M. Yu. Lermontov - bright representative romantic direction in literature, because of this, the problem of the individual and its environment is key in his works. But the novelty of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" lies in the fact that the clash of the individual and society is represented by different artistic means: not only romantic, but also realistic.
Comparison with the novel by A. S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
Grigory Pechorin - main character works, its image is a certain social type. Like Pushkin's Onegin, he is called " an extra person". In the characters of the two characters, close moments can be traced: small parts, some character traits, even the events that happen to them.
But the conflict of the individual with society in "A Hero of Our Time" is more complicated than in Pushkin's novel, since Pechorin is full of life, persistently looking for her, but all attempts are doomed to failure, while Onegin “goes with the flow”.
The role of composition in revealing the problem of personality and society
The composition of the work serves to achieve main goal posed by the writer - the disclosure and resolution of the problem of personality. key place belongs to the story "Princess Mary". In it, the hero is revealed to the greatest extent, because such literary medium like confession. Rest artistic techniques(portraits, dialogues, landscapes, and so on) add psychologism to this part of the work.
An expanded system of images reveals the secrets of the hero, hidden, at first glance, traits of his character.
Pechorin's conflict with the surrounding society
Like other representatives of the romantic trend, Mikhail Lermontov contrasts the personality and its environment, the norms and rules adopted in it. The author places the hero in different social environments: he is presented as an army officer during Caucasian War, then communicates with smugglers, then rotates among the nobility.
In "Princess Mary" Pechorin's conflict with the "water society", the relationship of Grigory Alexandrovich with him and with the whole society is described in detail.
The "Water Society" is the quintessence of the St. Petersburg and provincial nobility. Their behavior and lifestyle bear a clear imprint modern author era. The clash of the personality with the environment is embodied in the relationship of the protagonist with the "water society", the values and interests of its representatives, typical entertainment.
All provincial and metropolitan nobility opposed to Grigory Pechorin, but in the novel there are quite a few heroes who are not only opposed to the main character, but are compared with him.
Comparison of Pechorin with other characters in the work
Grushnitsky is a kind of caricature of the protagonist. Deep Essence Pechorin at Grushnitsky becomes just a pose adopted in order to impress others. This is an anti-romantic hero.
His romanticism is almost caricatured. His behavior is often inappropriate for the situation. In everyday affairs, he tries to find romantic notes, but in truly romantic moments he is lost. His participation in a duel has nothing to do with nobility, he does not refuse it only because of pride. Grushnitsky is a bit like Lensky: romanticism, death in a duel, youth.
Only one male character not opposed to Pechorin - Werner. They are really similar, both skeptical and witty, in conflict with society. But there are many differences: Pechorin is a man of action, Werner is passive. The nature of the latter is not so deep and complex, it is more practical. His appearance is filled with romantic details, but his personality is inconsistent.
The main features of the "water society" presented by the author in the novel
Civilian and military men constitute a special class in it, young people stand apart. But it is impossible to imagine other features than those already described in detail in the works of A.S. Griboyedov and A. S. Pushkin. The same servility, idleness, balls and gossip, an absolutely empty life, devoid of higher meaning.
Everything is the same, but in "A Hero of Our Time" we see a provincial society, not a metropolitan one. Lifestyle of the local nobility, atmosphere small town, described with incredible, subtle irony.
It can be said that " water society"- far from a passing image in" A Hero of Our Time ". The problem of the relationship between a person and society is the main goal of Mikhail Lermontov's creativity. At the same time, the poet and writer continues the tradition domestic literature of that period.
Pechorin and "water society" in M.Yu. Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time".
Roman M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" is one of the the best works Russian literature. This novel is worth
on a par with such masterpieces as "Woe from Wit", "Eugene Onegin", "Inspector General". The novel was written in an era that is coming
after the December uprising.
At the center of the novel is a man who, in terms of his development, is higher than the society around him, but who is unable to find
application of your abilities. The author accurately brought out the image young man, which was personified in the work
Pechorin. This is a smart, well-educated young officer who serves in the Caucasus. He's tired of social life
spoiled him. The hero suffers from his restlessness, in despair asks himself the question: “Why did I live? For what purpose do I
was born? Pechorin - typical hero time the best representative his era, but the price for this is his loneliness.
