realizing that he does not need Bela, but he won her heart, Pechorin continues to deceive her, only now his deception lies in the fact that he supposedly loves her dearly.
Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin indulges in recklessness simply because he is bored. But when the passion of adventure takes possession of him, he is prudent and ready to go to any lengths.
Conclusions on the characterization of Grigory Pechorin
In simple terms, about Lermontov's hero Pechorin, let's say that Pechorin is a bad person, uniting the vices of his generation and modern society. But still, from his actions and way of thinking, one can draw important conclusions about the morality of people in general, and look at oneself through the prism of the vicious nature of Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin.
The image of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin in the novel "A Hero of Our Time", written by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov in 1838-1840, is a completely new type of protagonist.
Who is Pechorin
The protagonist of the novel is a young man, a representative of high society.
Grigory Alexandrovich is educated and smart, bold, resolute, knows how to impress, especially on ladies, and ... is tired of life.
A rich and not the happiest life experience leads him to disappointment and loss of interest in anything.
Everything in life becomes boring to the hero: earthly pleasures, high society, love of beauties, science - everything, in his opinion, happens according to the same patterns, monotonous and empty.
The hero is definitely a skeptic, but it cannot be said that feelings are alien to him. Grigory Alexandrovich has arrogance and pride (although he is self-critical), he has affection for his only comrade, Dr. Werner, and he also enjoys manipulating people and their suffering as a result.
For everyone around the hero is incomprehensible, and therefore he is often called strange. Pechorin repeatedly confirms the inconsistency of his character.
This inconsistency is born from the struggle of the mind and feelings within him, the most striking example of which is his love for the Faith, which Gregory realizes too late. So, let's look at this hero in action through a brief description of the chapters.
Characteristics of Pechorin by chapters in the novel
In the first chapter of Bel, the story is told on behalf of Pechorin's old friend, officer Maxim Maksimych.
In this part, the hero manifests himself as an immoral person who plays with the fate 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 crimes, is forever expelled from the family. Grigory Alexandrovich himself only continues his journey, not feeling guilty for what happened.
The narration of the subsequent chapter "Maxim Maksimych" is led 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 a note 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 to "remove" him.
In the episode of the attempt to drown Pechorin, we see his desperate struggle for life, which is still dear to him. However, in this chapter, the hero is still indifferent to people and their destinies, which this time are spoiled by his involuntary intervention.
In the chapter "Princess Mary" the main character is revealed in more detail and versatile. We see such qualities as deceit and prudence in building plans to seduce Princess Mary and a duel with Grushnitsky.
Pechorin plays with their lives for his own pleasure, breaking them: Mary remains an unhappy girl with a broken heart, and Grushnitsky dies in a duel.
Gregory is cold towards all people in this secular society, except for his old acquaintance Vera.
Once they had a fleeting romance, but when they meet again, their feelings take on a second life. Gregory 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 the young man realize that Vera is the love of his life.
Gregory rushes after him, but it turns out to be 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 person, even this strong feeling cannot bypass him.
In the last part of the Fatalist, the hero is shown to have lost the slightest interest in life and even seek his own death. In the episode of the dispute with the Cossacks over the cards, the reader sees a certain mystical connection between Pechorin and fate: Grigory had foreseen events in people's lives before, but this time he foresaw the death of Lieutenant Vulich.
There is a certain impression that the young man has already known everything in this life, which he now does not feel sorry for. Gregory pronounces the following words about himself: “And maybe I will die tomorrow! ... and there will not be a single creature left on earth who would understand me perfectly.
Description of Pechorin's appearance
Grigory Alexandrovich has a rather attractive appearance. The hero has a slender, strong physique with an average height.
Gregory 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 expressive is about his eyes, which “did not laugh when he laughed!<…>This is a sign - or an evil disposition, or a deep constant sadness.
His gaze always remained calm, only sometimes expressing a certain challenge, impudence.
How old is Pechorin
At the time of the action in the chapter "Princess Mary" he is about twenty-five years old. Gregory dies at the age of about thirty years, that is, still young.
The origin and social status of Pechorin
The main character of the novel is of noble origin, was born and raised in St. Petersburg.
Throughout his life, Gregory belonged to the upper strata of society, since he was a hereditary wealthy landowner.
Throughout the work, the reader can observe that the hero is a soldier and bears the military rank of ensign.
Pechorin's childhood
Having learned about the childhood of the protagonist, his life path becomes clear. As a little boy, the best aspirations of his soul were suppressed in him: firstly, this was required by an aristocratic upbringing, and secondly, they did not understand him, the hero was lonely from childhood.
