Pechorin and Grushnitsky in the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time"
The main character, Pechorin, is a bright personality, but Grushnitsky's appearance on the stage helps to reveal many of his qualities.
The confrontation between Pechorin and Grushnitsky is shown in the chapter "Princess Mary". The story is told from the perspective of Pechorin. He is inclined to analyze situations, people and himself, so his story can be considered objective to a greater or lesser extent. He knows how to notice characteristic features in people and convey them in two or three words. But at the same time, all the shortcomings and flaws are mercilessly ridiculed.
Both characters meet like old friends.
Pechorin is self-confident, reasonable, selfish, mercilessly caustic (sometimes beyond measure). At the same time, he sees Grushnitsky through and through, and laughs at him. And he, in turn, is too exalted, enthusiastic and verbose. He talks more than he does, and he romanticizes people too much (first of all, himself). Nevertheless, this dissimilarity and rejection of each other does not prevent them from communicating and spending a lot of time together.
Almost simultaneously they saw Princess Mary for the first time. From that moment, a thin crack lay between them, which eventually turned into an abyss. Grushnitsky - a provincial romantic - is seriously fond of the princess. Pechorin's eternal enemy - boredom - makes him infuriate the princess with various petty antics. All this is done without a shadow of hostility, but solely out of a desire to entertain oneself.
The behavior of both heroes in relation to Princess Mary does not cause much sympathy. Grushnitsky is a windbag, he loves beautiful words and gestures. He wants life to be like a sentimental novel. That is why he attributes to others the feelings that he would like them to experience. He sees life in some kind of foggy haze, in a romantic halo. But there is no falsehood in his feeling for the princess, although perhaps he exaggerates it somewhat.
On the other hand, Pechorin is a sane person who has studied women, and is also a cynic. He is having fun with Mary. This game gives him pleasure, just as watching the development of relations between Grushnitsky and the princess gives pleasure. Pechorin, unlike Grushnitsky, perfectly foresees the further development of events. He is young, but managed to be disappointed in people and in life in general. It was not difficult for him to seduce Princess Mary, it was only necessary to seem incomprehensible and mysterious and to be impudent.
Pechorin is playing a double game. He resumed his relationship with Vera. This woman is undoubtedly stronger and tougher than Princess Mary. But love for Pechorin broke her too. She is ready to trample on her pride, her reputation. She knows that their relationship brings only pain and disappointment. And all the same, he strives for it, because he cannot do otherwise. Faith is capable of much stronger feelings than Mary. Her love is stronger and her grief more hopeless. She self-destructs for love and does not regret it.
Grushnitsky will never evoke such feelings. He is too soft-spoken and does not have bright character traits. He couldn't make Mary fall in love with him. He lacks assertiveness and self-irony. His rants can only make an initial impression. But the speeches begin to be repeated and eventually become unbearable.
The more the princess becomes interested in Pechorin (after all, she is much more interested in him than with an ingenuous boy), the wider it becomes. there is a gulf between him and Grushnitsky. The situation is heating up, mutual hostility is growing. Pechorin's prophecy that they will someday "collide on the narrow road" is beginning to come true.
A duel is the denouement of the relationship between two heroes. She approached inexorably as the road became too narrow for two.
On the day of the duel, Pechorin experiences cold anger. They tried to deceive him, but he cannot forgive this. Grushnitsky, on the contrary, is very nervous and tries with all his might to avert the inevitable. He has behaved unworthily lately, spreading rumors about Pechorin, and tried in every possible way to put him in a black light. You can hate a person for this, you can punish him, despise him, but you cannot deprive him of his life. But this does not bother Pechorin. He kills Grushnitsky and leaves without looking back. The death of a former friend does not awaken any emotions in him.
Thus ends the story of the relationship between Pechorin and Grushnitsky. It is impossible to judge who is right and who is wrong. And it is not known who to feel sorry for more: the deceased Grushnitsky or the departed Pechorin. The former will never be able to fulfill their romantic dreams as well. The second one never had them. It is better for Pechorin to die, since he does not see the point in his existence. This is his tragedy.