In the first chapter of the novel, we see Pechorin through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, an old officer: “He was a nice guy, only
a little strange." Maxim Maksimych himself is not able to understand the complex nature of the hero whom he loves and considers his own.
friend. In "Bela" the hero's inconsistency is manifested. His character is complex. The hero himself says about himself: “I have two
person: one lives in literally this word, and the other thinks and judges it…” In his words, he hides the essence of his
character: his soul is "corrupted by the light." By nature, Pechorin is an egoist, we learn about this from the first story of the novel.
This quality is manifested in love for Bela, as well as in relation to Mary.
In the story "Maxim Maksimych" the author gives a portrait of Pechorin. Describing the appearance of the hero, the author emphasizes his
aristocratic background. Pechorin is the representative secular society and lives by its laws. If in
The first story of Pechorin is described by Maxim Maksimych, but here the narrator changes. “Wandering officer: a thin and
observant, drawing psychological picture hero, notes the main thing in him: he is all woven from contradictions and
contrasts. “His frame and broad shoulders proved a strong build,” and there was something childish in his smile, some kind of nervous
weakness"; "despite White color his hair, mustache, and his eyebrows were black.” Particular attention is paid to the description of the eyes
hero: ...they didn't laugh when he laughed! Because of their half-drooped eyelashes, they shone with a kind of phosphorescent sheen: it was
a brilliance like that of smooth steel, dazzling but cold.”
In "Princess Mary" we meet a person capable of introspection. Here Pechorin characterizes himself, he
explains how his bad qualities were formed: ... such was my fate from childhood! Everyone read on my face
signs of bad qualities that were not there; but they were assumed - and they were born ... I became secretive ... I became vindictive ... I
became envious, I learned to hate, I began to deceive, I became moral cripple. He realizes that he has lived
an empty and aimless life: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? The hero does not see the meaning of life. This understanding of
purpose in life a few hours before possible death is the culmination of not only the story "Princess Mary", but
and the entire novel.
Pechorin is a brave man, which manifested itself in a duel. TO positive traits hero can be attributed and his ability
understand and feel people. Pechorin is an honest, decent person. Despite the unpleasant history of Princess Mary,
Pechorin decides to tell the truth, although it was not easy. And in this episode, his willpower was manifested. V. G. Belinsky compared
the soul of Pechorin with the land dried up by the heat, which, after blessed rains, could give birth to beautiful flowers.
The novel by M.Yu. Lermontov poses one of the problems - the inability of people of this time to act, generated by their
own environment. Pechorin is a hero of his time. I think this is an honorary “title”, because the very word “hero”
implies uniqueness, exclusivity. In his novel, Lermontov managed to show not only the image of the hero, but also
reveal the history of the human soul.”
Roman M.Yu. Lermontov “Hero of our time - complete work, all parts of which are united by one
hero, and his character is revealed from part to part gradually, is revealed from the external to the internal, from
effect to cause, from the epic through the psychological to the philosophical.
The novel was immediately ranked among the masterpieces of Russian literature.
Tasks and tests on the topic "Pechorin and the "water society" in the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov" A Hero of Our Time "."
- Orthoepy - Important topics for repeating the exam in the Russian language
Lessons: 1 Assignments: 7
- Changing past tense verbs by gender and number - Verb as part of speech Grade 4
Lessons: 1 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1
Lesson of Russian literature in the 9th grade based on the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time"
LESSON 4. “Why do they all hate me?” (Pechorin and the "water society")
Subject: "Why do they all hate me?" (Pechorin and "water society")
Target: Show and see how quickly Pechorin's views change when he meets Grushnitsky.
Tasks:
to deepen the children's understanding of the complex spiritual world Pechorin, ways of his image;
form the initial concepts of the genre socio-psychological novel.
Concept:
In the lessons, the students followed Pechorin's attempts to get close to people far from his circle: mountaineers, Maxim Maksimych, smugglers. The failure of these attempts, as we have seen, was due to the limitations of those with whom fate brought him together. In "Princess Mary" we saw Pechorin in a circle that was socially closer, but the clash with individuals shown here as a conflict with society at large. Perhaps that is why "Princess Mary" is the largest part of the novel in terms of volume.
Two lessons can be devoted to the study of the story. On the first of them, we will focus on the duel with the "water society", in which Pechorin enters. Why is this duel inevitable? Why does Pechorin evoke hostility in almost everyone? Who has the upper hand in this fight?" are the central questions of this lesson. We ask one of the students to write a plan on the board, identifying the main episodes of the story. Such a task usually causes difficulty, because the plot is dissolved in diary entries, events - in estimates. At the same time, the logic of the plot emphasizes how inexorably the tension grows, how one collision follows another.