More details about how the evolution of a kind boy into an immoral social unit took place is shown in the table with a quote from Pechorin himself:
Pechorin's upbringing
Grigory Alexandrovich received an exclusively secular upbringing.
The young man speaks fluent French, dances, knows how to stay in society, but he has not read many books, and he will soon get tired of the world.
Parents did not play a big role in his life.
In his youth, the hero went into all serious trouble: he spent a lot of money on entertainment and pleasure, but this disappointed him.
Education Pechorin
Little is known about the education of the protagonist of the novel. The reader is given to understand that he was fond of the sciences for some time, but he also lost interest in them, they do not bring happiness. After that, Gregory took up military affairs, which were popular in society, which also soon bored him.
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. It is only known that this happened to him on the 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 the 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 education, 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 escape true love. Unfortunately, Pechorin realizes it too late. This disappointment turns into the loss of the last hope for a 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.
In the novel "A Hero of Our Time" M.Yu. Lermontov created the image of his contemporary, "a portrait made up of the vices of the whole ... generation."
The protagonist of the novel is the nobleman Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, the character is extremely complex and contradictory, further paradoxical. The inconsistency, "strangeness" of Pechorin is masterfully noticed already in the very portrait of the hero. “At first glance at his face, I would not have given him more than twenty-three years, although after that I was ready to give him thirty,” the narrator notes. He describes the strong physique of Pechorin and at the same time immediately notes the "nervous weakness" of his body. A strange contrast is provided by the childish smile of the hero and his cold, metallic look. Pechorin's eyes "did not laugh when he laughed ... This is a sign - either of an evil disposition, or of deep constant sadness," the narrator notes. The look of the hero seems impudent to the passing officer, producing "an unpleasant impression of an indiscreet question" and at the same time this look is "indifferently calm."
Maxim Maksimovich also mentions Pechorin’s “oddities”: “He was a nice guy, I dare to assure you; just a little weird. After all, for example, in the rain, in the cold all day hunting; everyone will be cold, tired - but nothing to him. And another time he sits in his room, the wind smells, he assures that he has caught a cold; the shutter will knock, he will shudder and turn pale; and with me he went to the boar one on one; it happened that you couldn’t get a word for whole hours, but as soon as you start talking, you’ll tear your tummies with laughter ... "
What is behind this "strangeness" of the hero? What is he really like? Let's try to analyze this character.
Pechorin is a Russian nobleman, one of those whose "youth has passed in the world." However, soon secular pleasures "disgusted" him. Science, reading books, self-education - all these activities also very quickly revealed their meaninglessness and uselessness in life. Pechorin realized that the position of a person in society, respect and honor are not determined by his true merits - education and virtue, but depend on wealth and connections. So, the ideal order of the world was violated in his mind at the very beginning of his life. This led to Pechorin's disappointment, his boredom, contempt for an aristocratic society.
Disappointment gave rise to aggression in him towards others. And all his positive qualities - courage, determination, willpower, determination, energy, activity, enterprise, insight and ability to understand people - the hero "turned into his opposite", using them "on the path of evil." I would especially like to dwell on one of the traits of Grigory Alexandrovich.
Pechorin is very active, energetic, in his soul there are "immense forces." But what does he use his energy for? He kidnaps Bela, kills Grushnitsky, starts a senseless, cruel affair with Princess Mary.
Moreover, Pechorin is well aware that he brings suffering to other people. He is inclined to explain his behavior by upbringing, social environment, "the originality of his divine nature", fate, which invariably led him to "the denouement of other people's dramas" - anything, but not a manifestation of his personal, free will. The hero seems to take no responsibility for his actions.
At the same time, he is always active, active, he consistently brings his plans to life. Critics have repeatedly noted a certain unity of Pechorin's behavior, the unity of introspection and action. Yes, and the hero himself refuses from blind faith in predestination in the story "The Fatalist".
Let's try to analyze the psychology and behavior of Pechorin, referring to his philosophy of life. Happiness for him is only satisfied ambition, “saturated pride”, the main passion is to subjugate the will of others. Grigory Alexandrovich's life is "boring and disgusting", he considers the feelings of others "only in relation to himself", as food that supports his spiritual strength. By themselves, these feelings do not bother him. “What do I care about human joys and misfortunes ...” - this is the leitmotif of the image of Pechorin.
The behavior of Lermontov's hero is based on egocentrism, which, according to D.N. Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky, gave rise to excessive impressionability in Pechorin, emotionally painful susceptibility to all the phenomena of life, the actions of others. The researcher notices that Grigory Alexandrovich is not able to forget his past feelings, including the most bitter, joyless ones. They also own his soul, like real feelings. Hence in Pechorin the inability to forgive, the impossibility of an objective assessment of the situation.