"Hero of our time" M.Yu. Lermontov was published as a separate edition in St. Petersburg in the spring of 1940. The novel has become one of the extraordinary phenomena in Russian literature. This book has been the object of numerous disputes and studies for a century and a half, and has not lost its vital sharpness in our days. Belinsky wrote about her: “Here is a book that is destined to never grow old, because, at its very birth, it was sprinkled with the living water of poetry.”
The protagonist of the novel - Pechorin - lived in the thirties of the nineteenth century. This time can be characterized as the years of the gloomy reaction that came after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising of 1825. At this time, a person of advanced thought could not find an application for his strength. Disbelief, doubt, denial have become features of the consciousness of the younger generation. They rejected the ideals of their fathers even “from the cradle”, and at the same time they doubted moral values as such. That's why V.G. Belinsky said that "Pechorin suffers deeply", not finding use for the immense forces of his soul.
Creating the "Hero of Our Time", Lermontov portrayed life as it really was. And he found new artistic means, which neither Russian nor Western literature has yet known, and which delight us to this day by combining a free and wide depiction of faces and characters with the ability to show them objectively, “building” them, revealing one hero through the perceptions of another.
Let's take a closer look at the two heroes of the novel - Pechorin and Grushnitsky.
Pechorin was an aristocrat by birth and received a secular upbringing. Leaving the care of his relatives, he "set off into the big world" and "began to enjoy all the pleasures wildly." The frivolous life of an aristocrat soon became disgusting to him, and reading books also bored him. After the "high-profile story in St. Petersburg" Pechorin is exiled to the Caucasus. Drawing the appearance of his hero, the author with a few strokes indicates not his aristocratic origin: “pale”, “noble forehead”, “small aristocratic hand”, “dazzling clean linen”. Pechorin is a physically strong and hardy person. He is endowed with an extraordinary mind, critically evaluating the world around him. He reflects on the problems of good and evil, love and friendship, on the meaning of human life. In the assessment of his contemporaries, he is self-critical: "We are no longer capable of great sacrifices, either for the good of mankind, or even for our own happiness." He is well versed in people, is not satisfied with the sleepy life of the "water society" and gives destructive characteristics to the capital's aristocrats. Pechorin's inner world is most fully and deeply revealed in the story "Princess Mary", where he meets Grushnitsky.
Grushnitsky is a cadet, he is the most ordinary young man who dreams of love, "stars" on shoulder straps. Making an impact is his passion. In a new officer's uniform, attired, smelling of perfume, he goes to Mary. He is mediocrity, he has one weakness that is quite excusable at his age - “drape in extraordinary feelings”, “passion to recite”. He seems to be striving to play the role of a disappointed hero, fashionable at that time, "a creature doomed to some kind of secret suffering." Grushnitsky is a completely successful parody of Pechorin. That is why the young Junker is so disagreeable to him.
With his miserable behavior, Grushnitsky, on the one hand, emphasizes the nobility of Pechorin, and on the other, it seems to erase any differences between them. After all, Pechorin himself spied on him and Princess Mary, which, of course, was not a noble act. And he never loved the princess, but simply used her gullibility and love to fight Grushnitsky.
Grushnitsky, as a narrow-minded person, at first does not understand Pechorin's attitude towards him. Grushnitsky seems to himself a self-confident, very insightful and significant person: “I feel sorry for you, Pechorin,” he says condescendingly. But events are imperceptibly developing according to Pechorin's plan. And now the Junker, overwhelmed by passion, jealousy and indignation, appears before us in a different light. He turns out to be not so harmless, capable of revenge, dishonesty and meanness. The one who quite recently played nobility, today is able to shoot an unarmed person. The duel scene reveals the essence of Grushnitsky, shoot, I despise myself, but I hate you. If you don't kill me, I'll stab you at night from around the corner. There is no place for us on earth together ... Grushnitsky rejects reconciliation Pechorin shoots him in cold blood. The situation becomes irreversible Grushnitsky dies after drinking the cup of shame, repentance and hatred to the end.