In order for students to understand the reason for the sharpness of the duel, we invite them to evaluate each of the events (meetings with Mary at the “well”, in a store, a ball in a restaurant, a duel, etc.) from the point of view of Pechorin and other characters in the story, opinions which are recorded in Pechorin's journal. This method of working on the text helps to see Pechorin's incompatibility with the "water society" and contempt for him. Why does Pechorin not confine himself to contempt, but enter the struggle? The search for the motives of his behavior is facilitated by the fact that we have a diary in which he confesses fearlessly, trying to understand the contradictions of his character and behavior himself.
“Does Pechorin appear to be the same person in society and alone with himself? Why does Pechorin keep a diary? we ask the class. For Pechorin, with his loneliness, the magazine is the only worthy interlocutor with whom he can be completely sincere. At the same time, Pechorin's diary - and the laboratory of a naturalist who tirelessly watches other people and himself, I do this, it would seem, even at the most inopportune moments.
The journal has another value for Pechorin: it is his spiritual memory. Pechorin's life seems to be exchanged for trifles, and therefore it is especially important for him to see the meaning of events, to keep their track.
Next, we offer the class the following questions: why does Pechorin have a “pleasant feeling” when he sees the city and mountains in the morning? How does the intonation of the narrative change when Pechorin moves from the landscape to the description of the crowd? Why does Pechorin manage to attract the attention of Mary's admirers? When and why is a “hostile gang” formed against Pechorin? What qualities and actions of Pechorin destroy all the plans of his enemies?
Selfishly not forgiving Pechorin for his superiority, the “water society” believes that Pechorin is proud of his belonging to the St. Petersburg world and living rooms. Pechorin, although he cannot but be ironic in relation to the “water society”, is not only not proud of his superiority, but, unlike Onegin, painfully perceives this distance between himself and others, leading to hostility: “I returned home, worried by two various feelings. The first was sadness: why do they all hate me? I thought. For what? Have I offended anyone? No. Am I really one of those people whose mere sight already breeds ill will? And I felt that poisonous anger gradually filled my soul. The transition from irony to sadness, from non-poisonous anger, prompting action so as not to be a toy in the hands worthless people, is characteristic of Pechorin's attitude to the "water society" in general and to Grushnitsky in particular. And then we dwell on the relationship between Pechorin and Grushnitsky. Pechorin enters into the diary the satellites of this period of his life with characteristics, the accuracy of which is to be verified in the further course of events.
To reveal students' ideas about Grushnitsky, we show Vrubel's illustration for A Hero of Our Time, which depicts Princess Mary giving a glass to Grushnitsky. Is this how the students imagined the hero at that moment? Why does the artist make him look pathetic rather than selfishly proud in this scene? Having identified the reader's impressions with the help of illustrations, we proceed to the analysis of the text. How does Grushnitsky's characterization correlate with what was subsequently revealed in him? The first idea about Grushnitsky is permeated with irony. However, in this first characterization, Grushnitsky is more ridiculous than terrible, more pitiful than dangerous. Pechorin, for all the irony, is quite kind.
Why does Pechorin tease Grushnitsky, destroy his halo in the eyes of the princess, enter into a "competition"? “Innate passion contradicts” in Pechorin is not only a sign of his reflection, a struggle with his soul, with his fate, but a consequence of constant antagonism in relations with society. Everything around is so insignificant that Pechorin constantly wants to be different from others, to act contrary to, to do the opposite.
The conversation in the class develops with such questions: why did Pechorin “inwardly laugh” when talking with Grushnitsky in love? Who is more sincere in this conversation (Record of May 16). Why does Pechorin not hide his intentions, promising Grushnitsky to "drag after the princess"? Does Grushnitsky love Mary? Why does Pechorin succeed in exposing Grushnitsky with one blow, telling Mary that he is a cadet? What is the manifestation of Grushnitsky's "warlike spirit"? Why in him "the struggle of conscience with pride was short-lived"? Why does Grushnitsky always turn out to be petty and ridiculous next to Pechorin? Watching how the true feelings and behavior of Grushnitsky diverge (attitude towards Mary, Pechorin, epaulettes ...), the students are convinced that he is always trying to imitate someone. It sometimes shows the features of a parody of Lensky. The situation of the ball in the recording of June 5 is reminiscent of Tatyana's name day. (The mention of Pushkin's name in the previous episode, as it were, directs the flow of associations in the direction of his novel). Pechorin, like Olga Onegin, invites Mary to dance the mazurka. Grushnitsky's annoyance is reminiscent of Lensky's jealousy:
“- I did not expect this from you,” he said, coming up to me and taking my hand.