However, it seems that the feelings of the hero are very selective in action. According to A.I. Revyakin, "Pechorin is not devoid of good impulses." At the evening at the Ligovskys, he took pity on Vera. During the last date with Mary, he feels compassion, ready to throw himself at her feet. During a duel with Grushnitsky, he is ready to forgive his enemy if he confesses his own meanness.
However, the good impulses of Grigory Alexandrovich always remain only "impulses". And Pechorin always brings his "villainy" to its logical conclusion: he kills Grushnitsky, destroys Bela, makes Princess Mary suffer. The hero's impulses for good remain only his personal feelings, which never turn into actions and about which other people actually know nothing.
The unity of thought and action is preserved in Pechorin's behavior only in relation to his "villainy" - here, apparently, there are no feelings of the hero (Pechorin is not a villain by nature), here he acts, guided only by reason, reason. And vice versa, we observe in the hero's mind a tragic gap between feeling and action. Where the mind is not present, Pechorin is "powerless" - the sphere of feelings is closed to him. This is what determines the hero's emotional immobility, his "petrification". Hence the impossibility of love for him, his failure in friendship. Hence, I think, the impossibility of repentance for Pechorin.
Belinsky believed that Pechorin’s spiritual image was disfigured by secular life, that he himself suffers from his unbelief, and “Pechorin’s soul is not stony soil, but the earth dried up from the heat of fiery life: let suffering loosen it and irrigate the blessed rain, and it will grow out of itself lush, luxurious flowers of heavenly love ... ". However, the very "suffering" of Pechorin is precisely impossible for him. And this is the “spiritual impotence” of the hero.
Of course, one of the reasons for such a depiction of the image by the writer is a certain loyalty to the traditions of Lermontov romanticism. Pechorin is a romantic hero, opposed to the outside world. Hence his demonism and loneliness among people. As a romantic hero, Pechorin largely reflects the worldview of the poet himself, his gloomy moods, dreary thoughts, skepticism and sarcasm, and a secretive nature. It is characteristic that Pushkin's Onegin nevertheless acquires a fullness of feelings and a lively flow of life in love for Tatyana. Pechorin dies, returning from Persia. And this is the whole Lermontov.
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 19th century and caused an ambiguous and very diverse reaction from readers. This is the first socio-psychological novel in Russian classical literature and all the plot twists and turns, events and secondary characters are shown in order to fully reveal Pechorin's character and personal characteristics.
The novel includes five stories, representing some stages in the development of Pechorin's personality and revealing all the depths of his difficult and ambiguous character to the reader.
Characteristics of the hero
Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin is a young attractive 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 the opposite sex. However, he is dissatisfied with his life and 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: either he is in a Caucasian fortress, or on vacation in Pyatigorsk, or together with smugglers on Taman. Even death awaits him when he travels from Persia to his homeland.
With the help of a detailed description of the appearance of the hero, the author tries to reveal his character to us. Pechorin is not deprived of male attractiveness, he is strong, slim and fit, the military uniform suits him very well. He has curly blond hair, expressive brown eyes, cold and haughty, they never laugh and their expression is unreadable. Blond hair combined with a dark mustache and eyebrows give his appearance individuality and eccentricity.
(Pechorin on a horse, drawing)
Pechorin's soul burns with a thirst for activity, but he does not know where to apply himself, and therefore, wherever he appears, he sows evil and sadness around him. Because of a stupid duel, his friend Grushnitsky dies, through his fault the daughter of the Caucasian Circassian prince Bela dies, for the sake of entertainment he falls in love with himself, and then without regret leaves Princess Mary. Because of him, the only woman he loved, Vera, suffers, but he also cannot make her happy and she is doomed to suffering.
The image of the main character
Pechorin is drawn 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 Pushkin's hero, he is constantly looking for ways to spice up his life, and not finding it, he suffers a lot from it. His own whims have always been and will be in the first place for him, and in order to satisfy his desires, he is ready for anything. He likes to manipulate people and subjugate them to himself, he enjoys power over them.
At the same time, Pechorin also has positive qualities and, in addition to reproaches and censure, deserves both sympathy and sympathy. He is distinguished by a sharp mind and judging others, he is quite 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 is not a coward and does not step back, his cold-bloodedness is on top. 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 Pechorin with Grushnitsky" 1890-1891)
Pechorin's personality 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 surrounding circumstances and twists of fate. The hero is seething with desires to act, but most often his actions result either in empty and useless actions, or vice versa, 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.