On the eve of the duel, recalling his life, Pechorin thinks about the question: why did he live? for what purpose was he born? And then he himself answers: “Ah, it’s true, she existed, and it’s true that I had a high appointment, because I feel immense strength in my soul.” And then Pechorin realizes that he has long been playing "the role of an ax in the hands of fate." “Immense forces of the soul” - and petty, unworthy deeds of Pechorin; he strives to "love the whole world" - and brings people only evil and misfortune; the presence of noble, high aspirations - and petty feelings that own the soul; thirst for the fullness of life - and complete hopelessness, awareness of one's doom. Pechorin is lonely, his situation is tragic, he is really "an extra person." Lermontov called Pechorin "a hero of his time", thus protesting against the romanticism of the idealized idea of a contemporary, portraying the image of Grushnitsky as a parody of romanticism. The hero for the author is not a role model, but a portrait made up of the vices of the entire generation in their full development.
So, the image of Grushnitsky helps to reveal the main thing in the central character of the novel. Grushnitsky - a crooked mirror of Pechorin - sets off the truth and significance of the experiences of this "suffering egoist", the depth and exclusivity of his nature. But in the situation with Grushnitsky, the whole danger lurking in the depths of this human type, the destructive force that lies in the individualistic philosophy inherent in romanticism, is revealed with particular force. Lermontov did not seek to pass a moral judgment. He only with great power showed all the abysses of the human soul, devoid of faith, imbued with skepticism and disappointment. Pechorinism was a typical disease of the time. And isn't it about these people that the generation of the 30s of the last century said M.Yu. Lermontov in the famous "Duma":
“... We will pass over the world without noise or trace, throwing down for centuries not a thought of fruitful work begun by non-geniuses.”
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Pechorin and Grushnitsky are also children of their time. They have a lot in common: both are vain and proud, always striving to draw attention to themselves, to be in the center of secular conversations and gossip, constantly looking for adventures on their heads. Both Grushnitsky and Pechorin want to appear in the eyes of society as unique, extraordinary. So, Grushnitsky is able to turn even a soldier's overcoat into an attribute of smartness. “He speaks quickly and pretentiously: he is one of those people who have pompous phrases ready for all occasions, who are simply not touched by the beautiful and who importantly drape in extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering. To produce an effect is their delight…”. Pechorin also strives to produce an effect - either with feigned coldness and indifference, or with passionate speeches and looks. And he successfully succeeds, especially in the eyes of romantic beauties. However, these heroes do not have a real, noble life goal - they are just bored, they do not know what to do with themselves. The words "boredom" and "boring" are found in Lermontov's work, perhaps more often than others - as an imprint of time, as a symbol of a lost generation.
Pechorin and Grushnitsky, however, are very different from each other. Despite feigned self-confidence and excessive smartness, Grushnitsky turns out to be a very vulnerable person, unsure of himself, short-sighted and inexperienced in many situations. He tries to hide his weaknesses either under a soldier's overcoat, or under an elaborate officer's uniform. He is ready to trust Pechorin even in matters of the heart and does not notice how he openly mocks him. Worst of all, he turns out to be a coward, unable to resist other people's opinions, unable to adequately accept his defeat, and a vile traitor who is ready to shoot an unarmed person.
Lermontov endows Pechorin with an outstanding analytical mind and strong will, which help the hero to foresee and anticipate events, to predict the actions of other people. Pechorin has fun, assuming the course of events, and rejoices when his assumptions are justified. However, he does not rejoice for long, he soon gets bored with everything: secular entertainment, and the attention of young ladies, and military battles. He is bored, because thanks to his sharp mind, education, ability to understand people, he is able to see the outcome of an event in advance. So, for example, it happens with Princess Mary, whose attention Pechorin sought to attract only in order to annoy Grushnitsky, for the sake of entertainment. When he fell in love with a girl, he immediately lost interest in her, left her with a broken heart and without any hope of reciprocity. People for Pechorin are just toys, only an opportunity to make life more fun. Behind the hero is a string of people offended by him, broken hearts and destinies - Maxim Maksimych, Bela, Princess Mary, Vera, smugglers ...
Pechorin, unlike Grushnitsky, is not blind to himself. He constantly analyzes his actions, he is honest with himself, able to see the inconsistency of his nature: “I have an innate passion to contradict; my whole life has been only a chain of sad and unfortunate contradictions of heart or mind. Pechorin is also ready to condemn himself: “I sometimes despise myself ... is that why I despise others too? .. I became incapable of noble impulses; I'm afraid to seem ridiculous to myself."