What?
Are you dancing the mazurka with her? he asked in a solemn voice. She confessed to me...
Well, so what? And is it a secret?
Of course, I should have expected this from a girl, from a coquette ... I’ll take my revenge!”
However, almost repeating the words of Lensky, Grushnitsky is far from his pathetic romanticism. Taking revenge on Pechorin and Mary, he commits meanness. The omnipotence of Pechorin and the helplessness of Grushnitsky cancel the rivalry. For the time being, Grushnitsky seems so ridiculous to Pechorin that he does not arouse anger in him. However, the meanness of Grushnitsky will seriously anger Pechorin: "... various bad rumors have already been spread about me and the princess in the city." The betrayal of Grushnitsky Pechorin hurts, but he is ready to forgive his "friend" for his anger, his petty pride for a minute of honesty.
Pechorin's readiness for humanity is destroyed by the baseness of Grushnitsky, who agrees to deception in a duel. However, Pechorin, as Shakespeare's Hamlet, more than once must make sure that meanness is ineradicable in a person before committing retribution. And then we turn to the analysis of the duel episode. Why Pechorin is coming to duel? What does it say about his readiness to die? What sides of Pechorin's soul does the night before the duel reveal? Why and how does Pechorin continue to test after the duel? Answers to these questions help students understand that Pechorin’s cruelty is caused by an insult not only for himself, for the fact that a person even before death grimace and lie, for the fact that on the border of life and death in Grushnitsky pride is stronger than honesty.
At the end of the lesson, we consider Vrubel’s illustrations for the episode and think about why the artist chose the moment when Grushnitsky was no longer on the set, what feelings are visible in Pechorin’s face and posture, how the figures of Werner and the captain differ from each other, located with their backs to the viewer, why the place duels are drawn as bare rocks.
At home, we suggest reading the articles of the textbook “Pechorin and the Water Society”, “Pechorin and Grushnitsky”; answer the questions: what is the difference between the duel scenes in "Eugene Onegin" and "A Hero of Our Time"? Why does Pushkin blame his hero for the murder, while Lermontov forgives Pechorin?
Lesson structure:
The main idea of the lesson:
... the conflict between the hero and society as a social whole, as a historical environment, to the understanding of which the hero's thought turns to understand his destinies.
Educational problem situations:
Why is Pechorin's duel with the "water society" inevitable?
Could the duel between yesterday's friends have been avoided?
Are there winners and losers in the conflict between the hero and society?
Exposure.
Until now, we have been following Pechorin's attempts to get close to people far from his circle: mountaineers, Maxim Maksimych, smugglers. The failure of these attempts, as we have seen, was due not to the narrowness of the hero, but to the limitations of those with whom fate brought him together.
Conversation.
Determine the main conflict of the story. Why do you think Pechorin's journal begins with a description of the landscape? How does the intonation change when the author proceeds from the description of nature to the description of the “water society”? Why is a "hostile gang" formed against Pechorin?
I learning situation.
Why is the duel with the “water society” inevitable?
Conversation.
Why does Pechorin evoke hostility in almost everyone? Who wins this fight?
Characteristics of events.
What is the reason for the sharpness of the duel, let's evaluate each of these events that we saw in this story: Mary's meeting at the "well", in the store, in the restaurant, the duel, which are recorded in Pechorin's journal. Why does Pechorin not confine himself to contempt, but enter the struggle? Will Pechorin be the same person in society and alone with himself?
Nov 17 2010
Lermontov considered it his historical duty or mission to show the Russian young man as a strong being, endowed with great passions and noble aspirations - "wonderful promises of the future", as it is said about in "Princess Ligovskaya". One of the main, fundamental differences between the new novel and the previous ones should have been an objective presentation and the fact that this novel would not have that conventional author-narrator who, for some unknown reason, knows every step and even every thought of his hero.
In the new novel, the matter should be set up in such a way that he himself learns about the existence of his hero from someone else's lips - a situation that, at first glance, is very sharp and paradoxical, but can become quite plausible if the motivation is successful. So Maxim Maksimych appeared in the role of the narrator, and the first story that opened was Bela, which is a combination of two different, mutually inhibiting genres, of which one serves as a motivation for the other.