Belinsky very accurately described the personality of Pechorin, calling him a hero of our time, a kind of Onegin. And they are so similar that the distance between the rivers Pechora and Onega is much greater than the difference in their characters. Herzen also agrees with Belinsky, who considers Pechorin to be Onegin's younger brother. And if you think about it, it's easy to guess that they are really very close. Both characters are typical representatives of secular society.
In their youth, they both tried to get everything out of life, read books and were fond of science, but then lost interest in knowledge. They were completely bored. At the same time, the characters think critically, they are better and smarter than many others.
However, everyone has their own spiritual life. Onegin belongs to the era of socio-political reforms and the time preceding the Decembrist uprising. Pechorin, on the other hand, lives in a period of rampant reaction, when the uprising was put to an end. Onegin, if desired, could join the Decembrist movement, and Pechorin is deprived of all kinds of opportunities, so he suffers greatly. In many ways, his suffering is due to the depth and talent of nature.
Indeed, from the first pages, readers understand that in front of them is an extraordinary character with an unbending will and a remarkable mind, overwhelmed by passions and emotions. Pechorin understands people with amazing insight and is critical of himself. He accurately guesses the character and inclinations of those around him. Outwardly, he is calm, but feels strong and deep. In addition to his inner strength, Pechorin is also overwhelmed by a thirst for activity.
However, he refers to himself only as a "moral cripple", because all his actions are illogical and contradictory.
This inconsistency is visible both in his appearance and in his manners. Lermontov himself does not get tired of emphasizing the oddities of the hero's nature. For example, when Pechorin laughs, his eyes are cold, which is a sign of either anger or constant being in anguish. His glance is fleeting, but heavy and even impudent, however, Pechorin is very calm and indifferent. The hero is secretive, although some laziness and carelessness are guessed in his gait. He is both strong and weak at the same time. He is about 30 years old, but his smile is still visible spontaneity.
Maxim Maksimych also noticed Pechorin's features, saying that everyone can get tired while hunting, and Pechorin does not react to fatigue in any way, or he assures that he has caught a cold, turns pale and trembles.
Using the example of Pechorin, Lermontov shows the "disease" of the entire generation of that time. Pechorin himself says that his whole life consists of a string of unsuccessful and dreary events that are contrary to common sense and heart. How does this manifest itself?
First of all, it concerns his attitude to life. Pechorin does not hide the fact that he is skeptical and completely disappointed in life, continuing to live only out of curiosity. On the other hand, it is noticeable that he is eager to act.
Moreover, there is a continuous struggle between the senses and the mind. Pechorin admits that he thinks only with his head, and evaluates all his passions and emotions from the point of view of reason. However, the hero has a warm and understanding heart, capable of loving. Pechorin is especially indifferent to nature: in contact with it, all anxiety dissipates, longing disappears, and the soul becomes light.
In relations with women, Pechorin is also not all that simple. He gives in to his ambitious impulses and seeks to win the love of women. He dreams of subordinating everything to his will, to win the love and devotion of others.
But Pechorin cannot be called an egoist, since great love is not alien to him. His attitude towards Vera clearly demonstrates this. When the hero received her last letter, he immediately jumped on his horse and rushed to Pyatigorsk to see his beloved and say goodbye to her. Pechorin realized that Vera was very dear to him, more important than life, happiness and honor. In the steppe, he was left without a horse and wept from impotence, falling on the wet grass.
All these contradictions prevent Pechorin from living a full life. He sincerely believes that the best part of his soul has died.
On the eve of the scheduled duel, Pechorin thinks about his life and wonders if there is a goal in it. He answers his question in his diary, stating that he feels great powers within him, and that the purpose probably existed. But the problem is that he could not find an activity that would be worthy of him. He spends all his strength on petty and unworthy actions, for example, kidnaps Bela, plays with Mary's love, destroys the life of smugglers, kills Grushnitsky. Unwillingly, he brings death to everyone: Bela and Grushnitsky die, Vera and Mary are doomed to suffering, and Maxim Maksimych is distressed, who began to doubt the possibility of friendship and sincerity between people.
Thus, the most terrible thing in Pechorin's life is the discrepancy between the hero's immense spiritual strength and petty deeds. This contradiction is fatal for everyone.
So whose fault is it that Pechorin has become superfluous in his own life? Pechorin admits that his soul was pretty spoiled by secular society, with which he was never able to break the connection. He spent all his young years on a fruitless struggle with the high society and with himself. He deeply hid and practically destroyed all the best feelings, fearing misunderstanding and ridicule.
But not only the noble society is to blame for the difficult fate of Pechorin, because the Decembrists also came out of this society. Thus, Pechorin is a classic hero of the 1930s.