Although Grushnitsky presents Pechorin as his friend, they, of course, have never been friends. Pechorin admits: “I am incapable of friendship: of two friends, one is always the slave of the other, although often neither of them admits this to himself; I cannot be a slave, and in this case commanding is tedious work, because at the same time it is necessary to deceive. A conflict arises between Pechorin and Grushnitsky. Grushnitsky was for Pechorin the same toy, a puppet, like everyone else. And Grushnitsky's weak character and narrow-mindedness, his narcissism and desire to look like a hero in the eyes of friends and society further exacerbate the circumstances. Easily beating Mary away from Grushnitsky, Pechorin wins another bet made with himself. But does he win? The unfortunate, broken fate of Mary and the death of Grushnitsky are the main prizes of this victory.
Pechorin thinks: “Why did I live? for what purpose was I born?.. And, it’s true, it existed, and, it’s true, I had a high purpose, because I feel immense strength in my soul ... ”. Why does the author give Pechorin such a character, such a fate, why does he confront Grushnitsky? At the beginning of the work, Lermontov himself admits: "this is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation, in their full development." Without claiming to be a doctor and not offering a cure for all diseases, the author nevertheless considered it necessary to reveal the shortcomings of his contemporary society, perhaps secretly hoping that, having recognized himself, someone would think and change. Almost two centuries later, without suspecting it, Lermontov warns us, the generation of the 21st century, about the danger of such human vices as selfishness and narcissism, cowardice and betrayal, inaction and empty burning of life.
"Hero of our time" M.Yu. Lermontov was published as a separate edition in St. Petersburg in the spring of 1940. The novel has become one of the extraordinary phenomena in Russian literature. This book has been the object of numerous disputes and studies for a century and a half, and has not lost its vital sharpness in our days. Belinsky wrote about her: “Here is a book that is destined to never grow old, because, at its very birth, it was sprinkled with the living water of poetry.”
The protagonist of the novel - Pechorin - lived in the thirties of the nineteenth century. This time can be characterized as the years of the gloomy reaction that came after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising of 1825. At this time, a person of advanced thought could not find an application for his strength. Disbelief, doubt, denial have become features of the consciousness of the younger generation. They rejected the ideals of their fathers even “from the cradle”, and at the same time they doubted moral values as such. That is why V.G. Belinsky said that "Pechorin suffers deeply", not finding use for the immense forces of his soul.
Creating the "Hero of Our Time", Lermontov depicted life as it really was. And he found new artistic means, which neither Russian nor Western literature has yet known, and which delight us to this day by combining a free and wide depiction of faces and characters with the ability to show them objectively, “building” them, revealing one hero through the perceptions of another.
Let's take a closer look at the two heroes of the novel - Pechorin and Grushnitsky.
Pechorin was an aristocrat by birth and received a secular upbringing. Leaving the care of his relatives, he "set off into the big world" and "began to enjoy all the pleasures wildly." The frivolous life of an aristocrat soon became disgusting to him, and reading books also bored him. After the "high-profile story in St. Petersburg" Pechorin is exiled to the Caucasus. Drawing the appearance of his hero, the author with a few strokes indicates not his aristocratic origin: “pale”, “noble forehead”, “small aristocratic hand”, “dazzling clean linen”. Pechorin is a physically strong and hardy person. He is endowed with an extraordinary mind, critically evaluating the world around him. He reflects on the problems of good and evil, love and friendship, on the meaning of human life. In the assessment of his contemporaries, he is self-critical: "We are no longer capable of great sacrifices, either for the good of mankind, or even for our own happiness." He is well versed in people, is not satisfied with the sleepy life of the "water society" and gives destructive characteristics to the capital's aristocrats. Pechorin's inner world is most fully and deeply revealed in the story "Princess Mary", where he meets Grushnitsky.
Grushnitsky is a cadet, he is the most ordinary young man who dreams of love, "stars" on shoulder straps. Making an impact is his passion. In a new officer's uniform, attired, smelling of perfume, he goes to Mary. He is mediocrity, he has one weakness that is quite excusable at his age - “drape in extraordinary feelings”, “passion to recite”. He seems to be striving to play the role of a disappointed hero, fashionable at that time, "a creature doomed to some kind of secret suffering." Grushnitsky is a completely successful parody of Pechorin. That is why the young Junker is so disagreeable to him.