It should be added that the real narrator or author of Bela's story is not Maxim Maksimych, but the one who was traveling "on the messenger from Tiflis", since, in his own words, taking advantage of the delay in Vladikavkaz, "he decided to write down Maxim Maksimych about Bela, not imagining that he will be the first link in a long chain of stories. This is how complex the construction turns out to be on close examination, which seems so natural and easy when reading. Lermontov had, on the one hand, to preserve the tonal difference between the two narrators, and on the other hand, to create the unity of the author's narrative style, without splitting it into separate languages: the writer "riding on the chaise longue", the old staff captain, the robber Kazbich, the boy Azamat, Bela and Pechorin himself (whose words, in the words of Maxim Maksimych, "cut into" his memory).
Thus, the “ordinary do” about a Circassian woman abducted by a Russian officer is passed through a prism with several facets, due to which it reaches the reader in the form of a multi-colored semantic spectrum.
About the writing profession of the narrator of "Bela" and "Maxim Maksimych", it must also be added that this profession was very useful for solving one of the most important tasks of the novel: somewhere it was necessary to draw a portrait of the hero - especially the "hero of our time." Formerly a traditional and, in fact, not always necessary duty, this task in this case has acquired a new and important function. ideological meaning, since the story told in "Bel" arouses extreme interest in Pechorin as a person as a whole - one of Lermontov's greatest artistic achievements. Not only that: for the portrait of the hero, a brilliant motivation was found in terms of wit and plausibility (and, consequently, in terms of persuasiveness) - a writer riding on a chaise longue, having just listened to Bela's story, comes face to face with Pechorin himself. Naturally, he peers intently into every feature, follows every movement of this “strange” (in the words of the staff captain) person. And now a portrait is drawn, which is based on a new idea of the connection between a person’s appearance and his character and psyche in general - an idea in which echoes of new philosophical and natural science theories that served as a support for early materialism are heard.
So, "Bela" and "Maxim Maksimych" give a complete exposition of the hero: from general plan("Bela") made the transition to a large - now it's time to move on to psychological development. After Bela, Pechorin remains enigmatic; the critical tone of the staff captain (“What a marvel! Tell me, please ... you seem to have been to the capital, and recently, is all the youth there really like that”) does not leave, but, on the contrary, enhances this mystery, introducing into it a portrait of a trait of somewhat vulgar demonism. "Taman" is built into the novel as a psychological and plot "antidote" to what happened as a result of "Bela" and "Maxim Maksimych".
Already in "Bela" Pechorin comes to the conclusion that "the love of a savage few better than love noble lady "(" ignorance and simple-heartedness of one is just as annoying as the coquetry of another "), but this can be attributed precisely to the "demonism"; in "Taman" the hero, who was once again chasing "the love of a savage," suffers a complete fiasco and finds himself on the verge of death. "Ondine" turns out to be the smuggler's girlfriend - and this world of peculiar predators has nothing to do with the Rousseauist idylls of the "natural man". It is quite natural that after such a fiasco, Pechorin leaves the world of "savages" and returns to the much more familiar and safe world of "noble" young ladies and ladies. This is how the transition from "Taman" to "Princess Mary" is made.
Here, Pechorin's line (the "curve" of his behavior), which has descended in Taman, rises, as the reader is no longer acquainted only with Pechorin's actions, but also with his thoughts, aspirations, complaints - and all this ends with a significant “a poem in prose”, the meaning of which goes far beyond petty fuss with Princess Mary and Grushnitsky: “I am like a sailor, born and raised on the deck of a robber brig; his soul has become accustomed to storms and battles, and, thrown ashore, he is bored and languishing, no matter how beckoning his shady grove, no matter how peaceful the sun shines on him ... ”However, he cannot wait for big storms and battles, and at most - that he will again , as it has happened more than once, will be on the verge of death and will not perish. So we move on to The Fatalist.
As behind the portrait of Pechorin there is a whole natural science and philosophical theory, so behind the "Fatalist" hides a large philosophical and historical trend associated with the problem of historical "regularity", "necessity" or, as it was often expressed then, "fate", "providence". It is not surprising that the question of "fate" or "predestination" turned out to be the theme of the final story; what is surprising, or rather remarkable, is how he handled this philosophical theme, making it the subject of a work of art.