With his miserable behavior, Grushnitsky, on the one hand, emphasizes the nobility of Pechorin, and on the other, it seems to erase any differences between them. After all, Pechorin himself spied on him and Princess Mary, which, of course, was not a noble act. And he never loved the princess, but simply used her gullibility and love to fight Grushnitsky.
Grushnitsky, as a narrow-minded person, at first does not understand Pechorin's attitude towards him. Grushnitsky seems to himself a self-confident, very insightful and significant person: “I feel sorry for you, Pechorin,” he says condescendingly. But events are imperceptibly developing according to Pechorin's plan. And now the Junker, overwhelmed by passion, jealousy and indignation, appears before us in a different light. He turns out to be not so harmless, capable of revenge, dishonesty and meanness. The one who quite recently played nobility, today is able to shoot an unarmed person. The duel scene reveals the essence of Grushnitsky, shoot, I despise myself, but I hate you. If you don't kill me, I'll stab you at night from around the corner. There is no place for us on earth together ... Grushnitsky rejects reconciliation Pechorin shoots him in cold blood. The situation becomes irreversible Grushnitsky dies after drinking the cup of shame, repentance and hatred to the end.
On the eve of the duel, recalling his life, Pechorin thinks about the question: why did he live? for what purpose was he born? And then he himself answers: “Ah, it’s true, she existed, and it’s true that I had a high appointment, because I feel immense strength in my soul.” And then Pechorin realizes that he has long been playing "the role of an ax in the hands of fate." “Immense forces of the soul” - and petty, unworthy deeds of Pechorin; he strives to "love the whole world" - and brings people only evil and misfortune; the presence of noble, high aspirations - and petty feelings that own the soul; thirst for the fullness of life - and complete hopelessness, awareness of one's doom. Pechorin is lonely, his situation is tragic, he is really "an extra person." Lermontov called Pechorin "a hero of his time", thus protesting against the romanticism of the idealized idea of a contemporary, portraying the image of Grushnitsky as a parody of romanticism. The hero for the author is not a role model, but a portrait made up of the vices of the entire generation in their full development.
So, the image of Grushnitsky helps to reveal the main thing in the central character of the novel. Grushnitsky - a crooked mirror of Pechorin - sets off the truth and significance of the experiences of this "suffering egoist", the depth and exclusivity of his nature. But in the situation with Grushnitsky, the whole danger lurking in the depths of this human type, the destructive force that lies in the individualistic philosophy inherent in romanticism, is revealed with particular force. Lermontov did not seek to pass a moral judgment. He only with great power showed all the abysses of the human soul, devoid of faith, imbued with skepticism and disappointment. Pechorinism was a typical disease of the time. And isn't it about these people that the generation of the 30s of the last century said M.Yu. Lermontov in the famous "Duma":
“... We will pass over the world without noise or trace, throwing down for centuries not a thought of fruitful work begun by non-geniuses.”
The protagonist of the novel - Pechorin - lived in the thirties of the nineteenth century. This time can be described as the year of cloudy reaction, which came after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising of 1825. At this time, a man of advanced thought could not find a use for his strength. Unbelief, doubt, objection have become features of the consciousness of the younger generation. They rejected the ideals of their parents even “from the cradle”, and at the same time they doubted moral values as such. That is why V. G. Belinsky said that “Pechorin suffers deeply”, not finding use for the immense forces of his soul. Creating the "Hero of Our Time", Lermontov portrayed life as it really was. And he found new artistic means, which neither Russian nor Western literature has yet known, and which captivate us to this day by combining a free and wide image of faces and characters with the ability to show them objectively, “building” them, revealing one hero through the perception of another.