Without rejecting the significance of the problem itself, he takes it not in a theoretical ("metaphysical") context, but in a psychological one - as a fact. mental life and human behavior - and makes a completely unexpected for the “theorist”, but absolutely convincing practical (psychological) conclusion: “I like to doubt everything: this disposition of the mind does not interfere with the decisiveness of character - on the contrary, as far as I am concerned, I always go forward more boldly when I don't know what to expect. After all, nothing worse than death will happen - and death cannot be avoided!
Fatalism here is turned by its opposite: if "predestination" really exists, then the consciousness of this should make a person's behavior all the more active and courageous. The question of "fatalism" is not solved by this, but that side of this worldview is revealed that leads not to "reconciliation with reality", but to "decisiveness of character" - to action. So true artistic twist philosophical theme Lermontov saved his concluding story from a bad tendentiousness, and his novel from a bad or gloomy ending.
Need a cheat sheet? Then save it - "Pechorin and society. "Alien for everyone". Literary writings!Pechorin and the "water society" in the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time".
So far, Pechorin's attempts to get close to people far from his circle have been traced. The failure of these attempts, as we have seen, is due not to the narrowness of the hero, but to the limitations of those with whom fate brought him together. In "Princess Mary" we see Pechorin in a circle that is socially closer to him. However, the clash of the hero with individuals is replaced here by a conflict with society as a whole. Perhaps that is why "Princess Mary" is the largest part of the novel in terms of volume.
For Pechorin, in his loneliness, the diary, the “journal”, is the only “worthy interlocutor” with whom he can be more sincere. And one more value of the magazine: This is the spiritual memory of Pechorin. His life seems to be exchanged for trifles, and therefore it is especially important for him to see the meaning of the events taking place, to keep track of them, so as not to be in the position of a person whose state is conveyed in the poem "Both boring and sad ...".
Proudly not forgiving Pechorin for his superiority, Grushnitsky, the dragoon captain and other members of the “water society” believe that Pechorin is proud of his belonging to the St. Petersburg world, to the living rooms where they are not allowed. Pechorin, although he cannot help but be ironic in relation to the "water society", is not only not proud of his superiority, but painfully perceives this distance between himself and others, leading to hostility: "I returned home, worried by two different feelings." The first was sadness. Why do they hate me? - I thought - For what? Have I offended anyone? No. Am I really one of those people whose mere sight already breeds ill-will. And I felt that poisonous anger gradually filled my soul. The transition from the irony of sadness, from it to poisonous anger, prompting to act so as not to be the laughingstock of insignificant people, is characteristic of Pechorin's attitude to the "water society" in general, and Grushnitsky in particular.
Pechorin, for all his irony, is rather kind, he does not imply in Grushnitsky the ability to kill (and not even with a word, but with a bullet), he does not imply baseness, aggressive manifestations of pride.
“The innate passion to contradict” in Pechorin is not only a sign of reflection, a constant struggle in his soul, but also a consequence of a constant confrontation with society. The people around are so insignificant that Pechorin constantly wants to be different from them, to act contrary to them, to do the opposite. Moreover, Pechorin himself ironically over this stubbornness: “The presence of enthusiasm douses me with Epiphany cold, and I think frequent intercourse with a lethargic phlegmatic would make me a passionate dreamer.” Grushnitsky is unbearable for his falseness, posturing, claims to romanticism - and Pechorin in his presence feels an irresistible need for prosaic sobriety of words and behavior.
Grushnitsky’s consent to participate in the conspiracy proposed by the dragoon captain awakens “cold anger” in Pechorin, but he is still ready to forgive his “friend” for his vindictiveness, “various bad rumors” spread by him in the city - for a minute of honesty “I was tremblingly waiting for Grushnitsky’s answer, cold anger took possession of me at the thought that if it weren’t for chance, I could become the laughingstock of these fools. If Grushnitsky had not agreed, I would have thrown myself on his neck. But after some silence, he got up from his seat, held out his hand to the captain and said very importantly: "Very well, I agree." The laws of honor are not written for these people, just as they are not for the "peaceful circle of honest smugglers."
Pechorin's readiness for grateful humanity is destroyed by the meanness of Grushnitsky, who agrees to deception in a duel. However, Pechorin is like Shakespeare's Hamlet. More than once he must be convinced that meanness is ineradicable in this person before he decides on retribution. Pechorin's cruelty is caused by insult not only for himself - because on the border of life and death in Grushnitsky, petty pride turns out to be stronger than honesty and nobility.