Let's take a closer look at the two heroes of the novel - Pechorin and Grushnitsky. Pechorin, an aristocrat by birth, received a secular upbringing. Leaving the care of his relatives, he "set off into the big world" and "began to enjoy all the bait wildly." The frivolous life of an aristocrat soon bored him, he was also tired of reading books. After the "high-profile story in St. Petersburg," Pechorin is sent to the Caucasus. Drawing the appearance of his hero, the author with a few strokes indicates not his aristocratic origin: “pale”, “noble forehead”, “small aristocratic hand”, “dazzlingly pure whiteness”. Pechorin is a physically strong and hardy man. He is endowed with an extraordinary mind, critically evaluates the world around him. He reflects on the problems of good and evil, love and friendship, on the meaning of human life. In the assessment of his contemporaries, he is self-critical: "We are no longer capable of great sacrifices, not for the good of mankind, nor even for our own happiness." He wonderfully understands people, is not satisfied with the sleepy life of the "water society" and gives destroying characteristics to the capital's aristocrats. Pechorin's inner world is most fully and deeply revealed in the story "Princess Mary", where he meets Grushnitsky. Grushnitsky is a cadet, he is the most ordinary young man who is seen about love, "stars" on shoulder straps
Making an impact is his passion. In a new officer's uniform, dressed up that smells of perfume, he goes to Mera. He is mediocrity, the only weakness inherent in him can be excused at his age - “to drape in extraordinary feelings”, “passion to recite”. He seems to want to play the role of a disappointed hero, fashionable at that time, "a creature doomed to some kind of secret suffering." Grushnitsky is an entirely successful parody of Pechorin. That is why the young junker is so disagreeable to him. With his miserable behavior, Grushnitsky, on the one hand, emphasizes the nobility of Pechorin, and on the other hand, as if he erases all discrepancies between them. After all, Pechorin himself spied on him and Princess Mary, which, of course, was not a noble act. And he never loved the princess, but simply used her gullibility and love to fight Grushnitsky. Grushnitsky, as a narrow-minded person, at first does not understand Pechorin's attitude towards him. Grushnitsky seems to himself a self-confident person, very penetrating and significant: “I feel sorry for you, Pechorin,” he says condescendingly.
But the events are not captured and develop according to Pechorin's plan. And now the Junker, outraged by passion, jealousy and indignation, appears before us in a different light. He turns out to be not so innocent anymore, capable of revenge, shame and meanness. The one who quite recently played nobility, today is able to shoot an unarmed person. The duel scene reveals the essence of Grushnitsky, shoot, I neglect myself, but I hate you. If you don't kill me, I'll stab you at night from around the corner. There is no place for us on earth together ... Grushnitsky discards reconciliation. Pechorin shoots him in cold blood. The situation becomes irreversible Grushnitsky dies after drinking the cup of shame, repentance and hatred to the end. On the eve of the duel, mentioning the life he lived, Pechorin thinks about the question: why did he live? for what purpose was he born? And here he himself answers: “But, probably, she existed, and, probably, I had a high appointment, because I feel immense strength in my soul.” And here Pechorin understands that he has long been playing "the role of an ax in the hands of fate." "Immense forces of the soul" - and small, worthless Pechorin's actions; he wants to "love the whole world" - and brings people only evil and misfortune, the presence of noble, high aspirations - and petty feelings, own the soul; thirst for the fullness of life - and complete hopelessness, awareness of one's doom. Pechorin is lonely, his situation is tragic, he really is "an extra person."
Lermontov called Pechorin "a hero in his time", thus protesting against the romanticism of the idealized idea of a contemporary, portraying the image of Grushnitsky as a parody of romanticism. The hero for the author is not a model for inheritance, but a portrait made up of the vices of the whole generation in his development. So, the image of Grushnitsky helps to reveal the main thing in the central character of the novel. Grushnitsky - a crooked mirror of Pechorin - you see the truth and significance of the experiences of this "egoist suffers", the depth and exclusivity of his nature. But in the situation with Grushnitsky, the whole danger that lurks in the depths of this human type, the destructive force that is inherent in individualistic philosophy, inherent in romanticism, is revealed with special force. Lermontov did not seek to make a moral verdict
He only with great force showed all the depths of the human soul, devoid of faith, streaked with skepticism and disappointment. Pechorinism was a typical disease of the time. And not about these or people of the generation of the 30s of the last century, M. Yu. Lermontov said in the famous "Duma": "... We will pass over the world without noise or trace, we have sketched for centuries not a thought of fruitful NOT genius work begun."
